The sun., 1905-09-04
g. n. 8.
A Whack Cor ID II an "Ad"?) At T.,
Whacker OF Matter Shakespeare.


Whscker OF Matter Shakespeare.
To THE EpIron OF THE srS-Sr. t.,
months ago q. Bernard Shaw--note do full
reverence 10 the name hotly assailed mo,
viii OF Stratford -on- Avon. In that crit.
clsm he paused Internationally from ms pain.
full labor OF whacking the Great Immortal
to pat the bIlllant author OF Candid on
the head. At every corner OF his animal
versions you ran plump against the anda
clous Shaw, who conndentially bnttonhosd
YOU TO whisper in your ear: "Yes. this Shake
speare is great; but there are others. On
course. the collective pronoun plural should
govern. But then. consider the exquisite
modesty Of the Irish playwright.
G. Bernard's mordacious comments on
the Myriad Minded were impelled perhaps
by sense Of the fitness OF things. The
ceaseless repetition Of the great Elizabethana |
name and the hyperbole and exaggerated
encomlums that generally follow 1t jar upon
his sensitive vegetable architecture. And
this, too while he. Shaw. lives. moves and
has his beine While he. Shaw. is creating
plays that make Twelfth Night. or What
You VIII" look like two jacks against four
aces.
But isn't Shaw acting the bull In the literary
and ethical china shop 40 that he can set up
In place Of the broken images Shawesqus
whims and Shawesoue gods? His persistent,
lrrltant effort to make the world think Shaw.
csuue Is bringing on the seven inch yavn
His very name is becoming hot mustard
plaster on our mental backs. We are getting
tired Of being rallied at for not dressing bo.
hemi anly.- for not eating vegetab bly,. for not
reading Karlmsrxlngly. for not marryins
d Chs% of tSe snnn
cIssts 6estrides this world like a mental
colossus. end we petty mem, men ar are pc, petty for
rhIss Winter Che plsvs ~ shaw wifi dori.
happened to that thorouehfare. They are
spontansIts. SO % " Nevertheless. they are sphsm. h
ths ds61 hs Nj sSy:
the shswsites % do not see. 70 him and hsm
they are monaments instead Of fesats colon
f episrams viii Be Wruns Out Of tSem-snd
1sna eoa Iasss 9 s'Hpsns hs9a
tions. the figure in the center Of his dramatic
shaw has no dramatic genius; ,,;,d Ths ability
p!etely divorce his personality from hls brain
aefepet th.t made nS % Byron sai and Il vas th.
coupled with an obscure and involved DIG.
n shs ssR Rss
z%Islfs LsIls f. csn,sd rc:6 osIn Hssff1sd sfsd
only only shaw in sAs s.mpsTament n Is BSrens an.
tIthesis. The irishman is gayer. ,happ!er
{sss aed But
q sfa hs q head % stick out bis and large; None y
hIs stage Eares has ohsrasSt;sai S;a: thsE hay:
ss4 s &. in Giaaas
and chin bereit of a, hrsute ornament. dsnt
thst .c the scs Ssy "hf.'fs m. eae apH n
the costume Of the Directoire, rooted with
fierce mop Of Corscan hair. his Irish blood
s sevsr ssansa 1hi tpsh sad hs T.
All About, is Shaw awooing. and Charters
the Ss s shsY 81 e. sE. md b.en
q ,s t!o% s, xash s peeps through the willy
Most Of the prof otaaonists of his plays hav.
taken . post-srad late course in the philoso;;
h q Rsssn Magne5 tbs hand and
soa bows ss ss Her sss1
place up IN his stage alley the conventionallyy
hyposFitiesl yarnishl And SITTER Nc ha.
placed them in satisfying fashion. bang! goes
s & nnepn! p sd q 5 p %sod nf h1 hFS:
In that consists the plot Of most Of hi.
etaSs eehaSrscter, Shaw IN d!ssSlse, dopv iofss;
whose chief duty it is to think rishtt to tax
With pleasing assumption to act Will, seTse J;v
she os' antiSaatsd, i phi phsrIsaie. conysntonsl psr
sons surrounding him. The dialogue Of his
Ingenious. The serva1t Eirls. are clever,
everything, everybody p clever. And the
to be true and not true enough to be alto
Rether clever. As witty puzzles the plays
conundrums. Nowhere outside OF MUNICH
hausen are there such eltuations as are
contained in the plays Of Shaw.
lives in too CLASSY a house to throw stones
at prominent playwrights. dead or alive
His works are good things for the digestion.
an excellent tonic. But as m masterpieces OF
cynical comedy or of social conditions--nol
with a very decided emphasis.
j. BURNETT LARRIc.
NEW YORK, Aug. 81.