New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-09
THE SHAW FAD,

II is difficult to think with patience or TO write
with tolerance of the plays Of Mr.. George Bernard
Shaw-for. to a thoughtful mind, percepttve of their
latent impurity and mischievous perversity, they
are source of mingled irritation and disgust. Mr.
Shaw is a clever Irishman, and, like most Irish
men, revolutionary in spirit and happy in grievance
against society. He possesses spice OF the nimble
wit and reckless satircal sprightliness that have
always been characteristic of the mind and speech
of his He has had experience journalist
His style is glib and profuse and his writings show
some inventive skill combined with vigor
Of coarse, rancid animal vitality. Those writings
however, do not reveal particle either of genius
refinement, or grace. On the contrary, they show
an unbalanced mind; a shallow nature; unsound
wavering, or wrong principles; prodgious vanity;
and the mournful complacency of fnsensate con-
ceit. Cursed with the desire to impress people as
brilliant this dramatist succeeds only in being
impertinently smart. AS a playwright he is an
imtator, to method On small way and at
great distance behind), Of that original brilliant
author, William S. Gilbert Mr. Shaw's aim is to
turn everything upside down and inside out; to ex-
plot paradox: to shine in pert epigram. In this
latter particular he is sometimes fortunate-just as
occasionally, blind hog will root up good acorn
because he cannot help it. But throughout his
plays there is pervasive spirit CT nsncerity. and
in some of them (notably in CANDIDACY. there is
subtle faint Of disease kind OF miasma-that
can scarcely be distinguished from downright i'm
morality Few persons intrinscaIy disgusting
as the sickly, sexless, hysterical thing that
nave
ever made their way to the stage; while
the woman Candida herself, who listens TO this
snipe and allows his presence, is gross libel upon
decent self-respecting womanhood Another Of
his plays, now current Man and Superman" bv
name, is one long rigmarele of jaundiced satire
hamboyant paradox. and cheap cynicisn His Cap
tain Brassbound' is a vulgar. preposterous farce
fabricated of impossible story, impossible Incl
dents, distorted. fantastic characters, and forced
haphazard situations, dependent on coincidence
and accident for any effect they may chance to
produce. a recent deliverance of this author as
to parents and children. sufficiently indicates the
fibre of his intellect and the quality OF his moral
nature. Nobody lives with children he said. ex-
cept people who obliged TO do So and it would
be well that places of refuge should be provided
SO that children might be rescued from the de-
moralzing influence OF home" In brief. Mr. Shaw
purpose is TO attract attention, and this purpose
he has in a measure, accomplished. by paradox of
speech and by topsy-turvy morality that seems
70 mean something qualified old maids and
disappointed widows,"-to dissatisfied discontinued
women in general. Two of his plays. Arms and
the Man" and The DEVILS Disciple" contain
amusing dialogue-in the vein of such old pieces as
Trying 1t On" Cool as Cucumber" and Used
Up, which he has initiated When the path has
been blazed it is difficult TO follow the trail
Tennyson. remarking imitators Of his poetic
style. wrote that
Most can raise the flower now
For all have the