Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-04
and it's part of my business to try to find
lne. OF course too, | say things quite pur

and it's part of my business to try to find
one. Of course, too, say things quite pur-
posely to startle people and gain their at
tention. For example, l said Lately that
Christs teaching would have been the same
if He had died of typhoid fever in a coun-
try house instead of on the cross. The peo-
pie who never think felt that to be irrever-
ent because it is a new idea expressed in
new language, but it isn't irreverent at ALL"
AS | listened to him l was convinced that,
however startling Bernard Shaws religious
views may seem, they are unquestlonably
the outcome of as sincere and reverent
thought as that of any orthodox clergyman
and sermon writer.
Founded on Fact.
He continued: Il toid you a while ago
that several things in The Doctors Dilem-
ma were founded on fact" said he. You
remember, suppose, where the scoundrelly
artist states just as he is dying that he Is
disciple of Bernard Shave"
1 said l did and 1 quote the passage in
question:
The artist OubedaD-"I am disciple Of
Bernard Shaw"
heard of him. Is he Methodist preacher
The artist-"He is the most advanced man
now living
well" said Mr.. Shaw to me, some peo-
pie have thought that by allowing the i'm
moral artist to say he was my disciple l
have virtually admitted that all my dis
ciples die immoral and that immortality Is
what my teachings amount to. OF course,
that is not what l meant. The incident, as
l say, was founded on fact. About six
months ago scampish youth tried to
blackmail his own father, and the old gen.
tleman, a most respectable person, was &C
tually forced to prosecute him. At his trial
the youth excused himself-just as the dy-
ing artist in my play attempted to excuse
himself-by asserting that he was tol-
lower of Bernard Shaw. Then the youth
IA 1icrin hal
lied the judge and finally got sent to prison,
where he actually expected me to go to visit
him and act as sort Of chaplain to him.
His Idea of Other Plays.
up to my time said he, 'all the plays
were romantic and untrue. They usually
dealt with adultery in a variety of forms
and had no possible connection with life. l
write plays where people can see on the
stage things that seem real to them and
can hear thoughts that interest Them in
stead of watching and listening to things
miles away from their own or any one else s
experience That's why people who never
go to theaters at other times go to see my
plays
And what will happen when you stop
writing plays?" I asked. Nobody else can
write the sort of thing you describe.
Nonsense, lots Of people can write them.
Have you seen The Silver Box or Granville
Barker's The Voysey Inheritance? Fine,
both of them! Why, these young chaps can
wipe my eye out" cried Mr.. Shaw with
charming modesty. After all, it's easy to
write a successful play Of my Sort the
thing that must be hard is to write one Of
those artificial west end plays and to make
1t a success
AS I went down the stairs from Bernard
Shaw's fiat l met a man I knew-a member
Of the New Reform Club. whose quarters
are on the floor underneath.
1--WE just been calling on your celebrity
upstairs" said 1.
"Oh! You mean Bernard Shaw; l sup
pose,' replied the New Reformer; but he 8
not a celebrity!-he's a Great Mani"