Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-22
Or. Colt DELIVERS
LECTURE ON SHAW
EnuIishman Tells Members Of
Friday Morning Club of
Dramatist'S Influence
PLAYS ALLURING TO WOMEN
Claims Author Strikes Blow at
Marital Wrongs but Offers
No Remedy
FLAYS ALLURING TO WOMEN
BY FLoRENCE BOsARD LAWRENOE

BY FLORENCE BOSARD LAWRENCE
DIR. stanton Colt of London was
stranger in Los Angeles yesterday. To-
day every member of the Friday Morn
ing club who heard him in his delight
full lecture on George Bernard Shaw
feels that he is an honored friend.
In nothing attempted by this club re-
Gently has the entire membership been
so pleased as by this program. DR.. Colt
has a charming logic, not always along
the obvious lines of thought, but al
ways with a merry little turn or quip
which presents fresh ideas, and brings
a ripple of laughter to the listeners.
His greatest gift, and one in which ne
delights himself, apparently, is IN max
ing his audieice laugh with him at the
very thing he has not said. He leads
bis listeners along through some pleas
ant argument, then pauses-and IN
stantly, like a picture, the ludierous or
witty side of the situation presents It
self, and speaker and audience laugh
together in happy camarad1e.
In introducing his subject DR.. Colt
said that in submitting list of lectures
to American managers he had included
the apparently innocent subject, Der
nard Shaw Social symptom
"Out of thirty lectures 1 was asked to
deliver. twenty three wanted this sub
ject. am curious to know what Amer
leans, especially American women, lind
in Mr.. Shaw that is so alluring."
INDUCES IN SARCASM
DR.. Colt paid Mr.. Shaw the compli-
ment of calling him the greatest wit
since Voltaire," and commented with
much pleasure and some little sarcasm
at our expense upon the fact that New
York found one of his plays too wicked
to have presented.
Explaining the phrase social symp-
TONI DR.. Colt said:
81 use the term symptom as one
would use signal or tendency Shaw
detects just what we want. He says
what everybody feels, what everyone
thinks and doesn't dare to say. He
says today what we all-if you gave US
twenty-four hours more-might - say
ing tomorrow"
Here the speaker paused to say that
to Englishmen we also had a man who
did the same thing, and at the mention
of his name-Theodore RooseVelt-there
was big applause throughout the house
DR.. Colt spoke of Shaw's early days.
"For eight years, from the time he was
20, what he knew chishy was munger
He was the friend of nihilists of social
lied with the minority"
Shaw's disposition to destroy ideals,
tear down customs and throw away the
trammels of convention was discussed
cutie freely by the speaker, and after
the lecture many comments upon TINS
situation were made by members of the
audience.
Mrs. Willoughby Rodman inquired as
to the effect Shaw and his principles
had upon life in England, and DR.. Colt
admitted that he thought it was not
good.
"Shaw strikes blow at the wrongs
and hypocrisies of marriage, but has no
theory to offer in it's place." he said
"He has had O. relaxing influence that
is dangerous, especially to women who
are beginning to throw off trammels IN
relation to men and to children"
Madame Severance, who was an in
terested listener suggested that posi-
bly, Shaw saw in Socialism a cure for
the evils he deplores, and Or. Colt
agreed with her that an applied Social
ism would go far toward settling the
present unrest among women
Mrs. Charles Farwell Edison, Mrs.
Starkweather and Mrs. d. x. Trask
were among other speakers.
Mrs. O. p. Clark announced recep-
ton for members and their friends to
be given at the club house Tuesday,
November 1.