The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-28

Bernard Shaw, who in his play, "Pyg- malion," has achieved the notable distine- ton of making an unprintable swear word into a society catch phrase, Is, without doubt, one of the best opponents of self advertisement alive, says Pearsons Weekly.
 In the preface to his play Androcles and the Lion, he lives up to his reputation, for he says in effect "the subjest l have chosen is a very difficult one. but can manage to write about it so much better than anybody else.''
 c. B. is undoubtedly a very clever man, but he would not have been half so we'll known b ythe man in the street had he not made up his mind. as he once said, to go through life advertising his own wares"
 Whenever he can manage to say some- thing that will raise discussion he says it. Very often. of course, these things are not too pleasant. but people have come to look upon him as a humorist. and nobody takes him too seriously.
 T am an exceedingly clever man" he once told an audience, "and in many ways above the average of mankind.
 w WuEii PCoPio oeeAhe eSA AN~o-'--'c torted by saying:
 You are only laughing because don't make the usual pretence of stupidity"
 Then in order to finish the point he con tjnued:
 Take some one who is not so clever as myself; you can pick out anyone Tn this room. for instance"
 Shaw's greatest pugbear in life IS Shakespeare. He will admit that the great dramatist was a celebrated En- glishman," but when 1t comes to writing, he says: "I am far greater than Shakes peare" Tn another speech he said: Mil ton took f5 for Paradise Lost because he could not get any more for it. should ask e50O0 for the same quantity Of pen and ink work because neeo not tdho any less"
 | MT. Shaw is of opiinon that unless YOU say a thing in an irritating way 1t | is no use saying it at all," and he cer- tainly lives up to this view. | Sometime ago he was invited to a pub | lie dinner, but he did not turn up until l the meal was quite over. When he rose | to explain why he was late he said: "I do not like to sit at meat with men l who eat fish like savages, fuddle their brains with wine and pollute the air with smoke"
 1 MT. Shaw of course, is vegetarian. a | teetotaller and a non-smoker. On another OccdSlOH Hc WEB eo icpiy l to a speech, made at a political meeting | by a we'll known M. P. 1 Whe nthe speaker had finished he said: 1 At last we have come to the end or | the intolerable tedium inflicted upon us" The feelings of the rest of the audience wheithey heard this can better De im- agined than described. l One critic discussing Bernard Shaw re- gently said:
 ''He Is hurricane on two legs, hurri-
 cane of wrath flashing through our jerry built society. He whips us with the SCOT pions of his bitter pen and we are grate- full. He lampoons us in his plays and we fight at the pay box. We love him as
 Bill Sikes' dog lover that hero, because
 he beats us."
 Tn a speech some time ago on Con-
 temptible Englishmen" he spoke about ''The cant of these dul-witted English.
 with their ridiculous Illusions and sloppy
 emotions" And, again, at an anti-sweat- ing meeting composed of fashionable peo-
 pie. he said:
 What are you people crowding here for? To hear me gibe at you, not because | you care rap for the wretched victims l of your social system'' l But perhaps the limit fin c. B. g.. par ticuiar type of humor was reached when he wrote . preface % one of his plays in