Evening star., 1915-03-02
New National.


panied Mr.. G.. Bernard Shaw into one OF
his delightful trips into the polite un-
derworld; for to Mr.. Shaw all the world
Is underworld. The good people are
quite as bad as the wicked: the main
difference being in the customs OF
speech and attire. When Mr.. Shaw de-
sires to present picture OF totai oe-
pravity he exercises more than char-
ity. He bestows medals and merit In
Pygmalion he makes the dustman, VINO
visits the sociological experimenter
with "a view to selling his daughter for
cold cash, the most emphatically pic
turesque character in the play Ihe
Siustman revealed in the first act IN the
uniform and dialect of his profession IS
brought back in the last act remade
with a new uniform. a new dialect and
a new profession.
Forced out of poverty. in which he
was permitted the delights OF inebriate
squsndering. into an affuence whlcn
rendered him uncomfortable, he De-
comes vigorous declalmer against an
institution which Mr.. Shaw cleverly
invented to fit the ingenious phrase
middle class morality. A CLINT OF
satire on the lavishness of American
philanthropy is reflected from TINS
character of the dustman who might
have been contentedly dissoiute in his
natural environment had not multi
millionaire insisted on discovering his
oratorical talents and utilizing him as
an influence in the general upltft
In seeking humorous or saur1cal
contrast Mr.. Shaw's play follows the
direct method of abrupt contradiction
He does not burden himself with the
responsibility of puncturing a fallacy
His targets are not object OF hostile at
tack necessarily. but only incidents OF
his marvellous exhibition of intellectual
craftsmanship.
In spite of his revelations of total
deprayity he is at heart q rare cham
MON of morality whether it travels
tirSt second or third class; always
ma king his characters yield In one way
and another to the obligation lald down
by social precedent. His satire is,
after ALL not so much a protest against
conditions as a protest against dull
ness. The fact that the ten command
nents are thorough indorsed by pop
ular sentiment makes them tempting
subject for creative Wit. If the COM
nand:nents were unpopular, Mi ShaW
would no doubt be one of their most
voluble champions.
The gentleman who MAKES the little
flurry in social pool which consti-
tutes this play is a Prof Higgins, who
conducts a phonetic laboratory in
London. The professor, who is man
of positive mentality and great self
a, proval, believing that speech AL
appearance are the tests of social ac-
ceptability. takes an ignorant girl
under his tuition and brings her by
gradual stages to point where she
is accepted in society as one of the
smartest of the smart The t.Ile "Pyg-
nalion' is a really poetic touch which
recalls the sculptor who brings
thoughtless, heartless statue into SYM
pathetic human existence. The pro-
fessor's miscalculation .ay in not real
izing that as he developed the g1riS
taste and sentiment, and that what he
thought was the elimination of his
experiment was only its beginning.
The subject of this proposition to
obliterate the influence of heredity and
substitute environment as the sole con-
Sideration affords most fascinating op-
portunity for the actress. portraying
the role of the dustman's illiterate
daughter. Mrs. Patrick Campbell does
not invest it with any artificial
sprightliness. Despite the exquisite
play of humor she makes 1t a reflection
of personal dignity as well as per
personal appearance are illustrated by
some beautiful clothes. The study of
speech, which is an even more import
ant element of the demonstration, af-
fords opportunity for observation of
number of the infinitely variant
shades of dialect of which the English
language is capable.
The very responsible role of Prof. Htg-
gins is enacted with force and dlscre-
tion by Philip Merivale. and Doolittle,
the dustman, a conspicuous figure, even
though not constant in attention
through the play, is portrayed with
painstaking efficiency by Edmund
GuSney.
There are little strokes of sincerity
through the piece which indicate a
development on the part of the author
toward sympathetic sentiment The
realization of the girl that she has left
behind her past only to find no future
awaiting her is a moment that almost
approaches tenderness But the story Is
not of Importance excepting as a back
ground for brilliant thought and
polished diction. 1t is argument not
for the sake of principle but for the
sake of logical and rhetorical display
The audience was emphatic In its well
come to the new play and to Mrsf1
Campbell and the company surround
ing her. j.