The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-16

yet facile epigram. 1t IL the humor
OF seeing the naked fact beneath the
artificial trappings Of life.
Again we may say that Shaw. like
Moliere: is the most social VI drama
lists. He castigates conventional man.
ners with a laugh and the laughter
Is a punishment for the disharmony
between social custom and reason.
Emile Faguet says Of Moliere: ITO
transport truth from the world to the
stage. truth and the whole truth, ma
ture and the whole Of nature, such
was Moliere's aim and this is what
he did" The words apply equally to
Shaw. whose dramas are one long
continued protest in forms however
varied against the romanticism which
lends hypocrisy to love. the .idealism
which gives rise to hypocrisy in poll
tics and against all the conventions Of
social life. Shaw, like Molierc, IL the
least romantic Of men and the most
uncompromisb,gly truthful.
Like Moliere's. Shaw's philosophy IN
d~eterministic: In the main we must
submit to life. to nature. but with the
continuous EFFORT to see clear and make
the best of conditions as they arc.
The determinism Of 1bsen and Strind-
berg IL psychological and individual.
They aim at individual reform. Des.
tiny is wrong. but It, triumphs. The
protests Of the characters are fruit.
less despair. But with Shaw Destiny
Is right and its triumph good. What
must be must he. and It Is futile to
Anht aUatnsA t6z ln>.f~ Vl-A -
have to do IL - submit to necessary
conditions but never fail to make the
best Of them. Hence the lack Of any,
thing like lamentation, feeble whining
or heroic ~denunciation. Both Moliere
and Shaw glorify common sense: and
by common sense is meant a healthy
and sane view Of man and life.
When a man has lived n century or
two ago we Judge him without rancor
because his faults. such as they are,
are at least at rest. Wherefore, we 10
longer accus Moliere Of immortality.
though his morality was totally ut
odds with the thinking Of his time.
Shaw is frequently accused Of i'm
moral thinking because his thinking
Is unconventional. and after all ii Is
still trie. as Socrates said. that to
think ahead of ones time Is a crime
and punishable as a crime.
One more point Of similarity be.
tween Moliere and Shaw: Both are in.
clined TO choose their most philosophi-
cal and thoughtful characters from the
lower classes. Moliere's maid servants
and Wallets are famous. Shaw's most
able thinkers are JuODins, the wonder.
full William in You Never Can Tell"
the delightful greengrocer In Getting
Married and the chauffeur and Mem
do.d in Man and Superman." OF
Shaw's style NJ. Hamon says:
Bernard Shaw's style Is finely and sub;ly
logical. recalling that OF Voltaire. Renan
or Anatole France: IL is sometimes tor
rental. like that OF Scarron. and always
appropriate 20 the CHARACTER. like that Of
Moliere: 1t Is natural. pithy. and exhibits
here and there a deliberate ordinariness,
like that Of Ibsen. Shaw is ironica,. caus-
tic. sardonic. amusing. like Rabeiais. para.
dox!cal TO an extent which would give
points to Jean jacques Rousseau or Proud.
hon. and endowed with an extraordinarily
fantastic Imagination. like Beaumarchais.
All these characteristics combine to form
a mixture with a flavor OF It's own, which
II that neither Of Moliere. Beaumarcha.s
Noltaire. Jean jacques Rousseau, .Renan
or Proudhon. 1t has its own peculiar
aroma. which charms. p~ieases. recreates
and insiructs. amuses and gives food for
thought. To sum all up In a word, 1t
Is Bernard shaw.
In summing up we must realize that
1t Is such writer's as Moliere and
Shaw. true d%aredevils in the world of
thought. who tear away the binding
films OF romance. who reduce the arti-
fatalities and hypocrtsies Of their ages
to shreds and tatters and who clear
the ground for the future builders Of
life.
NJ. lannon's book, while penetrating
and a%ppreciative in the highest de-
gree. has no beauty OF style or care
for construction. The book would be
greatly improved by a photography Of
Shaw's work and a subject index.