New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
By Haywood Broun

1t Is hard to understand why Shaw
has not done better in Augustus Does
his Bit" A play making fun of the
army would seem to be in the very CEN
TIE of his alley. Our impression was
that the play failed because of quail
ity rare in Shaw. 1t is not fair. AS a
rule Shaw never touches a character
without making out the best possible
case for him. He will override all re-
ailties to do this and equip dustman
with complete outfit of Shavian logic
to confound all who look down on him,
Since Shaw is able to argue on any side
ne has habit Of leaping from one per-
son TO another. He will lead his audi
. ence to think that some individual in
the play has an impregnable position,
only to desert him and smash down the
defences in favor of some one of his
other creations. Perhaps the finest ex-
ample occurs in "Mrs. Warren's Pro-
fession," when the play has progressed
to point where it seems as if nothing
can possibly be said for the woman.
Then, suddenly, she turns and, instead
of defending herself against her daugh-
ter. strikes out with great fury and
skill and remains, at least, the master
of an act.
Shaw has done one blood cousin to
Aubustus in Brittanicus of Cesar and
Cleopatra; but even Brittanicus, al
though almost pure caricature, is al
lowed rather engaging scene, in
which he shows his courage and LOYALTY
to Caesar. But Shaw will say nothing
In defence of that class of officers
which he typifes in Augustus. Person
ally, we doubt very much if there is
such class. The type which Shaw
describes is not only dunderheaded, but
a shirker, as we'll. This is not usually
the case in armies. Wherever you find
dunderheaded officer you almost in
varibly find prodigious worker. In
nine cases out of ten he is enormously
sincere and passionate in his devotion
to duty. That, after all, is the tragedy
OF dunderheadedness. The greater the
effort the worse is the muddle. It is a
bit unfair to assal man on the twin
grounds of being incompetent and a
shirker as we'll. If man is thoroughly
incompetent, the less work he does tho
better.
. Shaw's taste has been assailed, be-
cause in Augustus Does His Btu he
uses some of the heroic formula for
comic effect. Thus, the strutting Off
Ger is always telling people that they
must do this or mustn't do that, be-
cause "our brave boys at the front are
dying in the trenches" It seems to US
that it is eminently fair that Shaw
should do this. After all, the sentiment
tai war playwrights have had their turn
with sll the formula, and it seems no
more than just that satirfst should
have a chance. No formula is worthy
keeping as permanent slogan until it
has first been subjected to the search
of satire. Only in this way can the
true be distinguished from the false. In
gently ridiculing some of the catch
words by which nations lived during
ths war, Shaw is engaged in an essen
tial occupation. Catchwords may be
true when first uttered and remain true
until said seventy times seven and then
. begin to disintegrate. They rub like
coins and finally people toss them about
with no thought of the meaning or the
significance of the inscription which
they bear. ITO make the world safe for
democracy" was fine phrase and, with
IN certain domestic limitations, a true
one, but do many people feel to-day
that 1t means as much as it did? The
fault is not in the phrase, but in the
fearfully stress and strain to which it
has been put. In ridiculing certain
phrases Shaw is doing no more than to
examine them as to their present worth
and fitness.
Z 1t isn't his general intention which
& fails short so much as his method.
9 There 10 precious little bite to the lines
& OF the new one-act trihe, and good
s many plays to the easy laugh. We
think that some of our lesser pfav-
5 wrights might be encouraged to OBJ
serve that Shaw himself is not above
the joke about the bullet which strikes
q mans head and is badly denied. Not
having seen the play in type we do not
know whether it was Shaw or the actor
who thought UP the comic possibilities
OF tripping over sword or trying 70 sit
down on top of it.
It Is to be hoped that Shaw will do
another play along the lines Of eau
gustus Does His Bit" but do it great
oeal better. Certainly, there should be
. yery legitimate field for army satire
Alter the war. There are a few uer-