New-York tribune., 1922-04-02
===== Letters to the Tribune's Editor =5:===5%=
What Shaw Is Driving At
Mr.. Bjorkman Explains the Meaning
of Back to Methuselah

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: 1t seems to inc rather unfortu-
nate that the production Of "Back to
Methuselah" has brought forth 80 many
comments on the length Of tho play and
so few on its meaning. especially in
light of the news Of the day from Ken
tucky, from Mr.. Bryan and from Ger
tain pulpits.
The word evolution has been on MANY
lips and in many minds lately. It Is the
key word to the meaning Of Shaw's en-.
tire cycle. On the surface, Of course.
appears only a contention by the play
wright that man now does not live
long enough to learn how to live prop
crly, and that it lies with himself to
extend his lifetime to three hundred
years or more. But Shaw's real pur-
pose goes far beyond that superficial
appeal to mans desire for & little inn
mortality right hero and now.
What he really has in mind j, TO
teach his fellow men that evolution
which up to man progresses blindlv
and haphazardly, ought through man to
become consciously directed. What. at
bottom, he contends is that man not
only can live as long as he wants. but
that, by using his mind and his will
properly, he can do with himself and
with the rest of life whatever he wants.
lt Is modern scientific formulation Of
the old claim that faith can move
mountains.
And in addition Mr.. Shaw .urrcsts
that, unless man shows that kind OF
faith and proves himself worthy Of it,
too, life will throw him aside az An
other miscarried experiment. and in
stead evolve some other form Of crea-
ture that will carry out the high task
in which man has failed. 1t i. stern
gospel, the gospel Of the Brothers
barnsbas, and no idlers or dawdlers
will have much chance at its material
ization.
What Shaw is driving at became per-
fectly plain at the first performance,
although it embraced only two Of tho
five plays. Some people that evening
said that the whole thing was nothing
but endless argument. They were per-
fectly right, on the whole. 1t is Shaw's
peculiar way to place group Of char
acters on the stage and just let then,
talk it out" In this connection, how
ever, it is we'll to remember that the
whole trend Of our ciyilizatory devel-
opment is from action to argument, and
that the principal object Of the recent
Washington conference was nothing
more than to substitute the process Of
talking it over" for that Of faction" !"
And within the argument Of Shaw the
action lies hidden. as the kernel within
its she'll. His talk is generally As
dynamic as any amount Of physical
gyration, and in this sense "Back to
Methuselsh" il loaded from first to
last. The wonderful thing about it is
that, nevertheless, it is also loaded
both with dramatic suspense and with
truly Shavian humor.
There are certain scenes in "The Cos
pei Of tho Brothers Barnabas" which
kept the audience at the first perform
ance in 4 constant roar of laughter.
and il the unusual length Of the single
act Of that play told q little on the
audience it was merely because the
agility and versatility Of the Shavian
wit and philosophy with which the lines
were fraught forced the spectators to
be on the alert all tho time. Why not
be fair to n great man?
EDWIN BJORKMAN.