The evening world., 1922-02-28

Guune ufteen years ago. Wneu ondW
eaid to me. 'I'm going to write a new
klblo as soon as I can get around to
n.' i thought he was joking. but now
I realize he was in earnest. Evi-
aently "Baclk to Methuselah" is no
less than his Bible and something
more than wells's "outlIne of His
tory" since Shaw is never satisfied
until he goes the next fellow one bet
ter. Ranging from the Garden of
Eden 70 "As Far as Thought Can
Reach" namely, the year 1890, 1t is
assaggering step forward. taken with
characteristic audacity. keen observa.
si0n and brilliant humor. yet suggest
Ing nothing 20 much as Shaw at great
length. He never knows when to
stop, as he proves once again in ''The
coepel Of the Brothers Barnabas,"
with It's theory Of extending the term
Of human life 70 three hundred years.
4 There Is probably more than most
sapB would be willing to admit in his
id that just as we get old enough
- hnow-a little something. Off we go
BuE forlthe life Of me / can't follow
~ argument that a man should give
" playing golf II ever he is to be of
any real use In running the world in.
teslieSntly. II merely convinces me
that Shaw doesn't like golf. any more
tnnn he likes meat. Indeed, he seems
to miss q point by falling to suggest
that healthful exercise of any kind
may be an important factor in pro-
longing life. Yet he is undeniably
rleht and stimulating In urging men,
tai activity as one means OF keeping
tis alive and useful. not merely in a
niaterial sense, but in the spiritual
one that makes for true decency of
living. With such an urge we might
easily 30 far, or at any rate further
than the present accepted limitation.
Ie we would live longer than this time
we must will It. This is the philoso.
rhy OF Back to Methuselah" In q
word.
shaw. Is passionately modern even
IN the primal episodes of his fantasy
and often flendishly clever. The Ser.
pent is q jolly snake that laughs as
il tells Eve love may be too long a
word for 30 short n thing, after It has
explained the meaning of love,
jealousy and other words of peculiar
interest 10 the feminine mind. The
secret Of creating life is, Of course,
whispered into Ewes ear. On fhis
subject Shaw, politely discreet, per-
mitA nothing more to be said than
that death can be conquered by birth.
In "An Oasis in Mesopotamia,"
casually put "a few centuries later"
the modern note Is struck amusingly
when Cain speaks of Abel as "a true
Progressive for having been the
discoverer of blood In staying beasts,
but your smile Is likely to fade away
as be proclaims himself "the first
conQueror" because OF having killed
his brother. He calls Adam "old
vegetable" much as young English
man OF to-day might say "old bean."
though less affectionately. But he is
at his Yainglorious best after listen
ing TO Eve discoursing drearily on
children. when he consolingly re-
marks: Poor mother! One tires OF
everything. There is nothing new
under the sin." You almost expect
Eve to retort wearily, Boys will be
hoysi.' All OF this is pretty good fun.
The, fun of ''The Gospel of the
Brothers Barnabas" Is found in the
political wranglings of Lubin and
Joyce Burge, instantly recognized as
Asauith and Lloyd George-one bland
and easy, the other explosive and
energetic. Burge gives himself dead
away the moment he meets Conrad
Barnabas, the biologist, by breaking
out with: ''How l wish could have
devoted myself to biology! / have
always been interested in rocks and
strata and volcanoes and so forth.
But when he proudly sets himself uI
as "a man OF the people," Lubir
brings him down with the shot:
Don't he ridiculous. You are 6
country solicitor, further removed
from the people, more foreign t.
them. more Jealous of letting then
psto your level, than any duke o.
any archbishop. You fall into thu
very common mistake of supposing I
- pONcTly bHhL IndhSb tHS pIOISNdi ihI
AID money that makes the gentle
man But there is too much arguing
here. and the danger Of 1t is that /
may put any audience to sleep
FFanklyn Barnabas, the forme
churchman. and Conrad. the biologist
should learn sooner that their Wis
itors, far from understanding them
have no other thought than OF put
ting their theory of extending tn
term of human life 10 selfish uses.
One of the realities that persist
10 the beauty OF Ernita Lascelles a
Eve, beauty 30 virtually unadorne
that 1t may explain the use of tn
screen behind which the Garden G
Eden scene is played. This clumsy
fashioned device, far from height
ening illusion. has the effect of a
obstacle. As for the scenery, it
more fantastic than decorative. Bu
in every sense Miss Lascelles is al
turing. Margaret Wycherly, as Th
Voice Of the Serpent, is effective, an
her trilling little laugh a delightfl
invention. George Gaul is a sta
waTt Adam, and Dennis King make
an eloquent Cain.
In the after the war baet1e