Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-19
SHAW'S AIR SPEECH
ON GU|NAN'S LEVEL,
c. j. REGENT AYERS.
'Carping Cynicism' in Time of
Distress DepIored by
Father Walsh.
CRITICS VIEW OF NATION
HE NEVER SAW FLAYEO
Value of Opinions Gained on Ten
day Soviet Trip Questioned.
Sees Dramatist's Decline.

George Bernard Shaw descended to
the level and vocabulary of Texas
Guinan" last week in his transatlantic
broadcast praising Russia to the dear
American boobs" and his comments
achieved the distinction Of demon
trable falsehoods," said Father Edmund
A. Walsh yesterday in reply.
Calling Shaw the licensed charlatan
OF English letters" and the acknoWl-
edged playboy of the Western World y
the vice president Of Georgetown Uni
versity and regent of its Foreign Serv-
ice School deplored the "carping cyn-
icism" Of the Irishman's address. Father
WaShS remarks were carried by the
Columbia Broadcasting System, which
last Sunday transmitted Shaw's talk.
After To-day visit to Russia, said
rather Walsh, who has written two
volumes on the Soviet experiment, that
compare the entire Russian achieve
ment with conditions in the United
States, which he has not visited for so
much as one day. There's a lightning
calculator for you'll"
Acknowledged "Snob."
Shaw SIS frankly an intellectual
snob," the priest continued, but claims
his talents give him the right to be-"
But even court jester must keep
his pranks within his privilege and not
don cap and bells at every turn. The
times are out of joint There is wide
spread public suffering and much Sc
cret distress. The preliminary tremorS
OF possible impending war are rum
Ding in from the Far East. Men OF
good will everywhere and statesmen
charged with heavy responsibilities of
public office are Straining every nerve
to relieve the crushing weight of human
woe and restore confidence to a she'll
shocked world. Helpfulness, not carp
ing cynicism, would seem to be the OBJ
legation of the hour laid by common de-
cency on every normal man capable OF
influencing his fellow men.
1t is, therefore, a distinct disservice
for Mr.. Shaw to release at this particu-
lar time that cataloguse of half truths,
those numerous historical inaccuracies
ana suppression OF evidence, coupled
with his callous disregard of the most
poignant realities in the Russian tragedy
OF which he cannot possibly be igno-
rant"
Sees Reputation Waning.
Dr. Walsh said the aureole of his
name, though on the wane," will satisfy
many unable to check the truth of his
statements who will remember him as
a Satirist Of equal rank with Juvenal,
Junius and Dean Swift.
But that was before Mr.. Shaw de-
scended to the level and vocabulary of
Texas Guinan. His latest jibes and in
! suits thrown across the Atlantic for the
sure applause of his clientele were
clothed this time in something more
permanent than nonsense. They
achieved the distinction of demonstra-
BILE falsehoods."
The people of the United States. "by
and large" Father Walsh said, have
been satisfied with the political ideals
outlined in the Constitution, prof1ted by
its wisdom, accepted its protection and
generally approved its amendments,
with one notable exception"
Deplores Shaw's Slang.
THAT one unfortunate tampering
with its spirit" he predicted. will be
dealt with as a purely domestic issue to
be resolved in due time by the sovereign
will of the American people themselves. u
But Shaw, addressing his American
hearers as 'boobs' and STOPPING down to
accommodate his tone and language to
their illiteracy," urges the American
people to scrap their Constitution and
the political experience of $50 years in
favor of a better plan" which he
found in Moscow, the cleric continued.
That better plan," according to DR..
Walsh, has given to the Russians not
bread, land, power ana peace in line
with the promises OF Lenin, but famine
and pestilence, conflScation, terrorism. a
military dictatorship and foreign pol
icy which has succeeded in alternating
the governments OF Europe and
America ito an extent unequaled in the
history Of international relations"
DR.. Walsh, who represented the Vat
lean in Russia in 1929. contended
the Soviet state was "a dictatorship OF
per cent over the remaining SO" sus-
tanned through terrorism" State cap
italism, 1.-The most colossal on this
plane" has displaced Communism and
Socialism, he said.
"Mr. Shaw, old-time campalgner That
he is, knows full well that his life
long crusade for Socialism Will go cold
and boreSome the moment his audience
suspects that he is sincere. For then
his distinction vanisheS and he becomes
an ordinary, vulgar mortal with mes
sage, not one of the immortals-Whlch
would be exquisite torment for G. b. 5. .
Thus Father Walsh paved the way for
scathing denunciation OF Shaw Tor
his failue to deliver "a Liberals pro-
test in defense of freedom.
YOU tell us, MI. OLldWs IAAuU lAAACa
lea is in the bankruptcy court" said
DR.. Walsh. That will be news-for
the creditors. Who and where are
they? You coin a new and curious
definition of bankruptcy =. II
America, with the largest gold reserve
in the world and with those millions
of debts owed her, is bankrupt, 1t is a
form of national insolvency that should
be Rugged to the bosom with hoops
of steel.
Finds Shaw on Safe Ground. -.
"You say that Soviet cQnrts are
lenient to criminals. DOUBTLESS. Pro-
fessional courtesy"
Walsh said Shaw was on safer ground
when he said men make money by
looking after themselves" -.
I'VE understand here in America"
he concluded, that you are entirely
competent there and may speak with
considerable authority. I recall letter
you wrote not SO long ago-to an Eng
fish parson, I fredericksburg to con-
tribute your services in any form for
a certain worthy charity on the pinci-
pie that you never do anything Tor
nothing