Imperial Valley press., 1945-01-01
NUBBlNS
BY
BURRIS JENKINS

This interview with G.B.S. has
never been given to the public, al
though il took place some fifteen
years ago.
1t was at garden party at Give
den, country place of Lord and Lady
Astor, near London. They never in
troduce You at such a party. The
English hate introductions. AT a tea
party or lawn party or any kind of
party in England. therefore, you
just go ahead and talk to anybody
that you want TO, for your invita-
tion to the party is sufficient intro
duction for anybody.
The writer saw George Bernard
Shaw across the land and half tim
idly said to Lady AstOr, II believe
l will go and talk to Mr.. Shaw" In
stantiy she replied. Go ahead. He
doesn't seem surrounded as he usu-
ally is. And know he is in fine fet-
tie because Helen Wills, the Ameri-
can tennis player, is here and has
been over the week end; and he is
crazy about Helen; ne is always at
his best when she is around
Well known how Mr.. Shaw fell in
love with certain ladies and nothing
ever came of il unless it was book
of love letters like those he wrote
to Ellen Terry which have never
been surpassed in the language. He
met her publicly only time or
two and, though he lived less than
twenty minutes walk from her
house, he never went to see her;
but they kept up most violent
love affair purely by correspondence
for at least quarter of a century.
He was quite susceptible and still is,
though ninety, but he never has
done anything about ii; and his
lovely white haired wife stands and
regards all he does with a proud
and beneficent smile.
This writer tried to interest him
i'm joining little bunch of us who
were headed for Moscow; but about
that, another day. Just now comes
the daring part of this interview
which is the real reason why 1t has
never seen the light. After nearly
an hours talk with his heart in his
threat this reporter said, "Mr. Shaw.
what about that story of you and
Isadora Duncan? 1t is all over the
United States" He tossed his Santa
Claus head up and opened his
fiannel-red mouth as he laughed
heartily and replied:
1T was not IsadOra at all. II was
an actress down in Munich. forge.
her name" "A perfect gentleman to
the laSt!) "She wrote TO me making
the proposition that she and l should
have a child. And she explained
enthusiastically, With my beauty
and your brains, think what that
child would be-. In declining the
proposition, made the obvious
comment, But il might just as easi-,
ly turn out TO have my beauty and
your brains Anybody couldn't help
but make that reply" 49, I'D
Anybody in England, in any circle
of society. wouldn't hesitate to tell
that incident and TO laugh heartily
at il as Mr.. Shaw did; but probably
nobody i'm England would have
caught up that reply Of his which he
says is so perfectly obvious.
Neither would anybody in Eng
land dare to assaii all Americans
as he does without at all meaning
it. Neither would anybody over there
stand up and declare to the world,
81 am the only real living genuine
Britain, although I am an Trishman
and ninety. And i make no secret OF
any of these things
He refused to 20 that summer to
Russia, but he added, "I'd love to go.
I'd rather go there than TO any
country in the world. In Russia they
are trying to teach their young
people morals; while you in America
and we in Britain are teaching our
young people to get rich-honestiy
if they can. If not, then with as
little dishonesty as may be, but to
get RICH"
After a year or two, he did go over
with Lady Astor and she told me all
about it. that most remarkable tour
that any living human being ever
made in the Soviet Union, which
will appear soon in this column.