BERNARD SHAW.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1891, 28 October 1913, Page 4

BERNARD SHAW.

. According to Mr. St. John G. Ervine. m the "Daily Chronicle," Mr. Bernard Shaw's most notable characteristics are his courage, his industry, his generosity, his shyness and his "intellectual humility. Some of these attributes will puzzlo students of Shaw's works, In support of Shaw's alleged shyness, Mr, tjrvino states: —"1 hav-o seen him blush on entering a room full of strangers. When ho greets you thoro is a certain hesitation in his manner, as if Jro wore anxious to run away and hide. When he is in a crowded place, ho seeks soi.no obscure seat, and remains there until it is time to i;o homo. He does not walk about exhibiting himself as do Mr. George Moore and Mr, W. B, Yeats, his countrymen, nor does ho sit at homo inventing conversation which ho spills over you if you bid Mm "Good evening!' 1 Mr. Yeats is the most brilliant talker I have ever listened to, but I suspect that he, liko Oscar Wilde, rehearses it in private. Mr. Moore talks well enough, but his conversation is full • f quotations from the works of Mr. George Monro. Ho is, as it wore, h perpetual preface to his books. Those two aro inclined to dissipate their ideas , in talk. Mr. Shaw reserves 3iis conversation for lis plays. Ho can talk , entertainingly on occasions, but fine '■ conversation is not his most notable • distinction. Mr. Shaw /might liko to j monopoliso speech, but he is too shv to ■ do so. It is possible that he might , like to take up the "I am a clever man" j attitude in private life, but tho very , nervousness which makes him do it in ] public probably prevents him from do- ■ ing it in private. A man can ho bump- \ tious ana arrogant and vulgar in a j crowd who would not dream of being other than a courteous gentleman in a drawingroom." , No evidenco is tendered by Mr. < Ervine- of Shaw's intellectual humility; 1 that certainly is not one of his many ' poses. His personality is a very at- 1 tractive ono. You. see him in the 1 street, a tall, alert, springy man with j a grey board (it was a bright, red 'i ] fow years ago I) walking along as if 1 he were a young fellow of 25, totally ' unconscious of the fact that lie is o7 c jears of age. 110 is something of a J dandy, and ho spends timo in choosing f his clothes, wliicn are often'of a bright * Colour. His appearance is fragile, but he seems to be a hardy man, and lie has c ' remarkable powers of endurance. I 11 liavo heard him speak, without a break, r for an hour and 40 minutes to a larqo t) audience; and when he sat down his s voico was as fresh as when he began. » Ho is not an orator,-.in tho senso that P Gladstone or John Bright wcro orators, A but ho has a fine delivery, and his voico, tl modulated ami pleasant, can bo heard easily in tho largest hall. tl ii ====== c Newcastle tramways last year carried f 1 upwards of 52 million passengers, three " millions more than the previous year. 0 The receipts were .£235,321, against .£223,65.5 tlio woyioiw )Wi v