"G.B.S." Talks Of Languages

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 70, 23 March 1940, Page 2 (Supplement)

"G. 8.5." Talks Of Languages

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, whose "Geneva" is going the rounds of the English-speaking world as a cynical indictment .of the dictators, dropped in to a meeting of the League Assembly previous to the writing of his play and was at once the most conspicuous and light-hearted figure in Geneva. Ho was continuously surrounded by journalists seeking interviews, but, having once refused tlie Nobel prize, bo puts an extremely high price on bis interviews. Under no circumstances would bo give a lecture, but the International j Students' Union nulled a coup d'etat r when they invited the famous wit to tako a cup of tea with a group of "guaranteed . young people." 2 This translation from the "Politikcn," I Copenhagen Radical-Liberal daily, shows ! what went on: 3 An hour before the time .set for bis t arrival every inch of space in the two 3 great rooms of the union was occupied.

When Shaw at last appeared in the doorway, with his soft, white beard, sparkling eyes, creamy complexion, he was received with wild enthusiasm and the clicking of cameras. Professor Madariaga led him to an armchair, saying: "You see before you a gathering of serious students," to . which the playwright replied that most , students he had known had been quite the opposite. The Intelligent Woman The first question asked was: "What is an intelligent woman?" "One who will buy" my latest book, 1 'The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism/ price fifteen shillings," replied Shaw. , "Is it true that you have lost faith \ in humanity?" , "Whoever told you that I at any < time have ever had any faith in < humanity? Humanity is forever chang- ( '"?■. History tells us of six or seven ] civilisations which have gone to ruin. < All reached a point of development ] similar to ours, and collapsed because i humanity in its political phase destroyed t everything. I sec no reason why "wo i should not disappear in the same way; 1 all signs point in that direction." r A student: "Can we do nothing to save i civilisation?" Mr. Shaw: "The League of Nations s. tells what can be done, and I too have. 1 told it in my books; but people neither s listen to what the League says, nor do b =4 , •_

Ihcy buy my books. Modern humairttr however, is not Creation's last word, w have the consolation of knowing, that It wo succumb, it. will only hasten to moment when the Life-I'orco will rm! duce something better." vm ~ Another student: "Ought the Irish,o the Welsh to give up their natir. language and adopt English?" Mr. Shaw: You are English, are y^ Student: "No, I am "Welsh.* "Unprofitable" Languages Mr. Shaw: "Well, that's even w 0 r» I don't understand Welsh; I only S it is.a very unprofitable language— fo. an author. I have known many writer! from small countries who have •Written excellent.books, but the first thing tW think of is how to get them translate! into a language that people read, Enpjiii or American, for example! "As for Irish, it's only a humorous tongue; and why should Irishmen avoid English when they know how to speak it so much better -than Englishmen taeaselves? If there i;i anyone here' u unlucky as to have one of the minelanguages, as bis native speech, I adviii him to learn one of the more vidclj! spoken tongues as soon as possible," A third student: "What is too impression of the League of Nations" Mr. Shaw: "As a dramatist I a ra raw Interested in the stage setting. y t behold a Tribune from which a* ccrlait number of gentlemen deliver speechesbut not the slightest attention is paid to what they say, because they Eav nothing except what they have been ordered to say from home. It was only Briani, ■who, by a slip of the tongue, let out some real facts on Federation in Europe." A fourth student: 'Would it 1» worth while adopting an internationsi language!" Mr. Shaw: "There are so many of (hem. So far as I remember they began with Volapuk, that was a very dramatic language. Then rainc Esperanto, and after that, Ido, which was a little better. And now we have Novial. I am greatly interested in these new languats. Novin], which Professor Jesperscn las invented, is really good; it has a great deal of English in it, so it is fairly casv to read. '•Besides, Professor Jesperscn has common sense, which is a great help to a professor. Anyone can learn Novial; there is very little grammar to it; but one must really be English in order to understand how well one can express himself without any grammar. TJiis new language is extremely pleasing to me," You're Probably Wrong? Asked if be thought it possible.to improve the human race, he answered: "It would be very much worth while knowing if desirable human types can bo produced. "In London once, when I was discussing tills subject, a lady told nio it was improper to speak about such things, Those of you who have some knowledge of horse breeding know that it is wry difficult to breed a perfect specimen e! either a racehorse or workhorse—and bcro we care nothing about the kind of character or soul the horse may hart. But what kind of man. or, even more important, what kind of woman is it that we want to breed? We say ire will have no epileptics, no drunkards, but only good men. Yet every time 1 really good man has appeared in the world we have slain him. "When it does chance that you do meet someone who makes strong appeal to you both physically and intellectually, so far as the intellect is concerned you have probably made a mistake." ' ——H