P.E.N. CLUB

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 93, 21 April 1933, Page 9

P.E.N. CLUB

GALSWORTHY BEQUEST

DAVID LOW DINNER

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, February 16. At this week's dinner of the P.E.N. Club, held at the Garden Club, the guest of honour was Mr. David Low, the eminent caricaturist. In the course of his remarks ho expressed tho hope that ho would bo regarded as a caricaturist rather than as a. cartoonist. Miss Rebecca West presided, and many distinguished people were present. P.E^N. Club members are representative of fifty countries. A striking tribute- to the late Mr. John Galsworthy was paid by Ins old friend, Mr. 11. W. Nevinson, and Mr. W. Kean Seymour (honorary treasurer) announced that Mr. Galsworthy had expressed a wish to form a trust for the benefit of the English P.E.N., with the £9000 which, ho received as Nobel Prizeman for Literature in November last. ( When he was taken ill, said Mr. Seymour, Mr. Galsworthy had already arranged with his nephew, Mr. Rudolf Sauter, Mr. Charles S. Evans, and Mr. H. Vincent Marrot that they should accept trusteeship. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get the trust deed into form before he died, but Mrs. Galsworthy took steps to give effect to her husband's wishes. "On the day of his death," said Mr. Seymour, "I heard from Mrs. Galsworthy's solicitors that tho money had been invested in trustee securities for tho benefit of the club, and she wrote to me yesterday making'; it clear that the trust would bo created as Mr. Galsworthy wished. The income will be £-250 per annum." Miss West, in introducing Mr. Low, mentioned- that she had once collaborated with him in bringing out a book — the cartoonist's sharo was unduly com-i merited upon, but lier writing did not seem to be of so much, interest. But Mr. Low would not admit this, for he said the distinguished authoress was much too modest. In a certain library a copy of that book had been found j from which several pages of Miss West's "writings had been removed, whereas his own illustrations had not interested the reader, seeing that they were still there. "My Dear Low,—You are so low that yon^vill have to go to hell in a balloon." That was- a letter which he had lately received from a correspondent who did not approve of his caricatures. He received a great many letters criticising the work which he did. "The .man in the street has no sense of humour at all," said Mr. Low, with a smile. "Ho believes only in reverencing tradition, and he likes the same ideas over and over again—tho ship of Stato heading for the rocks marlfed 'Distress'; the octopus with its tentacles sucking in everything. Indeed, a friend of mine was obliged to give up his membership of a well-known club because one pessimistic member used to approach him and refer to every domestic and international difficulty as an octopus, until ho could stand it no more. Whenever he saw that man approaching he muttered, 'Damn, that octopus.' " Mr. Low was in very cheery vein, and quiet humour punctuated his remarks.