BLIMP BEREAVED

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 85, 7 October 1936, Page 11

BLIMP BEREAVED

LOW'S AUTO-OBITUARY

A FAMOUS NEW ZEALANDER

ROLE OF CARTOONIST

One of the most interesting of the original series of auto-obituaries of prominent persons which have been appearing in "The Listener" is that of David Low, the distinguished cartoonist, especially as he was born in New Zealand and commenced his life-work here. Low's account of himself is headed. "Bereavement •of Colonel Blimp," after the name he gave to one of his most popular creations, the figure of the typical retired English colonel, now as "Colonel Blimp" on the way to becoming a classic. This is Low's story:—

David Low, who passed away on his drawing-board yesterday, was born in New Zealand of respectable parents who intended him for an ecclesiastical career; but he proved to be no good at, arithmetic and became a cartoonist. To some extent Low, the cartoonist, was the creature of circumstance. His ambitions were more artistic than political, but journals in New Zealand could easily steal from the world Press all kinds of drawing save the local and the political, so Low had to-be a political cartoonist to survive.

He perforce developed an interest in affairs, and in 1902 published his first political cartoon, which was applauded as displaying much statesmanship. He was then aged 11, which is about the right age for a political critic. This first cartoon, which represented the local authorities as lunatics because of their reluctance to remove certain trees which* obstructed traffic, epitomises Low's life-work, for he may be said to have lived on the same idea throughout his long career, varying and adjusting it to situations as they arose.

He worked as hireling for various newspapers of different complexions, often displaying that breadth of vision and liberality of spirit which make it possible, over different signatures in different papers, to take two opposite sides at once. In this way he could claim to have assisted in both the rise and the fall of contemporary statesmen and to have made a valuable contribution to both the boom and the bust of his native land.

After a restless childhood spent in moulding the destinies of New Zealand, Low removed at the age of 19 to Australia to join the staff of the "Sydney Bulletin," a rebellious weekly with a tradition of biting caricature. In this congenial atmosphere he began to develop a social conscience and to go in for humour seriously. It was no longer enough merely to amuse the children. Within the limits of the medium, by the inverse method of ridiculing the wrong, he strove to encourage the right and to give his work direction. He expressed himself free, ly in advocating policies of nationalism and socialism, latterly helping the Prime Minister, Mr. Hughes, to mess up the Big War. For his services in this respect he was decorated with the Order of the Lemon (ftt Class). LOW IN LONDON. In 1920 Low came to London, first to the "Star" and later to the "Even-' ing Standard." Surveying the postwar scene he realised that his usefulness lay in being a Nuisance dedicated to sanity. Accordingly, in a number of "telling" cartoons in which Cooperation, Disarmament, and Pea,c3 were represented as statuesque females wearing spotless classic robes, and tho opposite to these ideas as devils with wild beasts, he appealed for realism in place of the idealistic nonsense of nationalistic patriotism, when world reconstructon was discussed. Responsible circles, however, failed to take the hint, with appalling consequences which are now history. For the successful performance of his duties as Nuisance, Low had to invent a wide variety of imaginary characters to express himself in his cartoons. Among the most notable of his creations were Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Ramsay Mac Donald, J. H. Thomas, and Lord Beaverbrook, which/ were freely imitated at the time of their appearance by persons claiming to be the originals. Low held that it was no business of a conscientious cartoonist to be popular in the sense of conforming to popular prejudice. It was not unnatural that he'passed the most satisfactory period of his career with the "Evening Standard," the proprietor of which opposed Low's policies as much as Low opposed his, and the readers of which were as irritated with Low as Low was with them. A firm upholder of the highest traditions of his peculiarly British art, he believed that in a democracy the revelation of personalities is a useful public work, and he was restrained only by inept libel laws from drawing leaders and their activities in the nude.

Many of his works hang in various art galleries and institutions, including the British Museum'and Mr. Baldwin's bathroom; but, since the art of caricature at its best tends to become esoteric, his finest later efforts were appreciated by himself alone, and then often only subconsciously.

Of a melancholy disposition, ■ Low was oppressed in. maturity by the tragedy of the comedian, which is that "he is never taken seriously. Believing himself to be the only true Conservative he had ever met, he vigorously advocated happiness and prosperity, and was disappointed, though* not embittered, at. their non-realisation. He favoured liberty and democracy, also, until their abolition; though he is reported to have stated recently that in bis opinion the ideal form of government would be a benevolent despotism with himself as the despot. No lover of humanity, he preferred Crusoe's Island to a public meeting; no philosopher, he liked to sit by a lake and think of nothing; no sybarite, he fdund a ninepenny seat at the cinema more entertaining than the feasts of princes. , A simple, kindly man. No flowers, by request.