BERNARD SHAW.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 196, 20 July 1937, Page 6

BERNARD SHAW.

“NOT YET GROWN UP.” 111. VI'S TO THIS YOUNG. "Hallo. Sixth Form,” said Mr George Bernard Shaw, in a national broadcast to school-children. Ho explained that he had been asked to speak because lie was celebrated .as a playwright. "The hare fact that I possess a turn for writing plays does not give me the right to address a respectable school.” he said. "However, I have another trick for imposing on the young. I am a man over 80 years of age. and 1 have a white heard which, somehow, is associated with wisdom. But, if a person is horn a fool, his folly becomes 'yor.se, and not better, by practice during a long life. “You all think you are nearly grown up. I thought so, too. Now. after 81 years, I am not grown up yet. 1 would take several hundred or a thousand years to feel sufficiently grown up to give myself airs in talking to you. T shall lie dead long before that. THE WORLD A SCHOOL. “You will escape from school in all the dignity of the sixth form only to discover that the world is a bigger school and that you are back again in the first form. “In the big adult world, we have to choose between a lot of routines—college or military or naval or legal or parliamentary, which is the worst of the lot. To get properly stuck in one of these grooves you have to pass examinations. You must not let yourself get interested in these subjects or overwhelmed by their magnitude or importance. It is an utter impossibility for any human being to master them all. even at the age of 500, much less at 20. You must go to a crammer and leam from him what answers are expected by the examiners. You must be very careful not to suppose that these are the tine answers. ‘ ‘ELDERLY GENTLEMEN.’ ’

“The examiners will he elderly gentlemen with a knowledge that is sure to be more or less out of date.

“If you, at 20, are to be examined by an elderly gentleman of 50, you must find out what people were taught 30 years ago. Stuff him with that. If you happen to be a young AYashington or Jennie Deans, determined not to tell anything except the exact and final truth, you will never pass examinations, because neither you nor the examiners can know that about any examination subject. "As to general conduct and prospects, all I have time to say is that if you do and think as everyone does and thinks, you will get on very well with your hut will suffer from all their illnesses and stupidities. If you think and act otherwise, you must suffer their dislike and persecution.

“NOT VERY LOVABLE MYSELF.” “I was taught when I was young that if people would only love one other all would be well in the world. I found, however, that not only were others seldom lovable, but I was not very lovable myself. "What you have to learn, if you are to be a good citizen of the world, is that, though you will differ from some so strongly that you could not possibly live in the same house, that does not give you the smallest right to injure them or even to be personally uncivil.

“The oddest thing is that you will find yourself making friends with people whose opinions are the very opposite to your own and are unable to bear the sight of others who share all your beliefs. “Do not waste time arguing whether you ought to love all your neighbours. Nothing can make them more lovable. As long as you do not try to punish them for your dislike, you may accept and even nurse it. If you are not a good hater, you will be a very dull person. THE BEST FUN OF ALL. “Suppose, however, that you find yourseit completely dissatisfied with all your fellow-creatures as they exist at present, and with all their laws and institutions. Then there is nothing to be done but to set to work to find out exactly what is wrong with them anil how to set them right. That is, perhaps, the best fun of all. Perhaps I think so because I- uni a little in that line myself. I could tell you a lot more about this, but my time is up and I am warned that- I must stop. I hope you are sorry.”