LOW INTERVIEWED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23882, 9 August 1939, Page 11

LOW INTERVIEWED

WORK ENDED WITH THE LEAGUE? "THE SLIPPERY SLIDE" (From Our Own Correspondent) ua ■ ' LONDON, July 10. A short, sturdy man, with the dark goatee beard of Lenin, very bushy eyebrows and an expression, of what can only be described as humorous dismay," Is how Mr Donald Cowie refers to David Low, the . cartoonist, in '"Great Thoughts and Great Reading," He adds that Low has slight New Zealand twang and an immediate friendliness." - Talking of his early work in New Zealand, Low told Cowie:— "No, I can't say that I would like to have those days over again, because even though I managed to sell my work occasionally, I was sometimes uncertain about payments. Once the editor of a small journal commissioned a long series of drawings, published them, and ignored all my applications fbr money. Do you know what I did? I hired a horse and cart, descended upon that editor's office at night, removed all the furniture, and the following day sold it to meet the debt. Fair dinkum! And, of course, he didn't have the nerve to report my action to the police. He'd get into such a fine mess' himself" Commenting on his work since he came' to London, Low said: " Sometimes I feel that my work ended with the League of Nations. After the war one felt that it was possible to do useful work. The foundations of a new order had been laid, and all that 'remained was to consolidate a lasting structure upon those foundations. There were great difficulties, but it did seem that men's minds were, upon the right path at last. I mean the path of international co-operation. " Down-under, as you know, we are used to settling differences by discussion. Australia and New Zealand are the nearest approaches to democracies this world has ever known. Wise laws harness human instincts of power and acquisitiveness for social ends. This state contrasts with anarchy, where unbridled passions are allowed their full, anti-socialsway. "Therefore I came to London with the conviction that a similar philosopb- could, indeed must, control international relationships eventually, and at first, as I said, it seemed that the consummation of my hopes was not far distant. Then began that,slippery slide that we all know so well. Who was to blame? Well, perhaps we all were, but my immediate object of attach, was naturally the politicians. I was paid to make them funny—and I did my best." Low's spare time is spent -at the kinema and at golf. Cowie adds that the cartoonist #ets many ideas for his character drawings "from rush-hour crowds In the daily Tube journeys to and from town." * Cowie thinks that. Low will: " probably find a unique olace in the history of art, because his work is invested with a sturdvpasr sion" lacking In other noted.artists.