G. B. S.’S COMMENT ON AMERICA

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19450, 27 March 1933, Page 7

G. B. S.’S COMMENT ON AMERICA

CHARACTERISTIC VIEW ON WORLD AFFAIRS

ALLEGED ELECTION VALUE OF BABIES United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright SAN FRANCISCO, March 24. Mr George Bernard Shaw arrived on the United States mainland to-day for the first time,, with an announcement that he knew more of America than its inhabitants: He told a mass of interviewers and cameramen that the Americans elected their public officials because the candidates had pictures taken with a baby in their arms. During a discussion on the Tom Mooney case (Mooney was convicted for participation in the Preparedness Day parade for bombing at San Francisco in 1916), Mr Shaw stated that the Americans were romanticists in their treatment of the whole criminal system. “I hesitate to express an opinion regarding Mooney generally. I would say to bury a man alive in a vault for seventeen years is extremely foolish.” The United States, said Mr Shaw, was a drinkihg nation, because it was an unhappy nation. “A sick man is given chloroform for an operation, but in your crowded cities, when a man gets sick from excessive hours of labour, he takes alcohol." “I don’t know how Herr Hitler will turn out,” he replied to a question. “The whole German people are in a state of suspense and chaos. They are trying out Herr Hitler like you are trying out Mr Roosevelt. In four years I will be able to tell you about them," Mr Shaw accused the American people of giving no thought to the qualifications of their officials. "Why,” he said, “it was Mr Roosevelt’s baby that got him elected.” “But Mr Roosevelt had no baby?” an interviewer said. “Well, that’s serious. Then whose baby was it that Mr Roosevelt was photographed with?” Other Shavianisms were: "Lercin was the greatest man since George Washington.” “Six or seven civilisations have professed to our plane and then collapsed to grass.” “Man as a political animal is not capable of solving the problems by himself.” “Periodically we have brilliant attempts at suicide, such as we started in 1914, but I am not greatly excited about another war immediately.” “I first read about technocracy fifty years ago. I am hardly up-to-date enough on it now to talk.” Mr Shaw proceeded to San Simeon as the guest of Mr William Randolph Hearst, before joining his ship at San Pedro, to continue his round the world cruise. He came here from Honolulu.