A WORLD OF RASCALS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8705, 20 August 1906, Page 2

A WORLD OF RASCALS.

4 WHY MR G. B. SHAW WOULD RATHER SWEEP A CROSSING. Mr George Bernard Shaw preached a sermon on Socialism in Caxton Hall, London, on a recent Sunday to an audience composed of many, of the elite of the West End. His text was : " Poisoning the proletariat," and the address was delivered under the auspices of the Christian Social Union, London branch, who are engaged in a crusade against the leadglass industry. Mr Shaw wanted to know if hie audience really cared whether the plate off which they ate dinner had or thad not given the poor wretch who made it paralysis from leadpoisoning. If they did car© they were getting on. •_ . . . "The great majority of industrial people are rascals," he went on. " W*e are all more or lees rascals — eyen. you good people who have what you facetiously call ' independent means.' A great deal of the profit which you enjoy is mad© in a Rascally way, those profits which I see in so many beautiful hats and costumes before me today." Mr Shaw said he had heard <, of a* family in London living on 21s a, week, and wondered how they did it. Me later found they lived on 14s a week, for the father required 7s a week for drink. "I would like some of the richer members of this audience," said Mr Shaw, "to say how much a week they spend on drink. The wine for the family would probably come to more than 7e a week." If a family spent a guinea a week on. liquors, then, on the basis of the statement that the misery of the poor was wholly duetto drink a family five times poorer than that family should spend five guineas a week. The fact was that the very people who talked most about the drink evil among the poor, and who attributed their impoverished condition to that cause alone, spent out of all proportion mere en drink than any labouring man. 800 MILLIONS ON' EXTRAVAGANCE Vice and virtue,' she isaid, tended to get distributed very much according to the view point of the person— the rich thought vice the peculiar attribute of poverty and virtue of the well-to-do. " Provided you don't ask us to be poor, we'll exercise every known or possible virtue, we'll be perfectly charming people, but we must have money — to get it we'll commit any atrocity— we'fl turn helpless people out of their homes in the dead of winter, tear the sick from their beds and evict them in the roadside snow, but we muet have money or we can't be virtuous." "Then, again," went on Mr Shaw, "there are other -ways of getting this kind of money — by making human beings work at deadly trades in the Potteries, at noxious metal industries - but to the people who must, have profits-— money — that doesn't make any difference." We were throwing away about 800 millions a year on extravagances of every sort, much of it. that was so badly wanted at home, being spent abroad. There must' be a better distribution of wealth; for -it was the poverty of men which, made them helpless and led to swearing, misery and crime. Turning to a consideration: of "the life of pleasure" lived by idle rich, Mr Shaw 6aid that he was now in a position to live that - life ; ./he possessed all the material concomitants, but he would infinitely rather sweep a crossing. He thanked heaven he had strength of mind enough, sanity enough, to despise- that life which "riches could enable him to live, and he pitied, not envied, these who lived the life of luxury and so-called pleasure. Referring to the Chicago meat horrors Mr Shaw said it was most curious to observe that not one note of concern was uttered -or printed about the poor wretches who tinned the meat; it was all for the consumer, • and about the beef itself. "Your own interests will yet force you to do what my words will never persuade yon to do," was Mr Shaw's parting shot.