THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN,. PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 14, 1920 i
7
WE LIKE
YOUR SCHOOLS, ;y.U.g$C4:M;.
WV L. George and His Charming English Wife Give Their Impressions of 'a
First Visit to Our Shores During Which He Delivered a Series of Lectures
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' A snapshot, taken upon tbelr arrival la America, of Mr. and airs. Georsre. a
A snapshot, taken upon their arrival La America, of Mr. and 9Irs. Georsre.
BT MARGARiET GRAHAM JONltS. and Mrs. George on our first meeting
ONE'S charm of personality de- In their hotel In Washington. ',.
pends. to a large extent, upon " Mrs.' George, receives her husband's
the orierinalitv of one's liken and cnpfita prpAtintx thAm vith ohormiTip
cordiality. She is a little more than
pends, to a large extent, upon
the originality of one's likes and
dislikes. Perhaps that is one of the
chief reasons that W. L. George is so
Interesting.
For instance, Mr. George likes Jo-!
eeph Conrad, whom he considers the
greatest English novelist of the cen
tury; he likes orange Angora cats, of
which he has two; and he likes his
wife, a truly beautiful woman of the
finest English type, whose personality
justifies the" application of the much
abused term "cultured." Then Mr.
George dislikes Gilbert Canaan, espe
cially his profile, although he admits
that Canaan has written one great
novel! he dislikes poetry in any form;
and American prudishness.
Mr. George has come to the'TTnited
States, accompanied by his wife,
ostensibly to give two series of lec
tures In various parts of the country.
One feels that he has another pur
pose far moro fundamental to him,
however, although he likes to deliver
lectures, and that is the studying o
the American people. After talking
with Mr. George I was convinced that
he would return to England and write
a. uudk aDouL American women as
Ibanez intends to do with this dif
ference Mr. George admits 'that he
has learned very little about Amer
ican women during the time he has
already spent here, and that he does
not expect to know them a great deal
better after his six months' visit.
Upon meeting Mr. George one thinks
"'medium stature; a. high brow ac
centuated by a tendency toward bald
ii ess; remarkable eye's; a close-clipped
dark brown mustache above a pleas
ant mouth; a lean, clean-cut face with
a .fine color; a typical Englishman of
the intellectual tj-pe
But that first summing up does not
satisfy. There is a certain expression
. in Mr. George's eyes, at once humor
ously contemplative and questioning,
and a flashing brilliancy about his
smile whlchare altogether foreign to
the conclusion "typically English.'
Then one learns that Mr. George is
not English by birth, but French, and
that partly explains it.
And when he begins to unfold his
ideas, they seem strangely un-Eng
lish, like those of an American who
has lived much abroad, and has
studied the English from the stand
point, of an outsider. His viewpoint
Is suggested by his own words, "A
novelist should be a little god sitting
m Olympus looking down on the
mortals below. Just so Mr. George
has contemplated his adopted country
men.
These were some of the thoughts
that rushed In on me as I began my
hall I eay cozy little chat with Mr,
something to criticise or people will
think we aren't genuine," Mrs. George
said.
"When we left England we were
quite upset, having the house torn up
medium height, with a full figure and ; n ne children . and the cats sent
a gracefully poised head. The deli
cacy of her ekln - and the gray-blue
of her eyes are accentuated by rather
crisp auburn hair, which she wears in
a close coiffure. She . has that rare
requirement for beauty -a small, very
red mouth. On this day she wore a
chemise gown of champagne-colored
silk with a rather large mushroom hat
of grass-green straw. Her hose and
ankle-strap suede pumps were cinna
monJbrown. .
Mr., George comes of : a family of
Frenchmen who have always gone to
England for their wives. He was edu
cated in France and Germany, and did
not go to England until he was 2-0.
Consequently, his English has Just the
faintest suggestion of a French influ
ence; his "r'3" have the throaty sound
which gives a charm to the flatter
English words. .
Mr. and Mrs. George' are' consider
ing sending their two children to
America for their education, because
of Mrs. George's disapproval - of the
English public school system. ,
The English public schools .are
atrocious,"- Mrs. George ' declared.
'Here in America the children at least
learn something."
She has a fascinating way" t em
phasizingcertain words in her sen
tences; a true English pronunciation;
Her very red mouth forms pretty
figures around her words.
Another institution of her country
with which Mrs. George 'has little
patience is the English gentleman.
"I like English women; I think yiey
are interesting," she said, "but Eng
lish men I think they are very
stupid, don't you?" "
She is much interested, too, in . the
changing of the English divorce laws,
which make it possible for a husband
to. secure a divorce by proving only
h's wife's infidelity, while a woman
must prove, in addition to Infidelity,
some other charge, leading to all
kinds of injustices and evasions of
the law. Mrs. George is ouitn . tm
patient with Lady Astor for her standi
on the divorce question.
"But then, you know, she said,
"Lady Astor got her seat by a sort of
fluke. She really is a 'stunter, you
6ee." Which is equivalent to the
American way of saying that she is
playing to the grandstand. '
"Lady Astor." Mr. peorge -interjected,
"is like the blind newsboy who
can tell a nickel from a penny in the
dark."
They both were extravagant In their
praise of America.
"I remarked to Mr. George the other
day that we really must hit upon
away until our return. When we got
on board the boat Mr. George tried
to cheer me up. 'Isn't it & nice boat.-'
he urged, and I could agree only half
heartedly.' But since our ( arrival here
we have been very happy." y. ,
One of the things in America that
Mr. George likes best Is the ice cream.
Mrs. George whispered, that . she h s
known him to eat six dishes in one
day since his arrival here.
The only fault -Mr. Georgev finds
with Americans Is that they are a
little prudish. , f. "
"On your streets your woman wear
very short skirts,"-. Mr.- George de
clared, "but in your drawing rooms
you hesitate to . acknowledge that
woman Is a biped."
But . Mr. George is very agile at
making mental comparisons com
parative history is one of the most
interesting studies in the world, to
him. And so, when he returns to
England, he hints that his discoveries
about American- idiosyncrasies may
appear on papec In the meantime
America is . going, to enjoy, him.
Mr. George confessed, voluntarily.
that he began writing by. accident.
I have always been a great lover
of music," he said as he chatted on
'So when I went to England I wanted
to attend the concerts; but didn't have
money for tickets. I . began writing
criticisms lor two spall French
newspapers in . order "to get concert
tickets.'
He explained that his first' book
Just "happened," and that he had
no intention of writing a book. He
began ' preparing1 an article of an
economic nature which soon led him
to the study of housing and labor
conditions in order to make it more
complete. He kept adding to the
article and before he realized It he
had written an entire book.
"I think I got about 15 .for that
book when it was all over," Mr.
George said with. a reminiscent laugh.
He prefers to write either novels
or short essays such as have ap
peared of late in American magazines.
' "The novel Is the showhouso of
literature." he said. " "I like these
little essays, too, because in them one
can Bet forth one's ideas In concise,
compact style." 4
- There Is a . continual surprise in
Mr. George's ready flow of English.
Unlike most writers he converses aa
easily as he composes, and conse
quently he is a delightful lecturer
and a pleasing raconteur in a-room
ful of people. . ..
"The- novel with a purpose is
bad- novel," - be declared, "but the
novel without a purpose were much
better not written at alL Let me
explain: the novel written with a
conscious purpose,, t'6"7 show,' for in
stance, tha.t smoking cigarettes is bad
for the health. Is not artistic; 'but the
novel -which ' Is written without a
purposeful view is not ..worth reading.
You s-ee . the author should have
thoughtful, enlightened views upon
all general subjects with which life
is. concerned, so that in telling his
story he may give these purposeful
views to his readers."
He does not agree with those writ
ers who believe that a novel is in
spired and should be written helter
skelter. . He believes that a book
should be planned before it is written.
."In this you see the systematic idea
of the French novelist," he said.' "My
last- novel, -Caliban,' I divided Into
140 parts In my plan and knew just
what was going to be in each part.
Every.; Incident was clear and diamond-cut
before I began to 'tell It;
each part dovetailed into the next."
He does not find the actual writ
ing of a novel hard work; he enjoys
it. he told me; and he described how
he writes his books In his home fac
ing on Hyde park near Marblehead
arch in London. A few feet from his
door is the grave- of Laurence Sterne,
which lends- a pleasant literary asso
ciation. 'J
After his wife and his two children,
Mr. George's chief interest at home
is his two orange angora cats, Kalli-
krates and Russet t. It is to these two
cats that "Blind Alley" was dedicated
It was to Kallikrates, with silky, pale-
gold coat striped with bronze, who
purrs ."as a singer humming to him
self," that the honor went of opening
and closing the -story In that earlier
novel. " '' - . -
Mr. George's friends are hi! Eng
lish literary " contemporaries. - His
breezy descriptions of them are en
tertaining.
. Arnold ; Bennett he described as
having never quite got over being
awed by metroDOlitanism and the
gorgeously uniformed bellboy in the
Ritz-Carlton; who gives Mr. Bennett
the feeling that he is confronted by
a Peruvian general. . Mr. Bennett
comes from the five towns in the cen
ter .of ' England and attends London
first nights when all London Bociety
arrays itself in resplendent evening
dress himself in a dinner coat, , to
be sure, but wearing a bowler which
he never removes during the entire
performance. But it is Mr. Bennett's
very awe of everything in life, in Mr.
George's opinion, that gives hiSwork
its freshness. ' .
Mr. George's fondness for Compton
Mackenzie Is signified by his way of
addressing the novelist as. "The Mac
kenzle." He bewails -George Bernard
Shaw's . growing benevolence. One
Photo by Underwood.
A lean, clean-cut face vrlta a fine color a typical EngTlshmala of the Intellectual type.
appear attractive in her : husband's I Amercan' women were emancipated
eyes. .Her-husband does not try to . long before they had the vote. Their
make himself mentally or physically enfranchisement Is a recognition of
still feels, ' he said that Mr. Shaw
would like to put strawberry Jam on
one's sh.ir before one sits down, but
Mr. Shaw refrains; .he is no longer
diabolical, no v longer Machiavellian.
Mr. George can think of John .Gals
worthy only as a saint with his high.
dark, domelike -forehead, , his mouth
always ready -'to weep a ma his way
of "nearly always understanding and
always pitying, whether he under
stands or not." '
But it is Conrad. whom Mr." George
addresses aa "Master," and to whom,
he declared' significantly, all the
younger novelists, of ' England' lpok.
Strangely enough, he admits, despite
this veneration for Conrad, the -influence
until recently seen In the! writ
ing of the - younger novelists is not
Conrad, but Wells. - '. -,
Although Mr. George deplores .the
writing of. novels which have sex inr
terest alone,-he . expressed : much In
terest with:- all" modernists- In - love
and marriage... But he was 'a little
surprised to find that there le still
more Interest shown in this .subject'
in America -than in any : other-upon
which he discourses -,. , 't. ; .. .-
Mr. George placed the blame f or ;un-
successful marriages almost "-entirely
upon the husbands. 1 ' . , ' ' ' ' : "7. 3
"I must explain.", he pointed ' out,
that by unsuccessful marriages' I do
not mean marriages ;'. which end ; In
tragic - crises, but imarriages 'which
'go flat,' as so many do -
"In the first place, hus-bands do not
demand enough of their wives.-: They
expect, 0 be" sure,:', that their' Wives
keep themselves looking as pretty as
possible, that they give them the usual
relations of wifehood,- and that, they
keep their homes fairly-comfortabSe.
Husbands do not as a rule demand
what Is; far,,, more Important that
their wives give them mental com
panionship. . Here in America, and it
is just as true in England! a man can
announce failure in business ' to. his
wife's utter surprise., Men do not
take their ' wives into -their.' business
confidence: they fail-to drnand that,
their wives' Ideals be sympathetic
with their own." -
Furthermore, he declared, husbands
do not make It their duty to be Inter
ested In their, wives' work, whatever
it may be. - it is this lack of mental
companionship, this failure of married
persona -to become absorbed lrr each
other's affairs, which maktes marriage
sordid. ' .'; . ' !" '
"Husbands forget that ' courtship
should not -end,-but only begin, with
marriage," he continued. " "The" wife
endeavors to maintain the .'courtship
attitude one of the "primary, essen
tlals of a happy 'married life after
the ceremony. She finds ho response
in her husband. He lets romance die
out. The wife, makes -aa effort .to
attractive, In her eyes after marriage.
The husband does not try to entertain
his wife. -Of course. Tie takes her to
the theater occasionally, or to the mo
tion picture theater, 'but that is not
what I mean.. - He makes no effort to
entertain her day- by day, but blames
hei1 and often seeks another woman s
companionship if she fails to amuse
him.. ' , . . . ... V
"Of course you understand I am a
perfect husband." Mr. George laughed.
He exchanged- an understanding
glance wfth his wife,-and I felt that
if he were-not a perfect husband, he
was at least a very satisfactory one. -
"To show you what I , mean," Mr.
George explained,, "I take my own
case, ..which . I '. have r told you ' is ex
emplary As I go through the mall In
the . morning and find' letters which
might." interest or amuse my . wife 1
lay them aside. . I do not show-them
to her at that time, when Bhe Is occu-'
pied- with, household duties, but wait
until, evening, when she has nothing
to do, and. bring them out for her en
tertainment." - . ',.". ' 1
"The husband , who : works' at.' the
office all day should bring home to
his, .wife , some bit -of newsK . some
amusing incident, for her " entertain
ment." '., '' ' f - ''"":
Mr.' George ' considers a sense of
humor .very . dangerous "In marriage
and thinks it were better that it did
not--exist 1 at, all. ;' There .can only be
greatness through development in the
marriage relations where the humor
ous' atttude Is absent, he believes.
: "And above all, my advice to mar
riecj people Is -to be a little subtle.
The courtship attitude,, which ' has
beep, defined as a succession of lies.
Is nevertheless a, succession of. very
sjncere lies, and'should be kept up."
Probably it is Mr. George's cham
pionship of women that has won for
him. the name of being England's
leading -feminist. But. although he
believes In equality for women in all
walks of life, his ' attitude is hardly
that of-the feminist, who is for the
advancement of women above all.
"Feminism will not do the women
of this country as much good as It
will their sisters in Europe," he said.
"I would warn against women of this
country arraying themselves against
men; the sexes must go forward-to
gether.". . . ." ,. ,' , .
He rejoices In the enfranchisement
of the women of America, but thinks
that it is' not signficant aa a revolu
tionary measure. ' " ' '-
"The attainment . of "the. ballot by
American women . Is not the' gaining
of a much-sought end; It la the gain
Ing of a mechanism, for other ends. It
does- not ..mark their -emancipation.
their equality with men rather than
an actual gaining of that equality."
He refuses to see any "woman
problem" in America. He does not be
lieve that a woman problem has been
brought about by the war. Women
have striven for advancement for too
many centuries for their status to be
greatly affected by the war, he says.
"Of course, the war has quickened
the woman movement throughout the
world," Mr. George said. "But it can
hardly be thought - f as having a
dramatic effect upon women after all
;hey have gone through before."
He would have women given equal
opportunities for development with
men in all fields of activity.
"There is no difference between
man and woman," he said. "Woman is
a mentality housed -in a woman's
body; man is a mentality housed in a
man's body. Women should not be
thought of in her physical aspect, any
more than man Is. . -The continuance
of the race Is but one of the func
tions of man and woman and as a
duty should not be . considered more
incumbent upon one than upon the
other. We should not . have more
children there is no reason'for alarm
over a decreasing birth rate; what we
need is better children." .-
Clear Thinker Is Ilonost.
From Franklin's Key.
They say of a .nan, "He "is a clear
thinker." A clear thinker is one who
Is honest with himself. - Scorning ev
erything but the truth, he is able to
arrive at correct and definite con
clusions because his mental vision is
unobstructed. He Is 'able to accom
plish things because he . thlnki in a
straight linev
Most of us say certain things ean
not be done because the- doing of
them entails some little sacrifice or
hardship on our part. We know in
our hearts that these things can' be
uone, yei wo aj uv wcvaudc wo cli j
not honest with ourselves because
we refuse to think clearly.
No one can achieve success unless
he be a clear thinker; that is why so
many of us start out In life with,
great promise and later find ourselves
shunted into the siding of mediocrity
or the. junk yard of failure because
we have allowed our minds to become
encrusted with barnacles.
American Criticism of French.
Baltimore American.
"I got a - setter from my husband
from Paris." .
"How is he getting, on - with the
French people?"
"He says they are very nice and
polite, but they don't seem to under
stand their own language." .