THE CHINA - MAIL, SATURDAY, " NOVEMBER 27, 1954.
Reflections on the Genius of Oscar Wilde
HE SINNED AGAINST SOCIETY BUT LIFTED THE MIND OF MAN
London.
TT in Saturday morning
in late autumn. My
garden in covered
leave
By SIR BEVERLEY BAXTER, MP
But now we shall this old world garden in S NEAR them I see the handsome John's Wood, for 1 must farzef Lord Crell Douglas. He make way to Tite Street in had an artificial leg to replace Chelsea, where a hundred or the one he left in
1914. What 11 Ane
་་
who
he
WOS
Wo 3
out-
Have con"
turt. Reputable publishers In every country bid for the rights, In one year Ross was able to 'pay off Wilde'a, bankruptcy and to satisfy
well Wilde's Here we are in Tite Street In Chelsen there is a ceremony who made music of words, a regard of the law of copyright
creditors In France. with dend leaves, and there is quite a crowd. I taking place at the Hotel wit
stopped shart of and, in the process,, filled their
I first read "De Profundis" in Wildo cruelty, a sentimentalist
who coffers,
Toronto although in some mysterious can see Sir Compton Mackenzie, Voltaire in Paris whero
before the First Wilde's literary estate
Just was in love wields his pen like a stayed and wrote at an earlier pitled singers. Ifo
World War and can recall the way a gallant romant of who
of life before tragedy with beauty and at war with vested in the Offelal Receiver
moving
those lines Bowers is holding out like sword. And near him is Dame
bonuly of ENth Evans, who has no claim med him.
mediocrity.
who, in his omnipotence, decided the guards ut Waterke. to bounty any port but is our
Now we have a couple It may be that in his rebellion that the books were of no value with which he ends the
and if publishers were fools pouring of his soul: actress. Just beside hours to put in before gathering against Victorian morality Yellow chrysanthemums, greatest
"Society. the Bavoy Hole! for the was drawn towards unnatural enough to publish them let them stituted it, will have no place for binsh-red dahlias and her with an untidy beard and m
vico. • Nor did he attempt to go ahend. Joha luncheon. So na we watery sye by Augustus
me, hal none to offer; but Michaelmas daisies....
The Hittle THAN
along the Embankment hide the fact. The wonder The sculptor.
Nature, whose sweet rains fall There is a lovely melancholy bedde him, looking rather like towards the Savoy, let us look that the police spared him for
on unjust and just alike, will on the asmid librarian, a, T. S. Ellot, back these lingerera,
debaucheries WHEN, anter disgrace
and so long, for his
a considerable have elufts in the rocks poct who has tragedy of Wildo which shocked were the talk of the town. Y length of time, Wilde's."The may hide and secret vall though they were missing the American
become Lho moo successful and hurt the civilised world. Actually, no police action took Balled of Readine
Gral" was in whos 'silence: I may weep their companions but loath British dramatist in our theatre. Was the sentence too brutal? place unit, like a fool, Wilde published the Loudon news undisturbed. She will hang the to follow them.
Was it personal pique on Edward sued the Marquis of Queensbury papers were timidly cautious, night with stars sy that I may Carson's part for not having for a slander.
There were one or two favour
in the darkness walk abroad been briefed by Wilde for the
shle reviews, but the other without stumbling, and send the defence that made him сто
thought best to ignore it or wind over my foolprints so that so cruelly? examine so
ridicule it.
ཁ་།:
none may track me to my hurt; And niso what we have to TJALF way through that trial The darkness that had fallen she will cleanse mo in great France in ask ourselves in whether or not the case was elopped. The on Wilde did not really begin waters, and with bitter herba
looking this curse of homosexuality is a
police held their hand
to lift until ten years after the mike me whole.** long w Was crime or a discuse? One thing enough to let Wilde leave the famous trial, when his Canadian-
is certain. The publicity given country, but such
friend, Robert his born was
Ross, of fea-
10 the trial must have done arrogance that he
succeeded In getting "De Blayed much to encourage the growth London until they come to his Protundis published..
WHAT happened to his two of the dreadful cull.
house and arrested him.
Wilde had been dead for four soma? In order that they might There is no need now to re- years, having died in Franco at live sume kind of private life, rall
mother of the age of 46. From the begin the the fremontious drama
them the gave the trial.
of Holland. - Bearing It has been described ning of his imprisonment until uteme in print
that name the older boy went never the and discussed inter- the end of his days he will to his death in France In 1915. | minably. He was sentenced to allow to see his two two years hard bour and was 300s. Nor did he ever met eyes The younger brother, Vyvyan taken into Rending Gaol, about upon England after seeking Hol
Holland, lived quietly in Eng- marryland a forty miles from London.
sanctuary in Franco
his land, eventually I propose that we should now release from prison. The great Australian gf and they put Soriety in the box. Let us writer of comedies had to play son. I met them at house when the fraghy an exilo to the Queensborough's see what the world did in the Pretched creature.
gatea haf closed upon cruel last curtain.
five years ago, and we discussed But Robert Ross dedicated his then whether they should glyo Wilde's published books were life to the restoring of Wilde's back to the boy the
Both In "De which he was entitled. withdrawn from credation. His name plays
were
banned In the Profundis" Ross found a work Queensborough and myself took that the genius of theatre. He was made bank of genius and beauty and pathos the view rupt,
outlived' his crime Wilde hod And
un that could not be denied by result scrupulous publishers in Britain, whole world of Philistines. against cociety and that the buy Holland- known as France and America
Immediately was published should be reprinted poel his books with a complete dis- la London, the tide began to Wilde.
Dougta, whong beauty
K
to of us are going to watch family he representa! Mike inveilmg of a plaque not his uncle, Lord Alfred placed by The dong of the
Tu Ird to his own downfall? of the houses there. Let us
Attention please! Pray silence take the bus to Hyde Park
for the Mayor of Chelsea, Hear Corner, then dismount and fear! There is a veiled pinque make our Way on fout to beside the door of No. 34,
there by
London Chelsea
order of the Constitution there via
Council. The Mayor Hill, Buckingham Palner
this to us And calls and the Embankment.
Slr Compton Mackenzie to Lanafor
form the unvelling ceremony. With emotion, hard to concral Mackenzie reads the words aloud
never looked moda lovely It ages so bemuli-
L
fully with the dying year that even the dead leaves carpet to soften the path for our feet
[ELLO HO
e of the
Hoe hul sales trolig up Constitution Hill Sa perfectly are they drilled that even the lauses seen in step and heaven help the miscreant who showed daylight betwise the saddle and his posterior
It might have been Brussels In 1815. Instead of London in 1934, with trap Jingg N way to Waterloo on the eve of The battle.
I suppose these fellows are Bill Smith of Peck- Irat. Tom Jones of Caretin and Harry Brown of Margau, Who' live in fear of the Sergeant- Major anct their wives-but
they look tertille to me.
Now we are at the gates of Buckingham Palace. A youthful Grenadier Guards:nan with 19 Jony complexion marches ug and down, stamping terrifically as he makes an about-turn. Nor does he show the slightest interest in the Americans "sup>- ping him with the cam
camern at a Lange of a few inches
At the Palace gate a London
hobby politely answers questions
from the tourists. asked him
{
what kind of things they wanteri
to know. "Mostly whal bus They should take to
pince or other." There is nothing like a London bobby to reduce romance to its proper level,
IN a few minutes we shall be
In Chelsea, that wastuury of pensionera and posta. Old soldiers in their scarlet conta and
cocked hats live out their clays in good companionship, und in gratitude to Nell Gwynne who persuaded Charles II to do something for men such as they when their days of fighting were
1F+ 19
OSCAR WILDE (1884-1900)
WIT ANU Dramatist
there Simultaneously
ceremonies
the
were
In Dublin to mark Wilde was house where
In Parts, where Wilde ved, there has long plaque for those with eyes read, but while we are standing
VILDE was born in Dublin of Waimeult but brilliant parents He went to the University there and Inter on to Oxfant. Then he In set up an a man of letters London, and became the most dazzling conversationalist of his age. Not content with express- ing his views las
talk .or orticles, he turned to poetry and then to
to the theatre. Like so many gifted Irishmen he was n rebel, although in his rebellion against case it was the smugness, the decorum, the snobbery and the dullness of
a
to
Victorian society. Ho was sensualist of language, a
the
3.5
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LABOUR EXECUTIVE.–PRESS PRESSURE DEPT
an author.
on
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The ttle chap was at Tito Struct-alert. Intelligent and And thore wo good looking. sholl
hall end this part of the story because the Savoy has just ap peared on the horizon.
What tricks are played by the whirligig of time! France had sent on official representative to attend the luncheon, So had
Germany and Ireland. All
infound
us were the leading figures of the London theatre, as well as most of our out- standing dramatista novelists.
the
story
and
STARS
Debbie Reynolds
OS. L
AT
the
the conclusion of speeches we stood in allenço
to the memory of Over Wide, who had slane against society but had ministered to the mind of man.
It was a
was a moment.
of civilisation.
in
Wilde had written: "Out of a SOTTOW
have the worlds been
built
and at the birth of star or a child there la palu."
Out of sorrow came this mo- ment in London when we stood to honour the name which he himself dishonoured, and to de- clare that the waters of time have cleansed the man of his ains and left the poet, the dramatist and the wit to enrich the centuries.
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