THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1958..
post,
• Last mánth T. S. Eliot was 70; ho has acquired: a Nobel Prize, an Q.M., unique distinction as a immense success as playwright.
• But he is still a puzzle. What tlas bohind his aura of saintliness?
In this, one of his rare interviews,
ho reveals to the China Mail Book Critic
of some unexpected aspects
Ellot the man,
IN the crowded West End coffee house I spoke 10 syllables. Instantly there was an awed hush. Near me a young man spluttered, over his cup of cappucino.
But the reaction was only to be expected. For what I had said was: "I'm just off to see T. S. Eliot."
Last month Thomas Stearns Ellot, born:
St Louis, Missouri, was 70. On the 13.B.C.
news service the fact was announced in hushed royalty tones,
Why? What has Mr Ellol done
in his 70 years to deserve such awe?
The plain answer is: he has produced enough poems to til a small
buy volume. (Yo.. can
most of them in a new paper- back, T. S. ELIOT COLLEC- TED FORMS 1000 -1935, Faber, 5.)
Few people have read those Qums. Fewer at have ever understood them. Yet when Mr Ellot recently married again the ceremony had to be held at C13 u.m. to avoid the crowds,
WHAT ELSE?
Martur
Mr Eliot takes a squib
to the boardroom
Is it that B carries an aura und wisdom?
a persun
he Stateam
war
launched
Nostalgically
Eliot
at the publishers in Bloomsbury, know,"
where he is a director. A litle thumbed his lapel 411 rattled me to a little room
of saintliness Edinburgh Mr Ellot was visit- ing his now mother-in-law in Whitby.
is
Well, sally Mr Eliot
Bitheult 10 sce as L rather person Garbo-like, he has a habit of being elsewhere, Whea his play The Cocktail Party used elamour on Broadway Mr Ehot was in South Africa
EXPENSIVE
on the top floor.
FOR LUCK....
I
some
Mr which
at the
Inside the
room was Mr Enfot. His sult was grey, well
Ellot talked about the cut. A stretch of expensive sock showed above his shoes. he went to the B.B.C. wearing 1 had
big questions false whiskers ("Not stuck on. kind you hook over the ready. I remembered the lines The with
He shook his head: Eliot had ears.")
best #lashed
shallow "But I liked explosions morality of the twenties. I Though the war has taken the remembered his description of fun out of that kind r† joke.” shabby, joyless love affairs In bod-xiting rooms,
time
Then suddenly last week received word that Mr Ellot How hag Eliot muraged When his new play The Elder would see ine. I went to Fabers, What else has he done in his lung life?
П
He was brought up in a non- rroklag, non-drinking Unitarion usehold (Papa Ellot was wholesale grocer who beenme St Louis of the Desklent Hydraulic-Press Brick Co),
He came to Britain, taught at Highgate Junior Schoo! fone Master John Betjernan); worked at Lloyds Bank, began Poblishing poetry (sales of first itin volume-183 copies).
Impor-
At a
The came the most nt moment for Eliot. zah church near Oxford a bishop baptised him into the of England! (Eliot's Church explanation: He was converted to religion reading Bertrand Hossell'a arguments against religion.)
Ellot proceeded to write verse which did more than the entire bunch of bishops to draw Intel-
He is stil Fectuals to religion. elurch warden at High AngBeau SI Stephen's, Kensington.)
And he was attacked as one of Socialism's worst enemies by Harold Laski (Eliot sill votes Conservative).
Then recently there has been a different Mr. Eliot. A Bushed, happy Mr Ellot who has mar- ried bride 40 years younger than himself, who sits fondly holding her hand whenever they are together. A Mr Eliot who write successful phys.
But even Mr Eliot's plays fuearly all written after his O.M.) can hardly explain Me Eliot's status.
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"She turns and looks a mo-
ment in the plass,
Hardly aware of her departed
lover;
If surgery's latest experiments succeed...
LONGER
LIFE-BY DEEP - FREEZE REPLACEMENTS
1
By A Special Correspondent BETWEEN an astonishing series of surgical
experiments now being conducted in London, and the earliest forms of treatment applied as remedies for the accidents and defects to which primitive man was prone, there stretches a span of time which is well-nigh immeasurable.
It is a span of time covering world-wide revolution In centuries of ignorance, mupersil- surgery. tion-and professional jealousy. Just na thero
are "blood Indeed, you don't have to go so „banka," to there
will ba very far back into the history "banka" of "spare parts" for of healing to learn that there human bodies in the future, was once sharp hostility be- That nt any rate Ja the tween physicians and surgeons. objective on which thT
In the 17th century the latter researchers noticed the ornements on Eliot's were considerably restricted by Research Institute in Mill
concentrating small Greek the more powerfully organised are
their chimney piece-G
and in some endeavours, their purpose being physicians, vase, a china cat,
was not to create countries a surgeon
the Arst pt elephant,
allowed to perform a major "banks”
As I left
the small room
Ellot turned
I
դ wooden
vital
ni the
Medical
such
orgens like hearts, kidneys, livers, stomachs.
The the elephant operation-one which involved
"spare Parts" which around. He said: "I was once any danger to life unless gure in their experiments are fuld that they are only lucky physician was present, when they face the door,"
That was In days when surgeons were also barbers, and When I walked out into the lacked the privileged position of sun of Bloomsbury I remember-physicians. ed one thing I had not mention- ed to poet Eliot. His poetry.
experiments
IT-
These involved of modern times are far No one could or would deny moved from the esturts of now the eminent status of the practitioners ia the long-ago Greece, But perhaps that was just as curgeon in the dedicated task civilisations of Egypt, well. I
relish many of the of curing the Ills to which man- Mesopotamia, India, China, when surgeons were terrifying famous Eliot Hnes. But when kind is heir,
At the present time, a team craftsmen who wielded read the others, and when I see the pinnacle in which they have of doctors at the headquarters knife without benent of mercl- htm, sometimes of Britain's Medical Research ful drugs and relied brought
on Fuch wonder if they haven't enabled Institute at Mill Hill in London preparations
as bolling oil or engaged in specialised pitch after performing 171 this wonderful man to bring off are iis biggest practical joke of all, work which will bring about omputation.
I
ROUND-UP
Her brain allmus one half-FACE OF LONDON
formed thought to pass:
'Well now that's done and
I'm glad it's over,'”
I asked: "Do you think our are belter today? Do morals you think we've improved?"
Mr Eliot leaned back; sage- Hke he puffed at his glosses and polished them: Then he smiled genially and said:-
"Well, I don't think I know. "One gets so much more tolerant
of other
gets people as one older."
Beyond the small window u church spire plerced the Blooms- bury sky. I remembered that Mr Elloi is one of the few lay- inen listed in the reference books.
MAN who did much to change the face of London has died, aged 80, at his Highgate home in London. He was Sir Richard John Allison, former Chlef Architect at the Ministry of Works who re-designed The Mall leading from Trafalgar Square through Green Park to Buckingham Palace and also concebred the Idea which become Admiralty Arch. The idea occurred to him when, as a young draughtsman at the Ministry, he was checking plans for extending the space before Buckingham Palace. In an hour he had drawn up a sketch of his own, allowing for n Later he memorial to Queen Victoria and for re-designing The Mall to make a good appraoch.
The Mall and suggested that a triumphal arch should be built at the Charing Cross end Admiralty Arch came into being. Sir Richard also designed the Science Museum at South Kensington. He had to supervise the pulling down, of what he regarded as his finest work, a 100,000 hospital in Richmend Park, Surrey. Built by the British Red Cross for Americans wounded In World War I, it was within a few. weeks of completion when the Armistice came,
EASY TERMS
TWENTY-ONE families will soon be movlg Into Chingford, Essex, Council's newest estate - the Bramblings. Only four of these will have been called upon to find a deposit for their houses. The other 17 have each been granted a 100 per cent advance, which will be repaid over periods up to 30 years. This is the fourth smail estate developed by the Council for sale to tenants and priority housing applicants. One of the first of its kind in Britain the scheme has proved an outstanding success, "BANK" FOR BIRDS
Church's A
I asked: "On a point of Church doctrine, what do you feel about this business of the withholding of Communion as a discipline?"
There was a pause. Then Mr Eliot smiled and shook bis head: "No. I don't really know much about that, I'm afraid."
I looked around the manli room. On Mr Eliot's book- crammed desk a piece of ancient Greek masonry, complete wille inscription, served as a paper- weight.
I asked: "On modern culture
I believe you have spoken out strongly against television?**
I walled for some sharp Ellot civilisation, phrases about our
He rocked to and fro in his chair. He said.-
think it is bad for the chlidren. But I watch it for sport when I can. Especially for tennis-and soccer too. And it's ideal for the Boat Race." -
ANIMATED
And so, gradually, our con versalion changed. We talked about drink. Ellot grew ant-
mated. He said:
enjoy
claret, although lin no Julge of I. But I belleve I am a judge of whisky."
We talked about films, about stars. one of Elliot's favourke Spencer Tracy. Ellot said: "I am now educating my wife in Mary Brothers Alma. We go to any small cineina where they are showing. I like to it as far back as possible.”
Finally, we talked about prac- tical jokes. Ellot said: "At one board meeting another director and I arranged for the item
Crystal Palace" to appear at the end of the agenda.
"Someong asked: "What's Crystal Palace mean?' And the Answer WDE A oud explosion from some recrackers we had planted under the table. Then there followed some squirting of water.
*It was suggested that it was
NEW LONG KNITTER ATTACHED RIB KNITTERHK.9 515022 Que Se Puched in Case dampness precipitated by the
explosion. But really it was a squirt button I had here, you;
FREE "bird bank" has been started at Brookt.ill Old People's Centre at Newton Abbot, Devon, for people who want their pet birds properly Inuked after when they go on holiday. Last year about 100 birds were deposited at the "bank." "Bunk Manager" is Mr C. T. Arthur who looks after the birds. He has been a bird fancier all his life and has bred rainbow-coloured Ludgerigar.
LONG DISTANCE
N American customer has been obtained by Mr Henry Blythe, of Torquay, who has started An "hypnotic stopielte, service to save travelling cipenses for people who want him to ure them of smoking. Treatment over the trans-Atlantic telephone at 1 a minute, plus fee, is to be given to Harold W. Scolt, of West Oakland, Austin, Minnesota, who heard about the new service in an American radio news bulletin, Mr Blythe says, "I have sent Me Scott a portrait of me which he must study while I place him under light hypnosis." DUSTBIN OVENS
CHOOL Meals Service cooking staff from all parts of London are taking training courses in emergency feeding for Civli Defence. The courses are organised by London County Council and last for two days. On the Brst day the trainees attend talks on the basic principles of emergency feeding, with special reference to nuclent warfare. On the second day they learn to build and use improvised kitchen equipment. Clares cook full mid-day meals on equipment bulit from old bricks and salvaged materials, with dustbins for ovens. VERSATILE PARSON
ANON Louis Stewart, Britain's most versatile parson, as he was nationally dubbed in 1938,
to relire after 40 years in the Church. A conjurer, escapologist, painter, ventriloquist, actor and for 27 years vicar the 1,000-year-old Saxon Church of Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, Canon Stewart plans to retire in November. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and n past Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Geographical Society.
JAK GOES TO THE SEASIDE
the
too. They are far removed, from the efforts of the monks into whose hands the practice of medleine and surgery passed
Dark during the
that Ages closed over Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. There was a time, in fact, when surgical selence In monasteries
became
the
[m-
pregnated with superstitions
reminiscent enlightened zavages
more
un- of than the devolees of any religious order-
so that the lancet, the only Instrument in common use, was applied as and when the phases of the moon or the position of the stars seemed propitious.
But to
return to the techniques of the mid-twentieth century and the amazing project which envisages vital replace- ments for the human body!
At Mill Hill, London, -the intention is that urgans such as wift hearts, stomachs, efectern
be deep-frozen so that they can be kept in reserve almost inde- finitely. They will be held in readiness so that they can be cubstituted at a moment's notice for corresponding organs which have become diseased or which
been have
damaged accidents.
✩
in
In the initial stages of CX- perimentation.. animals will: probably be used,
It appears that the process of de-freezing the "spare parts" in a satisfactory and sufficiently rapid way la one of the most difficult problems confronting researcitcis con- the surgical
cerned in the work. A spectat form of microwave heating has a view to been devised with speeding this process.
The day may come when these experiments may have a direct bearing on human an aged singovity, and when
person's life-span may be in- creased by the replacement of organs which have served their natural term-
"And NOW, darling, that secluded little beach i discovered when I was stationed here in 142.
London Estress decides