1954-11-27 — Page 13

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

Іл

LABOUR EXECUTIVE.–PRESS PRESSURE DEPT

an author.

on

*

an

Page e 18

Imported from Holland!

EMEKE

SHEER

Heineken's

PRODUCT OF MORE THAN 300 YEARS OF BREWING

SKILL IT'S SMOOTH AND MELLOW

Heineken's.

The Worlds

Finest Beer

Sole Distributors

THE FRIESLAND TRADING CO., LTD.

Holland House

ΟΙ

SEE

NEMU

to

MOVIE

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.

* through the MAGIC REALISM of

VIEW MASTER 3D

COLOR PICTURES

You're practically "on slage” in Holly wood when you see your favorite mavie stars "spring to ille" in full color and 3-Dimensions. 21 fascinal- log 3-D photos in the 3-Reel paskut Also mee our other subjects including kamot baseball players, scenice, adventure stories, fairy tales. We have more than 400 Reels for 3-D fun with View-Master stéreoscopes, projectors. STEREOSCOPE $12.00 RZELS 2.00 ach Available at all, photographic stores,

Sole Agents A. SEK & CO. 26. Des Voeur Rd. Tel:23459

over,

World Copyright by arrangement with the Manchester Guardian

Reliability..

...that's rugged for your roughest, toughest days

That's the kind of service the British Government wanted. They wanted a watch that could stand the steaming heat of tropical jungles... the freezing cold of arctic storms... the gritty dust of desert winds. They wanted a super watch! Omega made it.

Impartial scientific tests prove that the Omega was- and is all the British Government demanded. That is why the British Government has selected Oméga as Official Suppliers to the Navy, Army and Air Force. Self-winding, waterproof, dusproof, antimagnetic, shock-p

OMEGA Seamaster

Obmpic Games. For 20 pvars Official Olympic Timo's keipies, Cimoga will thing abe Olempire again be tiksli bourne in 1936.

-Registered Trade' Mark

"BEAR BRAND"

STERILIZED NATURAL

SWISS MILK

Nature's most perfect food

Avaliable at the following stores:

WING ON CO., LTD., Des Yoaux Road. CHINA EMPORIUM LYD, Queen's Road," KWONG TUNO FAT, 191 Den Vosux Road. CHUNG HÌNG BW CD. 10, H qua Wi

KOWLOON - STORE, # Nathan Road, SINGERS (004: LTD., Des Voeux Bold. WELLCOME CO, LTD, Des Vosux. Rozd......... WAR CHRONG CO, LTD., 1 Pečlinger, street. "UUNG: CHRONO, SE Nahan Bada TAI WO HONG, 301 Nathan Raid.

Sole Distributor

U. Spalinger & Co., Ltd.,

ALPS

BEAR BRAND