1959-05-27 — Page 4

Page

THE MOST

PROVOCATIVE

MAN IN

+

PARIS

Jean Cocteau

THIS is personal_testament by the most pro vocative man in Paris — poet, artist, playwright,

and 'film producar. · Cocteau, who will execute in July his first painting commission in England, made this highly personal, highly opinionated statement in an interview with John Cruesemann, And had a word to say about the legend created pround him.

THE

A city in a sad

place when

HE spirit of creation curvelves the luxury of belog poor. Now poverty (that is to is the highest form say lending a Bohemian life) of the spirit of con- costs too much, tradiction. To change the rules of the game is the role of genius. To disobey stale rules is the great motive of action for youth and for heroes.

Every hero rebels against the customs of his time. A tragedy of modern youth is that it is too free to do what it wanta. Youth has not got the chance to disobey, and out of this comes indle termination and laziness. It may be that this Bl-fated liberty comes to us from the New World, where children have the right to act as they wish, to beat their parents. and even to kill them.

THE FREEDOMS

bury

young people cannot afford to go to the bars and restaurants. This is why They often themselves in the cellars, but is in the cellars where "the

wine" is to be found, EXPLOSIVES

tun

THE CHINA MAIL,

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1959.

。

and if I am attacked it is my double they are fighting, and do not receive the blows.

THE OTHER

I

THIS is the Magic!

KNOCKED on a door

Day #

in Shepherd's Bush, London, and said to a summery, wispy: young- ster: "Is mother at home

Mrs Kathleen Robert- son?" and she said: "I am Mra Robertson." And later she said: "Thank you for not laughing."

F

This was important. Married teenagers are son- sitive,

Most of them had

to fight to marry and now they need to forgel they are too young and don't know their own minds and are going to live to regret it.

Kathleen Robertson, aged just 19 and mother of two, made me tea in a wedding- gift teapot and told me. about this difficulty of get- ting accepted..

Best thing

"People are always saying: 'Aren't you young to be married. I do feel sorry for you.' It's usually women in the shops.

sury to contradict but the avant-garde. For the Avant- Kurde starts standing up and

rds by sitting down. Auducity.

"Men are kinder. They even In Paris there is always

bought At Wool-

seemed pleased to call me Mrs." quarter which is in the fore worths, the price Is the same

She married her front.

husband, Once, long ago, it was for everyone,

Recently I had the honour of Stanley, £13-a-week demon- Montmartre,

Today audacity consists there dining at the British Embassiralor, when sho then Monipar-

trying to be banal.

was 18 and passe. Now i la St. Germain fure in

at the side of another victim of he 18, nearly three years ago. des Pres. ill-minded people And it is in not reaching Bris legend: Princess Margaret. Next Neillier can say believe that these quarters are stage that a poet or a painter day were

why they fell my mouth in love; it was magle, apparent- the rubbish dumps of the elly. monstrates his power and his words ridiculous and unbecom-ly, as it always is. But both How wrong they are! Even It

ing But those words were can say marriage is It is necessary To nothing new comes from these

be

the best spoken by that other one. explosives of the spirit" pinces it is there that

log in their lives. original without wanting The anibussador and his wife compounded.

are to be; all

at once that I had deliberate know

rot Kathleen said: "I'm suure these words, and that young marriages work if you

e

genius.

put

criginality is only destined spoken

They had been put Into thereally know each other first."

for an early death.

Right and left in our time have come to mean some thing strictly political and THE DANGERS derogatory. In my youth one was of the Right if one The danger for youth is this criminal The young

was was searching for nothing at being too free and with

out a chance to struggle it waits asked: "Why have you killed new, and of

the Left if for things to happen from the your father?" He replied one found something new. outside. Youth does not find in "Because he had told me you

The Left was ✡ are free to do what you like, epiritual revolution,

place of self starlling reasons for $v-

and our ing. So I thought would teach patriotism in art him a good lossen."

That is the reason why youth clusive that when Look, for 40 years in the asked me:

a journalist so often regrets the War and "Who are the great the Resistance, where the realm of art we have ahakan artists of France?" I was able venture has been played out. the tree. Now It is bare of to answer n once; "Picasso, Youth has not bothered to take fruit and of birds and looks like. Modigliani, Stravinsky," with the trouble in quarry for ad itscarecrow. advise youth out reminding myself that one ventures in its own heart not to gather our fruit which was Spanish, one allan, and mind. Jole on ground, but to plant the other Russian. a seed and grow a new trec, however gawun it may be.

wan

ex-

LEFT AND RIGHT

R-

and

mouth of him who disguises

FUTURE

himself as me, Leporello This seems true. The teen- disguises himself in "Donage marriages which fail ́are Giovanni" in order to receive often, 1 found, the quick ones. the blows in place of Don The couples who meet int Clovanni.

March, marry in May. It does happen.

The Robertsons knew cach

four years other

before they the married. Now, wholever women in the shops say they und own dignity have their

own gown-upacas, and their marriage is good.

1

their

by MERRICK

But there's

no

formula

for what follows

when lovers

like

these

decide

to get married

Marca: Wines

Maureen, of Ealing, who married two years ago when he was 19 and she 17.

They did it the tough way. They married 1wo months before

Roy went abroad

WINN

Yes. And perhaps the people who talk mast nonsense about marriage are the ones who need to defend themselves, whose own marriages are possibly recky, who want to prove that marriage, or at least monogamy, is a law of nature which probably is not,

#L

So marriage has been made Icas of a natural thing and more monstrous expedition, sign-

A

posted with obsessive cliches and cheap advice.

Give and take. Pull together. Have a sense of humour. See the other's point of view. And

all the rest the mad search for the "happiness" formula which can never be found because it does not exist,

A great doctor once told me: If you marry simply to be happy you're probably not very STOWN UP."

with the R.A.F. for 1 months. He got bark, two months ago, nover having seen his 18- rules month-old daughter.

1 asked the questions which, if asked honestly, de not offend. Were they disappointed now, after 21 months? Did Roy feel tied down" Had they ever wished they had waited?

One rule

He also said: "There are no for successful marriage, but this: after the romance has gone you should go on liking one another.

So I comic across teenage morringes which by all the "rules" should have succeeded, but failed.

And. Maureen, who laughs R And the happiest marriago I. lot, laughed now and summed came across, by for, was one

up like this: "Listen, we've got which Broke every rule in the nver

the up-in-the-air stage marriage counsellor's book.... and now we're just ordinary.

Different

"Now we've got

a different love, not so exciting, but a better

one. We're not dis appointed in il.”

And Roy, now a £10-a-week TV salesinan: "What husband doesn't feel tied sometimes? The point is to be honest about

Maureen understands.”

{t.

Most young marriages lower class, or upper

John and Freds married wher

he was 10 and she 18, to get away from awful homes and beenuse she was pregnant,

They had no money, no home and lived four years in one room in the home of fruit in-laws. They had two more children accidentally.

I called on them, meaning to stay an hour and stayed three hours.

I stayed for the reason their family doctor stays when he visits them-"There's noth are ing wrong with any of them, but elasa, 1 often pop in Just to help

They quarrel, naturally. She three months ago when she was says he always fiddles with the 10, and he 19. car when lunch is ready; he

Mrs Eles told me: "We liked because these are the youngsters myself believe in people again." says she

takes more notice of the boy, so we'd nothing against with money. the chlidren than of him. the usual stuff.

All

it. And plenty of older people merry who are no wiser."

And since you ask me what I think about tomorrow. I will answer you by saying that the young people of 25 to 30 zvem to have fallen between two stools, between our civilisa

which on

they have not known and the

outline of future civilisation, there does exist Anuther _generation be- Tween 10 and 10. for Another dunger

young

They are full of grace people is that they mix up love or passion as if it were an, and of revolt against the I love youth. It is youll

lness which must be cured. A weariness of false old age, which sets the pace, even Today politier makes a mess violent sentiment impinges an in clothes. Fashion

of everything. Moreover

which the their personalities, they "believe

so many of their tight has langor comes from the Left, by which I mean

gone over to the themselves occupied by a power older brothers and sisters

But they them. I know accept and in front of tiffs healthily, that which "disturbs grands couturiers

who nobody would dare to declare many young people who destry which they resign them-much guilt, and there is range themselves against himself of the Right.

what they love for fear of being each other.

Nel to conform

has become annihilated by a power alien to selves as in the

presence sign

whatever of the bag- right," Fashion - springs from St.

the convention of today, and their own, because they belleve of a fatalistic event, as if packing their seniors predicted. Tropez, from Greenwich Village, Academy it was

wheri I entered the French themselves victims of an enemy of our good fortune they

They met in repertory a year Kathleents mother-in-law, go when Michael the one scan- invasion, and from Chelsen. It con

was stage bdalous act that, I was able to As-for-myself,-what-pro------

have only inherited the Mrs Ireno Robertson, told me: manager and Anne his assistant.

marry and said they should together from

9 a.m. till 11 walt." She added: "I can't p.m.-thén found we still think why. I married at 17." hadn't seen enough of

cach ather,

no

'I cried'

can accept

without

their

100

Bo on with it. They'l do all

The middle-class the coming pro youngsters, fessional people, usually have

It works

}

I asked John, who to B21, 2in.

and rather thin: "How could

She added, with Anne listen to walt for the national average ing: They've Koi A lot to age for marriage 25% for men learn, Money for instance; and 23 for women. they're a bit extravagant, But

But not all. I say nothing and let them get 19 and 20, are students who afterwards you grow sure. Now Jill and David, you have been so sure at 167" He said: "I wasn't. It's only asked me not to publish their I'm sure." begies because they have been

And I asked Freda, 4tt. 11in. married only a fortnight and

either parents

colleges and well alled out, about rush- huve completely got over L lag into marciage with the first Jove, not having known ölher Jill said: "Everyone was very laves, and she said much against 119 marrying. They said we must walt and put our studies first,

bought us__ready-made-al Recomplish.” To jump to the tects me in this era is that spectre and not the sub. "I cried when they wanted to Anne told me: "We worked

tonators for

midday dinner. Right was a scandal and a mir- Blue jeans and coloured shirts, prise to a world which believed people have woven around

fashion

this charming

is itself avant-garde, Inimutable. And thos0 who would try lo ape it only make themselves absurd.

Morally the problem is different. In

Montparnasse

me a personage who bears

To be avant-garde has become no resemblance to me and the bourgrals attitude par ex- whom

I would celler.ce, and Raymond Hodiguet

in 1920, was niready right in wish to meet.

ny youth in pointing out that it was no we could allow longer routine that it was 'neces-

have no

This personage replaces me in Paris.

I live in the country,

stance.

-(London Express Service).

Tomorrow:

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Most parents resist joenage murrying, while their strength lasts, but two who did not were Mr and Mrs John Eelas, of St Jolu's Wood.

"Tho

nor

Advice

"They

"We decided li must be love."

And she said, with an insight

people have: Their daughter, not many Anne, married Michael Cager

so young, safely, is I had such then got so desperate we were

happy childhood."

"You don't pick and choose in loving, unless you aren't capable of loving, You just love, and trust yourself.

"They told uo wo shouldn't were very wise and marry untli we were grown up. reason I've been able to marry their

right. We even fried taking But we wanted to grow up

advice. We separated, together!

years now, back together in three weeks" for us."

We have, for eight and it has worked

So there you are. Teenagers

One of the stock, state objec tions to teenagers marrying is our advisers was really con- will go on rushing into marriago

And David said: "None at this: they marty dream, like cerned about our feelings.

all of us, but are less able to

foce the waking up to love with ils hair in curler

too young, ignoring advice, not

They were simply thinking knowing their own minds, and. what would be good for them

emcertainly, will live to thes were in our place

regret it morgentrully think this is why so many

true. It is not true, for instance, people, advising others about them won't.

ot py Coster and his wife marriage, talk nonsense,"

But just as certainly, most of

London Express Service).

RUSSIA IS THE MOST-MARRYING

-COUNTRY IN THE WORLD-

RUSSIA recently announced the

results of her first complete

census since before the war.

It put her population at 208,826,000, which is lower than Western experts had estimated. They forecast that it would be about 220,000,000.

The China Mail News-Chart below, based on the census figures, shows some, of the other outstanding facts—such as

WOMEN OUTERNICE NOW BY

3,500,000 MORE BIRTHS THAN DEATHS EACH YEAR

20,400,000

London Express Service.

that Russia has the highest marriage rate in the world.

She also claims the lowest death- rate in the world-7.5 per 1,000 a year. Women outnumber men, but only because of war casualties. The numbers of men and women,under 32 are about equal,

COMPARISON: In England the marriage rate la: 7.5 per 1,000; birth rato 16.4; death rate 11.7.

CLAIMS HIGHEST YEARLY MARRIAGE RATE IN THE WORLD

2. MARRIAGES PER 1,000' POPULATION -

POPULATION 208,826,000

· MEN: $4,000,000 WOMEN: 114,400,000

HORN HINTAROTE 4

25 PER 1,000

· POPULATION

FASIA

NEWB-CHART BY JOHN BODER