George Bernard Shaw: July 26, 1856 - November 2, 1950
This issue of the Courier is dedicated to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted December 10, 1948. It is also the first to appear since the death of George Bernard Shaw, at the age of 94. The relation between one of humanity's noblest documents and the life and work of one of history's literary giants is certainly complex and certainly controversial, but - just as certainly - it exists. We merely note that Shaw is the man who said:
"All improvement is founded on tolerance..."
"Religion is the only real motive force in the world ; but what you fellows don't understand is that you must get a man through his own religion and not through yours..."
"A day's work is a day's work, neither more nor less, and the man who does it needs a day's sustenance, a night's repose, and due leisure, whether he be painter or ploughman."
What Shaw called "the incident of death" came to him after a life in which he said:
"This is the true joy in life, the beingusedfor a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out beforeyou are thrown on the scrap heap; the beinga force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."
Shaw wrote in English and his works were read in Arabic, Spanish, Italian, French, Polish, German and Russian; Turkish and Chinese; Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Gudjerati, Tamil and Punjabi and many others. In all of those languages, men and women will have their own way of saying what Shaw said of a departed friend:
"It's too bad of him to do this."
