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Show Assigning G. B. S. to His Place When George Bernard Shaw, as a young man, emerged from his native Ireland and moved to England he began writing a column for a London weekly publication. Then, as now, he had the habit of calling a spade a spade and frequently, in his writings, writ-ings, he called it by an even stronger name than that. At that time Oscar Wilde was enjoying en-joying his vogue as a wit and an epigram-maker. One evening an acquaintance, calling upon Wilde, happened upon a copy of the paper to which Shaw was a contributor and reading therein one of Shaw's characteristic articles which was signed with the author's Initials, said to his host : "I say, Wilde, who Is this chap G. B. S. who's doing a department for this sheet?" "He's a young Irishman named Shaw," said Wilde. "Rather forceful isn't he?" "Forceful," echoed the other, "well rather! My word, how he does cut and slash I He does't seem to spare anyone he knows. I should say he's in a fair way to make himself a lot of enemies." "Well," said Wilde, "as yet he hasn't become prominent enough to have any enemies. But none of his , friends likes him." |