Evening Star Newspaper, March 13, 1932, Page 75

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 13, 1932. “Gireatest Decision 1 Ever Made” ‘Sylvia Pankhurst holds that her great- est decision was made when she left her art studies in Italy to return to England and take up the battle for equal suf- frage. “Once to every man and nation Comes the moment to decide—" O sang the poet, and such is life. In the career of every man and woman comes one moment when they must answer “yes” or “no” to an all-important question on which depends their fate. What was the most tmportant decision pou ever made? Here are important views of world celebrities outlining the great moment when they had to choose—and what happened. % GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, ? Playwright and Author. NEVER made a resolution in my life. I never struggled nor consulted other people. I took all occasions as they came and dealt with them pccording to my nature. My need for expression was not a desire for Buccess. Like Hamlet: “I lack ambition.” I strive automatically to bring the world into harmony with my nature; but I tell you this because I have observed it, just as I have ob- served the color of my hair in a mirror, not becausé I am always conscious of it. LILLIAN GISH, Motion Picture Actress. greatest decision of my life was my reso- {1 lution at the age of 14 to give up the theater, in which I had been playing since I was a child of 6, for film work. - 1 reached the conclusion quite alone and without asking others, being convineced that the youth which would be my greatest handicap in the theater would be an asset in the pictures. I reached this conclusion after studying the films closely. The prospect of a personal success was of small consideration, as the films at that time were looked upon as the very lowest form of disgraceful entertainment, most people from the theater changing their names when they entered them, believing that the knowledge that they would do such a thing very harmful. But I did believe that they would be helpful to me as an actress, as they would give me the chance to study myself. Furthermore, I believed in their future, as they held a hope of a new and strange kind of beauty. SINCLAIR LEWIS, American Novelist. ROM the point of view of my work, what was probably the most important conscious decision in my life was to abandon 'a career as a popular writer for magazines in order to devote my entire time to the completion of a novel, which at that time had, I thought, no chance of being a financial success. There was no longer struggle involved In this; I wished to do it, but I hesitated a long time in making the decision because I was past 30 years of age, I had endured considerable poverty, my previous novels had been flnancial failures and my popular magazine writing was a distinct financial success. I was helped in my decision by the support of my closest friends. The novel of which I am speaking was “Main Street,” and it was, happily for me, such a success that I have never had to return to hack work. I do not think that either a moral principle or the prospects of a decisive success influenced my decision. I was-then, as now, driven by my ideas and I desired, perhaps, to do a piece of work which would satisfy my own standards. This satisfaction, however, I neither then nor since have fully achieved. SYLVIA PANKHURST, Women’s Suffrage Leader. Y whole lif- has been a series of important decisions, yet perhaps the most momen- tous of all was when I decided to leave that glorious country of Italy, where I had been studying art as the reward for winning a scholarship at the Royal College of Art in London, to return to the prosaic pavements and gray skies of Manchester to assist in the mili- tant suffrage movement begun in that city by my family, I clearly realized I was handicapping myself in my struggle to master my art, yet I followed what I believed to be my duty, consult- ing none and acting deliberately h much deep thought but little hestitation. I was at that time in great poverty and having a hard struggle to find mere bread. From then on- ward, the decision whether to put my personal career, comfort and artistic work first or to consider the suffragette movement paramount had constantly to be made. The decision was always the same: The movement must have first place. Since childhood I have never found need to consult others. Evasion of anything which to me to be a duty was always too painful to be persevered in. I knew no peace of mind till I had done what I knew to be the Sinclair Lewis says his most important decision was the abandonment of a care«;r as a popular magazine writer to devote his entire time to completing a Rovel, George Bernard Shaw never made a resolution in his life. He just took advantage of all occasions as they came. right thing, and I have been actuated largely by sympathy for the poor and oppressed and & desire to see the establishment of a better social order. I bent myself to the task of up- lifting the women of the submerged poor, and it led me not only to the platform and its cheers, but to drudgery and toil, to hurger and thirst in the prison cell. But it has been worth it. CARL LAEMMLE, Motion Picture Producer. TH! most momentous decision of my career was that which caused me to leave my steady position as manager of a small-town clothing store and cast my lot in the motion- picture business. I had been manager of the clothing store for a number of years. For some time I had been dissatisfied, feeling that not only did it hold little promise as a career but also that it did not give me a sufficient outlet for my natural energy and ambition. I was about to become 40 years of age, and I felt that if I was to make a change I should do it before turning 40. The owner of the store, while giving me title of maneger, really let me manage in name only. He interfered with my staff and destroyed the discipline I was attempting to build up. I resigned from the position and went to a much larger city to find something in which to invest my time and what little money I had saved. It was there that I “discovered” the motion picture business, which was then quite a new thing. I saw in it great possibilities for gain and for big work. I invested my small capital in renting a small store and equipping it in a very inexpensive way as a picture theater, I did not reach my decision spontaneously. I had a long struggle with myself first. I con- sulted virtually every one I met. It has been a lifelong habit of mine to search for informa- tion anywhere and everywhere, placing no limit upon where I might or might not get valuable suggestions. I was influenced by the prospect of a decisive success and to a certain degree by the princi- ple that if I could not be the real manager of the store where I was working, I did not care to remain as manager in name only. I wanted no empty title. I wanted to work, to achieve and to succeed. HON. BERTRAND RUSSELL, British Author. Y life, like that of Faust, has been divided sharply into two periods, one before August, 1914, and one since. For the earlier period, the decisive resolution was reached at the age of 11, when I first began the study of Euclid, who, I had been given to understand, demonstrated the truth of his assertions. The discovery that he began by assuming various propositions, in favor of which he advanced no evidence, was a great disappointment to me, and I resolved there and then to try to dis- cover whether there was any reason to beclieve in the truth of mathematics, a matter which occupied me for the next 27 years. At the end of that period I felt that I had done all I could in this direction. The second formative resolution of my life was in the first days of the war, when I decided to adopt publicly an attitude of neutrality and of criticism of all the governments concerned. ‘This led me on to an investigation of the politi- cal, economic and psychological causes of war, and ultimately to an interest in education. The first of these two resolutions was reached spontaneously without any struggle and withe out any consultation with others. It was, in- deed, scarcely conscious, although it completely dominated my life for a long time. The second resolution involved a sharp inner struggle, through the pressure of circumstances required that the struggle should be very brief. At this crisis I was encouraged by the existence of a few friends who thought as I did, thouglh I doubt whether I should have done otherwise if they had not existed. The first resolution was inspired by a strong desire to discover some indubitable knowledge somewhere; in fact, my mood was closely anal- ogous to that described by Descartes in his “Meditations.” I do not think that either the prospect of material success or morality played any part whatever in generating my purpose. In the second case, I was influenced partly by a regard for truth, because governmental propaganda everywhere consisted mainly of lies, but still more by sorrow at the thought of the young men who were to be killed for entirely futile reasons. I do not know whether to call these things moral principles, but to me they were passions just as strong and com- pelling as cupidity in a miser or sexual passion in a man in love. - JOHN GALSWORTHY, English Novelist. AM not conscious of having made any sene< sational decisions. They have all seemed natural and the outcome of my temperament. SIR RABINDRANATH TAGORE, Indian Philosopher. HE most important inspirations of my life have come to me either through unexpected surprises or through the process of creature activities that constantly help self-revelatiom, JOSEPH HERGESHEIMER, : s American Novelist. = CAN recall no single decision that resulted in the work I have done. It was all virtuslly subconscious; an accumulation of obscure measures. ’ The only struggle involved was with thée difficulty of writing; all exterior influence was indirect and faint. AUGUSTUS JOHN, British Painter. HE most decisive resolution in my life was that which determined me to adopt art ag & profession, I came to this resolution prolonged hesitation, uncertainty and consulta= tion with others. I did not envisage with any, sureness the prospect of decisive success, bl felt that in art I would find the adventure faW which I was best fitted. (Copyright, 1932.) wichout help that life in the movies was more attractive than that oflhi logitimate stoge.