[Ads-l] Why George Bernard Shaw opposed cut flowers in vases

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The inquiry from Pete Morris inspired me to explore a different quip
attributed to George Bernard Shaw. Here is a link to the Quote
Investigator article:

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2022/10/03/cut-flowers/

Here is the first citation.

[ref] 1906 February 5, Boston Evening Transcript, Mr. Shaw’s
Rejoinders, Quote Page 5, Column 4, Boston, Massachusetts.
(Newspapers_com) [/ref]

<Begin excerpt>
MR. SHAW’S REJOINDERS
[From the World and His Wife]
Someone once offered to send Mr. G. B. Shaw a box of game; but he
replied that he would rather die than live at the price of bloodshed.
So the anxious donor offered flowers. “Surely, you must be fond of
flowers, Mr. Shaw?” “So I am of children,” he replied, “but I don’t
cut off their heads, and stick them in pots about the room.”
<End excerpt>

The newspaper stated that the tale was: “From the World and His Wife”.
This might mean that Shaw’s wife made the attribution in the pages of
“The New York World”. During subsequent weeks and months the story
appeared in numerous newspapers including “The Chicago Daily Tribune”
of Illinois and the “Los Angeles Express” of California.

Garson

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