It was part of this nervous dislike of the unpleasant part of its
business that led to the comic incident of the Committee's sudden
discovery that I had insulted it, and its suspension of its
investigation for the purpose of elaborately insulting me back again.
Comic to the lookers-on, that is; for the majority of the Committee made
no attempt to conceal the fact that they were wildly angry with me;
and I, though my public experience and skill in acting enabled me to
maintain an appearance of imperturbable good-humor, was equally furious.
The friction began as follows.
The precedents for the conduct of the Committee were to be found in
the proceedings of the Committee of 1892. That Committee, no doubt
recognizing the absurdity of calling on distinguished artists to give
their views before it, and then refusing to allow them to state their
views except in nervous replies to such questions as it might suit
members to put to them, allowed Sir Henry Irving and Sir John Hare to
prepare and read written statements, and formally invited them to read
them to the Committee before being questioned. I accordingly prepared
such a statement. For the greater convenience of the Committee, I
offered to have this statement printed at my own expense, and to
supply the members with copies. The offer was accepted; and the copies
supplied. I also offered to provide the Committee with copies of those
plays of mine which had been refused a licence by the Lord Chamberlain.
That offer also was accepted; and the books duly supplied.