LYCEUM CLUB

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13271, 22 February 1941, Page 2

LYCEUM CLUB

LUNCHEON PARTY SUCCESSFUL INAUGURATION FOR 1941 INTERESTING ADDRESS BY MR DOIDGE Members of the Lyceum Club showed appreciation of the Committee’s new plan for a monthly luncheon, by turning up in good numbers at the rooms yesterday. Mrs Green, the Club’s President, welcomed members as they arrived and gathered for a chat in the lounge, and shortly after twelvethirty everyone adjourned to the Reception room where a buffet luncheon was served. A meal of this kind is very enjoyable, particularly in the warm weather, and the tables looked very attractive with their centrepieces of red dahlias. Luncheon over, Mrs Green introduced Mr F. W. Doidge, who was the speaker for the day. Being the only gentleman present, Mr Doidge felt the need of an appropriate introduction to his talk, but contrary to expectations, he expressed his pure delight at being present, adding that he was the envy of all husbands, who at that moment were dining in solitary state on a tin of sardines, while he ate tit bits served by their wives at the luncheon party. With this happy opening, Mr Doidge said he had decided to make his talk more in the form of a “gossip,” telling of some of the well known people he had met during his years on Fleet Street as managing-director of the Beaverbrook papers. Such a talk was naturally full of topical interest and the ladies listened for twenty minutes to anecdotes and stories of meetings with the famous. From a comparison of his present visit with one to the Soroptimist Club in London, where he and Mrs Doidge were guests of honour, together with the authoress, Miss May Sinclair, Mr Doidge went on to speak' of Arnold Bennett, H. G. Wells, H. V. Horton, Howard Spring, Nelle Scanlan and Rosemary Rees, then turned to publishers of whom he mentioned Gollancz, Hutchinson and Thornton Butterworth. David Low, world famed cartoonist was another New Zealander Mr Doidge knew in London, while the names of Marie Ney and W. S. Percy came in a mention of the theatrical world.

Passing on to books, Mr Doidge remarked that while a sound all round knowledge of books was eminently desirable, it was also almost impossible to keep pace with the wide field which modern times offered. It would be interesting to watch what the future has to say of the best sellers of the past few years. For himself he had found “The Days of Our Years’’ (Pierre Van Passen), and Bruce Lockhart’s “Guns and Butter” of especial interest just now, with “It Might Have Been You” (Collie Knox), a very entertaining book. Mr Doidge made more than passing mention of “Guilty Men” (Cato) the book which has been widely read of late. He found the book, he said, “both cruel and unfair, in that it indicts leading British statesmen without presenting another very important side of the case —the influence of the Trade Unions and Labour Party pressure, particularly during the 19 3 5 general election. At this time the Laoour Party in its election platform declared- that a vote for the Conservative Party meant a- vote for war, and the return of that Party would mean guns instead of butter.” “To the amateur reader,” concluded Mr Doidge, “the case is not presented impartially, and gives one the opinion that every statesmen mentioned should be hung, drawn and quartered on the spot.” In a final tribute to Mr Neville Chamberlain, who is mentioned in the book, Sir Doidge said that posterity would doubtless come to regard Mr Chamberlain, as one of the greatest of statesmen, and as the one who saved the world from a cataclysm. as undoubtedly if Britain had entered the war at the time of Munich in the unprepared state she was in. defeat would have been almost certain.

In concluding liis highly interesting talk. Mr Doidge drew attention to the after war years, when we would most decidedly face economic misery. Britain and America would need to give most careful thought to the rebuilding of the world, and nations, ' countries and individuals would need to work together to their utmost towards this end.

“But with men like Churchill, Beaverbrook, Morrison and Bdvin at the head,” said Mr Doidge, “we need have no fear.” Mr Doidge was warmly applauded for his address, and a formal vote of thanks was afterwards moved by the President and passed unanimously.