THE ART OF QUOTATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 529, 9 June 1909, Page 8

THE ART OF QUOTATION.

LORD CHARLEB BERESFORD AMD THS NAVY. , • ; 1 WHAT M.T?.'o. SHOTOD KNOW. Thoro is a passage in Sir Joseph WordHl spoech on Monday to which attention is duo in order that tho public dud membors may not bo hiiElod into bolioving that tJio position of tho Navy is as bad as somo alarmists would lead them to believe. We quote from our report) of tho proceeding :-r- ' ; The Prime Minister went on ,to speak, or- the lmportanco of: maintainine the sopremacy, of tho ■ Britiah Navy. Another authority, who had maintained a greai : name in tlie N'avy himself; Lord.Charles . Beresford ;-(taughter and sarcastic "boar, hears.") , . , • Quoto hirnl I The Prime Minister; I propoeo to do I bo. lam glad it pleases the hon. gentle- ■■ Lord Charles Be res ford, writing on to a. Navy 1 Loaguo meeting, \mbed tho leagno success inToueing tho country to a'sense of its grave danger. If the country know the whole ;truth, ho declared, thoro would he a panic. "I don't bolievG a maniiko him, n said tho Primo Minister, "wonid mako a statement that unless ho believes it. 1 ' '> Opposition query: \Vhat date was that? if 0 Minister: April 20. Mr,. Taylor:, He has; made other staso» menta smco then. ' • •'•.

pf- further interjections, r j that- Lord Charles Borestjord .had, made other banquet speeches since.. ' . ~ •■ > / Tho Prime' Minister: That did : not top-' pen to bo a banquet spoech, so if ym quote anv • banquet spoechoe in oppoßition to that thoy ought to. b© discounted.

,The Prime Minister did not tell the HoW. that tho following appealed in tho British press on April 21— • • •

"Tho 'Press Association Bays it is an* E. J. Kennedy,' vicar of St. John's, Boacombe, Bournemouth,. to state that at a meeting thero -on Monday »to consider-the- importance to the Empire of. universal naval and military training, he read tho following extract from a letter written-to-him from Lorci Charlea Beresford:— .»

I wish you every luck at your meeting 1 on . April 19 to try to arouse your people to / tho grave danger arising' from our unpreparcdncss for war. If the' country know th» real trlitli there bp a panic.'' ■ ' . "Mi'- Kennedy. informs the' Press < Association that the .letter in question was received by him a few. weeks since, and was dated ' from Portland Roads. The. portions of tho letter which were not read at tho meeting referred ,to private matters. '' ;.' . "Lord Charles. Beresford was asked yostor. day to receive a representative of the London News Agency in rofcrenco to this r©. .port, but he refused to do so. . His secretary, however, • took .to him a newspaper cutting . :containing what 1 had been.'read, as- an ex-'. 1 tract from,his Jettor; Through his 'secret . tary Lord Charles authorised the agency' to 'deny that he mado such a statement or w l ot ®. !i letter for publication to that .effect.',"