PLUNKET MEDAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue LXXXIV, 23 September 1912, Page 3

PLUNKET MEDAL

COLLEGE DEBATING FESTIVAL. ME. MAZENGARB WINS THE PRIZE. For fully two hours there was a steady irresistible' flow of speech at the Concert Chamber in tho Town Hall on Saturday evening. It had its source, appropriately enough, on the classic slopes on which Victoria College stands, and it coursed downwards, in conformity with hydraulic principles, widening as at grew in volume, and finally was lost in an absorbent audience as an Australian river is sometimes swallowed up in the sands. It began as a fresh, clear, sparkling rill, conspicuous for its musical conflict with obstacles in its j/ath over which it swept lrke glass or foamed like cham 1 pagne where it did not go round them, and then it meandered monotonously over flat, uninteresting country being too shallow to be navigable and lacking sufficient power to turn a mill wheel or anything else. There were, however, rapid descents into bathos like deep holes, but where no pike or eel. or any life at all, was to be found. Then it flowed on as dull as a Dutch canal. Sometimes it was as unattractive as parts of the Rhine whose former beauty has been Spoiled by factories, although they linger in the guide book. ' # s The large audience displayed much fortitude. It listened to pages and pages of "swat" orally delivered, but not always remembered. But it bore it well, tt listened without the manifestation of pairt or anger to a pomposity of language which was, it seems, a characteristic of historical literature, of the early Victorian f ra ; it tolerated the clipping of final g's and the - telescoping of sentences J it smiled tolerantly at mixtures of .metaphor, and was undisturbed by inappropriate and meaningless gesture. Mr. O. C. Mazengarb, M.A.. opened with a speech on Daniel O'Connell. It was an excellent speech, and_full of good matter. It captivated his~listeners so that his succeeding competitors had not enough prisoners to go round. It was as if one Roman had captured all the Sabine women. In times past the deci- . sion was, s left in the hands of the audience, bnt F it was left to Bishop^Sprott, M.A., D.D., Mr. E. Tregear, 1.5.0., Mr. A. R. Atkinson,' B.A. Oxon, as judges, to award the medal. They gave it to Mr. Mazengarb. The result would have been the same had the matter been left to the public. Mr. Mazengarb was first j Mr. Watson, on "William of Nassau, Prince of Orange^' second; "and Mr. 0. A. L. Treadwell. on "Sir -George Grey," third. The other competitors, who were unplaced, were : Mr. A. E. Caddick, M.A., on "John Milton" ; Mr. E. Evans, on "Cavour" j Mr. J. F. Stevenson, on "John Hampden" ; Mr. R. H. Quilliam, on "C. J. Fox" ; and Mr. G. C. Jackson, 8.A., on "Jean Jacques Rousseau." The speeches, as will be seen, were all biographical. In some cases they appeared to have been written, up and committed to memory (and not always remembered).' There were, in parts of Mr. Jackson's speech for example, some pas' sages of literary "merit j but the speaker's delivery was not good. Mr. A. R. Atkinson, as spokesman, gave the young orators some good counsel. He laid stress upon the importance of quality in the' subject matter even over oratory. In the majority of cases the matter delivered that .evening was excellent; He' pointed out, however, the frequency with which set phrases were resdrted to, and remarked upon the lack of spontaneity which characterised some of the speeches. There was too much 6f the essay about many of the speeches. The candour which" characterised the treatment of Grey and Rousseau was a refreshing relief from tffat accorded to some of the other lives. He thought Mr. Mazengarb must have kissed, -the Blarney Stone. His matter was' goo6V he was fluent. His" expression Was emotional, but well governed. He . knew how to sway an audience, , and he showed great variety ,of" tone, and how to effectively use the pausu. Mr. Watson had excellent" matter. but his delivery lacked variety. Hi's method Of speaking was good. Mr. Treadwell 's matter was not so good in quality as that of Mr. Watson, but he had a better style, and was occasionally humorous. His Excellency the Governor (Lord lington), in presenting the medal to Mr, 1 Mazengarb, congratulated tha,t gentleman on the high merit of .his matter and style. His Excellency foresaw the greater scope for oratory which the future had to offer. The Bpeeches he had listened to that evening were meritorious as a whole. The work of' training good speakers was one, that would do a great 'service to the community, for in these days public speaking" entered' more and more into the.hfo of the community, for nothing could bo done, it seemed, without: a speech, not even , the opening of. a bazaar. His Excellency further commended to the student-orators tho .study of the speeches of such men as Bright and Lincoln, masters of simplicity and beauty of expression. He referred also to the ser« vice rendered by his predecessor, Lord Plunket, in presenting the medal for competition. ' That was probably the last occasion on which he would meet the students of Victoria College, and he wished them well. He commended to their attention the observation made by the Hon. Mr. Bryce during his" recent visit to Wellington On the importance of the University in public life. Mr. W. F. Ward, president of the Victoria College Debating Society, thanked His Etfcel^ncy for his attendance and his remarks! Mr. M'Eldriwney presided, and made a terse and convincing speech at the opening on the wisdom of having set, instead of impromptu speeches." The Students' Glee Club sang several college songs. The students themselves were generally not too noisy. Their wit was as good-htimoured as it was well received by the butts at whom it was direpted. *