PLUNKET MEDAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 80, 2 October 1944, Page 3

PLUNKET MEDAL

WON BY J. C. P. WILLIAMS

JUDGES' TASK DIFFICULT

The Plunket Medal contest for oratory conducted by the Victoria? University College. Debating^ Society in the Concert Chamb.er on Saturday night was won by Mr. J. C'P.'.. Williams, whose subject was Albert Schweitzer. Mr. A. Duncan, who spoke on William Aberhart, was second, and Mr. K. B. O'Brien (Field-Marshal Smuts) and Mr. B. OJLeary (Thomas Masaryk) were placed equal third. Mr. J. Ziman (Louis Pasteur) was specially commended.

Othel- competitors were Messrs. R. E. Jack (Winston Churchill),. D. S. Campbell (Horatio Nelson), arid V, O'Kane (Simon Ba Jonah).

Each competitor was obliged to speak for twelve minutes, and the judges were Sir Harry Batterbee, High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, Miss C. S. Forde, and Mr. A. E. Hurley (who acted in the place .of the Bishop of Wellington, who was unable to attend). Mr. B. O'Connor presided.

The judges found their task extremely difficult, because there -had been no outstanding orator, said Sir Harry in announcing the judges' decisions. Several of; the competitors had shown great promise, but none had reached that high standard-which it was hoped in; future they would attain. It was important in a contest of this nature that the speakers should have in .their minds a clear picture of the figure about whom they spoke and convey it to their audience. There had not been enough of oratorical ges-, ture. and too much memorising. He congratulated the placed competitors and said they showed undoubted promise. ART OF ORATORY 7 Referring generally to the art of oratory, Sir Harry said that in oratory there werefour elements, all of which were necessary for success:—Thought, language, voice, emotional appeal. "Oratory is the art of eloquence, and like other arts, is governed by certain rules or principles," he continued. "The first principle of all is that you cannot speak clearly and well unless you think clearly and well. To think well you must be master of your subject, you must not only have a knowledge of .the general picture, the general outline of the'subject, but you must be master of all the details: in a word, you must comprehend your subject. Every oration should have a plan well thought out, with the various points or arguments closely knit, cogently expressed, and flowing from one another.

"The language of oratory should be

noble and dignified. A knowledge of logic and grammar is necessary for oratory but the orator must not become a mere rhetorician, a mere spinner of fine phrases and rolling periods without thought behind them. For success in oratory there is need for a clear, well-modulated voice The orator sjoice-can be trained, but for the most-part it is born *not made. But some training is possible "Lastly," said Sir Harry, "the orator must have power "to move his audience. The true orator is something of a prophet: he must .be a fervent advocate of truth as he sees it. He must himself believe in the underlying idea which he is trying to put across, that underlying idea which will colour all his orations whatever the subject. In other words, he must have a philosophy of life, a faith. Otherwise he will never be able to inspire other men's minds, to move their souls, and to kindle that divine spark which is the test of all true oratory. It i s sometimes said that oratory is dead, but great oratory can never die because of its influence on men's hearts and minds. There is no need for any of us to be reminded of this who have listened to the oratory of Mr. Winston Churchill."

Miss Forde said that only occasionally had the speakers made use of the challenging tone of real oratory, and Mr. Hurley remarked on the fact that there had been practically no interchange of feeling between speaker and audience, which was one of ■ the essentials,of public speaking; and particularly of oratory. The presentation of the medal 'to the winner was made by Sir Harry Batterbee.

The new social hall at Piriehaven, built by voluntary effort of the residents, was opened on Saturday. ' A large crowd attended the opening.ceremony. The' Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Roberts), the Mayor of Upper Hutt (Mr. J. Blewman); and Councillor S. Blakely spoke, congratulating the people and the Pinehaven Progressive Association. An inscribed key was presented to Mr. Rhys Mordicai, president of the association. A children's fancy-dress parade, a baby show, and in the evening, a dance were held in the hall.

The dry summer cut into the Ontario and Quebec butter production. For the fourth time this year the Wartime Price Board has reduced the butter ration by postponing the validity of coupons. The. normal ration of lib fortnightly has to last three weeks. Sales of cream by distributors has been limited in eighty principal markets to the. amount sold in. June. Butter stocks at September 1. were eleven and a half million pounds below 1943. Ration reduction will be applicable till •'- virtually the end of the year. • .