PLATFORM TRICKS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 12140, 30 December 1933, Page 9

PLATFORM TRICKS

GUJIIOIJ S TRA;I FS OF F MM.0.73 i*v.: . yORATORS. .. v \ ’ ' '■ ' ' _ ‘ ... “Well; now. -Y V/’ ’ This is -the ' twh-wpircl formula' which punctuates the 1 speeches of; Air. Ijloyd George. • Rj employs it to introduce nearlv every ’ section of. his ' address. - It is prohahle that 1 ho is unconscious •ot this ltt-tlb' mjc.ii’nerism ; Ibut? iffrevoslent lxiporteJ's hiVve been' known to bei .‘.on the' number,of times that “Well, now”, would occur in the speech which they wer:? reporting. 'Although ho is a fiery Celt, Air. Lloyd George does not make much use of gesture, except that when lie wishes to, emphasise a point ho has a 1 way of smacking the fingers of the tight hand down into the palm of the left, , . '

Air. AY ins ton Churchill perhaps uses more gesture than any other British political speaker One of hi? platform tricks is to -raise both -arms above Iris head when he becomes extra earnest. Tic is known, to take a, good dpal .of care iu the preparation of. liis speeches., One evening Mr. • Ohurch'il 1, was rehearsing a speech-in- the flat, of a .friend, .waving .his arms and addressing himself ehieflv to .the looking-glass over the unalntelpiece. / The butler,entered with, coffee. • Instantly, Air. Churchill swung round : on.him and continued. Ida -oration. “Tlv honour.MV gentleman has imported into this debate a ervptie refevebce to' nn Oriental • edible- from which a beverage is more or less adroitly distilled,” he said. “Now, sir, on'behalf of His Magesty’s Government, let me telF him and hi s partisans, in terms in which tliofe is no evasion, compromise, ambiguity, or wptivocation —two lumps of sugar!” The .Prince of Wales is a flum.it speaker and seldom lias to hesitate i'or- a word.- But he ha s one little trick- which is well remembered in Australia. His right hand every now and then' flutters up io his tic, 'jmsling'it straight. The Duke of York speaks slowly, loaning i'onvarp with ,the tips. of' his fingers resting lightly -on the table in front of .him.

Something io lean against is, a common need of speakers, laird Balfrihr—before 1 lie' went to the Mouse, nt Lord's—delivered hi? speeches in the House of' Commons with one elbow on the clerk’s table. This idiosyncrasy lie' shared with liis famous uncle, the great Lord Salisbury. AY hen Lord Salisbury was addressing a meeting in the town hall at Birmingham. a rail was erected at the front, of the-platform on which the orator might lean. Lord Salisbury was a- large man physically as well as mentally, lie bore all his considerable weight on the temporary ran. and soon ominous cracking sound's were heard. The rail began sway, and several stone of statesman might have crashed down among tfie reporters had not the orator, without pausing for a moment in his remarks, quietly altered his pose. It was a p/culiarity of this Conservative leader that h 0 hardly ever seemed to be addressing ‘ his audience directly. Riather lie seemed to he thinking aloud,'which lent a cur bus impressiveness to his orations.

Authors are seldom a s fluent with the tonguo as they arc with the typewriter, but. Mr. Rudy ard Kipling is on 1 exception. He speaks well and rapidly, and with little gesture. But nothing will induce him to lectureTo a lecture agency which tried to add him to its list of attractions bo wrote: “I might do it as soon as I have-, two mortgages on my house, a lion on tho horses, a bill of sale on tlie furniture, and .writer’s cramp in both hands ; but at present I’m busy, andi contented to go on with the regular writing business.’’ .SB' Arthur, Conan Doyle, used lo get very hot when on the platform. When be was speaking in morning dress he would take off his waistcoat be.foro he appeared, and button up his coat so, that nobody might perceive the absence of the other garment. -Sir. Anthony .Hope Hawk,ns (.“Anthony Hope.”) was perhaps the shyest, author who ever faced an nudfence. :. On the ioccasion of bis firs*fc public lecture be was so terrified that before ascending Ihe platform he shook hands- with his agent, saying: “Good-bye, So-and-so; I may never s?e you s again !” .’

A very’popular and admired author was a complete failure as a public speaker. He was-Matthew. Arnold. The matter of his address might nrve been admirable, but the speaker’ was inaudible-. He realised bis limitations'after his first attempt to’lecture,' when people who had eagerly crowded to hear him got up and ’ out but in dozens because not a single word of’• his discourse liad readied them. The poor man took lessons in e'ocutiipn, but even these, did net avail. At hr.s first lecture, in New York' a distinguished American. «• formor President, having watched Arnold’s-lipsmove for some minutes without bearing a sound, said to his wife, “Wen, w<, have pnkUto sre" the British lioft, hut wo cannot hoar i'.inuroar, so*, we had! better go homo.” And. they did. ,