CONTEST IN ORATORY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21315, 17 October 1932, Page 6

CONTEST IN ORATORY

BLEDISLOE GOLD MEDAL AUCKLAND SUCCESSES "'J EULOGY OF JAMES BUSBY Eight speakers, two from each of the A; . i four Centres, took part in the Wellington Town Hall in the first three-yearly interuniversity oratory contest for the hand- J some gold medal presented by the Gov-ernor-General, Lord Bledisloe, for the best oration on a New Zealand subject by a university student. The winner of the medal was Mr. K. Melvin, of Auckland University College. Mr. M. G. Sul- y livan, also of Auckland University Col- ;i'|| lege, was second, and Mr. It. J. Reardon, of Victoria University College, Wellington, was third. The contest, which was organised by the Standing Committee on Debiting of the New Zealand National Union of Students, attracted a good attendance and was held in the presence of Lord Bledisloe and the Lady Bledisloe. Mr. H. Atmore, M.P., presided, and the judges were Mr. j| Justice MacGregor, Mr. H. D. Bennett and Mr. H. H. Oram. The eight competitors in the order in :| which they spoke, and their subjects were as follows:—Mr. E. S. Tuckwell (Otago), "Samuel Marsden"; Mr. M. G. Sullivan (Auckland), "Bishop Selwyn"; Mr. E. K. Cook (Canterbury), "Sir George Grey"; Mr. R. J. Reardon (Victoria V: University College), "Mother Mary Aubert"; Miss C. S. Forde (Victoria University College), "Tamati Waaka Nene"; Mr. J. C. Mowat (Otago), Annexation of New Zealand" ; Mr. K. H. Melvin (Auckland), "James Busby"; and Miss D. Maginness (Canterbury), "R. J. Seddon." Much Derided Character Mr. Melvin, who handled his difficult subject in masterly fashion, displayed an easy though forceful style which held the interest of the audience. It was notpossible, he said, to approach by the . usual paths of eulogy an oration on James Busby, who was British Resident at the Bay of Islands prior to the proclamation of British sovereignty by Governor Hob son in 1840. Busby was conspicuous only by his failure, and yet without him New Zealand would not have been possessed of the Treaty of Waitangi. Busby had been condemned as the supreme example of ineffectiveness in New Zealand's early history. In Buisby's case there was much that had been taid to be undone. Too long he had been denied that charity of which people who had failed through no fault of their own were deserving. About Busby no book or story ever had been written. His offence was failure to do the impossible—to maintain law and order in a lawless country without constitutional power or authority. Before announcing the verdict of the judges, Mr. Justice MacGregor said! that he had consulted his dictionary Jor the. definition of the word oration,, _ which was given as follows; —"An oration is an elaborate or formal public speech, treating some important subject in a dignified style and manner and according to the rules of oratory." That definition the judges had tried to apply in coming to their decision. He said that the judges would have liked to have awarded a special medal to- Miss Maginness for her delightful flashes of humour. j Oanons of Aristotle Lord Bledisloe, in presenting the medal to Mr. Melvin, referred to the occasion as epoch-making. When Mr. Justice MacGregor explained that he had soughtfrom * the pages of hiii dictionary a proper definition of "oration" he was wondering, whether the dictionary. harked back |«> those canons of the rhetorical laid down many centuries ago by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Being a profound admirer of Aristotle, one of the few Greek writers he ever' pretended to nnderstand. or entirely admire, he had always thought the old canons of oratory laid down by V him were peculiarly convincing. The first was an effective appeal to the human understanding. The second was an effective appeal to the human^eason; the third was style, and the fourth was delivery, and he could not help thinking that judged by all four canons the decision of the judges was one that Aristotle would have thoroughly approved. (Applause.) His Excellency said that when he saw the name of James Busby among the subjects that had been chosen he wondered greatly how Mr. Melvin was going to discharge his difficult task with conviction; but he had done it, and had done it most effectively. "Speaking for myself," continued Lord Bledisloe, "I think that Mr. Melvin's description of that rather remarkable man, who played a not insignificant part in the signing of that historic document which made this country part of the British Empire, was a masterpiece of well-chosen language and of extraordinary discretion in presenting a character that has hitherto been hidden in the more shadowy parts of New Zealand history. Praise for the 0 radons "I think you will all agree with me when I suggest that it is no disgrace-to any competitor of Mr. Melvin here this evening that others have not received this medal, for I am bound to say that I, for my part, have never listened to a competition of this character where so many really effective- orations have been delivered, showing great knowledge of their subject and in excellently chosen English." His Excellency said that the Lady Bledislce informed him that she would be delighted to present a second medal or other award for future contests if the Debating Committee thought it. desirable. His Excellency, in conclusion, remarked that New Zealand had possessed heroes and heroines whom at any rate posterity would regard as illuminating the annals of New Zealand history. "If this is so," he said, "surely has not the time arrived when there should be a greater effort to cultivate among all classes of the community a greater sense of nationhood and with it a greater pride in those who have made this country the great country it is and the greater country it is destined to be."