THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1949. THE KING'S SPEECH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27273, 27 December 1949, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1949. THE KING'S SPEECH

In countless homes throughout the far-flung community of nations which his Majesty steadfastly continues to proclaim as the “ British ” Commonwealth, the voice of the King delivering his Christmas message must have been listened to with pride and profound thankfulness for our “ British ” associations. The Christmas broadcast from the Crown has been a happy innovation. Not only does it enable the King, as he himself remarked, to speak personally to millions of his subjects with whom he would otherwise have no direct contact, but it provides for his people the opportunity of obtaining an intimate glimpse of the King as man and monarch. The qualities of both were blended in his speech. As a king he boldly asserted the part that the peoples of the Commonwealth had taken in endeavouring to create a structure of world peace. He revealed himself touched by, and fully appreciative- of, the sympathy and assistance received from the United States, but he frankly confessed the need for even greater efforts from the men and women of the Commonwealth. And there was inspiration in his sober confidence that these efforts would succeed. The human element in the King’s speech is very warm. On these occasions he speaks not only as head of a great family of nations, but also as the head of his own family—a family which the Commonwealth claims as its own. It was as a member of the first family of the realm that the King spoke for a considerable time, emphasising the domestic and homely virtues which, in the aggregate, comprise the character of a nation that is great enough to overcome all vicissitudes and, in his own words, “ stand upright.” The King’s devotion to his family has been made so widely known that his subjects now expect some direct reference to the other members of the family circle in the course of the Christmas broadcasts; and the pleasure which his Majesty expressed at being able to enjoy the Christmas festival at Sandringham with “ the eldest and the youngest ” members of the Royal Family will have been shared by millions of well-wishers who, only a year ago, were so concerned for his health. The pleasure of hearing the King’s speech was not unmixed with gratification at the knowledge that he was so well recovered from his late illness.