A Fluent Speaker

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18584, 19 December 1934, Page 8

A Fluent Speaker

—*——l— - I I The Duke In Public Camposes His Own Speeches

'I’HE Duke of Hloueester has the natural dislike of the soldier of spefiking in public, but when he set himself to master his nervous'hoss he made ,■ rapid p'fStress. He has a facility for turning a phrase, and, though lacking the experience of ilie Prince-df Wales, has developed considerable fluency. His tall figure and soldierly Rearing are assets to him on the platform.

His voice is a light But- resonant one, and when he gets properly Into his stride, he yields to few speakers for fluency. But as he himsplf admits, there arc days when he finds it difficult to give a smooth'uMesitktih delivery,* and on those days he keeps to his Written notes. >»;. The Duke composes all >his own speeches, except, of course, those on technical ■ subjects or dealing with figures; "As his Book oh the African hunting “trip showed, lift 1 has a literary "style'of his own. Wlieh he cjes- J cubed infants as the “National his hearers)! all infantwelfare porkers, were delighted. Again, his • ringing declaration when opening a boys’ welfare club, that every lad should have his birthright. —‘ “education, recreation, ahd companiohsihip, whether he bh rich or poor’’—>tas.a statement which came straight from the Duke’s heart. ,Jn adolescent ‘ youth ho takes a great social interest, and he. is at his best and - happiest when speaking to ah audience of lads. Dreaded “Freedom” Ceremonies. On attaining his majority in 1021 His- Royal Highness began to attend public functions, and at first a very nervous young man—although, as a soldfier, he tried to coAcenl it. , “Frepdohi” cere monies work wliftt h; dreaded' most, but after ethbrging 1 suecessfiflly from the . prdpal of receiving -tho, Freed'ptn of tho,(Hty of London in the historic Giiildhalr, . t.n< suceeeding functions did -*nt dailnt him so much. When speaking, the Dufce is ‘.u ; cliued to over the of hi? audience) but he misses hothing. A slight noise or interruption-.wfll ctrosfc him to fflljor and lose the : thread t> of his speech;, but he ia rapidly overcoming this handled#. When -Mr. Winstpn .told him of tlje advice of .Salisbury, to. any nervous youiig spekkeV rna Dnke gave one of his rare loUd iihd hearty laughs; “Lord -Salisbury told , me, ” iff-" Churchill related; “to lbok Jtf" mV audience, for a full n&ft&t'e 'of sb, tahd a deep Hrcdth, and hay to myselfyjl never sdw such ; a lyt 'of fgpjs in my, life.’ All nervousness - would tneri vanish.” /* ' " •’ ■ “I mist that-tip, ’’ said the Duke. '■ . , . ..' Tho Tfukc takes gredt.jeard In . the preparation of his j speeches, and he believes that the. subject matter of a speech is, if anytnlHg, more important than the-mAnncr. blits delivery. One of the first public dirihers; Prince Henry attended after attaining; his majority was the festival dinner Jf tho West H'nd Httspital ; foj Nervous Diseases, while 'the public he made wis ,on t |)ehali of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hdspitdl. Extracts and EpigßMk Some characteristic . extfdets frßtn the speeches of the Duke i>f Gloucester are give# below: — Receiving the Freedttih of the Clts. ,of London, 11)21.—“All here will agree, I think, that work without play cannot keep a natiop young nod healthy. ’ I cannot imagine a better means of promoting true comradeship than by Encouraging all classes to jbin together Tin clean and manly sports.” At the, opening of a new village school at Melton recently.—“ May I

say to the children who meet me re-1 turning front .hunting and ask howl manj v foxes I have killed—to which I often reply exaggeratedly—that ‘ forth td, forrardl’ is as good a motto for them as for the fox hunter." At the Liverpool Bdys’ Association “At Home", on January .16,. 1934: '“.You are dealing, with fallible human i&litetialj you Have ‘the boy at the hibst difficult time of his life. The abolition of the slums is not solely a question of bricks and mortar. Money is valueless without leadership. The 'growth of sympathy and understanding between riien of all ranks ,of life is vital to the future of the nation. One of the, links which ought to unite the .public, school boy and working boy is.their Common love of sport," .? As president of the National Association of Boys' Clubs to the Whittlesey Boys’ Club, October 21, 1933: —• “More to-day perhaps than ever before do we need to realise that almost the most importnilt thing in life is the relationship of man to man. If men can live in accord With one another, sustaining and understanding one hribther so that true, friendship can grow up bctweeU them, then will the source of many of the evils and the troubles of this world disappear." Tile Nation’s Greatest Care. t At the. lijljnnsipn .House, London, in ,an appeal for fiinds to develop the sOcihl sorM/m rho'yOhVent, especially in distressed ArcAs, October .12, ,I‘Nofvtidays ih many cases a boy’s leisure hours are unfortunately his longest, aiu| it, | is, of obvious import.affee to the community lioW, during the Critical years after school, bis leislirc is spout. • A nation’s greatest .care 'ipttjjt be t.ho. welfare of, its boyhood. ,A w sensp <rf_ ( tolerance,, friendship, and Uiiderstamting I believe ,to be of the grl&Sl&t imJ)o’htAlried in file modern world. ’ ’ w At a. civil luhch at. Manchester, January 16,, 1934.—“ The boy deyeTops . ,lus own personality whilst lCafnihg to subordinate if. to tlie welf&rh df the whole community. We arq. sbekjrtg to promote greater friendship .between ipftn and man, whatever mis birth, whatever his creed, whatrhee; If. yon think only of ends, if ybu sec in the boy Nothing mbre than the future workman, you.ch.hu,ot ignore the years from 14 to 1&, for they are vital to his strength, nis health, and his efficiency. Still less ehn you ignore them if you j wish fbr him a greater destiny."

An appeal for the Royal National pHhhpaedie hospital, .Time 12, 1930. — “Dbtt’t let it be said that we of this have failed- to give a efithce tb.those who will succeed us. ’ff thA chijdreh ,of to-day arc to bo |fit|aSted : Jir.ith the great heritage of EiSSire they , must be equipped with strength of mind and body. Nothing can be more worth while than, irayfbfming the crippled, twisted, deformed body of a child into the Straight and perfect body which Nature herself intended. Let me remind you too, because I know you. are 111 economists, that it is far cheaper tb cure these children n,ow than to leave them for their lives —and this Is the only alternative—always dependent upon others for their means of livelihood, always a brhke upon the wheels of progress. I can conceivo Ho greater tragedy than that of the crippled child who can bo cured now, Being neglected or ignored so that, ho heedlessly bee,brnos another hopeless cripple, is, wasted life, a burden on the community. ’ ’