DONALD MACDONALD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 196, 15 September 1900, Page 2

DONALD MACDONALD.

Ever since the first announcement that Donald Maedonald, war correspondent, and one of the heroes of Lidysmith, intended lecturing in New Plymouth there has been quite a mild ! fever of excitement, and as the date of 1 the opening night approached almost ; the fust question put by one person to '■ another was '' Are you going to hear Donald Maedonald ?" It was little surprising, therefore, to find the Theatre Boyal well filled on Friday evening by an audience on the tip-toe I of expectation and eager to take in the minutest details of the thrilling scenes , and sensations of the war, and they i were not disappointed. Fortunately ' for the public they had been fereJ warned not to expect a dramatic elocu- . tionist, but a quiet forcible conversa- ! tionalist, whose subject matter of itself contained all the tragic, dramatic and humorous elements which separately and sometimes conjointly went to make [ up the stirring incidents which he so ' graphically depicted. As a warcor- . respondent it was only natural to ex- : pect that Mr. Maedonald would be 1 endowed not only with keen powers of perception, but of reproduction. Of ! late there have been several illustrated . kinematograph lectures which have ! fitted in with the demand for descrip--1 tive and illustrative matter connected \ with events in South Africa, but un- . doubtedly good as some of these were, i not the bost of them can for a moment ! compare with the vivid word pic- ; tures as given by an eye-witness [ whose special training and exceptional . faculties peculiarly fitted him for touchI ing on just those points which from ' experience he knew would be interest- ' ing to his audience. Moreover, there , was here and there that judicious* - blending of, humour, criticism, and candour, which always strike home and act as spice to a well told narrative. 1 Mr. MacdoDald confined his opening ' lecture to scenes and sensations of battle, and for two hours kept bis audience not only thoroughly interested, but as if they were actually in touch with the scenes described. Again and ' again loud applause burst out, and oc--1 CBsionally a humorous incident provoked roars of laughter. Whether . grave or gay there was always the ' same light touch of the band of a master, which as if by magic portrayed scene after scene with the ease and skill of a perfeet literary artist. Let [ it not be supposed that we are flittering Mr. Maedonald because he is a brilliant , member of the fourth estate, the spon- . taneous applause of the vast concourse ■ spoke for itself, Moreover, we can ' criticise as well as praise, and we have . no hesitation in saying that as a . " Showman," while the illustrated por- , tion of the lecture was proceeding, Mr. ' Maedonald did not shine. There are J many men engaged in that particular , line of business who could give him points, and no doubt he wou'd be tho , first to admit it, for he is just tho • antithesis of a " Showman," and the > charm of his lecture is in the cleverly conceived recital of what he actually ' saw, felt, and heard. This (Saturday) evening is reserved for a description of ! the siege of Ladysmith. It is not a convenient night for many to de- \ vote to recreation, but if ever : there was an occasion when it would be well worth while to strain a point to ba present at a description of one of the most memorable sieges of 1 modern times by a specially qualified , j eye witness of the thrilling incidents j which were enacted, then this is the .'occasion when such point should be ; strained. From the experience of the ,'■ opening lecture, that of this evening ■, is bound to be replete with such au j array of fascinating details that to miss \ it would be to lose an opportunity that :! will possibly never again be available. j A word of praise is due to the parti--1 cularly clear' and well chosen set of illustrations with which-the lecture was • illustrated, many of which would have ■ borne a more extended examination than the time permitted. Mr. Maedonald has not been overrated—his lecture was a thorough and well do- / served success.