The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-03-28
NO. 30.
THE KINGS SPEECHES.
How the Formal Addresses of Ed
ward VII. Are Prepared and
Delivered.

For the first time in many long
years newspapers will contain upon
various occasions speeches of an in
terest that could only attach to them
as being delivered by the highest
person in the land. For various we'll
understood reasons the departed
queen could do no real speechmak-
ing. The king, however, began with
deeply impressive address to his
privy council on the first day of his
reign, and having regard to the fu-
ture-especially to the next few
months, when his majesty will in all
probability be called upon to SAY a
few words''-it is interesting to know
what are his capabilities and what
his methods, says the London Mail
1t may be said at once that his
majesty is regarded as one of the
finest royal public speakers in Eu-
rope. He is not quite the finest, for,
by common consent, that distinction
belongs to his nephew, the kaiser.
The king, however. while prince of
Wales, had very thorough and ardu-
Gus training as an orator, with the
result that he has acquired polished
and easy style.
The Acret of what success he has
achieved as an orator lies in his
thoroughness and in his memory. If
the king has a really very big speech
to deliver on an important occasion,
he sometimes resorts to having it
typewriter beforehand, and then
reads it; but before the speech
reaches this stage an enormous
amount of time and trouble has in
variably been spent upon it. What
ever the speech is on, his majesty
makes a point of getting all the sta
tistics and other information possi-
BILE from the secretary or other Of
ficials connected with the coming
event, and in addition to this an un-
der secretary of the king is set to
work to get out all kinds of inter-
esting facts bearing upon the sub
ject. A judicious selection is made,
and then the material is made up into
the speech, which is written out by
the orator, and then typewriter.
Thus his majesty in speech of any
consequence has usually something
really good and apropos to say.
1t is interesting to state in this
connection a fact of which few peo-
pie are aware, and that is the kings
first speech of his reign-the one to
the privy council, previously alluded
to, in which he spoke of his sorrow
and earnest determination to do his
best for the empire as constitu-
tional monarch-was, even under
such most trying circumstances,
spoken without a single note, with a
natural result of greatly increasing
its effect. All the privy councillors
agreed that it was fine address. 1t
is said that the only consideration
his majesty gave to it beforehand
was when coming up in the train in
the morning.
AS an extempore speech it will
probably rank as the best delivered
by the king. In future his majesty
will, no doubt, have to prepare with
infinite carefulness every word he de-
livers in public, though if he does he
will not be following the famous ex-
ample of the German emperor.
1t must be said that the king is
now quite enthusiastic as an orator.
A little while ago he remarked:
"When I was quite young, and had
to make a public speech, used to
think that the platform was too
large for the room and that I was
too small for myself. Then, as
rule, had very little to say, and
plenty of time to say it in; now I
seem to have plenty to say, but very
little time. AS public speaking is a
duty inevitably attached to the of
fee of prince, treat it accord
ingly."
1t is not unreasonable to suppose
that before long our newspaper
placards will sometimes bear the an
nouncemeAt: "Great Speech by the
King" 1t will be a novelty at first,
and an interesting one.