New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-28

current month there IS a clever article on the
subject @ American after dinner oratory' II 10
write that able Irish 3ournahhI anu re-
We've u -.sl Crilly, who formerly editeo me
United Irishnaan" and, treating the SUBJECT from
G transatlantic point CT view. he gives a loiis
series OF samples Of postprandial humor IN 'iio
United States, in order TO show how superior II
is In briliancy of Wit to the after dinner Speak
ing in England. But while he calls attention TO
the contrast he fails to give any satisfactory
exclamation for the difference between the
laughter which marks the utterances or
clever after dinner speaker here and the solem-
nifty which characterizes the remarks Of the post
prandiai orator on yonder side OF the ocean. 1t
is perfectly true that after dinner speeches.. not
only IN Great Britain. hut 9ikevise on the con-
tinent of Europe will be searched in vain for the
pIquant banter the trits and amusing anecdote,
the playful satire and the general tendency to
hurnor that forms the feature Of the postpran-
dial oratory in this country. Lord BeaconsfeId.
tt is true, was given TO epigrams, but the latter
were usually Of a somewhat ponderOus and sar-
donic nature. and the almost universal trend Of
eIoquence at festive boards abroad is earnest
ness
This is due 10 several causes. The American.
trained from his youth TO public speaking, ana
instructed. even boy. IN all the arts Of elo-
cution. is not only accustomed to after dinner
y
az fault. and no matter how sudden and unex-
pected the summons to make few remarks,
IL never fails find expert in the art Of illus
trating the possibility Of saying "a wise thing.
though he say It with q laugh" provoking
m!rth ard cordality. In Europe. on the other
hand the boys receive no instruction Of this
kind. Elocution is to them closed book. and
It is not until they join debating societies at
the universities. where. a rule, heavy political
!, hoo t,.rrr rod
IL any degree 10 the art of public speaking, the
speaking, 1 am sorry to add, being usually Of
Q rather sententIous character, as If the des-
TIMES Of the nation being determined by
the debating society, instead Of by Parliament.
Then. too there is that self-assurance which the
American lad hreathes IN with the very air OF
his native land, but which is strangely lacking.
net only n youths. but even in grown and
perienced men Of the world. in Europe.
Many OF the most practised speakers in the
British Parliament, in the French Cham bers and
n the German Reichstag suffer cruelty from
nervousness when about 10 address the house
Or their fellow guests at some banquet, and even
those most eloquent Of Englishnen Of the nine
teenth century John Bright and William e.
Gladstone. were often i'll at ease until their
speech was well under way. None Of them that
I can recall spoke because they found any salts
faction IN doing. Clever men abroad deliver
speeches J
else because they consider it as public duty
while medlocrities prompted to public ad-
dresses by motives Of vanity and Of self-imPor-
tance But there is none of that manifest enjoy
nent the part Of the American who gets
on his feet 70 roll off q number Of witty things
appealing TO the sense Of humor Of bis hearers
and from the telling of which he derives as
much pleasure as they co in listening.
Speaking only when he is obliged to do so, the
&c
grave. His remarks may be punctuated by
cheers" but unless he happens TO be an Amer
lean Ambassador or a globe trotting United
Stetes Senator there is certain to be a notable
absence Of any record OF laughter" And while
every one abroad looks for wit. and brings every
Tisl5le muscle into action. from the very mo-
meut that an after dinner orator from the New
World opens his mouth to speak, it is doubtful
whether levity OF this kind would be welcomed
with much readiness and enthusiasm II Of
fered in the shape of native eIoqaa, =.
Abroad almost all after dinner mes are
Of political character, and It speeks well for
the eobriety of the present epoch that post
prandial oratoEy should have become one Of the
principal instruments Of statecraft. After din
her utcerances are nowadays selected by rulers
R-3 their Cabinet Ministers as ths means Of
making the most momentous announcements
The conclusion Of the treaty Of alliance between
ard the late President Faure in the course OF
toasts which they addressed TO one another he
fore rising from a succuleut repast on board the
French flagship Pothuau, off Cronstadt while
o. every November the attention of the states-
men and politicians throughout the civilized
world IS concentrated upon the Lord Mayor Of
Londons inaugural banquet, owing to the prac-
tee Of the Premier and Foreign Minister Of the
British Empire TO reserve for that particular
occasion their most important public comnluni-
cations Of the entire year concerning the for
eign policy Of England. 1t is a custom which
merits communication: for no matter how tenn
perate OF how serious, men are likely to take
more kindly and indulgent view of things
toward the close Of q good dinner than when
their stomachs are empty. Nor is the atrnos-
phere OF convivality which prevails at that time
without scftening influence upon any tendency
that there may be to agzressiveness and ami
mostly. Indeed, il may be questioned whether
the maintenance Of peace among the great
powers Of Europe during the thirty five years
which have elapsed since the Franco Prussian
War OF 1870 is MT attributable in a great meas
uTe 70 the part played in modern statecraft by
after dinner speeches
IT must not, however, be gathered from this
that the postprandiaI political addresses are
spoken on the spur Of the moment, or that the
sentiments expressed wholly due 10 the
promptings OF 9 contented digestion With the
solitary exception OF Emperor William. an ever
ready and eloquent after dinner orator. there is
not ruler and there are only few statesmen
VINO deliver speechs OF this character without
mature reflection and preparation. Thus. all the
toasts oe the present Car since his accession
have been read by him from a slip of paper. and
The terms employed therein have been invariably
uf.nH ana hnfor