The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-01-22
Oratorical Lapses
Due to British Parliament Rule For.
bidding Use of Manuscript.

are required to stick to their texts,
says William E. Curtis in the Chicago
Record-Herald. No campaign or bun
combe speeches are allowed, and no
manuscript is permitted. A member
may have notes before him and may
refer to them as often as he likes, but
if he should attempt to read from a
manuscript his voice would be drown
ed by shouts of Order, order," and
less polite reminders of his breach of
propriety. This rule, of course, makes
it a severe ordeal for a new man to
take the floor, and, while he may write
out his speech and commit it to men,
Dry, as many do, the result is to reduce
the volume of oratory to minimum
compared with the American house Of
representatives and other legislative
bodies. New members, and sometimes
old ones are easily ratified when they
are on the floor for the first time and
make funny plumbers. A friend of
mine, parliamentary reporter of long
experience, keeps notebook in which
he has recorded flights of fancy, Irish
bulls, mixed metaphors and other blum
ders which he has heard in the de-
bates.
Even Lord Cuzon, who is one of the
nest accomplished orators in England,
is sometimes guilty of lapse, and
while he was under secretary of state
he amused the house enc day by de-
claring:
1--WE are not yet out of the woods in
South Africa and the ship of state re-
quires most careful navigation"
But such rhetorical eccentricities
are frequent A few years ago no less
a man than Prof. Bryce called upon
his fellow members to Behold the
magnificent cities OF antiquity Where
are they now? They have persisted.
They have vanished SO completely that
it is doubtful if they ever. existed"
Another member, who is not Irish,
declared that "The untrodden paths
are marked with the footprints of a
forgotten race"
. One of the labor members informed
the house that he had among the vot-
ers in his district scores of destitute
children" When the laughter which
greeted this ambiguous statement had
subsidized, he made things worse by ex-
planning that he meant the fathers and
mothers of destitute children; where
upon one of his colleagues asked how
many votes were cast by the mothers
of destitute children at the last cleo
ton.
Even so great an orator as Mr.. Glad
stone got his tongue tangled, and was
frequently guilty of little lapses. My
friend, the parliamentary reporter,
pointed out several singular mistakes
in his speeches, like II will not reiter-
ate what l was going to say; "If
have not already said 1t, will repeat
that; 'The time has come, indeed, If
it not already rapidly approaching"
You would expect such confusing con-
tradictions from one who Is accustom-
to extemporaneous speaking but GER
taingly not from a man of Mr.. Glad
stones experience.
You will remember the remark Of
Sir Roche, which has frequently
been cited as "the most perfect Irish
bull, ever uttered" when, speaking
in the Irish parliament, he declared
that "No one can be in two places at
once, barrin's he's bird" This was
almost equaled by an Irish member OF
the present parliament, who declared
that the population of Ireland had been
reduced 100 per cent by oppression and
famine.
My friend the reporter tells me that
one of the funniest scenes that ever
occurred insthe house of commons was
due to an innocent remark made by
Robert Specer, who is now Lord Al
thorn. His qordship was one of the
greatest handles of the house. He was
noted for his fastidiousness in dress
and had very effeminate voice and
manner. One evening he appeared in
the house in an immaculate dress suit
with white tie, white waistcoat and
dangling pair of white kid gloves In
his hand. When his turn to speah
came he arose and with the utmost
'solemnity began:
"Mr. Speaker, am not an agricul.
tural laborer."
From anyone else such remark
would have attracted no attention, bu
from him in the costume he was Their
wearing 1t sounded SO ludicrous thai
the house roared with laughter, ant
it was fully ten minutes before he
could go on with his speach.