Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-12-15
PREMIER BRAND is DRAMATIC
AND SWIFT, WHILE BALFoUR
GRoPEs FOR WORDS.
BOTH HOLD THEIR AUDITORS
M. camerlynek, Official Interpreter, is
In a Way, the Greatest Orator in
the conference-6aron Kato Talks
Like a Fighting Man.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

their thoughts. BRAND is dramatic,
while Balfour is not Each after his
own manner makes his way into the
minds Of the listeners.
BRAND is dramatic, but with his
oratOry seemingly running fast and
with his gestures keeping pace with
them, he separates his words so mark
edly that the American book student
of French can understand him. This
makes it pleasant for those of us who
can read French fairly easily, but
who ordinarily cannot get a word in
the rapid-tire replies Of a Frenchman
to questions put in the timid and hest
tating manner Of a man who is trying
to remember his genders and his
lenses.
BalfOur literally gropes for words at
times. He gets close to the end Of a
sentence and then seemingly cannot
pick the word with which he wants
to end it, About three words before
the end he puts his hands in the air
with the fingers arranged for a clutch
ing process. Finally after three or
four genuinely English "ers'" he dis
covers the lair of the word that he
wants, pulls it forth, brings 1t down,
and gives it utterance.
Balfour, however, holds his auditors.
1t has become a game with his hear
ers to try to fix in advance on the
word for which he gropes. Sometimes
the audience hits it right, and some
times wrong; generally wrong, how
ever, for when the British statesman
finally finds his word it frequently
proves to be an unusual synonym for
the word which the audience thinks
he is after
Interpreter Camerlynck's Methods.
A good deal has been written about
BalfOur, but the real continuing joy
of the conference is the interpreter,
NJ. Camerlynck. He is, in his own way,
the greatest orator in the conference,
albeit he crates in the words of others
and Immediately following their utter
ance, M. Camerlynck takes the French
down in shorthand and then delivers It
in English from his shorthand notes.
He does the thing also in reverse and
each process seemingly is equally easy.
Mr.. BalfOur makes no gestures ex-
cept the cropping one, but M. Gamer
lynck when translating BalfOur sup
plies gestures on his own account
Balfour, when listening, recognizes his
translated words, but he does not rec
ognize anything else.
BRAND is much amused, for he plain
ly shows amusement, as he watches
Interpreter Camerlynck repeat in
English the French premier's ad-
dresses. Camerlynck has the BRAND
manner to a T. He would make a
good actor of the kind which clings
close to the traditions of the great
masters of the acting craft. He is the
chiefest of the copiers. In his capac-
ity as translator at many conferences
he has watched men speak 1t is per-
haps uncOnsciOusly that he doubles up
their manners as he doubles up their
words.
Kato Eloquent but Not FIowery.
Baron Kato, the Japanese admiral,
is an orator, but there are no flowers
in his oratory. He speaks like a
Japanese three-peunder gun, true
sailor-like and, If you will, soldier
like. He speaks in Japanese. All
that one who does not understand a
word of the language can tell is that
the admiral is pounding something
home and that he means what he says.
He has an interpreter with him, one
of the few Japanese present at the
conference who understands the
shades of meaning of the American
language. The interpreter also pounds
like a field gun when translatlng. He
gives the admiral's spirit as he gives
the admiral's words.
The British, the French. the Jap
anese and the other representatives Of
foreign powers here assembled have
had some little instruction apparently
from the American State department
concerning their dealings with Wash
lngtOn correspondents. They have
been told that they can say anything
that they wish to the men who are
stationed here as continuing CORE
spondents, and can say it with every
assurance that they will not be quoted
and that their information win not be
used If they declare in advance that
1t is to be taken as confidential.
The result Of this is that the British
have fOregone their habit of reticence
and talk freely. The Japanese have
been free enough with information
from the first. They are becoming
voluble.
The French seem to feel that they
are assured of sympathetic treatment
In America, and the result is that they
are more liberal Win information, per
haps, than the others. The Italians
follow the French closely in this mat
ter of cOmmunicatiyeness.