The Indianapolis times., 1923-09-03
ANY ONE CAN
M A K E TALK
IN ENGLAND
They Speak Out of Doors
and All Orate at Same
Time,
By JOHN w. RAPER

1NGLAND: If you have a de-
r sire to relieve your feelings by
IL making a speech, and the po-
lice of America won't let you, come
over here. where the police will pro-
tect you while you talk. Great Britain
is the paradise OF the gabby man ana
woman.
You must not sexpect to talk with
out interruption, for interruption is
part of the game 1t is the price you
pay for gabbing. But the interruption
comes from the audience. not the po-
lice, and it is only an interruption,
not an effort to put an end to you
and your speech. If a crowd should
become so unruly as that. the police
will go to your rescue.
! Every Sunday afternoon an army or
gabbers gathers just inside one of the
entrances to Hyde Park. Each speak
er has either a box or a portable ros-
trum that lifts him a few feet over
the heads of the audience. Most OF
them have upon their rostrum print
ed or painted sign telling the name OF
the organizations they represent.
Five Thousand Listen
With their rostrums pitched In a
crescent-shaped line several hundred
feet long. and not a great deal Of dis
tance between rostrums, the speakers
thunder their arguments at the
crowds around them, crowds com
posed of followers, opponents, probab-
ly few. open-minded persons, and, I
am pretty certain, a large number who
are there for the same reason Mr..
Hyde went to the funeral-for the
ride
The session was in fun bloom when
1 arrived at o'clock one Sunday
afternoon. There We're probably 5000
hsteners-and interrupters-and a
dozen speakers
Most of the orators were waving
the tops of their voices, for all the
wcrld like a lot Of patent medicine
statesmen or bellyhoo men at circus
sideshow.
The effect of it was so ludlcrous
that it was almost impossible to keep
in mind the serious part Of it-that
you are in a monarchy that guaran-
tees free speech to its subjects
Going down the line / found meet
ings conducted by the following or.
Eanizations: Christian Evidence So
clety. the speaker being heckled by
Hindoo; Reconstruction Society,
anti-Socialist; Bishops and Joanna
Southscotts, speaker a woman; Ut
was impossible to make out what she
was talking about, but She was ap-
parently attacking the Church Of Eng
land for not teaching the doctrines
Of Joanna, a crazy woman or a fake
who made some predictions a century
ago or more, but what they were I
can't learn; the National Citizens
Union. anti-Socialist; the Church
Army, the speaker in a uniform some
thing like a Salvation Army officer;
National Union Association, anti.S
claust; the Salvation Army; Catholic
| Evidence Guild; Christ Church MIS-
sion; Divorce and Remarriage Op-
ponents, the speaker in a sort of
clerical garb, and the Bible Witness
Union.
Some Speakers Change
I listened for more than an hour
and left, but upon returning at
o'clock 1 found all the above organ!-
cations still at it. some with fresh
speakers and some with the same
speakers who had been talking four
hours before.
In addition there were meetings
being conducted by the Protestant AL
lance, the United Evangelical Society.
two religious organizations unnamed,
four Socialist meetings, one Commun.
ist meeting and four religious meet
ings conducted by groups. One of the
last named had boy evangelist about
u years old.
At one of the others a girl of or
years was singing. "Oh, Apply Dye"
and from the air I was able to Identify
it as "Oh. Happy Day"