Evening star., 1928-11-18
BRAND, Frances Crusader
Continued From First Page.)

| Continued From First Page.)
we're keeping an icy reception in store
for him.
BRAND, with his quickness of percep-
| ton, saw at once now the SITUATION
stood And:
"Yes, 1 know" he said, sitting down
| in his nonchalant way. Il am traitor,
| am turncoat. Yes. And now, gen.
| tlemen, can We not speak Of our COM
! mon present interests and preoccupa-
| tionS?"
The Frenchman is not yet born who
can resist an unforeseen piece OF wit.
Everybody laughed-and, to repeat the
words of the French parliamentary
leader who was present at the meeting
and who described the scene to me
they liked him more than before"
BRAND himself gave. in one of his
| first speeches from the government
bench. this definition of his policy: "Je
SuiS un hon1me de realisation"
The words might have seemed more
| than natural, simply obvious, to an
Anglo-Saxon audience. But that he
should say he was a man OF realiza-
tions was a great novelty in the French
| Chamber. In the French Parliament
ideas and ideologies have a much
greater Importance than in the British
/ Chambers. not to speak of the Italian
ones, that really exist no more. Even
when material interests are at stake
they have to be dressed up at the Pal
ais Bourbon with intellectual formu-
las, coming down. according to the
tastes, either from the Revolutionary
or from the traditions of RoyaliSt
France In England and in America.
even politicians are fond of their own
opinions. but, for the sake of superior
interests, it is admitted that they may
compromise with their ideas. When
this is done in France, 1t is cited as the
most terrible of shameS.
That is why Brands mental agility
seemed such novelty.
Another (in much less essential
felds) of Brands characteristics is his
so-callcd laziness.
The last time We dined together at
the Italian embassy in Paris, M BRAND
humorouSly pretended to resent deeply
that charge that. as usual. some men,
Der of the party had made against him.
II lazy? I who work all day? When
I stroll about in the streets of Paris or
along the Seine 1 reflect on the moods
of my countrymen; when / take holi-
days and week ends at CoChcrel uncon-
sciously comes out of my thoughts the
synthesis and the real meaning of the
course of events; indeed, the time I
throw away with less profit is when
I read book or a dispatch
This old conversation came back to
my mind when read few days ago
German translation CT EriandS most
recent speeches.
"Signe des temps" the look appears
with preface by Stresemann, Brands
German colleague, and an interesting
letter from BRAND himself to the Ger
man publisher. This letter is rarity,
because BRAND speaks much more easily
than he writes.
Secret of ElOquence.
He describes what he believes to be
the secret of his eloquence.
How do I prepare my speeches? Ill
tell you in few words l am for the
improvisation of the form When /
have thought over and over toe argu-
ment I wish to treat. or that events
oblige me to treat, when have weighed
the pros and cons and nave tried my
ideas in confidential talks With my po-
litical friends, do my best, at the very
moment / rise to begin my speech. to
free my mind from any sort of literary
preoccupation. The form, / improviSe
it. The speech for me is not a literary
work: 1t is an action. The form of a
speech Is quite secondary; the essential
part is its effect, its success, lis echo.
There Is often more force ir ynrase