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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 6, No. 12 September 23, 1943

Plunket Medal — Respectability Triumphs

page 3

Plunket Medal

Respectability Triumphs

The Plunket Medal Annual Oratory Contest was held on Saturday, 14th September. The hall was full and the audience ready.

Mr. J. Winchester, in the chair, called on the first speaker.

Miss Margaret Stewart on Francois-Marle-Aronet-Voltaire, gave a straightforward exposition on the life of Voltaire. The handicap of a nervous speaker being placed first was apparent and her speech did not lend itself to oration.

Mr. John Ziman spoke on Darwin. While this again was not oratory, he made an interesting speech and used humour to advantage. His greatest assets were his undoubted stage presence and a pleasing voice. His main faults were his over-use of the rhetorical question and a slightly pompous manner. However, he was well in the running and deserved his placing.

Rewi Alley, founder of the Chinese co-operatives, was Miss Helen O'Flynn's subject. Her speech, which was sincere and fluent, was mainly at fault in the lack of cohesion in her subject matter, and also she did not use range or modulation in her voice, and with this, while she was sincere, which is an important point in oratory, she was lacking in its superficial graces.

Mr. Campbell spoke on Michael Joseph Savage, but was hard put to present the life of a recent politician (although undoubtedly loved by a large section of the New Zealand people) in a suitable form. His anecdotes of the personal history of Mr. Savage lacked the interest which had attended his struggle for social reform, but Mr. Campbell would do well to remember the dangers of betraying emotion unless shared by the audience.

Mr. H. M. O'Leary on Marshal Foch was perhaps the most polished speaker: he concentrated on the personal life of Marshal Foch. His immaturity was a handicap, which showed in both presentation subject matter and voice, but his obvious training in speech and gesture did much to counterbalance this. His gravest fault—this in an oratory contest—was that he did not put his subject over to the audience. This was due partly to his subject, partly to his approach. The judges award Mr. O'Leary first place, particularly marking his stance, apt quotations, for sincere direct approach. The main defect of the winning speech was its remoteness from the present conflict despite little nota benes inserted apparently to link it with the present conflict, but the personal story of a French General (other than General de Gaulle) is unlikely to meet with ready sympathy at Victoria, although the judges were immediately struck and favourably impressed by it.

Mr. W. Rosenburg, speaking on a very different plane, achieved the only real oratory in the evening. With a few remarks he introduced his subject, whom he admitted was obscure, a Jewish rabbi from Poland, hung in a German labour camp for falling to work on the Jewish Sabbath. Simply and directly told, without embellishment but with poignant sincerity, Mr. Rosenburg chose an obscure but great man to represent the courage of the Jewish race under and against Hitler. His peroration was as moving an appeal as we have heard from a V.U.C. platform against fascism and all its accompanying evil. The audience was moved by the outstanding and most sincere speech of the evening.

Last of the evening's speakers was Mr. S. Gilhooley speaking on Cardinal Mercier. His didactic attitude, high-pitched voice and subject matter tended to permit the audience to allow their attention to wander. His choice of subject matter was, from the oratorical viewpoint and for appeal, lacking. The speaker, however, with the advantages of training and good preparation, was placed second.

The judges for the contest were Miss E. M. North, E. N. Hogben, Esq., and H. H. Cornish, Esq., K.C. This choice of judges was perhaps responsible for the unnecessary conservatism of Judgment. Judging apparently on the graces rather than the guts of oratory, the judges showed a preference for a well-learned piece of elocution rather than an effective sincere appeal. No judge of oratory should, however, be misled into believing that the superficial arts will adequately replace the matter and genuine feeling and message in real oration. The most conservative subject matter delivered in the most conservative manner gained placing. Were the Judges frightened to admit that the courageous figures of Rewi Alley or Rosencrantz could be the subject of an oration? Victoria has not had a tradition of stuffed shirt judgments, and it is hoped that next year, while wishing this year's contestants well, the standard of both entrants and judges will be considerably higher.