LAWRENCE CAMPBELL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1008, 24 December 1910, Page 14

LAWRENCE CAMPBELL.

"THE MAN WITH THE EYE-, j • BROWS." A TALK OX ELOCUTION. ; "Highbrows" ' is the term applied to people who make any kind of claim to erudition in America, but though Sir. Lawrence Campbell, the Anglo-Austra-lian elocutionist, makes no claim to be considered a "highbrow," yet one would know him by his eyebrows.;-;- At first glance this may seem a little per-' sonal. It is not intended to be so, for those eyebrows of Mr. Campbell's' are the most .expressive of. his features, and are a' valuable adjunct to his equipment as a platform elocutionist.' When he lowers they assume just what they are intended to assume—and' are., not' pleasant to behold ;,_when he>is gay they lay back on his brow and smile at you; and there are twists and. turns about those eyebrows that serve, to represent almost every shade of emotion; He brought them with him from- Sydney the other day, and fcere still .attached when a Dominion representative-called on him at the Grand Hotel yesterday. Mr. Campbell .narrated how he had graduated at the .London "Poly," and how the art of ' speaking the* written thing as it should.be-spoken had grown upon him,until he hadmade it his life's work. "It has.:always been toy particular object,"-said Mr. Campbell, "to :try: and convince the public that elocution is something more than an adjunct to .the stage or platform; or an aid to reciting for " the entertainment o? friends. In a broad way, it is . tte most perfect manner of giving .expression to" thought by voice and gesture, : and, that being , admitted, elocution must be regarded as a'key .to culture, and a guido to all that, is worth' while in literature."

r''- 1 - p . Does Not Favour Competitions, "I am not one who favours the pre. sent method of literary -competitions, such as are. becoming popular in' New and disturb Ballarat annually. As, in my opinion, they tend ,to promote, an artificiality of style and treatment, and a lack of .that serious; work' which , Should .be the-basis of .' sion, .if it is to ..be ..useful-.in everyday . life. .. If;it,is.not',-elocution is;df little . yalue;tp'|inypn'e._ How often you-h'eir a person.say ': ' What an interesting-mdn lie is!' or 'What a charming woman 1' This may be personality, in the main, but of that personality a chief part-Is generally the possession'of the power of expression. Some—a few—have it naturally—but it can be acquired by tho study of. elocution, if that instruction be given by . a teacher with sane methods. " ... ■ Ons Helps the Other. 5 , "I find. that,, .in 'class work, distinct lines :of study 'are helpful to the studpnt in measuring: the."/emotions. .-I give them one subject,say tears, life, death, anything, ana •' to exhaust poetical. reference" to the subject, -so that'.every nuance of thought and .'expression may be compared, and .givin its exact value when recited. In this way I have found .the, study of Tennyson's "Idle Tears", materially assisted by. the study of. the - "Tears" of Lytto'n, Ousley, and..Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and, in, tho . same way, I ..have found, tho study of -.Longfellow!s "The Day .is Done" .'and "Hymn to ths Night" . helpful in getting . the precise • tone colour , for Tennyson'a - "Crossing the Bar.'-'■ By. [■ v" 1 * array,J'of ,poew. j.hat.one as recit-mg is more,cor> Lrectly "placed." ..-' . -v.* Tha Australiarijrwang.,'- ■ When asked as whether he. en« countered the Australian twang among his. students, Mr. Campbell, after, admitting that he did, became interesting. "Foster Eraser, ;in :his ; book : .on. Australia—which riled a few .Australians — that" the twang was Cockney, and, his opinion was backfed up by Stanley.Hawley,- of the Royal Academy, who said-i'it: was' distinctly Cockney.- jl .think -;that - they are. -both 1 wrong. ■..-.One has ;only to go.-,to;!the.-principal:novelß to,. find, . that' the 'twang is.-, quite the reverse .of Cockney. The latter will pronounce the word out as 'aht,' and the word down, 'dahn,' but Mr. Australian is too tired to open his mouth wide enough to give full expression .to the 'ah' in each- case. He finds 'eowt' and 'deown' easier than producing ' a full-grown vowel, just the sameias' he says- 'yah' for 'yes'—the .final sibilant ■is a vocal trial to him, and so--he'cuts it out. It is too much for him to allow -the mouth and tongue to do all' the work —he cuts'-up the labour with the nose following the fair,, division, of lfr bour idea,-I\assume.!'.. , ; r-

The Psychology: of Elocution. "I found mv .work- on a psychological basis—the power of. mind" over matter. The body, must be trained to,be.at tho beck and call of the mind, for T hold that, to. a great, extent, the tone: qualities undor all conditions of expression is dependable-on .the condition of 'the body at tho time of utterance. If the body is entirely relaxed-and flaccid,"' it is not-possible to produce correct; tones depicting anger, ; lior is it possible to produce tones necessary for the reflection of . the softer emotions \wit-h ._tho, body rigid, and the muscles taut.Note., a young girl, when.someone brings into the room, a lovely-hunch of flowers. She will say, 'Ohy.hbV. beautiful 1' and, will start forward in a!"glow of delight. : She; gets 'the right r .tone by 'doing-so.; But if a girl of -another, type _ simply- lolls languidly back-: in 'her chair, and says 'How beautiful 1! she loses tone at once, and convinces not. , IVhope. I make myself quite clear,. as it is a-feature-1: have given much attention, to.-- This, indeed, is the -one thing : which makes •many pulpit- utterances dull. _ Many ministers believe it to -be theatrical to give,this right emphasis to thought;in words'—so people.per'sist'-iti sleeping during the sermon.'' I have heard a minister impersonating a character all meekness and humility,' .and pronouncing his teachings. in; the manner of a bullockdriver. .-• Sii'rely .; there . is something U be. said for my-conclusions!".