THE WATSON RECITALS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 32, 1 November 1918, Page 6

THE WATSON RECITALS

The Concert Chamber of tho Town Hnll was quito full last evening when Sir. Alexander Watson,, the gifted elocutionist, gave another of his excellent recitals. His programme for this occasion consisted for tho most part of selections from Kipling, opening with the rousing Imperial stanzas on "The English Flag," and including M'Andrcw's hymn, "The Ballad of the Bolivar," "Gunga Din," "Fuzzy Wuzzy," and "Oonts." By far tho most popular was the famous reflections of the old Scottish Chief Engineer as ho communed with his God in the solitude of a night watch, apostrophised his engines, fliitl recalled his youthful wickednesses. ."Tho Ballad of the Bolivar," which is the story told of a drunken seaman, of how he and his mates brought a coffin ship safely to port, was most artistically recited. ' "Oonts," the Cockney Tommy's reflections on the commissariat "Cainuel," was a delicious item. Mr. Watson ; Iso .recited "Th? Courting of T'nowhrad's Bell" (from the "Auld Licht idylls" (Sir J. M. Barrie),

"Mrs. B's. Alarms" (James Payn), and, *>y special- request, repeated Captain TJopwood's "The War-time' Trawler." This evening Mr. Watson will recite. as the leading" feat lire in his programme, Francis Thompson's much-discussed poem "The Hound of Heaven," which, according to the London "Times," "people will si ill be learning by heart two hundred years hence." The other items in an attractive programme will be scenes from "As You Like It" and "Hamlet." with "An Ocean Waif" (Clark Russell), new "Cautionary Talcs" (Hilaire Belloc), "Tho Courtin'" (J. R. Lowell), and "Brown, Miss Simmonds, and I."-