ART OF "OUTBURSTRY."

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 3, 27 September 1937, Page 6

ART OF "OUTBURSTRY."

Mussolini's outhurst against England." When I saw this announced on the bill o£ an evening paper I did not (writes Robert Lynd in the News-Chronicle) hurry to buy the paper. For Mussolini's outbursts have become a little monotonous. They seem tp be less a contribution to political controversy than a means of affording him emotional relief. It is only fair to Mussolini, however, to rememher that he is not the first statesman to indulge in outburstry. Outburstry has gone out of fashion in England since the war, but those of us who have reached middle age can remember a time when it was exceedingly popular. "Outbursts against foreigners have usually been popular. I do not know what are the first recorded instances of outbursts in history, but I 'have no doubt they were a favourite method of relieving the feelings as long ago as the days of Hittites and Jebusites. The man who has never indulged in intemperate abuse of foreigners has missed one of the minor pleasures of life. Even that great and good man, Dr. Johnson, was humkn enough to explode whenever Americans ■were mentioned and to call them "Rascals — Robbers — Pirates" and to say he would "burn and destroy them." It is quite possible that if Johnson had lived in the present eentury he would have envied Lord Northcliffe the vehemence of his language when he threatened to roll France "in mud and blood" and to hand over her colonies to Germany. It is an odd fact that outbursts are seldom impressive a few years after they are uttered, even when they were imprefesive at the time. Even the well-justified outbursts against the Sultkn of Turkey, nicknamed 'Abdul the Damned' are now faded rhetoric."