Famous Elocutionist

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 164, 1 October 1927, Page 9

Famous Elocutionist

I i | NO FAREWELL “FARE- j | WELLS” FOR ALEXANDER 1 I WATSON. HE IS IN AUCK- j ] LAND ON HIS LAST NEW | ZEALAND VISIT

CARELESS YOUNG NEW ZEALAND Lauder has done it. Melba still does it. But Alexander Watson, the famous elocutionist, does not believe in a series of farewell “farewells.” This will positively be his last visit to Auckland. Mr. Watson has visited New Zealand on no fewer than six occasions, he confessed to-day that he had never really known the country until he motored from Wanganui to Auckland. Accompanied by Mrs. Watson, and Mr E. J. Gravestock (under whose management he is appearing), Mr. Watson made the trip by car yesterday. Travelling from early morn until early in the evening was rather an exacting experience. But, to quote Mr. Watson, “I would not have missed it for worlds. The beauty of the countryside was amazing. Although we had travelled through most parts of New Zealand we had no idea that the country was so beautiful.” OUR COCKNEY INFLUENCE Yes, there had been changes, Mr. Watson admitted, since he was last in the Dominion, For instance, our buildings had a tendency to veer skywards, and our young people, previously renowned for the purity of their English, had certain Cockney tendencies which Mr. Watson had not noticed six years before. “Somehow, it seemed strange to me to hear some young New Zealanders slurring their vowels, saying ‘ker,’ for an example, instead of ‘car.’ They speak of ‘motor-kers’ instead of ‘motorcars.’ I had always been particularly impressed with your pure English in this country. Your English was better than ours in England.” Now, Mr. Watson has no objection 1:o the Cockney dialect, but he prefers to hear it in the East End, and not, for instance, in Taranaki. VOICE CULTURE IN SCHOOLS He looks forward to the day when voice culture will be as much a part of the school curriculum as arithmetic. The impressive beauty of the vowel sounds, the foundation of the language and its strength and tenseness, comes from the expression as required. An earnest advocate for a better appreciation of the richness and beauty of our tongue, he contends that the English language is a heritage in which we all should share. A painter of word pictures, the voice of Alexander Watson is his palette.