AMUSING SPEECH BY THE DUKE OF SOMERSET.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1807, 17 October 1874, Page 2

AMUSING SPEECH BY THE DUKE OF SOMERSET.

At the eleventh annual dinner of the Newspaper Press Fund, the Duke of Somerset, in proposing the toast of the evening, said: My Lords and gentlemen, I rise to propose prosperity to the News' paper Press Fund. I have no .claims specially to propose that teasfc"-'except as representing one of the readers of the country. I read the Press, and I have derived much pleasure r and amusement from the Press—(cheers)—and so far I : felt it my duty when.l was asked to undertake the task to propose this toast. (Cheers.) Whatlyaluemthe Press is its independence arid it 3 variety of opinion. (Cheers.) I suppose that in this room we differ perhaps as much upon many topics as so many people can possibly do. We have many sentiments quite opposed to each other, and perhaps even those principles which constitute the basis of our political and social life are principles upon which we are not agresd. But yet upon one point we are agreed, and that is that all opinions,. should have free course when they do not interfere with the decorum and safety of society. (Cheers.)/ That;l hold ta be the great principle of liberal government, and I hold it to belong to England to have that principle in a-special degree. I would say, then, upon the subject of the Press, that I have known it for may years, and I may say, without flattery, that the Presi has greatly improved; It has improved in manliness of tone. It has improved by not touching those questions of private life in which .90 years ago it used, frequently to indulge. 1* think that there is,.a great improvement in the Press. I confess that when I look at the machinery by which the. Press is carried on in this, Country lam astonished at the different aspects it presents. I am surprised at the foreign correspondent. I heard Colopel Festing refer to the foreign correspondent in Africa. (Hear, hear.) Well, I have observed that, whenever there is an uncomfortable place in' the world W(laugMe'r)—-if there is a town to bo. be»ieged> if there i» a battle

to be fought betwef^^^^HMPl whoro there is a good chance of your boms; killed, down directly comes the foreign correspondent. (Cheers an 4 laughter.) Whether he is a specid correspondent, or a regular correspondent, or an occasional correspondent, I, for my part, confess 1 never understood—(loud laughter)—-but there be appears. " Jfo dangers affright him, and no labourt tire " Ho attends to the fighting all the day Md Jie Bi|fl upaßnight waiting an account.. ■, of rt.; (Renewed laughter and cheers) That is a wonderful consideration. Ndw we come to another, and I tliink it really wonderful. I was reading the other day in Lord Cockburn's "Meiaoirs,"^ the account of a meeting in. Edinburgh in 1834, when Lord Grey made a.speech—a great speech./ And ; it is recorded as a remarkable , fact that, after the speech had been made 'in the evening, the reporters set out for London as hard •as they could; and by' travelling by-post-horses they arrived' at length in London, and the speech was.publishpd in the papers that Were printed in London on the following ; and, this we" are told was a feat which cikild not possibly bcrsurpassed. (Lauabter.) Well to us, you know,,; that. S cetii s >to be rather slow; we hare got so much faster, (fienew^ laughter^' In feet, wftafc Ifomer ' termed "winged words;" 'ares much too slow for us in these> <3ays-(cheer S and layghter)-we more'at rso'aoe^Wud a rate. There is the reporter, w*T s sup . po 3 ed to girevthe. speech that!&>keL but he very often assist-in making thl* speeches ; XJw ; attended ; meetings in the country, and hare heaM a gentleman speak wjtL great fluency, but I found there was neither'head nor tail to any one of his sentences, (Laughter.) tfextday,' however, thera came out in his name a neat.and appropriate speech. It was so r very excellently done .th,at.it;;would 1 be just • as._wj»lL..if;. thai reporters Jf *^° arties had met and settled a decent speecli &r%{ c h side -'~i and given each to the public. Inthtt'^ wayl think we might possibly iret better speeches reported. Well, but then there is tne House of Commons, where I hare heard there is sometimes^ such i supera- 7 bundance of tloquence that ivhole business ot the country ■i % stopped." (Laughter.^ I very; o^^tiiinlt that & pur next effort-at refbrin it 'should bo provided that the Speak^^oul^ b.eat " liberty to say to a member who is anxious to speak—-' Pray, wife ,to a committeerootn with the'r.porter." ' If tfcat were so aeHouseofGdmrnons^mightbe^ble to make intelligible—(renewed laughter}— Acts bf Parliament. (Laughter.) Yqu are_aware that at "the present moment the' Judges hare declared several-timei the Acts of Parliament a? th'fey are" now made are perfectly ainintelligible. (Renewed laughter.) Well, that will be a great adrantage ; no „doub.t,^ and s the;": speeches will come out just as well from the committee room as if ; theywere dehrered in the House, and the member will hare, the pleasure^a great P^asjire I am sure .it would, be—of seeing a column of his local paper deroted .to h IS speech. tCheers an^j'aiirfhler.y I hare alluded to two very wonderfßl, parsons, but there is andther inof c wonderful;" still. I hare often wondered how a newspaper is, so to say, "managed."' ?!• hare tried to imagine: it, sitti4e in my managers room. I suppose I should hare six'or seven leading articled prepared and handed, to me to ; choose from. In choosing, I should, of course, go " from grave :to gay," •ffomlirely to severe." I am afraid I should say (• a gentleman who had written one leading article, "You must put a little more cayenne pepper into your leading article next time. I saw two, old. gentlemen,, reading jour last, and they each Went to sleep." (daughter.) Then, again, there is a tone m some articles which one does not like to get exactly. A-gentleman asks his daughter to read to himq an article on a sanitary matter, and she evidently thinks it ought to go into'the slop-basin. (A laugh.) These: things, I thihk^ ought go into the outer sheet. (Hear, hear.f V Ihey are not pleasant reading." '?=