THE WIT and WISDOM of WINSTON CHURCHILL

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 925, 3 May 1957, Page 4

THE WIT and WISDOM

of WINSTON CHURCHILL

HE speeches of Sir Winston Churchill -always a running commentary on his life and work, and on many occasions the articulate expression of the nation’s deepest feelings-were of course made most frequently from the floor of the House of Commons where no taperecorders flourished. But, fortunately for the archivist, Churchill having contrived a telling phrase was not averse to repeating it, and the programme listeners are to hear contains several resounding echoes from the Chamber. And there were of course innumerable other occasions when the spoken word was preserved. From this wealth of the spoken word, Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly made a selection for the Columbia Masterworks series of LP recordings and it is this record which listeners will hear. Murrow, who is perhaps the foremost American news commentator, introduces and links the excerpts which are, in substance, one mian’s view of the history which he himself played a major part in making. A few of Churchill’s early speeches are included to give background, but the main’ focus is on the events of the last 20 years. For those who prefer to read their Churchill there-are several books of excerpts from his speeches, and another, The Wisdom of Winston Churchill* has just appeared. In this, the editor has collected quotable passages from both the Parliamentary and public speeches, but in his enthusiasm he has included a good deal that is trivial, and much that is repetitious. He has even saddled Sir *THE WISDOM OF (WINSTON CHURCHILL, edited by F. B. Czarnom- , Allen and Unwin Ltd., English price "i

Winston (by implication at least) with the authorship of one or two phrases

which have been in general currency for much more than eighty years. "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink,’ for example, has been used on and off by politicians for close on 800 years. It may even be an old Russian proverb. The extracts are arranged alphabetic-ally-under rather arbitrary headingsand there is therefore no index. In fact, the Self-Portrait, edited by Colin R. Coote (Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1954) is a much better book of this kind. Nevertheless, for those who enjoy reading Churchill’s opinions, or catching the overtones of his voice in the inner ear, the new collection will help. The quotations below are a fairly typical sampling. COLLECTIVE SECURITY HAVE been wondering what would happen if that legend (of St. George) were repeated under modern conditions. St. George would arrive in Cappadocia accompanied, not by a horse but by a secretariat. He would be armed not with a lance, but with several flexible formulas. He would, of course, be welcomed by the local branch of the League of Nations Union. He would propose a conference with the dragon-a Round Table conference, no doubt-that would be more ¢onvenient for the dragon’s tail. He would make a trade agreement with the dragon. He would lend the dragon a lot of money of the Cappadocian taxpayers. The maiden’s release would be referred to Geneva, the dragon reserv-

ing all his rights meanwhile. Finally, St. George would be photographed with the dragon (inset-the maiden). London, 1933. HAT is there ridiculous about collective security? The only thing that is ridiculous about it is that we have not got it. Let us see whether we cannot do something to procure a strong element of collective security for ourselves and for others. Commons, 1938 POWER POLITICS | HAVE anxiously asked the question, "What are power politics?" I know some of our friends across the water so well that I am sure I can speak frankly without causing offence. Is having a navy twice as big’ as any other navy in the world with bases in every part of the world power politics? Is having the largést air force in the world with bases in every part of the world power politics? Is having all the gold in the world power politics? If so we are certainly not guilty of these offences, I am sorry to say. They are luxuries that have passed away from us. Commons, 1945 PRIVATE PROPERTY E are often assured by sagacious persons that the civilisation of modern states is largely based upon respect for the rights of private property. If that be true, it is also true that such respect cannot be secured, and ought not, indeed, to be expected, unless property is associated in the minds of the

great mass of the people with ideas of justice and of reason. Edinburgh, 1909 * All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: Freedom; justice, honour;. duty; mercy; hope. 2 London, 1947 SELF GOVERNMENT T is one of the most precious gifts we can bestow, but it is a gift that can only be bestowed once. Once it has been given, it is no good to grudge it, and it is impossible to limit or restrict it, Commons, 1906 WORDS V ORDS, which are on_ proper occasions, the most powerful engine, lose their weight and power and value when they are not backed by fact or winged by truth, when they are obviously the expression of a strong feeling, and are not related in any way to the actual facts of the situation. Commons, 1926 Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all. London, 1949 HE curious fact that the House prefers to give two days to the television White Paper and only one day to foreign affairs may be noted by future historians as an example of a changing sense of proportion in modern thought. Commons, 1953