The VOICE of MICHAEL

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 44, 15 May 1931, Page 16

The VOICE of MICHAEL

By

CRITIC

AS the talk by Mr. Lloyd Ross, M.A. ~ LLB. "Lhe Dream of Stockholm," from 4YA developed on Tuesday evening I could not but be made aware of two things: Firstly, thé totally inadequate voice of the speaker in giving his subject’ matter and, secondly, the inappropriate title. His voice put me in mind of a copy of one of Turner’s more vivid and daring sunsets done in water colours. Moreover, Mr. Ross. was obviously much more impressed by the essential practicability of Stockholm and its residents than -by any dreaminess latent therein. And yet’ the speaker’s voice, so neutral, qviet.and shy, would have fitted a verbal p:eture of Venice, as a spinnet fits the gavotte. But as the spinnet with its dainty delicacy is out of place in Wagnerian Opera, so was hig voice in dealing w th twentieth century Stockholm, And th: title, the dream of Venice, Vienna, Madrid, Rome and even London, if -you lit:e," but not of New York, Berlin, Melborne ‘or Stockholm. Apart from. the inadequacy of his voice, which was, as I say, too soft and neutral, Mr. Ross was also much too hurried and indefinite in his delivery. Sentences ran into each other like the inconsequential rippling of a brook. Many..-of the excellent points of his speech were lost accordingly. I liked the description of this essentially modern Utopian city even if I found fault with the mode of its portrayal. And I con-' gratulate the speaker on his very apt reference to the probable pleasure Ruskin would derive, were it possible for that master mind to revisit this earth and see so'many of his advanced ideas actually practised in Stockholm. The speaker conveyed the impression that perhaps of all the cities of the earth, Stockholm alone fully justifies the hopes and ideals which have theoretically

endorsed the advance of civilisation — to the present era. In her conservation of sunlight and air-Nature’s most precious gifts to mankind-Stockholm obviously sets an example which many of our much younger cities would do well to note and follow. Her cool acceptance of the artistic, and the natural manner in which the inhabitants accept such as part and parcel of ‘their everyday life, compared with the modern practice of hoarding such treasures away from the popular gaze where they can do most good, seems both eminently sensible and refreshing. Here, apparently, the illusive theory of Ideal Socialism finds easy and practical application, Already am | persuaded from Mr, Ross’s talk to visit Stockholm whenever possible opportunity presents itself. Had his delivery been improved, who knows but that I might have sought particulars of naturalisation and bought a Swedish grammar? x *% * I WAS perhaps more interested in the somewhat novel method of introduc-

ing the talk from 3YA on "What is this Sunlight League?" than in’ the actual subject matter of the talk itself, For it took the form of a dialogue between a Christchurch man and ‘his family doctor. Certainly the worthy doctor had not only to be an enthusiast on his "subject, but had also to have a knowledge which would withstand the onslaughts of a very keen cross-examination.. . The doctor was particularly good; I thought his client a little too stiff and self-conscious. The subject matter itself was quite inee ey ee ee

rl i le ene triguing; in fact I foresee the nécessity for our Christchurch medico to ‘remain strictly incognito; if the general public heed his words carefully. For, not only shall we be immune from all the: little ills to which the human body is at present subject, but, as time goes on, and always provided there is sufficient sunlight, from the bigger ills as well, = ~ _ Not being either doctor, pharmacist, or vendor of patent medicines, I regard. the lecturer as something of a hero, and intend to profit by his ‘advice-next summer! A> point which was particularly

fat well brought home’ was the extreme short-sightedness of some of our hospital boards-in frequently retaining tubercular and other kindred cases in city wards, rather than taking the bolder step of establishing more’ and greater sanatoriums on the lifé-giving ‘slopes of .our wonderful Southern Alps and similar — salubrious spots. The cities, particularly. Christ. church, are cursed with the ever-present smoke and fog trouble. These two malignant allies will effectively prevent any permanent cttres being. effected in the city hospitals; so that looking at. the question from the angle of cold economics and from the point of view of the ratepayers’ pocket, even if from. no more humane motive, it would seem more businesslike to go for the more permarient cure possible in the right localities, of which New Zealand has ‘a-plenty. the doctor deserves every support: in his great campaign, * * * JN whatever .else he may be at fault, Mr. Norman Kerr «certainly cannot fairly be accused of lack of enthusiasm for his subject: I have written elsewhere of the inadequacy of some voices for some subjects. Now what sort of a voice is desirable for a talk on "Physical Culture"? Perhaps it was mainly inability to" solve the problem to my own satisfaction which caused me fo tune-in on Wednesday to 1YA. If so my idle speculation was time well spent because I thoroughly enjoyed this talk. I am no enthusiast for "On the arms bend, keeping the trunk rigid," but I. do love a true_ devotee, be his subject what. you will. And if Mr. td Kerr does not believe all he tells us, then/ he is able to deceive, not only me,. but Michael himself-a difficult art. He fairly breathed cold baths, early morning. exercises, fresh air and that particular feeling which popular advertisement has made familiar. Congratulations to Mr. Kerr. Were I anything but a confirmed sluggard, and were the mornings just a little more -propitious, I should be doing my daily dozen as well. He has made it so abundantly clear that the whole thing is only a ‘matter of willpower and saying sufficiently often (and with the requisite genuineness) "Tomorrow morning I WILL --" that I simply dare not try it. ,

7 hod * AM. sorry that my reception of MrJ Richmond’s talk from 1YA was tod noor to enable me to give a fair criticism. The> subject, "Civilisation in America." certainly held possibilities of which, from. what I could hear, the speaker was well aware. It seems slightly, unfair to pass judgment on the delivery in view of the: foregoing but, even allowing for my poor reception, it was still obvious that Mr. Richmond suffered from nerves. As a result considerable hesitancy in manner, coupled with too many "ers" and "ums"-to be followed by ‘rather breathless rushes of speech-was apparent. The speaker undoubtedly possesses a . good radio voice, and I hope that the next time he is scheduled to appear my set will be feeling in a ‘kinder mood, and |. Mr. Richmond more at home before the microphone. * 2 s 'HE ‘more I listen to these talks arranged by the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association, the more am I amazed at the wealth of real interest

Tr ba . there is in the most mundane commodity. I confess that for years I have regarded a shirt as a shirt; something which convention démanded: that I should wear; a boon to my laundry in providing a vent for an insatiable taste in practical joking. Who-does not know the indescribable glee of donning a clean shirt in haste only to find two buttons missing? Who has not spent many pleasant minutes in dissecting the cemented front of a "boiled. shirt" from its back? Who has not chuckled at the sudden discovery of quite unsuspected and cleverly hidden pins? As an article of apparel and as the motif for subtle humour, the shirt is hard to beat. But as the subject of atalk.... ? Well, having heard one from Auckland .on Thursday, I am now definitely adding this to the shirt’s list of accepted viytues. When the speaker started by rattling off a number of, to me, quite new jokes about the shirt, its history, and present application, I feared that humour was going ‘to prove overpredominant. ..My fears were quite groundless, however, and the speaker ably proved himself the possessor of the most intimate knowledge as _ to the origin and life history of the shirt. This history he gave in excellent style, both matter and ‘delivery being quite beyond reproach. Some of the details in this talk were so interesting that I purpose mentioning only a few of those which have stuck in my memory. Before I do that, however, I cannot refrain from quoting what was, to my mind, a very apt remark early in the talk. The speaker mentioned that naturally Adam B was the first wearer of a shirt, and that

for material he favoured "what is now artificial: silk in the raw, state! * * * N tracing the shirt’s history up to 1931 the speaker claimed kinship for the shirt in the skins of animals, coats of mail, and the lace ruffles of the various generations of our ancestors. Whenever one feels inclined to point the finger of accuracy and say "That was the first real shirt," -one is assailed by doubt. There are, however, definite dates for the first "commercialised" shirt, and the first "machine-made" shirt. It appears that a certain Mr. Rodgers, in the year 1836, went to London to learn the tea trade. Being a bachelor and without female relatives in the metropolis, he soon suffered from want of Someone to make him a shirt. Very naturally, necessity being the mother of invention, this gave. him ‘an idea. He rightly concluded that there were others like himself. in similar predicament. Why not therefore employ pauper labour to make up shirts and sell these, via the drapers, ready-made? Although the speaker did not say so, it is possible that Rodgers also felt that there might be a market among those husbands and brothers who, like the soldiers in the song, would."sooner sleep on thistles" than the kinds of shirts their wives and sisters made, Be that as it may, the venture was not really a success. Drapers, proverbially: short-sighted as a class, felt that the. sale of shirts would materially affect the sale of their piece cloth. Just why this:should have prevented their keeping the trade "in the family," as it were, by catering for both

home-made and ready-made partisans is not.clear. In 1845 came the first sewing machine-imperfect in many details, -but a sewing machine none the less. The American rights were bought by a man in Cheapside-Thomas, I think, was the name given-and the machine-made shirt became "aw fait accompli." Collars detachable from the shirt were also invented in America-this time by the wife of a blacksmith! Thus the speaker gradually brought us to the present day, passing in review the various materials which have proved popular. Arising out of this, his reference to the 44 million pounds sterling profit made by a British firm in artificial silk (the product of wood pulp) gives food for thought. If this wave of popularity continues and increases, how will the world’s forest supply stand the strain? In our own New Zealand factories, the care exercised by our manufacturers, both as regards the articles themselves and the employees maintained, was ably explained. As the speaker rightly remarked at this stage in his talk, Thomas: Hood’s doleful "Song of the Shirt," deploring the unhealthy factory conditions of his time, might well be revised in view of modern progress in this direction. * * * I NOTICE that the talk was entitled "The Tale of a Shirt and Pyjamas." Time seems to have precluded reference to the latter upstarts in the world of night apparel. While their life story -cannot be so interesting, owing to the comparative brevity of their ancestral tree, still, I hope the speaker. will deal

with the second section of his scheduled talk at some further date, when i shall listen with interest. ‘ * * * wits, the completion of the "fourth week since the inception of "The Voice of Michael," I feel it not, out of, place to pass in review what has. been done. During these four weeks I, have criticised some two dozen talks, dialogues, lectures and plays, chosen at random from the four main stations. Jn the course of these I have certainly ;not spared the speakers, although such -crir ticisms as I havé offered are intended, to be constructive and not destructive. The page seems to have been accepted, with interest and some appreciation. ,Thewish may be father to the thought, but I fancy there has been noted improyement, in recent talks, and shall feel gratified, if I may, with all modesty, in. some; slight way identify myself with this. ima: provement. The thought, at least, . will spur me on to further effort. .. "Where there is no hope there can, be no endeavour." coat ar nen ees