Yourselves As I See You. in The, Accompanying Talk (Number Pee in Our Series ‘The Talk of the Week), Given from London on May M
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Facto Times, June 1, 123, Southorn Edition, Ree EVERY PROGRAMME FROM EVERY. STATION. ( J u n e 3-9) —_" we, = o we / “¥ a = i : 4 = t : at : a Fie i ful’ ok ang =eee > a? a ABERDEEN — dimer a gre 2aea —_" Sieite- aeae— - Apel. agra e & Woe Go Aa! MASE ad pitt ae = 2575 - ae. ALLL Gath= hracpae=: en © eSNEFFIELG aeae em™a PTA Hae [RLLAY } Lonny? cele ‘Redline PLYuT 1 ofPer Laie b A Cm.atc evmyeTTTpoo : The Journal of the British Broadcasting Corporation, eee — Reblsterédat bene Vel.19,1No.;244. [cP.O. aa Kowapaper Every Friday, Two Pence, _ JUNE1, 928. Yourselves As I See You. In the, accompanying Talk (Number pee in our Series ‘The Talk of the Week), given from London on May M. 7 a Andre Maurois, the distinguished French. novelist, whose *Colonel Bramble’ books have endeared him to thousands of English readers, sketches an amusing and sympathetic picture of ‘the Tea Drinkers,’ as he calls the English. He has sométhing to say about our cooking our passion for games, our lack of logic, and OUT habit of laughing at Our OWN emotions. s i POREt -begaun [must apolegize for You do, And that’s why you sometimes get addressing youn a language which 15 it, 2.not. my own-and ~vhich I speak but Now, Lhave been asked to talk to you abouk nnpérfectly.. A fewomonths ago [went to the Unknown Island—the Unknown Island America, and as soon.as [ landed:in New York being, of course, your own—and I have Wwas..met -by a large number. of reporters. brought for you a-httle manuscript. which One of them sai d; ‘ [t's a relief to find you was written by a Sailor who had the courage speak Enplish,’. " Yes,’ I said, ‘ but I speak to @o several times from Calais to Dover, it very badly, .‘ Oh; of course,. you don't Here it isi— speak a af all well!" Next morning. T had to order'my, breakfast The Unknown Island. by tetelephone, L said; Tea, toast arid jam, Leaving the coast of France at a point between ‘Boulogne and Calais and. steering a A. few. minutes later. I got scrambled épes. westward, you will, after about an hour and Sance that day Ihave. no illusionsleft. a half of a passage which is often unpleasant What gives nie courage is that.I know that ! (for the sea is one of the worst in the world), you British do not mmd-a little hesitation reach the [sland of the ‘Tea Drinkers.’ It is a in the speaker. One could almost say that remarkable fact that, although so close to you like it, Furope, this island is almost unknown. I have a friend at the. House of Commons: Every man whois curiousto stidystrange who told me that he had no success. there customs should be encouraged fo visit it. until he learned how. to stutter.. You do not “The Tos Drinkega,’ aay) (i. Maurois, "care ‘little T am aware that the inhabitants are con- hike eloquence, I ‘mean high-sounding, fofor reason a general ideas, ‘They bowe “facts, sidered to be savages, but from frequent Ehey ‘sll “know by heart the ‘height of their pompous eloquence. ‘That was one of “the monuments, the tonnage of thee ships and the personal observation I can affirm that they thines [ discovered when I studied the hte mamber of lina: writtenby thee poets, are not savages, but,on the contrary,one ot of Disrieli. Disraeli, before he could be the most landly peoples on earth, accepted by one’ of your parties as aleader; peaceful. and-ordered life. I. think-yon are. The traveller will: thete; aS im all- foreign hac ‘to tone down his speech .and his dress. the omy? people | on thie earth whe are really fands, make it his care not to wound tke You are not.a noisy race. You take things happy; because ve ou dent” ask teo much feelings ‘of the natives by disregarding their quietly and gently, -A hundred Englishmen from hie. customs. The" Tea Drinkers” are extremely in a room make less ridise than two'citizens There Was a spring,g, a stnny river, flowers tolerant: in- all matters of -thoucht “and et any ‘other catia, in. every garden, 2 gramophone on every religion, but they-ingist om same. of them: At present I have just arrived from Cam- boat: and Cahubrickge was happy. Lcustams being observed, For instance, it 15 Bridge. I can't tell you how I enjoyed this Men in general don't like happiness. evident that the traveller who should § SG RADIO TIMES June 1, 1623. Selene venture to dip his bread and butter in his national disease, which is that they cannot they made a month before. The nation does tea or to eat mustard with his mutton would happen upon a round object without hitting not cast up these variations against them: be liable to expulsion; but these are trifles It either with the foot, or the hand, or a it rather approves them. It considers that which may easily be learnt before under- racket or a stick of a special shape. It was you: should act each day according to the taking the journey. long thought that the exercises in which circumstances of the day and not be a slave The European armving among the ' Tea they indulge every week and particularly to formula or doctrine. Drinkers" must not yield to the sentiments on Saturdays, were of a religious character. A study of their history will convince you of terror which he will feel on landing. The However, the most competent European that the method has been highly successful ' policeman on the quay, although an enor- scholars now hold that they are ‘ sports,’ for the people is one of the happiest and most mous black creature, 1s perfectly harmless Be they religious or children’s games, the prosperous on earth, and only wishes to be useful, The language exercises have acquired a high importance, The ‘Tea Drinkers” do not so much spoken by the * Tea, Drinkers’ will seem and ‘you will be exposed to contempt in the require a man to be learned as possessecl of a J unintelligible, even to travellers who have Island until you have yourself learned the sobd and trustworthy character. Their child- tried to learn it beforehand, but ren are taught, earlier here than ie, that is because the natives hardly . 2. wg elsewhere, to govern themselves pronounce their words at all. By and each other,and to tell the dint of practice you will manage truth. In their schools, the lad to understand them. who can hit a ball well or displays hill Although called * Tea Drinkers,’ qualities of character, is mfinitely the inhabitants of this, sland more respected than one who absorb many other drinks, in- succeeds in literature or science. cluding wine, You can on arrival The result is that while some get a glass of a strong drmk which ‘Tea Drinkers" are among the they call whisky, It will taste most cultivated of mankind, unpleasant at the first sip. But others are ignorant. But you if you persevere, in a weck you can trast them, one and all. I will be scarcely able to take your cannot too strongly counsel you lips. from the bottle. to make friends from among The food of the ‘ Tea Drinkers’ them. You will not find better is: very different from. that of the or more sure. When a ‘Tea Europeans, but it is not un- Drinker’ is at your side in a pleasant. Generally speaking, quarrel, he will fight for you to they eat more than other nations. the death. Another of their I think that is due to their qualities is modesty, You will climate, which 1s one of the never hear one of them rehearse SE dampest in existence. In the what he has done in his lie. morming, when we are content You will learn, by accident, one oe with a cup of coffee or tea they day that he is a great sevani or swallow a complete meal; dried * The language spoken by the “ Tea Drinkers” will seem unintelligible because a great writer, but Ae will never the natives hardly pronounce their words at all,’ fish, which they term‘ haddock,’ have spoken to you but of the eges, meat, and even in the North—the most habit of knocking a ball once a week. It is most simple things; and he will, like the rest, savage part of the island—a thick mess of oat- not unwholesome, Lowever, and you will have spent his Saturdays knocking about meal to which they give the name of porridge, speedily manage to overcome the tedium some kind of ball, Vou will like their dishes at other meals. which the practice inspires at first. Their women are often. beautiful and They serve you with hugeslices of underdone When you have begun to know the lan- generally very unaffected. The reason is that meat, which the head of the tribe of his wile guage and to become faruliar with the they have not been &poilt, for, contrary. to offen cut up themselves with a somewhat natives, you will be able to study the work- the case in Europe, the man here is ruler of the disquieting skill. Jf you are fastidious, I ings of ther mind. You will find them very household. This, however, does not prevent: advise you to avoid their vegetables, which intelligent, but you will perceive that their the men from being shy, not merely with are generally boiled in water ancl somewhat intelligence moves rather differentlyfrom ours, women, but with all foreigners.