Isn't it remarkable that no one who appraises Churchill's place in history (with the exception perhaps of William Manchester and Robert Lewis Taylor) has ever allowed themself to pay honest, ungrudging tribute - with the proper breadth and appreciation - to the phenomenon that was Churchill: in his oratory and his power to inspire. However I think we are more fortunate: I think we can - in these chat forums - allow ourselves to speak more freely, and without false delicacy, about the singular sigificance of this one Man, and our thankfulness for the world of freedom that we inherited from the generation that was led by him to the most signal demonstration of courage and resolution ever displayed in the history of our kind, and the inflexible determination to undo Evil of which he was the mainspring. Say what you will of Churchill's so-called 'weakness' of having to prepare his speeches before delivering them, no man (or woman) has EVER made more stirring or important speeches. Nor has anyone been so often quoted as Churchill. And with good reason. We would search in vain for anyone who could move his generation as much as he did. And if that weren't a hard enough standard, can anyone think of a speech that still has the power to move us long after the events that called them forth have passed away? I cannot; perhaps with the one exception of the Gettysburg Address. But Churchill passes both these hard tests. His speeches can still rouse; they can still move us to tears and awe. For my part I spurn the false modesty that Mr Soames sputters in his ungenerous appraisal of his grandfather's speeches. Those speeches set a whole world free by their incandescent power, and are the finest that any of our species have ever uttered. Kennedy said that Churchill saved Western Civilisation by "mobilising the English language and sending it into battle". He did more: he made his countrymen and the free world feel that Civilisation and Right were things worth giving their ALL for.
On May 6, 4:48 am, PatFinn1940 <[email protected]> wrote: > Excellent article indeed! Thank you for sharing it! > > On May 4, 3:53 pm, David Freeman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Colleagues, > > > > This is definately worth reading: > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/av-referendum/8493345/Sweat-...- > > Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat?hl=en.
