My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosleythe morning, discussing politics in general terms. He was an impressive personality,and I was able to understand the reason for his remarkable achievements better than inmost such men. He was also a man of taste, and I observed in his Scotch castle a finecollection of Impressionist pictures. Towards the end of the walk he took me to thegarage, where stood an array of expensive motors. His purpose was to hold adiscussion with the owner of the village garage concerning a repair to the exhaust ofthe humblest vehicle among them, the shooting-brake. After hard and protractedbargaining, the deal was done at fifteen shillings. Was this the way he had laid thefoundation of his vast fortune, or was he teaching me to value the coming gift? Afteran excellent luncheon he quietly handed me a cheque for £10,000.My sad parting from Lord Robert Cecil followed the 1922 election. He decided toenter Bonar Law's Conservative government, and invited me to accompany him intosome post in that administration. This honourable man and faithful friend said he feltan obligation to me and would not take office unless I too was accepted, which wouldnot have presented much difficulty, as some time previously Bonar Law had spokento Lord Curzon about me in friendly and conciliatory terms. I had a considerableregard for Bonar Law as Conservative leader because his outstanding abilities enabledhim to substitute argument for what I described in debate as 'zoological noisesindicating the first dumb aspirations to the flights of human speech' which were theonly audible contributions to our discussions made by some of his supporters.Bonar Law was a master of the art of winding up a debate. His method was simple inprinciple, but hard in practice. Speaking without notes, he would recapitulate thearguments of the other side often with greater force than their own capacitiespermitted. He would then demolish them seriatim in the same logical order he hadstated them. His art extended even to the deliberate slip in order to extricate himselffrom difficulties. Defending himself once from a charge of undue subservience toLloyd George he said: 'I was always a man to stand on my own bottom'. When thelaughter subsided, he continued with his tired smile: 'The House always appreciatesthese occasions'. He knew both how to play on their infantilism and how to appeal totheir good sense. It was not, therefore, any antipathy to the Conservative leadership atthat time which induced me to refuse to accompany Lord Robert and remain on theOpposition benches. It was rather that the rift between me and Conservatism had thengrown too wide, and that my sense of purpose led me toward far more positive actionthan it then presented.I had something in common with Bonar Law because only three of us at that timecould deliver a major speech in Parliament without notes: Bonar Law, Willie Grahamwhose premature death was a severe loss to the Labour Party, and myself. I used tospeak in the House without notes, even winding up a debate on the Front Bench. Myspeech of resignation from the government lasted an hour and a quarter and covered aconsiderable complex of subjects and figures, but was delivered without notes. Thetrick with any adequate mental constitution is quite easily acquired. The mind can betrained to do abnormal things as a muscle can be trained to lift a weight. In early daysI used to get someone to read me a Times leading article or a more complicated essayfrom a technical journal; then rise at once and reply to it, taking each point seriatim inthe order read. The trouble was well worth while, for the delivery of a long complexspeech in debate without notes is always regarded in Parliament as a rather admirableconjuring trick. It is quite essential on the platform to speak without notes, for anyone139 of 424