Eloquence Embodied

Winston Churchill: Eulogy for Neville Chamberlain

House of Commons
November 12, 1940

Since we last met, the House has suffered a very grievous loss in the death of one of its most distinguished Members, and of a statesman and public servant who, during the best part of three memorable years, was first Minister of the Crown.

The fierce and bitter controversies which hung around him in recent times were hushed by the news of his illness and are silenced by his death. In paying a tribute of respect and of regard to an eminent man who has been taken from us, no one is obliged to alter the opinions which he has formed or expressed upon issues which have become a part of history; but at the Lychgate we may all pass our own conduct and our own judgments under a searching review. It is not given to human beings, happily for them, for otherwise life would be intolerable, to foresee or to predict to any large extent the unfolding course of events. In one phase men seem to have been right, in another they seem to have been wrong. Then again, a few years later, when the perspective of time has lengthened, all stands in a different setting. There is a new proportion. There is another scale of values. History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. What is the worth of all this? The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honour.

It fell to Neville Chamberlain in one of the supreme crises of the world to be contradicted by events, to be disappointed in his hopes, and to be deceived and cheated by a wicked man. But what were these hopes in which he was disappointed? What were these wishes in which he was frustrated? What was that faith that was abused? They were surely among the most noble and benevolent instincts of the human heart--the love of peace, the toil for peace, the strife for peace, the pursuit of peace, even at great peril, and certainly to the utter disdain of popularity or clamour. Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned.

But it is also a help to our country and to our whole Empire, and to our decent faithful way of living that, however long the struggle may last, or however dark may be the clouds which overhang our path, no future generation of English-speaking folks--for that is the tribunal to which we appeal--will doubt that, even at a great cost to ourselves in technical preparation, we were guiltless of the bloodshed, terror and misery which have engulfed so many lands and peoples, and yet seek new victims still. Herr Hitler protests with frantic words and gestures that he has only desired peace. What do these ravings and outpourings count before the silence of Neville Chamberlain's tomb? Long, hard, and hazardous years lie before us, but at least we entered upon them united and with clean hearts.

I do not propose to give an appreciation of Neville Chamberlain's life and character, but there were certain qualities always admired in these Islands which he possessed in an altogether exceptional degree. He had a physical and moral toughness of fibre which enabled him all through his varied career to endure misfortune and disappointment without being unduly discouraged or wearied. He had a precision of mind and an aptitude for business which raised him far above the ordinary levels of our generation. He had a firmness of spirit which was not often elated by success, seldom downcast by failure, and never swayed by panic. When, contrary to all his hopes, beliefs and exertions, the war came upon him, and when, as he himself said, all that he had worked for was shattered, there was no man more resolved to pursue the unsought quarrel to the death. The same qualities which made him one of the last to enter the war, made him one of the last who would quit it before the full victory of a righteous cause was won.

I had the singular experience of passing in a day from being one of his most prominent opponents and critics to being one of his principal lieutenants, and on another day of passing from serving under him to become the head of a Government of which, with perfect loyalty, he was content to be a member. Such relationships are unusual in our public life. I have before told the House how on the morrow of the Debate which in the early days of May challenged his position, he declared to me and a few other friends that only a National Government could face the storm about to break upon us, and that if he were an obstacle to the formation of such a Government, he would instantly retire. Thereafter, he acted with that singleness of purpose and simplicity of conduct which at all times, and especially in great times, ought to be the ideal of us all.

When he returned to duty a few weeks after a most severe operation, the bombardment of London and of the seat of Government had begun. I was a witness during that fortnight of his fortitude under the most grievous and painful bodily afflictions, and I can testify that, although physically only the wreck of a man, his nerve was unshaken and his remarkable mental faculties unimpaired.

After he left the Government he refused all honours. He would die like his father, plain Mr. Chamberlain. I sought permission of the King, however, to have him supplied with the Cabinet papers, and until a few days of his death he followed our affairs with keenness, interest and tenacity. He met the approach of death with a steady eye. If he grieved at all, it was that he could not be a spectator of our victory; but I think he died with the comfort of knowing that his country had, at least, turned the corner.

At this time our thoughts must pass to the gracious and charming lady who shared his days of triumph and adversity with a courage and quality the equal of his own. He was, like his father and his brother Austen before him, a famous Member of the House of Commons, and we here assembled this morning, Members of all parties, without a single exception, feel that we do ourselves and our country honour in saluting the memory of one whom Disraeli would have called an "English worthy."

If you know much about these two men and their relationship, you will at this point be left in utter astonishment. What an incredible man Churchill was, and so gifted with words! Thank you Mr. Baker for giving me this analysis assignment, thank you Jake H. for the subject suggestion, and thank you God for Winston Churchill!! I look forward to meeting him someday.

Meridian

Everything I Know about Life I Learned from Mr. Baker

Well, not really. Actually, there have been so many amazing people in my life who have taught me a lot about God, love, and life. And certainly not everything Mr. Baker said was his own idea. In fact, most of it probably was just anonymous quoting. But I still think it is high time I pay Mr. Baker the tribute he is due by posting some of the amazing things I've learned from him in the past year-and-a-half.

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To be a pilgrim you must:
Receive grace
Perceive that the earth is not going to last
Accept that fact and
Embrace it by acting upon it

The Christian's mission is to move forward as pilgrims, going so fast, "Move forward be swift, never let the dust of the earth touch you."

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Our sins are a sign of a lack of love, and they will only be reduced by the sovereign sanctification of God.

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This one's from Augustine, but Mr. B still introduced me to it:
"What parent would be so stupidly curious as to send their child to school to find out what the teacher thinks?" -St. Augustine

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Greek/Latin words Mr. B has taught me:
Cred- to believe
Heuresis- discovery, or "I have found it!"
Theorein- to gaze intently upon
Imago Dei- image of God
Kanon- the essential duties, functions, and offices of an art
Inventio/Heuresis- system or method for finding arguments
Dispositio/Taxis- effective or orderly arrangement of the parts and points
Elocutio/Lexis/Hermeneia/Phrasis- choice of words in phrases or clauses
-noia- mind
Metanoia- hindsight
Pronoia- foresight
Kairos- right time, opportunity, occasion, or season


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Salvation is grace invading our otherwise godless world.

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Ability bribes and absolute ability bribes absolutely.

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It's one thing to have resolve. It's another to have faith. It's another thing to have faith that God will honor your resolve, inspired by him.

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Love your neighbor as yourself loving God.

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God is in operation 24/7, and so is his peace- why not be a vessel of that?

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These next three are from Aristotle (but still taught by Mr. Baker):
"Rhetoric is or may be defined as, the faculty for discovering the available means of persuasion in reference to any subject whatever."

"An art brings into being that which is capable of being other than it is."

"The prerequisite to style is clarity."

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In rhetoric, we are discovering what is already available: the means of persuasion.

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Ethics can be thought of in two dimensions: horizontal (man to man), and vertical (man to God). I must love myself as God loves me. But wherever this love is spilled over, those two lines must come together. And together they form...a cross.

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You have to ask the right questions in order to keep your feet on.

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Humans are complex. To address a human is to address hearts that feel emotion, minds capable of reason, and wills choosing desires and acting on them. Those three cannot be separated.

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Any debate on earth is happening not just in the presence of other men, but also in the presence of heaven.

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Do you want to be one of those Americans who sits back and says, "America's broken. Oh well."? Or do you want to be an American who sees that America is broken and sick, and who wants to heal it?

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Earth is the human barnyard.

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No solution without cooperation, and no cooperation without assent.

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God's truth can never be reduced to over-simplification.

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I'm waiting for the presidential candidate who comes along and says, 'Our country is in a mess, and I'm not going to fix it in two years. If you think I am going to, don't vote for me!'

Well, Mr. Baker, here's to you. Thanks for all you've taught me so far, and I am eagerly awaiting more!

Meridian

Rhetoric I Speech of the Day #2: World Population

I love Rhetoric class! Here is the outline from a speech I gave the other day on the world population. Please note that when I speak about "Economic planning" I do not mean a socialistic system, but more of a preparation for this population increase by improving systems internally. For example, small businesses should be encouraged to prosper, farmers should be shown techniques for maximum production, etc. Also, when I refer to "population control" I am talking about abortion, the Pill, and all alternative modes of birth control.

Rhetoric I: Speech of the Day Number 2

Proposition: Economic planning and allowing more people on earth provides a better solution for population management than birth control or other alternative methods will employ for this issue. In other words, more people is actually a preferable thing. This is contrary to the common belief that such methods as birth control are preferable, and economic planning for more people is of a lesser importance.

I. Introduction (30 seconds)
    A. 7 Billion people: what is the issue?
    B. World populations (show graph)
    C. “Real-time” beliefs that are popular
          1. Birth control
          2. Elimination of certain ethnic groups
    D. Economic planning, and more people, provides a better alternative
          1. Thesis

II. A brief analysis of the issue (15 seconds)
    A. African and Asian populations rising
    B. European and other populations sinking


III. Definition of a good strategy (30 seconds)
     A. Utilizes earth resources efficiently
     B. Provides adequate living space for earth’s population
     C. Economically wise and efficient (jobs, finances, etc.)
     D. God-honoring and Biblical

IV. Economic planning allows earth resources to be used efficiently (15 seconds)
     A. Less people = less cultivation
     B. If cultivation is desirable, more people provides more workers and is also desirable
     C. Planning will allow for earth’s resources to be maximally used

V. Economic planning will allow for better usage of earth’s living space (45 seconds)
     A. Only 3% of earth’s 15, 794 square km of land is actually inhabited (by 90% of the people)
     B. 4.3 billion people fit into 473.82 square kilometers while the other 700 million people spread out on 15, 320 square km. We have a lot of space!
     C. Using this space is much more desirable than letting it go to waste, which would be less efficient
     D. More people is fine, and in some ways, better!

VI. Economic planning is wise and efficient for jobs (30 seconds)
     A. Some people disagree
          1. Wrong because many hands lighten the load
     B. The more people there are to create jobs, the more people there are to take them


VII. More people and economic planning are Biblical (30 seconds)
     A. The Bible calls the man with his “quiver full” a “blessed” man
          1. Children are a gift!
     B. Alternatives oppose this
          1. Birth control and elimination of people groups is unhealthy, and definitely non-Biblical!
     C. Planning is also highly advocated in the Bible
          1. Wise to prepare, that the world may benefit

VIII. Conclusion (15 seconds)
      A. World population is an “issue”
      B. Proposed methods by the world are not good
      C. Planning for more people is the best
           1. Meets criteria
           2. Provides a better societal foundation
      D. The best solution.