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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tekboy who wrote (64770)	1/7/2003 11:11:17 AM
From: Win Smith	Respond to of 281500

Well, at least the "ruler of the Queen's Navee" was identifiable. This part put me in mind of all the recycled punditry that shows up here: As office boy I made such a mark That they gave me the post of a junior clerk. I served the writs with a smile so bland, And I copied all the letters in a big round hand— I copied all the letters in a hand so free, That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee! I would have missed Frank's gloss of the next verse, though. In serving writs I made such a name That an articled clerk I soon became; I wore clean collars and a brand-new suit For the pass examination at the Institute, And that pass examination did so well for me, That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee! (http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/pinafore/web_opera/pn09.html with attached tune, or see geocities.com for the other canonical G&S tune.) The "grave solecism" threw me, Google turned up 3 references, one dead and one a newspaper article on toy pianos. The third one is modestly relevant to this thread, though. Shortly after their return an amusing incident occurred. Churchill had enquired who wrote political summaries which arrived from the Washington Embassy. He was informed that it was Mr. Isaiah Berlin, Fellow of All Souls and Tutor of New College (who subsequently wrote Mr. Churchill in 1940). When the famous song writer Irving Berlin arrived to entertain the troops, the Prime Minister confused him with Isaiah and invited him to lunch - and conversed with him as if he had been the academic, asking such questions as "When do you think the war will end, Mr. Berlin?" Irving Berlin enjoyed the occasion and confidently forecast the reelection of President Roosevelt. Churchill was not so pleased particularly when Berlin told him that his most important piece of work was 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas'. The Prime Minister was quite amused later when he learned of the mistaken identity. On meeting Isaiah Berlin, Churchill said: "I fear that you have learned of the grave solecism I was so unfortunate to have perpetrated." winstonchurchill.org