My Discovery of England, 1922

by Leacock, Stephen, 1869-1944





Introduction of Mr. Stephen Leacock
Given by Sir Owen Seaman
on the Occasion of His First
Lecture in London

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: It is usual on these occasions for the
chairman to begin something like this: "The lecturer, I am sure,
needs no introduction from me." And indeed, when I have been the
lecturer and somebody else has been the chairman, I have more than
once suspected myself of being the better man of the two. Of course
I hope I should always have the good manners--I am sure Mr. Leacock
has--to disguise that suspicion. However, one has to go through
these formalities, and I will therefore introduce the lecturer to
you.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mr. Stephen Leacock. Mr. Leacock,
this is the flower of London intelligence--or perhaps I should say
one of the flowers; the rest are coming to your other lectures.

In ordinary social life one stops at an introduction and does not
proceed to personal details. But behaviour on the platform, as on
the stage, is seldom ordinary. I will therefore tell you a thing