The Churchill Series - Mar. 29, 2008

(One of a series of weekday posts about the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

Two short items, today, both from William Manchester's biography Alone.I think they'll help start your weekend with a smile.

At the time of Neville Chamberlain's death, Churchill paid very generous tribute to him in the House of Commons. He also treats Chamberlain generously in his WWII history.

But at other times he wasn't so generous when describing Chamberlain, a former Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

Churchill once said: "Chamberlain looks at life through the wrong end of a municipal drainpipe."

Late one evening Churchill was working in the library at Chartwell. A young scholar and a stenographer/typist who'd just joined his employ were with him. The scholar had prepared a research paper which Churchill would use as background for his Marlborough biography.

Churchill scanned the paper. He was dissatisfied, and made that clear to the young scholar in a series of caustic comments.

At a pause point, the stenographer/typist sought to break the tension with: "Oh, look outside. It's so dark."

Churchill turned, stared at her for a moment, and then said: "It generally is at night."

I hope you all have a very nice weekend. Here in central North Carolina the redbuds and dogwoods are blooming.

John