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He went to the podium, shrugged his shoulders once or twice, and began with, "There ain't no place in dis here union for guys who don't want to follow rules." For the next five minutes he slashed the King's English. When he finished the professor said that the "speech had a fine message for an audience," but added sarcastically, "Your language, however, well! It bordered on dees, does, and dem. Hardly the way you normally talk. I'm afraid I can't exactly approve." Whereupon the hulking Irishman rose and said, Sir, it is true that I normally do not use the language of my previous speech. But I'm a union leader, boss of hundreds of men. If I got up in front of them and spoke high and mighty as you want me to, I'd be out tomorrow. I learned to go along with the boys years ago. They understand me . . . so I'm still top man (James R. Kelley, Catholic Digest, Jan., 195°)- |
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