Tom Skeyhill: student of world affairs

              1926
228

Figure

TOM SKEYHILL
Student of World Affairs
Roosevelt said of him: I would rather be on the platform with Tom Skeyhill than any man I know



TOM SKEYHILL The Sort of a Man Worth Reading About Said the Literary Digest

All the beauty of poesy, the optimism of a highly developed sense of humor, and the dramatic power of a Booth, were embodied in his great lecture last night.—
Philadelphia Public Ledger.

TOM SKEYHILL is a young Australian, a soldier, a poet, a world traveler, student of literature, political economy, and world affairs.  He was stricken stone-blind fighting the Turks at the Dardanelles and spent three years of the last ten in total darkness.  Miraculously he recovered his sight in 1918—and he is today one of the most popular and most sought lecturers of the American platform.  Since 1915 he has visited many lands and crossed many seas, has traveled over a quarter of a million miles, and has visited every European country except Portugal.

He has just returned (January, 1926) from a three months' tour of Italy and he brings back with him a most interesting lecture, Mussolini and the Black Shirts.  This will be his featured talk for the coming season.



The Coming Renaissance in Europe
The young men of today are going to be the rulers of tomorrow—their thoughts today are going to influence their actions tomorrow.  Therefore, what the young men of Europe are thinking of is one of the most important things in the world.  In the World War and in the Near East mess, in the Bolsheviki and Fascisti Revolutions, at the League of Nations in Geneva, and in numerous fact-hunting tours all over Europe, Mr. Skeyhill has fought with, lived with, and studied first-hand the young men of Europe, and in their mental process he finds the genesis of a new movement which he believes will salvage European civilization; and in our lifetime bud and bloom in the blossoming springtime of a new renaissance.  He says: Youth is in revolt against the old order of things with its wars and revolutions, intrigues and exploitations, dogmas and rituals, etc; and is asking, nay demanding, a heritage of peace and love, and a chance to enjoy in comfort and safety some of the finer things of life.



Soviet Russia Today
Three years ago he ran the lines to get into Russia, posing as a Swedish engineer, and visiting leading cities and leading men as a student of Russian Bolshevism.  He had a harrowing experience but finally escaped, and out of this trip came his other lecture classic: Soviet Russia Today.  This has been, and still is, a most popular, and unbiased exposition of the great Russian experiment by one who obtained authentic information.





1914
A boy of 18, studying literature and writing poetry in his native Australia.  Enlists as an Anzac.
Australia


1915
In the red Hell of War at the Dardanelles—winning fame as a soldier-poet, while fighting the Turks.
Dardanelles


1916
Invalided home to Australia, stone blind from shell explosion and bayonetted through both hands.
Australia


1917
Becomes famous in Australia as blind soldier-orator—other countries ask him to help in war work.
New Zealand


1918
Miraculously recovers sight at Washington, D. C. Wins fame as war-speaker.  Raises $23,000,000 in as many minutes at Metropolitan Opera House.
England U. S. A.


1919
Attended Peace Conference in Paris; immediately afterwards appearing for first time as professional lecturer.
France Canada


1920
Ran lines into Soviet Russia; studied Bolshevism first hand; makes thrilling escape after being robbed.
Russia


1921
Back in United States, Canada and Australia, lecturing, writing and studying world movements.
Australia U. S. A.


1922
In Europe again; attends Geneva Conference; visits Near East, Balkans, Italy, Germany, France and England.
All Over Europe


1923
Back in United States again, with a busy lecture schedule ahead of him covering a three-year period.
U. S. A.


1924
Filled 300 lecture engagements during the year.  Made preliminary plans for another European trip in 1926.
U. S. A.


1925
Spent three months in Italy studying first-hand the ABC's of Fascism.
Italy






Mussolini and the Black Shirts
AT Sorrento, Italy, Mr. Skeyhill came to know intimately the leaders of the Fascisti movement during his recent trip in that land.  He attended the local meeting of the organization opening the occasion of the celebration of the third anniversary of Fascism.  He sat in session with several thousand of the Black Shirts, was given a place of honor in their torchlight procession, heard their speeches and musicale and watched their fireworks.  He heard the stirring march sung with its inspiring ending: Ben-ven-uto, Muss-o-lini—Ayah, Ayah, Aye!  Mr. Skeyhill was profoundly impressed with the serious mental attitude of the members.  In his honor American and English songs were sung and a guard of honor returned him to his hotel and serenaded him upon his retirement.

The Fascisti do not rule Italy—they are Italy!  This is the keynote of Mr. Skeyhill's message that he brings back from the land of sunshine.  He was fortunate in being in Italy at the time of the attempted assassination of Mussolini, the Duce, as he is affectionately called by his followers.  He witnessed the tremendous reaction in favor of the great Italian leader, following the attempted assassination.  These are the things that Mr. Skeyhill will discuss in his newest lecture, Mussolini and the Black Shirts.



OTHER SUBJECTS

The New Elizabethans
A romantic, picturesque and scholarly study of the lives and ideals and works of the most prominent soldier poets, including Rupert Brooke, Allen Seebar, Frances Ledwidge, Charles Sorley, Julian Grenfell, Joyce Kilmer, Siegfried Sasoon, Robert Nichols, and others.  This lecture is a literary masterpiece, and embodies in beautiful language the very atmosphere of the splendid young men who went down in that vast maelstrom in which poets do well to adventure, but from which their country might profitably withhold them.



The Trojan Way
A vivid, first-hand word picture of the amphibious allied attack on the defenses of the Dardanelles in April, 1915.  The New York Globe, commenting on this wonderful lecture, said Another dramatic description fit to be placed on the shelves with Lew Wallace's chariot race in Ben Hur, and with Victor Hugo's Waterloo.  The whole story is painted on the canvas of the beautiful blue Mediterranean with its epics, its myths and its unearthly loveliness, and is as rich and magnificent in detail and coloring as the stained glass window of a medieval cathedral.




INTERESTING COMMENT

NEW YORK HERALD:
Col. Roosevelt stirred the audience in Carnegie Hall last night, but it took Tom Skeyhill of Australia to create a wild pitch of enthusiasm which got the audience on their feet crying, 'We're with you.'


NEW YORK TIMES:
An eloquent speaker—he fired his audience.


SALT LAKE TRIBUNE:
A great talk was given by Skeyhill, the eloquent young Australian.


NEW YORK GLOBE:
The most inspiring speaker that ever appeared at the Metropolitan Opera House.


CINCINNATI ENQUIRER:
A silver-tongued master of eloquence—a wizard of matchless word pictures.


LITERARY DIGEST:
Visualize a young Crusader, a Knight of the Holy Grail, and you have some idea of the spirituality of this young Australian's face.  He is the sort of man worth reading about carefully.



THE AFFILIATED BUREAUS
MUSIC   LECTURES   ENTERTAINERS
BOSTON . CLEVELAND . PITTSBURGH . CHICAGO . DALLAS
ATLANTA . PORTLAND, ORE. . CALGARY, ALTA.

A. H. Anderson Printing Co., Streator, Ill.