New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-20
sEETCHES OF LECTU r Els
MIR. Thackeray,s Lecture.

-. he ore the Mercantile Library Assoclati) IN was
.''~.ved lait evening. Tie spacious church (Rsv Mr.
.,;n) was filed TO the eXtcn; Of its capacity at
hour BY an audicn comprisinga large proportion
r...pr men, and an unusual numbor ofthe dlta yuish
"A Inerary and professional celebrities Of NewYork-
T1e fashionable circles were fully Represented oy
.,.ir0 nrray Of ladies'. Mr. Thackcray stood on al
.y,ted platform in front Of the pulpit He was in
,oSreed BIZ the Chairman OF the Lecture Committee Of
40 Mercantile Library, and was welcomed with the
..,S,sd expressions Of applause due to an eminent
,.hor with whom the audience were to form
:, acquaintance in capacity In personal appear
ace which in respect the curiosity Of the public we
r,v be permitted TO audc 20, Mr.. Thackcray is a ine
wellproportoned specimen Of a stawart En glshman-
over sx feet in sature-with expression OF quiet
ip,elieenceand the sefpo.se,sed bearing OF man of
be world rather than the scholastic appearance of the
occupant of q library. His intellectual head which
hears many slyery traces Of the touch ome il carried
eree,Iy not without air OF reserve, some would say
of dessnce In his elocution we were happily disap-
pointed The English Journals have not done Mr.
ThackcToy justice in thai pect His manner wthou.
any orstoiicol preten,ons il admirably adapted 10 the
lecture room. As q medium Of instruction, il ia far
more grateful TO the nearer than the imprisoned
sye, which is often adopted by popular lecturers.
The calm low Of his speech is transparent that the
sense shines through it without subjectng the minds
eye to n too severe trial His voice is rich deep hex
iblo and equally expressive Of emotion and thought in
IL iDonaons-thew words delivered with that clean
hnish which often distinguishes the cultivated Eng
hshmnn-his emphasis is pregnant with meaning-and,
without any apparent effort biz ringing fill the
Of the most remote listener. Mr. Thackeray uses no
gesture, except occasionally convusivc clinching Of
the fist, or an emphatic thmsting Of he hand into his
pocket under his coat In short his delivery was
that Of a well-bred gentleman, reading with marked
force and propriety TO large circle in the drawing
room.
The composition of his lecture was mastery. Graph
ic, terse, pointed, sepigranmatic Astounding in keen
flashes OF wit alternately COY and pathetic displayed
the subtle perception Of character and condensed
vgor of expression which Distinguish Thackerey above
most shall we not say all modern writers of fiction
No report can do anything like justice TO the numerous
felicities of the lecture Their effect would be ruined
by changing one word Of the language. we might as
well transmute the inmitable dialogue OF fendenni'
into an article for daily columns as TO atteHptto re-
produce the brilliant hnOr and contentious criticisms
of this unrivaled specimen of literary art faint
sketch Of some Of the heads of discourse must suffice
Our readers.
Mr. Thackeray began by saying that he intended to
dwell more upon the lives Of the authors he about
TO discuss than their writings and though treating of
humorists the audience not expect to meet with
much hurnor in his descriptions. Though Harlequin
caused sport 10 oihere he was too often sad himself
SWIFT the subject of the present lecture, who so often
calls forth the laugh Of the reader furnishes one the
most melancholy histories than the biography oil Eng
lsh authors can furnish Mr. Thackeray then pro-
ceeded with an account of the early life Of Swift his
connection with his patron Sir William Temple, and
oh sdad ntur v arid
temperament into confirmed misanthropy Swift was
born In Ireand-thi is corainbui he had nothing Irish
sbout him-he was no more lrishman than a child
ofEngsh parents born in Calcutta was IIindoo You
cannot conceive of Goldsmith steele anything but
Irshmen-but Swift was an Engishman in gran-hc
loved Engand--English its--English life--lni
deemed his residence in Ireland exile. You may
admire Swift writer but what his personality
Was he that you would have liked to live withi
Bring him to this te he stands before you in uuuttera
bic odioufness. If you had met him inferior, he
would have bullied scorned and outraged you. IfyOu
hadstood up before him q man, lac would have
Idly chunk back, Quacd before your eye aud been
afraid to answer you--but he would never forget
the wound, and though years had elapsed, would
be down upon you with an epigrams lying in
wat Tor your steps amid the filth Of the sewer, and
dealing you a blow, when YOU least expected it,
HOh 80 "'Aey oiuugton ii YOU huu bpth iOAuf hO
wodld have fawned at your feet Of your errands
asyou bid him. and then his hat before your wife
md daughters in clustering bravado, the reward Of
ais servces Swift was thorough skeptc Ia religion
lie advised Gay the author of the "Beggars Op IRA"
TO gointo the Church for the sake of livelihood. But
at times he suffered horribly from the consequence of
his skeptcism. For he had CLEANS of religion shining
through the darkness Of his hypocrisy Even he
could love and prey. Through the storms of
his dark nature, the stars of devotion and love
broke out in the blue sometimes, though oa.
secured again by the driving tempests CT his lifc.ln
the close of the lecture Mr. Thackcay described the
relations of Swift with Stella and Vancssa drawing an
exquisite miniature portrait Of Stella az a model of
feminine loneliness and grace and depicting the
TIC eouse Of her history with few effective touches
Of heart rending pathOs.
The lecture received by the audience with that
profound attention which shows intelligent appre-
eiation better than all outward signs though several
Of It's most admirable passages could not be heard
without ntenupting the prevailing intense stiffness Of
the honse