The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-01

Civilizations over the Fry verdict The inHdels
Of the Tribune, the twaddlers of the Times,
and the abolition poets of the Post, upon this
very judgment, tor their various libels upon in
dividuals and associations could each be thrown
into a condition calling for the relief of the
bankrupt law. Perhaps we may have change
IN their music by-and-by. In any event, when
they shall come to be judged according to the
general settling up in the Fry case, they may
count upon our sympathy and commiseration.
The LECTURE SYSTEM IN New YoRK-We re-
Gently adverted to the lecture system in New
York, and exposed its hollow humbug. Every
days experience confirms our views. On
Thursday evening Bourcicault, whose lectures
are really interesting, had miserably small
audience. Gavazzi had thinner attendance;
but the thinnest Of all was at the lecture of
Erastus Brooks, who was honcred with the
presence of fifty individuals. It is not to be
wondered at that SO few attended lecture of
Brooks, no matter what the subject might be
Much could not be expected from him. The lee
ture he delivered was q complete vindication Of
the good judgment and sound common sense Of
the people in keeping away. Never was such
silly nonsense exhibited before public audi
ence in New York. The report presents q COM
pound Of laundering statements, purporting to
be facts but in reality the very reverse of the
sober realities of historical record. Gavazzi
lectured against the Catholic religion. and, not
outstanding the recent "no-Popery" excite
ment, he, too, was doomed to have a very poor
attendance though it was his farewell lecture,
previous to crusade in Europe. Nobody will
feel astonished at Brooks lecturing to empty
benches; but that Bourcicault whose "winter
evenings" are SO entertaining, and that Gavazzi,
under the strong stimulus of religious fanati-
cism, should be deserted, is singular fact that
challenges the attention OF every reader What
is the cause? Why is it that the lecture system
has so declined of late? We recollect the time
oil the rage and anything in the shape OF
lecture was sure to draw crowd, at twenty
five cents, or even fifty cents head. Now
this is all changed and the best and most anus
ing lecturers cannot attract audiences that
will pay. What, we again ask, is the cause Of
the failure Of the lecture system?
The plain unvarnished truth is, that file bu-
siness has been overdone, like IKE other
branches of trade. The succes " eally good
lecturers kindled into life whole swarms of the
genus, and all sorts of men lcctured upon all
sorts OF subjects. The people were literally
deluged with a food Of everlasting trash.
Vague platitudes, sickly sentimentality, and
pompous pretension, were substituted for we'll
ascertained facts. the deductions OF reason,
and the artistic investigation of the beautiful
and the true. Useful books in which the reader
might find the various subjects treated satisfac-
torily, were mangled and mutilated, and their
contents dished up, sometimes in the very words
OF the authors, and sometimes in b0mbastic
language, such as no decent writer ever used.
The files Of the daily newspapers were put
under contribution, and the stale hash served
up with perfect nonchalance. Such was
the extent that this literary charletanism cal
culated upon the ignorance, gullibility, and bad
memory Of the audience. The flippancy of some
Of these pretenders in running over ground on
which the most profound men Of this or any
other age have trodden with caution and doubt,
would be extremely amusing, were it not for
the pernicious consequences Of the perilous stuff
with which they dosed the rising generation
According to their own account of themselves
they not only know all things but know them
better than anybody else. To cap the climax.
"strong-minded" women gave lectures when
they ought to be at home mending their hus-
bands stockings or nursing their babies The
rights and wrongs of the sex were handled with
. ferceness and o coarseness that suggested
nature had made mistake in their gender.
This could not last forever. The cheat by
degrees became understood. The people found
out that attendance upon such lectures was not
only waste of time and money, but calculated
to corrupt their taste and deceive them by false
hood. The public appetite became surfeited
and disguised, discredit was brought on the
lecture system, and that feeling is every hour
gaining ground, SO that even men of talent,
scholarship and research can no longer COM
mand an audience. Occasionally, lecturers Of
genius and distinction bring together crowd
to hear them. But they are the exceptions to
the general rule and the inevitable fixed fact
is, that the public mind is sick of the diabolical
trash that has been SO long palmed off upon it
in the shape Of lectures. Hence, even what is |
instructive, and interesting, has no
attraction when presented in that form. The !
very name of lecture has begun to stink in the |
nostrils of the American people. This system |
of humbug had become inflated like shining |
bubble, but it has now burst and vanished into |
thin air.
The UNION ON CoALITIoNs.-The Union is |
shocked at the idea of coalition between Mr..
Everett and Mr. Charles Sumner. 1t asks, |
where is candor, whore is decenoy, or, in the |
absence of both, where is shame?"-the alb |
scence of these last virtues being abundantly |
established by the fact that Messrs. Everett and |
c. h,tb @oJ Co. T,,o