The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-12-23
DIR. BETHUNE,S LECTURE.

He commenced his remarks by referring the technical
meaning of the word lecture Itmeant something that is
read but the general adaptation the term did not con-
fine it to its literal meaning the contrary the popular
idea off hand price Of defamation full flashes OF
rhetoric and rounded periods, which times both
insipd and fiat But there lectures which might be
styled ohjurgatory which delivered rather late
night and which made very impressive from the
fact that all nature at rest the spirit
The present system of ecturng had its origin much
over twenty-five years ago. About that time many
worthy and learned men, in compliance with
the public demand, commenced delivering lectures
not only for the instruction but the entertain
ment, of the audience The mode of giving instruc-
ton by lectures was, however of date Before
the existence of books all information was impaired by
means of lectures The laws which governed a country,
teLes oL le Church ana the doctrines of religion,
were handed down from generation to generation through
TINS means Men who were sages-cmncn for their vir
tues and great intellectual the
oraces OF the people, and from the aars the forums
and seats of power instructed the as regards
"lch governed them or impressed on their minds
the duties which their religion required of them
tculary this mode of teaching adopted in the sanctu
les ana as an assistance to memory, the lectures took
the rythmica form The doctrines of the Church and
the laws OF the country were chaned hymns. The lee
turer here referred to the writings of csiod remarng
that although it was impossible to fix the precise
date at which he lived and wrote, his
writings came nearer Mosaic truth than did all those Of
the classical age. And yet received his ideas from
bards who had lived al period far distant him. and
who, perhaps, were among manknds first lecturers He
then referred to the philosophers later age who
seminated their particular theories iucucaed the
principles Of their religion by means of lectures Ieno
the stole, taught his of the triumph Of the Will
over the flesh and Plato and Epicurus impaired the
youths of Greece their different systems Of plosophy
clothed in all the richness OF classical elegance At
later period Rome and Alexandria filed with leci
turers anxious opportunity to rronuIaate their
doctrines or win fame money lie then to the
great service which the reformation received from
lectures, when the light of Divine Trtb was strnp-
Cling with the darkness of ignorance superstition
The lecturers of old frequently used their power for
bad purposes They the common people in contempt
| n he Fast man a
Christian father had two of doctrincs-One for
wise and learned and the other for the i,nrat ana en-
perstitious and they felt hesitancy in promulganE
these separate doctrines the occasion might REQUIRE
Many hereses crep into the church from these causas
Inc system of lecturing of to-day was however, free
from this fault, although it possessed others fully
as greVious and fully pernciOus effects Men
VINO were the eXponens of "isms, fraught with dan err
took this meas to nsdiousy engraft facious doc
trnes and disseminate their balefuI theories The lee.
urer continued tYoung who have been busy during
the day with their duties, generally too tired to sit
Tor an hour and listen prosy lecture on the urcacie
OF science They required something that would not only
instruct out also amuse and entertain. He did not be-
long to that class who so full of gravity that they
considered it sin to laugh and while Solomon had said
at laughter was the evidence of fool he had also said
that merry heart no evil. He did not believe I'm
the extremes of merrimen and gravity but there was
Juulcous medium, which all men could adopt. The
measure OF man, continued the lecturer not in his
scientific requirements, his great accumulation Of u
FORMATION, but IN his usefulness 1t immaeria how
learned man might be, if he failed apply his ability
Tor the benefit of mankind he less respectable than
the faithful scavenger, who cleansas the streets
The lecturer remembered well the commencement of the
present system ofectures How earnestly and sincerely
the good and of that day entered into This man
ner OF Instructions and the pleasure has afforded men
OF scientific atainments to the lecture room of
the Institute to that of the people lie ten referred r. the
great increase fectures and remarked that though ney
were numbered by thousands yet really the number Of
acceptable and useful lectures did exceed two
score The scarcity of good lecturers from several
causes, and the prir cpa that a difficult
matter to get some men who peculiarly fitted to be
good lecturers to risk their regulations and perhaps fall
through the trapdoor of stand such as he was on
Another reason for their scarcity was, that many
men VINO attempted to lecture not capable Of
uo'ng So put they could not divest Themselves
Of the peculares which belonged to their prorsg-
sions The Reverend divine would be ''preachy in spite
., ilseIi ana ten TO one, before the lecture
cluded, he would address audience AS dear bretr
and perhaps close with earnest amen" The Lawyer
~Uuu De the lawyer sun and special pleading would
hibit itself throughout the lecture The Physician took
his dssectng knife with him and all his endcavors to
the contrary he would talk Of disease and dict until the
audience could nothing but death in anything but
barley water and Cruel The Editor was wrapped IN in
the freedom and power of the press, and no GOOD
could result, enterprise be successful unless
ITS influence was paramount The Politician would
discourse of the humbugs of the ,oy. and tba
great Philanthropis could find nothing humanity wor-
thy of his attention, ancgro and dram M while
the Reformer of Society and Religion finds the idol oCba
admiration in poor devil fortune is i'm hs
knuckles, and with which he has to rap twcntv-four
times to spell lizard The popular lecturer, continued
the speaker is not sermonizer but person who for an
hour is able to instruct and at the amuse lie
does not speak to certain class but to all classes To
the ola and young the grave and gay and it is
der that many fail in their suit the variety
of tastes to which they have He has known in
EtedI acg put VINO had utterly failed Of success
They had all the materials for feast hut did
not understand how to prepare it properly. This
easy matter and it took great study and fine dis
crlminate between what would be palatahlr and
what insipid. The lecturer here told n story Of
n deacon, who wondered his pastor for Iamcntiur
want of time for study The deacon thought it was a
easy thing to preach and Offering he
tle pulpit TO deliver sermon. lie twisted his month
stared at his audience and then broke If any yc
down there think it an easy thing U orh Def ha
up ana Try The lecturer then reteG ID o the ordeal
which each lecturer has to pass through variety If
criticisms to which he subjected and the numerous
tastes which he compelled to please JUDGE Lynch
was not more eXactng than audience, and the uglf
suppressed sneers of the wise the filters Of the young
and the frowns of the old enough to deter men Of
the strongest nerve He also rcerrcd-to the difficulty in
choosing subj for lecture, remarkug that in this
bookiSh age all subjects have heru exhausted and
lecturer is very apt to find after of hat
him much time and labor that there is person in his
audience who knows more about his suIct b9p s a.
and who perhaps, has just finished reading some book i'm
which it has been elaboracly discussed Add son has
said write essay if you wish to find out how little Won
know a subject. The lecturer would saw write lee.
ture instead of essay. lie then referred to the ncon
IN fulfilling their engagements, and the manner in which
they were annoyed by the receipt of letters asking their
good offices in behalf of the Pondtown Lyceum and the
great principles of education general y-remarking ifg
he knew gentleman residing New York cit. who
received, during the lecture season several thousand r
tatlons to deliver lectures Some lecturers, said lie
are very sensitive and keeny alive to misinter
pretation and misrepresentation The reporters Of the
newSpapers-the wseacres Of the community who know
more on all subjects than any body esears always on
hand to report the lecture, and reporting thew
make OF II sometimes. Gross blUDderS and m
representations frequently and often the ccureri5
made to say exactly what he did not saw or indulge in
some flash of rhetoric which he had thought Of He
illustrated the truth of this remark by giving two Incl
dents in his own career, of which had used
the expression, the devil sowing many ares and he
was reported as saying 'the devil saving many trees
On another occasion he had remarked that he was an
eccesiastic Dutchman while the types made him say
that he was an 'ecclesastic deduction" But he had
made 1t rule of his life 10 dispute with a lady or
find fault with editor
The lecturer next alluded to another which di-
number n - s.
owing to the fact that many invited to become
one OF series OF lecturers whose subjects had tendency
to perver the mind and do injury the public and they
clothed with proper phrases that the undscrimi
mating took them for truths. True would not be
found in company with this class lecturers And while
he would not nsnuae augh against the freedom of the
press or the tongue he said that good the right
to close the doors of the sheepfod against the wolf and
refuse to become soopigeOns and dCcoy ducks for the
advantage of those who sought the dissemination of dan
gerous isms. Many refusal lecture was based on
this ground. The speaker closed by paying tribut,
70 the Association, and congratulang upon its pros
periy.
n