The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-06

together.
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The Lecturing Season-Whoicsale Boring.
| OF all metropolitan epidemics, the lecturing
fever is the worst; of all bores, the professional
lecturer is the most terrible. To manufacture
such an article it is only necessary to have GER
tain amount of notoriety, which can be easily
obtained by swndling your friend or debauch-
ing your neighbours wife; modicum of what
our New England brethren call the gift of the
CAB; half a dozen books of ready reference, and,
the grand requisite of all, degree of impu-
dence which will stand any amount of outside
pressure. With these requisites, the first class
lecturer may start on his travels fully prepared,
in his own opinion, to enlighten the people of the
provinces. Were the lecturing operations con-
fined to the rural districts, where the people look
upon the philosopher who Eliminates the Ly.
ceum in consideration of L" twenty-five dollars
and expenses paid" as sort of show, like the
circus, or menagerie or negro singers, we should
have no particular interest in it,
But while we are quite willing that our coun-
try cousins should have their lecturers in peace:
we, on the part Of the metropolis must seriously
protest against such flood of literary dishwater
as that which was last week poured out upon
five or six city audiences, limited in numbers,
but grand in endurance. 1t has been our melan-
choly duty to read careful reports of all these
illusions, and our readers have shared our labors
to q certain extent. Once in while there is a
grain Of wheat in the chat, generally CLEANED
from some other philosophers feld.l These grains
we have preserved, after the manner of the fly in
amber; as for the rest, it is totally unworthy of
more than a mere mention, and that only for the
purpose of showing up several arrant humbugs
and literary charatans, whose audacity and pre-
tension are insulting to the repute of our city.
That the public is of our mind, may be ascer-
tanned from the fact that in no case last week
did one of the lecturng lights attract respecta-
BILE audience, SO far as numbers are concerned.
Even the invitation of such profound scholars
and philosophical consultations as those who
originated the peoples Lectures could not
attract people to the Academy to hear Massa
Greeley lecture on "Great Men"-and this
Notwithstanding the puff preliminary in the
bills, which states that the committee be-
lieved that this lecture would prove zone
of the most valuable and brilliant of the
SERIES" The public evidently disagreed with
the Committee altogether or else had a
bad opinion of the "serlcs," fur tho attendance
was limited The savants were wrong and the
public right. The lecture was a collection of Or
binary commonplace, such as might have orr
ginated with the leader of a country debating
society upon some such important question as
(Which is the greatest man--Massa Greeley
or the Chevalier Webb?" This committee
are, according to their announcement, the self
elected teachers Of the people in literary scienti-
fic and artistic matters No doubt they are quite
capable to fulfil the task they have undertaken.
and their recent brilliant selection is quite
sufficient to satisfy the most skeptical person
on that point.
Another curious lecture Of the week was that
of " Reverend y gentleman whose alleged
breaches of the seventh commandment made
such stir in Boston some time ago. The
subject was "The Powers of the Repub-
lic''-a production in the style of the baccalau-
reate essays with which our academic youth are
wont to soothe the summer slumbers of long suf-
fering friends. This philosophers capital, as
lecturer, is the notoriety he attained when
tried for adultery, and the impudence of the
man in trading upon it is sublime. Another
curious genius is the distinguished theatrical
Count who has left the society of European
monarchs, and so on to infict all his tediousness
upon u.s. The Counts address was nominally
upon Louis Napoleon and George Washington
but, as these persons are evidently Of secondary
Importance to the Count, as compared with him
SELF the lecture was chiefly devoted to his own
adventures, which were served up in every style.
1t is cheering to know that the great Lafayette
laid his hand upon the shoulder of the Count
five and twenty years ago, and doubtless gave
him sixpence refreshing likewise is the an
nouncement that the Count once took glass o.
wine with Mr.. Webster, who abhorred thin pota-
tons but, grander than all is the announce
ment on the part of the Count, that If any one
thinks he ought not to wear foreign decorations
be will dash them in pieces For this and
another instance Of selfsacriGcing patriotism
when the Count, as he says, gave up four thou
sand year rather than serve foreign govern
ment, we are afraid that the American people
viii never be sufficiently grateful
The next Hercules in the lecturing field is
metropolitan editor, who, in speaking before 30
ciety of mechanics, took the remarkably appro-
pirate subject of Questionable Society" He made
double success First, the audience laughed;
and, second, the lecturer proved that he knew
nothing of his subject. His view of society
goes back at least fifteen years, during which
time he has been engaged In producing news
papers, which always died either in process of
partuIition, or at very tender age. The gods,
II there be truth in the proverb, must love
.nese paintings very much, and he might de-
liver very amusing and interesting lecture
upon his newspaper experiences. The art and
mystery Of killing journals has never yet been