Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-01-11
NO. ~.
For tie Spectator.
December 29tb, 1868.

| December 29tb, 1865.
| Messrs Editors In looking over the city
papers / find frequent mention made OF the
"Lecture Season, OF the distinguished gentlemen
who have thus far in the season feasted their au-
diences with the humorous, the profound, and
the metaphysical Why is it that town, boast
ing SO many advantages in ether points ofview,
is totally without any facilities for entertainment
| in this respect. Can no audiences be allured
from their homes to enjoy such performances
Does the town want SO much in that thirst ior
| intellectual qualification, which distinguishes
places of less note, that it will cherish no proJ
ect of the kinda Are there no men within our
own corporation who have the capacity 10 en-
tertan an audience2 Surely none OF these thiogs
are so. Why then are We not favored WIN
something in this. line to while away the tediu9l
of the long winter eyenipgsi know there 10
enough appreciative talent in Staunton TO value
choice literary productions; and know, 100,
that this talent would be greatly developed un-
der the influence of such efforts. Shall we not
then have lectures propose, if there is pre
company in town-and believe there Is one
that that company originate series OF lectures.
Do you not want some new machinery, young
menf If so, can you not secure the services of
some of your lawyers ministers or teachers, 70
lecture for you st twelve and halt ceLts per
night2 / am sure an institution such as yours,
which looks to the safe repose OF every good
citizen of tie town, would meet with marked
encouragement And then not only your com
pany would reap an advantage from such
series of discourses, but every intelligent man
and woman in the town would feel under oDil-
cations to you for the entertainment these lee
lures would afford. At the Maryland Institute,
Baltimore, such course of lectures has been
kept up every winter season for years past, and
the people of Baltimore would hardly now know
how to spend winter without their accustom-
ed lectures. Charles st. NJ Z. Church has also
enjoyed similar advantages, for the purpose OF
raising funds tor noble purpose. New York
and Philadelphia, and, indeed, every town north,
Which can muster few thousand inhabitants,
fail not to improve their winter seasons in this
manner. We complain that all orr school books
arc published North. We get up Southern Con-
yentons and offer strong inducements for men
to write, and labor for the advancement OF
Southern literature and yet we are so lazy that
we will neither write, lecture, or do anything
else to stimulate our people to make intellectual
advancement. Unless we pursue other methods
to develope the latent talent of our people: un-
less we excite in them an ambition for higher
enioyments than such as are afforded by the
gaining table, the bar rccn, the horse race, the
shooting match, the political quarrel, and the
thousand other worthless diversions which make
up the sum total of the employments OF South
ern gentry-we had jnst rs well quit holding
humbug Conventions, and cease to afford the
world the sorry spectacle of gaseous etferves-
cence. 1t is really humiliatng TO see the utter
worthessness of Southern young men. lake
your position with me for half an hour upon the
corner of eadirg street in any OF our princi-
pal towns and will show you in the first half
dozen young men that pass that way, e type OF
of the youth OF our sunny South"
The first who passes us by shall be well dress
cd youth, with hat turned little to one slue,
and gently dropping toward the horizon;
large mustache shall adorn his superior labial;
a five cent cigar shall be lodged in the corner
OF his mouth; stout cane shall adorn his right
hand. He has lofty air. lie is dressed in
the latest style. You edge little to ole side,
and feel much humbled in the presence of your
condescending superior. He makes you feel his
greatness You next hear lIim at pulitivel
meeting talking loudly of Southern rights, and
Northern oppression. All would be very well,
could you believe the man all he processes to
be but alas! these men want the elements OF
character to carry out in practice what they
profess in public Such is not the material to
make MS richer or wiser. We must have men
at the helm of affairs who will do more than
smoke cigars, drink whiskey. and utter impotent
threats, to which their energy can never give
efficacy. Let US, once for all, quit braggiDg.-
Let as do, do, should be the watch word Of ey-
cry man. But to what does all this tendi-
Why simply, let us have q series of good lee
lures this winter to begin with. Let our young
men be told that life is rea life is earnest, and
that to mould the destinies Of nation it wants
more than the idle words Of Wanting politicians
it requires energy Of will and mind to the
work. | do believe much might be done to di-
vert the minds of our young men from their va
grant habits, by setting before them, in series
Of good, sound, philosophical lectures the ends
of life PROGRESS.