The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-03

evidences of bis vitality, but also of the ad
miration of the uneducsted masses for his I'M
mitigated splurges.
OF course the popular lecturers will dis.
sent from any attempt to weaken their pet
system. But IL may be well to inquire who
are those men whose brains are of so much
value in the winter months and so easily dis
pensed with at other times. Who and what
are these profound philosophers who relieve
themselves of such tones of wit and wisdom?
Let US see. William A. Bartlett, who repre-
sents the undignifed pulpit, is shining
light with the lyceum committees. w Bun
gay, of no possible account, belongs to the
circle. DIR. bio Lewis. whose speciality is
gymnastics, and David WATSON, whose forte
consists in writing his highfalutin, are mem
bers. Theodore TIiton is on the list. Horace
Greeley. VIM. Lloyd Garrison, and Wendell
Phillips are ready for more marty rdom-Ed-
mond Kirke Gilmore might possibly be in
duced to squeeze out another dose from his
pretty attenuated stock of ideas. Or, going
higher, Dr. Chaplin and Mr.. Beecher are in the
field for a new campaign. alter having tram
ped the country for years. Bayard Taylor,
too, is not above the money temptation, and
can give prose or poetry at call and all about
the same quality. Miss Anna Dickinson has
not become deaf to the jingling of the guinea,
and is In the market. Grace Greenwood
Lippincott is named for fresh pilgrimage
among the hungry committees. George W.
Curtis and A. l.. Stone continue to delight
and tascinate before hundred dollar audien-
ces. John Il. Cough will intoxicate crowded
houses on very light draughts and at very
| low pricrs. f. L. Whipple, Dr.O.W Holmes,
and Rev. III NJ Dexter Will spread abroad scin-
! tillations from the Bostonlan axis, as for the
! last ten years. George Francis Train, the
Count Joannes, and Stephen Massett are
/ painting Tor iyceum glory ingots. George
Alfred Townsend will enlghten any respec-
table population for cash prices, and Fred.
| Douglass will arouse, thrill, and captivate on
satisfactory terms. And there are doubtless
many more lights which are known TO name
and fame Inthe rural districts, but whose glory
has not yet penetrated to the metropolis
Some are probably very distinguished, and
! heroic TO themselves if not TO others. But
we can enumerate 10 more at present, Our
summary contains the most notorious speci-
mems of the wonderful genus, aud will serve
| to show what class of men hawk their brains
! about from. town TO town.
1t is often the case that a lecture associa-
| ton In country town pays to lecturers dur.
| ing the winter money enough to procure a
handsome and valuable library. And we
suspect that II the lecture-gOing people OF any
! clty or village should measure the amount of
really useful knowledge dispensed in course
of the most popular lectures, they would find
I that they have had almost nothing at all, but
verify diet OF husks. Old ideas are rev.
| amped. Old discourses are brushed up for
new. The very cheapest and most useless
/ literary work is palmed off in return tor an
exhorbItan fee. In fact, 1t Is oratorica
! quackery. The two hours expended upon
such Improbable displays are not to be COM
pared with two hours spent with studied
volume. The people would soon give them
to the go-by II they understood how wishy-
washy, stale and Improbable is The matter
doled out, with Jokes and gYratIous by these
avaraciOus Solons.
Very great is the mistake of any one who
supposes that oratory is all dead, aud that
we have no speakers left but the worn out
lyceum spouters, These 90 up and down
through the land, disgusting refined aud
scholarly men. They weaken their own pow
ers, men, and DO but little If any good
They exact prepOsterous prices, and calculate
10 make from four to six thousand dollars
from production which they could not sell
to any leading review or journal for a sum to
exceed fifty dollars. They play the charla-
tan In every sense of the word, and leave an
unjust idea of American scholarship. They
do no honor 10 themselves or to lite.ature-I
1t may be that the lyceum system Of this |
country has done good In its day. But with
the present intelligence of the people, we
think the day for good has passed. Oratory
is queen that will never be silent in the re- |
public, unless perchanee she falls into the |
hands of mountebanks. Her voice is grand |
at the bar OF Justice, in the halls of legisia- 7.
ton, and in the arena of public dispute. But !
If tempered with too far, she may hold her !
voice silent through all commissions of states |
and people. We would have her strong to |
help on the right, aud mighty towards build |
ing up a dignifed and refined people. Let |
her not be sold out to the travelling declaim- |
ers whose inspiration is their pockets. whose !
ideas are trumped up for sensation, but |
keep her in her imperial place at the foot |
stool of justice, and By the side Of the graces /
DANIEL WEBsrER's CHowDER.-Four table |
spoonfus of onions, fried with pork one quart /
of boiled potatoes, well mashed; one and half /
pounds of sea biscuit, one tesspooniul of thyme |
mixed with one of summer savory A; halt bottle of !
mushroom catsup; one bottle of port or claret |
half nutmeg, grated few cloves, mace aud all |
spice; six pounds of fish, sea bass or cod cut in
slices twenty-five oysters little black pepper /
and few slices oflemon. The whole put in pot |
and covered with an inch of water, boiled for an |
hour and gently stirred.