The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-27
"TRE AMERICAN CONE4ICT."
Nv, Henry Vinoents Lecture at the Academy Of
Music Last Evening--with Some Account
sd TIE Lecturers Even5ul Career.

,aelshia audience. The Academy was fairly
flled and the audience, in point of intelligence
was one Of the finest which we ever remember
70 have seen.
The speaker being comparatively unknown in
this country, we deem the present occasion an
oppoItune one for giving the public some ac-
count of his career.
The Career OF Henry Vincent.
Mr.. Vincent was the son of silversmith and
was born in London about the year 1916.
Being left an orphan at the age of fourteen, he
was then apprentced to a printer in the to wn
of Hull, remaining with him until he attained
his majority. In his early boyhood he imbibed
the most radical sentiments, and at fifteen was
member of the council of the Hull Political
Union His apprenticeship over, he returned
70 London with his mother, and became at once
leader in all the reformatory and philan-
thropic movements which were at that time agl-
Mating the country. He brought to the cause of
reform on untirlng zeal, and, above all, most
persuasive style OF eloquence. At the time OF
The great Chartist demonstration in 1889, he
was found in the leading ranks. This was the
objectionable sin for which he was arrested,
thrown into prison. and there detained until
lS4l. The attention of Parliament was at last
drawn to his case by Sergeant Talfourd, then
which followed resulted in the Queens being
advised to grant him full pardon.
Mr.. Vincent came forth from his prison walls
10 6Dd himself an idol of the English people.
Before his release from imprisonment, he had
been proposed as q candidate for Parliament
from the town of Banbury. To the electors of
THE borough he addressed an eloquent circular,
dated "Oakham Gaol, Rutlandshire, November
2l, l840 ," in which we find the following SEN
tenCes:-
"COuntrymen, write in prison. Day after
day my body drags upon the same monotonous
career; but my mind scornfully deies the po ger
OF the tyrant and pleasngly specuates upon
principles which will yet shake our crazy and
Every honr of my Imprisonment fortihes my
mind for further action; and whenever itplelses
the Almighty to restore me to liberty, no exer-
tion shall be wanting on my part to open the
eyes Of the ignorant and deluded to improve
the vicious and the drunken, to rouse the aoa-
thetic, and confirm and give confidence to the
enthusiast, and TO join cordially with the wise
and good who are resolved upon making
grand, perseverng, and peaceful struggle for
real representative government, the paramount
object OF which shall be to ditfuse amongst all
classes of the people the greatest attliAable
amount of human happiness
This address has been the keynote to his sub
sequent career. AS matter of course, he was
defeated as candidate for Parliament meeting
with the same fate when he subsequently stood
for York, Ipswich, and Tavistook. But from
the moment of his first defeat he has been IN
firing and unceasing in his efforts to stir the
hearts of the English people in the cause of
enlightened reform. His nedium of communi-
cation with the people has been the same
which he has adopted in this country-that
Of public lectures; and it is said that
there is scarcely hamlet in the three king
doms where he has not spoken at least once
during the twenty five years which have elapsed
since his release from Imprisonment. His great
Colaborer in this special work has been George
Dawson, of Birmingham; aud these two have,
FOR quarter OF a century, stood at the head of
popular English lecturers. And during all this
Hme he has labored stea lilly in forwarding all
She measures of the extreme Liberal party
enjoying the friendship and cooperation of
such sterling reformeps as Golden, Bright
Joseph Hume, and Sir Joshua Walmsley.
In addition to all this, he has taken leading
part in securing the repeal of the English Corn
laws; in aiding the Hungarian and Italian
Revolutions; in forwarding the objects of the
Peace Congresses of Paris, Brussels, Frankfort
and Manchester; in endeavoring to interest the
working classes in the great Worlds Exhibition,
Committee for that purpose; in opposing the
Crimean war; and, finally, in advocating the
cause of the North in the great conflict of eul
own country. In this last cause he is said tc
have delivered at least two hundred lectures il
different parts of the United Kingdom,
Having determin ed to visit the United States
with whose institutions and future career he il
in thorough sympathy, he made his proiec
known to John Bright, and received from tha
gentleman letter dated July 49, 1866 ia which
we find the following passaSes:--
AFTER the warm interest you have iaken il
the restoration of the Union, you will delight t
see the work Ia process OF completion and
doubt not you will find many persons to whoa
your name and labors are well known hopt
you will come back full of knowledge on thi
great question, so that you may employ you
great powers of speech in making England un
derstand what EDglshmen IN America hay
done to make instruction as universal as al
and water are.'
On the evening of November l6, Mr.. Yiacen
made his first appearance before New YorI
audience, lecturing in the Cooper Institute to
large and enthusiastic assemblage.
MIR. Vincent's Lecture Last Evening.
At the appointed hour last evening Mr. Vim
cent appeared at the Academy of Music, ant
was appropriately introduced by Colonel JOIN
W. Forney. Throughout the address whicl
followed, the speaker was repeatedly interrupte,
by applause, which at times was fairly enthus
astc. Especially when he referred to tn
martyred Lincoln, his hearers were deepl
affected, and more than one handkerchief wa
brought into requisition. Mr.. Vincent's addrss
was substantially as folloWs;-
The snealrer said he would not venture ON An