Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-01-19
LOCAL NEWS.

| NIX OhEhLh1 ) LEClUKS.-1DUut one OuE-
dred and fifty people probably, attended the
Lecture of the Hon. Horace Greeley, at the
Methodist Episcopal Church, last night; they
were mostly radicals, advanced and moderate,
including Judge Underwood, Parson Hunnicuit
and others, well-known to fame, but we observ-
ed Confederate brigader general, quite a
number OF other Confederate officers and sol
diers, and some other prominent Southern men
among the audience
Mr. Greeley is a large, rather fine looking old
gentleman, with very white hair, and but that
his face is shorter and wider, would bear 4
striking likeness to Bishop McGill, Of Rich
| We got 10 after he did, and so can say wheth
| er he wore the renowned aghlte hat but white
ouercoat he certainly had, and pretty old one
too ; it looked as though it might have served
black, much more fashionable and heater than
We had supposed the philosopher ever wore.
| At fifteen minutes before eight clock, he
rose, and vas introduced by Judge underTood,
began by saying that he presumed That popular
| lectures, as system, were not as well under
stood 10 Virginia as in the North, and 10y ex
planning their origin Forty years ago, he said,
lectures were devoted entirely to scientific sub
jects from this they had passed, through the
instrumentaIiy Of literary societies, to literary
and general subjects, and now thirty or forty
per cen, Of the best minds in tie North devote
part Of their time, during each winter, to lee
turing Unfortunately, he thought, people
had sought tor amusement through lectures,
and hey had thus lost somewhat Of their IN
fuence; but he still hoped that the lecture
stand would yer become u. powerful Instrument
for good His idea was tohave every mGn who
was eminent in any art or science, or who had
anything important to communicate to the pub
lie, to give them his best thoughts; it matter
cd not whether his ideas suited his hearers or
rot; in most cases they would probably not be
acceptable but the object of listening to a
lecture was to enable the auditor to rejldge his
own judgments, aud correct, if he finds it ne
csssary his preconceived notions.
He had been in the habit of devoting some
part of rather cusy life to lecturing himself,
except for the last FIVE years, during which so
many exciting topics had constantly engaged
his time and attention He supposed he should
have had . larger audience, but that it was gen.
orally thought that he would lecture on poi'i
cal topics this he seldom did, not because he
thong ht it improper, but because, having other
and superior methods of giving his political
views to the public, he preferred treating
other subjects in the lecture desk. lie would
| proceed, therefore, to read lecture, rather an
old one, on SELF MADE MEN.
We were prepared for singular delivery on
| Mr.. Greeley's part, and in this we we're not
disappointed, for lie reads and speaks in dis
agreeable, drawing manner; which would ruin
almost any other lecturer, at once, but we Ger
taiDly did not expect the style Of composition
which we heard. We had supposed from what
we had seen Of Mr. Greeley editorial writings,
that his diction would be ! lain and practical:
bat on the contrary Us soon as he commenced
reading the lecture proper, his style became
constrained, and his language what might be
called high flown, if we might not even apply
toit the slang phrase "h!jalutin the origi-
naty of bis ideas, alone, redeemed the discourse.
He began with foWery description Of the
mammoth pines Of California, (pronounces the
word diameter, ;'deeameter lie compared
them with Niagara and its grandeur of sound;
Mt Blanc, and its sublimiy Of height; with
| Rome and Venice, and their suh!imity Of ruin
and desolation, and preferred them to all even
| St. Peters, grand as it was, seemed to need
crowd of worShipers to com plete its effect on
the mind but these old trees were themselves
grand, needing no adjunct to raise The mind 10
lofty thoughts He then compared the lonely
oak Of the New England field, and the tropical
palm tree The oak looked solitary and seem
| ed to have hard lot amid the rocks and
SHOWS, but transplant it to more genial cline
and its strength and usefulness would be lost.
Franklin was the best example Of SELF made
men he was not a genius his passage from
the poor tallow chambers shop in Boston, to
the gilded saloons Of Versailles, was So gradual,
that no man could say when he ceased to be
| poor, humble and unknown 1t was net
Gates victory that achieved American indie
| pendence but it was the French alliance, and
that gave us Yorktown; Franklin's popularity
| in Paris gave US the French alliance. and would
he have had that popularity had he never been
poor printer; had Yale and Harvard con
ferred upon him those degrees at twenty.
which they rather superAuously did at fifty?
He thought not; for franklin would hardly
have been the man he was, but for the strug-
giles of his youth. He admired Washington,
but he must place Franklin above him. Wash
ington had grandeur and dignity about him,
which no. other man had he did what no other
| man could have done but Franklin did 50