The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-05
George Francis Train at irving Hall.

About four hundred people, embracing
many OF our most wealthy citizens, assem-
blcd last evening at Irving Hall to hear a
lecture by George Francis Train in aid OF
the Southern Relief Fund. Mr.. Train, on
taking the platform, was greeted with loud
applause. He said he wished TO speak on
many subjects, but he did not know which,
or when, or what. Some Of the ladies had
riven him everything but politics; an-
other had said that he must not touch
upon science or philosophy; another
wished him to say something about foreign
travel, and still another that he must talk
upon English affairs. He would ask them
10 select the subject. (Several voices
England.") He had some peculiar no.
tions about England. One was that
England was not our mother lana.
It was Vespusius and Columbus that
first came 10 this country, and they
were Italians. Who was 1t that ilrHt
settled New York The Dutch. Who settled
New Jersey! The Swedes. Who settled
MARYLAND The Irish; and the French had
settled Louisiana, and the SpaniardS Flo
rida. From the Atlantic to the Pacihc we
would find that there was not ten per cent.
of English blood in our veins. England IS
only our grandmother. Laughter IL
was time to break up this todyism. lie
had seen it when dining at English tables.
The American ceased to be an American
abroad, and was always aping English Gus
toms. The Americans were the most dill
fidcnt people in the world ; but the English
were continually boasting Of the Supc-
riority OF everything English. But when
he went there he was bound to changc the
case and become plaintiff himself. he
went to an English dinner, and they boast ed
about the national debt. He wanted to
know what right they had to monopolize
the national debt; We would have ma
tional debt that would make them ashamed
of themselves. Laughter. They compll-
mented him because he spoke good English
He spoke several languages, but he spoke
American best. 1t was peculiar how the
English used this language. We had given
them q grammar and dictionary to learn
them how to speak-for Lindley Murray
and Webster were both AmericanS-but Il
YOU went down into Lancashire and ork-
shire you could hardly understand a WORD
they said. A little five year-old American
could speak better English than they
When be got over there, he found that
England had ruled us by two halls-Exc
ter Hall and Freetrade Hall. Politically
we were severed; but We got all our ideas
from England, and even the clothes we
wore on our backs; and after observing
this, he felt like offering the following reso
luton
Rssolved, That secession (that was Eng
lish), that abolition (that was English), tina
Freedmen's Bureauism, that State sove
reiguty Chey were English), and the mill
tary reconstruction bill, were all meat:
from the same political sausage, made out
of the same English dog. [Laughter.l
He thought it was shame to send WOO
from Nebraska to New York, aud thel
ship it to Liverpool, and then send 1t t
Manchester, and then pay the cost OF max
ing il into clothes and shipping it through
Liverpool back to New York, and thel
back to Nebraska, for the shepherd to pu
on his back. Travel was a royal road t.
knowledge but when he began to trave
he had to dispel some former notions h
had imbbed. His grandmother told hin
that if he wanted to travel and become
great man, he must observe some things
One was, not to drink liquor; another was
not TO smoke cigars another, not TO che'
tobacco but imagine his astonishmen
when he went to Washington and foun
that all the great men of the day wer
drinking, smoking, chewing, lying, cheat
ing. swearing, stealing, and doing othe
things that he was brought up not to d.