The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-12-22

Lecture by the Rev. Matthew Hale Smith.
The Rev. Matthew Hale Smith delivered o lecture
last evening at the Ftyt rd street Baptist church.
for the benent and support Of the church and the
relief OF the poor. The audience was rather slim;
but this fact did not seem TO AFFECT the
speaker any way unfavorably- The subjecs
OF the lecture was sour Times and Old Times.s
Upon being introduced the reverend lecturer sad;-
We are told that three thousand years ago croakeB
nourshed, and loud In their praise Of the past
and ever complaining OF the present; and 1t Is ono
OF the commonest things OF our day TO decry every
thing OF our generation and gorfy the dim pasI to
disparage what ID and magnify what has ceased
to be. History, however enables Us TO see whether
we are moving on or going back-nghtiug the old
battles and going round and round as 1t were.
People say, I'VE wish we had thu old times. Now,
every age must b measured by It's own light and ts
own standard. and l<hink, II we make the CONTRAST
that CDR age Will DO found the finest, nobest and
best that the world has ever seen. The fss
pound Of ten that was carried to Eng
land was made q present to Queen Eiza-
beth, and the way she cooked II was b5 boiling IL
In q pot strsinIng on the water, which was thrown
Was i;h snJ rss man who smoked tobacco aud Vas
well soused By his servant, VINO thought ne was 0n
fire. Tne Elizabethian cottages we near 50 much
OF nowadays had only one room, were bare AMI coid
and ut the real levees II consderded an extray
agance to have the moor carpeted with straw. And
to-da and you can tell whether you IN country
where the Bible Is read. The Bible gives you ciy,lL
cation, ane buildings, schools colegcseyerything.
One OF the evidences Of advancement ~ connected
with tmyel and the means Of travel. Take syria To-
day, where Is little else than barbarism and co n
pare with snsass q ms sy s was
there were railroads there until within a iew
years. II was English and Yankee religion that
brought them there. In the time Of Elizabeth state
scosch was not good ~ Jersey farmers Ok team.
man would make more fuss long ago to coma
frsm Vermont 70 New YORK tnan No c wogia
me Second there was no place so u-s,e as
London; It was dark, there was no police
you were liable to be robbed and assassinatcd with
lmpunity. and an insane fellow VINO proposed 10
light city by putting light In every ninn EoIse
was denounced ~ dangerous innovator Aow
day, not made Tor kings and mobiles, but.!or tie
people, To tighten labor and FalU -tqb. S3o14nnf.
we can ,s now control ,ss a diseases ~ e
the present day In all civilized countrfepfy 4sieen
years more than 1t was. There were no Nurgtoha
Long ago Du' ne p - ss dunn me a'eT The are
speak and the blind TO read, and insanity, which
used to be deemed incnrabe, Is now successfully
treated In our asylums. When IL was proposed .
stop the small pox by introducing vaccine the people
rose against 1t and said, III you attempt tnts You
will turn us into cattle" Inc LECTURER sPeka
poorest man In this CITY could give ms son as gOOH
an education queen Victoria could give her son
The noble bssous thai wrung tne cnafter irvm y :
time any man who read the LORDS Prayer WAS IA.
titled to certain emo umenss from the Crown
the Kings library, at oxford. there Is HiWs IN
which Queen Mary wrote the fol- v, ag;--
This book was gave to the King and me ut ,r corO-
nation" The lecturer next touched on the lberaLJ
of our age, the free tolerance OF all sysy vi rck-
gion and the great and enlightened hug anty when
everywhere prevails During the delv cry or the leo
| ture the audience were frequently CONFUSED WIN
sar,ts and pract ces OF tae New ,nrsnIors sal on
4 conouling was heartily appl~ .dsJ