The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-12-03
PROFITS OF LEcTUR1Na.

The Cleveland Leader says: With
reference to the profits of our lecture
courses, it must be said that most of
them are failures And this is no
mean consideration, for undertaken
as they are in nine cases out of ten for
the benefit of library associations,
christian associations and similar be-
nificent institutions, their success is a
matter of public interest. Why is it
that in a majority of cases they are
not peeuniarily profitable The eau
ses. are mainly the disinclination of
the public to hear new lecturers, which
limits the field to avery few lecturers,
and the exorbitantIy high prices which
these few men who have achieved pop
ularity demand. Associations thus
find themselves between the Scylla of
audiences and the Charybdis of lee
turers. If they invite Phillips or
Beeeher or Agassiz or Miss Dickinson,
they have. to pay price which, at
loast in our smaller towns. swallows
up the receipts if they invite cheap
er and less notorious lecturer, their
audiences fail to appear, and they
have no receipts at all. The prices
now charged by our most popular lee
turers are immense. 3, Miss Dickinson
has raised her charge to 5000 a lecture.
Phillips asks the same amount, and
both lecturers have all they want to
do during the season, even at these
prices Cough is content with $3.50.
Tilton, Beecher and Curtiss charge
the same. Willitt asks from 500 to
$125, according to. the size of the town
in, which he speaks. Nasby, Emerson,
-Bayard Taylor, Holland, General How
ard, E. P. Whipple, Youmans, and
many others ask 500. Nobody of
any repute, in the lecture field pre-
tends to ask less than $75. These pri-
ces are utterly disproportionate to lit
erary labor in other fields: Mr.. Phil
lips, for instance, speaks each winter
five nights in week for at least TWEEN
ty, weeks in the year, say one hundred
nights. For this he receives the
round sum Of $4,000; His expenses
for, the, four months thus employed
would be literally estimated at $4,000,
leaving a profit of $4,000 The same
lecture, if, profered to the At1autic
!
Monthly for publication, would be
lliberally paid for at $500. The dis.
parity is obvious. It will hold good
llK4jitth With every one of Of our popular lee
yHrers' anoIas fnsdj no;JIoqGE Hna
Ieudt may be, said on the other hand
that so long as, these fleetprers find
their time, abundantly occupied al
these prices, they have no business te
Task less, and perhaps this may be true
of fIspme half dozen, or a dozen of the
most popular. = But there. are many
who have, attained some popularity
and, would meet with much greater
success if instead of charging SIS te
500 they would content, themselves
with, from $50 to $50, If the custom
were prevalent of reducing the prices
j iof, this second grade OF our lecturers
many. lecture. courses might be made
self sustaining which are not now, ant
the lecturers themselves would fnC
their engagements multiplying SO rap
idly as to atone for the peeuniary los
on a single one. We hope that SOM
SUCH reform as this may be introduced
Else we fear the discentinuance to-
great extent of. our lecture system.
,; The word independence is United t.
: the accessory ideas Of dignity and vir
! the. The word dependence is rnite'
| to tile ideas Of inferiority and corrup
) tion.-Benthan,,. l' ''-.-.' ''.l1 i''i ''-t'
4 JUSTICE is the bread of the nation
TITS always hungry for it.-Chdtedt'
4 6stdnd. ''i ."'-. ' -.'.Aa!'',''
e '' Those who lament for fortune d
: not often lament for themselves
k 4oltddaa.. !" .l'A 9ti' 10 -'iDi'''. orr
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