The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-03-20

CLARA BAaroN's LEcrURE.-Onr CORES.
pondents, critical either upon the keokuk
public, or upon the lecture or lecturer OF
Wednesday evening, have left us little pace
for critique Of our own. But, sspr.n''s'
nJoues . lectures Miss Barton for s'n'A. !, =
improper times and places. wen, 1870
Jones, my boy, if there be one 'n'ne NOR
than another that we don't Ike g oos = = 2
make public remarks about me penonsi
ne.r.nce Of ladies. It isn't dignahed Or
n,oner And so, following Jones, shall the
.d;,or of the GATE thus offend | Heaven for
bid, And yet you are laboring under amen
tire MISREPRESENTATION, Jones. Miss Barton Is
too much in earnest to smile. She has too
much sense to shipper. Like Henry Clay
and other orators, she hasa large mouth, and
in Speaking II gives peculiar expression 70 per
face, but she doesn't shipper as you seem 70
think. II isn't in her character to do u me
work that she hns done has disciplined he1 in'o
other thoughts and modes than that. ! nefe
is a slight artificiality and afieetaoon III oe'
vo;ee in The Grst passages Of her lecture.
Tba, doesn't grow out Of any afectaslon IN
harsa,f. she knows she is expected to lee
,nre she would rather simply tell her earn
es,. serious and often sad story but she Is
upon the platform and that constrains ner'
From the deficient culture IN the mere arts
of oratory, she fails ia the start 20 get hef
voice in harmony with the words she nt'efs.
But, that ia The merely mechanical part o.
tho erordum. She enters soon upon the
fall tide of her story; of her days and nights
of na,niaI watching and laborlng upon the
6elJ Of the second Bull Run fight, and OF
Cbantilly: Of scenes and suffering and earn
aaa and death OF the dead Of South Noun
ta;n and the terrible battle of Antietam =
and the arlifciality has gone from her voice
she isn't lecturing now, but telling oil Inc
brave deeds of the living: and Of relief giv-
en- to The dying and the repose OF the dead.
eha warked all day there, within the lines,
while the fight went on; there was tfe
thunder and shock Of battle, and shells
whistling and bursting overheadr and Inc
crash Of shot once that day while she raised
the head Of wounded soldier to give him
water, ball passed through the sleeve OF
her dress, and through the body OF the sol
der and he fell back dead. 1t was Of scenes
like that she spoke, and yet the nearer
thought only of her work she didnst elorify
herself. There we're passages of thrilling
interest. in her lecture; touching incidents
we'll narrated. fine description impassioned
and genuine eloquence.
Her description of the fight a. Fort Wag-
ner was splendid piece CT word painting !;
vet she isn sufficiently dramatic to give the
description It's fullest and finest effect. Aud
It's pity that the latter and argumen'atise
part OF her lecture isn't omitted. 1t would
add much to the completeness and effective
ness OF the lecture If it were.
We regret that there was no. a house full
to hear her. SIZE would have pleased all her
hearers. Without Anna Dckinson's claims
to ora.ory, Miss Barton is always an interest
lag, fIeqnentlY an eloquent speaker. And
she wins favor, as woman that can talk
gracefully and well. but can work better. A
true, brave, heroic woman, who. without sac
rifeing the delicacy OF her sex, without sac
rifcing any of her womanliness, rent upon
the battle field, and in the hospitals, and to
loaihseme prisons, and into scenes OF horror
and blood and death, wherever men were suf-
fering. or dying, or needing advent with
one steady, Godiike purpose, to minister to
the stricken aud the helpless. Clara Barton
has done the bravesi, noblest work that any
American woman has done; and the keokuk
public, especially the women of Keokuk,
should have more fifty shown their apprecia-
ton OF her labors.