Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-12-20
Letter from Boston.
sIauIey's Lecture-New England Hospital
Fair-Sewing in the PubIic schools
New Books.
FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT.

man, solidly built, and giving the impression OF
health and strength. He has mass of black
hair, cut rather short, and his peculiar black
eyes and tanned skin make him look as if he
had some Indian blood in him. His story is CT
the strangest, and his way of telling it is extra
ordinary. His voice is clear and good; he
speaks rapidly and without the least embarrass.
ment or hesitation; he is ungraceful and gesticu-
lates great deal, occasionally referring to the
printed pages of his lecture, which lie on the
desk at his side. He ought to, and he might
easily make fascinating narrative of what he
told last evening; he had novel material enough
for brilliant and instructive lecture; but it
is impossible for one who has never
heard him TO imagine his style. He
pours out a food Of fact, fancy, alb
surdity, bombast, vanity, trite quotations and
fiat morality; vivid bits of description and at
tempts at poetry that no burlesque could equal;
and running through all this tangle, sometimes
quite lost in it, is the story that holds the inter-
est of his hearers, and makes them listen for
two hours, impatient often, often Disguised,
more often amused, but unwilling to go away
till Stanley himself assures them that he saw
romantic. Sitting in Il luxurious room at Mad
rid, Mr. Stanley received from Mr.. James Cor
don Bennett telegram summouing him at once
to Paris. In three hours he was on his way, full
of wonder as to the cause of the imperative
summons. He arrived in Paris one midnight,
and went directly to Mr.. Benefits room at his
hotel and there he received the simple order to
find Livingstone He was to have unlimited
credit, and might draw for sums that make the
purse of Fortunatus seem a type of poverty;
and on his way to Africa he was, as special cor
respondent of the Herald, to be present at the
inauguration" of the Suez canal; to in
terview Baker, who was going up
the Nile, and to find out "al that
was in his soul;" to describe the excavations at
Jerusalem, and the discoveries at Ephesus; to
find out the plans and describe the work of the
Euphrates valley railroad; to see how the gold
mining in the Ural mountains was getting on,
and what the Russian expedition was doing in
Turkestan; 10 pick up all the gossip about the
quarrel between the sultan and the khedive, and
10 run through the Cnmea for any available
items for the Herald. This sounds little like
Munchausen, but then Stanley did it all, we
infer from what he says, though he does not
dwell upon these incidents of the route, but takes
us at once to Zanzibar and tells his adventures
between the coast and Uiiji, when he found the
long lost Livingstone, well, comfortable and
apparently contented. Mr.. Stanley is vivacous,
Often dramatic, and in spite of his glazing
faults, both as writer and speaker in spite of
his absurd digressions and ridiculous high
flown words, in spite of his careless grammar
and original pronunciation, it was impossible
not to feel an intense interest in his progress,
and a deep sympathy with his emotions
as he drew near the town where
he knew that DIR. Livingstone was. The
story of the meeting, often as it has been told.
seemed new as we heard it from Stanley him
self; and if did not see Livingstone he is proved
genius by just that one story. He had trav-
eed for months in almost daily peril of his life;
he had endured endless trouble, anxiety, dis
comfort, and labor; he had spent thousands of
dollars, all to find this old man. He: was wild
with excitement at the success of his undertake
ing; he says that he longed to go somewhere
and turn somersaults; and his manner shows
that he is man of boundless enthusiasm, and
capable of intense emotion; yet remembering
that Livingstone is an Englishman, to whom he
had never been introduced, and that the specta-
tors of the interview were Arabs, he made an
elaborate toilet, and when he came into the Dr.'s
presence, formally lifted his hat and said, CDR.
Livingstone, presumeP "Yes, sir" said the
long sought and at last found. That was all.
There is no intimation that the old explorer was
glad to see the younger one. cannot help think
ing that it was an unfair invasion of Living
stones retirement. He had found ga lodge
in vast Wilderness" and had DELHI
eratey hi }den himself in the "boundless
contquitJ of shade" offered by the African
jungle;l allowed caravans to go from Ujiji to
Zanzibar with no letters from him, no word
even that he was alive; and yet even there he
was ferreted out by a New York reporter 1t was
interesting to listen to the remarks of the audi
ence as they left the hall, and to learn how
many persons still doubt the truth of the story,
and were undeterred from expressing their
doubts, by Mr., Stanley's friendly advice to them
given in the beginning of his lecture, mot to
make fools of themselves by disbelieving him."
Mr.. Stanley is not alone in his careless and awk-
ward use of language; many of the best lecturers
are guilty of the same fault; last week the Wom-
ans Journal sent out a circular, containing this
singular offer, eff you will, before Feb 1, 1873,
renew your own subscription (S250) and, in
addition, will procure one or more subscribers
at $3.50 each, we will pay you $1.OO for each
new subscriber without chrome, or fifty cents
for each new subscriber with chrome, as you
mo nrafnr - Ju1oipo fropo tbo
"chromos" sold, a subscriber without one will
be difficult TO find.
The lectures given during the past fortnight
have been uncommony good. Curtis, Miss
Vaughan, Mrs. Howe, and Mr.. Phillips, were
admirable; Bret Harte was just like his stories,
and was liked by those who enjoy his writings,
and dislked by those who do not. Then Stan
ley, with all his faults, is worth hearing once,
unless ones time is very precious, or ones
nerves very sensitive.
A fair in aid of the New England hospital for
women and children opened last evening at
Horticultural hall, and will last through the
week. 1t has the variety of pretty things usual
ly found at a nice fair, with an unusual quant-
ty of Tunbridge ware and real Swiss carving;
but its strong point is its dolls aud their appur-
tenances. There must be nearly q thousand
dolls displayed above the tables or stored under
them. They are of all sizes and all prices
from the fashionable French belle in satin and
lace, who costs thirty dollars, to the cotton fan
mel creature, who is gay and funny, who can't
be pulled TO pieces, who is capital plaything
for young baby, and who costs a few dimes.
Then there are dolls hats and dolls boots and
shoes of all colors, all styles and all Sizes dolls
undertaking, beautifully made and simply
trimmed, and the latest novelty of all, patterns
OF all these Clothes and of the dolls themselves,
carefully cut, neatly folded, and with directions
for making, alter the fashion of Demorest, But
terick, and the other famous pattern vendors.
The hospital needs all the money it can get, and
these ingenious devices may help the good
cause.
The teaching Of sewing in the public schools
is matter of great Importance, and have
watched its progress with interest. 1t was urged
at first by many ladies here who felt its import
ance, and persuaded the school committee to
allow the experiment to be tried in few of
the younger schools, the primary, think. AT
first the teachers who are employed for that
special work found it hard, the pupils did not
tho the innnvatinn and tho narents varo indif