The New York herald., 1872-12-04
a + r I @ A..
Mr.. Henry II. stanley's First Lscture-rhe
Herald Exploring Expedition Into the
Heart Of the Unknown Continent

StenWay Hail. the nrSt or MS series OF lectures on
Central Africa, ana the spell OF his name and the
widespread interest that clings TO his discovery
Of the heroexpiorer OF the age, DR.. David Living
stone, as well as the success as a speaker which
| the leader or the HERALD expedition has achieved
In England, drew together an audience altogether
exceptional In its character Most OF what New
York can boast in fashion, intellect and learning
assembled to listen to the wonderful story OF
the greatest feat in journalism that has
been successfully accomplished in a generation,
distinguished above all others in the past for the
keenness OF the competition existing between
those great Journals which at the same time form
and record its spirit. The hall was fn and though
Its human contents We're perhaps, little too well
bred to be very eagerly enthusiastic, they lent
| throughout an attention which was neither ex-
| tinguishcd by the necessary dryness OF much OF
the material spread before them, nor sated by the
bright glimpses occasionally offered them OF what
life really is among the untutored savages Of the
great unknown continent.
The platform, wide and empty as II seems in It's
naked and unadorned aspect, was for once
pleasant to look upon. Mr.. Stanley had been ac-
commodated with handsome new reat'ing desk
and round him were displayed the memorials he
had gathered In his great journey. On one side
was spread huge map, upon which were pic
fured the latest additions to our geographical
knowledge In this most interesting section Of the
"wide, majestic world" Upon the other were
ranged an appetizing array Of deadly weapons
In vogue in the offensive and de-
fenslve warfare Of Mirambo and his
foes, together with specimens OF the cloths which
form the basis OF trade, and, indeed for that mat
ter what may be termed the national currency, In
the interior Of Eastern Africa. But what touched
the hearts OF all present more than all else, per-
haps was one OF the two nags which nOated at
either extremity OF the rostrum-that identical
American Stars and Stripes upon which the eyes
Of Livingstone himself rested when, sick
in body and weary and discouraged at
| heart he looked up to gaze upon his
| deverer and in the coming procession OF
relief the banner OF the Great Repnbc The
other standard that OF the Sultan OF Zanzibar,
and II not inspiring was at least curious and inter-
estng. Perhaps indeed, we may learn to cheer it
also the successor OF Medjid will consent TO listen
/ to the entreaties OF Christendom and abolish that
Infamous slave trade, whose horrors and atrocities
Livingstone and Stanley have for the first time dis
played to the world in their naked hideousness.
| Nor was Stanley altogether unsupported by AMI
mate objects Of interest. To the left, half con-
cealed by the spears and COW horns and
/ barbaric swords and rusty guns, sat the
brother OF the great explorer, Mr.. John
Livingstone, who listened to the. lecture with
genuine and eager curiosity. And far in the back
ground glowed the black visage Of the boy Kalulu,
whose name and gentle obedent disposition Mr..
Stanley has handed down to fame and posterity in
4 his book.
Tnis, the first Of his lectures, was perhaps, in
trinsically by no means so amusing as those which
win follow It, treating OF Mr. Stanley,s personal
the cannibal 1t was, SO to speak, mere skeleton
outline OF the story OF his expedition, to be
that store Of humorous anecdote and thrilling
adventure which have been written upon the
ever memorable campaign. Mr.. Stanley confined
himself to telling us what our best informed
OF Central Africa. Ne made his audience start
with him from Bagomoyo, through the rccesses OF
range ran m dividing tie two watersheds lying between
Tanganyika and the coast, aud thence through the
Land Of the Moon rS. to u aug m the ivory egons S5
duty mad led him in his immortal quest.
and he described It with vividness and
graphic force that painted the scenes themselves
through which he passed before the aye Of his
hearers. If there had been even one sceptic in
his audience as to the truth of the story he had
told SO well in the columns OF the HERALD that
sceptc forever converted to the side OF reason,
Mr. stanley still betrays some OF the vices which
ere the necessary blunders OF the tyro He speaks
and the consequence is tnat they sometimes fail to
understand the force OF what he has said
' n meed GE applause @ " Them again %
the acoustic difficulties of the hal prevented him
from being very % audible audi n the back part o. the
voice to more useful key These flaws, however,
were trivial defects impalring in no sensible de-
gree the effect OF his effort. AS he spoke there
rose before the mind all the romance and the
strange, savage charm OF the African interor-its
vastness, its lnxurant wealth OF vegetation its
teemng, overnowing ullness OF the forms OF animal
life and its Wild barbaric images ol the Great
Father OF us all. Fragments OF unfamiliar dialects
and stray phrases from uncouth tongues broke
suddenly upon the year, and mingled with curious
Curious words and phrases sucn as the Ue tolls and
squabbles OF the men Of science have now made US
half know-words and phrases as troglodytes and
! m
and the genesis OF species Even IT, sometimes,
the lecturer was trlne too abstruse for his pub
lie, the general impression he made was at the
least truthful and instructive; that Africa is a
country so interesting that the veil that hides 1t
Mr. Stanley, in the latter part OF his lecture, told
at length his own Impressions to the ethnoIogy
OF the tribes among whom he sojourned for a year
and half His conclusions seem to have been
formed mainly on pathological basis and though
plain from the nuency with which he used the
native dialects to which he referred that he had
the tohgues Of its peoples 50 far as he was able.
No doubt II was seemingly thankless and un-
grateful task, but he has succeeded in extracting
from 1t some very striking and original generalza-
are descended from common stock, which has,
OF Arab blood This theory Is not derived in any
way from the traditions OF the savages themsclves
which, indeed, seem at most to go back but
couple OF generations but simply and only rom the
unity in structure and verbage Of the various
dialects. Mr.. Stanley, however, goes much further
than this, and asserts his belief that all men spring
from the same source and that that source is not,
as Darwinism would have us believe, the gorilla OF
M. Du Chaillu he says taat black men, so far az
he has seen them in their native lairs, have the
same passions and feelings as well as nearly the
same human form as white men, and every physi-
cal peculiarly they show may be accounted Tor by
climate and the conditions surrounding them.
This, OF course, gave him text upon which TO ex-
pand upon the iniquty and the horrors OF the slave
trade, which he did though not at obtrusive length
Altogether Mr. Stanley seems likely In time to
prove as great success as an entertaining lee
turer as he has already achieved as special cor
respondent. Even II he were dull and hfeless
speaker the intrinsic interest OF his present sub
ject and the glory that gids his personal career,
and the natural curiosity which all men have to
look upon one Of their kind braver and more
earnest and nntiring than his fellows, would make
what he has to say worth listening to. But In his