Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-12-16
The Lecture Course.

In the opinion Of the Springfield Repub-
1..a,.. the Lecture Course is played OUT and
we concur. 1t has had its day of about
thirty wears Ii has been an institution
l. still fingers, but its race i. run. Either
l,oplr are weary Of the prices or they
have been too many times sold or the
lecture gocrs do not care to be tickled any
more. Probably all these things are max
inv the lecture business failure
And it i, we'll that it is SO. Thousands
Of American villages and cities have been
paving too much for the whi>tle.' The
Almighty never provided that men should
hr 50 cxorbtantly overpad as lecturers
have been. One hundred. three hundred.
.iv, hundred and even a thousand dollars
for one lecture-one hours talk, 1t is
iu>t outrageous. We do not forget that
the lecture may be partly the fruit of years
of reading and observation and thought.
Bat such prices are beyond all reason.
The lecture business has been running
into the ground. These prices have tempt
ed many into the lecture field, and the
!u,ncs- has been made a trade. And men
and women have cultivated senSau nalism
expressly for the platform, and this is hav-
ing u ruinOus reaction. All sorts of non
scn~ical and clap-trap subjects are adver-
tisrd Indeed it has come to pass that
nobody can infer the real subject from the
subject advertised. This thing. and much
of the same ilk, have .atiated and dis
gu~t"d.
There !, however a work for the lecturer
The American people have need Of hi,
services. lie Is not wanted As = stuml
speaker He is not wanted AS a butloon
But there are living and practical themes
in science and history Of which the people
would not weary, if presented clearly
There is abundant ignorance to be REPLACED
with knowledge. The lecture OF the recent
past has done much to vitiHtc taste fol
purc>t literature and profounde>t research
The usst1d lecturer has not been mos
sought after and applauded. Something
10 tickle for the moment has been the ii"
,ideratum. But lecturer, who are not .worti
hearing the second time are not woril
hearing At all. and many people are finding
it out Let u~ have in lectures the lttc-
results in science and the richest lessons O
history.
The lecture should be, and may easily toe
one of the most efficient educator, of tho
public. The most moral county in New
ENGLAND has one or more rare minds rich
" stored in one or more departments o
study and well able to instruct. Employ
home talent ut home prices, and be sub
stantialy benefited Every village >houl,
lectures should he full of information, wei
calculated to enter largely into the think
inr and practical life of the community.
Some of these thoughts have come t.
mind while rejecting upon a lecture upon
-'Povertv recently delivered in flourish
ing New England village. 1t by no mean.
measured up To the lecturers fame ol
ability. 1t will be easily forgotten. i
Will be found to have stirred very fr"
hearts and strengthened very few hands
Except for three or four fine passages. j
was poor ~ poverty" And yet it wa'
htr.,ldcd and anticipated Il ",tar =
lecture. Probably :, :" star" price VA
paid. We opinc that the same money
could have secured a half dozen lectures O
first class merit in point Of instruction an'
mental stimulus, and lasting impression
for good.