New-York tribune., 1875-01-12
" A HERO AND MARTYR"
CHARLES READE ANSWERS A sKEPTIC.

|
Lambert. old. lame, and blind, has found some
mics because Charles Reade sings him and backs his
merit. One "Scepticus has embodied the cant, the
fiunkeyism, and the current falaeies very smaEtly
in questions. They have made quite sue
cess and, i should be sorry to see the i'll effect
spread to the United States. beg to send you his
posers' as he modestly calls them, and the replies
CONJECTURE AND EVIDENCE.
Question = why did 80 remarkable a true story
this Qf true bel travel to London before a.
Answer-It Travelled TO London in "a hours. aud was
published in the two leading London journals. read
il myself in The Times. and it The Times which
directed me The Glasgow The Glasgow article
scepticus" appeals TO oracle contains these
words: "That account appeared In The Giasgon Times
and copied into various papers inrluding Ihe LON
don Chronicle and London Times "-Sorm Br1ish Datin
Mail Dec 9 page T. col. 7. send you the article with
the passage marked and your readers can make their
Question g. 'Why did it fan dead in Glasgow" Ones
ton "was $500 raised in Glasgow for Mr. Reade's
hero. dId he dissipae it." L put these Two ques
ons together for their Convenience since they cut each
others tbroats. Answer-Yes so far from falling de1d
as it never was moved before by the deeds
Unlike his brave competitors in Glasgow III France,
he had done all his work with no boats nor saving gear
the recorded eats Of mortal man. 3. BE was stricken
blind. And therefore in a city, where man
and his money not soon parted there was
raised a subscription without parallel for man with
out his fellow. All this Is down IN the Gasgo" article,
which scepticus has read without attention, because
his mind is weak.
Did Lambert disspate 10 T. We'll, think he ate 10.
But only give opinion. The North British Hd1
says the fund $780, and Lambert receiver los per
week and his rent, until the capital was exhausted
A private corresponding assures me that lambert
received his rent (4 and ss cash per week until the
money gone. These triing discrepancies. Three
things Lambert never controlled the cap
ital the money was paid him weekly by worthy
trustee II was the sole income OF himself ana hs VIE
many years. since the DarOny parish smart aud
stopped It's allowance directly 3. Ii was NOT quite tx
haused eleven years after IL was created. Now eleven
years 579 weeks SO weeks AT A. rent ana g. cash
would exhaust the fund in bare necessares. The man
ha had IN PnI at
Therefore, having given more attention TO the ngures
any Oneese mas condescended To do am OF opinion
that most money went III rent food, ana clothes
aud comparatively little in balls and parties and the
Question l. /" How could any man find many oppor
tuniiies Of fe and that in shortish carceff
Auswer-That James Lambert saved over forty lives u
no statement OF mine IL was publicly made Glasgow,
A. D. 1857. when there were opportunities OF testing IT,
aud it was never contradicted IN the town.
1t is rather Late for any man to contradict
cOnsciousness;" which means out OF the Swallows
OF has Ignorance ana iSufficiency. In long and
turn away from direct evidence. ana irnst 10 @ Iher
powers of Inference nave FAR less power OF niertnee
| a hagrant example. Lambert saved % persons III
one night Tnis reduces the 40 to 90 Lambert
began saving l5 This leaves hm IS years TO save ~
the Clyde is n river running through the very
heart OF populOus city. James Lambert tue
| mouthpiece OF my narrative. tells him In one
place that the Clyde has deeps and seductive shal-
lows; In another place that " the Clyde is deadly
water by Of its hot and cold currents, d.; ia
another bis young days folk were not sac weel
acquainted IN sOomng now. and accidents were mair
common !" in another that tune. when he had
nrowin; about for vectms "-meaning people TO save.
God bless him in anotne that II was MS nature to rise
between and a m. and the river was tie 1T pihce
he TO; another. that he was taken one HlIler
from his usual work to save lives on the lee ana did
save them ero1eiO. All these particulars are %4stea
on the weak, lndtteltive mind OF "Sceptlcu5,' Who
cannot reason, yet Will not learn.
Why, the Glasgow article he has selected as model
OF yeracy and sober statement suggests as the number
number but ONE HUNDRED. such is THIS Owners
power or penetrating below the surface OF
l old 4 afV f4lg hn
| low a manifest exaggerauOn; in a warm narrative
Of stirring he cannot accept remarkable truth
pIanatons The hrey sticks in his throat by reason OF
Its size; the camel walks down his guet without
imDpdiTnent / 10 the comparison he clal-
lenges between my narrative which MI. lnattenuye
inagines has read. and the Gasgow article which he
asked 10 compare them He had got both narratives in
his hand; why could not lie compare them and point
ont disore pancIes II there any III ell youj be-
cause to compare them and contrast them he must road
them and II Is not under MS shlh 10 reau 'He' oi W
read ANYTHING. 1 know tins "Scepucus" " no Is one
OF a thousand Inattentves IN inns natlon' Wao nave
learned skim aud learned TO Wrl'e Dat nave never
learned TO read. IT,, , .., l. -
report My narrative occupies zen Columns out INC
cream Of thing is taken from the Ups OF he nero
himself written as 10 give htegenl rraners
picure though FAINT One OF scenes, Which, When 'hey
we're acted III nesh aud blood turned stout men pale ahd
made them gasp and made women scream Win terror:
and by andb weep for JOY When people scream inH
faint and gasp ana pale and weep ana 20 intO cun'u
sions over my lines then we will begin TO tax about ex
aggeration; meantime, my a! ~ ,or,tn brave
temp 10 move the heart little Dy descrlDlng pTdEo
! pedg
nart and yeel an echO those humane emotions, thal
WOuld have thrilled hem TO the core had they seen the
deeds themselves instead or my lines descOing mem
The Glasgow article IS written with quite dIHeIent
Durpose greater part OF my narrative ndu aredu}
len nrinted In tbat journal. which implies approY
nj But then salient facts or James LiinDerts
case the memory and Judgment OF ts readers hisrp
AZ is not dry specimen OF It's SORT vein Of gentle
humanity, kindness, aud eandOr runs tAr1ugh T. VI
course ii does stir the renders pulse No eplome
ever does any eptOmist can also reduce my nD.a
tive to the bare facts. And then the Two bSltOnes
would agree in all particulars but woi ape these
not IN direct OppOsitiOn
!. did not know thar large susscrDtiOn was ever
raised James Lambert, The Gas gov journalist has
! added this fact, aEG t Is very important.
q He uses tnhse words - Lambert claims TO have
saveG the lives OF more tlan hundred persons Lam
ccrt set up so e1travagan claim 10 GF heafng
and cannot lhink the writer Of tAe article got THIS
! from LimbeTi's own lips. -
These the only discr pancies; the rest IL diner
ence OF form, substance. To contrast q warm
FLOODED narrative with its epitole and accuse It
line this was reserved for " Scepticns." DIR. south
wood Smith used TO keep the skeleOn OF his TREND
Renf nam neatly drab cOntrived that the
bony structure could be shown IN turn OF the hand
show his Bentham. Such sights are exbllaratlng To
men OF science Now suppose DR.. Smith mad shown his
Bentham 10 some gentleman VINO Knew bentnan IN tne
1esh, and hereupon TINS person nad Ioided ms arms
and nodded his sagacious head, ana then exclaimed
How have been imposed upon s6 Tnat aS9rG S G ehsn en-
BeBthain, was gross exagReraton; this Is the real
Jeremg Pentha@; why here are aus very bones 70
Tne hast question:" How much OF my narrative is
| true, and how much is imagnedi" We all know what
illogical that. gentleman writes novels, and calls
them novels, Ley think whatever he writes and does
not call mover must also be novel Mr Dlsrae wrote
life Of Lord George Bentnck Is that novel because
The Young Duke" Henrietta Temple" Lohair."
&c, novelist The duest history know BY Smo-
lett, the sprghtly noyellst ana the history with the
least nctOh III IL 10 CnarIes All oy n"u WHO Wrote
novels and plays. Writers OF my cal6er are only too
glad to escape sometimes from fiction into pure truth
have written startling truths IN the Journals many
| times before Today; anu l wrote fiction IN
sacred Journal nor shall ever least OF Gil on this occa