Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-02-25
The !. NJ. A. Lecture Course,

Association was delivered at City Hall.
Thursday evening. February 18th, by
Dr. j. G. Holland. the famous poet,
novelist, essayist and lyceum speaker.
and was attended by an audience large
in numbers and excellent in quality.
The lecture was an entirely characteristic
one. DR.. Holland treGtmen. OF the vari-
\ Gus subjects he discusses has become so
| familiar, and all his lectures have so strong
family likeness, that the veteran lyceum-
gOer could almost persuade himself, while
| Dr. Holland was speaking, last evening.
that the las; three or four lustres had not
really elapsed, and that he was still listen
ing to the Timothy Titcomb" of the de-
cade preceding the last. There was the
same calculation of moral principles as Old
as the Deealogue and almost as familiar
the same Giekering attempts at humor, and
the same exposition Of the true relations of
the sexes, all expressed in fairly good Eng
lish and delivered distinctly. cmphatically,
and at times almos. eioquently. DR.. Hol-
land was introduced :, the audience by
General W. - Henry, and the following
abstract Of his lecture will show the general
line OF his reasoning
1t is said that the first question an Eng
lishman a-ss. in attempting TO learn the
quality OF man, Is. What Is his hobby ?"
The pury boy delights in tales of blood and
horror and likes the sound OF Gtc-Gra.s-at
a safe distance and n general men ride hob
bies for the purpose OF diverting attention
from their Weaknesses. Hence hobbies are
unreliable a IndIceS TO character. There are
various sorts Of ho5hy-riding. But whoever
the rider. he i always a narrow, one-sided, ,
petty man. lie Is generally innocent-un-
less he l. a doctor and harmless--unless
he is a clergyman. There is d kind of hobby
riding By which good healthy men degen-
crate. The harm lies in the tranS-Os-na-
ton OF our callIngs.
This. j. an age Of specialties in knowledge
and pursuits. and these specialties are so
absorbing that they degenerate into hobby
riding. No human mind can cover the
whole field of knowledge In the old times
this could be done. Bus since then thou
sand nav. ten thousand accomplished
scholars have spent their liietimes in prob
ing the secrets Of the world. No textbook
Oi dhE "a Tue udlIEdl StituNCS I'VE Years
old or more Is of value without rev-
sion. NJ single human mind can cover
the field OF science Hence We can
know nothing thoroughly except through
the al- of specialists The man of tC-
day is slorn Of some Of the privileges
OF >tldy enjoyed by his ancestors. Our
fathers read E0.ln's Ancient History"
Goldsmith Animated Nature" The
Spectator, Allton's poems. and n few
Other Boo Is, perhaps, and these were all,
or nearly a,l. the best they possessed. Now
We have The eaiiy newspaper, filed with
the u,w- uf the whole world Ii Hlu1f be
read. 40 nan can afford 10 remain in ig-
nora1ce u' passing affairs. 70 be sure the
time spent ia reading the newspaper is IL
rccOyor4o.g lost % the pursuit OF perma-
nent know edge. But We must adapt our
sclEc~ % tuc changed times. man must
read Rae newspaper or shut himself out
from society. At the same time in my
opinion u Is nor essential that the news
paper should record every wife-murde- BY
an luiuma1 husband the five months
trial 90 amy man the election OF every
demagoguo % Ciflce, or Mrs. Jones's ''recep-
u1n, at her "paiatlal mansion" But IN
al ESSENTIAL municipalities. arts and
ie;Jer~-a man must be thoroughly inform
cl or De nobody. Then there Is also the
story 81. .er The ;rouhadour Of lnod.n7al
t-.,- los passed. away forever but
no" We h2ye the si0ry-teller N every
hlu.c. lis reductions are the record Of
social i'r. written hY the hand Of art.
and Dc IS t.e msa priest Of popula cu.-
tuFo.
Wiz iac roye. ari tie newspaper. the
time t.r study Is reduced - almos, insig-
Elhcart Iroport!ouS-.ar les than hun
dred year, ago. Have We adapted ourselves
10 tie CHANGE We want 10 know all and
as rl-ul- We have become nation of
smatitrar~- Once science thoroughly lea rned
makes man valuable To himself and 9TH
err. Eal-6n1W.ldgo is no knowledre at
all We can do I-Ihing except through
spel3.tll-. Goethe, however great he NAV
nave hetn a> a man OF science. Is now only
remembered a. a poet Sir Philip Sidney.
poet, r0mancer ana cSsayist, Is now known
only - the first gentleman Of his time.
W hat Ac cld has passed away what he /
Wa. oa.y. is he'd an memory ihack ,ray
ana Dickens wrote most excellent poet " |
Ollerilge was great philosopher Nil son F.
was mighty statesman Yet what they ac-
clmpl>hel IN those respects Is now forg )t- 1
ten, and they i've respectively "a novelIsjs 1
and poets. Il Emerson were not so pro |
luund philosopher has poetical reputation /
would be more general; and men stare
when Edskln turns aside from art 10 write
IN politics and finance. A. ,lcsc men are
IN sense. then, specialists.
60 into the Springfield armory and YOU
VII see a host %! wo7smcn, each working
N a separate part OF rifle. Each In his
'poca.ty docs his work with skill and eff
'iency, and all combined turn out a far
letter ride than any one workman could
make. 90 into the country and sec the !
ll1-itslione1 country doctor and his oIuallv
'ld-ia>hIJned ~adi.e-bass. In these he car
le~ the who'll Cngincry Of his profession.
lie performs every kind oi surgery and pre-
cTlDes Cor every known disease. l. il any
Wonder that sometimes these doctors make !
.rea; mistakes Does it take twenty-five men
o make a rife, and only one to comprehend /
he marvellous human body. any single !
ryan 90! which contains more mysteries
nan can he iathOmed IN a lifetime? DR.. |
id4iand thea told the story Of how Nelaton. /
De famous French surgeon. discovered the I
uAet N the body of Gnibaldi, and con-
luued HE specmltles IN surgery and medi- I
me are many. and they are daily increaS-
~ Every eminent lawyer. too, has his
lecaity. In the chOos, the specializing
ace,- Is immensely Increasing In trades I
nd calIngs It has come down from imme-
.oriai antiquity thar the faithful. persis- I
Pot pursuit Of single object will bring I
recess. y rolling stone gathers no q
Jss We are utterly Incompetent to
-a-p all knowledge This Is not an age ]
>pecialtios. but world of specialties
here i Just che thing in the world that
ch man ear 90 and 90 best; and on his
cce,S IN finding that one thing the good
iii fortune of his career depends. }
T, the absolute exhaustion Of a man on /
s speciality ruins him. This is seen in a
usans and mechanics. whose devotion ID o
utue has utterly destroyed all originate .
. The various trades and professions IL
mp themselves upon their followers Thus p
generally recognize clergymcn at a "
inec-o- could DO SO, fifteen or twenty H.
lrs age The habit Of teaching the rudi- -
'ntary tranche and Of intercourse with VI
srlur minds develops IN the teacher some &c
~ uuHtCiy traits. The matter goes III
aper Team ia.s Millions of men become
hound Hn and absorbed ia their special OF
s that all tac world beside has no inter "
for them. To them, rest = toll. society n
bore, home merely a boarding house. VI
c most sacred Of all cailinsS may Gegen-
tie into hobhy-riciuE. y,
low. then, shall We pursue oar special 90
8 that they may not dwarf and onslavc We
The remedy Will be found in culture.
ere is wide confusion as 10 the mean on
-.G the words culture aud knowledge tn,
oW edge applies 10 menni possessions NJ
ture 40 ourselves. What W. acquire j, Ia
'T!edgc what sc develop is culture be-
" do not necessarily 90 together We bel
y have one and not the other hnowl- on
C can never make q man. Culture tn,
uld 60 with it. In culture j. the cure he,
the evils growing oat of the dwarfing bei
lence Of specialties. or the sources ado
ulture the catalogue would more than gu
the limit Of time allotted to my lecture. sha
ture Is within the reach OF every one she
ure Of the heart, found in universal Of
}; Of the reasoning faculties. Of the i'm ed
nation and Of the taste. And happy he mo
'se culture leads him to seek the Divine hay
,ence tior
have thus far talked about and 70 men veil