Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-12-04
Mrs.. Preiton's Lecture.
Mrs. Olive N. Preaton lact,

MS. OiiVo ~. Trosvon l0ctured
according to announcement in
Miners Union Hall on Saturday
night on Labor and Capital"
Quite largo audience Was present,
nearly all the seats being filed.
The lady began her lecture at half
past seven, and contin ned about an
hour and . half. Her manner of
delivery showed . want OF expert
ence in addressing . public gather
ing, and her thoughts lacked CO.
herency. We make these remarks
with no desire to pick flaws, but for
the lecturers benefit, and in &C.
cordancs with her expressed wish
that We should critisse her hon
s.tly.
The time for extemporapsous lee
tures. unless in the case Of specially
gifted persons, is passed. One
must have rare Gifts and vast ex-
perience Who can talk as logically
from premises to conclusion and
preserve the same order Of state
mant and assertion in oral as in writ
ten language. Mira. Preston would
d. best to write her lecture, and
make it more popular in style, too.
She should then run her pen
through it and eliminate all that is
superauous Repetitions, especial
~ OF facts with waioh the average
auditor is perfectly familiar, should
be carefully sschewed. Mrs. Pres
ton will have to do this before her
lecture can merit favorable criticism,
and she will have to be careful not
to drift away into cognate subjects,
however much they may need eluci-
dation. The question of labor and
that OF the business methods of civil
lizstion are SO far separated as to re-
quire separate treatment, and either
10 amply sufficient for single dis
course. To mix them is to create
confusion and bedim both. The
labor question, in . nutshell, 10 sim
ply the old conflict between capital
and labor. A great deal of interest
to an audience of laboring men might
be said on that subject. 1t might be
said that, primarily, capital aggre-
gates itself, while labor is not united !;
that to successfully oppose capital
labor must collect itself, a. in the
| case of the miners of the Comstock !;
that capital, from the nature of things,
10 in the hands Of the smartest men,
hence the need again Of united action
of the laborers; that in revolution, if
by no other means, labor can secure
ito dues: that when that extremity is
approached, labor is superior to capt.
tai; that the possibility of such an
extremity mag always be held as q
check On the agSress:ons Of capital
by = competent union of working
men; that in measuring of physical
force alone is labor the equal of CAPT
tai, although originally it Was its
creator; that force disseminated is
unaYailing, hence again the need for
union: that union 10 best secured by
general enlightenment Of the labor
ing classes, and hence the need for
schools and ample means for sduca-
ton; that labor should keep = strict
lookout that the functions of govern
ment be not perverted against it
through the efforts OF the superior
minds Of the rich.
\ great chance for thought is offer
ed in considering tue relations of
modern machinery 70 manual labor.
This is an especially fruitful field,
that one in dis ussins the labor ques,
ti,;n should not emit to cultivate and
present the products to an audience.
So Tar AS our memory goes Mrs.
Preston did not touch upon any OF
the points enumerated above. In
stead she taeorized, aud dealt too
much with the fundamental pnnci-
pies of poiiticai economy. 1t ,squite
useless t. tell all sudsense I ut profit
in trade is ro.0ery. NJ audience
vii ever hai,eve it, and n" amount
# sc g, ing MA b. adequate t. s0s-
t.ls ,e sssetin Likewise To s.y
trtt TIE hus,aoss meta ia Of elv,tz'-
tt,u ar s.l.Dr.g, mita2u' showing
5 .eyaically Were Ino vspte lies amt
y ia,iug our ciesrss tae remedy. is
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