The New York herald., 1878-02-09
THE LECTURE SEASON.
MR.. MsREeoR srEELE's DISCOURSE ON WHIP
PING POSTS.

sex at Science Hall last evening, the occasion being
the forteth meeting OF the Manhattan Liberal Ciuo'
and the attraction OF the evening being paper whicn
Mr. McGrcgor Steele was advertised 10 read ON the
subject OF "Whpping Posts" The meeting was called
to order by vice president, and the hat was passed
around st the beginning OF the meeting and when the
iunds had been duly gathered in Mr.. steele was!n-
troduced to the audience He advanced gracefully 70
the desx and said:-sLadies and gentlemen-"
"one moment. Mr.. stcole," said the chairman.
1--WE raise the desk little Perhaps you can see
better to read. q
''Ladies aud gentlemcn," began Mr. Steele again,
ignoring the interruption therc is one good argu-
ment against the of the whipping post; It Is that
Mr. Talmage is in favor OF It,"
To this evident pleasantly the audience did
spoud with the laughter that Mr. Steele evidently
pected, and he botook himself 10 his manuscript,
which he read rapidly MAN Is arumtnating ami
mat endowed with reasoning powers, and has, there
fore, been supposdd to be rational He is II not the
author, at least the means by which all
evil has pecn produced, excepting what little
woman has HIS imag inatiou Is his most potent
attribute, and II is the origin OF Babel OF
confusion Human nature does not change Mapy
do not believe that man from The ape The child
becomes man, but the ape remains ape and
never does anything nober than to tue Of
hand organ and play gymnasium with his tail"
With these and similar aphorstic sayings, having no
clearer connection the with tho other than these
tew have, Mr.. Steele begued some fifteen minutes of
the time. There alluson yet 10 the whipping
post and tho audience looked one another and at
the speaker In SURPRISE which increased
when at the beginning of the second quarter OF an
hour Mr.. Steele said--sMany believe that man grows
better, but tnero NO proof that he Ii better than
when rarqun's daughter drove her chariot wheels
(here followed a sketch OF Tarqun's dauehter)--or
than when the heroic Maid OF Orlssns"--(here fol-
lowed sketch Of that lady.) BY this time all were
bewidered, but Mr. Steele, VINO is very rapid
talker, kept undisturbed. "Maa Of to-day is
worse. Fast travelling tends to make man insane.
This s not an sge OF invention but OF adaptation OF
Inventions Probably the things We think are
nave been In use hundreds OF millions OF years."
WAITING FOR THE WHIPPING POST
The HERALD reporter then gave up taking notes
Steele sss then spoke faently Of the rise and
isll Of civilization n Us decay ns and bloom bloom;
modern Penelopss would DO as much. He men
toned Mr. Hayes ana ms "eternai nismy." Then he
that length, and spoke again OF The rise and fail Of
civilization. He thought our civilization would
| and back to Greece and Rome. it had
| done q thousand times already. Ho remarked
earth was round and moved with such rightful
| speed, and incidentally or accidentally crooked
|
were Illustrating the speed aud whose face showed
! the shape alluded 10. -some think religion Is
civilizng power and some think mechanics are"
and freedom OF life, which he thought would not OBJ
tain until "the bloody hand Of the Church is un-
| Walt Whitman and John Stuart MIL and said that
sbroad breasted nature Is very kind TOR time and
| then very cruel" He then spoke disparagingy OF
tho effects Of custom and education. and At the begin
ming his third quarter OF an hour he began on his
subject
"the reason you disapProve OF TIE whipping post 10
because you were not bred TO It," he struck another
| train Of thought which extended o largo
| moral field, through the history OF Rome and Car
ihage, along the course Of Improvement Of society,".
and over the great Chinese wall, ana ended In DIS
| quiailion the Chinese people.
| THE WHIPPING POST At LAST.
work am and said, The whipping post is an innovation
| Some say 1t y step backward. shall no! be sup.
ported N my advocacy od excepting py bold and nd
class who would suffer by It have such tremendously
large vote, whipping posts should hrst pc tried IN
ssr'0;srs fSr themselves WS and .nsii fsmss He them
on human nature saying Man Is both God aud devil
and only has master, Death" and then spoke Of
the pSpera He argued that all the famous crimes
OF history were frequently repeated, and deduced
that civilization moved IN cycles hs tnen illus nrs
raoh, Tarquin and other lights OF history, and
| prophosied cycles 10 come "The inroads OF
founding. Rome commenced 20 decay when Chris
tianity commenced 10 flourish"
siaws are made" he said at the beginning Of his
| fifth quarter, .4or the benefit Of those who make
them not OF those who break them. We should pun
people IN way nas ssey w sss epm
init sensual offences, the whipping post will cool
their blood ana their DESIRES commend the whip
ping post II we had ono IN front OF every savings
bank would be fewer children crying for bread
to-day. (Applause.) II We had one in front OF the
| CITY Hall and men knew Il there for would
| have fewer politicians and less taxes. The whip
| ping post Will keep men from crime us prisons
they are not vigorously enforced witness Boecher.
| Tweed, Case aud Wetmorc. II you give petty crmi-
nails the lash, the memory Of one Whipping VIII come
| plated crime forever after He then spoke
| Of the success Of the expcdent tried in England OF
creator terrors aud was more roformatory in its
nature than Imprisonment He would have delinquent
savings bank trustees, life insurance directors clergy
men, politicians and commissioners religious
hypocrites, tramps and vile beaters whipped. and he
v Ds ewer churcnos and
moro whipping posts that wo may see which are inc
greatest saviOurs and regenerators OF mankind"
| (Applause.)
A discussion by the membcrs oi tho club followed,
during which Mr. Sutton said:-"l don't agroe with
Xr. Steele IN all that ho said about civilization and
cycles, but helped to tic up Two men and whip
| them aud did II WE'LL They horse thieves
who came to our camp IN Southern Oregon in 1853.
happened TO be Justice OF the Peace and was chosen
cbalrnan OF III. Vigilance Committee that tried hem
| Ii was first proposed 10 hang them. Then wo were
going 10 shave TIER heads smooth, ears and all, but
finally we tied thcm up and whipped thcm ana there
was another theft up 10 the time leit the camp
| IN 1862"
| ME-. HENRY sCHRoEDER IN REPLY 10 NIGER
| SOIL.
| number OF people assembled last night at room
"a Cooper Union, to listen 10 lecture Jy Mr.. Henry
Schroeder, who had advertised his subject as ioi-
lows:'.A Call TO the Hcbrews or, Prophecies to be
Fulniled. An answer Colonel Robert Inacrsolps
bIasphomous discourse" Mr.. Schroeder stated that
| he had been "a sceplic or many years and had only
been con inverted short time through the divine in-
nuencc Of God. He attempted TO prove the truth oil
the Bible, as II tho history OF hc jews VINO re-
main a ing memorial vi its truth, and he Claimed
that the cd OF Bible must be tho true God be-
cause II any one read that work they must ut once
undorstand II wasthc work oil wonderful miha. IN
contradiction OF Colonel Ingersolls remarks tho
poIygamy sanctioned by God, Mr.. Schroedcr said =