The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-17

to Scotland, and here the people were
disappointed by his secular lectures. But
he was great favorite there as preacher.
Let me see. There's something in the
Glasgow religious papers about him that
Pve got in my scrapbook;;" and the Major
took the book out of one of his trunks.
As he was hastily turning the leaves the
reporter caught sight of what seemed to
be cartoon. He asked permission to
look at it, and found it to be caricature
of Mr.. Talmage in the Glasgow Bailie of
June 25th, with the following verse un-
derneath:
floO.
This for lectures pretty smart,
But fools with money easy part,
And give would readily to Yankee,
While to a Scot they'd scarce say thankee.
"Did Mr.. Talmage receive many let
ters congratulating him, abusing him,
and asking him for money!" asked the
reporter.
'Tve four thousand letters in one of
my trunks" answered Major Pond "a
good many of them were applications for
him to preach, and a good many told
him the people wanted religion, not funny
stories, and that they were disappointed
in him."
'Did he smile when he saw those let
tersT'
"He never saw them. But it wouldn't t
have made any difference to him. As I
said before, l never saw man so dead to
his own interest. They wanted him to
preach, and he wouldn't preach. And
yet he drew Why, sir, Just imagine our
taking in $4,000 on that trip at an
average of shilling a head. Rich peo-
pie wouldn't 60 to hear him, and poor
people wouldn't 60 twice. Oh, if that
man had only listened to me and put
some religion in his sermons he could go
over there any time and pick up for
tune. But he can never travel through
that country again. Still, Pve nothing
against him. He's splendid fellow to
travel with"
"Were the lectures always successful
financially, so far as the committees were
concernedm
"Oh, no! l always got my 9100, and
sometimes the receipts did not come up
to that. Then the committees were mad,
and abused Talmage. But he had moth
ing to do with it. 1t was all between me
and the committees"
"Was there any regular programme for
these lecturing nights"
"Yes. The people would gather at 6
o'clock and sing Moody and Sankey
hymns. Then, when Talmage arrived,
they would open with prayer, and that's
where the trouble came in. 1t was-well,
it was little disappointing fora man to
get off a comic lecture after-after that. "
"Was Mr.. Talmage popular with all
classes of society"
"Well, he wasn't known outside the
religious element. He didn't 60 much
into society; in fact, he hadn't time for
that sort of thing. He was well received
in many first-cIass houses, but he pre-
ferred to live at hotels"
"That must have been great expense
to him%
"Oh, paid all the expenses and gave
him his check every night. Why, Tai
mage must have sent home 100000. He
lives very quietly, and is by no means
extravagant. If he was only like Beecher,
now. Beecher is a deep thinker. He
picks up his lecture as he goes along the
road. But Talmage always says the same
thing in the same way, with the same
gestures Still, l wouldn't have found
any fault with him if he'd only put some
preaching in his lectures"
According to the London Truth DIR.
Talmage lately lectured in a large town
in Lancashire. His fee, as usual, was
9100, the receipts EGO The lecture had
been got up by workingmen in aid of a
chapel fund, and at the close the
minister of the aforesaid chapel appealed
to DR.. Talmage to consider the unfortu-
nate position of the promoters, who were
responsible for the defcit-a very serious
amount to them. The pious man prompt
ly replied that he chad lectured accord
ing to agreement, and as to their local
finances he had nothing to do with
them" At town in the West Riding
the same thing happened, and at York
shire watering-place, where DR.. Talmage
so far forgot himself as to lecture without
being paid in advance, his appearance
was such failure that the local Chris
tian Association have declared their ina.
bility to pay 9l00, and the reverend lee
turer is reported to have issued writ
against the society.