Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-11-16

The New York Independent has more
than once spoken oft In terms Of
high praise. andthe 2 Philadelphia Times
says III Is the best reply yet made to
InRersoll."
Wedding does not allow his man
aeeIs, the Slayton Lyceum Bureau Of
! Chicago, TO advertise him to the ex,
tent that some attractions" Ue
pushed, but for several years has quiet
" contented himself with six ola hts &
week for AZ many months 10 the year
as be chooses 10 work. The writer was
a student at Dai tmouth = few years
ago, and was amoug the hundreds
there who were electrified and aston
ished by the power Of Vending 10 a
lecture on Noltsire, aud | afterward
heard him with equal surprise at
Portland. Maine. 10 his lecture on
Immortality II is safe TO say that
10 college and other annual courses no
other man 10 the country has more
engagements than Vending Some
Of the newspapers call him the Prince
Of the American Platform, aud it will
not be many years until he is general,
ly recognized as such.
His home is at Bloomington, IL, q
city Of some 10000 people, the seat Of
two colleges, the home Of several otker
celebrities, and is generally known in
the West as town Of moro than av,
eIage culture. When not lecturing
Nc. Vending spend, all his time at
his home. His family consists Of his
wife and two daughters, one twelve
and the other fifteen years Of
age. He married Virginia
girl-Wsndling himself is of Southern
ancestry-and bis vile, il Is said, is as
brilliant as himself, and his domestic
lie is one OF unusual happiness. Pro-,
Swing, Of Chicago, was Weddings
L,un teacher at college and has taken
much interest 10 his success. Robert
Lincoln and he were classmates in the
Law department Of the Chicago Uni.
versity Calvin Brice, the Wall street
operator and the Leading spirit OF the
Seney syndicate, was college chum
OF Vending.
He is a thorough French and Ger.
man scholar. His library is a large
one, and it is his ambition 70 own the
6eea private collection of books in the
West. One OF his recent additions is
some two hundred volumes collected
10 Paris and London, aud all bearing
on the subject OF Satan. The title OF
this new lecture is the curious one Of
Satan, or, Is there Personal Devil"
and when read recently for the first
time to party of literary people 10
Chicago was pronounced not only 10.
tensely interesting, but even iascina
ting. The devil idea in art aud liter
ature, both ancient aud modern, and
the treatment Of the Satanic concep-
ton by Milton, Shakespeare, Burns,
Goethe and Byron, are all touched
upon, but the main discussion is on
The question Of the personality OF Sa-
tap. In his lecture Vending says be
is firm believer in the old fashioned
personal devil, and his reasoning and |
eloqueuoe 10 support Of his
belief are certainly wonderful and
effective A very competent critic
said to me that his lecture on Satan
shows knowledge Of almost every
branch Of literature, and touches
almost every emotion of the heart |
Mr. SlayIon, who has managed the
lecture business Of Coliax, Swing,
Vincent, BradlGugh and many Others,
says there is nothing on the platform
to-day, and never has been, that sur
passes it ia merit and interest A
large number Of engagements are
already made BY his manager, and il |
will probably be heard on a thousand
platforms before it is withdrawn. | |
saw a letter to-day from President
Adams, Of the Illinois Wesleyan Uni
versity. a gentleman who ranks high |
as a scholar aud is one Of the leading
educators OF the West, aud he says 10 |
tie letter: II know Of no lecture SO
full at once Of arguments OF human ex
perienae-oi fine sense aud eloquence
--as Weddings lecture on Satan. 1t
is instructive and entertaining to the
student, the man Of business. the pro
fessional gentleman and the man Of
literature or theology. have rarely,
if ever, heard lecture that set me so
"a thinking. and did me so much
good Mr. Vending is booked for
New York, Philadelphia, Boston and
other Els'eIn cities, and your readers
will have a chance to hear brilliant
and thorough discussion Of a pc,
culiar subject by splendid scholar
and q magnificent orator.