Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-27
THE LECTURE PLATFORM AND IT'S
MISSION,

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The attempt is being made in this COM
munity to re-establish lecture system. In
California the lecture "idea" has never
had fair trial For some time it was
tried in Sacramento, and met with longer
and more pronounced success than any
where else in the State But it finally fell
into disuse here, for reasons that were
natural, and not attributable to lack of
taste on the part Of the people, so much as
lack of discreet management, that would
not have permitted the trite and common
place to become predominant. In San
Francisco it never was successful. No
where upon the western slope has it ever
had the character that attaches to it in
the East, where lecture committees are as
much part of community organization as
town government or municipal regulation.
No man better understood the good and
evil of the system than the late DR..
Holland. He studied it from the rostrum
and the auditorium, and in the light of
broad experience. The errors into which
1t fell in his day have been in large part
avoided in latter time. The chief of these
was the " star system" II acted upon the
lecture plan precisely as the "star" evil
has operated upon theatricals AS Holland
expressed it, the managers ran it upon the
puff and "star" theory, and when the
people gathered to bask in a blaze, they
oftener found only twinkle Under the
star " system the chief aim was to furnish
entertainment and amusement. whereas,
the central idea should be instruction. A
prosperous course can be maintained only
by even excellence, variety and newness,
instead of occasional brilliancv and gem
eral mediocrity. Precisely what the Doe
tor prophesied twenty years ago came to
pass-the starring" system well nigh
ruined the lecture platform, and the
idea of entertainment and amusement
surieited the people, who demanded
instruction instead of comedy. The
rostrum has ceased to be simply the
show ground for fresh notorieties, and the
stars no longer absorb the income of
lecture committees to the exclusion of the
men who have something to impart The
stock" lecturers are taking the place of
the "show" lecturers, and teaching value
is supplanting mere novelty, wit and brill
fancy, which, however, are by no means
to be wholly ignored The lecture is a
means to great good. 1t teaches when in
the proper hands, and invites to intellec-
tual culture, study and thought. The
town lyceum should he, and is, where the
lecture committee is discreet and far-see-
ing, school for the masses. 1t must he
so cheap that its advantages may he
availed of by the poorest, and its standard
such that not single lecture will fail to
Instruct, inform, stimulate and encourage.
Ability cannot be commanded except by
fair recompense, and therefore the patron
age must be large, that the committees
income may be ample to accomplish the
desired results. The public is discrimi-
mating Judge of merit, and in the long
run it viii recognize and support a course
that Is intellectually satisfying in prefer
ence to that which is amusing, or that
which is heavy and without freshness.
SO the need for even and teaching excel
fence and bright, crisp and new speakers
is imperative. When this is the outline
of course for a winter season, there is a
duty incumbent upon public. 1t costs no
more to bring here lecturer of accepta-
bility to address an audience of five hun
dred than it does to have him speak to
audiences of one hundred. Each large
audience is the guarantee of the following
lecture, and so on through the course.
There are two agencies at work in this
city for 4 common end in this regard. In
neither case is there an attempt to make
money, but a single desire to cultivate the
general intelligence. One of these is the
Museum Association, which has already
had three lectures delivered before it, pur.
posefully unrelated in character, as regards
subjects, but still strictly confined to the
idea Of instruction and teaching value