National Republican., 1885-08-12
PROFITS or THE pLATroRM.

THE MONEY PA1D LAST YEAR TO HEAR
STARS OF THE LECTURE AND LYRIC
STAGE.
"The largest house a lecturer ever
drew" said Maj. Pond, twas when
Beecher lectured in the Chicago Taber.
nacle few winters ago. The receipts
were 81, 600 and the prices were so and
IS cents. remember the circumstances
we'll. They were quite unusual. A
South Park minister, with big debt on
his church, wrote me for Beecher's s
terms. replied that they we're 200
for city like Chicago. The minister
had scraped together that much money
and decided to risk it. He hired the
tabernacle for $400, paid George Car.
penter $500 more for managing the lee.
ture, and advertised extravagantly. When
we arrived in Chicago and was told what
he had been doing, | thought he was a
fool and told him so. Said |, You
can't help but lose money with such
reckless management Well, night
came and along with it came throng after
throng, until the tabernacle contained
nearly 5000 people. The venturesome
minister cleared $1,000, enough to pay
his church debt. And he had sense
enough not to enter into the amusement
business again. He probably would
have lost next time.
"Next to Beecher, Mark Twain is the
most profitable speaker | know Of, He
cleared S27, 900 in sixteen weeks, in his
venture with Cable last season, after pay
ing the latter $500 per week, and giving
me 10 per cent. of the gross receipts for
doing the managing. All this talk, by
the way, ABOUT any falling out between
Twain and Cable is the veriest of non
sense. Gable will make another tour
next season. He is the most prominent
delneator in America, aud will yet make
a fortune on the platform. Another sue.
cessful lecturer ia Talmage. English
speakers, as u rule, have not done very
well in this country. Matthew Arnold,
with all his reputation, cleared only
$4,000 during his season in the states
and half of that went to D'Oyly Carte
his manager. Proctor has done moder
ately well, but he is twenty years behind
the times. Spurgeon is the only English
man who would create II furore il
America, but he says he wouldn't comC
over here if all the world were bullior
and he could get it for a single lecture.
"When the lecture platform does come
into favor again, the demand will be fol
historical and scientific lectures. Johr
Fisk, who has written great deal fol
Harpers, is II promising historical lee
turer. He narrated stories of the revo
luton so we'll last season that he nettet
Sc, 900, and he is just commencing. Ii
C.ssuBnner, editor of Puck, is anothe
clever fellow. lie does not make tht
impression produced by Cable, but h
has fortune at his disposal in the re
cital of some of the droll things he ha
penned."
"What of American singors?"
"Miss Medora Henson, who is nov
singing in London, is rising younj
artist, and has made hit in oratorit
singing. She made the most money o
any American singer in this country las
year. Kellogg, Of course, has beel
Americas greatest and most successful
artist. Emma Abbott, too, has made
snug little sum Of money. She is
shrewd little woman and full of business
Cary has been our most successful con
tralto, though she is not the great arts
that Adelaide Phillips was. Americ,
never had any great success with tenors
We have never had really goo
oratorio tenor singer. Jules Jordan, o
Providence, is perhaps the greatest, bu
he can make $40 an hour teaching, an
naturally prefers that work to traveI
ng."--MiRneapoiS Tribune.