The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-15
A LECTURERS EXPERIENCES.
"Gath" Recounts Some Of the A~nnoyances
and DiscOmforts Of a Lecturing Tour.


yesterday and the day before, not, it must be
regretfully admitted, because the sights and
surroundings of Indiana's capital charmed him,
but from force Of circumstances He had been
engaged to lecture at Franklin on Thursday
night, but after reaching here received word that
the engagement had to be cancelled. He was
billed for shelbyyhle o. Friday, and lectured
there to rather slim audience, the manager Of
the entertainment asking him to make a
rebate in consideration Of the shrinkage,
with which request Mr.. Townsend did not
see it his duty to comply. Besides,
Che manager had made him nervous by constant
~ writing and dispatching him regarding the
manner and time Of arriving at Shelbyville. As
Mr.. Townsend has travelled all over the world,
and is going from point to point continually, he
regarded the anxiety and carefulness on the part
Of the Shelbyville citizen as highly necessary to
insure his safe and sure entrance into that me-
bFopolis These various circumstances, COM
bined with q short and unsatisfactory sleep
since his return from the lecture, conduced to
anything but a cheerful and agreeable frame of
mind, and may have caused the rather gloomy
cOloring of his remarks to . reporter for the
journal
what has been your experience in the lecture
Held, Mr.. Townsendf' asked the reporter.
well, it has not been so very pleasant It is
lard work. have lectured every night but one
ON this trip, which has lasted about ~thirty-one
days. have chased cold waves and they have
chased me; and they understood the business
better than / did. have ridden on passenger
trains, fast freights and slow freights, although
The fastest freight / ever was on out here was
slow. A professional lecturing tour is something
like an extended 'bum.' The way you are an
noyed, and miss trains, and sleep in depots, and
lose money by purchasing round-trip tickets and
afterwards being unable to use the return, is
eRensh to make a man old"
'How old are you, Mr.. TownsendF'
II am forty-four." lie has the appearance of
one ten years younger-not q gray hair in his
head, body straight and vigorous, step quick and
elastic, and his color that of a healthy man in the
prime of life.)
I was saying" continued Mr.. Townsend,
The petty annoyances that attack a lecturer are
enough to age him prematurely. This thing of
having to make one place in Indianat to- night, and
then a place in southern Ohio tomorrow night,
and then jump up into the northern part of
Michigan the next night, is what tires a mans
soul. / remember / was at Toledo and had to
lecture in Ann Arbor that night, and the next
night in some small interior Ohio town. /
bought a round-trip ticket, and then found the
passenger so much behind time that in order to
make my date l took a freight. Iarrived in Ann
Arbor just in time to go directly to the hall and
TAonsn rn-look,o exa.4tAk- E:zLaS Te-.-1
that owing to the withdrawal of the train l
expected to take, I would not be able to meet
nay engagement at the Ohio place, unless 1 went
hack on a different road. Well, I had to do it,
and, as luck would have it, a freight train again
fell to my lot. That lecture was not enthusi-
astic."
How are you received in these small Western
townss'
20. / ain received too much. They generally
meet ne at the train; or, if l escape them there,
they are sure to strike me at the hotel. I am
not given time to change my clothes. After the
lecture they jump onto me again and want me
to amuse the leading citizens another hour for
nothing. Now, I'm through here with an eye to
business, and amusing people is that business,
and / don't intend to do it for nothing"
"Do you meet many remarkable bores?" asked
che reporter rather guiltily, expecting a reply to
the effect that he might be classed under this
head.
mo; not many. had a time with a whole
net of bores in one of the small towns in the
western part of your State. The leading citi-
zeHs. who, as usual, You know, consist OF a
preacher or so, the wealthiest banker, a lawyer
or two, some doctors. one of the oldest inhabitants
and an editor-well, that kind of "a crowd rushed in
on me one night after my lecture in their place,
and wanted me to write up their town in one Of
my letters. Well, now, I'll write up a town if /
want to, and if / don't, / won't. | am not trav-
cling over this country, wrestling with railroads,
accidents and cold waves, just to get material for
giving all the places / visit q free advertisement. /"
'HoW does lecturing pay"
the terms / am lecturing on this season,
It brings me in just about what I could get in my
newspaper work; that is, if l lecture every night,
which sometimes is liable to fall through, as it
did on last Thursday night My terms are SIS
per night. For six nights that would be $3.50. l
week. That leaves $3.50 clear. Now, at
newspaper work there would be less
physical toll, and no travelling expenses. So you
see leeturing doesn't pay me as well as news
paper work. / think / shall make my terms for
next season 1926. and place my business in the
hands of some bureau"
How came you to 20 into the lecture held?'
II got started by yielding to charitable asso-
Citations and enterprises, and from lecturing for
thern it gradually grew into a regular business"
"Have you had any queer experiences during
Jour tripf'
81 just happen to think Of one queer thing,
and that is the mania, as it really seems to me.
that people have for confding their innermost
secrets to me. Now, if there is any character
that l am certainly perfection in, it is that of a
cOnfdant, for l Immediately tell everybody
everything whispered to me in the ~strictest
confidence. Why. here, yesterday, there
was q gentleman wanted to confde a most inn
portant secret to me. 1 told him / was just the
man for him to confde in, because I could tell it
to so many with so little trouble. He saw the
point, and kept his secret"
by the way" resumed Gath, ut is remarka-
bic the way the contest between these two fam
lilies Of Hendricks and Mcdonald extends
through the Democratic ranks. l see that the
State officers are divided, and a Democrat is
almost called a mugwump by his brethren unless
he chooses his leader. / guess the
put Mcdonald in the Cabinet. Men
4ioning the Cabinet brings nm Caxeland