The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-04-29
THE LATE JOHN B. COUGH.

oNC1Sh Va OoHH -. ouuSn, WIZ uiS1 40
he had lived upon the platform, and
who was to the last one of the most
popular Of public speakers. and. after
Father Mathew, the most famous apos-
tie Of temperance. ii was stated that
although very generous man, he de-
clined to lecture for the benefit Of
enterprises and societies Of all kinds,
which constantly applied to him. It
is to be hoped that nobody regrets his
refusal or thinks him to have been less
generous, because Of the refusal.
There is no more common or more un-
pardonablc form Of mentiicancy than
that which asks this kind Of aims.
Mr.. Cough received very large in
come from his public lectures, and OF
this money he was not avaricious.
On the contrary, he gave literally, and
often. doubtless, to the very object for
the benefit Of which he was yainly ask
ell to lecture. A man pratices his pro-
fession or pursues his business
for his livelihood and the sup
port of his family, and he determines
for himself the amount and the direc-
ton of his gifts and charities. That is
what the charitable society forgcts
which asks singer to sing, or an ac-
tor to act, or = painter to paint . pic
ture, or lecturer to give q lecture, for
its benefit, upon the score Of charity.
One Of the har,i-working guild Of lee
turers some years ago replied to a
solicitation Of this kind by asking the
chairman of the committee what busi-
ness he pursued. Il am dealer in
jewellery was the reply. ''Well, MIR.
Chairman, said the lecturer, II am
very much interested in q little society
like yours in my own town; now let us
be fair: | will give you the profits of
my business for one evening for your
society, II you will give me those of
your business for one day for the benc-
tit Of my society,"
The good chairman started and
smiled. The lecturer continued: Have
you applied to our friend Mr.. Sheep
skin, the attorney?' mo; what for?"
asked the chairman. why, to aid
your society by contributing days
fces?' The chairman smiled, and
looked puzzled. ..What l mean.'
said the lecturer, lis simply that there
is no more reason why you should ask
me to give you the entire profit Of my
business for certain time than to ask
anybody else to do the same thing.
he 60 r L.. -,
reason that you should make the appl i
cation to me rather than to lawyer.
OF merchant, or an artist. DO you
ask Mr.. Booth to bestow his receipts
for next Saturday upon your society
because your society is poor and wants
money to buy carpets and cushions?
DO you ask the proprietor OF the Her.
aid or Times to drop into your treasury
all the money that they may receive for
advertisements and sales on the first
day Of June? DO you ask Mr.. Choate
to hand you over his professional in
come, rs nearly rs he can compute it,
for Monday, the 22d? To ask me for
money is one thing; but to ask for q
blank check with my signature is quite
another" The lecturer smiled AS be-
nignantly as the chairman, but did not
look in the least degree puzzled.
''Oh!'' said the chairman. Precisely
returned the lecturer.
There is sometimes queer lapse
of good faith in one of the parties
TO the business to which Mr.. Cough de-
voted his life. A member of lyceum
committee, in his private capacity of
merchant, negotiates with another
merchant for piece Of cloth, or case
OF shoes, or cargo OF flour. But he
finds that he has miscalculated the mar
ket, or there is some Mishap. and he
loses by the bargain. Does he there
upon repair to the other merchant, and
say to him that he hasn made as much
as he expected by the venture; that, in
fact, he has lost money, and in view Of
that sad mischance the merchant will
perhaps agree to take halt of the price
agreed upon? No; the worthy member
of the lecture committee has never been
guilty of such an act as that. II he
cannot take the chances Of trade, he il
not tit to be a trader.
Q wise young judge! And what was
it that you were saying just now, not to
the flour merchant, or the cloth mer-
chant, or the shoe dealer, but to the
lecture merchant Were you or were
you not saying to him that you were
very sorry that the audience had been
SO small and the expenses SO large, and
the treasury was SO low that perhaps
perhaps-in view Of everything
hard to sustain 4 course of really good
ectures-that-that,in in fine. the mcr.
chant would perhaps take of half the
price stipulated, because you, U wise
young Judge! have not made as much
money out Of him As you hoped tc
make?
10 decline to do this, MIR. Cough
| like other eminent masters of tho
platform. did not hold to be a merce-
nary view Of his calling. Ii it was not
nercenary for the baker to ask six.
pence for his loaf or the milkman q
fair price for his milk, neither was il
mercenary for the lecturer to ask an
equally fair price for his commodity
and his labor and his time. It is, in.
decd, open to any man to give bread
and milk to his neighbors without
price. But he cannot support his fam.
lily by that course. All the merchants
in town, if they choose, may give away
all their goods. But they cannot be
reproached with venality if they pre-.
fer to sell instead of to give. Mr..
| Cough. SO far Us he turned his powers
and gifts to making money, was mer-
chant, and was amenablc only to the
laws and usages of honorable business,
and those who asked him to renOunce
half his fee, or who requested the gift
of all the profits Of a future transac-
ton, were unquestionably well-mean.
ing, but they were unnindful Of the
laws and usages of honorable business.
MIR. Edwin p. Whipple. one of the
most accomplished and popular
pioneers Of the modern lecture platform
said that he once declined to suffer in
the way that we have described, and
the controverted ten dollars was at last
paid. He departed homeward congrat.
ulating himself upon the triumphant
indication Of sound principle. But.
sail he with 4 sly smile of appreciation.
that money was an apple of the Dead
Seat turned to ashes. 1t was q coun-
terfeit bill. Doubtless it was intended