Morning journal and courier., 1886-06-19

had told the audience that the Convention Rationale had charged aim to address them
 on the elements of ethics, but that the sub Ject demanded great care and time to pre- pare, and he would only be ready to deliver his first lecture to them three months later. If, as you will See, the lecturer did not do much featuring, he pocketed his years pay
 Aime Martin, the biographist, had always
 led us to look on Bernardin's appointment to thls post as piece of persecution, act of violence offered in his personal convictions
 and he compared him to Socrates compelled to drink the draught of hemlock. But M
 Claretie throws quite another light on the matter by quoting letter addressed by the professor to the minister of public instruc- tion. This letter, which is still in the muse url of the Archives Nationales," contains the most humble expressions of thanks and gratitude from it's author. M Claretie had the story of Bernardin's only lecture from NJ
 Jules Simon, and tells it as it was told by him. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, he says, trembled lest he should fail as an orator and thus compromise his great reputation as q writer. That hours speaking he felt might pull him down from his pedestal. He ar rived looking pale and anxious. His appear anee was the signal for respectful silence. In a nervous voice he began timidly: q am a family man and live in the country At the words family and country, which seemed to sum up all his famous ''Paul ct Virginie, :" roar of applause rang through the hall, and
 when it mad died away it broke forth again and again The assembly was moved and excited. The thought of that good ''father of family" living i'll the country in order
 to be closer to nature, his beloved mistress, and revealing to them in his writings the de- lights of a simple life in the midst of the fields and forests, sufficed to fill with enthu- siasm the readers of his Paul ct Virginie :" And who of his hearers had not read it? The
 book then the talk of the world So the applause continued, the crowd seeming to get intoxicated with their own braves. At the sight of their transports Bernardins eyes filled with tears. This was the finishing touch- Every man rose to his feet. There
 was no going on. Bernardin came down from the platform and if he had allowed it
 would have been carried in triumph to his
 beloved 'country" home. After such tre- mendous success the professor would not risk on the reputation for eloquence that he had
 won with those simple words: II am fam fly man and 1 live in the country"
 The May meetings over. Baptists
 Wesleyans Quakers have each in turn met their brother Baptlsts, Wesleyans, Quakers in solemn conclave at Wesleyan Hall But the meeting of the Salvation army eclipsed
 them all. This undertaking of General
 Booths is hourishing and spreading out
 branches all over the world. We may dis like the noisy process1ons of these over wig
 orous Christians and object to the shape of
 their head gear; there are many things about
 the Salvationists which grate upon the feel
 ings and offend the taste of the cultured, but
 it must be admitted that they are now a
 power on the earth and that their general
 is notable man. It is fact that he and
 his wife, considering that they started with out money friends, have simply done won ders to judge by the figures given by the
 ot int
 In 1882 they had three hundred and twenty
 corps: now they have one thousand five hun
 dred and fffty-two. In 1882 they held six
 thousand two hundred and twenty-six ser
 vices week; they now hold as many as twen-
 weight thousand. The army has branches in nineteen countries and colonies. Salva- tionists from all parts of the world attended the congress in their national costumes and many sang salvation hymns in their own languages. I am not going to join the army and I owe it many grudge for disturbing the peace of my Sabbath by praying and praying out of tune on brass instruments under my windows. but am ready to admit
 that it has done something towards advan- cing greater simplicity of life, fraternity among men, development of self-respect, temperance and cleanliness. The Salvation 1 ists are mostly all people of the lowest class l es of society, yet they are all clean and this | forms pleasant contrast to the other people | in their own orders. The general has cer
 tainly solved hard problem i'll these timet
 of discontent; he has enforced among his l followers 6 combination of democratic equal l ity and autocratic discipline.
 1 Lectures are becoming in England a regu- | lar institution as in America. Debating so. cieties, political and literary associations, in | stitutes, public schools all have now courses l of lectures delivered to them by the stars of l the literary world and scientific professions during the autumn and winter months. This excellent movement has received great i'm pulse from the creation of central agency ! in London. compatriot of yours, MT. G. w. Appleton, n talented novelist and drama tist now settled in England, has devoted his | leisure time to starting lecture bureau on | the American plan Among the brilliant
 sta6 which this euterprising American has | been fortunate enough secure I notice | Henry NJ. Stanley, the great African explor- | or, Archibald Forbes, the famous way o0rre- | spondent of the Daily News, tho Rev. II. R. | Haweis, the beautiful but now short haired Oscar Wilde, Will Carleton, Clifford Harri- | son, Justin Mccarthy, Miss Florence Mar ryntt and Il host of other celebrities. I nm | surprised that tho idea never struck an Eng | lishman, but as the proverb tells us, the l hurler on tho ditch sees most of the game
 MAx OrREIt