The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-05-20
THE LATE JOHN b. COUGH.

THE LATE JOHN b. COUGH.
In sketch of John B. Cough, who
died as 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
apostle of temperance, it was stated
that although n very generous man, he
declined to lecture for the benefit of en-
terprises and societies of all kinds, which
constantly applied to him. 1t 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 objectionable
form of mendicancy than that which
asks this kind Of aims. Mr.. Cough re-
ceived a very large income from his
public lectures, and of this money he
was not avaricious. On the contrary,
he gave literally, and often, doubtless,
to the very objects for the benefit of
which he was vainly asked TO lecture.
A man practices his profession or pur-
sues his business for his livelihood and
the support of his family, and he deter
mines for himself the amount and the
direction of his gifts and charities.
|. That is what the charitable society
forgets which asks singer to sing, or
an actor to act, or painter to paint
picture, or a lecturer to give lecture.
for its benefit, upon the score of charity.
One of the hard-working guild of lectu-
rers some years ago replied to solicit
tation of this kind by asking the chair
man of the committee what business he
pursued. 81 am a dealer in jewelry."
'.Well, Mr.. Chairman, said the lectu-
rer, Il am very much interested in
| 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, if you will give me
those of your business for one day for
the benefit of my society"
The good chairman stared and smiled.
The lecturer continued: "Have you ap-
piled to our friend MIR. Sheepskin, the at
torneyP" mo; what forp" asked the
chairman. "Why, to aid your society
by contributing days feesP" The
| chairman smiled, and looked puzzled.
..What | mean," said the lecturer, ais
| 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. The fact that l am lecturer is
i nOI u IOdSOn tudO 1ou AAfshS thS
| application to me rather than to a law
| yer, or merchant. or an artist. DO
| YOU ask Mr.. Booth TO bestow his receipts
for next Saturday upon your society be-
cause your society is poor and wants
money to buy carpets and cushionsP
| Do YOU ask the proprietor of the Herald
or Times to drop into your treasury all
the money that they may receive for ad-
/ nnI SalnS on tho first HaU
of Junep Do you ask Mr.. Choate to
hand you over his professional income,
as nearly as he can compute it, for
Monday, the 22d? To ask me for money
is one thing; but to ask for blank
check with my signature is quite an
other" The lecturer smiled as benig
nantly as the chairman, but did not
look in the least degree puzzled. ''Ohr'
said the chairman. Precisely" re-
turned the lecturer.
There is sometimes queer lapse of
| good faith in one of the parties to the
business to which MIR. Cough devoted
his life. A member of lyceum COM
mittee, in his private capacity of mer-
| chant, negotiates with another merchant
for piece of cloth, or Il case of shoes,
or cargo of flour. But he finds that
he has miscalculated the market,
OF there is some mishap, and he loses
by the bargain. Does he thereupon re-
pair to the other merchant, and say TO
him that he hasn't 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 per-
haps agree to take half of the price
agreed upon? No; the worthy member
of the lecture committee has never been
guilty of such an act as that If he can
| not take the chances of trade, he is not
fit to be q trader.
o wise young Judge! And what was it
you were saying just now, not to the
flour merchant 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 per-
haps-perhaps-i view of everything
so hard to sustain a course of really
good lectures-that-th in fine the
merchant would perhaps take off half
the price stipulated, because you, o
wise young judgei have not made as
much money out of him as you hoped to
make?
To decline to do this, Mr.. Cough, like
other eminent masters of the platform,
did not hold to be mercenary view of
his calling. If it was not mercenary
for the baker to ask siXpence for his loaf
or the milkman fair price for his milk,
neither was it mercenary for the lectu-
rer to ask an equally fair price for his
commodity and his labor and his time.
1t is, indeed, open to any man to give
bread and milk to his neighbors with
out price. But he cannot support his
family by that course. All the mer-
chants in town. if they choose, may
give away all their goods But they
cannot be reproached with venality if
they prefer to sell instead of to give.
Mr.. Cough, so far as he turned his
powers and gifts to making money, was
a merchant, and was ameS able 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 future
transaction, were unquestionably we'll
meaning. but they were unmindful of
the laws and usages of honorable busi-
| ness.
Mr.. 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 contro-
verted ten dollars was at last paid. He
departed homeward congratulating him.
self upon the triumphant vindication of
a sound principle. But, said he, with a
| sly smile of appreciation, that money
was an apple of the Dead Seat turned
to ashes. 1t was counterfeit bill.
Doubtless it was intended by the austere
committee as a stern rebuke of the mer-
| cenary disposition of the lecturer
George Wal,an Curtis, IN Hdrper's
Maqazine for MoY