Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-10-06
DIR. Nourse,s Lecture.

Sacramento seldom offers a lecturer a
larger or more select and representative
audience than that which greeted Dr.
Nourse at the Congregational Church last
night and the speaker was worthy of it.
The burly John, who had had twelve hun
dred years in which to grow fat; the lank
Jonathan, who is yet in the STRIPPING stage
of youth the English matron, substantial
dignified, motherly; the American girl,
who could harness horse, ride bare back
fire rife, do the weeks washing if she
liked, though she seldom liked; the
English lion, king of beasts, whose roar
shook the nations; and the American
eagle, king of birds, whose circling flight
held the world in admiration, were
the pleasing forms under which
the lecturer introduced his subject.
In treatment the lecture was broad, simple,
humorous and dramatic, the argument Sc
rious and weighty. The aim of the lee
turer in presenting the characteristics of
the two nations is to soften prejudice and
bring the two great English speaking peo-
pie closer together. If Euglishmen are
ignorant of the extent of our territory and
the relation of its parts, we no less fail TO
comprehend the magnitude of the English
population. At our present rate of increase
thirteen hundred years will yet be required
to give the density of the present English
population. The speaker also dwelt upon
our debt to England, comprised in our ma
tional spirit, language, literature, common
law, religion, In a mastery way he stated
the offset. The spirit of American
freedom now animates the British people
and manifests itself in the popular fran
chise; the free education of all children,
first undertaken in the United States, has
been adopted by the British Government
under the pressure of American precedent,
until now the road is clear from the alpha
bet to the highest honors Of the university
He pleaded for kindly sentiment for the
mother country. We held stronger preju-
dices against her than against any other
people, and yet while politicians were
trimming their sails for the Ger
man vote the French vote aud the
Irish vote, none ever sought the
English vote. Why? Because, though there
were in this country nearly half million
more English born American citizens than
Irish born, there was not one English vote
among them all. The English settler be-
came at once an American citizen with no
British reservation. The lecture was lis
tened to with intense interest throughout
and at the end of an hour and fifty minutes
the audience reluctantly left the church.
Mr.. Nourse will lecture again, at the
same place, this evening, giving his cele-
brated lecture, DIR Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde"
All who heard him last night will
certainly do so tonight. The San Fran
cisco Chronicle of yesterday, speaking of
the lecture to be delivered tonight,
said of its delivery in that city !:
mo secular address from the platform
there was ever more enjoyed. Robert Louis
Stevensons famous story was given in
synopsis from the objective point of view.
Then the lecture began-powerful, elo-
quent, thoughtful-with the text: 1t de-
ponds on the man. The dual nature of
humanity was discussed, and the effect of
evil influences on the grosser side was
effectively told. The subjective side of the
story was taken up, and with foroeful
dramatic vigor the lecturer presented Mr..
Hydes view of DR. Jekyll to the audience"