The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-12-19

the latter disesis. AMI the former does
not There : reason shy uost Of oar
great men were country boys
his Suggests the canse II the failure
ofthe lyream ia many pisres. commit
+ tees have 70 often unsicrfaisl the intel
Iectnl demands II their aniiencss
They have said People waas am1se-
me0s' aud that is true. There IS nth
/ ing more true. In this day ss do not
laugh half en0nzh- The play SIDE q
human nature IS as divine a. the prayer
side. and is Qualification IS Just as necss-
sarv. There are muscles N our fare
which would not be used AZ eli i 'se did
not laugh with them and our Creator
never pat a wheel in this machine 0f
ours intending il To rust. Z think Il il
sate to say that 10 man whose lecture, Il
reported verbatim, did not contain such
stenographic remarks a. laughter. or
-roars Of laughter. could long remain in
popular demand
By eight O'Clock at night people are
tired. and they want "a be amused.
( That Il ones ire primary objects Of their
I coming together. Theg have night 20
7 look for it aud Il they DO not ind 10, no
amount Of advertising can bring them
out again The place which How snows
sheni viii knos them no more.
But while this Is the truth. it is only
a segment Of the truth and not the whole
( circle. Its common idea that West
/ ern audiences demand baif1onerg. And
+ here Is the rock marked with che wrecks
Of multitudes Of Iyceum committees.
+ Tat l,-tsrs e1sre IS 5aial3 g. jag Fsici -,-
( tsrs dii0 competition eiib the aarifg ssac.
/ The variety show can beat it every time.
[ The Yankee GaF' and Tie Man with
( the twenty Faces. can deubsless ini an
audience. but never a sec1ud nne,
among the class Of ple.who IN Western
towns Or Eastern. sustain lyceums They
may be inveigled once into an atten-
dance. bat q committee pays tor great
( price fora uomentary success lit secur-s
+ it AZ the cost ofthe conf ience Of tire lee-
I re-going-community Neither Is there
any need f5r this in these days. when
+ lyeeum Bureaus are ready 70 suppiv con-
/ cert companies, or readers, who. while
ministerinz 10 refined tastes. can furnish
al the variety which any course
+ should require. There are two wavs Of
reaching the masses one IS, % come
down to their level this IS the plan Of
second-rate theaiers. and 10 lecture
course can successfully compete along
that line The other is. to IIn them up
10 yours the only plan which elrries
with il prolonged vitality
Tue absolute essential in the popular
lecture, next to the existence of merri-
ment, or at least good humor. Is the ear
uestness Of moral purpose. A man
must actually have message o. deliver.
not narrow or partisan. but broad a. hu-
nlanity. and he must bs an adaiae with
a sense Of its mighty Importance. if be
would grasp and hold an anlieuce. each
of whose lives is the centre Of history
that Is. an aniience Of thoughtful men
and women. such as compose the aver
age attendance at a lyceum
Recall the names Of aim lst any who.
in the last generation or in this. have
swayed communities from the platform
-Beecher. Cough, Talmage. Willets,
Colyer. even Buriette, who. though q
pronounced humcrist. Is withal a Chris
tian gentleman with a ioftv aim in every
word he speaks, and others. and we shall
find that, added io theoratorical temper
sment. they posesse,l. in a marked de-
gree, these two elements. The arrow
has been winged with subtle wit. or
rolliking humor, bat they have every
where and alwavs determinedly aimed
at a marx And it is because Of the ne
cessity Of this combination that the sue
cessful lecturer is comparatively a rare
product. The demand for the genuine
Is greater than the supply, and aixays
must be. such a one can speak II he
chooses every night in the week. the
whole season through. at from $40 10 $50
a night. The very rarity Of this comhi-
nation makes them monopolists by ns-
cessity- l doubt if. out Of the seventy
millions Of peoDleiu this country. there
are ffty individuals who % day are ia
demand on the lyeeum platform second
time at the same place.
here are clergymeu who sre preach
ing every sunday % crowded conrreea-
tions who are comparative failures when
they attempt 10 lecture, be,ause they
lack this peculiar mental amaleam. They
can reason ami often inspire amid the
s4ncities Of the sabbath Day. surrounded
by the atmosphere of devotion they can
interest, and perhaps thrill their bearers.
but before a premiscuous assem- bl1re. on
a secular theme. with an address in
length an hour and half-twice or
three times the length Of a sermon-the
interest hags and their hearers are tired
before they are half through. It seems
impossible for them to lay aside the al
mospbere Of the Cloth The peculiar
abandon Of the popular speaker Is lack
ing and. where this j. the cIse. practice
can seldom If ever supply the deficiency.
The orator, Hks.tbe poet. IS born. not
made, and especially = this true Of the
lycemn orator.
Think for moment Of h8w verv OK
cePtional the demand 1pon him j.. The
actor has his exits and his n-r1nees. he
can breathe between performances kut
upon this other hangs the whole drama.
from -La,iies and Gentleman O. STOOD
Night The political speaker. coming
to an sxcited community. has the maya
/ zine Of power al before him. What he
has To do, is simply 70 throV in the
I sparks. The preacher, IN his suround-
ings. finds, only in less deuee. the same
+ conditions. Is Gladstone says From
the audience. the eloqnence arises in va
/ por which he sends bsck IN rain" But
the iycelm orator must carry Dot only
his match with him. but bis kindllng
wood also. When he rises b speak, the
audience are there in cold blooI. often in
q critical mood and what ever heat may
be involved, must start from behind the
footligli-, ami not in front Of them.
AMI this ability % fire promiscuous