The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-11-03
rNeL II LEO TUREKs IN AMERICA.


Sir Edwin Arnold, who is now IN the initeo
States under an engagement with fond 10 w
liver a series Of lectures, Is only another a'-
ditiCn 10 the long list Vt distinguished Eng
hshmen Who have come TO this country 70 'n-
crease their incomes and in hardly single
instance have they failed in doing SO. Stan
lev ia reported 70 have carried back very
largo sum Even Oscar Wilde found q visit
to the United States source OF very great
profit. Sir Edwin Arnold has entered into
contract BY the terms by which ne IS 70 oe
Maid $1,000 night. aud at this rate OF reinu-
neration tic proceeds Of his lecturlng tour
will constitute a very handsome amount. IL
IS entirely reasonable to suppose that ne Will
find that lecturing pays very much hetter 'h"n
the composition Of poetry popular as the
Light OF Asia" proved to be.
If poet Of second-rate position Ike Ar
mold is estimated so high as lecturer by 10
shrew R a manager as Pond. what would the
latter not offer An Englishman OF the hrst
order Of celebrity like Tennyson or Glad
stone If either could DO induced to
appear upon the platform in this country
Herbert Spencer. with characteristic Eng
lnh bluntne,s. complained that the at
tention which he received while in
America was pushed to the point OF
vulgar intrusion. II the Poet Laureate
OF England OF the late Prime Minister were to
initiate the exanrle of Sir Edwin Arnold
( there is not a hall in this country. neither
/ Cooper's Institute in New ork nor the Audi
! forum in Chicago. that ~ uld hold tue
audience which would assemble to hear him
/ They would DO 50 much overwhelmed with
attention that at their extreme age i Is very
doubtful whether they would survive the
kinduess.
The question notunnaturaly presents itself.
Is there single man in the vnited States
who. if he were TO 60 upon tie English plat
form as a lecturer. would attract the public
attention which has been excited even by an
Fnglishman comparative obscurity like Sir
dwin Arnold? Since the death Of Mr
Lowell there is no reason to think
that there is an American who would IN
Fnoland be estimated as q lecturer a
hi,b as q. 900 a night. The reputation Of Mr.
Lowell in that country was largely due t. the
fact that he had filed the position OF minis
ter to the Court Of 81 James with ex' client
social and political Judgment. Before being
called to that position b. wa not more widely
known among tne nslisl on liver Wen
dell Holmes WHO would find II difficult e
induce an English lecture bureau to remune'
rate him for q series OF e-tures at a rate which
approached $40 a night.
Are the secouG-ra,e Fnglishmen really
greater men than the iirst-r te Americans
Such seems be the case If we apply thu
test Of English and American lecture mana
gers. respe lively, to the le turers Of the
opposite country. Americans are certainly
:. much more interested in Englishmen thai
Englshuen are in Americans thisis undeu'
able and it is due either 10 the fact that erea
B Engishmen are very much greater than grea
3 Americans. or TO the fact that American
look 10 to the English, consciously or uncon
sciously. and in consequence feel euriosit
about them which Englishmen DO not fee
. about Americans.