The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-06-24

d about Dire east as the crow flies. gave
be shriei # a demon. and tying the
able linen around the throat of the pref
cent chokcd hill to death. Then picking
Up a whole custard pie he struck a little
! How on the opposite side of the table
% IS to fill the ear TO OVERLOOKING. caught
l.old Of IA carving knife and fled through
he village. cutting holes in constables
and biting elderly people on their way
home. He has cleared out two asylums
| already. and now he is on his way to
Waupaca. He still thinks. poor boy,
that he is to lecture at Jasper tonight
and that if he should disappoint them he
will be out $40"
The lecturer has two or three great
obstacles to overcome which the actor
has not-viz, he has no scenery, he has
20 occupy the entire evening alone. and
there is no division into three or four
acts with a chance for the audience to
rest and run down the show. And yet
the lecturer often starts out fearlessly
without training. or with training that
is far worse than none. and on the repu-
tation he has made in some totally differ
ent art he fearlessly rushes in where
angels would naturally hang back and
advertises to lecture. At the expense of
the public he thus, if persistent and
brave, at last learns to be aatural-if he
didn't foolishly get his originality and
individuality trained out of him by q
journeyman elocutionist on the start
and 10 then considered a professional.
He a think Of other more interesting
topics than his speech and 81: himself
downly f.lo roadside life at times to
calmly r3ino1r tlIe co.'s and brainbles
from his tired ~'cei-ihorns and bra,nb1cs
accumulated al along the harsh nd
~tiercely thor.t rna'i ever which lie has
Travelled toward wen II n1oIar.!: success.
am Often .~iet. are the a.1Iiaao -
as different = lie I"o io. a.a where 10
you find thu Erpst cliGrsi;. nd ap-
preciativt as:aitnre.:" Mrst ~ar mat
no general role cat. !p gwen - rai' is
points Of the co3f,lass' are oulc,rn"i.
The west il %llar,.Ir L!Gre "nt.usia *
than The east, though Il yoni..- au,liel -.
6 college audience or an audience of
teachers or 7 ysparcr men is the audi
ence for entft .iasm.
Portland. Me-. is said to b. the quiet
est and tnie"so the most enthusiastic.
This Is trt.e IN some respects, bit if YOU
can get time to watch the faces of the
New England audience without forget |
ting your leace you will discover tine
same degree of appreciation and enti.u-
sias,n. though manifested perhaps in a
different way. in the one case as in the
other.
Lecturers are better treated Oh the
whole now than 20 years ago. and the
eggs used by those who criticise the per-
lence. it seems to me.
No one can oe quicker to recognize and
appreciate such a reform tilan / can. No
n halls with greater glee or more opti-
mistic salvoS If applause this stride in
the direction of improvement.
had intended to give a few little per-
sonal experiences in the way of anec-
dotes of y comic character. but space
forbids: besides | doubt the good taste of
writing f%ippantly of such a serious mat
ter as lecturing, especially humorous
lecturing. | had also thought of deyo.-
ing a page to lecture managers with
whom | have met, but the. subject is too
prolific, ami besides | am afraid that
some lecture manager might reply with
an essay OH Lecturers With Whom He
Has Met. Someo other time / will write
of these things. so that it will be an easy
matter for the reader to lca.n how to
lecture successfully by a FEY. evenings
study at home.
1.n A.