The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-04-25
FAMOUS ORATORS.
Half Hours Chat With George
w. Balm on People and
Places.
Comment on Eloquent Men
From Henry Clay to
Carlisle.

wv. W. DdiLi. VIM N'tusN" ttC
past two evenings FOR the Y. NJ. {. 4.
III Sedalia, was found in his room at
Hotel Kaiser yesterday afternoon
by reporter of THE BAzoo.
He has just returned from a trip 70
Kansas, where he found "double
header" were necessary to pull the
trains against the wind. But" said
he, ''the winds do not always blow
that way in Kansas, for friend as
sured me thew sometimes blow the
other way" Mr. Balm is about fifty
two years of age, native of LeXing-
ton, Kentucky, where five generations
of his family on his mothers side were
born. His father was 4 native of
Virginia. In answer to the question,
chow long have Won been on the lee
ture platform he said: '.abOut
twenty Years. The first i've years in
Kentucky exclusively. and my work
was'confined 10 Temperance. For fif-
teen years my field has been enlarg-
ing until now one seasons work eX-
tends from Portland. Maine, to Port
land, Oregon, from Toronto, Canada.
to the Gulf, and much of my time Is
now given to literary lectures, yet no
subject
LIES 80 NEAR ny HEART
Is temperance.
Those whOare best acquainted with
my state seem TO wonder that Ken
tuckian should he temperance
worker and they are the more sur
prised when informed that for twenty
five wears lived in "Old Bourbon
county whose name is on more barrels
and bottles of whisky than that of any
other county of any other state. |
am sometimes announced as Il sober
man escaped from Kentucky. 1t has
been suggested that | light find
enough to do at home in that line.
My reply is that while Kentucky
makes whisky other states help to
drink 1t and in order to stop the sup
ply | must do temperance work in
other states to stop the demand"
Do you find the reputation of Ken
lucky for Oratory help in securing
audiences?
"Yes, | find it both increases the
size and improves the character of my
audiences. Yet | find it source OF
embarrassment to be introduced as
from
THE LAND OF CLAY,
Marshall, Crittenden, Breckenridge
and Carlisle. 1t is enough for
me to meet ordinary expectations
where gifted speakers have preceded
me. without having to deal with an
ticipations exalted BY the mention OF
such nsmes. l sometimes say to au
audience, we have any number of
Henry Clay heads minus the Henry,
but real Henry Clay heads are rarely
found
Is the demand for lecturers in
creasing or is there an over produc-
ton 2
The demand for lecturers who
know how To please and profit the
masses is increasing. The idea of
having something to replace the min
strel and furnish young people a substi-
tute with entertainment and instruc-
ton is growing, and the lecture course
Is becoming a necessity. The supply
really is not sufficient for the demand.
My calls last year ran about seven
hundred. ! wonder that with sixty
five millions of people. colleges in
every state and
SCHOOLS OF ORAToIY
by the scores that there are 50 few
lecturers whose names will draw
audiences. 1t would seem when the
wages of a lecturer are from fifty to
two hundred dollars per night, there
would be thousands, and vet those of
national reputation can be almost
counted on your fingers. Is it because
the pulpit absorbs the talent fitted for
the platform or that orators are born,
not made? The field is a great one,
and very useful one for the man
who has the talent and will put his
into his work.
Do you find large audiences easier
to address than small ones,
That depends. Of course all
other things being equal, numbers in
spire. yet l have found some small
audiences much easier to address than
some very large ones, while often one
man or one woman whose face is all
ablaze with intelligence and apprecia-
ton. is more inspiring than hundreds
OF average auditors. The beaming
face of