The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-11

| Century Magazine. Mr.. Remnants home
was in Washington for many years before
| he went abroad, and be has many Trends
here. But disagreeab bic experience some
years ago gave him a strong prejudice
against the town every place IS a town"
with lecturer) and afterward ne refused
10 come here to lecture.
Some years before he made his trip for
the Century Mr. KEENAN, went TO Siberia
with telegraph expedition. On his return
he wrote a little book, Tent Life 10
| Siberia" and prepared a lecture which he
expected TO deliver all over the country.
but he tried TO launch the lecture here,
and the home town OF an actor nr lecturer
Is notably the worst place for him TO make
a start. Mr.. kennan'S lecture enterprise
was biighted in Washington. When, IN
alter years, cities were bidding for him
MI. hennan refused to come to Washing
ton on any terms. This year lie has over
come his prejudice. /: remains to be seen
whether Washington has overcome the
prejudice hat it seemed 30 have against
Mr.. KEENAN,.
All sorts of people speculate in Iyceum
attractions. The business approaches
near enough to theairicals to have the
theatrical fascination for many people.
But probably the slraDgeSt combination of
interests was when hotel barber man
aged musical recital given in an interior
New ork town two years ago by the
World-famous pianist Paderewski. Mr..
Paderewski is far ahead of Dir. Talmage
as one-man show. On his last visit 10
Washington, for example, he was rejected
Oy lOca! Spectator tu whom his concert
was offered for $500, and his manager
| brought him here on speculation and took
S300O out oil the town Tor single recital.
10 the New \ ork town Ii WAS hard to find
any one to speculate in his concert, but
finally the barber who was an occasional
SPECTATOR In lyceum ana concert attrac-
| tons, was induced 20 take the risk He
made large sum of money on the concert.
On the morning Paderewski left the
town a large crowd stood in tha hotel cor
ridor to watch his departure. In the crowd
was the barber. discoursing voluby about
the concert. Did | understand you to
say that you managed this man? 2" said Jaw
+. Durham, Washington newspaper man,
who was in the crowd. 81 did," said the
barber proudly, as he poin ted to tile chry-
santhemum-headed pianist JUST threading
his way through the crowd. "And you
didn't cut his hair 2" said Mr.. Durham in
a tone of deep disgust.
Many pu 0ilc men are occasional leclur-
ers. Those who go on the platform are
men who are comparatively poor. and they
lecture (as many of them write for maya
zlnes) to exc out their salaries. Tom Reed
of Maine sometimes lectures before schools.
William l.. Wilson of West Virginia de-
lIyers lectures on the public platform. He
Is IN the Star course in Boston this winter.
w. c. p. Breckenridge of Kentucky is
an occasional lecturer. There was a I one
time quite a demand for the "silver-
tongued," but it has died out. Mr.. Harter
of Ohio Is a regularly listed lecturer and
he and eX-CongreSsman HOTr OF Michigan
deliver a stereOtyped tariff debate" for
$50 They could not get $50 cents for 1t
in Washington. There is too much free
debating of the tariff here. Senator Cor
don has been most successful lecturer
and he can draw an audience of $500 peO-
pie in Washington where people have
many opportunities of hearing him Oh the
floor of the Senate for nothing. There is
plenty of good lecture material in the Sem
ate and the House if some one would only
take it on the road.
GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.