The Indianapolis journal., 1895-09-20

consists in a smattering Of foreign Ian
guages and music and continues quite
unconscious OF the fact that her man.
ners are uncouth. her mere enunciation
OF her own tongue barbarously unculti-
waited, and her ignorance OF IL such that
she writes home that. she is getting on
alright" In her German. This from a
college graduate. too Indeed. the COL
lege graduate. both male and female. ie
often much more In need OF some real
rudimentary schooling than OF the cult
ure that consists IN further accumula-
ton OF imperfect knowledge. or. rather.
Information. For that Is what this so
called culture really is. Monday. French.
Tuesday literature: Wednesday. Ger
man: Thursday. science: Friday. Italian.
Saturday. ar,, with further Subdivisions
as 90 mornings. afternoons and evenings.
is programme that would not daunt a
would-be woman OF culture. Naturally
IL Is all superficial. often deliberately 20.
II do love these lectures" said a worl-
an who was coming out OF one OF the
public readings at Columbia College. Its
such an easy way OF getting an idea of
a subject. / never should read up dny-
thing for myself. but N / can get some
one who has TO tell me all about AZ IN
perfectly happy"
This Is the secret OF the immense sue
cess. financially and otherwise. that the
parlor lecture is meeting with. In fact.
the parlor lecture. rather than the sum-
mer SCHOOL, which Is fast developing be-
yond IL. may be said TO typify this
woman's movement Some one mere
clever or more needy woman-for II ~
TO be observed that this is an industry
piled. as IL is supported. almost excI1-
sively by women-'reads up q. subJecx,
gets together an audience in some pat
ron's parler. and tells what she hns
read. and what they might read. too: II
they would take the trouble 10 visit a
library or consult an encyclopedia. Sell
dom indeed il the lecturers learning pro-
found, but then, rarely are her hearers
critical. and they are generally fatter-
ingly grateful for any information she
may impart- Next 10 the elementary
character OF this information what
strikes the observer most is the way IN
which IL Is received. Facts that every
schoolboy or girl ought TO know are re-
tailed again anss accepted-apparentty
at least-as novelties. IL a foreign
country be the topic. and none is more
popular. the attention is especially de-
vout. How IL is rewarded may be IN
ferred from the fact that such a lecture,
which will doubtless be extremely pop
ular next winter has been prepared
after six weeks flying trip 20 the
country to be treated of by the lecturer.
who is entirely ignorant Of its language.
THE PARLoR LECTURE.
Perhaps IL is inevitable where women
play a part that clothes should be q
factor. AT any rate, this is the case in
the parlor lecture.
II always buy my lecture gowns IN
Paris" says the lady who has the self
confidence to lecture about a people
whose tongue she cannot speak. "One
has to impress ones audience. and ones
clothes must be nice enough to bear a
close and critical inspection"
The social considerations so dear to
woman's soul are also a factor-and a
powerful one--in the parlor lecture
Like the parlor meetings OF last winters
woman's suffrage campaign, which made
a parody of political equality by exclu-
sion and distinctions that slapped the
idea of IL in the face. the parlor lecture
is a social. perhaps one might even bet
ter say. society institution. Not
every woman who feels herself capable.
or who would like To earn her living in
this easy and honorable way, can give
narlor lectures Before even ability she
must have social position or social con-
nections, an introduction or calling
list: and friends or patronesses are IN
dispensable. And these, moreover, must
be sure that in allowing themselves 10
be instructed by her they Will not be
brought in contact with any one OF
whom they are not sure. Indeed, so far
does this feeling go that IL is generally
the class that forms itself and then
seeks a teacher rather than the teacher
who collects together a class Such
lecturer is always careful TO accompany
her seasons announcements with list
of patronesses that announces her status
as well. OF course. with such extrlnslc
conditions governing IL. the parlor lecture
itself is likely to suffer. The woman es-
pecially fitted to deliver IL is passed by
for one chosen on other grounds than
knowledge and ability to speak on the
given topic. Or the energy that ought
TO 20 into the lecture itself runs or into
such side issues as Paris gowns and =
list of influential names on ones pro-
gramme.
The writer once attended. in a German
university town, German form Of the
parlor lecture. which should be cited
here. IL only 10 show that Amercan
women are not the only ones 10 MAKE
the mistake of laying stress on nom
essentials in this connection. The lee
ture in question was a very swell az
fair, the ladies composing the club be-
fore which IL was held being of the best
in the place. Everybody came arrayed
in her best, and the huge hats that Ger
man women affect were gorgeous TO be-
hold-in fact. one short body In a back
seat could not see much else. The lec-
turer, who was one OF the most dis
tinguished Of the university professors,
was late in arriving: IL was fully twenty
when he finally rushed in, painting and
perspiring with haste. but Immediately
clad in a. full-dress suit, light gloves
and a buttonhole bouquet and he used
up five minutes more of the allotted hour
in apologizing for his tardiness. which
was due he said. TO his having 10 20
home from the university, where he had
ectured an hour before, in order 10
dress His festive attire seemed. more
over TO distract him: and what with
settling his cravat and smoothing ms
gloves the lecture itself went lamely.
and 4 came promptly to conclusion
with the sixtieth minute OF the hour.
half of which had been spent In delay
Is IL likely that, distracted in such
trivial way. even a really big mind. a.
his was. could give of its besty
Nevertheless, with an its failings. the
parlor lecture is not TO be despised. IL
is a well-paying industry; its POSSIBLE
itics are great. and even its present
achievements, superficial and dishonest
i'm a way as they are, are better than
nothing at all. When the demand Il
caters to improves. IL will improve or
give place to something better. just as
the summer school. which 70 the for
eiener and to such Americans as the
lady first quoted still seems superncla1
and absurd. and which began az about
the stage where the parlor lecture nov
is. has steadily improved. till to-day ~