The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-12-08

course, to a lesser degree. A pretty, grace
full or impressive woman is far surer Of win
ming the sympathies of her audience than
proachably groomed. gloved and bonneted
goes without saying. The strongest-minded
sort of audience will rebel AGAINST lis,enips
to dowdy-'though she speak with the
tongues of men and angels
OF course, there are some few club women
who are above such things, but the vast
majority, whether consciously or uncon-
scously, gauge a lecturer by her clothes.
Such as these have been known to saw:
mo. | didn't like Mrs. Screecher. at all
She didn't amount to much. Why, her
gown wrinkled terribly across the Shout
ders, and did you ever see such an unbe-
coming bonnet?"
however. deferred women from entering
the club-lecturing field. Their number. in
from e RANKS They o
is much more remunerative." say these,
ito write an article and get paid for il
every time that you read 1t than to sell
it outright at the start for publication
The average club rates for lecturers are
twenty-five dollars and expenses per lee
ture. The latter item varies, of course, ac-
cording to locality. Some platform stars ars
willing to come for twenty, fifteen and even
ten dollars. but these prices are only main
tanned at the beginning of career. Some
insist upon thirty dollars. Now and then
fifty dollars is demanded for an hours ad-
dress, but in nearly all cases the lecturer
is willing to come down peg if the Cub
are clubs which make practice of patron
izing only those lecturers who Will give
their services free. They will send car.
rage to the station, and in all ways treat
the lecturer with the highest courtesy ana
appreciation, but they decline to put up the
cash. Other clubs kindly offer to pay all
travelling expenses, that the lecturer may
have the honor of appearing before them.
There Is a well-known and wealthy club
in Massachusetts that contents itself with
presenting to its lecturers beautiful bou-
If nnWprS-and nothing
Quette demands that when lecturer re-
ceives his pay it must not be done openly.
An envelope containing a bill or cheek is
slipped into the hand at parting.
Each club should have a committee upon
common sense. A lecturer has been KNOWN
to arrive at a destination after long ana
tiresome railway ride at, say 1 p. m, to De
at once driven to the audience hail, where
the COMMITTEE has prepared a cold iuncn-
con for her as uninspiring as 1t is indigesti.
Bile. The hall is, likely as not, cold, ana III
is sure to be cherries. but there the lee
turer is expected to remain until the nour
for her address. The lecture over, she is at
once dispatched to the railway station, ana
repeats her wearisome journey. The only
alternative to this method Is to entertain
the lecturer at some private house, as ana
expenses" never, includes hotel bills. mis- Is
even more fatiguing than reposing at the
audience hall. A well-known woman lecturer
invariably postscripts her letter accepting
club with: '.P. ST. positively refused to be
I'm anyway entertained during my stay with
you. Teas, dinners, receptions. luncheons and
lust a few friends invited in are alike OBJ
noxious to me-" statement to the same Ell.
feet appears upon the printed circulars OF
another woman lecturer A noted English
woman who was TO lecture in certain
town consented to accept private hospital
ity only on the condition that she be in no
way entertained. Such distractions would,
she declared. unfit her. for public work.
and she wanted none of them. Her hostess,
however, ascribed this wish to coyness and
modesty, and as pleasant surprise In
vited a large number of persons to lunch
with the lecturer prior to the address. She
also issued cards for big reception to be
given in the evening. When the English
woman found the plans that had been
made for her, she calmly bolted her bed
room door and refused to go down to the
luncheon table. She further insisted upon
leaving town that night instead of remain
ing until morning. as she had intended
The discontinue of the hostess that even
ing may we'll be imagined as the English
woman and her maid marched down stairs
and out the front door through the throngs
of reception guests. The only thing that
keeps me up at all is my sense of humor,"
once said a man who makes a business
of addressing women's clubs. IF I took
the thing at all seriously l should long
ago have fallen by the wayside."