The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-03

name of Bryan, the lustre of whose name
will not pale in the light of those great
luminaries of the past" Mr. Hal T. Lewis
ended his speech by congratulating the
people OF Atlanta upon being the first au-
dience to hear. in his new field of labor,
the greatest American that ever graced
the lecture platform. Hurrying from the
exciting scenes of political warfare to the
gentler influences of the stage, he will no
less entertain us with thoughts that, chast-
en- and purify the heart, so that we would
not exchange their sweet rebukes for all
the boisterous joys that ever shook the
air with drama"
The speaker introduced in this able and
eloquent if somewhat mystic fashion,
then recited for about an hour a carefully
prepared essay, entitled 1.-THE Ancient
Landmarks" The landmarks were very
ancient indeed They may have purified
and chastened the hearts of the Atlantans
present but they do not seem to have
shaken the air with boisterous joys. Even
the friendly Mr.. Clark Howell, in his
newspaper, admits that Mr. Bryan's lee
ture was somewhat of a frost. 1T was
extremely conservative" says the faith
full, yet truthful Constitution land could
have been delivered all the way across the
continent without being resented by any
one. He was extremely cautious, and this
appeared to handicap him.
The remaining forty-nine lectures of the
proposed series will not be delivered. The
New York Journal explains, on what it
calls positive authority" the sudden
abandonment of the campaign of chasten-
ing and publication so gloriously begun
at Atlanta under the personal direction of
Mr.. Hal T. Lewis. Mr.. Bryan withdrew,
not because his $4,000 certified check
proved to be bogus, not because he had
any doubt that the remaining $4,000 would
be Forthcoming, not because he felt that
he was really giving his employers the
worth of their money, but because when
he reached Atlanta he found that city
plastered over with huge ilthgraphic post
ers representing jackson. Jefferson, Lin
coin, Washington and himself all stand
ing in a row. and all of equal size.
This pictorial classification was proba-
bly, inspired by sentiments not very diff
ferent from those which impelled Mr. Hal
T. Lewis to rank Bryan as an orator with
Demosthenes, Cicero and Lord Chatham,
but the effect on the ear is one thing and
that on the eye another. The shrinking
modesty Of Mr.. Bryan recoiled at the
sight of these awful posters. His we'll
known horror of anything like personal
ostentation or sensational and adventi-
tious accessories to his oratory, warned
him that he was allowing himself to be
made the victim Of coarse and vulgar
photographic display. To preserve his
self-respect, and to avoid further associa-
ton with Jackson Jefferson. Lincoln and
Washington on the board fences of this
republic, he sent the very next morning
for his employers and discharged himself
from their employ.
Such is the explanation of Mr.. Bryans
friends of the sudden termination of the
great lecture contract of 1896. We do not
see any reason for rejecting this explana-
ton. No one who reads the Ancient
Landmarks" will fail to perceive the
gross Improperly of exhibiting Mr. BRYAN
on posters alongside Of Jackson, Jefferson.
Lincoln andf'W Washington.