The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31

under British ~tutelage during the period Of in
cubstion-Thich he describes as necessary.
Tho lecture Is not q very general form OF en-
tertainment In England. But lately there has
been quite a~revival Of the lecturers calling, and
England has its Major Pond In the person OF Mr..
Chfisty, who Inns given an interviewer some in
t~Oresting details about English lectures and lee
tuners. In tho FIRST place, the old professional
orator is practically extinct. He was a man who
used to lind out what the people wanted to hear
about and then got up q lecture on the subject.
Nowadays people demand n specialist. A man
or woman must first gain fame In some particu'
lar line. and then tho public want TO hear him
or her talking about that line.
At least two.thirds of tho lecturing engage
monts arc made through societies indirectly
connected with some Nonconformlst congrega.
ton. In almost every lecture all subjects OF a
controversial or scctarian nature are strictly
tSarred. Threc-quarters OF the lectures are given
In the northern and midland counties, and the
winter. of course, is the season.
As to tho lecturers, Mr.. Christy says that,
broadly speaking, the woman lecturer Is non
cNistent; there are one or two exceptions, and
these are chiefly lecturers on musical subjects.
DR., Manson has been the greatest success on the
platform for may years. but he is not reckoned
as among ordinary lecturers. or these Sir
Robert Ball, the astronomer, Is by far the most
popular. He can make as many engagements
as no cares to undertake. As a class, lectures
on travel and exploration, when given By promi-
nent travellers. are the most popular. Selous Of
South African fame has all his dates booked
from January to March. Literary men are APP
pnrently somewhat Of n speculation. Ian
Maclaren Is the only "Kailydrder" who has
made q great success on tho lecture platform.
Max o'Rell, Lucy Of Punch and tho House Of
Commons. and zangwill are other favorites.
AS to the profits OF lecturing, from the lcctur-
ers' point Of view. they do not seem to be par
t~icularly great. There are probably not n dozen
men in the country who make q living from
occurring alone. For a really good man with a
considerable reputation the average fee is $50 o
night, which is increased perhaps to $75 when
there are q long journey and many travelling OK
penses. One hundred and twenty-five dollars is
q very exceptional fee.
Reports from the Chief wine producing coun.
tries Of Europe afford Interesting material for
speculation, especially in the case Of France and
Italy. France has suffered from a succession of
bad years. Phylloxera, mildew. and blackrot
have worked havoc season after season. Re.
planting of vineyards and chemically purging
the vines seem to have had little effect. In ad.
dition, the vine-growers are suffering from tho
consequences OF q policy which they have fol-
lowed too long. When the yield was small they
imported cheap foreign wines to blend with the
native products. So long as these wines were
used chiefly as a blend the owners of vineyards
prodted; but 1t is notorious that Of late years
the importation Of foreign wines has assumed a
new character. The wine is bought on its own
merits; and the French grower finds himself I'M
dersold by wines which, II somewhat rough and
coarse, are sound and wholesome.
u~Lt- - A. -,-~ ~ l-l 1--I
OF tho $4,000. 900 hectolitres OF wine required
for French consumption not one-half, it Is ex'
pected. will be produced this year. AT leas,
300, ooo, 900 OF gallons will be required from Al
geria, Italy, Spain, Sc, to make up the do
flciency.
Here comes the subject for speculation. Will
Franco eventually join Germany and Grea,
Britain and form a kind OF triple alliance Of
beer-drinking nationsi No one who know:
modern Franco can have failed TO remark the
increased consumption Of beer and epirits there
Walk along the boulevards in Paris and take
note of the vast army of book drinkers. and you
will begin to think that there must be some
thing in the assertion that 1t is a law OF history
that whenever beer comes into competition with
wine, the latter 10 driven out. We must wait
some time to see the truth Of this theory, and II
will not be a very long time II beer drinking in
France continues its present rate Of increase
Then we can test another theory. A favorite
maxim with opponents OF beer Is that those
who drink beer think beer. Some critics profess
that they can already see the effect OF beer upor
the literature and manners OF the country
pointing to "a spirit Of pessimism. n sombre
ness and hcnvincss once unknown" To investi
gators of this description ono might Suggest th,
English House OF Lords as q fertile field for in
curry. There the wine drinkers have beef
ousted by the beer makers. 1t would be inter
esting TO see what conclusions would be drawn
from q careful and scientific examination.
Tho report. from Italy lead ono TO wonde
whether that distrossful country may find som
measure Of salvation in her vineyards. From al
parts of Italy come things of a successful har
vest. Asthe outlook in Spain for wine and every
thing else is distinctly gloomy, Italy is the onl
European country in winch the vintage is eS
cep tionally good. She has thus a maGniflcen
opportunity. and some of the producers are be
stirring themselves to profit by it. Hilbert
they have clung to sloyenly and primitiv
methods. No country In the world is natural
better fitted fo- the wine industry than Italy
Nothing seems impossible with her soil and he
sun. As yet but a small part Of tho Who'll
produce has found its way abroad. and it ha
generally been consumed with French labels O
IL. The Government has already begun to edt
cate tho vine grower. pointing out the necess!t
or SklitUlly dressing THO VINCE, boEIlHB INC ITul
and maturing tho wine. But to ask the owe
taxed, heavily burdened producer ito kee
, several vintaRes In his cellars for some years
to ask the impossible. Relieve him OF some
his burden, and, with proper education. tn
vine grower of Italy might In time do muc
: more for his country than the army and nav.
which at present are moro than she can supper
comfortably.
While on the subject of beer and wine, let N
0 recommend the ~teetotRl propagandists to tur
t their attention to flies and ants. 1t would be
. littlo use, I fear. to appeal to their moral sens
but something might be done II they would col
: fine these insects within safe-guarded establis,
n ments and restrict them to q properly ~sterilize
. diet.
Q Tho connection between ants and flies and be,
It and wine may perhaps seem somewhat bscur
But Dr.. Amadeo Berlese of the Portici Labor
tory for Agricultural Chemistry has discover,
that these insects are simply unlicensed pu
o ysyors of alcoholic yeasts. lie had frequent