The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-01-14
MIR. HOLMES LECTURE.
II Proved Very Entertaining TO a
Large Audience.
"The Wonders Of Thessaly" ChArmingly
Presented by Word and Picture.

Infantry Hall was Well filled last night
with an expectant audience. which left
the hall later i'm the evening we'll satisfied.
mi. E. Burton Holmes made his first sp.
pearance In this city as lecturer, and
his future success In this city Is assured.
He can be sure OF welcome here at his
future lectures. He carried his audience
with him, and was interrupted q mum ber
OF times by the hearty applause OF his
listeners. A tall, slender man, with the
air and mien OF a student came upon the
stage at Infantry hall last night to leo
ture on 1.-The Wonders OF Ties sally" 1t
was Burton Holmes, much heralded, the
Chicago traveller, who will address eastern
audiences on scenes in foreign lands
In few modest words the lecturer
thanked the audience for their confidence
In him. as shown by coming In good
numbers to hear him. comparative
stranger as he Is In the city, and then he
reviewed the history Of modern Greece,
as a preliminary 20 his story OF the re-
cent war with Turkey and OF a journey
through tho province OF Ihessaly, the
scene OF hostilities.
The story OF the war was already famil-
lar, OF oourss, TO every one in the audience,
for its events are OF recent occurrence, but
the cases and conseq uences OF the ILL
advised conflict were summarized in an
Instructive manner, and the use Of Illus
trations thrown on the screen was n potent
aid to correct understanding OF the con-
test as page In current history.
Mr.. Holmes was not an eye witness TO
the war. but year before had made a
journey over the rich Thessalian plain 10
the towns since made famous by Greek
disasters during the 81 days OF lighting.
and to other points OF historic, legendary
or picturesque interest.
With these companions, besides a
dragoman and cook. and three Greek
troopers TO guard against briganus, he
jouneyed 10 ths renowned vale OF Tempe.
under the shadows OF high Olympus and
or Pelion and Ossa. His descriptions of
the scenery, substantiated by beautiful
colored photographs, were very alluring.
but they were accompanied by facts and
pictures of the catives OF the country In
their unpicturesque poverty.
The least familiar portion of the sub
Ject m after OF the lecture was that relat-
ing to the monasteries OF Meteora. This
afforded an opportunity for very striking
views, the crumbling buildings of tine
religious tocieties occupying narrow
spaces on the SUBMITS OF cliffs. In some
cases more than 2C00 feet high.
The party visited several OF the relg-
ious houses ascending by almost impass-
ibls footways, and In one case being
drawn up In "a huge net OF rope by means
OF "a wipulass through 220 feet ;of empty
space. lhe stories of these experiences
were very we'll told, the whole fsubject
being made exceptionally interesting.
MIR. Holmes Is well known as a lec-
turer in the West. but has his reputation
yet to make IN the Eastern states Com
pnrison with other workers in the same
field would in any event be- invidious
and none the less so since his business
representatives have invited such com
psrisoDs. He is an easy ana graceful
speaker, and his lecture Is we'll and
thoughtfully written. Ills enunciatior IL
distinct, but shows none of the labored
effects Of the mere rhetorician. He lacks
altogether the Ioisy flourish which / a
popular mind associates with western
oratory.
In the illustrations for his lecture Mr..
Holmes Is quite successful. The views
bear evidence of being prepared from
original negatives for this esptoia pur-
pose. and are artisrioally and no doubt
accurately colored. Their chief fault is
occasional indistinctness, especially in
distant scenes,
After the speaker had left the stage n
number OF "motion picture!' were thrown
on the scene by uss OF IDe chronomato-
graphe. These views had 10 relation to
the subject of the lecture, hut included
European and American street scenes, n
fencing bout in Naples. golf tourna-
IN ,nt In Illinois. u parade Of u. >. troops
and the passing Of an express train on a
western railway.
The chronomatographe pictures are un-
usually clear and distinct, nut the num-
Der OF exposures TO the minute in produc
ing the pictures Is maDifestly consider
ably less than in most other such instu-
ments. They were. nevertheless, de-
servedly popular success.