The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-10-31
ADDITIONAL CITY NEWS
LYcEUM
COURSE OPENED By DR.GUNsAU-
LTs.
Lectures 10 a Large Audience on
"SavonaroIa.v

Wichita LEceum Tor It's season OF 1870
1901 DR.. r. w. Gunsaulus in his spien-
did lecture on ''Savoranola" was the at
traction and the immense building was
filled with ticket holders for the event.
They were not disappointed in the man
or his lecture. The lecture was filed
with oratorical climaxes, interspersed
with historical ideas, and throughout the
entire evening was that thrill Of fascin-
alton which only the orator can give.
For a few minutes before the opening
of the lecture the Wichita Apollo club,
under the direction OF Professor Mar
shall, gave several selections TO the sat
isfaction OF the audience. The club is
one of the splendid organizations OF
which Wichita is proud, and the music
rendered by the club last night was fully
up to the standard.
The Wichita Lyceum IS beginning its
sixth year in this city and is under the
Management, as it has been, Of Mr.. Or
vile A Boyle Mr. Boyle has made him
self familiar with the desires of the
people of this city and the course of this
year costs more money than any other
list Of attractions presented in previous
years.
DR.. Lynch. pastor of the First Meth
odist church, introduced DR.. Gunsaulus
in few words. He told Of him as a
man and of his lecture. DR.. Gunsaulus
said In part:
'Savonarola belonged to the aristocracy
of brains. He belonged to the aristoc-
racy Of ideas. He belonged to the arts
toeracy of propelling thought. Yea, more
than that, he belonged to the aristooracy
Of goodness-the aristocracy of character
the grandest aristocracy Of all.
His father was a doctor and his be
fore him was doctor You may not
see any significance to this unless tell
you that in those days doctors were stu
dents and Investigators. Think of the
calamity that it would have been to
Savonarola If his father had been a min
ister The ministers of those days were
a most peculiar set. They were way up
above the people. Their feet were high
in the air. 1t was only once in a long
while that one Of them got hold Of a
realty and then he came laundering down
o earth SO hard that he was Immediately
burned as an hereto.
THE elergymen Of those days spent
their time in discussing how many angels
could stand on the point Of a needle.
They would even get mad and fight about
it, Two bishops once beat each other
up fearfuHy over the question of what
language the devils use. They finally
discovered some wine that they had not
drunk so they stopped to dispose of it,
'Savonarola, as all young men DO, had
a love affair. It was along about this
time of the year. He fell hopelessly IN
love. He descended down in the dark
abyss as rapidly as man ever did, but
arose again even more rapidly. Il seems
that there was a little girl There al
ways is. you know. The young orator
plead his cause but he failed. However.
he did not plunge into the river and
drown himself All no, he soon recovered
himself for his young mind was to be-
come the greatest mind of Italy"
Mr. Gunsaulus then pictured the young
man alone. The society Of the world
had excluded him. He was alone In the
world But I want TO say, meal rever-
ence, that God has undertaken some
great things in this universe, but never
has He with all His infinite power raised
up a great man in society" The speaker
then showed how the great men of the
world had attained unto greatness IN
solitude.
Mr.. Gunsaulus then drew a wonder
fully vivid picture Of the times tn Italy
when Savonarola lived. The speaker had
a remarkable power Of description. BY
the power. of his language you could see
Italy with debauchery writer every
where. After dwelling on the corruptions
of the times Mr.. Gunsaulus suddenly had
Savonarola TO step forward and survey
crime and sin. AS the speaker pro-
ceeded you could see SavonaroIa advance
and begin to lift his voice against the
iuiquity and corruption az Italy. 'But
his oratory failed" declared Mr.. Gun
saulus. why did It fall? was it be-
cause he had studied rhetoric too long?
No 1T was deeper cause than that II
was because the church was as wicked
as the state.
Again we find him alone. This time ne
is with Almighty Coo. He has taken
Him completely into bis life. He has
taken not the sword of the church in his
hands but now he has grasped firmly the
sword Of Gods truth. 10 man IS hlm-
self until his conscience has full posses
sion ~ rfs sufrf+
.savorsr7la was an aef+at5r F7s 1fvss
in an age that needed an agitstor. Every
400 - s1o.bfrlne~s luete,,i l,,xBrv and
wicke5ness needs an agitat8r
a great tribute was then paid 70 the
iron wiz Of savonaroia- He was por-
--.----,.. sr-,-f-~ 7,4 h.+
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