Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-29
Chief Speaker at Meeting of the
Brotherhood.
TOLD OF PARIS AND PASSION PLAY.
described Ocean Trip, the House of
Commons, the Worlds Exposition,
the Great Play at oberammersau-
His Audience Interested.
From Tuesdays Daily.

dist Episcopal church was held last
night at the home of w. A. Work, $40
North Court street. 1t was very
successful one from every point OF
view, and especially was the address
delivered by Hon. Calvin Manning,
late United States commissioner to
the Paris exposition, giving his views
and ideas upon the exposition, and
his description of the Passion Play
given by the peasants of Oberammer-
gau. in Bavaria, an exceedingly merit
orious number.
Mr. Manning spoke for about an
hour, and during that time he held the
rapt attention of his audience, the
members of which enjoyed listening
to his vivid description of the scenes
of the great worlds fair, and of the
beautiful features of the Passion
Play. Mr.. Manning is very earnest
and thoughtful speaker and his clear
and concise manner of expressing his
conclusions, reached by his personal
observations of the greatest event at
the closing of the nineteenth century
was appreciated
Mr.. Manning Introduced.
The meeting was opened by prayer
by Rev. F. e. Brush, which was fol
lowed by an instrumental solo by
Jean Duffield, after which Hon. w. A.
Work was introduced as the president
of the Brotherhood. After a short
talk upon the interests and the OBJ
jects of the Brotherhood, Mr.. Man
nuing was introduced. He started
his address by taking his audience
with him on his trip across the sea;
he graphically told of his impressions
upon his arrival in England, his ideas
of the British parliament; of his meet
ing the famous British statesmen,
Chamberlain and Balfour, and he de-
scribed the house of commons with its
long bare rows of seats, which give
the average American citizen the idea
of an old fashioned school house. He
told of the members of the house OF
commons as they sit in their places,
some Of them with their hats on, some
standing, the government party on
one side of the aisle and the opposi-
ton on the other; this painting OF the
great house of commons when con-
trasted with the sumptuous arm
chairs and different arrangements
made for the comfort of our lawmak-
ers at Washington, made deep i'm
preston on Mr.. Manning's audience.
IS a. W. London to Paris. ,is !,
Mr.. Manning was unable to give his
views upon Ireland and Scotland as
his time was too short, and he took
his audience from London direct to
Paris, the greatest city on the CONT
nent. Mr.. Manning had been led to
believe the great Paris exposition
was failure until his arrival there.
The picture of the nations of the
world portrayed by their products at
the entrance of the exposition dis
PEELED all ideas that had been given
the visitor that the exposition was a
failure. Chicago built her exposition
larger, she built lake and built
steam launches and had plenty OF
ground, but the exposition at Paris
will never be reproduced.
1t was built in place used as q
city park in 1889, and while it was IL
the center of the city it was difficult
of access. Exhibits were such thai
will never be equalled unless by
generation that has progressed as has
the last. Mr.. Manning's description
Of the finance of the exposition ant
the means used to float the bonds is
! sued by the association, gave yer!
good impression as to the business
methods of the French people, and al
ter listening to this explanation 1T il
not hard to see the reason for tn,
financial collapse of this great exposi
ton At the opening the price of id
mission was 25 cents, and up to TIL
time of Mr.. Manning's departure itha,
I fallen as low as cents. His charac
terization of the business methods a
lottery was indeed, very close to tn
situation.
Paris to Cologne.
Leaving Paris Mr.. Manning went Il
Cologne, up the valley of the Ri,in
and on thru Germany. Here he CAV
French soldier, and his views on tn
matter certainly reflect aught bu
credit upon the soldier of repubIica
France. Germany has a soldier VIII
is what the name implies; he is mad
to fight, he knows naught but disc
pine, but when it comes to the actld
soldier the American volunteer is IA
ahead of them all. He continued hi
journey reaching the famed Bavaria
hills Friday evening and after hayia
been located in the simple accomods
tion of a PEASANTS household, NJ
Manning's expression that he shout
II always remember the place on AZ
count of the fact that he had such
hard time to find something to ca
brought many smiles to the faces :
those in his audience.
The Passion Play.
With a rapid account of the origil
alton of the Passion Play, Mr. MAJ
ming proceeded to give his impression
of that sublime scene in mannc
that held his audience spellboun,
While many people have read OF Til
play only few of the average Amer
can people have seen it, and to thos
who have never had this pleasure tt
4 concise manner in which the even
that led up to, and it's present prese
tation by those simple Bavarian Pea
ants, was pleasure indeed. NJ
Manning concluded his remarks am
much applause, and when he sat dow
an immediate vote of thanks of tho.
present was rendered him, for his vel
interesting and pleasant descriptis
sef Int &<x,, 4