Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-02-08
ERNEST sEToN.THoMPsoN.
An Evening Of Enjoyment With Old
Time Friends-A Fitting Close OF
Notably Good Entertainment Course.

Notably Good Entertainment Course
The audience which filled every
seat on the floor and in the hrst Dai-
cony of the Auditorium, with an over
flow into the second balcony was III
troduced Wednesday evening TO per
sonal acquaintance with some oIu'
time frends-wiIn the willy Canadian
red fox, with little bushy-tailed telloNs
in the California pine forests, WIN
Old Grumpy and the dyspeptlc anu
self conscious Little Johnny, Win
Wahb of well known fame, and Win
Lobo, the great grey wolf OF the New
Mexican plains, and with Blanca, MS
beautiful mate, who all unWlttlnely
brought him to his mournful but
proudly borne fate. These personal
friends we're not there in flesh and
| blood. it is true, but what was better,
Ernest Seton-Thomps was on the
platform with the fruits of his camera,
and his wand, and his magic gift OF
description and Interpretation. MT.
| Thompson opened his lecture with
what he called a short sermon on wild
animals and their native traits and
personality, which he found closely
allied to those of human kind. The
old idea, he said, that every animal Is
| like every other animal, and that
every animal is simply machine, mas
gone by. Science now admits that
each wild animal has his own person
atty and his own characteristics, Just
as humans do only in a less developed
| degree.
Without further introduction the
| lecturer then proceeded to depict on
the screen the examples of wild ami
NAL life which he had himself seen
and caught with camera and pencil,
For an hour and a half, his large au-
dience was held in breathless atteh-
ton, and it was with certain shock
of abruptness that they finally rea-
lized that ten o'clock had come and
the delightful evening was over. Mr..
| Thompson's own personality compile
ments in the most admirable and per
feet way the vivid descriptions which
| he gives. The impression given is
that of a man who has stepped out of
his native environment of forest and
plain and mountain onto the platform
to tell in a remarkably plain, direct,
and manly way what he has seen IN
his own native haunts. The tri-
umphant hunting call and the weird
and pathetic call for help of old Lobo
were in the ears of the audience as
they left the hall, and in their hearts
was a touch of commiseration that
could not be repressed for the fate
of even such a willy and confirmed old
reprobate.
Mr.. Thompson's appearance brought
to an end the successful winter course
of the Young Mems Christian associa-
| ton. 1t has been a course eminently
worth while for a committee to have
arranged and brought out. Every
number has been a strong one, COM
handing full public appreciation and
enjoyment. The work and response
bility undertaken by the committee
must have made a serious demand on
the time of busy men, but they may
rest secure in the consciousness that
they have performed a real public ser
vice and that this service has been
recognized by the community. 1t is
to be hoped that they will feel en-
couraged by the success of this win
ter course to give us another course
on similar lines in the season of 1901