The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-11

LBERT HtBBARDS visit has
been the much -talkedof incident
n of the week. Those who heard
IL him are congratulating them
selves over their good fortune.
and those who had formed prejudices
because OF the Philistines indiscre-
tons are rather sorry they have pro-
vided themselves with such an uncoin-
promising set of principles. That the
house was not as large as IL should
have been was not all due TO tine
scrappy little Philistinc Part OF III
may he attributed to the dullness of
understanding. which to some extent
pervades Wilkes Barre. Now 1T should
be known that the enterprise in secur-
ing Mr.. Hubbard for a lecture IN
Scranton was not due in the least to
the fOrcthOught of this community.
IL was solely the attempt of a Wilkes
Barre entertainment bureau to spread
enlightenment i'm our direction. In the
zeal of the bureau. however. certain
fixed habits of our people were over
loOked-the prayer meeting and the
circus habit. We go to prayer meet
ing on Wednesday night with as great
regularity as we eat our dinner. Some
times we have dances and parties and
weddings fixed little late to accom-
modatc this habit, but go to prayer
meeting we must even if we miss the
first act of good play. Even the
opening scenes in Il circus must
stand aside in favor of prayer meet
ing
The Wilkes Barre Lyceum Bureau
neglected to take this habit into con-
sderation. Down there they go to
prayer meeting on Thursday night and
it isn't at all likely that the idea has
occurred to them yet that any other
town may have selected another day
for the mid-week devotions. Conse-
nuently they sent poor Mr. Hubbard
to his fate. without making certain inn
portant arrangements.
Another disadvantage was that they
are unfamiliar down there with the
topography of our city. They blithely
advertised the lecture as to take place
in the Wheelmen's club. evidently la
boring under the hallucination that we
cannot support two large and flourish
ing organizations of wheelmen, and ig-
norant that one of them is known as
the Bicycle club. Many would -be-pa-
irons heSitated to plan a jaunt to
Green Ridge under the present street
t,.t' schedule, believing that the
lecture was to be held there.
Thus it is that if the WilkesBarre
bureau is out of pocket because of it's
Scranton venture on IIlbert Hubbard,
nobody is to be blamed but itself.
Mr.. Hubbard is Il joy forever, not so
much to look at-although you can't
take your eyes off his mobile coun-
t"nance a minute while he is talking
but because he brings n gospel of
sweetness and light and beauty. AS
n lady remarked the other night, "He
IS the youngest old man. and the oldest
young man / ever saw" His face
would change ten or fifteen years un-
der the spell of a passing emotion,
hut always his sentiments We're up
lifting .ennobling. encouraging. 1t is
n thousands pities that he isn't sent
as a missionary to school boards and
school superintendents. 1t would have
been good thing if school teachers
who arc bearish and dsagreeable, and
who are so cordially detested by their
pupils. and all other people who have
the misfortune to meet them, could
have heard that lecture. Happily
there are only few such teachers in
Scranton. but mhappily they We're not
present. The doctrine of reciprocity,
of tn" beauty of work. of the value of
the Affirmative and not the negative in
relations with mankind is something
which would go far to make the world
brighter.
The formal opening of the Country
club golf links for the season will
take place TODAY when for the first
time this spring the permanent links
will he used. There will be no speciHl
match but the members will probably
institute a handicap during the after
noon.
\ match with the Trenton club has
been arranged, to take place on Me-