The San Francisco call., 1903-01-11


| years ago. The pictures were made by
/ Burton Holmes, the we'll known traveller,
/ the lectures written by him and read here
I by Louis Francis Brown. In the East
/ these talks, long ago instituted by John
l.. StCddard, are a most popular form OF
entertainment and created here quite a
considerable interest. The chance to set
eye if not foot on the most distant part
Of the earth, on strange peoples, strange
things while never stirring from ones
chair, has something of an Arabian
Nights Tavor about it and the magnif-
icent Illustrations of the lectures all but
fulfilled the agreeable Illusion. This week
a second series of the Holmes lectures is
to begin, with the traveller himself TO tell
the stories, and any one who wants 10 go
a-traveling without the journeys troubles
will have most enjoyable evenings en-
tertainment.
Mr.. Holmes begins his talks next Tues
day evening with The Grand Canyon of
Arizona" that will be repeated here by
request, as subject. For the rest Of the
series the lecturer will show pictures of
Norway, Sweden and other northern
lands, to be given the Tuesday and
Thursday evenings and Saturday matt
nees of this and the following week at
Steinway Hall.
Here are few stories of the lecturers
adventures in search of material, some
1000 negatives being taken for each lee
ture, by the way. OF course, II goes with
out saying that Holmes. in his many
thousands of miles travel, has met with
many strange experiences, some merely
amusing and some both threatening to
himself personally and to his mission.
He met with an adventure in Korea, for
example, which bade fair to be both
amusing and at the same time fatal TO
the future Of a whole seasons lectures.
1t occurred in this fashion; He was IN
Korea little over a year ago, en- route
around the world. Being properly ao-
credited to the Korean court he was ad-
mitted to the royal palace grounds and
was there making hay by taking photo
graphs of everything in sight, with
view to the illustration OF the coming
seasons lectures.
Suddenly he turned corner and found
himself in the presence OF the little
Crown Prince of Korea, a tiny fellow of
or years, surrounded by nurses and
attendants and under the especial guar
dianship of his uncle. True to the uner-
ring instinct Of the camera fend Mr..
Holmes Immediately "snap-shotted'' the
group and then apologized afterward.
Instead of being taken to the Korean
equivalent for the county Jail, Mr.. Holmes
was hidden to approach the royal party
where the young prince became so enam-
Ored or Mr.. Holmes camera and so de-
sirous of seeing the wheels go round
that it was only with the greatest dif-
hculty that the camera was rescued. The
only thing that saved the day was the
lucky circumstance that Mr. Holmes had
with him very ingenious little French
machine, similar to the small motion pic
ture machines in this country of the
nickel-in-the-slot variety. When once the
heir to the throne beheld the wonders OF
the moving pictures within, he immedi-
ately beat retreat for the palace. and
insisted on carrying the somewhat ex-
pensive toy to bed with him, and of
course Mr.. Holmes never saw It again.
In acknowledgment. however, the King
sent him many valuable gifts, gorgeous
pieces Of silk shotted with gold, silver
drinking goblets, Jewelry and carvings.
Frequently, however, as in the case of
obtaining motion pictures Of the Car of
Russia, of Count Tolstoi in his home gar
den surrounded by his grandchildren, OF
dash to a fire by the Hawiian Fire De-
partment, no little lobbying is necessary.
In the latter instance the circumstances
were distinctly amusing
Having been a keen observer of human
nature in its many phases for the past
ten years, Mr.. Holmes rightly Judged