The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-13
MIR. cLARKEs LECTURE

MIR. cLARKE's LECTURE
 AND READING.
 Mir. s. IT. Clarke of the University of Chicago, gave to his hearers yesterday afternoon at the Girls High School au- ditorium an address which has never been excelled in the history of lectures in Montgomery. His subject was the Spirit of Literature" and 1t was pre- sented in a manner so dignified and with such elocutional training and showed such breadth and comprehen- siveness of the whole literary field, that those whom he led by the witchery of his voice realized ass never before. the power. of the spirit which pervades their reading which leads them to select good books or poor ones, and defines their tastes in literary matters
 The Drama of David at the evening reading was an impressive. artistic per- formance Perhaps 1t might be per mitted to mention the individuality of the speaker, although as the drama proceeds. the listener loses thought of him and sees only the characters which spring up under the artists magic wand.
 The Drama of Young David has ben written by a Southern poet-Cole Rice, and for that. as one of the reasons for its presentation 1t was chosen for the reading tonight.
 The voice of the speaker seemed to be so various and flexible. and the man. ner of every gesture so significant, that with a wave of the hand or the utter ance of a word. he becomes another in- dividua1. Thus were the listeners able to follow the monologue as if the many characters were moving before them upon the stage. His race and q l~~ ed.
 The story lies in the love suit of David. Saul is old, has grown hard and jealous, losing the fine qualities in his old age The Hall of Judgment at Judea appears. The camp fires of the Philistines in the distance. Dancing girls, saunter and idle and await the arrival of Saul. When he enters he has had a hint of the secret that is be- tween Samuel and David that the kingdom shall pass from Saul and that some one. whom he knows not, has been annointed. He has sent spies to search out the truth, and while he wait ed David came to thrill him with his notes of harmony. David could strike with greater tenderness the harp be- cause he loved SauPs daughter, Michal David feels that he must obey Samuel and yet he is not disloyal to Saul, and seek to soothe his melancholy and tells him If he would but do kingly duty to his people. that God will no more desert him, than he would cry the | morning star from heaven. The beau tiful blooming girl, the Princess Micha rushes in to tell her father whom she loves. that prophecies has revealed 10 her the truth he seeks. that a shep- herd lad will be king, but when her vision rests leaves. she stammers, she fails to finish her speech and the distracted father rushes forth to find more capable mes- | sengers. Now David and Michal have the first intensely dramatical interview He sees that she knows what fatality lay in her words and that her mouth had closed giving pain to her father that she might save him because she loved him, and so he grows divinelv tender. but before the interview ends she tells him she will reveal if to SauI Lhe wonderful beauty of expression of the speaker when David wooes the girl te forget her loyalty to her father was something to move the heart.
 An interview between Jonathan and David, a friend answering the heart of friend. required high powers which did not fail the listeners. A scene in the house of the blind prophecies, Mlrlam, IS full Of strange awe, which MT. Clark availed himself of to carry his hearers to the highest tension of nerve.
 War has ragged, Saul has grown inn pIacable and David has fled, and now seeks the house of Miriam, the prophet ess, to have her foresight reveal to him where Michal is. but bfore she can respond Saul knocks at the gate and calls for the woman of Endor to bring back the spirit of Saul to tell him what shall be the result of the battle. It was creepy sort\ of scene, as one waits to have the spirit respond to the witch of Endor's call, and when Samuel did wall forth the fiat that the battle shall be lost. the power of words never could have been more strongly felt. scene in the cave with David, sleek