The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-07

pace as a mOney-maker on the lectur,
platform in this country, there has never
been SO great a demand for what ar,
known as 'lyceum entertainers as Their,
is to-day, according 10 the New Yorb
Evening Post. Entertainer, perhaps, i.
not quite the word to apply to serIou.
lecturer; but the term technically cover:
all the performers. takers, groups Of
takers. and trOupes OF miscellaneous .ce
lebrities offered to the public view by IN,
scores Of bureaus known as "lyceums"
Every few days one hears of some new
acquisition or device of the bureaus. the
business of which has grown until they
reap a harvest in every section Of Amer
lea and Europe, some of them acting as
independents. others united in entertain
ment trusts like miniature editions of the
theatrical syndicate" Last week. foI
instance. the newspapers told how Sena-
tor Benjamin R. Tillman, of South Caro-
lima. appearing at $500 a lecture, would
earn $4,000 in a season. Comma nder
Peary. who reached his farthest North
last year. is in demand now at $500 a
night James Whitcomb Riley, probably
the most consistent platform attraction, "
gets his $500 at viii. William j. Bryan,
Ian MaclareH, Anthony Hope, Jerome X.
Jerome, Senator Robert NJ. La Toilette.
and a host of others-writers. politicians.
humorists, scientific men. reciters, sing
ers-ean put in profitable month or two
ON tour whenever they choose.
Yet the public, which is always hear
Ing about the ATTRACTIONS" and seeing
or hearing them, knows little, perhaps. OF
the interesting growth and winnings of
this lyceum bureau business. Frcm a
small beginning in Boston, about forty
years ago. it has. advanced until 1t rep
resents millions of dollars in profits. For
communities that have no theaters. no
opera. ii IS the only means Of systema-
tizing popular diversion IN the way o. en-
tertainments. In the large cities it Is
indispensable to the charitable and edu-
cational institutions in their Efforts 70
raise funds. In a general way It rescm-
bles the theatrical booking business, ex-
cept that 1t affects thousands Of corners
that never have been and never will be in
terested in the stage, and except that
It's profits are what gambler would call
sure as compared with the uncertainty
Of the theatrical agents earnings.
Record EngRgements of the Past.
Stanley's tour, of course. has never been
eXcelled III point of financial results. The
late Mai. Pond paid to the explorer $1,000
q night for 10 nights. and the total re-
eeipts were more than $4,000. At some
places the manager presented the lecturer
AT his own risk. but for the most part
there were guarantees Of clear profits. On
the first night, for instance. when Stan
ley appeared in the Metropolitan Opera
House of this city, a charitable institu-
ton bought all the receipts in advance
for $500 and then sold tickets at high
prices 70 those wishing both to hear the
lecture and to aid the institution.
Tie record in the last decade was made
by Ian Maclaren, who. in three months Of
travelling. made $4,000 most of which
went into his own pocket His itinerary
circuit extended from New York TO Min
neapolis. and from Toronto as far south
as washington The number Of lectures
was 100, SO that each one netted $500 ex-
elusive Of expenses.
Though not productive of such iarca re-
ceipts as the tours of to-day. the experj-
ences OF Henry Ward Beecher continue
TO De ciassed among the remarkable ven
lures on the platform. From April, 1876.
TO April, 1880. he received from his man
ager the sum of SS90S0. T. Dewitt Tai
mage, too. had wonderful success Both
OF these preachers went TO Europe after
they had covered America. Nowadays a
foreign trip for an American lecturer
would be unusual Things have changes.
so that it IS the Englishman or German
who comes here. In many cases. like
those OF Pastor Wagner. Jerome, and
Maclaren' the foreigner uoes better than
most native "attractisns."
The manager OF widely known bureau
IN speaking recently Of the number of
Britons DESTROYS Of greeting the lecture
going public in this country. produced a
letter from a young scientist. a graduate
OF oxford. This man. with some reputa-
ton I'm his own circles. evidently thought
he could make "a fortune on the platform.
But he wouldn't said the manager.
NInety-nine out of a hundred such ap.
plicants have TO be turned down by us.
We are on the lookout for the aIl-round
attraction. the man who will appeal not
To limited class. but to the public gen
orally"
Requirements of Popularity.
What is the requirement for the
a'a'f-aN -llt-lAtl WIS AkAEQ.
Well take Maclaren. he replied. He
had much more success than Anthony
Hope or any of the other authors. Il was
beause he combined the minister with f,,a
writer. l think All over the counFrv
he had enormous audiences compossd
largely of people who would not have TAX
en any interest in the ordinary novelist.
In short, he attracted the literary. the re-
iigious. and tine curious and no element
Of lecturegoers was prejudiced agains.
him
The manager recalled the names Of
many successes - Mark Twain and
George W. Gable travelling together
Mark Twain alone Bill I'VE and Riley
as "a team. Ernest Th0mpson-Seton Israel I
AangWlh, Han Game, and others. But 4
none Of them had shone like Maclaren |
he trouble with Mark Twatn's mariner
snip tour was that he and Mr.. Cable. 1
although they had succeeded. did not ger 1
along we'll together. and since then Mr. 1
Clemens has decided, whether from the /
memory of his experience or not. To fore
90 lecturing for money. For ZaugwiU 1
there had been expected large audiences
OF his fellow Hebrews. and that this cali /
culation did not materialize was attrib- 1
uted by the manager to the spriuging up /
or a prejudice against him because Of his /
marriage 10 a Christian woman. Han
Game, while he made good" at some
places. failed TO keep up his interest in 1
me work. and finally gave up lectuling,
AZ least for the time. Thompson-Seton /
is still remarkably in demand. probably
drawing, next TO Maclaren. the best 1
houses. His animal talks have been as (
popular in one section as another. accord /
ing 10 the manager. whether in cities or 4
small tau-ur