The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-29
BRYAN'S RECEIPTS
As A LECTURER GREATER THAN
 ANY OTHER SPEAKER.
Draws Biggef Audiences and Demand For Him Growing-Lycemm Sec rcsn.y Tells of NebrasDxan's
 Success on Platform.s

al E .t Washington Special Correspondence of
 The Chicago Record Herald.
 According to the report of his agents. William Jennings Bryan is making about $5o,000 year from his lsGtures. Charles l.. Wagner. secretary of the Slayton Lyceun Bureau which manages. his lecture tours. tells me < that he has filled i75 dates during the year 1907 and that the receipts for the season have averaged more than $500 for each performance. Mir. Bryan stands at the head of the list x of platform speakers of today for the \ size of his audiences, for the receipts at the box office and for the demands for his appearance.
 sMr. Bryan's regular charge at Chau- taquas, said MT. Wagner. "is the first t250 taken at the gate and half of the receipts over $500. not including sea son tickets. He is the only man who can make such liberal contract. For evening lectures in course he charges 3200 cash as a guarantee and half of all the receipts at the door. For sin gle evening lectures not in a regular course he asks half the gross receipts.
 His average for the season under these terms has been more than $500 lecture. and he has probably filled ITS dates under our management with out including his political speeches. He started out on the 9th of January last and spoke almost every day until September 10. frequently twice day, and once during the summer three times, in three different towns in Iowa. l Tn addition to these he has made a large number of political speeches dur ing the year; he has spok en at conven- l tfons, banquets, college commence ments Y. M. c. A., and church meet ings, and on other occasions without . fee, of which have kept no record |
 INT. Bryan uses special form of | contract prepared by himself, which | differs in terms from the contracts of all other lecturers. The chief features of his contracts are the stipulation that the general admission to his lectures shall not exceed fifty cents: that he will not lecture under individual man. agement or where the profits go to in- | dividuals. The contract reads: It is further expressly understood and agreed that this engagement is given under the auspices of some church. l Young Mems Christian Associations, lecture course, literary. educational | fraternal or charitable institution, and all profits realized from this lecture l shall be used for the benefit or said auspices under which said lecture Is 1 given. It is further understood that | should this lecture be given under the | auspices of lecture course there shall | be not Iess than two other lecturers | advertised to appear on said course of | entertainments
 MT. Bryan never speaks for money | on Sunday except at Chautauquas 1 where an admission fee Is charged. l He prefers to speak to free audiences | on that day, and nearly every sunday during the last summer he spoke at | least once. and usually twice, for some | church. some Y. M. c. A, or some 9ol- | tfrA xyfEi colleges and help them. do not know | what he charges for political speeches l ar what arrangements he makes. have never had anything to do with | them.
 we advertise three lectures for l him. The Prince of Peace he likes the best himself. and 1t is the most popular with the people. It is | eulogy of Jesus Christ and His teach ings, and his description of the cruel fxion is one of the most eloquent | word paintings ever heard by human | ears. He has delivered that lecture l at least 500 times and never varies | word in delivery. His memory is so | accurate that he never makes a mis- | take. The Value of an Ideal Is an | older lecture and although it is not l delivered so often these days 1t has | probably been heard quite as many l times as the other. The Old World | and Its Ways is his new lecture and | is the result of his recent tour around | the world. He delivered that at many | Chautauquas last summer and prob ably 150 times altogether during the | past year. |
 The greatest indoor audience MT. Eryan ever had was at Seattle last January, where he delivered The Prince to about 5000 people, and his receipts were over s2.000. The great est audience he ever addressed was at a Chautauqua was at Carthage, Mo, where 12,000 people gather to hear him.
 "He closed his tour for 1907 on the 10th of September with the exception of a few political engagements in the South. I wanted him to give one lec- ture in Chicago in a course that we had advertised there, but he declined because it would be violation of his rule not to speak for the profit of individuals"