The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-01-08
BRYAN POPULAR
As a LecIureT and Makes Fifty
Thousand a Year.
CROWDS HEAR HIM.

CROWDS HEAR HIM.
lie Won't Speak oN Sundays Or fe2
the Benefit Of Idiyiduals, and Is
Most Liberal in BIS Treatment OF
Local Arrangements. BE Always
Makes Ris Own Terms With Leo
ture Bureaus.
W. E. Curtis writes in The Chica-
go Record-Herald: According to the
report Of his agents, William Jen-
nings Bryan is making about $50, 600
q year from his lectures. Charles L.
Wagner, secretary Of the Slayton
Lyceum Bureau, which manages his
lecture tours, tells me that ne has
filed It's dates during the year 1907
and that his receipts for the season
have averaged more than $500 for
each appearance. Mr. Bryan stands
at the head Of the list Of platform
speakers today for the size Of his
audience, for the receipts at the box
Office and for the demands for his
appearance.
"Mr. Bryan's regular charge st
Chautauquas," SAID Mr.. Wagner,
"is the first $3.50 taken at the gate
and half Of all the receipts over S50O,
not including season tickets. he is
the only man who can make such e
liberal contract. For evening lee
lures in a course he charges S2OO
cash as guarantee and half OF all
the receipts at the door. For single
evening lectures not in regular
course he asks half the gross re-
ceipts.
His average for the season under S
these terms has been more than S8Oe
a lecture, and he has probably hlledI
IT'S dates under our management
without including his political speech
es. He started out On the 9Th OF Jan
uary last and spoke almost every day
until September 10, frequently tWlce
a day, and once during the summer:
three times, morning, afternoon and
evening, in three different towns II
Iowa. In addition to these he has
made a large number Of political
speeches during the year; ne mas
spoken at conventions, banQuets,
college commandments, Y. NJ. G: A.
and church meetings, and on other
occasions without fee, OF which l
have kept no record. ;.
ssMr. Bryan uses e. special form OF
contract prepared By himself, which
differs in terms from the contracts
of all other lecturers. The chief fea-
lures Of his contracts are the stlpu-
lation that the general admission to
his lectures shall not. exceed htty
cents; that he will not lecture under
individual management or where the
profits go to individuals. The con-
tract reads: Tt is further expressive
" understood and agreed that this
engagement is given under the aus
pices of some church, lecture course,
literary, educational, fraterna or
charitable institution, and al! profits
realized from this lecture shall be
used for the benefit Of said auspices
under which said lecture is given. It
is further understood that should
this lecture be given under the aus,
pices of a lecture course there saail
be not less than two other lectures
advertised to appear on said course
of entertainment.
.sMr. Bryan never spoke for mon
ey on Sunday except at Chautauquas
where an admission fee is charged.
He prefers to speak to tree aud!enc-
es on that day and nearly every Sun
oay during the last summer he spoke
at least once, and usually twice, Tor
some church, some 7. NJ. e. A., or
some college. He always likes to
visit small colleges and help them. |
do not know what he charges for po-
litical speeches or what arrange
meots he makes. ! have never had
ANYTHING to do with them.
ave advertise three lectures for
him The Prince Of Peace ne likes
the best himself. and it is the most
popular with the people. It is q eu-
iocy of Jesus Christ and His teach
ingssand his description Of the cru
cifction is one of the most eloquent
worG-paintings ever heard by human
ears. He has delivered that lecture
at least 600 times and never varies q
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
delivered so often these days it hss
probably been heard quite as many
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 81
many Chautauquas last summer and
probably $50 times altogether dur,
ing the past year,
:'The greatest indoor audience
Mr.. Bryan ever had was at Seattle:
last January, where he delivered
The Prince Of Peace to about g.
900 people, and his receipts were
over s.. 900. The greatest audience
he ever addressed at a ChautsuQu:
was a Carthage. Mo-, where l2,0V
people gathered to hear him:
He closed his tour for 1907 on tn'
10th of September with the excep
ton of a few political engagement
in the Sou h. | wanted him to CIV
me one lecture in Chicago. but n
declined because it would be VIOLA
ton Of his rue not to speak for tn
profit Of individuals. y,
Did Mr.. Bryan deliver any lee
lures abroad?'
When he started on his tou
ba oskaS mo {