Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-11-06

climax, wet or dry. | learned how TO
use the tremolo stop and how to split
the window panes. And made
monkey of myself
1t has taken fifteen years to begin
to learn that a lecture is the over
flow of life 1t is the man inside the
clothes and the gestures. We need
the gestures and the training, but
they are the necktie And / had a
necktie and no man to hang it on
Now l am trying to make my life
luminous and big and warm and right,
and something is happening. The
world used to run away from me, but
now it comes to see me. The world
is hungry, and when my audience ask
ed me for bread gave it a gesture.
And the audience went to sleep. Now
| am trying to give my audience food,
no matter if the wrapper isn't very
artistic, and they come back and ask
for more.
And it is a daily job to lecture /
work all the day on the typewriter,
and run for trains, and grab for ma
chine-made pie off the lunch counters,
make long drives and stay out of bed
all night, and when | get to my town
in the evening it is heavenly rest just
to get on the platform and spill out
the gold | am digging out each day
over the audience that some hard
working committee has been strug-
Cling for weeks to get out
l love every audience. / go to it
like it was my long-lost brother |
used to hate audiences and they
hated me. The audience is just my
own mirror. smile at the audience,
and it always smiles back. There's
that front row of wriggling kids down
in there. love them, and pretty soon
they quit wriggling and listen to me.
And there's the baby that breaks it's
heart and fuses up its mother as l
commence to lecture. | love that
baby, and somehow the wireless be-
gins to work and pretty soon the baby
is sticky-eyed and mother has forgot
ten it all.
Then ! talk few moments and rest
myself from the long days work and
travel, and, bless me! just about the
time | get started on my lecture, l
look at my watch and l have talked
too long already. So | don't give my
lecture at all. | haven't given a lee
ture for a year. just started to give
one and the time was up; just like
used to sleep when boy-went to
bed and somebody stole the night.
for the next minute it was morning
and father was coming upstairs with
pitcher of water to make his last
call
But go away from the hall all
rested. | filled pretty near 800 dates
last year. Folks warned me l was
killing myself want to go on kill
ing myself that way, for got fatter
and happier each month, resting near
ly 300 times. 1t is great to rest in
public and be paid money for it. l
feel guilty every time l take money
from a committee. | feel as though
ought to pay the committee for the
privilege of resting before their audi
ence.
! know my lecture stuff is good for
the audience, because it is good for
me. first try it on myself.
And the big thing ! have learned in
these years of trying to lecture is
Keep in touch with the Power Housed
There is only one subject in this
world-God and Man. There is no
difference between a sermon and
lecture. The Lyceum platform is my
pulpit. Boil it all down into Race I'm
provement.
| haven't done anything yet, but |
Zee the way Somebody slaps me ON
the back and says: = heard you at
-." "Stopi" beg. Don't throw
t up to me- am trying to forget it,.
For am not pleased with one lecture
yet. but the Big Lecture | want to
give is ahead. IN give it when my
life gets Big.
.-slfr'-. < = -.