Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-15
AUGUSTA LOCALS
DR.. EDWARD A. OFT
LECTURES TO 100
PEoPLEAT CITY. HALL
Largest Audience That Ever
Attended a Lecture in Angus
ia Hear Him Deliver His Fa-,
nous Lecture, "The Haunted
House." and All Sit Spell
bound until His Closing
Words

WV mo
The largest audience that ever attend
ed lecture in Augusta, made up of more
than 100 people. on Thursday evening sat
spellbound in City hall and listened to
DR.. Edward Amherst OFT as he delivered
his famous lecture 1.-THE Haunted House."
in which he emphasizes the need for cul-
tivating thought and mind sanitation,
which he claimed is more important than
physical sanitation. He went at his sub
ject in a manner that could not fall to
interest and to instruct his entire audi
ence.
The stage setting was background OF
green curtains, and shortly after o'clock
Mayor-elect Willis Swift appeared and
introduced the lecturer in a few appro-
pirate words. speaking of the good Tor
tune of the citizens Of the city In having
the famous lecturer with them. and re-
ferring to his visit to this city year
ago. and remarked that the size Of the
audience was fitting tribute to his per-
sonality and ability as a speaker. In
opening, DR.. OFT stated that it Is his be-
lief that the art of living is the greatest
of fine arts. and that the greatest prob
lem of the present day is the problem Of
keeping sane.
II am more interested in the sculptor
than in the marble. more interested in
the personality than in the story pro-
duced by the writer. 1t is we'll to learn
the art of improving the body; 1t Is moro
important to study the health. hygiene
and sanitation of the human mind"
He gave a graphic description Of the
opening chapter in Macbeth" and from
1t drew lesson on the effect of human
conduct on the mind. saying In part:
Every mans conduct follows his own
imagination where it leads, he goes.
And the only man who dies a king Is the
one who gains such control over his brain
that he can grasp the dagger Of his own
Imagination and make it disappear There
is only one debauchery, the debauchery OF
the brain. To keep the brain right Is tho
one great problem Of the world.
'"There is a way out of all human diff
Guilty, and the way out is the way of
sane thinking; there is no other way. The
man who wins Is the man who works with
blue print and thinks with lead pen
Gil, definitely" He showed that environ
ure in mans life, relating instance aft
err instance in which boys who had no
chance developed Into leaders in tho
world of action, thought and progress He
gave an interesting talk on efficiency,
telling Of the vast Improvement. IN
schools, religion. and in business In the
past few years. feature OF his ad-
dress was his talk on "occupational dis
eases, or race-track thinking" In which
he said
when a man has this disease, his
mind goes round and round In a cir
Gle and feels itself into thinking 1t Is
thinking The only thing that I do not
like about a race horse is the fact that
no matter how fast it may go, 1t never
gets anywhere. The fastest horse on
the track disgraces himself by getting
back first" He told a humorous little
story about a school teacher who went
up on the Hudson river to take va
cation, and who boarded at little
farm house where poor woman with
several children and a husband to sup
port was trying to make both ends
meet The teacher. who was interested
in idioms, asked this woman how the
people IN that vicinity spoke and said.
do they say, My hens set, or My
hens Sit" And the little woman look
ed at him and replied. Il don't know
and am not interested in whether my
hens set or Sit what want to know
is, when they cakle are they laying
or 'lieing.D"
He said that If man has not tho
ability to conduct his own business
and personal affairs successfully he Is
no man to trust as a legislator. and
said: eff a man will let a chicken fool
him, what chance has he with a pol
itician? The one man in the United
States whom I fear is the man who
does not take an active interest in his
own business and AFFAIRS" said Doctor
OFT, and he told how four men. by pure
negligence and forgetfulness. caused
train wreck in West Virginia. He
spoke of the invention of the automo-
bile, and said: There are thousands
of people who own and drive autos.
who are at least three generations be-
hind the auto. People are not as CIV
ilized as their machinery" And to this
fact he imputed the many accidents
that occur.
He declared that many people who
criticize the United States as not be-
ing equal to Europe in efficiency are
all wrong. and spoke of the big inven-
lions which have revolutionized the
world in both peace and war, made
by Americans, and then said: Before
you laugh at the ineff1ciency Of your.
own country. Just sit down and think
of a few Of the things we have done,
over here, and Of what they have done
over there. and you will be as proud
as I am of your America" His talk
abounds in rich narrative. intense
meaning and thought essence that ,
makes itself felt, and the impression
he left on the audience Of last night
will be lasting one.