Lectures And Lecturers

vvo aro again ut the opening of the locturo soaaou, whioh " iiutitution," liko most othor intittors of public ini romi&es to bo variously and unequally luooeaaful. That tlio public leoture is papable of beiag made a valuablo ugency tor popularizing usaful knowledge se .iras probable, and nobody disputes it-that it nas nüt done this umoug us is quito cort'tin. People do not like to be invejgled .nto eithor Lesming or goud mannen, and it' th(3 attempt is made apon them they -ithcr rojoct tlio whole, or, liko children who read pious romancea, they road tho story, but "skip" the application. Leetnrors have prctty gonorally ascertained these facts ; and those who used tUis agency chiefly for parposes of instruotion havo mostly friven it up. Grculey is Bomswhat in gemand, but chiofly as a cuiiosity to bo seen rather than as a speaker to be heard and valued for what lio suya. Buochor stands heod and ahouldors bovu tho multitudn ; his scrvicts are in oonstant deiu;ind from the beginoing of Ootober to tho end of Match, with a sprinkling during the balance of the year. Of the ability of this gentleman thcro cim bo no questioa, for only rea) ability c:m retain tho puljlic iatereat as ho has dono. Iu many cases his soi-vicos aro souui'oil and paid for in good round prioes t'_v suoh as kuow very iittle of the qualitiee of thu things thoy tUua sook afteti üultitudos crowd to hear him simj'ly beoause of his reputation, aud so Uo is souht afier by locturo aasoei;tions booausu hit leeturea wiil iiy. Bui sucha rttputr.tiou uouUl not bo perpetuated wore thoro uot soiuo genuine ulumcnts of poplüarity ut tho bottom. Qjnoiully his lecturon iiuva piucos for "applauae," "laughtor" and "aenaation" as oloaily indicatod ds if ïuiuküd upou a xuargiu, nn 1 lie is 8ufficiently toaster of his art to wcure the proper responses in tho proptT places. Ui-oiley makefl you feel tli:it ho is iu saraest iu assorting and defending the right and ondonvoiing to promotu wh;kt ought to bo promoted, though aftor all it is not vory jAain what practical end ho is aiuiing Kt. Beecher is Ata iutfusi-ly in. oarnost, au.l aatirical - though his üdiru is moro oomical thun vinilii-ntivo. It is not Ti'ry diiricult to name tho ends thut io would promote, thongh as to tho meaiw - and these ure all vo havo anything to do with immodiately - he is often rathor uucortain. But th ire is au o[u-!i ;iir fraahness and a rollicking boyish aiuberanoe of soul iu his uttironoei, and suoh a grotosque mingling of t he u}ostlo and tho harloquin iu his mannor, that his performances caanot fail to bü att"uotivu.