THE BOOK OF THE LANTERN. 265 



a fund of knowledge, but lack the power of imparting it to 

 others. The fault is common enough in the pulpit, where 

 it is often the case that a clergyman who has won high 

 honours at the university, and as a reward for his scholar- 

 ship finds himself in due course incumbent of a living, is 

 an utterly incapable speaker, greatly to the distress of his 

 congregation. He can of course compile or write a good 

 sermon ; that is to say, a discourse which is carefully con- 

 structed and perfect as a specimen of written English ; but 

 when he gets into the pulpit he reads it out in such a 

 droning voice, and with such a lack of emphasis, that many 

 of the congregation dose off into peaceful slumber. Many 

 lecturers have the same want of ability, and it is this 

 circumstance that has had the effect more than any other 

 of prejudicing people against a lecture, as a thing which is 

 necessarily dull and the reverse of entertaining. 



More than once it has fallen to my lot to lecture in some 

 hall which is strange to me, and on such an occasion 1 have 

 generally asked the hall-keeper if a large audience may be 

 reasonably looked for. The answer is too often something 

 like this : " Well, sir, the people hereabouts don't much 

 care for a lecture ; but last Saturday night the place was 

 crowded from floor to ceiling." " Dear me ! " is my answer, 

 " and who was the lecturer on that occasion ? " " Lor' 

 bless your soul, sir, it wasn't no lecture, it was niggers." I 

 leave my readers to imagine with what feelings I looked 

 forward to the pleasure of meeting my audience. 



A lecture entertainment will fail sometimes owing to the 

 total incapacity of the speaker, to his bad articulation, 

 nervousness, lack of voice, or want of tact in dealing 



