The Scientific Lecturer. 89 



the train after it had started. Omnibus did not come at all. 

 At Youngstown I stayed in the most dismal and dolorous 

 den of a tavern I ever encountered. I was put to bed in a 

 compartment six feet by five, the bed a heap of rags, a par- 

 tition a little higher than my head, and a man dying of 

 consumption on the other side of it, coughing and expecto- 

 rating all night. Couldn't sleep. Got up at two, went 

 downstairs, and sat in the dingy, filthy, tobaccoed-and- 

 sanded bar-room till I left at six for Warren. Got a good 

 hotel there and a capital room, and enjoyed it. Went to 

 bed at eleven p. M. ; awakened at twelve by a glare of light 

 in my room. Sprang out of bed, and saw that the next 

 house was on fire. Six or eight buildings were burned, but 

 the brick hotel was saved. No sleep that night, of course. 

 Took the train at five o'clock for Cleveland. Got into the 

 cars ; overshoes pinched my feet took them off ; fell 

 asleep, and slept an hour and a half, into Cleveland ; 

 awoke; overshoes gone hooked. Such is life, or rather a 

 portion of it, for it has another side and a pleasanter. 



At Grand Rapids I finished the Sunbeam with fine suc- 

 cess, but certain envious persons started the story that I 

 was a materialist, and there was much excitement. A depu- 

 tation of my warmest friends, who had been thrown into 

 spasms, waited upon me to get a formal authoritative con- 

 tradiction of the rumour. I denied their right to get ex- 

 cited, and demanded to know if I had given any occasion 

 for the rumour, and asked them if they were prepared to 

 assume that the naked tendency of science is, or involves, 

 materialism. Could they expect me to preach in addition 

 to lecturing? Had they no confidence that their cler- 

 gyman could take care of all applications, etc. ? They 

 agreed, and so on Sunday afternoon out came Dominie 

 Smith with a sermon on the lectures conceding every- 

 thing, praising and puffing them extravagantly. I had ex- 



