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