| Anonymous: Institute Lecture The
Second lecture of the course before the Young Men’s Institute was delivered on
Tuesday evening last, by H. D. Thoreau of Concord, Mass. Mr. Thoreau is the author of two
or three very entertaining books, one of which at least, descriptive of "Life in the
Woods" has passed through several editions, has acquired a deservedly high reputation
but as a popular lecturer is evidently out of his element, in fact, as Artemus Ward would
say, lecturing is not his "fort." The subject—"Autumnal Tints" is
a suggestive one, and in some hands would have formed the basis of a very interesting
lecture,—as it was, it was dull, common-place and unsatisfactory. There was nothing
of the poetical discoverable in it. It is possible however, that the monotonous style in
which it was delivered prevented the audience from duly appreciating whatever of real
merit it contained as a composition. On the whole, probably no lecture [r] before the
Institute has so thoroughly disappointed his auditory |