Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1908 — Opie Read's Lecture. [ARTICLE]

Opie Read's Lecture.

As the Republican was sure it would be,the Opießead number of the lecture course, which was held at the Christian church Tuesday night, was both the best drawing card and the most pleasing and instructive event of the entire course. Mr. Read is a very tall man, being about 6 feet, 4 inches, and he has a wealth of humor, a tenderness of heart and a love of nature never possessed in greater abundance by a man. He looked a trifle drowsy and dreadfully commonplace when he was introduced, but in a few sentences he dispelled all possible doubt of his ability to entertain, and he held the large audience entirely it his grasp during the program. Young and old alike understood him, appreciated his stories, his sketches, the lessons they taught, realized that his character studies were true to life, were moved with his dialect to the very scenes where the tales he told were enacted and were moved to laughter and to solemn thought as he changed from the humor*

ous to the sentimental relation of his oh«*.•**♦ ion vt the fancies of bis fertile imagination. And then he concluded his lecture with that masterpiece of dramatic picture making and story telling “The Harkins and Olney sued.” In it the spirit of sued hatred is so plainly illustrated that every , auditor could feel the very depth of venom that the combatants felt, and then to have love triumph over the harbored determination of revenge,was a very fitting supremacy and, although the story had been by many of , the auditors it had never created the keen interest that attached to it when the author recited it Mr. Read’s lecture embodied much opportunity for thought and the audience was generous in expressions of appreciation. Mr. Read makes Chicago his home and still 'indulges in newspaper work and in other literary pursuits, and he usually puts in a part of his time in a country town in the newspaper offices and the Republican came in for a good visit with him. He is a sound thinker, fair in his argument nad entertaining in everything he discusses, and talks as enthusiastically in conversation as in his lectures. He is a broad-minded man, of liberal viewß, and prejudice has no room In his make-up. If next year’s library lecture course can include him, he will doubtless be greeted again by a crowded house.