MR. E. T. SMITHS RECITALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8468, 20 January 1891, Page 5

MR. E. T. SMITHS RECITALS.

Last evening Mr. E. T. Smith delivered the first of his Gough recitals. Mr. F. U. Ewington presided, and was supported by Sir William Fox and Mr. Glover. There was a large attendance. On the platform was a strong choir, under the efficient conductorship of Mr. Bouskill, and Miss Allies played the accompaniments. From halfpast seven to eight o'clock the choir rendered a number of choice selections. The chairman gave a few introductory remarks, after which the choir sang, "Blessed Assurance." Mr. Smith, prior to his recital, briefly thanked the public for the cordial reception extended to him on the previous day, and also explained his own position with regard to moderate drinkers. He was prepared to extend charity to those who could not see eye to eye with him on the temperance question, and to believe that there could be such a thing as a Christian moderate drinker, but he could only hope that Cough's words, not his, might bring such a one to give up his own gratification, in the title of his lecture, " For the Sake of Others." He hoped to give the lecture word for word as it was in the original, and trusted the words of the great American temperance orator might find a resting place in at least some hearts, which in the fine to come might bring forth fruit in auuim. Mr. Smith then recited Cough's great oration, which deals with the disease, the cause, and the remedy for drunkenness. It gave ample scope for the elocutionist to display his powers, and afforded a fair test of his ability both as a reciter and memoriser, inasmuch as in succession were given close reasoning, powerful appeals, word pictures, pathos, wit, and humour. For au hour and ten minutes Mr. Smith kept the close attention of his auditory, while by a wonderful feat of memory he repeated without a falter, break, or double, a lecture which reprinted would make a page of the Herald. The peculiar feature of the recital is that to the hearer it is not a,recital, but an extempore address into " which the speaker has thrown his own soul. Perhaps his best points were narration, description, and humour, and at will he had the audience in a simmer of merriment with the ludicrous side of drunkenness—if it can be said to have a ludicrous side, — and then hushed to silence made audible as he depicted the poor victim of delirium tremenn battering his fist to a jelly against the wall of his room in a vain endeavour to blot out the hideous faces conjured up on it, the creation of his own disordered brain. The descriptive narrative of the ship on fire was especially realistic, and his word pictures of the wonders of the Yosemite Valley, and the rescue of the man from the eagle's eyrie in the cliffs, were remarkably vivid. In his closing illustration, " The Wreck : Man the Lifeboat!" he excelled himself, and at the close the applause which had been accorded at various " points " of the recital, was renewed and prolonged, as evidencing the pleasure of the audience. Miss Edmondes sang very tastefully, " Where is My Wandering Boy To-night," the choir taking up the refrain. Mr. Smith then exhorted those who had not signed the pledge to do so, and a number did so while tne choir sang another number. He will give his second recital this evening, which will comprise Cough's own experiences as a drunkard—" Shooting the Niagara"—his tour through the Whitechapel slums — his apostrophe to water, etc. There was but one opinion last night, namely, that Mr. Smith in his initial recital had amply justified his claim to come before the public as an interpreter of Gough. The amusement-loving public may safely reckon on a pleasant and instructive evening's entertainment.