r tortured minds; something to
reassure them that since Jesus wept, He could not be far from those who
mourned. Few men were orators, and what filled the churches were the
sermons. People would tell you the service was enough, but it obviously
was not; or the churches would be crowded every Sunday.

"I have no doubt," he continued, "that I could entertain you for a time;
so could the choir and the fine organ, but I feel this would be wrong;
it would be taking away from the meaning of the service, and the
spiritual fellowship of man. Everyone ought to go to church, as
otherwise the churches would cease to exist, and the most irreligious of
men could hardly desire this. One day some young prophet or great
disciple of Christ might come among us and find no place from where he
could speak to the people, and no assemblage that he could address."

I went back to the hotel profoundly impressed by what I had heard and
not in the humour to be interviewed by a Philadelphian reporter who was
waiting to see me; but I found Mr. V. Hostetter both understanding and
intelligent.

* * * * *

The next day I went to Philadelphia. The unresponsiveness of my large
audience was more than made up for by the kindness of my chairman, Mr.
George Gibbs, the hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ridgeway, and the
friendliness of the reporters. I doubt if my English was understood, in
spite of being informed that I could be heard plainly from the gallery.
Except at my first lecture--when I could not stand--I have had no
difficulty in making myself heard.

* * * * *

On my return to New York, after dining in bed, I joined my daughter at a
_bal poudre_ given by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, a clever New York
hostess who thinks nothing of entertaining a hundred and fifty people at
lunch, tea or dinner.

One of the noticeable differences between fashion in England and
America, is that what might appear to the uninitiated as an almost
exaggerated display of hospitality, is as _chic_ here as it might be
thought over-done in London. American hostesses are also very
particular as to precedence: who sits next to whom, or goes in first,
second or third. I must confess to being remiss in these ways, and when
an American lady at one of these dinners asked me if I minded my
daughter, Elizabeth Bibesco, going in or out--I forget which it was--in
front of me, I imagined she was joking. I disconcerted