Sylvester A. Long: lecturer

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Sylvester A. Long,
Lecturer.
MANAGEMENT OF THE
Mutual Lyceum Bureau,
55 Auditorium Building,
CHICAGO.



Introductory
My attention was first called to Mr. Long by Harry W. Arnold of the Detroit Y. M. C. A., who said, S. A. Long of Dayton, Ohio, is the man you want.  Keep your eye on him.  He gave a fine lecture here recently and also the most effective Sunday address we have had in a long time.  We are to have him again.  On making further inquiry I found his work highly commended everywhere.  Last season he appeared twice at both the Detroit and Cincinnati Y. M. C. A.'s, and was recalled the third time for the great theater meeting in Indianapolis.

However, many others had been strongly indorsed, but on hearing them they were found to fall far short of the Mutual standard.  We therefore went to hear Mr. Long and found him all that he was represented to be—in fact, a real discovery for the lyceum platform.  We are willing to risk our reputation on the prediction that S. A. Long will at once take rank among the most popular and successful men of the platform.  He possesses many of the qualities of the ideal orator—a musical, well modulated voice of unusual flexibility; a clear, analytical mind that perceives at once the central and important truths of the subject under discussion; a ready command of language and wonderful descriptive powers, making some of his word pictures marvels of beauty and grace; an original vein of humor that enriches and embellishes his lecture and keeps him en rapport with his hearers; and withal a modesty of bearing and commanding presence that win for him at once the good will of his audience.

Many men had begged of me to give them a place on the lecture platform, but here was a man who had not asked for it and to whom I said, Whether you engage with the Mutual Bureau or some other, you dare not go to the judgment seat unless you give your life to the lecture platform.  Those who hear Mr. Long will agree with me in this.  He is clear in thought; humorous and poetic in expression; dignified and powerful in delivery.  He thinks, therefore when he speaks he says something and makes others think.  He is enthusiastic,—a man of action, and therefore inspiring.  He is logical, hence convincing.  His wit sparkles and his humor cheers.  As a word artist, he excels; above all he is a man of life.

F. A. M.



Lectures.

I.
The Man of Destiny
Napoleon studied in a new and unusual way.  The result of research and investigation.

II.
Lightning and Toothpicks
A popular theme full of thought and mirth.  It makes you think and laugh and laugh and think.

III.
Drop It.
A striking presentation of some everyday mistakes.  An eye and heart opener




Sunday Addresses.

1.
Drop It (adapted)
2.
Hang On.
3.
Why Should a Man Live?




Recent Press Notices.

INDEX, Mt. Morris, Ill.
One of the largest audiences that have assembled to a lecture in Mount Morris for years, gathered in College Chapel Saturday evening, on the occasion of the lecture by Prof. S. A. Long of Dayton, Ohio, and few audiences have dispersed with a greater feeling of satisfaction than did the one Saturday evening, after listening in rapt enjoyment to this master of the platform.  His work convinced his hearers that he is not at the bottom of the professional ladder—nor in the middle—but nearing the top.  His lecture was one of the best given here in several seasons.  Commendable points in his lecture were his vivid word painting, his wholesome wit, and under all the current of truth and fact so forceful and impressive.  The subject, Lightning and Toothpicks, was adapted from an old superstition.


THE NEWS, Indianapolis, Jan. 8, '05.
A large crowd, great enthusiasm and a stirring speaker, made the men's meeting at the Grand Opera House, under the auspices of the Y. M. C. A. yesterday afternoon, a notable occasion even in the series of successful meetings which have been held there recently.  Long before the doors of the opera house were opened, the lobby was filled and a long line of men outside for a chance to push in.  Two-thirds of all seats were occupied as soon as the doors were opened, and when the meeting began the auditorium was packed from pit to dome.
S. A. Long, of Dayton, known to the men as the man who says things, was the speaker, and his subject of Hang On was the sequel to Drop It, which he gave a few weeks ago in Indianapolis.



THE EVENING NEWS, Dayton, Ohio.
Prof. Long was at his best, and the result was an audience of delighted and enthusiastic hearers, who laughed and wept and applauded the splendid effort.  Wit, wisdom, eloquence, are words peculiarly fitting in describing Prof. Long's lecture, and his old friends were proud, not only of the good things they heard last night, but also of the reputation that Prof. Long is earning for himself as one of the leading lecturers in the middle west.


THE JOURNAL, Lafayette, Ind.
Mr. Long is both a fluent and eloquent lecturer and his address was one of the best of the kind ever delivered here.  He has a fine delivery and his youth and vigorous manhood make his remarks doubly impressive.


THE REVIEW, Fairmount, Ill.
The Man of Destiny, given by Prof. S. A. Long, at the M. E. Church Monday night, was par excellence.  Prof. Long has a power of description not possessed by many speakers.  The production showed depth of thought and its delivery contained every requisite of oratory.  The lecture contained just enough wit and humor to be pleasing to the minds of the audience.  He depicted the career and death of Napoleon, and his description of the battle of Waterloo rivaled anything we have ever heard.


MORNING NEWS, Canton, O.
Mr. Long's powers of description are extraordinary and his word pictures are so real and wonderful that he holds his audience in a sort of trance from which they are loth to awaken.  His address was the most eloquent plea for the uplifting of manhood that has ever been listened to in Canton, and if ever Mr. Long sees fit to visit Canton again it is certain that he will receive a warm reception and a full house.


STAR, Indianapolis, Ind.
S. A. Long entertained a big crowd with trite sayings.  His lecture was filled with quaint philosophy, humorous stories and beautifully drawn comparisons.


EDUCATIONAL MONTHLY.
He made a great hit.  Committees will do well to look him up.


DETROIT FREE PRESS.
Last night Prof. S. A. Long appeared for the second time in this city.  His lecture Lightning and Toothpicks was filled with wit, wisdom, and eloquence.  He has the rare trait of illustrating a point with a well told story, and kept his hearers in a good humor while he said things.


CINCINNATI POST.
He is an eloquent and convincing speaker as well as a humorist.



THE LEBANON (Ohio) PATRIOT.
With beauty and strength he presented his theme, Drop It.  The lecture was a plea for a clean, pure, large life.  His humor provoked smiles and laughter, and his pathos tears.


WESTERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.
Prof. Long touched the hearts of a multitude, who listened intently to the words of this brilliant, gifted and magnetic speaker.


THE GAZETTE, Xenia, Ohio.
Prof. Long delivered a splendid lecture, sparkling with wit and depicting Napoleon's career and death with power.


THE SPRINGFIELD (Ohio) Sun.
Admirable!  Possesses great power of description, and his word pictures develop to a climax like bright gems.  Will return.


THE OHIO TEACHER.
Prof. S. A. Long delivered two masterly lectures—The Schoolmaster's Trident and The Man of Destiny.  Prof. Long is an able and forceful speaker, and the teachers gave him a warm welcome.


ASSOCIATION MEN, Lima, Ohio.
We are very sorry that every man in Lima did not hear Prof. Long.  His lecture was the best of the series.



What Y. M. C. A. Secretaries and Others Think of S. A. Long

YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
Detroit, Mich., January 30, '05.

Mr. Frank A. Morgan, 55 Auditorium Bldg., Chicago, Ill.

My dear Mr. Morgan:—Permit me to thank you for your favor of the 17th inst.  I am pleased to know that you have made a contract with Prof. Long for three years.  To tell you truly, I have sincerely hoped that this combination would be effected because I believe that you are the man for Long and he is the man for your work.  He spoke at our Theater meeting yesterday and as usual more than delighted his audience.  I believe he is one of the coming men of the platform.  Anything that I could say would not be too good.

Any time that I could be of additional service to you, I would be very glad for you to call upon me.

Very sincerely yours,
HARRY W. ARNOLD, Religious Work Director.

Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 22, '04.

I heard Mr. Long with pleasure and profit, and know by experience that to hear him once is to want to hear him again.  He is eloquent, magnetic and forceful—gets attention at once, and holds it all the way through.  He is a man with a message and will be heard.

ELIJAH P. BROWN, Founder of the Ram's Horn.

Mr. Frank A. Morgan, Chicago, Illinois.

Dear Sir:—I have your letter of January 24th.  I cannot speak too highly of Prof. S. A. Long, either as a man or as a lecturer.  I know him personally, and he is one of the kingliest of men.  His personality is most charming, his manner winsome, his life ideal.  I have heard him lecture several times with increasing interest.  He has remarkable powers, and is unquestionably a man with a message.  He never fails to win the hearts of the people who hear him.

Yours very truly,
GEORGE O. MARCH, Lebanon, O.



YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 18, 1905.

Mr. Frank A. Morgan, 55 Auditorium Bldg., Chicago, Ill.

My dear Sir:—I take great pleasure in stating my convictions regarding Mr. S. A. Long, of Dayton, for he has been of inestimable helpfulness to hundreds of men of this city.

Mr. Long was first called to my attention by an Association man who knew of his abilities as a lecturer.  By wire, a date was fixed, upon which he was to appear before out Big Men's Meeting (largest in the United States) to deliver his lecture on Drop It.  The day arrived and so did Long.  When he stepped upon the platform he confronted an audience of 1500 men (only).  From the moment he opened his mouth until the close of his address, he had the undivided attention of his audience.  200 men stood throughout the entire lecture.  The eloquence and oratory displayed by the speaker held the entire crowd fascinated.  It was a magnificent display of platform power.  The applause elicited was tremendous.

We immediately booked him for a return date, selecting Hang On as the topic of his second lecture.  Upon this visit the results of the first effort were duplicated.

He is powerful, magnetic, logical, and intensely practical.  He will delight any audience before which he may be invited to appear.  I am,

Very truly yours,
A. H. GODARD, Sec.



YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
Cincinnati, Ohio, January 18, 1905.

Mr. Frank A. Morgan, 55 Auditorium Bldg., Chicago, Ill.

Dear Sir:—Prof. S. A. Long of Dayton has spoken twice at our Sunday Men's Meetings.  He is an effective speaker and on both occasions his audience has been enthusiastically pleased.

Yours truly,
WILLARD D. BALL, General Secretary.