HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1787, 19 June 1906, Page 2

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

MB FRANK BUBLEN’S FIBBX

LECTURE.

■' IHR aosiANOE OF T3E SUV*

The large audience that assembled |vt His Majesty's Theatre last evening wai truly delighted with the first lecture, " The Romanes of the Bea,” delivered Frank T. Bullen, author of 11 The Grain of the Cachalot,” and other widely-read nautical works, and the general opinion expressed was that the talented author ia his opening leoture far exceeded the most sanguine expectations. A sailor from tht age of 11, Mr Bullen has made the mast of the years spent at sea, and in extfry story that he relates of the mighty - dee'tj there is a vividoess and reality whioh appeals to the heart of his audience. It might with a oertain am >uot of truth be said that Mr Bullen in biß narrative takei all the romance of the sea out of the mine! of bis'hearers, but this is only done with the purpose of giving it back with addi< tiona! interest. The romance of the sea according to the lecturer, is in the mind of the individutl who tHkes up the life either frn,u choice or uece;sity, and whilst toe hardship - experienced on sailing vessels a few years back are set forth in their trne light, there is a compensating joy in the ease and comfort of the up-to-date steamers of the present day. The romance of the sea onmea in with the introduction of the great steamers with all their luxuriant appoin mentis, and bae not yet b-en p ope ly appoint- d. In the old date all the rnma-'Ce was i ken out of toe life of the -ailur awing to toe inadequate pro, vision made for his comfoit and poor wages, the sum of two pounds a mouth presenting a pimr outlook to the average working man. Mr Bullen was partiouarlv severe in leg-ul to the attitude of 'be pe, ph- a Borne towards the meroantile tr.iio, ai d a so in reference to the enomacoment of Germany on British trade Beth these matters rrquired nrgen attention if the prestige of the Empire was to be maintained. If one were asked to state wherein lbe great success of'Mr Bullen as a lecturer retted, the reply would be in the realistic manner in which he tel’s his Btories and the happy knack he has of combining the instructive with the humorous. Altboogh last evening -|§£. spoke for upwards of an hour and three-" quarters without intermission, there was not a dull moment. The close attention of the audience was held throughout, and the frequent and heaity applause with which be was greeted showed how well his efforts wore appreciated, it being oonoeded on all eides that the lecture was the best yet beard in this town. The lecture was considerably enhanced by the number of brautiful views shown, under the supervision of Mr Cooper, the well known kinematograph expert. To-night Mr Bullen will deliver his favorite leoture, " Whales and Whaler fishing,” and we woull strongly recommend our readers to make a poiot of being present, as they oan be sure of obtaining an intellectual treat. Mr Bullen opened his New Zealand season at Auckland, and Gisborne is tbo second town that he has included in his tear. Referring to ta-night's leoture the Auckland Herald ttatts: .‘‘For nearly two boars he kept his large audienoe spellbound aa be I paid out' stories by the fathom. It was astonishing how quickly the time flew, and at the end of tbp lecture one Ip’ft with the

impression that Mr Bullen had not told a tithe of his extraordinary experiences of whaling. He opened by a description Qf | whales, as they were known tg (he ancients, and as they are known to oomrnorea to-day, and showed how, exoeptiog in the ersc of the right or Greenland whaie, it was perfectly feasible for Jonah to ha\e been swallowed by some great cetaoean, if tuch found their way into the eaetein portion of the 'GreatSea’ of the Bible.”

I Some of his adyentures as a whalemaD, as he told them, were most exciting, and he apparently had but little difficulty in so working upon his audienoe that for the nonce they felt themselves with him out I in a wha’eboat, waiting for a sounding whale to rise. He had heard, he said, of a company formed in England for whaleoatohing in New Z-aland, with a depot somewhere in the Foveaux Bt r aitP, tbe objeot being to convert not only the sperm whaie but ocher varieties, held by whalem n to be utelese, in order to convert them into m inure, a proposiiion which, he thought, would be highly remunerative, In the course of his ieoture Mr Bullen disposed of a good many sea myths, and he wa, particularly severe opon books about whales wiitton for children, wh oh were stuff, d fail of absolute untruths and absurd representations of natural fasts,"