Star-dust in Hollywood (1930)

Chapter III THE ABSORPTION OF 'TALK' iOST of Jo's other excursions at this time were public. She gave two exhibitions of our sketches and several free ' talks ' at various clubs ; and she had to submit to the talks of others. Though the actual giving of lectures is quite an amusing business, containing the pleasures of dominating a crowd, of finding verbal expression for one's thoughts, of shaping, wrapping up, and decorating the subject, and a half-theatrical dramatization of effect, we never could understand the pleasure derived from the other side : the passive, paying audience. The enthusiastic willingness to listen to lectures, lectures on any subject and of any quality, has already been remarked as a phenomenon peculiarly American. But the odd thing was that this was combined with an almost equally strong determination not to listen to anything once the lecturer had descended from the platform. Ladies, who would gaze up at a lecturer in mute and admiring silence for an hour and a half by the clock, would pour into his ears their psycho-analytic distresses once they could get grips on him, and, no matter what might be the treasures of his still unimparted information, would give him never an instant's pause in which he might resume. On one occasion Jo was an honoured guest of the Friday Morning Club Art Section. A lady miniaturist was the piece de resistance. She was a shy woman, slightly withered, and she stood on the platform speaking in a small voice which to the audience was almost as inaudible as her miniatures, ranged on a board at her side, were invisible. l< It is so good of you ladies," she said, smirking and moving [43]