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172 complimented, I stood up, and laid my views of the state of politics, science, art, and manufacture in my day before them. I told them all about our immense naval fleets and their armament. I described fully our great mercantile marine. I gave them some ideas about our commerce, and, being proud of my profession, I extolled the excellence of the Schools of Art in 1888. Whether I was justified in doing so or not is rather doubtful, as our schools tended towards the same fault of preciseness and want of freedom that I complained of in theirs. I venture to think that I am a fairly good speaker, and I spoke to these people with considerable force of words but in a whisper. They heard me with great attention and politeness all through, and when I sat down they came to me individually, and said it was to them a great treat to hear me speak with such force in advocating the fallacies of the ancients. They now entered into a discussion amongst themselves about the habits and customs of people in my day. They seemed to know everything