The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 106, July 2002 - April, 2003 Page: 569
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Oscar Wilde Lectures in Texas, r882
them, making the white walls appear as a sheet of white flame in the noon
day sun is a gross mistake." He had a point, although white reflects heat,
an important fact in a place like San Antonio.41
Europe did not have the quantity of gold and silver available in Ameri-
ca, nor were European jewelers as expert as American workers with those
metals. When he was in Leadville, Colorado, the world's richest city for
silver, he "thought how sad it was that the silver should be made into flat
ugly dollars-useful perhaps to the artist, as to others, but which should
not be the aim and end of life." The beauty of civilization and the record
of its arts were a few golden leaves and earthenware vases. The same was
true in the gates of Florence which Michaelangelo saw and called the
gates of paradise. "Be sure of one thing," Wilde emphasized, "we shall get
no good work unless you come face to face with the designer and dis-
pense with all intervention; we shall know them and they us, and under-
stand the requirements of our state.""42
As mentioned, he closed with remarks that aroused local pride, and
which, when elaborated on and made personal later, identified Wilde
with the South and made him popular there. He said, 'You in the south
with your wonderful surroundings by nature should have perfect art. The
victories of art give more than heroes yield or the sword demands, by cre-
ating a nobleness of art ... [you] will find the independence of an art is
the perfect expression of freedom. When artisans are among you don't
dishonor them nor leave the young artisans without encouragement."4"
According to the critics of both the Evening Light and the Daily Express,
some of Wilde's best thoughts were lost on the audience because of his ac-
cent and poor delivery, and, wrote Ryder-Taylor, because "the squeaking
of the new boots of some of the thirsty ones going out to refreshments.
One hour was too long between drinks." The intellectual reaction was
mixed but favorable overall. The San Antonio Daily Express reviewer de-
scribed Wilde's delivery as "monotonous and very indistinct," creating
hearing difficulties for some people in the back. As a result, "a few unac-
companied men left the hall." Even so, the Express critic pronounced the
speaker's language "excellent and well selected," conceding, "we can re-
call nothing to ridicule, even though we were so disposed." The Waco De-
mocrat Enterprise agreed, declaring Wilde's language and thoughts excel-
lent but his delivery miserable. Exaggerating, the paper claimed that half
of the audience left halfway through the lecture. Ryder-Taylor's review
noted that "It was amusing to hear the different opinions of Oscar Wilde
and his lecture last night. Some were highly pleased and interested, while
' Ibid.
A2 Ibid.
49 Ibid.569
2003
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 106, July 2002 - April, 2003, periodical, 2003; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101223/m1/647/: accessed March 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.