Plain Talks by a Plain Man
Plain Talks by a Plain Man is an article published in The Yonkers Herald on 13 november 1894.
Report of the lecture "Readings and Reminiscences" given by Arthur Conan Doyle on 12 november 1894 evening at John Kendrick Bangs' home (Yonkers, USA).
Report
His Creator Lectured Last Evening at the Yonkers Lawn Tennis Club.
READINGS AND REMINISCENCES
Dr. A. Conan Doyle Relates Early Recollections, Tells of His First book and Reads an Extract from one of his Last Stories.
The commodious yet cosy home of the Yonkers Lawn Tennis club has been the scene of many brilliant events, social and otherwise, but it probably never was filled with such an ultra-fashionable audience as gathered in its handsome hall last evening to listen to the Readings and Reminiscences of the distinguished English author, Dr. A. Conan Doyle.
The platform was tastefully arranged with palms and ferns and a ripple of applause ran through the room as Mr. John Kendrick Bangs, the president of the club, stepped before the audience closely followed by Dr. Doyle.
The first thing the audience did, of course, was to contrast the English man of letters, with the American, Mr. Bangs seemed quite slender and Sherlock Holmes like, beside Dr. Doyle's bulky frame and, in fact, it would be difficult to imagine a greater literary contrast than the two men presented, one with sharply defined features, and nervous build ; the other with his full, florid, thoroughly English face, and peculiar weather beaten appearance.
Dr. Doyle is built in athletic mould, and has a rugged and strong personality. that would hardly seem in keeping with the nervous timbre of some of his stories. Strength seems to be his prominent characteristic.
Mr. Bangs introduced Dr. Doyle in a neat little speech in which he told of having once been invited by a friend to a dinner of canvas back ducks. Four courses had been served and no ducks having made their appearance he cried "I'm tired! Bring on the ducks." Mr. Bangs said he thought the story had a moral for presiding officers and so he would not allow the audience to tire and would therefore "Bring on the ducks."
Dr. Doyle who is as easy upon the platform as an old glove upon the hand, began as follows:—
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN—
It is a reversal of the usual order of things to find a large number of people not only willing but anxious to hear a man talk about himself and his own work, for never until a man attempts to talk about himself and his work before an audience does he realize how insignificant both are. But the demand of my friends both English and American seems to be to hear something of
