On making my appearance I was greeted with applause, but instead of reassuring me, it frightened me almost out of my wits.  However, it was too late to retreat, and so making up my mind to die, if necessary, on the spot, or succeed, I hastily threw off my father’s old and threadbare overcoat (I had none of my own) and stood forth in a full dress coat, which showed much ill treatment, and immediately began my lecture.  As I warmed to my work, and got interested, I forgot my embarrassment and talked with ease and volubility.  I did not fail, in proof of which I have only to add that on the following day I met Ben.  L. Smith on the street, and on the strength of my lecture, he went my security for a respectable coat and pair of boots.

From Rushville I started on a lecture tour, taking in Dublin, Connersville, Cambridge City, Shelbyville, Knightstown, Newcastle, and other places.  By degrees I widened the field of my lectures until it embraced the whole of Indiana and parts of many other States.  In a little more than three years I have spoken publicly four hundred and seventy times in Indiana alone.  From the very first I have been warmly and generously supported by the press.  There have been exceptions in the case of a few papers, but they were only the exceptions.  Since my first effort to reform, all good people have aided me.  But from the very first I have had to fight opposition and falsehood.  I have been accused of being drunk when I was sober, and outrageous falsehoods have been told about me when the truth would have been bad enough.  After I had got fairly started to lecture I had always one object paramount, and that was to save myself from the drunkard’s terrible fate and doom.  After a short time men who drank would come to me and congratulate me, saying that I had opened their eyes, and that from that day forward they would drink no more liquor.  Mothers, wives, and sisters, who had sons, husbands, and brothers that indulged in the fatal habit, came to me and encouraged me by telling me how much good I had done them.  I began to feel a strong additional motive to lecture and save others.  And here I wish to say that my efforts to save all men whom I met that were in danger (and all are in danger who touch liquor in any form) of the curse, have been the cause of much unkind criticism.  People have said:  “O, well, we don’t believe Benson is in earnest.  He don’t seem to try very hard to quit drinking himself.  He doesn’t keep the right sort of company,” and so on.  This was the language of men who never drank.  I have had drinking men by the score come to me with tears in their eyes, and beg to know if there was any escape from the curse.  Since taking the lecture field I have paid out in actual money over a thousand dollars to aid men and families in trouble caused by the use of liquor.  I have the first one yet to turn away when I had anything to give.  I have more than once robbed myself to aid others.  Oftentimes my labor and money have been thrown away, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I did my duty.  In some cases, thank heaven!  I have cause to know that my efforts were not in rain.