---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,note3 ,this version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects4 ,italics are delimited with the #8' character as italic4 ,footnotes have been moved to follow the paragraphs in which they are referenced1 and have been numbered sequentially4 ,illustrations have been moved to fall on paragraph breaks4 ,minor errors1 attributable to the printer1 have been corrected4 ,please see the transcriber's note at the end of this text for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation4 ,,biography ,,of ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 ,illustration3 ,henry ,ward ,beecher ,a ,,biography ,,of ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 ,,by ,,wm4 ,c4 ,,beecher ,,and ,,rev4 ,,samuel ,,scoville1 ,,assisted ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 -------------- ,,new ,,york3 ,,charles ,l4 ,,webster ,,company4 --- #ahhh4 ,,copyrighted ,,by ,,charles ,l4 ,,webster ,,company1 #ahhh 7,all rights reserved47 ,,jenkins ,mc,c,o,w,a,n1 ,,printers1 #bbd1 #bbf and #bbh ,centre ,st1 ,n4 ,y4 ,to ,our ,mother1 ,,whose ,,faithful ,,love ,,and ,,patient ,,self-,,devotion ,,comforted ,,and ,,strengthened ,,our ,,beloved ,,father ,,during ,,troubles1 ,,blessed ,,and ,,encouraged ,,him ,,in ,,prosperity1 ,a ,,true ,,companion ,,and ,,devoted ,,helpmeet1 ,,we ,,dedicate ,,this ,,story ,,of ,,his ,,life4 ,,contents4 ------- ,,chapter ,i4 ,,page ,ancestry--,beecher--,ward--,foote--,the ,anvil--,the #ag-bi ,oak--,courtship and ,marriage of ,lyman ,beecher and ,roxana ,foote--,home at ,east ,hampton1 ,long ,island--,removal to ,litchfield1 ,connecticut ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,litchfield--,situation--,natural ,features--,early #cj-de ,settlers--,social and ,moral ,advantages--,patriotism--,north ,street described--,the ,beecher ,home--,birth of ,henry ,ward--,the ,times at ,home and ,abroad--,his ,birth-,mark ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,early ,glimpses--,recollections of the ,mother--,going to #df-ga ,school at ,ma'am ,kilbourne's--,his ,first ,letter--,district ,school--,the ,coming of the ,new ,mother--,his ,first ,ride on ,horseback--,a ,merry ,household--,fishing ,excursions--,minister's ,wood-,spell--,saturday ,night--,going to ,meeting--,the ,puritan ,sabbath--,the ,cold of ,litchfield ,hill--,rats--,work--,the ,catechism--,formative ,influences--,summing ,up ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,boyhood--,sent to ,school at ,bethlehem--,the ,widow #gb-ha ,ingersoll's--,failure--,a ,champion--,sent to ,catharine ,beecher's ,school in ,hartford--,humorous ,incidents--,religious ,experience ,,chapter ,v4 ,boston--,home ,atmosphere--,various ,experiences--,ethics #hb-ib rubbed in by a ,six-pound ,shot--,discontent--,makes up his ,mind to go to ,sea--,to ,study ,navigation--,picture of his ,life in ,boston ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,school-,life at ,mount #ic-ajh ,pleasant--,mathematics--,elocution--,te stimony of ,classmates--,religious ,experiences--,troubles--,a ,romantic ,friendship--,another ,kind--,letter of ,reminiscence--,a ,royal ,school-,boy ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,amherst ,college--,private ,journal--,testimony of #aji-ace ,classmates--,tutor's ,delight--,begins his ,anti-,slavery ,career--,spiritual ,darkness--,engagement--,letters of his ,mother--,experiences in ,teaching ,school--,first ,sermons--,lecturing--,his ,reading--,the ,record ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,lane ,seminary--,dr4 ,beecher ,called--,home at ,walnut #acf-aef ,hills--,amusing ,incidents--,family ,meeting--,death of ,mrs4 ,beecher--,extracts from ,journal--,first ,mention of ,preaching in the ,west--,experience in ,ecclesiastical ,matters--,despondency--,meeting of ,synod--,influences of the ,times--,revulsion--,a ,rift along the ,horizon--8,full iolly ,knight0 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,call to ,preach--,license--,examination by ,miami #aeg-ahj ,presbytery--,refusal to ,subscribe to ,old ,school--,ordination by ,oxford ,presbytery--,visit ,east--,marriage--,housekeeping ,,chapter ,x4 ,the ,new ,field--,growth of ,influence--,social ,life--,the #aha-bji ,secret of ,effective ,preaching--,editorial ,labors--,lectures to ,young ,men--,call to ,brooklyn--,departure ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,invitation to come ,east--,call to ,plymouth #baj-bbd ,church--,friendly ,misgivings--,plainly ,outlining his ,views--,early ,success--,plymouth ,burned--,preaching in the ,tabernacle ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,plymouth ,church--,the ,new ,building--,sabbath #bbe-bcb ,service--,prayer-,meeting--,weekly ,lecture--,socials--,church ,polity--,the ,pastor's ,policy ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,beginning of the ,great ,battle--,five ,great #bcc-bgj ,eras--,compromise ,measures of #ahej--8,shall ,we ,compromise0--,the ,fugitive ,slave ,law denounced--,right of ,free ,speech defended--,commercial ,liberty--,fighting ,caste--,liberty of the ,pulpit defended--,quickness of ,retort--,sentiment of the ,times--,reaction--,visit of ,kossuth--,election of #aheb--,the ,parker ,controversy--,degraded into ,liberty--,john ,mitchel--,garrison--,close of this ,era ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,the ,battle renewed--,repeal of the ,missouri ,compromise #bga-bia proposed--,the ,struggle in ,congress--,mr4 ,beecher's ,appeals--,the ,battle lost in ,congress is transferred to the ,territories--,forces engaged--,kansas ,war--,dred ,scott ,decision--,mr4 ,beecher's ,defence of ,kansas--8,beecher's ,bibles0--,charles ,sumner attacked in the ,senate--,the ,fremont ,campaign--,the ,dog ,noble ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,remarkable ,experiences--,the ,edmonson ,sisters--,pinky and #bib-cjh her ,freedom-,ring--,slave ,auction in ,plymouth ,church--,john ,brown--,the ,wrong and ,right ,way--,election of ,abraham ,lincoln--,secession--,buchanan's ,fast ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,war ,begun--,firing upon ,fort ,sumter--8,the ,american ,eagle #cji-cch as you want it0--,death of ,col4 ,ellsworth--,equips his ,sons--,personal ,feeling yields to ,patriotism--,his ,house a ,store-house of ,military ,supplies--,sends a ,regiment as his ,substitute--,our ,national ,flag--,the ,camp1 its ,dangers and ,duties--,bull ,run--,becomes ,editor of the ,independent--,salutatory--,the ,trent ,affair--,fight1 ,tax--,soldiers or ,ferrets--,characteristics as an ,editor--,one ,nation1 one ,constitution1 one ,starry ,banner--,mc,clellan ,safe1 and ,richmond too--,mildly carrying on ,war--,the ,root of the ,matter--,the only ,ground--,a ,queer ,pulpit--,president's ,proclamation of ,emancipation--,let come what will--,close of the ,third ,era ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,first ,voyage to ,england--,extracts from ,diary--,warwick #cci-cdi ,castle--,stratford-on-,avon--,the ,skylark--,oxford--,bodleian ,library--,london--,old-time ,sadness--,paris--,catch-,words from ,diary--,effect of ,picture-,gallery--,the ,louvre--,his ,return ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,church and ,steamboat--,jenny ,lind--,hospitality--,colonel #cej-cie ,pertzel--,the ,family--,twins--,medicine--,giving ,counsel--,for the ,sailor--,an ,absurd ,story contradicted--,salisbury--,trouting--,de ath of ,alfred and ,arthur--,letters to his ,daughter at ,school--,lenox--,equivocal ,honors declined--,the ,pulpit--8,plymouth ,collection0--8,shining ,shore8--,a ,church ,liturgy--,courting with his ,father's old ,love-letters--#aheg a ,year of ,trial--,matteawan--,visit to ,litchfield--#aheh a ,year of ,harvest--,revival ,meetings--,hospitality of ,plymouth ,church--,courtesy to ,errorists--,new ,organ--,peekskill--,letters to his ,daughter abroad--,marriage of his ,daughter--,lecturing--,title of ,d4 ,d4 declined--,flowers in ,church--,christian ,liberty in the use of the ,beautiful--,his two ,lines of ,labor ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,visit to ,england in #ahfc--,the ,need of ,rest--,condition of #cif-djg ,affairs at ,home--,arrival at ,liverpool--,refusal to ,speak--,visit to the ,continent--,reception by the ,king of ,belgium--,civil ,war discussed--,news of ,victories--,return to ,england ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,facing the ,mob in ,manchester--,glasgow--,edinburgh--,desp erate ,attempts to break ,mr4 ,beecher down at #djh-ddb ,liverpool--,victory in ,london ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,close of the ,war--,distrust of the #ddc-def ,administration--,kindlier ,feelings after ,mr4 ,beecher's ,return from ,england--,growing ,confidence--,intimacy with ,secretary ,stanton--,fort ,sumter--,lee's ,surrender--,lincoln's ,death ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,reconstruction--,mr4 ,beecher favors speedy #deg-dgh ,readmission--,soldiers' and ,sailors' ,convention at ,cleveland--,the 8,cleveland ,letters0 cause great ,excitement ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,the 8,silver ,wedding0 of ,plymouth ,church--,children's #dgi-dhg ,day--,services in the ,church--,reunion of old ,members--,historical ,reminiscences--,dr4 ,storrs's ,tribute ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,the ,conspiracy--,relations with ,mr4 ,bowen--,disputes and #dhh-ebb ,arbitration--,theodore ,tilton's ,early ,promise and ,intimacy with ,mr4 ,beecher--,bowen's ,ill-,will and ,tilton's ,malice--,tilton discharged from ,independent and ,brooklyn ,union--,tripartite ,agreement--,moulton and ,tilton ,conspire to ,blackmail ,mr4 ,beecher--,tilton consults ,dr4 ,storrs ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,after-,effects--,charges against ,tilton--,advisory #ebc-ecf ,council--,investigating ,committee called by ,mr4 ,beecher--,its ,report--,dropping ,mr4 ,moulton--,council called by ,plymouth ,church ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,after-,effects of the ,conspiracy--,calling ,council of #ecg-efc #ahgf--,principle of ,selection--,mr4 ,beecher cautions his ,church--,bowen ,reappears2 ,proposes a ,secret ,tribunal--,mr4 ,beecher's ,reply--,bowen ,dropped by ,plymouth ,church--,deliverance of ,council sustaining ,plymouth--,mr4 ,beecher's ,persecutors ,denounced--,special ,tribunal ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,rest and renewed ,activity--,lecturing ,tours--,resignation #efd-egj from the ,congregational ,association--,boston ,criticisms ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,attacking ,corrupt ,judges--,interest in ,political #ega-ehg ,questions--,advocating ,arthur's ,renomination--,opposing ,blaine--,supporting ,cleveland--,campaign of #ahhd--;,after the ,battle ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,a ,preacher--,his ,place--,his ,training--,his ,estimate of the #ehh-fac ,work--,defects--,effectual ,call--,upon ,drawing an ,audience--,his ,theory--,preparation--,results--,a ,theologian--,his ,orthodoxy--,evolution--,ordinances--,ch ristian ,unity--,sectarianism--,peacemaker ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,love of the ,country--,communion with ,nature--,farming at #fad-fch ,salisbury--,lenox--,matteawan--,the ,peekskill ,farm ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,home ,life--,love of ,children--,his ,method of ,training and #fci-ffd ,education--,formation of ,library and ,art ,collection--,personal ,traits ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 #ahhf--;,england ,revisited--,speaking in the ,city #ffe-fhc ,temple--,westminster ,abbey--,lecturing through ,great ,britain--,addressing the ,theological ,students at ,city ,temple--8,life of ,christ0--,sickness--,rest ,appendix #fhg ,,illustrations4 ,,page #a4 ,anvil and ,oak ,stump #ah #b4 ,foote ,coat-of-,arms #ba #c4 ,church in which ,lyman ,beecher preached1 in #bh ,east ,hampton1 ,l4 ,i4 #d4 ,beecher ,residence at ,litchfield #ci #e4 ,room in which ,mr4 ,beecher was born #dc #f4 ,elms and ,well which mark the ,site of the #de 8,beecher ,house0 in ,litchfield #g4 ,facsimile of the first ,letter of ,mr4 ,beecher #ej #h4 ,ingersoll ,house #gc #i4 ,stairs in ,catharine ,beecher's ,house in #aaa ,hartford #aj4 ,mr4 ,beecher at the time of his ,marriage #afh #aa4 ,mrs4 ,beecher at the time of her ,marriage #afi #ab4 ,church at ,indianapolis ,facing page #ahb #ac4 ,mr4 ,beecher's ,house at ,indianapolis 0 0 #bjb #ad4 ,mr4 ,beecher and his ,father at time of ,call to 0 0 #baj ,brooklyn1 #ae4 ,pinky's ,freedom-,ring #bie #af4 ,mr4 ,beecher in #ahej #cfg #ag4 ,mr4 ,beecher at the ,close of the ,war #dde #ah4 ,mr4 ,beecher and his ,sister1 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,e4 ,b4 #ebe ,stowe #ai4 ,cottage at ,peekskill #fai #bj4 ,old ,apple-,tree #fba #ba4 ,mr4 ,beecher on his ,farm #fbe #bb4 ,house at ,peekskill #fca #bc4 ,hall in ,new ,house at ,peekskill #fcc #bd4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher at the time of ,visit to #ffg ,england in #ahhf #be4 ,lying in ,state in ,plymouth ,church #fgi ,,preface4 ,a few months prior to his death our father undertook the preparation of his ,autobiography4 ,this was earnestly encouraged by his family1 who shared with the public the desire that he should tell the tale of his life in his own words1 giving those pictures of his inner self1 the impressions made on him by his varying experiences1 that he alone could give1 and which1 to a large extent1 he alone knew4 ,confiding and free-spoken as he was in his joys1 in his griefs he withdrew within himself1 bearing in patient silence a load of sorrow unknown even to those nearest to him4 ,but it was not to be4 ,he had only jotted down a rough outline of his plan1 and written a part of an intermediate chapter1 when he laid down his pen for a little rest1 never to be resumed again4 ,in his contract with our publishers but a single volume of not less than six hundred pages was contemplated4 ,unconscious of its magnitude1 we undertook to complete the contract4 ,accepting the limitations of a single volume1 we began to collect the necessary material1 and1 when too late to change the form of the work1 discovered that two volumes would hardly contain the history as it opened up to us1 so closely interwoven has his life been with the nation's history1 and so full of important incidents4 ,in the work of condensation1 to bring our story within the space prescribed1 we found it necessary to omit many of his letters1 hoping that in the not far-distant future we might publish a supplemental volume containing all of his important correspondence4 ,the book before us we have sought1 as far as possible1 to make autobiographic1 telling the tale in our father's words2 happily the many letters furnished us by friends1 or retained in the family1 his public writings and utterances1 supplemented by the many personal reminiscences which he gave us at various times1 has enabled us to do so to a large extent4 ,we are fully conscious of the imperfect manner in which we have woven these quotations into our story2 the ordinary writer who attempts to connect with his words those glowing sentences white-hot with his fiery indignation against slavery1 or his eloquent appeal to the ,english public for fair-dealing1 or the brilliant play of wit and fancy in his more humorous utterances1 can hope1 at the most1 to give but a respectable background that may aid by contrast4 ,we have sought to make this book a truthful history from the beginnings of his life1 through boyhood1 manhood1 and ripened age1 to the end1 omitting no important period1 though passing innumerable incidents4 ,a man loving peace1 he reached peace only through war4 ,from his early manhood he was called to meet in deadly combat the great sins of the nation4 ,through his life1 at different times1 he met and overcame bitter and deadly assaults made upon him4 ,in our narration of these events we have had no revenge to gratify nor theory to maintain4 ,we have tried to give only facts1 omitting deductions or conclusions1 leaving each reader to draw his own inferences4 ,if parts of our narrative bear hardly on any1 it is only the pressure of the facts which cannot be suppressed in any fearless1 truthful portrayal of our father's life4 ,we do not make them2 we merely state them4 ,we would acknowledge our indebtedness to the many friends who have kindly furnished letters and reminiscences1 but especially to our mother1 whose memory1 running back along the paths they travelled for so many years together1 has given to us much that never would otherwise have been known4 ,if our readers get from a perusal of these pages a tithe of the comfort and inspiration which we have obtained from their preparation1 we shall feel that our work has not been in vain4 ,if they can see something of the fearlessness for right1 the patience under unjust suffering1 the inextinguishable love for fellow-men1 and the abiding faith in ,god1 that has been revealed by a study of his life even to us1 who knew him best1 we shall be satisfied4 ,w4 ,c4 ,,beecher1 ,,samuel ,,scoville4 ,,brooklyn1 ,march #ab1 #ahhh4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,ancestry--,beecher--,ward--,foote--,the ,anvil--,the ,oak--,courtship and ,marriage of ,lyman ,beecher and ,roxana ,foote--,home at ,east ,hampton1 ,long ,island--,removal to ,litchfield1 ,connecticut4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher used to say that the first thing for a man to do1 if he would succeed in life1 is to 8choose a good father and mother to be born of40 ,he himself was eminently wise1 or fortunate1 as the case may be1 in this matter4 8,my earthly life10 he says1 8was given me by two of the best folks that ever lived on earth40 ,his father1 ,lyman ,beecher1 was one of the leading preachers1 reformers1 and controversialists of his day4 ,sturdy in body and mind1 full of sensibility1 aflame with enthusiasm1 devoted to the highest aims and utterly unselfish in life1 a ,christian in whom deep spirituality and strong common sense were happily blended1 he was just the man to transmit excellent qualities to his children2 a father to be enjoyed while living1 and to be remembered with love and reverence after his death4 ,of him his son says3 8,while he was eloquent and among the foremost speakers of his day1 ,i remember particularly that ,i never heard from him a word of uncharitableness1 nor saw a symptom of envy or jealousy1 or aught else but the most enthusiastic love of men1 and of young men and young ministers2 and knowing him in the household1 ,i have yet to know another person that was so devoid of the inferior feelings and so eminent in the topmost feelings of human nature40 ,lyman's father's name was ,david1 a well-read1 clear-headed man1 with decided opinions upon the questions of the day2 one with whom ,roger ,sherman delighted1 upon his return from ,congress1 to talk over the business of the session and discuss public affairs4 ,he kept college students as boarders1 that he might enjoy their conversation1 and made himself proficient in many of their studies4 ,of him his son said3 8,if he had received a regular education he would have been equal to anybody40 ,he was both blacksmith and farmer1 and had the reputation of 8raising the nicest rye and making the best hoes in ,new ,england40 ,illustration3 ,the ,anvil and ,oak ,stump4 ,lyman ,beecher's mother was a ,lyman1 a woman 8of a joyous1 sparkling1 hopeful temperament40 ,her grandfather was a ,scotchman1 thus giving a little ,gaelic blood to the veins of her descendants4 ,in his autobiography ,lyman ,beecher says3 8,she died of consumption two days after ,i was born4 ,i was a seven-months child1 and when the woman that attended on her saw what a puny thing ,i was1 and that the mother could not live1 she thought it useless to attempt to keep me alive4 ,i was actually wrapped up and laid aside4 ,but after a while one of the women thought she would look and see if ,i were living1 and1 finding ,i was1 concluded to wash and dress me1 saying3 #8,it's a pity he hadn't died with his mother4' ,so you see it was but by a hair's-breadth ,i got a foothold in this world40 ,he was taken in charge by 8,aunt ,benton0 and brought up on his uncle ,lot ,benton's farm in ,north ,guilford1 where farm-work and farm-fare made him strong4 ,their intention was to make a farmer of him2 but the intolerable slowness of an ox-team1 in ploughing fifteen acres of summer fallow three times over in a single season1 so disgusted the lad that he became restless4 ,his uncle saw it1 and upon consultation with the father they decided to send him to school to prepare for ,yale ,college1 which was accordingly done4 ,he often said1 8,oxen sent me to college40 ,david's father's name was ,nathaniel4 ,he was also a blacksmith1 and the anvil of both father and son stood upon the stump of that old oak under which ,john ,davenport preached his first sermon to the ,new ,haven ,colony4 ,he married a ,sperry1 8a pious woman10 whose mother was a ,roberts from ,forlallt1 ,cardiganshire1 ,wales4 ,from her1 his great great-grandmother1 came the fervid ,welsh blood with which ,henry ,ward was always so well pleased4 ,joseph was the father of ,nathaniel4 ,his father's name was ,john1 of whom tradition says that he was one of those who in the fall of #afcg accompanied ,samuel ,eaton in his explorations for a suitable location for the colony of ,john ,davenport1 that had just come over and was then staying at ,boston2 and that he was one of the very few men who lived through the winter in the poor hut that had been built at 8,quinnipiack10 ,new ,haven1 that they might pre-empt the territory and be in readiness to welcome the colony in the following spring4 ,he was the only son of ,hannah ,beecher1 whose husband1 born in ,kent1 ,england1 died just before the colony sailed4 ,she was about to abandon the enterprise1 but1 being a midwife and likely to be of service to the youthful colony1 they promised her her husband's share in the town plot if she would come4 ,they kept their word1 and it was in her lot that the historic oak just mentioned stood4 ,her business seems not to have been remarkably lucrative1 for at her death her estate inventoried only #ee #es4 #f;d4 ,one earlier mention of the family was found by ,mr4 ,beecher in the ,british ,museum during his visit to ,england in #ahfc1 and copied in his diary3 8,visitation of ,kent1 #af1bgi ,brit4 ,museum4 8,henry ,beecher1 alderman and sheriff of ,london #aegj1 ob't #aega40 ,apparently of more than the average intellectual ability of their class1 there was one feature in which the men whom we have described markedly excelled--namely1 in their physical strength4 ,the standard of measurement was peculiar to those early times1 and may not be as well understood by us2 yet it even now conveys the idea of great stalwartness4 ,david1 it was said1 could lift a barrel of cider and carry it into the cellar2 ,nathaniel1 his father1 was not quite as strong1 yet he could throw a barrel of cider into a cart2 while ,joseph exceeded them all1 for he could lift the barrel and drink out of the bung-hole4 ,of ,henry1 the sheriff1 no description has been found4 ,there was one especial feature of degeneracy in these modern days1 compared with the good old times of the fathers1 over which ,henry ,ward1 when ,mrs4 ,beecher was just within earshot1 moaned and groaned4 ,his grandfather1 he said1 had five wives1 his father had three1 but such was the meagreness of these penurious times in which he lived1 and the persistence of the ,bullard blood1 that he saw no chance for himself to have more than one4 ,but afterwards1 lest she should feel hurt at his raillery1 he writes her with many expressions of affection1 in a letter dated ,march #ca1 #ahgb3 8,it has always been a shadow over the future to fear that ,i should walk alone the few remaining years of my life1 for alone ,i shall be if you go from me4 ,in jest we have often spoken of other connections4 ,but such a thing is the remotest of possibilities4 ,should you go no one would ever take your place40 ,such was the ancestry selected on the father's side4 ,six generations1 without question1 are known to us1 reaching from the hills of ,litchfield1 in ,connecticut1 to the chalk-cliffs of ,kent1 ,england4 ,for that distance we can trace the family stream up to its sources in the great body of the ,english common people1 in that county most characteristic of ,england1 where the ,roman had first struggled with the ,briton1 where the 8free-necked men10 under ,hengist and ,horsa1 had first made a lodgment on ,english soil1 and near which was ,hastings and the fields of the ,norman conquest1 and where1 perhaps more than in any other county1 mingled those different strains of blood1 ,briton1 ,roman1 ,saxon1 ,northmen1 ,scots1 and ,picts1 out of which has come ,england's strength and ,england's greatness4 ,we find all of them of the yeomanry1 all of them honest1 useful1 ,god-fearing men1 fit to be the progenitors of one who delighted in nothing more than in his common experiences with common people1 and valued nothing more highly than their confidence and friendship4 ,nor would it be difficult to find in the sturdy independence and quaint humor of these men of the anvil and the plough1 the origin of much of that robust and humorous manliness which made ,henry ,ward ,beecher so conspicuous in his day and generation4 ,his power to strike heavy blows and to hit the nail on the head was partly inherited1 and that anvil-ring of the fathers has been often heard in these latter days under his sledge-hammer strokes4 ,if the iron were not hot1 he heated it by striking1 and sparks flew1 and men's hearts and minds were moulded and welded before he was done4 ,illustration3 ,foote ,coat-of-,arms ,more than this1 there appears in him something of the love of the 8shield-game0 and the 8sword-play0 of those earlier generations that were 8at heart fighters10 and something also of the sadness and heroism which led them to say1 8,each man of us shall abide the end of his life-work2 let him that may1 work his doomed deeds ere death come40 ,on the mother's side the selection was somewhat different4 ,while we find no more sterling qualities1 there is in this line a higher social position1 more culture1 a broader training in public affairs1 both civil and military1 and what with some may appear of still greater importance1 a coat-of-arms given as a special mark of royal gratitude4 ,roxana ,foote had gentle blood in her veins4 ,she could trace her genealogy on the father's side back through ,nathaniel ,foote1 who came into ,connecticut with ,hooker's company in #afcf1 to ,james ,foote1 an officer in the ,english army1 who aided ,king ,charles to conceal himself in the 8,royal ,oak0 and was knighted for his loyalty4 ,as the old primer has it3 8,it was the tree1 the old oak-tree1 ,which saved his royal majesty40 ,the tree stood in a field of clover1 and the ,foote coat-of-arms still bears an oak for its crest and a clover-leaf in its quarterings1 with the motto 8,loyalty and ,truth40 ,her mother1 ,roxana ,ward ,foote1 was descended from ,andrew ,ward1 who came over with ,sir ,richard ,saltonstall and settled in ,watertown1 ,mass41 in #afcj4 ,he afterwards moved to ,wethersfield1 and was a member of the first ,general ,court1 or ,legislature1 held at ,hartford in #afcf4 ,later he moved to ,stamford1 and represented that colony in the higher branch of the ,general ,court at ,new ,haven4 ,from him descended ,colonel ,andrew ,ward1 who took part in the old ,french and ,indian war and aided in the capture of ,louisburg in #agde4 ,of him it is told that1 being a stanch cold-water man1 he took money in lieu of his daily rations of grog4 ,with this he bought six silver spoons1 on which he had engraved the name 8,louisburg40 ,some of these spoons are still preserved in the family1 witnesses to the virtue and valor of one of its honored ancestors4 ,his son was ,general ,andrew ,ward1 of ,revolutionary fame1 who1 at the close of the war1 went back to his native town1 ,guilford1 and took up his residence upon a farm of about two hundred acres1 called ,nutplains4 ,for many years he represented the town in the ,state ,legislature1 being nominated1 it is said1 year after year by some one of the town worthies in this primitive manner3 8,the meeting is now open1 and you will proceed to vote for ,general ,ward and ,deacon ,burgess for representatives40 ,when his daughter1 an only child1 who had married ,eli ,foote1 was left a widow1 he took her with her ten children to his home at ,nutplains1 and cared for them as if they were his own4 ,being a great reader1 and always bringing home with him from the ,legislature his saddle-bags full of books1 which were read aloud and discussed in the family1 this home became a school that afforded superior advantages for gaining acquaintance with literature1 for acquiring such knowledge of science as was accessible at that time1 and for exciting thought and interest4 ,in that school ,roxana1 the second-born of the family1 is represented to have been easily first both in intellect and goodness4 ,taking her part in the labor of the household at a time when it was expected that the woman portion would not only care for the house1 prepare the food1 and make the clothes for all the family1 but also weave and spin the materials as well1 she yet managed to acquire an education of which graduates of our modern schools and colleges might well be proud4 8,she studied while she spun flax1 tying her books to the distaff40 ,she not only became well read in literature and history1 and acquainted with the progress of science1 then just beginning to attract the attention of scholars1 but learned to write and speak the ,french language fluently4 ,she gave enough attention to music to be able to accompany her voice on the guitar1 and was sufficiently skilled in the use of pencil and brush to paint some very creditable portraits upon ivory1 several of which are still in the family4 ,she was an adept in the mysteries of the needle1 8in fine embroidery with every variety of lace and cobweb stitch10 and was gifted with great skill and celerity in all manner of handicraft1 so that in after-years 8neither mantua-maker1 tailoress1 or milliner ever drew on the family treasury40 ,belonging to a family distinguished in both branches of her ancestry1 and residing1 while her father lived1 in the centre of the village of ,guilford1 which could boast that more than four-fifths of its original population belonged to families with coats-of-arms in ,great ,britain1 and afterwards taken to the home of her grandfather1 ,general ,ward1 who was the foremost man of the town and one of the leading men in the ,state1 and who kept open house to all strangers1 she enjoyed the best social advantages which the times afforded4 ,tall and beautiful in form and feature1 with a winning and yet commanding presence1 8she was so sensitive and of so great natural timidity that she never spoke in company or before strangers without blushing1 and was absolutely unable in after-life to conform to the standard of what was expected of a pastor's wife and lead the devotions in the weekly female prayer-meeting40 ,she was early confirmed in the ,episcopal ,church2 her parents1 although both from strictly ,puritan families1 having joined that denomination upon their marriage4 ,they had held through all the ,revolutionary struggle to their loyalty to ,king ,george1 and this had subjected them to the determined opposition of their neighbors1 and stamped the family1 perhaps1 with something of that independence of character which opposition to a prevailing popular sentiment is adapted to give1 and which is so marked a feature in her descendants4 ,converted when she was but five years old1 and scarcely remembering the time when she did not go with her joys and sorrows to ,god in prayer1 and next to the oldest in a family of ten children1 her mother a widow1 and all dependent upon the grandfather1 she early learned that patience1 self-control1 efficiency1 and unselfishness that characterized her through life and left in her old home at ,nutplains1 as ,mrs4 ,stowe tells us1 traditions like these3 8,your mother never spoke an angry word in her life40 8,your mother never told a lie40 ,and from the husband such a testimony as this3 8,she experienced resignation1 if any one ever did4 ,i never saw the like1 so entire1 without reservation or shadow of turning4 ,in no exigency was she taken by surprise4 ,she was just there1 quiet as an angel from above4 ,i never heard a murmur2 and if ever there was a perfect mind as respects submission1 it was hers4 ,i never witnessed a movement of the least degree of selfishness2 and if there ever was any such thing in the world as disinterestedness1 she had it40 ,no one reading her history will think that ,henry ,ward exaggerated when1 speaking of her and her influence upon him1 he said3 8,there are few born into this world that are her equals4 ,she was a woman of extraordinary graces and gifts2 a woman not demonstrative1 with a profound philosophical nature1 of a wonderful depth of affection1 and with a serenity that was simply charming4 ,from her ,i received my love of the beautiful1 my poetic temperament2 from her also ,i received simplicity and childlike faith in ,god40 ,and again3 8,my communion with nature arose from the mother in me4 ,because my mother was an inspired woman1 who saw ,god in nature as really as in the ,book1 and she bestowed that temperament upon me1 and ,i came gradually to feel that1 aside from ,god as revealed in the past1 there was a ,god with an everlasting present around about me40 ,with these elements of a more personal nature also appear certain family traits4 ,as we saw how1 from the father's side1 the old anvil was constantly making itself heard in the strong1 sturdy qualities of the ,beecher stock1 so shall we see features from the ancestry on the mother's side coming to him almost unchanged4 ,the loyalty represented by the oak-tree1 and the virtue displayed at ,louisburg1 will constantly show themselves4 ,who that has seen him standing1 now for the black man in the face of the adverse popular sentiment of his time in obedience to his own convictions of right1 now governing his political actions by the same authority1 and anon following his religious convictions wherever they led him1 can have failed to see1 in him1 the oak-tree standing in the clover-field with the motto written upon its shield1 in letters of light1 8,loyalty and ,truth08 ,in his constant advocacy of reform1 in his early and strenuous opposition to intemperance1 appears 8,louisburg0 again1 written this time1 not upon silver1 but upon life and character--the ,ward and the ,foote families showing in him the characteristics they had won4 ,more than this1 probably no lines could better illustrate the ,new ,england race-elements1 the union of its democracy and its gentry1 the sturdy independence of its homes and its native ability in war and peace1 its intellectual and its spiritual independence1 its quaint humor and its shrewd common sense1 than those that united in him from both the parental roots4 ,he was a natural product of the ,new ,england stock1 tempered and sweetened by the broader traditions of the more aristocratic blood of the ,cavalier1 of ,new ,england institutions and ,new ,england character4 ,and since ,new ,england1 thus enriched1 illustrates the whole land1 and by reason of the diffusion of her blood has made her characteristics national1 he was a typical ,american1 standing with unusual ability and conscientiousness where every true ,american feels that he ought to stand--for right and liberty4 ,this1 we doubt not1 was in part the ground of his national popularity and influence2 he was felt to be so thoroughly ,american4 ,he represented us as do our national colors and our battle-flags1 and we were proud of him1 grew enthusiastic over him1 and men that never saw him loved him4 ,and since these characteristics are but the product of ,english institutions and the putting forth of ,anglo-,saxon tendencies which were always advancing1 always protesting against some old abuse1 and always seeking the recognition of some right--now at ,runnymede among the barons1 and now at ,westminster among the ,commons2 now taking up the question of negro-slavery1 and now the ,irish question2 always hopeful1 expectant1 progressive--and ,america is but1 as he claimed1 8the better ,england transplanted10 and he but 8an ,englishman from a broader ,england10 a continental instead of an insular one1 he was hailed by all the ,english-speaking people as belonging to them as do ,king ,alfred and ,shakspere4 ,as we go on we shall find many other influences at work--influences of nature1 of books1 of college and profession2 but thus early we can see that1 more than of any and all the rest1 ,henry ,ward ,beecher was the product of ,new ,england parentage1 full-veined with ,english traditions and race characteristics4 ,the courtship of ,lyman ,beecher and ,roxana ,foote took place in #agih4 ,it was marked by the interpenetration of religious sentiment and earthly love1 and was a true preparation for home-making1 and of such a home as should help to form the remarkable personality of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher4 ,the letters that passed between them during this year give evidence of the strong love of those who1 while having still upon them the dew of their youth1 have each found in the other the chosen mate--a love than which earth has no more influential nor beautiful thing to give4 ,they also show us the two akin in intellectual powers and pursuits1 and equally enjoying the treasures which the world of letters opened to them4 ,but most prominent of all matters referred to in these letters are religious questions and personal religious experiences4 ,they revolve around 8the evidences0 and similar subjects with an absorption of interest that must seem almost incomprehensible to modern lovers4 ,in the perfect and unrestrained communion of heart with heart these two speak of the sweet and wonderful experiences that they have enjoyed from the presence of the ,lord1 share their common hopes and anticipations of the coming glory of the ,redeemer's kingdom1 and strive to help one another to a better understanding of the best things of ,god4 ,such thoughts and efforts as these undoubtedly went far toward laying the foundation of that 8intimacy that existed throughout the whole range of their being10 and for that deep and unswerving regard and confidence which each cherished for the other until death4 ,she rested upon him1 and he always looked upon her as intellectually and morally the stronger and better portion of himself4 ,the very differences in their nature and education contributed to this large and beautiful unity and confidence4 ,while resembling each other in many things1 in others they were the complements of each other4 ,he was quick and impulsive1 she1 perfectly serene and self-poised4 ,he was logical1 she was intuitive as well4 ,he was of the ,independents1 she was an ,episcopalian4 ,from such a union1 so sincere and broad1 we may expect a happy home4 ,judging from these letters1 we should say also that whenever these two shall build their home they will build it strong and high4 ,not only will love be there1 with all its attractions1 and intellect with its stimulus and power1 but the grand things of heaven will be builded into it4 ,and wherever it shall be established1 whether by the sea-shore at ,east ,hampton or among the hills of ,litchfield1 it will have a broad horizon2 it will look out upon something wider and deeper than the sea and higher than the mountains4 ,the high things of ,god will always be kept in view2 ,his broad1 deep1 measureless purposes will be held within the range of its contemplation1 and ,his presence will be felt in shaping its policy and in giving vitality to its atmosphere4 ,from such a home we shall expect children that shall have power in the world4 ,they were married at ,nutplains1 ,september #ai1 #agii4 8,roxana's friends were all present and all my folks from ,new ,haven40 444 8,nobody ever married more heart and hand than we40 ,then came the packing up2 8the candle-stand1 bureau1 clothing1 bedding1 linen1 and stuffs generally10 and the going over by sloop to ,long ,island4 ,their life in ,east ,hampton1 ,long ,island1 was that of two who believed1 without one shadow of doubt1 in their call of ,god1 and who took up their work1 not only with the firm grasp of duty1 but with the enthusiasm of devout1 self-sacrificing love4 ,their faith was tested by his long-continued sickness1 by the death of one of their children1 and by the numerous discouragements of a country minister2 but it stood the test1 deepening and brightening under trial4 ,it was a barren place to which they had come1 but ,lyman ,beecher brought such vigorous faith and added to it such enthusiastic labors1 now in the home church1 now in the school-houses of the surrounding districts1 and now among the ,indians at ,montauk ,point1 that he made the whole district fruitful4 ,the field was a narrow one1 but by the interest awakened by his sermons1 especially the one upon duelling called forth by the death of ,alexander ,hamilton from the pistol of ,aaron ,burr1 he broadened it until his parish stretched across the ,atlantic4 ,illustration3 ,church in which ,rev4 ,lyman ,beecher preached1 in ,east ,hampton1 ,l4 ,i4 ,the wants of a young family made some effort necessary to eke out the meagre salary of four hundred dollars1 and a school for girls was decided upon1 to be kept by ,mrs4 ,beecher4 ,it was successful in every respect but financially1 and moderately so in that2 but it did not bring the relief that was sought1 and there came a necessity to change for a field where sufficient salary could be had to support the family without the harassments of other and unpastoral labors4 ,a marked providence1 as it seemed to ,mr4 ,beecher1 opened the way to his preaching on trial in ,litchfield1 ,connecticut4 ,he made a good impression2 the people were unanimous and eager in their call2 the ,presbytery gave its consent2 and now1 without a doubt that it is according to the will of ,god1 the decision is made1 and the home which had first been planted within the sound of the ocean surf at ,east ,hampton1 ,long ,island1 in #agii1 was transplanted to the quiet inland village of ,litchfield in #ahaj4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,litchfield--,situation--,natural ,features--,early ,settlers--,social and ,moral ,advantages--,patriotism--,north ,street ,described--,the ,beecher ,home--,birth of ,henry ,ward--,the ,times at ,home and ,abroad--,his ,birth-,mark4 ,as ,henry ,ward was perfectly satisfied with the parents that bore him1 so he was with the place in which he was born4 8,surely old ,litchfield10 he says1 8was a blessed place for one's birth and childhood4 ,although there were no mountains1 there were hills1 the oldest-born of mountains1 high1 round1 and innumerable4 ,great trees there were1 full of confidences with the wind that chastised them in winter and kissed and caressed them all the summer40 ,the hills referred to were 8,prospect0 and 8,mount ,tom0 on the west1 8,chestnut ,hill0 on the east1 and others like them but unnamed--the 8high1 round1 and innumerable0 ones of which he speaks1 and which together formed1 with their sloping sides and valleys between1 that broad and irregular plateau of elevated land1 extending for miles on either side1 in the midst of which the village of ,litchfield is situated4 ,a country of hills1 with that wide and picturesque horizon which only such a landscape can furnish1 where the irregular outline appears as walls and watch-towers for the protection of the home territory1 with here and there an open door1 through which the imagination of youth or the feet of maturer years may pass out into the great world of sunshine or of cloud beyond4 ,litchfield ,hill itself1 on which the village stands1 is more than a thousand feet above sea-level1 8high and broad-backed10 and belongs1 with all its fellows1 to the ,green ,mountain range1 which1 beginning near the ,gulf of ,st4 ,lawrence1 sweeps in an irregular curve to the seaboard at ,long ,island ,sound1 the back-bone of this great ,new ,england peninsula4 ,high enough to be breezy and healthy1 but not so high as to be unfertile1 and sloping to the south1 it afforded then1 as now1 all the inducements for residence which sun1 soil1 pure air1 and a beautiful landscape could furnish4 ,lakes1 without which no landscape is perfect1 were added3 ,little ,pond to the southwest1 and ,big ,bantam ,lake beyond1 were the ones that were visible from the village1 out of a large number that can be found in the township2 but the ,sawmill ,pond1 where ,henry ,ward caught his first fish1 with an alder-stick for a pole and a bent pin for a hook--caught it so thoroughly that it was dashed in pieces upon the rocks behind him--has disappeared with the tearing away of the dam that held it4 ,brooks ran down between the hills and sang their way through the meadows1 each one offering some new feature to the landscape1 and each a field of new discovery for inquisitive youth4 ,woods1 made up of every variety of tree and shrub native to our latitude1 where nuts grew and all kinds of small game abounded1 where crows and now and then a hen-hawk built their nests1 were in easy reach upon the slopes of the hills both to the west and east4 ,ledges of rock to the north were the lair of wildcats1 a vermin so numerous seventy-five years ago as to be a serious pest to the farmers2 and stone walls1 where woodchucks retreated from the clover-fields and thought themselves safe1 were the usual division-fences for the fields4 ,there were other things that were equally pleasing to a boy's fancy1 and perhaps equally influential in his education4 ,the lakes1 streams1 and forests of the town had been the favorite fishing and hunting ground of the ,indians2 arrow-heads were occasionally picked up on the lake shore or turned up by the ploughshare upon the hillside2 and1 best of all1 ,mount ,tom was one of the series of stations where blazed the signal-fires which the ,indians of this region built to warn their brethren of the whole territory between the ,housatonic and ,naugatuck rivers of the approach of their enemies1 the fierce ,mohawks4 ,litchfield1 in short1 was the paradise of a birth-place for any boy4 ,it was paradise1 school-house1 gymnasium1 church1 and cathedral to ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,in it he experienced his sweetest pleasures1 learned his best lessons1 gained control of his powers1 and offered his first worship4 ,he breathed its pure air1 climbed its rocks1 wandered in its woods1 wrestled with its winter storms1 and in this way laid the foundation for that superb health for which he was remarkable through life4 ,with the hunger and inquisitiveness of a growing boy1 he searched nature's storehouse of fruits and nuts1 which opens with the wintergreen plums and squaw-berries of the melting snow-time of spring1 and continues1 a house of plenty for all that know her secrets--partridges1 squirrels1 and boys--until the snow covers the ground in ,december1 and so gained that habit of investigation into the things of nature1 and of close observation1 that distinguished him ever after4 ,he lay on the ground and looked up into the blue sky and the moving tree-tops for hours together1 and listened to the voices of spring-time and eventide1 and in this way1 as he tells us1 received the first distinct religious impressions that he remembered4 ,his nature1 which seemed closed almost to the verge of stupidity to the rules of syntax and the answers in the ,westminster ,catechism1 was wide open and receptive to all the processes and influences of nature around him4 ,he drank them in1 and they became not only a vast storehouse of facts and images to which he resorted in after-life for illustrations1 but1 even more than that1 a very part of himself4 ,the tree that so often appeared in his sermons was made from those up whose trunks he had climbed1 in whose shade he had lain1 and to the whisperings of whose leaves he had listened in boyhood4 ,the spring which so often served in illustrating spiritual truths was but the description of those that burst out from the foot of ,chestnut or of ,prospect ,hill1 and the flowers so frequently referred to in the pulpit or in private conversation were such as he had grown familiar with by the roadside1 in the meadows or the forests of his country home4 ,the moving of the great cloud-shadows across the fields of ,litchfield1 the blue of its skies1 the reddening of its mornings and the gold of its sunsets1 the flash of its sunlight upon the lake1 its wealth of apple-blossoms1 the exquisite beauty of its violets hidden away in fence-corners1 the grace of its elm-branches1 the ruggedness of its oaks1 the strength of its rocks1 the soft catkins of its willows1 its meadow flower-garden of clover1 daisy1 and buttercup1 the gorgeousness of its forests in autumn1 the gurgle of its brooks1 the song of its birds1 the plaintive voices of its twilight1 the gentle breathings of its ,august winds and the fierce rattle of its ,december storms1 were all absorbed by his receptive nature and continually reappeared in his writings and talk of after-years4 ,they added the grace and beauty native to them to all that he wrote or spoke1 and were in part the secret of that charm in his words which attached and interested all alike4 ,they did more than this3 they prepared him to be an interpreter of nature to others1 and1 when he had become equally well equipped with a rich spiritual experience1 they fitted him1 as we shall see farther on1 to be the reconciler of a spiritual faith and a material science4 ,it was not an unimportant thing1 but one of ,god's beautiful provisions1 that ,henry ,ward ,beecher was born in ,litchfield1 where there is more of nature to the square foot1 as we believe1 than in any other place on the globe2 to learn his first lessons in the beautiful school of her flowers1 birds1 brooks1 meadows1 pasture lands1 hill-tops1 and forests4 8,dear old ,litchfield6 ,i love thee still1 even if thou didst me the despite of pushing me into life upon thy high and windy hilltop6 ,where did the spring ever break forth more joyously and sing at escaping from winter1 as the children of ,israel did when that woman's-rights ,miriam chanted her song of victory8 ,where did the torrid summer ever find a lovelier place in which to cool its beams8 ,what trees ever murmured more gently to soft winds1 or roared more lion-like when storms were abroad8 8,it was there that we learned to fish1 to ride a horse alone1 to do the barn chores1 to cut and split wood1 to listen at evening to the croaking frogs and whistling tree-toads1 to go to meeting and go to sleep1 to tear holes in new clothes2 there we learned to hoe1 to mow away hay1 to weed onions1 to stir up ministers' horses with an unusual speed when ridden to water2 there we went a-wandering up and down forest-edges1 and along the crooked brooks in flower-pied meadows1 dreaming about things not to be found in any catechism40 ,equally marked was ,litchfield at that day for its social and moral as for its natural advantages4 ,its early settlers1 mostly from the excellent stock from which the colonies of ,hartford and ,windsor were formed1 were men of broad and liberal mould1 and began their work upon this hilltop in a characteristic fashion4 ,they laid out their streets and staked off the village common with such generous breadth that they remain the delight of residents and the admiration of strangers to this day4 ,they made such liberal provision for education and religion that the settlement soon became noted for the excellency of its schools and the commanding influence of its pulpit4#a ----- ,footnote #a3 ,out of sixty-four allotments into which the town was divided1 one was to be given to the first minister1 to be his and descend to his heirs for ever2 a second was to be reserved for the use of the minister during his ministry1 and a third was reserved for the benefit of a school4 ,while as yet three houses1 one in the centre of the present village1 and one on either side a mile distant1 were picketed and garrisoned for protection against the ,indians1 and while there were but sixty adult male inhabitants1 they built their first church edifice1 with a ,sabbath-,day ,house for the better accommodation of the people4 ----- ,the law-school of ,judges ,reeve and ,gould1 and the young ladies' school of the ,misses ,pierce1 made it an educational centre scarcely second in the breadth of its influence to any in the land1 and attracted a class of residents of high social position4 ,its courts gathered from time to time some of the leading members of the bar from the whole country1 not for a few hours1 as now with our railroad facilities1 but for days and weeks together4 ,all these things helped to create a very high order of public spirit--that force which1 often wholly unregarded1 is yet so powerful in moulding the character and giving direction to the life4 ,one other element in this communal influence must not be omitted--its intense patriotism4 ,from the beginning to the close of the ,revolutionary struggle the records of the county of ,litchfield are stamped with the evidence of the most enthusiastic loyalty to the cause of the struggling colonies4 ,at the time of the ,boston ,port ,bill1 ,litchfield had forwarded a liberal contribution for the aid of the poor of that city4 ,when the equestrian statue of ,king ,george1 of gilded lead1 was missing from the ,bowling ,green in ,new ,york1 it was shortly found in the dwelling-house of ,oliver ,wolcott in this village1 was melted down by his daughters and their friends1 and furnished forty thousand bullets1 which were sent to our soldiers in the field1 to be afterwards forwarded by them1 from the muzzles of their muskets1 to the king's ,hessians1 with the hissing compliments of the ,american colonies4 ,no town excelled her in the proportionate number or quality of the men she sent into the field 7at one time every able-bodied man in the town being1 it is said1 at the front71 nor in the suffering and loss which they endured4 ,thirty out of a company of thirty-six who surrendered at ,fort ,washington1 ,new ,york1 8died miserable deaths from cold1 hunger1 thirst1 suffocation1 disease1 and the vilest cruelties from those to whom they had surrendered on a solemn promise of honorable treatment40 ,this had made ,ethan ,allen1 a native of this village1 and1 as is well known1 a professed infidel1 grind his teeth and exclaim3 8,my faith in my creed is shaken2 there ought to be a hell for such infernal scoundrels as that ,lowrie10 the officer in charge of the prisoners4 ,nor were these days so remote that their influence was unfelt4 ,in #ahaj the spirit of '#gf was not seriously diminished1 and many of the principal actors in the stirring scenes of the ,revolutionary struggle were still alive4 ,colonel ,tallmadge1 one of the most dashing and able cavalry officers of the army1 ,governor ,oliver ,wolcott1 ,jr41 a member of ,washington's cabinet1 and many other soldiers of the ,revolution and actors of less note1 were residents of the village at the time of the coming here of ,lyman ,beecher4 ,when we note the burning patriotism which was always so marked a characteristic of ,henry ,ward1 we must remember that he drank it in in his youth from its primitive sources among the old soldiers of ,litchfield4 ,we give his description of the village as it appeared to him in his childhood1 although a part of it is out of chronological order4 ,it is found in an article entitled 8,litchfield ,revisited10 written in #ahef3 8,the morning after our arrival in ,litchfield we sallied forth alone4 ,the day was high and wide1 full of stillness1 and serenely radiant4 ,as we carried our present life up the ,north ,street we met at every step our boyhood life coming down4 ,there were the old trees1 but looking not so large as to our young eyes4 ,the stately road had1 however1 been bereaved of the buttonball trees1 which had been crippled by disease4 ,but the old elms retained a habit peculiar to ,litchfield4 ,there seemed to be a current of wind which at times passes high up in the air over the town1 and which moves the tops of the trees1 while on the ground there is no movement of wind4 ,how vividly did that sound from above bring back early days1 when for hours we lay upon the windless grass and watched the top leaves flutter1 and marked how still were the under leaves of the same tree6 8,one by one came the old houses4 ,on the corner stood and stands the jail--awful building to young sinners6 ,we never passed its grated windows without a salutary chill4 ,the old store1 and same old name1 ,buell1 on it2 the bank1 and its long1 lean legs spindling up to hold the shelf up under the roof6 ,the ,colonel ,tallmadge house1 that used to seem so grand that it was cold1 but whose cherry-trees in the front yard seemed warm enough and attractive to our longing lips and watery mouths4 ,how well do we remember the stately gait of the venerable colonel of ,revolutionary memory6 ,we don't recollect that he ever spoke to us or greeted us2 not because he was austere or unkind1 but from a kind of military reserve4 ,we thought him good and polite1 but should as soon have thought of climbing the church-steeple as of speaking to one living so high and venerable above all boys6 8,then came ,judge ,gould's6 ,did we not remember that and the faces that used to illuminate it8 ,the polished and polite judge1 the sons and daughters1 the little office in the yard1 the successive classes of law students that received that teaching which has since so often honored both bar and bench4 ,here1 too1 we stopped to retrace the very place where1 being set on by a fiery young ,southern blood1 without any cause that we knew of then or can remember now1 we undertook to whip one of ,judge ,gould's sons1 and did not do it4 ,we were never satisfied with the result1 and think if the thing could be reviewed now it might turn out differently4 8,there1 too1 stood ,dr4 ,catlin's house1 looking as if the rubs of time had polished it instead of injuring4 ,next there seemed to our puzzled memory a vacancy4 ,ought there not to be about there a ,holmes house1 to which we used to go and get baskets of ,virgaloo pears1 and were inwardly filled1 as a satisfying method of keeping us honest toward the pears in the basket8 8,but ,dr4 ,sheldon's house is all right4 ,dear old ,dr4 ,sheldon6 ,we began to get well as soon as he came into the house2 or1 if the evil spirit delayed a little1 #8,cream-o'-tartar with hot water poured upon it and sweetened' finished the work4 ,he had learned1 long before the days of homopathy1 that a doctor's chief business is to keep parents from giving their children medicine1 so that nature may have a fair chance at the disease without having its attention divided or diverted4 8,but now we stop before ,miss ,pierce's--a name known in thousands of families1 where gray-headed mothers remember the soft and gentle days of ,litchfield schooling4 ,the fine residence is well preserved1 and time has been gentle within likewise4 ,but the school-house is gone1 and she that for so many years kept it busy is gone1 and the throng that have crossed its threshold brood the whole globe with offices of maternal love4 ,the ,litchfield ,law ,school in the days of ,judge ,tapping ,reeve and ,judge ,gould1 and ,miss ,pierce's ,female ,school1 were in their day two very memorable institutions1 and1 though since supplied by others upon a larger scale1 there are few that will have performed so much1 if we take into account the earliness of the times and the fact that they were pioneers and parents of those that have supplanted them4 ,but they are gone1 the buildings moved off1 and the ground smoothed and soft to the foot with green grass4 ,no more shall the setting sun see ,litchfield streets thronged with young gentlemen and ladies1 and filling the golden air with laughter or low converse which1 unlaughing then1 made life musical for ever after6 8,but where is the ,brace house8 ,an old red house--red once1 but picked by the winds and washed by rains till the color was neutral1 thanks to the elements4 ,the old elm-trees guard the spot1 a brotherhood as noble as these eyes have ever seen1 lifted high up1 and in the part nearest heaven locking their arms together and casting back upon their separate trunks an undivided shade4 ,so are many1 separate in root and trunk1 united far up by their heaven-touching thoughts and affections4 8,mrs4 ,lord's house is the only one now before we reach our own native spot4 ,this1 too1 holds its own and is fertile in memories4 ,across the way lived ,sheriff ,landon1 famous for dry wit and strong politics4 8,but south of him lived the greatest man in town1 ,mr4 ,parker1 who owned the stages2 and the wittiest man in town1 with us boys1 was ,hiram ,barnes1 that drove stage for him6 ,to be sure1 neither of them was eminent for learning or civil influence1 but1 in that temple which boys' imaginations make1 a stage proprietor and a stage-driver stand forth as grand as ,minerva in the ,parthenon6 8,but there are houses on the other side4 ,the eastern side of ,litchfield ,north ,street1 like the eastern side of ,broadway1 was never so acceptable to fashion1 albeit some memorable names lived there4 ,it was our good fortune to be born on the west side of the street4 ,we know not what blessings must have descended upon us from having been born on the fashionable side2 one shudders to think how near he escaped being born on the other1 the east side of the street40 ,into this village ,lyman ,beecher brought his family in #ahaj4 ,the dwelling had been described by himself3 8,the house ,i shall purchase is in a beautiful situation1 is convenient1 has a large kitchen1 a well-room1 a wood-house1 besides two barns and a shop on the premises1 and one and a half acres of land2 price1 about #a1cej2 and there is a good young orchard near for sale1 so that we can keep a horse and one or two cows and have apples of our own from the money we shall reserve after paying our debts40 ,a row of quince-trees 8whose early blossoms were so tender and whose switches were so tough--ah6 those trees used to come home very near to me60 was on the north side of the house4#b ----- ,footnote #b3 ,this house1 enlarged by the addition which ,mr4 ,beecher found it necessary to make1 still remains substantially as it was seventy years ago1 although not upon the old lot4 ,it is now a part of ,dr4 ,buel's hospital for the insane1 about a quarter of a mile above the original site4 ----- ,the home circle was large and varied4 ,there were at this time the parents and six children1 8,sister ,roxana and her little group of countless numbers40 8,aunt ,mary ,hubbard10 the mother's favorite sister1 8spent much of her time with us1 and some of mother's favorite pupils from ,east ,hampton1 who had come to attend ,miss ,pierce's school1 sought a home in our family4 ,betsy ,burr1 an orphan cousin1 lived with us like an adopted daughter1 while the kitchen department was under the care of the good and affectionate ,zillah and ,rachel1 who came with us and completed the home circle40 ,the circle was still farther enlarged by the coming of ,grandma ,beecher and ,aunt ,esther1 who1 it will be remembered1 was ,lyman ,beecher's half-sister--8a woman10 as ,henry ,ward once said1 8so good and modest that she will spend ages in heaven wondering how it ever happened that she ever got there1 and that all the angels will be wondering why she was not there from all eternity40 8,they occupied half of the next house to ours on the way to ,prospect ,hill1 making a place of daily resort for some of the family40 ,illustration3 ,the ,beecher ,residence at ,litchfield4 8,uncle ,samuel ,foote10 the mother's sea-captain brother1 8came among us1 on his return from each voyage1 as a sort of brilliant genius of another sphere1 bringing gifts and wonders that seemed to wake new faculties in all4 ,whenever he came to ,litchfield he brought a stock of new books1 which he and ,aunt ,mary read aloud40 ,it will be seen that1 without referring to other inmates of the family1 such as boarders and visitors1 who afforded a great variety1 some amusing and others instructive1 the things which ,henry ,ward said were 8the great treasures of a dwelling--the child's cradle1 the grandmother's chair1 the hearth and the old-fashioned fireplace1 the table and the window0--were all there1 and a great many things beside4 ,there were trials1 almost hardships we should call them1 as appears from a letter of ,mrs4 ,beecher's dated ,january #ac1 #ahaa1 but none of them sufficient to bring discouragement or destroy her interest in scientific subjects3 8444 ,would now write you a long letter1 if it were not for several vexing circumstances1 such as the weather extremely cold1 storm violent1 and no wood cut2 ,mr4 ,beecher gone1 and ,sabbath day1 with company--a clergyman1 a stranger2 ,catharine sick2 ,george almost so2 ,rachel's finger cut off1 and she crying and groaning with the pain4 ,mr4 ,beecher is gone to preach in ,new ,hartford1 and did not provide us wood enough to last1 seeing the weather has grown so exceedingly cold4444 ,as for reading1 ,i average perhaps one page a week besides what ,i do on ,sundays4 ,i expect to be obliged to be contented 7if ,i can7 with the stock of knowledge ,i already possess1 except what ,i can glean from the conversation of others4444 ,mary has1 ,i suppose1 told you of the discovery that the fixed alkalies are metallic oxides4 ,i first saw the notice in the ,christian ,observer4 ,i have since seen it in an ,edinburgh ,review4 ,the former mentioned that the metals have been obtained by means of the galvanic battery2 the latter mentions another and1 they say1 a better mode4 ,i think this is all the knowledge ,i have obtained in the whole circle of arts and sciences of late2 if you have been more fortunate1 pray let me reap the benefit40 ,looking at both its sunshine and its shadows1 this ,litchfield parsonage offers an illustration of an ideal ,new ,england home4 ,the household was large1 large enough to contain in itself a great variety of resources1 and able in that roomy house to offer a broad hospitality to all comers4 ,democratic in the best sense of the word1 servants being considered and treated as constituent members2 wide awake1 reading all the new books1 discussing all the vital questions of the day1 arguing all the knotty points of theology2 industrious and frugal2 allied to the best life of the place and the times1 with a broad outlook that took within its horizon all the interests of country and humanity1 of the kingdom of ,god at home and abroad1 social1 political1 and spiritual1 it was good soil1 and a good exposure for planting a tree whose branches should spread abroad throughout the land and the whole earth4 ,into this family was born a son1 ,june #bd1 #ahac--8the fourth1 fifth1 sixth1 or seventh child1 somewhere thereabouts10 as he himself says in a speech before the ,london ,congregational ,board1 with that forgetfulness of numbers which was always characteristic of him4 ,in fact1 the ninth child1 the eighth living at the time4 ,it was in one of his favorite months1 that of ,june1 8which bursts out from the gates of heaven with all that is youngest1 and clothed with that which is the most tender and beautiful10 that he began his career4 ,the grandmother1 ,roxana ,foote1 being with her daughter at the time1 and remembering her own two favorite sons1 who died in youth1 named the new-born infant after his uncles1 ,henry and ,ward4 ,they were stirring times1 those of the early summer of #ahac4 ,the second war of our national independence was then in progress1 and tidings had just reached the village that ,fort ,brown had been captured by the ,united ,states forces4 ,lyman ,beecher says of those times3 8,our dangers in the war of #ahab were very great1 so great that human skill and power were felt to be in vain4 ,thick clouds begirt the horizon1 the storm roared louder and louder2 it was dark as midnight1 every pilot trembled1 and from most all hope that we should be saved was taken away2 and when from impenetrable darkness the sun burst suddenly upon us and peace came1 we said3 #8,our soul is escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowler4 ,the snare is broken and we are escaped4'0 ,across the water ,napoleon was rallying from the disaster of his ,russian campaign1 and making the ,continent again resound with the roar of his cannon4 ,not only did these events stir mind and heart of all alike1 but the increased taxation and the high prices that resulted from a world at war were severely felt in the parsonage4 ,mrs4 ,lyman ,beecher wrote3 8,we feel the war somewhat more than we should one between the ,turks and ,crim ,tartars1 inasmuch as1 for the most part1 every article is double or treble the former price1 and some things even more than that40 ,these were also the days of the inauguration of some of those great moral movements that are even now in progress in this ,state and in the land4 ,it was but the year before that the ,general ,association of ,connecticut1 under the leadership of ,lyman ,beecher1 had taken decided action upon the temperance question4 ,in speaking of it he says3 8,i was not headstrong then1 but ,i was heart-strong--oh6 very1 very6 ,from that time on the movement went on1 not only in ,connecticut but marching through ,new ,england and marching through the world4 ,glory to ,god6 ,oh6 how it wakes my old heart up to think of it60 ,morals in general at this time were at a low ebb1 and he secured the organization of a 8,general ,society for the ,suppression of ,vice and the ,promotion of ,good ,morals in the ,state40 ,his sermon upon the 8,building of ,waste ,places0 resulted in the institution of a 8,domestic ,missionary ,society0 for the work of home evangelization in ,connecticut1 and he had already secured a ,foreign ,missionary ,society for ,litchfield1 which was one of the most efficient auxiliaries of the ,american ,board1 then but recently established4 ,the conflict concerning the ,standing ,order which in #ahah resulted in the withdrawal of ,state aid from the ,congregational churches1 and which ,dr4 ,beecher feared as likely to open the flood-gates of ruin upon the ,state1 and by reason of which he says1 8,i suffered what no tongue can tell1 for the best thing that ever happened to the ,state of ,connecticut10 was just beginning4 ,in all the movements of this progressive period stands this village parsonage1 like an outpost of an advancing army1 held almost within the enemy's lines4 ,added to these public labors and troubles a very heavy family sorrow was laid upon them during this year4 ,the mother1 for months before the birth of her ninth child1 saw her favorite sister1 ,mary ,hubbard1 slowly wasting away with consumption1 and had need to call up all her resources of faith and resignation to meet this complication of trials that was upon them4 ,illustration3 ,room in which ,mr4 ,beecher was born4 ,so this child was nourished1 even before birth1 in the sweet spirit of a most godly soul1 deepened and chastened by both private griefs and public sorrows1 and was ushered into the world at an era of most important events1 into the very midst of multiplied labors and stirring1 progressive movements4 ,all these formed1 as it were1 an atmosphere of influence as imperceptible to the eye as common air1 but as powerful in moulding character in its formative periods as are the natural forces in shaping the mountains or growing the forests4 ,by virtue of that law by which the offspring are affected by those things which most interest the parents1 we may safely say that ,henry ,ward ,beecher was in part a product of the times that preceded1 attended1 and followed his birth1 and was stamped by their strong and peculiar characteristics4 ,he carried war in him as a birth-mark1 but with him it was war against wickedness and wrong4 ,the springs of consolation1 which flowed from him in after-years for the relief of troubled souls the world over1 were such as his mother resorted to in days of trial1 and were opened to him in her bosom2 and he was continually pressing forward through life to some new measure of reform1 to some new step of attainment1 by virtue of that reforming1 progressive age that so early became a very part of his nature4 ,illustration3 ,the ,elms and ,well which ,mark the ,site of 8,the ,beecher ,house0 in ,litchfield4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,childhood4 ,early ,glimpses--,recollections of the ,mother--,going to ,school at ,ma'am ,kilbourne's--,his ,first ,letter--,district ,school--,the ,coming of the ,new ,mother--,his ,first ,ride on ,horseback--,a ,merry ,household--,fishing ,excursions--,minister's ,wood-,spell--,saturday ,night--,going to ,meeting--,the ,puritan ,sabbath--,the ,cold of ,litchfield ,hill--,rats--,work--,the ,catechism--,formative ,influences--,summing ,up4 ,we of course see but little of him in these early years4 8,the younger members of the ,beecher family came into existence in a great1 bustling household of older people1 all going their several ways and having their own grown-up interests to carry4 8,the child growing up in this busy1 active circle had constantly impressed upon it a sense of personal insignificance as a child1 and the absolute need of the virtue of passive obedience and non-resistance as regards all grown-up people4 ,to be statedly washed and dressed and catechised1 got to school at regular hours in the morning and to bed inflexibly at the earliest possible hour at night1 comprised about all the attention that children could receive in those days40 ,here and there a glimpse is given1 just enough to tell us the direction the stream is taking4 ,the first is found in a letter of the mother to her sister1 ,harriet ,foote1 written when he was a little more than a year old3 8,july #ab1 #ahad4--444 ,i arrived ,saturday at sunset1 and found all well1 and boy 7,henry ,ward7 in merry trim1 glad at heart to be safe on terra firma after all his jolts and tossings40 ,again in ,november of the same year3 8,i write sitting upon my feet with my paper on the seat of a chair1 while ,henry is hanging round my neck and climbing on my back40 ,he himself gives an experience of a little later period3 8,i remember very well when ,i was but two years old 7strange as it may seem2 sometimes ,i think ,i spent all my remembering power on that early period67 finding myself in the east entry of my father's great house1 alone1 coming down-stairs1 or trying to4 ,the sudden sense which ,i had of being alone frightened me1 and ,i gave one shriek2 and then the echo of my voice scared me worse1 and ,i gave another shriek that was more emphatic2 and ,i remember seeing the light stream in from the dining-room1 and being taken up by loving hands4 ,the face ,i do not recall1 the form ,i do not recall2 but ,i remember the warm pressure4 ,it was my mother1 who died when ,i was three years old4 ,she took me to her bosom4 ,i recollect sitting by the side of some one who made me feel very happy2 and ,i recollect seeing my father's swart face on the other side of the table4 8,now ,i could not paint my mother's face2 but ,i know how her bosom felt4 ,i know how her arms felt4 ,i have a filial sense1 a child's interpretation1 of motherhood4 ,it was only an emotion or instinct in me1 but it was blessed40 ,this incident of the mother is supplemented by two of the sister ,harriet1 in which the little boy ,henry had a part3 8,in my own early childhood10 she says1 8only two incidents of my mother twinkle like rays through the darkness4 ,one was of our all running and dancing out before her from the nursery to the sitting-room one ,sabbath morning1 and her pleasant voice saying after us1 #8,remember the ,sabbath day to keep it holy4'0 ,another remembrance is this3 8,mother was an enthusiastic horticulturist in all the small ways that limited means allowed4 ,her brother ,john1 in ,new ,york1 had just sent her a small parcel of tulip bulbs4 ,i remember rummaging these out of an obscure corner of the nursery one day when she was out1 and being strongly seized with the idea that they were good to eat1 and using all the little ,english ,i possessed to persuade my brothers that these were onions such as grown people ate1 and would be very nice for us4 ,so we fell to and devoured the whole2 and ,i recollect being somewhat disappointed in the odd1 sweetish taste1 and thinking that onions were not as nice as ,i had supposed4 ,then mother's serene face appeared at the nursery door1 and we all ran toward her and with one voice began to tell our discovery and achievement4 ,we had found this bag of onions and had eaten them all up4 ,also ,i remember that there was not even a momentary expression of impatience1 but that she sat down and said3 #8,my dear children1 what you have done makes mamma very sorry4 ,those were not onion-roots1 but roots of beautiful flowers2 and if you had let them alone ma would have had next summer in the garden great1 beautiful red and yellow flowers such as you never saw4' ,i remember how drooping and dispirited we all grew at this picture1 and how sadly we regarded the empty bag40 ,when the mother grew sick and the children were admitted to her bedside once a day1 ,henry was among the number1 although no memory of the fact lingered with him in after-years4 ,mrs4 ,stowe writes of this event3 8,i have a vision of a very fair face with a bright red spot on each cheek1 and a quiet smile as she offered me a spoonful of her gruel2 of our dreaming one night1 we little ones1 that mamma had got well1 and waking in loud transports of joy1 and being hushed down by some one coming into the room4 ,our dream was indeed a true one4 ,she was for ever well2 but they told us she was dead1 and took us in to see what seemed so cold and so unlike anything we had ever seen or known of her40 ,mrs4 ,reeve1 one of the most intimate friends of the family1 writes of the last day of her life3 8,she told her husband that her views and anticipations of heaven had been so great that she could hardly sustain it1 and if they had been increased she should have been overwhelmed1 and that her ,saviour had constantly blessed her2 that she had peace without one cloud1 and that she had never during her sickness prayed for her life4 ,she dedicated her sons to ,god for missionaries1 and said that her greatest desire was that her children might be trained up for ,god1 and she trusted ,god would1 in his own time1 provide another companion for him that would more than fill her place4 8,she spoke of the advancement of ,christ's kingdom with joy1 and of the glorious day that was ushering in4 8,she attempted to speak to her children1 but she was extremely exhausted1 and their cries and sobs were such that she could say but little4 ,she told them that ,god could do more for them than she had done or could do1 and that they must trust him4 8,mr4 ,beecher then made a prayer1 in which he gave her back to ,god and dedicated all that they held in common to him4 ,she then fell into a sweet sleep from which she awoke in heaven4 ,it is a most moving scene to see eight little children weeping around the bed of a dying mother2 but still it was very cheering to see how ,god could take away the sting of death and give such a victory over the grave40 ,mr4 ,beecher's remembrance of this event was simply of a feeling of fear and pain at the weeping of the children around him1 and of interest in the baby1 ,charles1 in his little white dress1 as he was lifted up in the arms of one of the attendants4 ,of the funeral we read from ,mrs4 ,stowe's pen3 8,henry was too little to go2 ,i remember his golden curls and little black frock1 as he frolicked like a kitten in the sun in ignorant joy4 8,i remember the mourning dresses1 the tears of the older children1 the walking to the burial-ground and somebody's speaking at the grave1 and the audible sobbing of the family2 and then all was closed1 and we little ones1 to whom it was so confused1 asked the question where she was gone and would she never come back8 ,they told us at one time that she had been laid in the ground1 at another that she had gone to heaven4 ,whereupon ,henry1 putting the two things together1 resolved to dig through the ground and go to find her2 for being discovered under sister ,catherine's window one morning digging with great zeal and earnestness1 she called to him to know what he was doing1 and1 lifting his curly head1 with great simplicity he answered3 #8,why1 ,i am going to heaven to find ma6'0 ,we next hear of him in a letter written by his sister1 ,february #a1 #ahag3 8444 ,henry is a very good boy1 and we think him a remarkably interesting child1 and he grows dearer to us every day4 ,he is very affectionate1 and seems to love his father with all his heart4 ,his constant prattle is a great amusement to us all4 ,he often speaks of his sister ,harriet1 and wishes spring would come1 so that she might come home and go to school with him40 ,this was in the winter when he was past three years old4 ,perhaps the prattle of this one will be instructive as well as amusing some day4 ,who knows8 ,at last spring comes1 and with it his sister ,harriet from her long visit at ,nutplains1 and an important era in his life opens4 ,he begins to go to school1 with her as his companion and guardian4 ,he is just four years old that summer1 the usual age for school beginnings in rural ,new ,england4 ,they went to ,ma'am ,kilbourne's on ,west ,street1 and there he clambered up the first rounds of the ladder of book-learning and took his first lessons4 ,these consisted in repeating his letters twice a day1 such as he could remember1 and having the others pointed out to him from ,webster's spelling-book1 as he stood1 a chubby1 bare-footed1 round1 rosy-faced boy1 in front of the dreaded schoolma'am1 who had been made sharp and angular by her years of labor in sharpening the intellectual faculties of generations of children4 ,in due time ,charles is large enough to join the older brother and sister1 and tells us3 8,i remember all three of us coming out of our yard and stringing along1 holding each other by the hand and saying every morning1 #8,what if a great big dog should come out at us8' and ,henry1 as the larger brother and protector of the group1 answering1 #8,i would take an axe and chop his head off4'0 ,as yet he wears his hair in long golden curls1 the badge of a continued infantile state2 but some of the girls at school improvising a pair of shears from the pieces of tin thrown out from a shop near by1 and cutting off some of the coveted locks1 it is thought best at home to cut them all off2 and now1 with trousers1 and suspenders1 and jacket1 and short hair1 and bare feet1 he emerges from the half-infantile1 girlish state and becomes a full-fledged boy1 much to his own satisfaction3 8he considered that his manhood had now commenced40 ,that the instruction of his teacher is not all thrown away is evident by the letter which he wrote at this time1 when he was five years old1 of which a facsimile is given4 ,its merits of directness and originality1 at least in the matter of spelling1 will be readily recognized3 ,illustration3 ,,der ,,sister ,,we ,,ar ,,al ,,wel ,,ma ,,haz ,a ,,baby ,,the ,,old ,,sow ,,haz ,,six ,,pigs ,one incident of about these times1 which is related by his brother1 is ludicrously prophetic3 8,i remember ,henry's coming in and taking his turn0 7reading to ,aunt ,esther74 8,once the piece was about wild beasts1 and it said #8two monstrous lions came out4' ,i can see ,henry's red face and declamatory air as he read it #8two monstrofalous great lions came out4'0 ,from ,widow ,kilbourne's he graduated into the district school1 which was a few rods north of the parsonage1 and was attended by all the children of quite a large farming district4 ,like the other children1 he carried sewing and knitting1 and the sister tells us that 8this bashful1 dazed-looking boy pattered bare-foot to and from the little unpainted school-house1 with a brown towel or a blue checked apron to hem during the intervals between his spelling and reading lessons40 ,his eagerness for sister ,harriet to return1 that he may begin school1 has long since subsided1 and given place to an unusual dislike for his whole district-school experience1 as appears from reminiscences which he wrote in after-years3 8,it was our misfortune1 in boyhood1 to go to a district school4 ,it was a little1 square pine building1 blazing in the sun1 upon the highway1 without a tree for shade or sight near it2 without bush1 yard1 fence1 or circumstance to take off its bare1 cold1 hard1 hateful look4 ,before the door1 in winter1 was the pile of wood for fuel1 and in summer there were all the chips of the winter's wood4 ,in winter we were squeezed into the recess of the farthest corner1 among little boys1 who seemed to be sent to school merely to fill up the chinks between the bigger boys4 ,certainly we were never sent for any such absurd purpose as an education4 ,there were the great scholars--the school in winter was for them1 not for us pickaninnies4 ,we were read and spelt twice a day1 unless something happened to prevent1 which did happen about every other day4 ,for the rest of the time we were busy in keeping still4 ,and a time we always had of it6 ,our shoes always would be scraping on the floor or knocking the shins of urchins who were also being #8educated4' ,all of our little legs together 7poor1 tired1 nervous1 restless legs with nothing to do67 would fill up the corner with such a noise that1 every ten or fifteen minutes1 the master would bring down his two-foot hickory ferule on the desk with a clap that sent shivers through our hearts to think how that would have felt if it had fallen somewhere else2 and then1 with a look that swept us all into utter extremity of stillness1 he would cry1 #8,silence in that corner6' ,it would last for a few minutes2 but little boys' memories are not capacious4 ,moreover1 some of the boys had mischief1 and some had mirthfulness1 and some had both together4 ,the consequence was that just when we were the most afraid to laugh we saw the most comical things4 ,temptations which we could have vanquished with a smile out in the free air were irresistible in our little corner1 where a laugh and a spank were very apt to woo each other4 ,so we would hold on and fill up2 and others would hold on and fill up too2 till by and by the weakest would let go a mere whiffet of a laugh1 and then down went all the precautions1 and one went off1 and another1 and another1 touching the others off like a pack of fire-crackers6 ,it was in vain to deny it4 ,but as the process of snapping our heads and pulling our ears went on with primitive sobriety1 we each in turn1 with tearful eyes and blubbering lips1 declared #8we didn't mean to1' and that was true2 and that #8we wouldn't do so any more1' and that was a lie1 however unintentional1 for we never failed to do just so again1 and that about once an hour all day long4 8,besides this our principal business was to shake and shiver at the beginning of the school for very cold2 and to sweat and stew for the rest of the time before the fervid glances of a great box iron stove1 red-hot4 ,there was one great event of horror and two of pleasure3 the first was the act of going to school1 comprehending the leaving off play1 the face-washing and clothes-inspecting1 the temporary play-spell before the master came1 the outcry1 #8,there he is6 the master is coming6' the hurly-burly rush1 and the noisy clattering to our seats4 ,the other two events of pleasure were the play-spell and the dismissal4 ,o dear6 can there be anything worse for a lively1 mercurial1 mirthful1 active little boy than going to a winter district school8 ,yes--going to a summer district school6 ,there is no comparison4 ,the one is the ,miltonic depth1 below the deepest depth4 8,a woman kept the school1 sharp1 precise1 unsympathetic1 keen1 and untiring4 ,of all ingenious ways of fretting little boys doubtless her ways were the most expert4 ,not a tree to shelter the house2 the sun beat down on the shingles and clapboards till the pine knots shed pitchy tears1 and the air was redolent of hot pine-wood smell4 ,the benches were slabs with legs in them4 ,the desks were slabs at an angle1 cut1 hacked1 scratched2 each year's edition of jack-knife literature overlaying its predecessor1 until it then wore cuttings and carvings two or three inches deep4 ,but if we cut a morsel1 or stuck in pins1 or pinched off splinters1 the little sharp-eyed mistress was on hand1 and one look of her eye was worse than a sliver in our foot1 and one nip of her fingers was equal to a jab of a pin2 for we had tried both4 8,we envied the flies--merry fellows6 bouncing about1 tasting that apple-skin1 patting away at that crumb of bread2 now out the window1 then in again2 on your nose1 on your neighbor's cheek1 off to the very schoolma'am's lips2 dodging her slap1 and then letting off a real round and round buzz1 up1 down1 this way1 that way1 and every way4 ,oh6 we envied the flies more than anything1 except the birds4 ,the windows were so high that we could not see the grassy meadows2 but we could see the tops of distant trees1 and the far1 deep1 bounteous blue sky4 ,there flew the robins2 there went the blue-birds3 and there went we4 ,we followed that old polyglot1 the skunk-blackbird1 and heard him describe the way they talked at the winding up of the ,tower of ,babel4 ,we thanked every meadow-lark that sung on1 rejoicing as it flew4 ,now and then a #8chipping-bird' would flutter on the very window-sill1 turn its little head sidewise1 and peer in on the medley of boys and girls4 ,long before we knew that it was in ,scripture we sighed3 ,oh6 that we had the wings of a bird2 we would fly away and be out of this hateful school4 ,as for learning1 the sum of all that we ever got at a district school would not cover the first ten letters of the alphabet4 ,one good1 kind1 story-telling1 ,bible-rehearsing aunt at home1 with apples and ginger-bread premiums1 is worth all the schoolma'ams that ever stood by to see poor little fellows roast in those boy-traps called district schools4 8,i have not a single pleasant recollection in connection with my school-boy days4 ,the woods were full of temptations1 the trees called me1 the birds wanted me1 the brooks sung entreaties4 ,it seemed cruel to be shut up4 ,the brooks1 birds1 flowers1 sunshine1 and breezes were free2 why not ,i80 ,in the autumn of #ahag1 when ,henry ,ward was a few months past four years of age1 ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher married ,miss ,harriet ,porter1 of ,portland1 ,maine1 and brought his bride at once to ,litchfield4 ,the advent of the new mother is thus described by ,mrs4 ,stowe3 8,i was about six years old and slept in the nursery with my two younger brothers1 ,henry and ,charles4 ,we heard father's voice in the entry1 and started up in our little beds1 crying out as he entered our room1 #8,why1 here's pa6' ,a cheerful voice called out from behind him1 #8,and here's ma4' 8,a beautiful lady1 very fair1 with bright blue eyes and soft auburn hair bound round with a black velvet bandeau1 came into the room smiling1 eager and happy-looking1 and1 coming up to our beds1 kissed us and told us that she loved little children and that she would be our mother4 ,never did stepmother make a prettier or sweeter impression4 ,the next morning ,i remember we looked at her with awe4 ,she seemed to us so fair1 so delicate1 so elegant that we were almost afraid to go near her4 ,we must have been rough1 red-cheeked1 hearty country children1 honest1 obedient1 and bashful4 ,she was peculiarly dainty and neat in all her ways and arrangements2 and ,i remember ,i used to feel breezy and rough and rude in her presence4 ,we felt a little in awe of her1 as if she were a strange princess rather than our own mamma2 but her voice was very sweet1 her ways of moving and speaking very graceful1 and she took us up in her lap and let us play with her beautiful hands1 which seemed wonderful things made of pearl and ornamented with strange rings40 ,in a letter written to her sister ,mrs4 ,beecher gives her impressions of the group4 ,she says3 8,we surprised them here almost as much as ,mr4 ,beecher did us4 ,they did not expect us till the following evening1 but it was a joyful surprise to them4 ,i never saw so many rosy cheeks and laughing eyes4 ,the little ones were all joy and gladness4 ,they began all1 the first thing1 to tell their dreams1 for it seems they have dreamed of nothing else but father's coming home2 and some dreamed he came without me1 and some that he brought two mothers4 ,they all became immediately very free and social1 except the youngest 7,charles71 and he is quite shy2 calls me #8lady1' and sometimes #8dear lady1' but he loves aunt much the best4 ,i have never seen a finer family of children1 or a more agreeable4 ,i am delighted with the great familiarity and great respect subsisting between parent and children4 ,it is a house of great cheerfulness and comfort1 and ,i am beginning to feel at home4 ,harriet and ,henry are very desirous for me to send their love40 ,later she writes of them3 8,i perceive them to be of agreeable habits1 and some of them of uncommon intellect4444 ,harriet and ,henry come next1 and they are always hand-in-hand4 ,they are as lovely children as ,i ever saw1 amiable1 affectionate1 and very bright4444 ,our dwelling is pleasantly situated4 ,the garden yields plenty of vegetables for the year1 plenty of cherries1 and the orchard furnishes cider and apples enough4 ,a barrel of apple-sauce is made in the fall1 which the children use instead of butter4444 ,the boys are up before it is quite day1 and make fires1 and we are all down and have prayers before sunrise4 ,our domestic worship is very delightful4 ,we sing a good deal and have reading aloud as much as we can40 ,the following silhouette1 although following the last by quite an interval of time--it is in #ahai--;is our next family picture in order3 8,papa is well and is still writing that piece with a hard name1 ,i can't remember what4 ,mamma is well1 and don't laugh any more than she used to4 ,catherine goes on just as she always did1 making fun for everybody4 ,george is as usual4 ,harriet makes just as many wry faces1 is just as odd1 and loves to be laughed at just as much as ever4 ,henry does not improve much in talking1 but speaks very thick4 ,charles is the most mischievous little fellow ,i ever knew4 ,he seems to do it for the very love of it2 is punished and punished again1 but it has no effect4 ,he is the same honest little boy1 and ,i love him dearly40 ,it must have been about this time that ,henry had the experience which he thus describes3 8,when ,i was a lad ,i was ambitious to ride1 but never was permitted to ride except behind an elder brother2 but one fair morning1 as the horse was brought out to be watered1 ,i bestrode him and took the reins in my hand4 ,he made for the brook with considerable celerity2 but though he was nimble ,i was willing1 and ,i succeeded in holding on and getting back without any accident4 ,so elated was ,i with my first attempt at horseback-riding that ,i felt that ,i was the horseman of the neighborhood4 ,the next morning ,i repeated the ride1 but with a variation2 for1 being unaccustomed to some of the phases of horseback-riding1 ,i was not prepared for what occurred4 ,the horse did not perform just as ,i wanted him to1 so ,i laid the whip on him1 and he darted forward1 and when he reached the edge of the brook he suddenly stopped and ,i went on60 ,they are a merry lot of children1 getting up little impromptu concerts1 charades1 and games of all kinds1 at one time going so far as to dramatize a favorite story4 ,they 8curtain off the end of the parlor10 and 8complete the entertainment amid thunders of applause40 ,animal life is regarded1 and the absent members of the family are kept duly informed of the well-being of their favorites3 8,old ,puss is very well and sends her respects to you4 ,and ,mr4 ,black ,trip has come out of the barn to live1 and says if you ever come into the kitchen he will jump up and lick your hands and pull your frock1 just as he serves the rest of us4 ,henry and ,charles love to play with him very much40 ,little events in the family are noted and immortalized in verse1 of which the following letter is a sample3 8444 ,apropos1 last week was interred ,tom1 ,junior1 with funeral honors1 by the side of old ,tom of happy memory4 ,what a fatal mortality there is among the cats of the parsonage6 ,our ,harriet is chief mourner always at their funerals4 ,she asked for what she called an epethet for the grave-stone of ,tom1 ,junior1 which ,i gave as follows3 8#8,here died our ,kit1 ,who had a fit ,and acted queer4 ,shot with a gun1 ,her race is run1 ,and she lies here4'0 ,when ,henry was eight years old we read of the three in this wise3 8,harriet reads everything she can lay her hands on1 and sews and knits diligently4 ,henry and ,charles go to school4 ,henry is as sprightly and active1 and ,charles as honest and clumsy1 as ever40 ,later in the year he can be had if really wanted3 8,we have four boarders besides our own sick folk1 so that if you are lonesome for want of children we could easily spare ,henry or ,harriet40 ,whether the hint was taken1 and the boy who was sometimes too 8sprightly and active0 and this girl who 8reads everything she can lay her hands on0 were wanted and sent1 is not told4 ,the next year perhaps they would not care to spare him4 8,i had the alders down at the bottom of the east lot cut up1 broke it up1 and planted to corn and potatoes4 ,henry and ,charles began to help hoe a little40 ,any one who has had experience in such matters knows that hoeing potatoes in a newly-ploughed field just cleared of alders is no fun4 ,at this time ,henry was nine years old4 ,it has been said by one whose hatred of orthodox religion is only equalled by the beauty of the language with which he is able to clothe his misconceptions1 that 8,henry ,ward ,beecher was born in a ,puritan penitentiary1 of which his father was one of the wardens2 a prison with very narrow and closely-grated windows40 ,but ,mrs4 ,stowe wrote years ago3 8,one of my most vivid impressions of the family1 as it was in my childish days1 was of a great household inspired by a spirit of cheerfulness and hilarity1 and of my father1 although pressed and driven with business1 always lending an attentive ear to anything in the way of life and social fellowship40 ,the brother ,charles1 who was an almost inseparable companion for ,henry in those days1 says in a letter recently received3 8,the parental authority was pronounced but not very strict4 ,that is1 there was never any thought in the mind of the children of disobedience1 but resort to corporal punishment was rare4 8,nor was brother ,henry made to work very hard1 nor was father very strait-laced or stern4 ,nor were we often switched1 tho' ,i dare say we deserved it4 ,i only remember once distinctly1 when ,henry performed the gymnastics and ,i furnished the music 7out in the barn74 ,fortunately for me1 the switch was mostly used up on him as the elder--a birthright ,i did not envy--and ,i howled in sympathy1 with a few cuts for ,da ,capo4 8,the fact is1 father was very fond of all his children and frolicked and romped with them4 ,all the work there was to do 7chores we called it7 was to take care of a horse and cow1 and in spring make garden1 and1 after wood-spell1 carry in and pile up wood4 ,i remember that we were told if we made the garden so and so1 or did this or that1 we should go fishing2 and we used to go1 the whole family of us1 to ,little ,pond or ,great ,pond1 and catch #8,perchy1 roachy1 bullhead1' as we sang it4 ,one afternoon at ,little ,pond1 where father had taken ,henry and me in the chaise 7#8one-hoss'71 we were catching roach when the church-bell rang1 and father remembered that it was ,preparatory ,lecture1 and the way we scurried in the old vehicle may be imagined40 ,mrs4 ,stowe writes3 8,i remember when the wood was all in and piled and the chips swept up1 then father tackled the horse into the cart and proclaimed a grand fishing party down to ,little ,pond2 and how we all floated among the lily-pads in our boat1 christened #8,the ,yellow ,perch1' and every one of us caught a string of fish1 which we displayed in triumph on our return40 ,the father was very wise in directing the homely labors of the household1 so that they became occasions of mental stimulus4 8,i have the image of my father still1 as he sat working the apple-peeler4 #8,come1 ,george1' he said1 #8,i'll tell you what we'll do to make the evening go off4 ,you and ,i'll take turns and see who'll tell the most out of ,scott's novels' 7for those were the days when the #8,tales of my ,landlord' and #8,ivanhoe' had just appeared72 and so they took them novel by novel1 reciting scenes and incidents1 which kept the eyes of all the children wide open and made the work go on without flagging4 8,occasionally he would raise a point of theology on some incident narrated1 and ask the opinion of one of his boys and run a sort of tilt with him1 taking up the wrong side of the question for the sake of seeing how the youngster could practise his logic4 ,if the party on the other side did not make a fair hit at him1 however1 he would stop and explain to him what he ought to have said3 #8,the argument lies so1 my son2 do that and you'll trip me up4' ,much of his teaching to his children was in this informal way40 ,a kindly country life surrounded the minister's family1 that could not fail of stamping the impress of its plain sincerity upon all who were brought in contact with it4 ,once a year this came to its climax in the winter's wood-spell1 when all the farmers upon a given day added their contribution to the minister's wood-pile--a festival of kindness and good cheer4 8,the kind farmers wanted to see all the children1 and we were busy as bees in waiting upon them4 ,the boys heated the flip-irons and passed around the cider and flip1 while ,aunt ,esther and the daughters were as busy in serving the doughnuts1 cake1 and cheese40 ,another influence we must not forget1 and that was1 being let alone4 8,i think10 he says1 8that ,i was about as well brought up as most children1 because ,i was let alone4 ,my father was so busy and my mother had so many other children to look after that1 except here and there1 ,i hardly came under the parental hand at all4 ,i was brought up in a ,new ,england village1 and ,i knew where the sweet-flag was1 where the hickory-trees were1 where the chestnut-trees were1 where the sassafras-trees were1 where the squirrels were1 where all things were that boys enterprise after1 therefore ,i had a world of things to do1 and so ,i did not come much in contact with family government40 8,nobody10 so says his sister1 8thought much of his future1 further than to see that he was safe and healthy1 or even troubled themselves to inquire what might be going on in his life40 ,some of the reminiscences of this period now given in his own words are interesting1 not only from the wide field which they cover1 but from the revelation they make of the susceptibility of his nature to outside influences4 ,of 8going to meeting0 he discourses in this wise3 8,the coming on of ,saturday night was always a serious business with the youngsters4 ,we had no stores of religious experience on which it is presumed the old folks meditated1 and the prospect of a whole day without anything in it to interest us was not a little gloomy4 ,on no night of the week did the frogs croak so dismally1 or the tree toads whistle in a mood so melancholy1 as on ,saturday night4 8,but those blazing summer mornings6 ,what a wealth of light spread over that blessed old hill-top6 ,what a wondrous silence dwelt in the great round heavens above our head6 ,the birds sang on4 ,the crows in the distance called out to each other in hoarse discourse4 ,the trees stood in calm beauty--the great elm-trees1 tall1 pliant1 graceful1 the perfection of strength and beauty4 ,all this we saw and heard while buttoning up our ,sunday clothes by the side of the open window4 ,for the cow and horse had been foddered1 and the pigs fed1 and all the barn chores done up1 and a bountiful breakfast eaten1 and our face and hands washed1 and every article of apparel1 from shoe to hat1 had changed from a secular to a sacred use4 ,not the every-day hat1 soft1 shapeless1 universal instrument1 used as a liquid or solid measure2 used now for the head1 and now for a football2 used for a net to catch butterflies or to throw at wasps--no1 not this bag1 pocket1 hat1 pouch1 and magazine1 but the ,sunday hat1 round1 stiff1 hard1 and respectable4 8,although the new hat was always disagreeable to our head1 yet we had a wonderful reverence for it1 and spent no inconsiderable portion of our time in church in getting it dirty and then brushing it clean4 8,our jacket1 too1 was new4 ,only a handkerchief was then in the pocket2 no knife1 no marbles1 no strings1 no stones1 no fishhooks or dried angle-worms4 ,no2 a boy's ,sunday pocket of the olden time was purged of all temptation4 ,in meeting-time we often put our little hands down into our ,sunday pocket with a melancholy wish1 #8,oh6 if ,i only had my other clothes on6' 8,as soon as we were dressed and mustered in the sitting-room an inspection was had4 ,the collar was pulled up a little1 the hair had a fresh lick from the brush1 the mouth must be wiped with a wet towel1 the shoestring tied1 and1 after being turned round and round1 we were started off4 8#8,now1 ,henry1 be a good boy4' 8#8,yes1 ma'am4' 8#8,you must not laugh1 or tease ,harriet4' 8#8,no1 ma'am4' 8#8,don't stop on the road--go right in when you get to church4' 8#8,yes1 ma'am40 8,every word was sincerely promised1 and efficaciously broken within ten minutes4 8,oh6 how high the trees seemed6 ,oh6 how bright the heavens were6 ,oh6 how hard it was not to play with ,chester ,covington's dog1 that came running to us with bark and frolic1 and seemed perplexed at our sturdy propriety4 8,the old musical bell up in the open belfry was busy a-tolling4 ,it was the only thing that was allowed to work on ,sunday--the bell and the minister4 ,that bell-rope was always an object of desire and curiosity to our young days4 ,it ran up into such dark and mysterious spaces4 ,what there was up in those pokerish heights in the belfry tower we did not know1 but something that made our flesh creep4 ,once we ventured to pull that rope4 ,it was a bold and venturesome thing1 we knew4 ,but a sorcery was on us4 ,it came gently and easily to the hand4 ,we pulled again4 #8,dong6 dong6' went the bell4 ,the old sexton put his head out of the door when1 on that particular morning1 service had begun1 and said1 in a very solemn and low tone1 #8,boy6 boy6 you little devil you6' and much more1 ,i presume1 but ,i did not wait for it1 but cut round to the other door and sat all church-time trembling and wondering whether he would #8tell my pa'2 and if he did1 what he would say1 and more especially what he would do4 ,i called up the probable interview4 ,i had numerous precedents on which to found a possible experience1 and afflicted our little soul all meeting-time with needless punishment by the imagination4 8,but ordinarily we escaped into the minister's pew without special temptations4 ,imagine a boy of eight years old1 round as an apple1 hearty and healthy1 an hour and a half in church with nothing to do6 ,we looked at the galleries full of boys and girls1 and wished we might go into the galleries4 ,we looked at the ceiling1 traced all the cracks back and forth4 ,we looked at the dear old aunties all round the church1 fanning themselves with one hand and eating fennel-seed or a bit of dried orange-peel out of the other4 ,we gazed out of the window high above our heads into the clouds1 and wished we could only climb up and see the trees and horses and dogs that abounded around the church on ,sunday4 8,gradually these died out and we dropped asleep4 ,blessed liberty6 the child's gospel6 ,all trouble fled away4 ,for a half-hour paradise was gained4 ,but then an unusual thump on the pulpit ,bible1 and the ring and roar of a voice under full excitement1 that went on swelling like a trumpet1 and that no one1 not the most listless1 could hear without catching its excitement1 waked us1 blushing and confused that we had been asleep in church6 ,even on the serene and marble face of mother the faint suggestion of a smile came1 as we clutched our hat1 supposing meeting to be over1 and then sheepishly dropped it and sank back in dismay4 ,but even ,sunday cannot hold out for ever1 and meetings have to let out sometime6 ,so1 at length1 a universal stir and bustle announced that it was time to go4 ,up we bolted6 ,down we sat as quick as if a million pins were sticking in our foot6 ,the right leg was asleep6 ,limping forth into the open air1 relief came to our heart4 ,the being out of doors had always an inexpressible charm1 and never so much as on ,sunday4 ,away went the wagons4 ,away went the people4 ,the whole ,green swarmed with folks4 ,the long village streets were full of company4 ,in ten minutes all were gone1 and the street was given up again to the birds6 8,little good did preaching do me until after ,i was fifteen years old--little good immediately4 ,yet the whole ,sunday1 the peculiar influence which it exerted on the household1 the general sense of awe which it inspired1 the very rigor of its difference from other days1 and the suspended animation of its sermon time1 served to produce upon the young mind a profound impression4 ,a day that stood out from all others in a hard and gaunt way might1 perhaps1 be justly criticised4 ,but it left its mark4 ,it did its work upon the imagination1 if not upon the reason4 ,it had power in it2 and in estimating moral excellence power is an element of the utmost importance4 ,will our smooth1 cosey1 feeble modern ,sundays have such a grip on the moral nature8 ,they are far pleasanter4 ,are they as efficacious8 ,will they educate the moral nature as much80 ,the cold of ,litchfield ,hill and the exposure of his old home were always remembered4 8,you may think you know something about winter2 but if you never spent a winter on old ,litchfield ,hill1 where ,i was brought up1 you do not know much about it4 ,it was before the days of stoves4 ,there were what we called #8box-stoves1' but they were a very small power for generating heat4 ,the idea of a furnace was not born4 ,it was not even within the reach of a prophet to predict it4 8,my father's house was a great barn of a structure1 with rooms scattered about here and there4 ,mine was the west and north room--on the corner2 so that ,i had the full benefit1 without any subtraction or discount1 of everything that was going on out of doors2 for double windows were not known1 and the carpenters did not care about making a tight fit4 ,therefore the wind found no trouble in coming in1 and on many and many a morning the snow had blown from the window to my bed and across the foot of it2 and if anything inspires alacrity of step on a winter morning when the feet are bare1 it is a drift of snow4 ,walking on it is like walking on wasps4 8,to go back to the frigid houses of ,new ,england in winter1 without furnaces or hard coal1 or air-tight stoves or steam1 would make our dainty skin tingle4 ,what a pother is made to ascertain the exact position of the ,north ,pole1 the very centre and navel of cold6 ,why1 ,i could have pointed to the exact spot sixty years ago4 ,it was on the northwest angle of my father's house in ,litchfield1 ,connecticut1 in the room where ,i slept40 ,not only did the severity of the elements affect him1 but their uproar as well1 especially in the night-time4 8,the war of winter winds to our young ears was terrible as the thunder of waves or the noise of battle4 ,all night long the cold1 shelterless trees moaned4 ,their strong crying penetrated our sleep and shaped our dreams4 ,at every waking the air was full of mighty winds4 ,the house creaked and strained1 and at some more furious gust shuddered and trembled all over4 ,then the windows rattled1 the cracks and crevices whistled each its own distinctive note1 and the chimneys1 like diapasons of an organ1 had their deep and hollow rumble40 ,and now comes an influence that we should have passed by1 if he himself had not given it place and elaborate notice3 8,next to the winds our night experiences in early boyhood were much affected by rats4 ,the old house seemed to have been a favorite of this curious vermin4 ,there is something in the short1 hot glitter of a rat's eye that has never ceased to affect us unpleasantly4 ,we could not help imagining them to be the mere receptacles of mischievous spirits1 and their keen eyes had always a kind of mocking expression1 as if they said1 #8,you think we are rats1 but if we get hold of you you will know that we are a good deal more than that4' ,we never could estimate how many populated our old house4 ,the walls seemed like city thoroughfares1 and the ceiling like a ,forum or ,roman theatre4 ,we used to lie in bed and marvel at what was going on4 ,sometimes there would be a great stillness1 as if they had all gone to meeting4 ,then again they would troop about with such a swell of liberty and gladness that it was quite plain that the meeting was out4 ,but nothing ever scared and amused us so much as their way of going up and down the partitions4 ,at first up would come one1 then another1 and finally quite a bevy1 squeaking and frolicking1 as if they were school-boys going up-stairs1 nipping each other and cutting up all manner of pranks4 ,then came a stillness4 ,next a premonitory rat would rush down1 evidently full of news1 and immediately down would pour after him a stream of rats1 rushing like mad1 and apparently tumbling heels over head4 ,by and by some old sawyer would commence where he left off the night before1 cutting the same partition4 ,to this must be added nibblings1 rat-nestled paper1 an occasional race of rats across the bed1 the manipulation of corn in the garret1 the foray with cats and kittens1 the rat engines--#8steel traps1' #8box-traps1' #8figure-four's1' and all manner of devices1 in spite of which the rats held their own1 and1 if allowed suffrage1 would have outvoted the whole family1 dog and cats to boot1 four to one40 ,he was early taught to work and endure what now might be called hardships4 8,it was my duty1 after ,i got to be about eight years old1 to go down-stairs and build a fire4 ,ours was a house in which1 when the weather was cold1 if water was left in any vessel it would freeze and split the vessel asunder2 and of course crockery had no chance4 ,our well used to choke up with ice so that we had to cut it out in order to get the bucket down2 and sometimes1 when the cistern was frozen up so that we could not get water from it1 ,i have gone1 on washing-days1 two miles1 and dipped water from a brook into barrels1 and brought it home4 ,therefore you see that1 however dainty ,i may be nowadays1 ,i started on a very different pattern40 ,but he came in after-years to be glad of this experience3 8,i am thankful that ,i learned to hem towels--as ,i did4 ,i know how to knit suspenders and mittens4 ,i know a good deal about working in wood--sawing1 chopping1 splitting1 planing1 and things of that sort4 ,i was brought up to put my hand to anything2 so that when ,i went ,west1 and was travelling on the prairies and my horse lost a shoe1 and ,i came to a cross-road where there was an abandoned blacksmith's shop1 ,i could go in and start the fire1 and fix the old shoe and put it on again4 ,what man has done man can do2 and it is a good thing to bring up boys so that they shall think they can do anything4 ,i could do anything40 ,the greatest trial of those days was the catechism4 ,sunday lessons were considered by the mother as inflexible duty1 and the catechism was the sine qua non4 8,the other children memorized readily and were brilliant reciters1 but ,henry1 blushing1 stammering1 confused1 and hopelessly miserable1 stuck fast on some sand-bank of what is required or forbidden by this or that commandment1 his mouth choking up with the long words which he hopelessly miscalled1 was sure to be accused of idleness or inattention1 and to be solemnly talked to1 which made him look more stolid and miserable than ever1 but appeared to have no effect in quickening his dormant faculties40 ,such were the influences that were exerted upon ,henry ,ward ,beecher during these early and formative years4 ,various as they were1 they preserved a general character of healthful simplicity2 and numerous as they appear1 they can yet be readily generalized4 ,the first were those that were addressed to conscience1 and that went to make this the strong1 influential factor which it became in all well-trained ,new ,england youth of that period1 and in none more markedly than in him4 ,the stepmother led in this work4 ,she was the conscience of the family1 training to the strict observance of duty with a thoroughness which the father1 with his more impulsive nature1 could never have equalled1 although he was in sympathy with the process4 ,home duties carefully exacted1 regular attendance upon school1 the strict keeping the ,sabbath1 even the hated lesson in the catechism1 were some of the instruments employed4 ,open to criticism1 they may be1 in method and extent1 yet they did their work1 and strong conscientiousness was developed that made him tremble at the thought of wrong-doing1 and kept him so free from viciousness that he was able to say3 8,i never was sullied in act1 nor in thought1 nor in feeling when ,i was young4 ,i grew up as pure as a woman40 ,and although in after-years he gave more stress to heart than conscience1 and preached the ,gospel rather than the law1 it was but the carrying out the natural process of soil-making and forest culture3 the granite ridges of conscience formed the foundation1 clothed and hidden by the growth1 but not destroyed4 ,with all her admirable qualities his step-mother failed to satisfy his longing for affection4 8,it pleased ,god to give me a second mother1 a very eminent ,christian woman4 ,now1 my nature was enthusiastic and outgushing2 ,i was like the convolvulus--,i wanted to be running on somebody all the time4 ,but my second mother was stately and not easy to approach4 ,she was a beautiful person1 serene and ladylike4 ,she never lacked self-possession in speech1 gesture1 or posture4 ,she was polished2 but to my young thoughts she was cold4 ,as ,i look back ,i do not recollect ever to have had from her one breath of summer4 ,although ,i was longing to love somebody1 she did not call forth my affection2 and my father was too busy to be loved4 ,therefore ,i had to expend my love on ,aunt ,chandler1 a kind soul that was connected with our family1 and the black woman that cooked1 who were very kind to me4 ,my mother that brought me up ,i never thought of loving4 ,it never occurred to me4 ,i was afraid of her4 ,i revered her1 but ,i was not attracted to her4 ,i felt that she was ready to die1 and that ,i was not4 ,i knew that at about twilight she prayed2 and ,i had a great shrinking from going past her door at that time4 ,i had not the slightest doubt that she had set her affection on things above1 and not on things beneath4 ,i had the strongest conviction of her saintliness4 ,it stamped itself upon my youth40 ,another division of influences comes under the head of spiritual3 8,i can look back upon my own early life1 and see how one and another took me1 and how one prepared me for another4 ,i can see how the largest natures did not always get access to me4 ,it was late in life before my father influenced me very much4 ,i think it was a humble woman who was in our family that first gained any considerable control over me4 ,i feel the effect of her influence to this day4 8,i next came under the influence of a very humble serving-man4 ,he opened up new directions to me and gave me new impulses4 ,he was a colored man2 and ,i am not ashamed to say that my whole life1 my whole career respecting the colored race in the conflict which was so long carried on in this country1 was largely influenced by the effect produced on my mind1 when ,i was between eight and ten years of age1 by a poor old colored man who worked on my father's farm1 named ,charles ,smith4 ,he did not set out to influence me2 he did not know that he did it2 ,i did not know it until a great while afterwards2 but he gave me impulses1 and impulses which were in the right direction2 for he was a godly and hymn-singing man1 who made wine fresh every night from the cluster4 ,he used to lie upon his humble bed 7,i slept in the same room with him7 and read his ,testament1 unconscious1 apparently1 that ,i was in the room2 and he would laugh and talk about what he read1 and chuckle over it with that peculiarly unctuous throat-tone which belongs to his race4 ,i never had heard the ,bible really read before2 but there1 in my presence1 he read it1 and talked about it to himself and to ,god4 ,he turned the ,new ,testament into living forms right before me4 ,it was a revelation and an impulse to me4 8,he talked to me about my soul more than any member of my father's family4 ,these things impressed me with the conviction that he was a ,christian2 and ,i never saw anything in him that led me to think otherwise4 ,the feeling that ,i was sinful1 that ,i needed to be born again1 that there was such a thing as a regenerate life produced by the ,spirit of ,god in the soul--these feelings came to me by observing the actual example of persons that ,i lived with more than from all other sources put together40 ,but above all others for diffusive and permanent impression affecting his whole nature1 bringing him into sympathy with ,god in all his works as in all his words1 and increasing to the day of his death1 was the influence of his own mother4 8,the memory of my mother as one sainted has exerted a singular influence on me4 ,after ,i came to be about fourteen or fifteen years of age ,i began to be distinctly conscious that there was a silent1 secret1 and1 if you please to call it so1 romantic influence which was affecting me4 ,it grew and it grows1 so that in some parts of my nature ,i think ,i have more communion with my mother1 whom ,i never saw except as a child three years old1 than with any living being4 ,i am conscious that all my life long there has been a moral power in my memory of her4 ,it is evident to me that while in education and in other material respects her death was a deprivation1 it was also an inspiration1 a communion--one of those invisible blessings which faith comprehends1 but which we are not apt to weigh and to estimate4 8,do you know10 he says1 8why so often ,i speak what must seem to some of you rhapsody of woman8 ,it is because ,i had a mother1 and if ,i were to live a thousand years ,i could not express what seems to me to be the least that ,i owe to her4 ,three years old was ,i when singing she left me and sung on to heaven1 where she sings evermore4 ,i have only such a remembrance of her as you have of the clouds of ten years ago--faint1 evanescent2 and yet1 caught by imagination1 and fed by that which ,i have heard of her and by what my father's thought and feeling of her were1 it has come to be so much to me that no devout ,catholic ever saw so much in the ,virgin ,mary as ,i have seen in my mother1 who has been a presence to me ever since ,i can remember2 and ,i can never say enough for woman for my sisters' sake1 for the sake of them that have gathered in the days of my infancy around about me1 in return for what they have interpreted to me of the beauty of holiness1 of the fulness of love1 and of the heavenliness of those elements from which we are to interpret heaven itself40 ,in those influences that went to move the intellect1 to awaken interest and thought1 while the family life and the school and nature were all doing something1 the dear old ,aunt ,esther with her ,bible-readings and her innumerable stories and incidents of animal life stood pre-eminent and unapproachable at this period4 ,it was but a few years before his death that he spoke of her early influence upon him1 and read to us the story of ,joseph as she used to read it to him1 with the tears rolling down his cheeks4 ,he told us that he had never yet been able to read that story or hear it read without crying4 ,but in those practical influences that had to do with life1 that gave him the impression that things could be done and must be done1 that gave him inspiration to labor1 his father took the lead4 8,what ,i was going to speak of was the effect upon my young mind of observing my father's conduct under trying circumstances4 ,i never once saw him flinch before the cold1 or look as though anything was hard1 or as if there was a reason for not pitching in and holding on when things were difficult4 ,i have seen the time when we had to cut a twenty-five-foot tunnel outward from the kitchen-door1 carrying the snow through the house2 and such tunnels would sometimes remain a month before they would break down4 ,i have seen the children around the house crying with cold1 and slapping their hands1 and stamping their feet1 when father had to go and dig wood out of the snow-bank1 and cut and split it2 and his alacrity and vigor infused themselves into the children4 ,i recollect particularly that if1 on such nights as this1 when to the high wind severe cold and thick darkness were added1 my father had appointments1 he always fulfilled them4 ,it was customary to have preaching-places all around the neighborhood1 here1 there1 and everywhere2 and ,i never knew him to think of shrinking from an appointment1 or holding himself back for a moment1 on account of the weather4 ,there never was a snow so deep1 or a wind so high1 or a rain so driving1 or a night so black that the thought seemed to enter his head that he must give up a meeting4 ,i have many times seen him1 on cold1 bitter nights1 take out his old silk handkerchief and put it on1 and go forth into the storm without seeming to dread it2 and often1 as ,i have remembered it1 ,i have wished ,i could put on his spirit in the same way4 ,he did it as a matter of course4 ,and such was the effect of his example on his children that there was not one of them that would not be ashamed to show the #8white feather' in the presence of external difficulties4 8,when ,i was a boy ,i learned some hymns1 and committed to memory an indefinite number of texts1 and waded a certain distance into the catechism1 never getting through it2 and ,i forgot them again very quickly4 ,but ,i do not think all of them put together exerted any material influence upon me one way or the other--they did not remain in my mind to be understood when ,i was older2 but a great many things which my father did1 but which neither he nor anybody else spoke of1 have had a strong influence on my whole life4 ,for instance1 his defying the elements1 making himself master in every condition and under all circumstances1 and exhibiting an indomitable pluck which did not pause nor shrink--that made a powerful impression upon me1 and has been one of the reasons of the success of my life2 not just here and now1 but in my earlier career1 when ,i was in the ,west on the frontier1 and when ,i was very poor and had to do a great deal of rough work under circumstances of discouragement4 ,i had an ideal of what a man should be and should do1 and it stood me in stead better than any amount of catechetical instruction could have done40 ,so joined these--the stepmother1 the mother1 the humble servant in the family1 ,charles ,smith the happy ,christian black man1 ,aunt ,esther1 and the father--hand-in-hand with nature1 with the life and events that were moving on around them1 and with ,god1 in directing and moulding him in every part in these early years4 ,there were none of them1 perhaps1 unusual1 certainly not unprecedented2 for others besides ,henry ,ward ,beecher have had heavenly-minded and large-hearted mothers2 others1 as well as he1 have been trained in conscientiousness and have had a happy ,christian example set before them1 and have enjoyed the influence of fathers full of manly inspiration1 while ,god and nature have been with and around them1 and yet no such marked results have been seen as in him4 ,something native there was in the soil that enabled it to respond to such genial influences with such unusual fruitage4 ,we are driven1 in accounting for this1 to that especial endowment that was given to him and withheld from others through the will of ,one who gives to every man according to ,his own good pleasure4 8,and to one ,he gave five talents40 ,his appearance and attainments at this time are thus summed up by ,mrs4 ,stowe3 8,henry was now ten years old1 a stocky1 strong1 well-grown boy1 loyal to duty1 trained in unquestioning obedience1 inured to patient hard work1 inured also to the hearing and discussing of all the great theological problems of ,calvinism which were always reverberating in his hearing2444 but as to any mechanical culture1 in an extremely backward state1 a poor writer1 a miserable speller1 with a thick utterance1 and a bashful reticence which seemed like stolid stupidity4444 8,he was not marked out by the prophecies of partial friends for any brilliant future4 ,he had precisely the organization which often passes for dulness in early boyhood4 ,he had great deficiency in verbal memory--a deficiency marked in him through life4 ,he was excessively sensitive to praise and blame1 extremely diffident1 and with a power of yearning1 undeveloped emotions which he neither understood nor could express4 ,his utterance was thick and indistinct1 partly from bashfulness and partly from an enlargement of the tonsils of the throat1 so that in speaking or reading he was with difficulty understood4 ,in forecasting his horoscope1 had any one taken the trouble then to do it1 the last success that ever would have been predicted for him would have been that of an orator6 #8,when ,henry is sent to me with a message1' said a good aunt1 #8,i always have to make him say it three times4 ,the first time ,i have no manner of an idea more than if he spoke in ,choctaw2 the second ,i catch a word now and then2 by the third time ,i begin to understand4'0 ,of the bashfulness referred to in the above he says3 8,we had our own fill of it in childhood4 ,to walk into a room where #8company' was assembled1 and to do it erectly and naturally1 was as impossible as it would have been to fly4 ,the sensations of sensibility were dissolving4 ,our back-bone grew soft1 our knees lost their stiffness1 the blood rushed to the head1 and the sight almost left our eyes4 ,we have known something of pain in after-years1 but few pangs have been more acute than some sufferings from bashfulness in our earlier years40 ,healthy1 robust1 frolicksome1 conscientious1 obedient1 loving1 and efficient1 but bashful in the extreme and backward in all his studies1 is the summing-up that we must make of ,henry ,ward ,beecher at this period of his life4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,boyhood--,sent to ,school at ,bethlehem--,the ,widow ,ingersoll's--,failure--,a ,champion--,sent to ,catharine ,beecher's ,school in ,hartford--,humorous ,incidents--,religious ,experience4 ,to remedy the marked defects in his training1 noticed in the preceding chapter1 something must be done1 or this boy will fail not only of becoming a student but of acquiring even a decent common-school education4 ,mr4 ,brace's select school was tried for a year1 but with little benefit4 ,after a good many family discussions and some correspondence it was decided to place him in a private school in the village of ,bethlehem1 seven miles distant from his home1 under the care of ,mr4 ,langdon1 to begin study in earnest4 ,of this important era1 his first going from home1 we have not a syllable1 as we are aware1 from his own pen or lips4 ,that there was a mingled feeling of pain at leaving home1 of pleasure in the novelty1 and a shrinking from the new faces and the new duties1 every one who remembers this epoch in his own life can readily imagine4 ,the ride1 for a large part of the distance across a broad plateau that stretched away cold and strange like the ,downs of ,england1 was well calculated to awaken that yearning sadness which was so prominent a feature of his secret experiences from childhood1 and gave in part that tone of melancholy which appears so markedly in everything that we know of him at this period4 ,singularly enough1 he boarded with the grandmother of the one who afterwards became his son-in-law and is now aiding to write this biography4 ,her name was ,ingersoll1 and she is well described as a 8large-hearted1 kindly woman1 a widow1 living in a great1 comfortable farm-house where everything was free and unconstrained40 ,he was well remembered by my mother1 ,mrs4 ,martha ,ingersoll ,scoville1 who1 being somewhat older than he1 had him much under her care4 ,she said he was always a good boy about the house1 but very bashful4 8,i used to feel very sorry for him1 he seemed so homesick4 ,he liked to be off by himself1 wandering around in the woods1 and ,i don't think he studied much40 ,illustration3 ,the ,ingersoll ,house4 ,this was true4 ,whether it was because this first separation from home brought an increase of those gloomy yearnings of heartsickness to which he was subject at times through life1 or simply because of his innate dislike to the study of mere names and forms of things1 that he failed to make progress in his books1 no one knows4 ,we only know on the authority of his sister1 ,mrs4 ,stowe1 that 8,henry's studies were mostly with gun on shoulder roving the depths of the forest1 guiltless of hitting anything because the time was lost in dreamy contemplation4 ,whence returning unprepared for school1 he would be driven to the expedient of writing out his ,latin verb and surreptitiously reading it out of the crown of his hat--an exercise from which he reaped small profit1 either mentally or morally40 ,this was not understood at home at the time1 and ,dr4 ,beecher writes concerning him3 8,mr4 ,langdon has been faithful with ,henry1 and ,i trust successful2 he says in a letter3 #8,his observance of my regulations relating to study has become exact and punctual4 ,his diligence all along has gradually increased1 and ,i think he has arrived at that full purpose which will insure his making a scholar4 ,my method of instruction for beginners is a system of extended1 minute1 and reiterated drilling1 and the make of his mind is such as fits him to receive benefit from the operation40 ,perhaps the method of 8reiterated drilling1 extended and minute10 was not so well adapted to the boy as the teacher thought4 ,at all events we have this testimony on the other side1 that 8after a year spent in this way it began to be perceived by the elders of the family that as to the outward and visible signs of learning he was making no progress40 ,he was therefore brought home to ,litchfield1 leaving but one incident of his life at ,bethlehem especially worthy of note4 ,it was this3 ,one of the older boys1 having studied ,tom ,paine's 8,age of ,reason10 was freely advocating infidel sentiments and gaining a strong and vicious influence over his companions4 ,young ,beecher saw it and came to the rescue4 ,he brushed up the knowledge he had already gained at the hearth-stone and table of his home1 studied 8,watson's ,apology10 challenged the advocate of ,tom ,paine's philosophy to a debate1 and1 in the judgment of the school1 gained a complete victory1 proving himself thus early to be a doughty champion of the faith4 ,the experiment at ,bethlehem having proved substantially a failure1 his oldest sister1 ,catharine1 who was then teaching a young ladies' school in ,hartford1 proposed to take the boy under her care to see what she could do with him4 ,if his nature lay in strata1 as has been said--the one a dreamy1 yearning melancholy lying at the bottom1 which had its full exercise in his lonely wanderings around ,bethlehem2 and the other1 the surface one1 of humor and fun--it was the latter1 constantly effervescing and exploding1 that appeared in his life in his sister's school of thirty or forty girls in ,hartford4 ,the story of his arranging the umbrellas on the stairs one recess1 when he was supposed to be studying grammar1 so that when the outside door was opened by a late comer the whole series rushed pell-mell down into the street1 greatly to the dismay of the teachers and the enjoyment of the school--with whom1 of course1 he was a great favorite--is well known4 ,and one of the incidents of the recitation-room is equally familiar1 but1 as it is very characteristic1 we give it place1 copied verbatim from ,mrs4 ,stowe3 8,the school-room was divided into two divisions in grammar1 under leaders on either side1 and the grammatical reviews were contests for superiority in which it was vitally important that every member should be perfected4 ,henry was generally the latest choice1 and fell on his side as an unfortunate accession1 being held more amusing than profitable on such occasions4 8,the fair leader of one of these divisions took the boy aside to a private apartment1 to put into him with female tact and insinuation those definitions and distinctions on which the honor of the class depended4 8#8,now1 ,henry1 a is the indefinite article1 you see1 and must be used only with a singular noun4 ,you can say a man1 but you can't say a men1 can you8' #8,yes1 ,i can say amen1 too1' was the ready rejoinder4 #8,father says it always at the end of his prayers4' 8#8,come1 ,henry1 now don't be joking6 ,now decline he4' #8,nominative he1 possessive his1 objective him4' #8,you see his is possessive4 ,now1 you can say his book1 but you can't say him book4' #8,yes1 ,i do say hymn-book1 too1' said the impracticable scholar1 with a quizzical twinkle4 ,each one of these sallies made his young teacher laugh1 which was the victory he wanted4 #8,but now1 ,henry1 seriously1 just attend to the active and passive voice4 ,now1 ,i strike is active1 you see1 because if you strike you do something4 ,but ,i am struck is passive1 because if you are struck you don't do anything1 do you8' 8#8,yes1 ,i do--,i strike back again6'0 ,a letter from the afore-mentioned teacher1 sent to him with her ,new ,year's salutation1 ,january #a1 #aheh1 has lately come to hand4 ,she says1 in recalling this incident3 8,memory has daguerreotyped upon my mind a boy1 a small specimen of perpetual motion1 perpetual prank1 and perpetual desire to give wrong answers to every sober grammatical rule1 thereby not only overwhelming ,murray but the studious gravity of a hundred school-girls40 8,sometimes his views of philosophical subjects were offered gratuitously4 ,being held of rather a frisky nature1 his sister appointed his seat at her elbow when she heard classes4 ,a class in natural philosophy1 not very well prepared1 was stumbling through the theory of the tides4 #8,i can explain that1' said ,henry4 #8,well1 you see1 the sun he catches hold of the moon and pulls her1 and she catches hold of the sea and pulls that1 and this makes the spring tides4' #8,but what makes the neap tides8' #8,oh6 that's when the sun stops to spit on his hands1' was the brisk reply4 8,after about six months ,henry was returned to his parents' hands with the reputation of being an inveterate joker and an indifferent scholar4 ,it was the opinion of his class that there was much talent lying about loosely in him1 if he could only be brought to apply himself40 ,of his religious life at this time we have a glimpse in a letter written by ,dr4 ,beecher in ,november1 #ahbe3 8,our family concert of prayer was held in the study on ,thanksgiving ,day--your mother1 ,aunt ,esther1 ,henry1 and ,charles4 ,it was a most deeply solemn1 tender1 and interesting time4444 ,henry and ,charles have both been awakened1 and are easily affected and seriously disposed now4 ,but as yet it is like the wind upon the willow1 which rises as soon as it is passed over4 ,it does not grapple1 but the effect is good in giving power to conscience1 and moral principle producing amendment in conduct40 ,this was during a revival which was then in progress in ,litchfield1 in which the pastor was assisted by ,mr4 ,nettleton1 the great revivalist of that period4 ,henry was twelve years old4 ,that no permanent good resulted from this work appears true1 as the doctor feared1 but for a reason very different from that which he gives4 ,henry ,ward himself tells us why it was3 8,my mother--she who in the providence of ,god took me to her heart when my own mother had gone to see my ,father in heaven1 she who came after and was most faithful to the charge of the children and the household--she often took me1 and prayed with me1 and read me the word of ,god1 and expounded to me the way of duty1 and did all that seemed to her possible1 ,i know1 to make it easy for me to become a religious child2 and yet there have been times when ,i think it would have been easier for me to lay my hand on a block and have it struck off than to open my thoughts to her1 when ,i longed to open them to some one4 ,how often have ,i started to go to her and tell her my feelings1 when fear has caused me to sheer off and abandon my purpose6 ,my mind would open like a rosebud1 but1 alas6 fear would hold back the blossom4 ,how many of my early religious pointings fell1 like an over-drugged rosebud1 without a blossom60 ,again1 and more at length1 he opens his religious experiences of the whole period3 8,i remember having religious impressions1 distinct and definite1 as early as when ,i was eight or nine years of age4 8,the first distinct religious feelings ,i had were in connection with nature4 ,although ,i was born1 as far as any one can be born so1 a ,calvinist1 and although ,i was conversant at a very early age with the things which pertain to ,calvinism1 yet1 as ,i look back1 ,i see that the only religious feelings or impressions ,i had were those which were excited in my mind through the unconscious influence of ,god through nature4 ,it was not until years later that ,i knew it was the divine element4 ,i yearned1 ,i longed1 for purity and nobility4 ,i had the beginnings of the feeling of self-renunciation4 ,i had a wistful desire that something higher1 something superior to myself1 should be developed out of the system of nature to help me4 ,i had the germs of evangelical teaching2 but ,i never spoke to anybody about them1 and it seems to me a hermit could not have been more solitary1 so far as that part of my life was concerned1 than ,i was4 8,the next thing ,i remember was a transition1 under the influence of teaching1 from the religious conditions and tendencies in my mind to a speculative state4 ,i began to listen to sermons when ,i was eight or nine years old1 and what seems strange is that the picturesque parts stopped not much with me2 that they faded out of my mind2 that the colors were not #8fast'2 but that ,i caught hold of the speculative parts1 particularly those which were most insoluble1 about which men knew least and taught most--the nature of ,god1 the purposes of ,god1 the scheme of divine government1 not those parts which are transcendently important1 namely1 the elements of justice1 truth1 and morality commingled2 that ,god from all eternity foreknew2 that1 foreknowing1 he predestinated2 that by predestination things were fixed1 made certain2 that so many as he fore-ordained to be saved would be saved1 do what they would or come what might--my mind greedily seized on these1 not merely as undoubted facts1 as they were to me1 but as having special reference to myself4 8,i recollect being sometimes1 as it were1 behind the entrenchments of such a doctrine1 and wishing ,i could get over them1 and feeling that ,i would give everything in the world if ,i only knew that ,i was one of the elect1 and praying that ,god would in some way let me know whether ,i was or not4 8,at other times it would come in this shape3 ,i had probably been reprimanded for a misdemeanor or a delinquency1 or something of that sort4 ,i used to be melancholy and to sit in judgment upon myself2 and ,i remember thinking1 #8,well1 it is no use for me to try to be a good boy'--not a saintly boy2 that sort did not abound where ,i was born1 and ,i was certainly no exception to the average run4 ,i don't think there are many of that kind outside of ,sunday-school books4 ,judged by the ordinary standard1 ,i was a very good boy4 ,i had no vices1 and no objectionable tendencies except those which sprang from robust health1 buoyant spirits1 and immense nerve resources4 ,but ,i thought ,i was a base sinner4 ,the pulpit represented all men as being sinners1 and ,i accepted it absolutely and literally4 ,i thought ,i was an awful transgressor2 every little fault seemed to make a dreadful sin2 and ,i would say to myself1 #8,there6 ,i am probably one of the reprobate4 ,i have tried to be good1 but ,i am going down4 ,the probability is1 ,i am not one of the elect2 and what is the use of my trying8 ,if ,i am not fore-ordained to be saved there is no chance for me1 and ,i may as well go by the wholesale as by the retail4' ,so sometimes on the one side and sometimes on the other these thoughts wrought upon me4 ,not once or twice merely1 but many times1 they passed through my mind4 ,they were the sub-base1 as it were1 of my life4 ,i think it was a period of fifteen or twenty years before ,i got relief from that undertone4 ,it had some advantages and not a few disadvantages4 8,if ,i had had the influence of a discreet1 sympathetic ,christian person to brood over and help and encourage me1 ,i should have been a ,christian child from my mother's lap1 ,i am persuaded2 but ,i had no such influence4 ,the influences of a ,christian family were about me1 to be sure1 but they were generic2 and ,i revolved in these speculative experiences1 my strong religious habitudes taking the form of speculation all through my childhood4 ,i recollect that from the time that ,i was about ten years old ,i began to have periods when my susceptibilities were so profoundly impressed that the outward manifestations of my nature were changed4 ,i remember that when my brother ,george--who was next older than ,i1 and who was beginning to be my helpful companion1 to whom ,i looked up--became a ,christian1 being awakened and converted in college1 it seemed as though a gulf had come between us1 and as though he was a saint on one side of it while ,i was a little reprobate on the other side4 ,it was awful to me4 ,if there had been a total eclipse of the sun ,i should not have been in more profound darkness outwardly than ,i was inwardly4 ,i did not know whom to go to2 ,i did not dare to go to my father2 ,i had no mother that ,i ever went to at such a time2 ,i did not feel like going to my brother2 and ,i did not go to anybody4 ,i felt that ,i must try to wrestle out my own salvation4 8,once1 on coming home1 ,i heard the bell toll1 and ,i learned that it was for the funeral of one of my companions with whom ,i had been accustomed to play1 and with whom ,i had grown up4 ,i did not know that he had been sick1 but he had dropped into eternity2 and the ringing1 swinging1 booming of that bell1 if it had been the sound of an angel trumpet of the last day1 would not have seemed to me more awful4 ,i went into an ecstasy of anguish4 ,at intervals1 for days and weeks1 ,i cried and prayed4 ,there was scarcely a retired place in the garden1 in the wood-house1 in the carriage-house1 or in the barn that was not a scene of my crying and praying4 ,it was piteous that ,i should be in such a state of mind1 and that there should be nobody to help me and lead me out into the light4 ,i do not recollect that to that day one word had been said to me1 or one syllable had been uttered in the pulpit1 that led me to think there was any mercy in the heart of ,god for a sinner like me4 ,for a sinner that had repented it was thought there was pardon2 but how to repent was the very thing ,i did not know4 ,a converted sinner might be saved1 but for a poor1 miserable1 faulty boy1 that pouted1 and got mad at his brothers and sisters1 and did a great many naughty things1 there was no salvation so far as ,i had learned4 ,my innumerable shortcomings and misdemeanors were to my mind so many pimples that marked my terrible depravity2 and ,i never had the remotest idea of ,god except that he was a ,sovereign who sat with a sceptre in his hand and had his eye on me1 and said3 #8,i see you1 and ,i am after you4' ,so ,i used to live in perpetual fear and dread1 and often ,i wished myself dead4 ,i tried to submit and lay down the weapons of my rebellion1 ,i tried to surrender everything2 but it did not seem to do any good1 and ,i thought it was because ,i did not do it right4 ,i tried to consecrate myself to ,god1 but all to no purpose4 ,i did everything1 so far as ,i could1 that others did who professed to be ,christians1 but ,i did not feel any better4 ,i passed through two or three revivals4 ,i remember1 when ,mr4 ,nettleton was preaching in ,litchfield1 going to carry a note to him from father2 and for a sensitive1 bashful boy like me it was a severe ordeal4 ,i went to the room where he was speaking1 with the note in my trembling hand1 and had to lay it on the desk beside him4 ,before ,i got half-way across the floor ,i was dazed and everything seemed to swim around me2 but ,i made out to get the note to him1 and he said3 #8,that's enough2 go away1 boy1' and ,i sort of backed and stumbled toward the door 7,i was always stumbling and blundering in company71 and sat down4 ,he was preaching in those whispered tones which always seem louder than thunder to the conscience1 although they are only whispers in the ear4 ,he had not uttered more than three sentences before my feelings were excited1 and the more ,i listened the more awful ,i felt2 and ,i said to myself3 #8,i will stay to the inquiry meeting4' ,i heard ,mr4 ,nettleton talk about souls writhing under conviction1 and ,i thought my soul was writhing under conviction4 ,i had heard father say that after persons had writhed under conviction a week or two they began to come out1 and ,i said3 #8,perhaps ,i will get out'2 and that thought produced in me a sort of half-exhilaration of joy4 ,i stayed to the inquiry meeting1 felt better1 and trotted home with the hope that ,i was on the way toward conversion4 ,i went through this revival with that hope strengthened2 but it did not last long40 ,it is evident from this chapter that if we would understand ,henry ,ward ,beecher and the influences that went to the formation of his character and to the success of his life1 other things than parentage1 home1 school1 or nature must be taken into the account4 ,the vast things of the invisible realm have begun to speak to him1 and his nature has proved to be peculiarly sensitive to their influence4 ,he is thus early groping1 unresting1 and unsatisfied2 but it is among mountains1 and not in marshes or quicksands4 ,some day these mountain truths1 among which he now wanders in darkness1 shall be radiant in his sight with the ,divine ,compassion and his gloom shall give place to abiding love1 joy1 and peace4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,boston--,home ,atmosphere--,various ,experiences--,ethics rubbed in by a six-pound ,shot--,discontent--,makes up his mind to go to ,sea--,to ,study ,navigation--,picture of his ,life in ,boston4 ,in the spring of #ahbf ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher moved with his family to ,boston4 ,henry ,ward was thirteen years old the following ,june1 8a green1 healthy country lad10 8with a round1 full1 red-cheeked face40 ,here a new world opened to him and a new set of influences was brought to bear upon him4 ,the same home life was around him1 and1 if possible1 more intense than ever2 for ,dr4 ,beecher had come to ,boston to be the champion 8of the ,faith once delivered to the saints10 and he threw himself into the work with all the zeal and enthusiasm of an intensely ardent nature4 ,he had watched with intense interest every step of that reaction in ,massachusetts from the strict theocracy of the ,puritans1 called the 8,unitarian ,controversy40 ,he thoroughly understood and heartily condemned the process1 employed by the wealthy and literary classes1 of taking away from the church1 composed presumably of regenerate persons1 the power to govern their own affairs and of giving it to the congregation1 which was often composed of men hostile to a spiritual religion4 ,he had seen the dominant majority enter into the possession of church edifices and church property1 employ ministers opposed to the old faith1 and drive the orthodox ministry out into school-houses and town-halls2 and old foundations established by the fathers to perpetuate the faith had been seized and made to support opposite and antagonistic views4 ,all this had kindled in him a burning indignation against the wrong that had been perpetrated1 and a deep sympathy for the brethren who had suffered4 8,it was as a fire in my bones10 he said4 8,my mind was all the time heating1 heating1 heating40 8,his family prayers10 we are told by ,mrs4 ,stowe1 8at this period1 departing from the customary forms of unexcited hours1 became often upheavings of passionate emotion such as ,i shall never forget4 #8,come1 ,lord ,jesus1' he would say1 #8here where the bones of the fathers rest1 here where the crown has been torn from thy brow--come and recall thy wandering children4 ,behold thy flock scattered on the mountains2 these sheep1 what have they done8 ,gather them1 gather them1 ,o ,good ,shepherd1 for their feet stumble upon the dark mountains40 ,mr4 ,beecher in after-years spoke of the work here as something deeper than a mere dispute between rival denominations or antagonistic creeds4 8,the outward form of the great excitement was that of controversy between the ,unitarian and ,calvinistic faiths4 ,but1 as compared with the great inward reality1 this was but superficial4 ,it was broader than any doctrinal controversy1 deeper than any sectarian conflict4 ,it was a resurrection of vital religion1 in all churches of every name1 and in the ,unitarian churches as well as the ,evangelical40 ,it will be seen that the same atmosphere of deep feeling and triumphant faith1 if possible more tropical and more thoroughly charged with electricity1 continued in the new as in the old home2 but outside the family very different influences were brought to bear upon the lad1 and he was led out into a much wider range of experiences4 ,we give as many of these as space will allow4 ,the first thing that greatly impressed him seems to have been the bells3 8,is there any boy left in ,boston to whose ears the ,christ ,church chimes sound as they did to mine8 ,some travelled persons in ,litchfield had informed me that the churches in ,boston were so thick that the bells on ,sunday morning would almost play a tune4 ,the first ,sunday morning after the family took possession of the house in ,sheafe ,street1 being in the back-yard1 ,i heard in a wondrous manner the tune of #8,greenville1' played on bells6 ,the whole air was full of #8,greenville4' 8,i was fully persuaded that this was the thing predicted1 and that this tune simply fell into place among the vast number of bell-strokes4 ,too young to analyze or reason upon the matter1 ,i listened with a pleasure and amazement which ,i fear nothing will ever give me again till ,i hear the bells ring out wondrous things in the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,blessed city6 in which dwelt so divine a spirit of harmony that some airy hand governed the widely scattered belfries1 and taught the notes which each bell carelessly struck to come together in time and tune1 and march through the air in harmony4 ,and when1 after a few minutes1 the tune changed and #8,st4 ,martyn's' came sadly and slowly through the air1 ,i could contain myself no longer1 but rushed1 red and eager1 to bring out #8,charles1' the inseparable companion of all my marvels1 who opened his great eyes with a look of amazement as utter and implicit as if he had been a young devotee witnessing his first miracle4 ,i expounded to him the cause1 taking for text the reports which had been made to me while yet in the country4 ,alas for marvels6 ,the cook1 overhearing1 laughed us out of countenance1 and explained that it was a chime of bells1 and also what a chime was4 ,of course we were wiser and less happy4 ,but never1 in forty years1 has that chime of bells sounded in my ears without bringing back1 for a second1 the first electric shock of wonder and pleasure4 8,next to ,boston bells were ,boston ships4 ,here first we beheld a ship6 ,we shall never again see anything that will so profoundly affect our imagination4 ,we stood and gazed upon the ship1 and smelt the sea-air1 and looked far out along the water to the horizon1 and all that we had ever read of buccaneers1 of naval battles1 of fleets of merchantmen1 of explorations into strange seas1 among rare and curious things1 rose up in a cloud of mixed and changing fancies1 until we scarcely knew whether we were in the body or out4 ,how many hours have we asked and wanted no better joy than to sit at the end of the wharf1 or on the deck of some newly-come ship1 and rock and ride on the stream of our own unconscious imagination6 ,we went to school in ,boston ,harbor4 8,next to the merchant marine was the ,navy-,yard4 ,we stole over to ,charlestown almost every week4 ,with what awe we walked past the long rows of unmounted cannon6 ,with what exhilaration we looked forth from the mounted sea-battery that looked down the harbor1 and just waited for some ,britisher to dare to come in sight6 ,we have torn any number of ships to pieces with those cannon1 with imagination for our commodore and patriotism for our cannoneer4 ,there have been great battles in ,boston harbor that nobody knows anything about but ourself60 ,other experiences there were of a different nature4 ,the peaceful life of the quiet ,new ,england village1 where each one took his place mostly by the position of the family and held it largely undisturbed1 had given way to that of a city full of antagonisms and strife4 ,it was a life not exactly in accordance with the instructions of a well-regulated ,christian family1 but its rough experiences were undoubtedly adapted to bring out some qualities that were useful in an after-career in which battle was to have so prominent a place4 8,it was with some slight contempt that we beheld our first companions4 ,our first home was in ,sheafe ,street1 far down at the ,north ,end1 next door to ,mr4 ,gay1 the landlord4 ,the boys thereabouts were smart and lively1 but few of them could wrestle1 and none of them often held out with us in a downright race4 ,i was always long-winded1 even before ,i began public speaking4 8,in those days no boy was a good boy among his fellows who had not the courage of battle4 ,it was the duty of all living in certain districts1 upon proper occasion1 to fight the boys of other streets or districts4 ,the ,salem-,streeters included all the small streets adjacent--,sheafe ,street1 ,bennett ,street1 etc4 ,when nothing else was on hand small scrimmages were gotten up between ourselves--,sheafe ,street vs4 ,bennett ,street1 etc42 but we all united against ,prince ,street4 ,prince-,streeters were the natural enemies of all the surrounding streets4 ,yet1 when the ,west-,enders came over in battle array1 yelling1 throwing stones1 and driving in the timid lads caught out of bounds1 all the ,north-,enders rose1 forgot their local feuds1 and went forth in awful array to chastise the wretches that lived at the ,west ,end4 ,and if one were to believe all the feats of which we boasted for a month thereafter1 he would be sure that since the days that ,homer sang no such fighting had ever taken place4 8,but what were all these things to that implacable and ineradical hatred which all true ,boston boys entertained against ,charlestown ,pigs8 ,for by such a title did we expose the meanness1 the degradation1 the cowardice1 the utter despicableness of a boy born the other side of the #8draw' of the ,charlestown ,bridge60 ,while the father was coming to leadership in the pulpit his son ,henry was reaching the same point in his set by the only way opened to him at that time4 8,copp's ,hill8 ,it recalled many a boyish prank4 ,one sport engaged our youthful leisure4 ,it was called #8,follow your leader4' ,it was considered as a testimony to one's courage when1 by acclamation1 he was elected to leadership6 ,the game was simple2 but the results1 always amusing1 were sometimes somewhat too stimulating for pleasure4 ,the leader started upon a run1 with a long trail of boys in a line behind him1 whom he endeavored to throw off by doing things which they were not strong enough or skilful or daring enough to imitate4 ,if twenty boys started1 half would drop away1 after a sharp run1 by mere want of breath2 another section could be thrown off by some feat that terrified them4 8,we recall one memorable chase4 ,called to the head of the column1 ,i plunged down ,margaret's ,lane1 up ,prince and back1 up toward ,copp's ,hill1 reducing my followers1 by sheer exhaustion1 one-half4 ,a brick house was going up2 into it ,i dashed1 ran up the ladder1 walked along the floor-joists1 and let myself down by a rope attached to a guy on the front4 ,only six or seven could follow4 ,a large mortar-bed lay near by4 ,i dashed into that1 wading through the slush4 ,five came out on the other side with me4 ,tough five6 ,they followed me into a shop1 right back into the adjacent parlor1 out at a side-door1 though some of the last got the yard-stick well laid on by the indignant shop-keeper1 and the last one out came dripping from a pail of water which a woman flung after #8the nasty varmints1' as she styled us4 ,many other feats did we1 but in vain4 ,the five would stick4 ,i remember that a large part of ,copp's ,hill had been dug down for filling the #8,causeway1' leaving a precipitous face--well1 say fifty feet high to the eyes1 but1 if measured1 perhaps twenty feet4 ,ascending the hill1 ,i drew near the verge1 a little hesitant to venture the plunge4 ,but to confess that ,i dare not do anything would be disgraceful1 and so1 with but a moment's pause1 ,i jumped for a little crumbling foothold half-way down1 and off from that1 as soon as on it1 to the bottom1 which ,i reached in a heap1 with dirt and stones and two boys following after6 ,not stopping to rub my shins1 rejoicing that only two were left1 and desperate1 ,i took my way to the near wharf where #8,billy ,gray's' ships used to be1 climbed the side1 ran along the deck1 up the bowsprit1 far out1 and then1 with a spring1 off into deep water6 ,down1 down1 down we went1 and seemed likely to go on for ever4 ,at length the descent stopped1 and we rose again to the surface--,o joy6--to see the two boys standing on the bowsprit6 ,they did not dare6 ,that day's work established our reputation6 ,we know how ,alexander felt6 ,csar and ,napoleon can tell us nothing new about the glories of victory60 ,that his country honesty was not altogether proof against the temptations of his life in the city is shown by a description he gives1 in 8,eyes and ,ears10 of his successful attempt to purloin a six-pound cannon-ball from the ,navy-,yard3 8,one day ,i visited some ill-constructed vaults where shot had been stored4 ,the six and twelve pound shot were extremely tempting4 ,i had no particular use for them4 ,i am to this day puzzled to know why ,i coveted them4 ,there was no chance in the house to roll them1 and as little in the street4 ,for base-ball or shinty they were altogether too substantial4 ,but ,i was seized with an irresistible desire to possess one4 ,as ,i had been well brought up1 of course the first objection arose on the score of stealing4 ,but ,i disposed of that1 with a patriotic facility that ought long before this to have sent me to ,congress1 by the plea that it was no sin to steal from the government4 ,next1 how should ,i convey the shot from the ,yard without detection8 ,i tried it in my handkerchief4 ,that was altogether too plain4 ,i tried my jacket-pocket1 but the sag and shape of that alarmed my fears4 ,i tried my breeches-pocket1 but the abrupt protuberance was worse than all4 ,i had a good mind to be honest1 since there was no feasible way of carrying it off4 ,at length a thought struck me3 ,wrap a handkerchief about it and put it in your hat4 8,the iron ball was accordingly swaddled with the handkerchief and mounted on my head1 and the hat shut over it4 ,i emerged from the vault a little less courageous than was pleasant1 and began my march toward the gate4 ,every step seemed a mile4 ,every man ,i met looked unusually hard at me4 ,the marines evidently were suspecting my hat4 ,some sailors1 leering and rolling toward the ships1 seemed to look me through4 ,the perspiration stood all over my face as an officer came toward me4 ,now for it6 ,i was to be arrested1 put in prison1 cat-o'-nine-tailed1 or shot1 for aught ,i knew4 ,i wished the ball in the bottom of the sea2 but no1 it was on the top of my head6 8,by this time1 too1 it had grown very heavy2 ,i must have made a mistake in selecting6 ,i meant a six-pounder1 but ,i was sure it must have been a twelve-pounder1 and before ,i got out of the ,yard it weighed twenty-four pounds6 ,i began to fear that the stiffness with which ,i carried my neck would excite suspicion1 and so ,i tried to limber up a little1 which had nearly ruined me1 for the shot took a roll around my crown in a manner that liked to have brought me and my hat to the ground4 ,indeed1 ,i felt like a loaded cannon1 and every man and everything was like a spark trying to touch me off4 ,the gate was a great way farther off than ,i had ever found it before2 ,i seemed likely never to get there4 8,and when at length1 heartsore and headsore1 with my scalp well rolled1 ,i got to the gate1 all my terror came to a culmination as the sentinel stopped his marching1 drew himself up1 and1 looking through me1 smiled4 ,i expected him to say3 #8,o you little thievish devil1 do you think ,i do not see through you8' ,but1 bless his heart6 he only said3 #8,pass6' ,he did not say it twice4 ,i walked a few steps farther1 and then1 having great faith in the bravery of my feet1 ,i pulled my hat off before me1 and1 carrying it in that position1 ,i whipped around the first corner and made for the bridge with a speed which ,flora ,temple would envy4 8,when ,i reached home ,i had nothing to do with my shot4 ,i did not dare show it in the house nor tell where ,i got it2 and after one or two solitary rolls ,i gave it away on the same day to a ,prince-,streeter4 8,but1 after all1 that six-pounder rolled a good deal of sense into my skull4 ,i think it was the last thing ,i ever stole 7excepting a little matter of a heart now and then71 and it gave me a notion of the folly of coveting more than you can enjoy1 which has made my whole life happier4 ,it was rather a severe mode of catechising1 but ethics rubbed in with a six-pound shot are better than none at all40 ,his student life1 which had been such a failure heretofore1 was improved a little1 and but a little4 ,by means of the pressure of school discipline1 backed up and made formidable by family pride and the advice and exhortations heard at home1 he managed to make fair progress in most of his studies1 especially in the rules and exceptions of the ,latin grammar1 and to the day of his death was able to establish his claims to proficiency in that language by rattling off the list of eleven prepositions that govern the ablative4 ,but his heart was not in the work4 ,disgust1 insurrection1 revolution1 was the stormy way along which he was rapidly travelling4 ,this period in his own life is described in 8,norwood03 8,long before the ,amazon reaches the ocean it has grown so wide that from the channel no shore can be seen from either side4 ,it is still a river1 but with all the signs and symptoms of becoming an ocean4 ,there is a period1 beginning not far from fourteen1 in young lives1 when childhood is widened suddenly1 and carries its banks so far out that manhood seems begun1 though as yet it is far off4 ,the stream is ocean-deep4 ,upon this estuary of youth the currents are shifting1 the eddies are many4 ,here are united the strength of the sea and the hindrances of the land4 8,the important organic changes which1 in our zone1 take place in the second full seven of years1 produce important results even in the coldest temperaments and in the slenderest natures4 ,but in persons of vigor of body and strength of feeling there is frequently an uprising like a city in insurrection4 ,the young nature1 swelling to the new influences with a sense of unmeasurable strength1 sometimes turbulent with passions1 but always throbbing with excited feelings led on and fed by tantalizing fancies1 seems transformed from its previous self and becomes a new nature4 ,new moral forces are developed into activity4 ,aspirations begin to quicken the soul4 ,ambitions grow nobler40 ,mrs4 ,stowe says3 8,the era of fermentation and development was upon him1 and the melancholy that had brooded over his childhood waxed more turbulent and formidable4 ,he grew gloomy and moody1 restless and irritable4 ,his father1 noticing the change1 got him on a course of biographical reading1 hoping to divert his thoughts4 ,he began to read naval histories1 the lives of great sailors and commanders1 the voyages of ,captain ,cook1 the biography of ,nelson2 and immediately1 like lightning flashing out of rolling clouds1 came the determination not to rest any longer in ,boston1 learning terminations and prepositions1 but to go forth to a life of enterprise4 ,he made up his little bundle1 walked the wharf and talked with sailors and captains1 hovered irresolute on the verge of voyages1 never quite able to grieve his father by a sudden departure4 ,at last he wrote a letter announcing to a brother that he could and would no longer remain at school2 that he had made up his mind for the sea2 that if not permitted to go he should go without permission4 ,this letter was designedly dropped where his father picked it up4 ,dr4 ,beecher put it in his pocket and said nothing for the moment1 but the next day asked ,henry to help him saw wood4 ,now1 the wood-pile was the doctor's favorite debating-ground1 and ,henry felt complimented by the invitation1 as implying manly companionship4 8#8,let us see1' said the doctor1 #8,henry1 how old are you8' #8,almost fourteen6' #8,bless me6 ,how boys do grow6 ,why1 it's almost time to be thinking what you are going to do4 ,have you ever thought8' #8,yes2 ,i want to go to sea4' #8,to sea6 ,of all things6 ,well1 well6 ,after all1 why not8 ,of course you don't want to be a common sailor4 ,you want to get into the navy8' #8,yes1 sir2 that's what ,i want4' #8,but not merely as a common sailor1 ,i suppose8' #8,no1 sir2 ,i want to be a midshipman1 and after that a commodore4' #8,i see1' said the doctor cheerfully4 #8,well1 ,henry1 in order for that1 you know1 you must begin a course of mathematics and study navigation and all that4' #8,yes1 sir2 ,i am ready4' #8,well1 then1 ,i will send you up to ,amherst next week1 to ,mount ,pleasant1 and then you'll begin your preparatory studies1 and if you are well prepared ,i presume ,i can make interest to get you an appointment4'0 ,and so he went to ,mount ,pleasant1 in ,amherst1 ,mass41 and ,dr4 ,beecher said shrewdly3 8,i shall have that boy in the ministry yet40 ,in a sermon preached by his brother1 ,rev4 ,t4 ,k4 ,beecher1 we have this picture3 8,all of you know more about #8,henry ,ward ,beecher' than ,i do1 but ,i know more about #8,brother ,henry' than you do4 8,a little ,boston boy five years old had a brother ,henry who was sixteen1 and a brother ,charles who was fourteen2 and though he knew of ,david and ,goliath1 who #8fell down slambang1' and ,david1 #8little ,david ran up and cut his head off'6 though he knew about ,samson and the lion1 yet for the present strength and greatness ,henry and ,charles were his heroes4 ,did they not own a long sled and coast down ,copp's ,hill and jump sixteen sleds at the bounce8 ,did they not sharpen skates with enthusiasm and go off to the mill-dam alone8 8,by night when the tocsin rang and the little boy covered his head and shivered under the sheets1 did not ,henry and ,charles rush down two flights of stairs and out the door1 yelling fire8 ,and they were at school fitting for college at ,mt4 ,pleasant4 ,their hair-trunk was two days a-packing1 and the stage took them away before daylight1 leaving the house so quiet and so empty4 ,sixteen and five--oh6 how magnificent the boy of sixteen to the little boy of five4 ,i speak of brother ,henry4 8,but at prayers1 family prayers1 ,henry and ,charles could sing1 and so could the little boy4 ,a frail1 blue-eyed1 willowy mother sat in the rocking-chair4 ,father would read--the little boy knew not what4 ,but for the singing from village hymns ,henry sometimes fluted1 making a queer mouth2 and then1 all kneeling1 it was ever asked by father1 #8,overturn and overturn1 till ,he whose right it is shall come and reign1 ,king of nations as ,king of saints4' 8,prayers over1 ,aunt ,esther and the little boy1 he standing in a chair1 washed the dishes1 and ,henry and ,charles stormed out to the ,latin ,school4 ,but they went to ,mount ,pleasant1 and ,mr4 ,colton was the teacher4 ,twice a year they came home1 at ,thanksgiving and the summer vacation4 ,the expected stage drove up1 and the little boy1 in agony of delight that could not be endured1 hid himself on a trundle-bed under mother's and braided bed-cords till1 searched out1 he was tossed above the clouds by great1 strong brother ,henry4 8,at morning prayers1 #8,thou hast brought back our boys in health1' the little boy heard that and the #8overturn and overturn' part2 and that little boy1 now your pastor1 bears witness in your ears that the boys were kept1 and that since those days there have been overturnings not a few4 ,and further he tells you that those family prayers propagated the ancestral religion in brother ,henry1 though they have failed to hand down the ancestral theology4 8,the boys must go to college1 and leave the little boy to go to infant school1 to ,miss ,bull1 and learn to tell the hour on a card clock1 and add1 subtract1 and count with an abacus4 ,henry in the world of departed spirits1 ,amherst2 ,charles at ,bowdoin4 ,every morning father praying for our boys at college3 #8,may they become good ministers of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ6' 0444 ,edward was a man1 like father4 ,but ,henry and ,charles were heroes1 doing things4 ,how they could jump6 ,how they whirled around the horizontal bar6 ,how ,charles could flog a top6 ,and ,henry had peanuts and red peppermints4 ,shall ,i ever be big and do things1 and run to fires1 and go way down ,milk ,street8 8,yes1 one vacation brother ,henry took the little boy down on ,milk ,street1 past two ,unitarian churches safely1 past ,tremont ,theatre1 past an open stable-door where lay a red cow with monstrous horns1 chewing her big mouth with nothing in it1 and looking1 oh6 so strong and hungry at that little boy4 ,but ,henry wasn't scared4 ,he was whistling4 #8,come along1 ,tom1' he said1 #8that's only a cow4' 8,henry and ,charles at college2 father and eight of us staging from ,boston to ,cincinnati1 leaving my heroes4 ,amherst and ,bowdoin loom large in my fancy still4 ,my heroes were to stay and grow6 ,tidings once a month3 ,charles has a fiddle1 ,henry has a six-keyed flute2 ,charles1 and something about circles and geometry2 ,henry1 and phrenology and temperance lectures40 ,such was his life in ,boston1 undoubtedly to a certain extent beneficial1 and1 by reason of the activity of the streets of the city and the bustle of the wharves1 attractive4 ,but coming at the turbulent period of his own development1 when the rough elements of its thoroughfares were more congenial to him than the influences of its churches1 libraries1 or homes1 it was far from being satisfactory4 ,its liberty was not altogether safe1 nor were its restrictions healthful2 and he says3 8,i cannot see how1 if ,i had remained much longer in ,boston1 ,i could have escaped ruin40 ,we see him1 therefore1 start off on the lumbering stage-coach1 in the early autumn morning before daylight1 for ,amherst1 with a sense of relief and hearty thankfulness that he is escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowler4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,school-,life at ,mount ,pleasant--,mathematics--,elocution--,te stimony of ,classmates--,religious ,experiences--,troubles--,a ,romantic ,friendship--,another ,kind--,letter of ,reminiscence--,a ,royal ,school-boy4 ,it was in #ahbg1 and ,henry was fourteen years old1 when he entered the ,mount ,pleasant ,institute4 8,he was admitted to the institution at a price about half the usual charge1 for one hundred dollars per year40 8,his appearance was robust and healthy1 rather inclined to fulness of form1 with a slight pink tinge on his cheeks and a frequent smile upon his face4 ,in his manners and communications he was quiet1 orderly1 and respectful4 ,he was a good-looking youth40 ,this is the testimony of one of his teachers1 ,mr4 ,george ,montague4 8,i think he must have been fond of children1 for he was always ready for a frolic with me4 ,i don't remember how he spoke1 except that he talked a good deal and was full of life and fun40 ,so says a friend1 in whose home he boarded1 in a letter written during the past year4 ,no place could have been better fitted to the condition of the boy1 as he then was1 than the one chosen4 ,he was tired of the city with its brick walls1 stone pavements1 and artificial restrictions1 and longed for the freedom and the freshness of the country4 ,amherst at that time was only a small village1 fighting back with indifferent success the country that pressed in upon it from every side1 and offering this city-sick lad1 almost within a stone's throw of the school1 the same kind of fields and forests that were around him at ,litchfield1 and spreading out for him a landscape equal in beauty to that of his childhood home4 ,besides1 he has an object in view that stirs his blood4 ,he is to fit himself for the navy2 his father has promised his influence to get him an appointment1 if wanted1 and ,admiral ,nelson and all other brave admirals and commodores are his models4 ,for the first time in his life he takes hold of study with enthusiasm4 ,the institution was very popular in its day1 and a great advance upon the old academy4 ,it was semi-military in its methods1 and in its government there was great thoroughness without severity4 ,its teachers possessed superior qualifications1 and all were men of great kindness as well as of marked ability4 ,among them were two men who especially had great influence in directing his energies and preparing him not only for ,amherst ,college but for the greater work beyond1 and who were ever remembered by him with the deepest gratitude4 ,the first of these was ,w4 ,p4 ,fitzgerald1 the teacher of mathematics at ,mount ,pleasant school3 8,he taught me to conquer in studying4 ,there is a very hour in which a young nature1 tugging1 discouraged1 and weary with books1 rises with the consciousness of victorious power into masterhood4 ,for ever after he knows that he can learn anything if he pleases4 ,it is a distinct intellectual #8conversion4' 8,i first went to the blackboard1 uncertain1 soft1 full of whimpering4 #8,,that ,,lesson ,,must ,,be ,,learned1' he said1 in a very quiet tone1 but with a terrible intensity and with the certainty of ,fate4 ,all explanations and excuses he trod under foot with utter scornfulness4 #8,i want that problem4 ,i don't want any reasons why ,i don't get it4' 8#8,i did study it two hours4' 8#8,that's nothing to me2 ,i want the lesson4 ,you need not study it at all1 or you may study it ten hours--just to suit yourself4 ,i want the lesson4 ,underwood1 go to the blackboard6' 8#8,oh6 yes1 but ,underwood got somebody to show him his lesson4' 8#8,what do ,i care how you get it8 ,that's your business4 ,but you must have it4' 8,it was tough for a green boy1 but it seasoned him4 ,in less than a month ,i had the most intense sense of intellectual independence and courage to defend my recitations4 8,in the midst of a lesson his cold and calm voice would fall upon me in the midst of a demonstration--#8,no6' ,i hesitated1 stopped1 and then went back to the beginning2 and1 on reaching the same spot again1 #8,no6' uttered with the tone of perfect conviction1 barred my progress4 #8,the next6' and ,i sat down in red confusion4 ,he too was stopped with #8,no6' but went right on1 finished1 and1 as he sat down1 was rewarded with1 #8,very well4' 8#8,why1' whimpered ,i1 #8,i recited it just as he did1 and you said ,no6' 8#8,why didn't you say ,yes1 and stick to it8 ,it is not enough to know your lesson4 ,you must know that you know it4 ,you have learned nothing till you are sure4 ,if all the world says ,no1 your business is to say ,yes and to prove it6'0 ,the other helper of this period was ,john ,e4 ,lovell4 ,in a column of the ,christian ,union of ,july #ad1 #ahhj1 devoted to 8,inquiring ,friends10 appeared this question with the accompanying answer3 8,we heard ,mr4 ,beecher lecture recently in ,boston and found the lecture a grand lesson in elocution4 ,if ,mr4 ,beecher would give through the column of #8,inquiring ,friends' the methods of instruction and practice pursued by him1 it would be very thankfully received by a subscriber and student4 _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ ,e4 ,d4 ,m4 8,i had from childhood a thickness of speech arising from a large palate1 so that when a boy ,i used to be laughed at for talking as if ,i had pudding in my mouth4 ,when ,i went to ,amherst ,i was fortunate in passing into the hands of ,john ,lovell1 a teacher of elocution1 and a better teacher for my purpose ,i cannot conceive4 ,his system consisted in drill1 or the thorough practice of inflexions by the voice1 of gesture1 posture1 and articulation4 ,sometimes ,i was a whole hour practising my voice on a word--like #8justice4' ,i would have to take a posture1 frequently at a mark chalked on the floor4 ,then we would go through all the gestures1 exercising each movement of the arm and the throwing open the hand4 ,all gestures except those of precision go in curves1 the arm rising from the side1 coming to the front1 turning to the left or right4 ,i was drilled as to how far the arm should come forward1 where it should start from1 how far go back1 and under what circumstances these movements should be made4 ,it was drill1 drill1 drill1 until the motions almost became a second nature4 ,now ,i never know what movements ,i shall make4 ,my gestures are natural1 because this drill made them natural to me4 ,the only method of acquiring an effective education is by practice1 of not less than an hour a day1 until the student has his voice and himself thoroughly subdued and trained to right expression4 ,h4 ,w4 ,b40 ,mr4 ,montague says3 8,mr4 ,beecher submitted to ,mr4 ,lovell's drilling and training with a patience which proved his interest in the study to be great4 ,the piece which was to be spoken was committed to memory from ,mr4 ,lovell's mouth1 the pupil standing on the stage before him1 and every sentence and word1 accent and pronunciation1 position and movement of the body1 glance of the eye and tone of voice1 all were subjects of study and criticism4 ,and day after day1 often for several weeks in continuance1 ,mr4 ,beecher submitted to this drilling upon the same piece1 until his teacher pronounced him perfect40 ,his dramatic power was displayed and noted at this early period4 ,dr4 ,thomas ,field1 a classmate in the school1 says3 8,one incident occurred during our residence in ,mount ,pleasant which left an abiding impression on my mind4 ,at the exhibition at the close of the year1 either #ahbh or #ahbi1 the drama of #8,william ,tell' was performed by some of the students1 and your father took the part of the tyrant ,gessler4 ,although sixty years have passed1 ,i think now1 as ,i thought then1 that it was the most impressive performance ,i ever witnessed40 ,his love of flowers was so marked as to attract the attention of a gardener in the village1 who gave him the use of a plot of ground where he might sow and plant what he chose2 and here the boy spent many a play-hour in digging1 sowing1 and weeding1 that he might enjoy the beauty which his own hand had been instrumental in producing4 8,in this garden-corner the chaplain of ,mount ,pleasant ,institute found him one day lost in admiration for the opening buds and beautiful blossoms that were unfolding under his culture1 and could not forbear to improve the opportunity and administer a gentle rebuke to the enthusiastic youth4 #8,ah6 ,henry1' he said1 #8these things are pretty1 very pretty1 but1 my boy1 do you think that such things are worthy to occupy the attention of a man who has an immortal soul8'0 ,the boy was abashed before so much dignity1 and1 we may add1 stupidity1 and assuming the stolid look that his bashfulness had made natural1 at this time1 under such circumstances1 went on with his work among the flowers2 but he said afterwards that he wanted to tell him that 8since ,almighty ,god had taken time to make these trifles1 it did not seem amiss for him to take time to look at them40 ,so1 now a youth1 he is walking as when a child among flowers1 and the leader of the boys in their most venturesome sports is kneeling in adoring silence over beds of pansies and asters1 and feeding the hunger of his soul with the beauty of their forms and colors4 ,in a letter dated ,december #bd1 #ahbh1 addressed to his sister ,harriet--the first that has come to our hands from ,mount ,pleasant--he gives some account of his manner of life at school1 and various experiences3 8,,dear ,,sister3 0444 ,i have to rise in the morning at half-past five o'clock1 and after various little duties1 such as fixing of room1 washing1 etc41 which occupies about an hour1 we proceed to breakfast1 from thence to chapel1 after which we have about ten minutes to prepare for school4 ,then we attend school from eight to twelve4 ,an hour at noon is allowed for diversions of various sorts4 ,then dinner4 ,after that school from half-past one to half-past four4 ,at night we have about an hour and a half2 then tea4 ,after tea we have about ten minutes2 then we are called to our rooms till nine4 8,now ,i will tell you how ,i occupy my spare time--in reading1 writing1 and playing the flute4 ,we are forming a band here4 ,i shall play either the flute or hautboy4 ,i enjoy myself pretty well4 ,in ,latin ,i am studying ,sallust4 ,as to ease1 all ,i have to do is to study straight ahead4 ,it comes pretty easy4 ,my ,greek is rather hard4 ,i am as yet studying the grammar and ,jacob's ,greek ,reader4 ,in elocution we read and speak alternately every other day4 0444 ,i find it hard to keep as a ,christian ought to4 ,to be sure1 ,i find delight in prayer1 but ,i cannot find time to be alone sufficiently4 ,we have in our room only two1 one besides myself1 but he is most of my play-hours practising on some instrument or other4 ,i have some time1 to be sure1 but it is very irregular1 and ,i never know when ,i shall have an opportunity for private devotions until the time comes4 ,i do not like to read the ,bible as well as to pray1 but ,i suppose it is the same as it is with a lover1 who loves to talk with his mistress in person better than to write when she is afar off4444 8,your affectionate brother1 8,,henry40 ,his religious experience1 of which we have heard nothing since he left ,litchfield1 the life in ,boston apparently not being very favorable to it1 again attracts our attention at this point4 ,he says3 8,when ,i was fourteen years of age ,i left ,boston and went to ,mount ,pleasant4 ,there broke out while ,i was there one of those infectious religious revivals which have no basis of judicious instruction1 but spring from inexperienced zeal4 ,it resulted in many mushroom hopes1 and ,i had one of them2 but ,i do not know how or why ,i was converted4 ,i only know ,i was in a sort of day-dream1 in which ,i hoped ,i had given myself to ,christ4 8,i wrote to father expressing this hope2 he was overjoyed1 and sent me a long1 kind letter on the subject4 ,but in the course of three or four weeks ,i was nearly over it2 and ,i never shall forget how ,i felt1 not long afterward1 when a letter from father was handed me in which he said ,i must anticipate my vacation a week or two and come home and join the ,church on the next ,communion ,sabbath4 ,the serious feelings ,i had were well-nigh gone1 and ,i was beginning to feel quite jolly again1 and ,i did not know what to do4 ,i went home1 however1 and let them take me into the ,church4 ,a kind of pride and shamefacedness kept me from saying ,i did not think ,i was a ,christian1 and so ,i was made a church-member40 ,in an editorial in the ,independent1 written in #ahfb1 upon the disbanding of this old church1 the ,bowdoin ,street--originally ,hanover ,street--,church1 ,boston1 he describes this event3 8,if somebody will look in the old records of ,hanover ,street church about #ahbi they will find a name there of a boy about fifteen years old who was brought into the ,church on a sympathetic wave1 and who well remembers how cold and almost paralyzed he felt while the committee questioned him about his #8hope' and #8evidences1' which1 upon review1 amounted to this3 that the son of such a father ought to be a good and pious boy4 ,being tender-hearted and quick to respond to moral sympathy1 he had been caught and inflamed in a school excitement1 but was just getting over it when summoned to ,boston to join the church6 ,on the morning of the day he went to church without seeing anything he looked at4 ,he heard his name called from the pulpit among many others1 and trembled2 rose up with every emotion petrified2 counted the spots on the carpet2 looked piteously up at the cornice2 heard the fans creak in the pews near him2 felt thankful to a fly that lit on his face1 as if something familiar at last had come to break an awful trance2 heard faintly a reading of the ,articles of ,faith2 wondered whether he should be struck dead for not feeling more--whether he should go to hell for touching the bread and wine1 that he did not dare to take nor to refuse2 spent the morning service uncertain whether dreaming1 or out of the body1 or in a trance2 and at last walked home crying1 and wishing he knew what1 now that he was a ,christian1 he should do1 and how he was to do it4 ,ah6 well1 there is a world of things in children's minds that grown-up people do not imagine1 though they too once were young40 ,unsatisfactory in many respects as was his religious experience1 it seems to have been powerful enough to change his whole ideal of life4 ,we hear no more of his becoming a sailor4 ,he appears to have yielded to the inevitable1 and henceforth studies with the ministry in view4 ,that there was awakened in him a strong sense of duty and a deep earnestness of purpose appears from a letter written from the school to his brother ,edward3 8,mount ,pleasant1 ,july #aa1 #ahbi4 0,,dear ,,brother3 8,i have been expecting a letter from you all the time2 but ,i suppose you have too much to do to write letters4 ,mr4 ,newton has set up a ,bible-class on ,sabbath morning for the larger boys1 and a ,sabbath-school on ,sabbath afternoon for the smaller boys4 ,the ,bible-classes are very interesting indeed4 ,he first began with the #gc;d ,psalm2 then he commenced the ,new ,testament and is going through it in course4 ,the boys generally are very much pleased with the lecture4 8,on ,wednesday evenings he is a-going to deliver doctrinal sermons4 ,all with whom ,i have conversed on the subject are very desirous that he should commence them4 8,there has been a boy named ,forsyth who has since the revival been very active in the cause of religion1 and promised to be a man of great usefulness2 he is a boy of great influence1 and he has gone back4 ,he does not oppose religion1 but wishes that he had it4 ,his going back has caused a great deal of sorrow here among the boys who profess to be pious4 8,i room with ,homes at present2 he is1 ,i think1 very amiable and pious4 ,we have prayers together every evening4 ,then he has an hour in the morning and ,i an hour in the evening for private devotions4 ,i find that if ,i neglect prayer even once that ,i do not desire to pray again as much as ,i did before1 and the more ,i pray the more ,i love to do it4 8,at present ,i am comparing the ,evangelists together1 and looking up the passages in the ,old which are referred to in the ,new ,testament4 8,charles and ,i correspond regularly4 ,in order to make it profitable as well as interesting1 we have in every letter some difficult passage for one another to explain4 ,i like the plan very much4 8,our examination is over1 and exhibition also4 ,i send you one of our papers 7published at the institution71 which has a scheme of the exhibition4 ,i got through my examinations very well4 ,i hope that you will find time to answer this soon4 ,give my best love to any of the family who may be in ,boston1 and ,aunt ,homes's family4 8,your affec4 brother1 8,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher48 ,in another one to the same1 dated ,august1 #ahbi1 he says3 0,,my ,,dear ,,brother3 8,i received your letter ,sabbath eve4 ,i expect father received a letter from me about the same time that you did this one1 in which ,i asked him to explain some things from the ,bible to me4444 ,while ,i think of it1 ,mr4 ,newton explains the ,bible twice a week now instead of once4 ,he presses the boys to the study of the ,bible and to prayer more than any minister ,i ever knew1 and ,i believe it to be not without effect4 ,i1 for one1 have read my ,bible more and studied it more4 ,father recommended me to keep a little book in which ,i should put all my loose thoughts4 ,i got one about a month since and have filled a good deal of it already4 ,my studies go pretty well4 ,at present ,i am studying ,cicero and the ,greek reader4 ,i expect next term 7in about five weeks7 to take up the ,greek ,testament1 and ,virgil1 and mathematics4 ,i intend to stay here another year1 almost for no other purpose than to learn mathematics1 it is taught so well here6 ,i exercise three hours in a day4 ,one of the questions which ,i wished to ask you is this1 ,matthew ii4 #bc3 #8,that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets3 ,he shall be called a ,nazarene4' ,mr4 ,newton gave one explanation1 but it did not satisfy me4 ,i have been and am still reading ,dr4 ,gregory's letters on the evidences1 doctrines1 and duties of the ,christian religion4 8,i intend to spend a part of my vacation 7which will commence soon7 in ,hartford4 ,i do not exactly understand the doctrine of predestination1 and several boys have been to me and asked me to explain it to them1 but ,i could never do it to my own satisfaction4 ,i am paying a considerable attention to elocution1 reading1 etc4 8,i wish to ask you concerning novel-reading4 ,i know that to read much of any such thing is bad1 but do you think that it would injure me to read now and then those of ,scott and ,cooper8 ,write soon as possible4 ,your affec4 brother1 8,,henry48 ,the following letter1 written near the close of his school-life1 affords a view of some of his troubles1 and is given entire3 0,,mount ,,pleasant1 ,mar4 #a1 #ahcj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister3 8,i received your letter yesterday and have got up about an hour earlier this morning in order that ,i may have time to answer it4 ,my studies are growing more and more difficult1 for ,i am preparing for examination1 and most of the ,greek which ,i am reviewing ,i have never been over1 and ,i have to learn something like ten pages4 ,sometimes ,i feel almost discouraged1 and if ,i was studying for myself alone ,i should have given up long ago2 but when ,i think that ,i am preparing myself to bear the commands of ,him who is my ,master1 ,i can go with renewed strength from day to day4 ,a little time spent here in performing our duty1 and then our toil and trouble will be rewarded with double and eternal happiness4 ,i feel just as you do while writing or thinking of these things--,i feel drawn up toward heaven1 my home1 and am enabled to look upon the earth as a place of pilgrimage and not an abiding city4 ,those are moments of true happiness1 which the world knows not2 but when ,i mix with the boys ,i forget these things1 and do talk and act unworthy of a disciple of ,christ4 ,i find this to need much watchfulness and prayer1 for ,i believe that ,i take to light trifling more than people generally do4 ,i find much trouble with pride4 ,i am afraid every day that ,i shall get into some difficulty with my instructors4 ,i feel more at liberty when ,i write to you than any other of my sisters2 not because ,i do not love them1 but because you are nearer my age4 ,i notice many things in reading your letter which struck me as exactly like my own feelings4 ,i feel when in meeting1 or when reading any book1 as if ,i should never cease serving ,christ1 and could run with patience the race which is set before me4 ,oh6 then ,i have such thoughts1 such views of ,god1 and of ,his love and mercy1 that my heart would burst through the corrupt body of this world and soar up with angels4 ,oh6 how happy the thought that we may in all the ages of eternity serve and enjoy the presence of that ,god1 the very glimpses of whom fill us with such joy here4 ,i believe that if ,i had not somewhere to lay my troubles1 if ,christ had not invited all those that are #8weary and heavy laden' to come unto ,him1 that ,i should have long since been discouraged1 for ,i do not think that my instructors do right with me2 for although they know that my lessons are double those of any other boy1 still they scold and ridicule me during recitation1 and1 what is worse1 the principals will at the close of the week1 when the reports are read1 read off my reports and all the remarks which are made of me by the under-instructors1 and yet will not even say 7,i can say it with my whole heart7 that ,i exert myself all in my power4 ,and the deficiency is not for want of study4 ,nevertheless1 if it will do me any good1 if it will break down my proud spirit1 if it will make me depend more upon help from above than earthly help1 ,i will suffer it--yes1 rejoice in it4 8,i write to you1 ,harriet1 just as ,i would speak with you2 and if it seems to you that ,i am childish in feeling thus1 ,i can say perhaps ,i may be1 but there are feelings which ,i have long had1 and have wished to relate to some one whom ,i loved and who could advise me4 ,i have said little or nothing to any of my schoolmates concerning these things4 ,you inquired something concerning card-playing1 etc4 ,i don't know what to think about it4 ,i believe that there are little societies which meet at certain places for the purpose of playing4 ,it is not among the large boys only1 but among those of ten or twelve years of age1 and most all the boys say #8they would not play1 because it is forbidden by ,mr4 ,colton2 but they don't think there is any harm in it any more than there is in playing chess4' ,mr4 ,colton knows that the boys play1 and all that he has found out he has punished in some way or other2 but there are many that he has not found who still continue to play in secret places1 and it is not uncommon to hear little boys of eight or nine years old swearing most shockingly4 8,the bell is ringing and ,i must begin my studies now4 ,write soon4 ,your most affectionate brother1 8,,henry4 8,p4 ,s4 ,will you send me a few questions that will be good for a debating society8 ,we wish to get the best one we can for a public debate40 ,occasionally in some moment of frolicsome reminiscence he would tell one of his grandchildren of another kind of experience that belonged to these days4 ,bashful as he was and retiring by nature1 he was not by any means proof against the tender passion--in fact1 such a nature as his was just the one that its arrows would reach the earliest1 and into which they would strike deepest4 ,she was the sister of a schoolmate1 and her name was ,nancy4 ,all this vacation he had developed great fondness for this school friend2 was often at his house4 8,and there10 he said1 8,i would lean against the window and watch ,nancy sew1 she had such little pink fingers--how ,i wanted to take hold of them6 ,and then once in a while she would just glance up1 and ,i would be covered with hot and awkward confusion40 ,on one evening in particular he had spruced up his dress and screwed up his courage preparatory to making an evening call1 when1 as the family sat around the fire1 8,lyman10 said the mother1 without looking up from her lace knitting1 8,mount ,pleasant is an excellent school4 ,henry is improving very much4 ,he has grown tidy1 blacks his boots and brushes his hair1 and begins to pay a proper attention to his clothes40 8,at this point10 says ,mr4 ,beecher1 in telling the story1 8,charles gave an explosive giggle and punched me slyly4 ,father lowered his newspaper2 glancing over his glasses in our direction1 seeing me covered with confusion and ,charles full of suppressed laughter1 said dryly3 8#8,oh6 it is the school1 is it8 ,humph6 ,i guess the cause is nearer home4'0 8,how did it turn out1 grandpa80 8,oh6 she was older than ,i1 and married another fellow soon after4 ,a short time ago1 after a lecture in ,boston1 a little old lady introduced herself to me as #8,nancy ------4' ,but the charm was gone4 ,i shook the once tempting hand and felt neither awkward nor hot40 ,to some of his letters of this school-boy era he signs the initials ,h4 ,c4 ,b4 instead of ,h4 ,w4 ,b4 ,the adoption of this letter ,c came about from that enthusiasm of friendship which was always one of his marked characteristics4 ,the following is the history of the matter3 ,on the back of a sheet of letter-paper which we have before us1 folded as if for filing1 is written3 8,,henry ,w4 ,,beecher ,,constantine ,f4 ,,newell1 ,mount ,pleasant ,collegiate ,institution1 ,amherst1 ,mass40 ,opening it we read3 8,we do1 in the presence of ,god and his holy angels1 by our signatures1 mutually pledge ourselves to be and perform all things subjoined3 87#a7 ,we do pledge ourselves to be real1 lawful1 and everlasting brothers2 and that we will perform toward each other all the duties of brothers1 whether present or absent1 in health or in sickness1 in wealth or in poverty1 in prosperity or adversity2 and that we will love and watch over one another1 seeking by all means in our power to aid and make each other happy4 0,h4 ,c4 ,,beecher1 8,,constantine ,f4 ,,newell4 87#b7 ,if parted hereafter we pledge ourselves to write to one another once in two months1 provided we are both in the ,united ,states4 ,but if either shall remove or reside in any foreign land1 we will write four times each year1 that is1 once in three months1 unless we shall alter the arrangement4 0,h4 ,c4 ,,beecher1 8,,constantine ,f4 ,,newell4 87#c7 ,if we hear one another's character evil spoken of1 we pledge ourselves fearlessly to defend it and shield it from reproach4 0,h4 ,c4 ,,beecher1 8,,constantine ,f4 ,,newell4 87#d7 ,we will pass over the little faults which we may observe in each other1 nor will we reproach one another of any little misstep4 ,signatures omitted here4 87#e7 ,our sorrows and joys shall be common1 so that we may rejoice in mutual prosperity and assist one another in adversity4 0,h4 ,c4 ,,beecher1 8,,constantine ,f4 ,,newell4 8,and now we consider ourselves as brothers1 and we are bound together by ties and obligations as strong as can be placed upon us4 ,but we rather rejoice in the relationship1 as now it has converted our former friendship into brotherly love4 ,as formerly we were connected by nothing save voluntary friendship1 which could be broken off1 so now we are connected by a love which cannot be broken2 and we have pledged ourselves before ,god and his angels to be as written above4 ,but we do not sorrow on this account--far from it1 we greatly rejoice--for we have not done this thoughtlessly1 but being convinced by three years' friendship that we mutually love one another2 and from this time are now assumed new duties and obligations4 ,and to all the foregoing we cheerfully and voluntarily subscribe our names4 ,and now may ,god bless us in this our covenant and in all our future ways1 and receive us both at last in heaven4 8,h4 ,c4 ,,beecher1 8,,constantine ,f4 ,,newell4 8,,amherst1 ,april1 #ahcb40 ,the explanation of this singular paper is found in a very romantic history and friendship4 ,constantine ,fontellachi was a ,greek from the island of ,scio1 in the ,grecian ,archipelago4 ,his parents were killed by the ,turks in that terrible massacre of the ,sciotese which horrified the world in #ahbb4 ,constantine1 who was six or eight years old1 escaped and hid among the rocks upon the coast until he was discovered and taken off by a coasting vessel4 ,he made his way to the ,new ,world and was adopted by ,mrs4 ,newell1 of ,amherst1 as her own1 and sent to the ,mount ,pleasant school4 ,his romantic but sorrowful history1 his great beauty and grace of person1 captivated ,henry ,ward2 as he said3 8,he was the most beautiful thing ,i had ever seen4 ,he was like a young ,greek god4 ,when we boys used to go swimming together ,i would climb out on the bank to watch ,constantine swim1 he was so powerful1 so beautiful40 ,the brightness of his intellect and his kindliness of heart were equal to the beauty of his person1 and the admiration excited deepened into the warmest and most sincere affection4 ,it was like that between ,david and ,jonathan1 and appears to have been mutual4 ,when they separated at the close of their school-days1 one to enter college and the other to go into business in ,boston1 the above covenant was written1 admirable only as it illustrates what has been called ,mr4 ,beecher's genius for friendship4 ,returning to his native land in #ahdb1 ,constantine died very suddenly of cholera4 ,but even then the old friendship was not forgotten4 ,years after ,mr4 ,beecher gave to one of his sons 8,constantine0 as a middle name1 that he might have in his family one who should always remind him of the friend so greatly beloved4 ,we close this chapter with a letter of reminiscence of ,mount ,pleasant days4 8,,amherst1 ,,mass41 ,may #ag1 #ahdi4 0,,my ,,dear ,,eunice ,,and ,,very ,,dear ,,wife3 8,here am ,i in this memorable place4 ,it is now fifteen years since you received a letter from me dated as is this one4 ,it is twenty-three years since ,i first put my foot on the village sod6 ,it gives my head a whirl to look back so far1 or to hear myself1 with my young-looking face and younger-acting one1 talking of things that happened to me at such long distances of time4444 ,arrived at ,northampton about four o'clock2 took stage for ,amherst1 mounted on top for sight-seeing4 ,rode through the old town along by the ploughed fields to the bridge of memorable history4 ,all our experiences came very freshly back4 ,i thought ,i could tell the very places where ,i kissed you in our ride home4444 8,after emerging from this old town 7,hadley7 the colleges shone out from afar2 then ,mount ,pleasant gradually1 and one by one the various prominent dwellings in the village4 ,i put up at the ,baltwoods' old tavern4444 ,i first went to the college2 walked up and down and around in the various entries1 in the grove1 by the well1 in the chapel1 in each recitation-room4 ,then ,i went to each of the rooms which ,i occupied in college4 ,i sought out the spots which had a very melancholy interest from events in my morbid religious history4 ,i then turned my steps to ,mount ,pleasant4 ,i cannot tell the emotions that ,i had when ,i once more trod the grassy ascent where my opening manhood first fairly dawned4 ,as ,i walked up the long slope ,i almost thought that ,i should see the crowd of boys break forth from some door4 ,i stopped on the terrace where for three years ,i mustered with more than a hundred boys1 and whence we marched to chapel1 to meals1 to church1 etc4 ,as ,i stood there ,constantine seemed to rise up to greet me1 as he never will greet me2 ,hunt1 ,pomeroy1 ,french1 ,burt1 ,thayer1 ,tilghman1 ,dwight1 ,van ,lennep1 ,fitzgerald1 and scores of others4 ,the wings of the building1 the chapel1 the kitchen1 etc41 were all taken away1 so that the places where most ,i roomed1 and the veranda in which ,i used to sit and muse and feel the rise and swell of yearnings the meaning of which ,i did not know1 are all swept away4 ,here ,i spent the half-ideal and half-emotive1 dreamy hours in which ,i used to look across the beautiful ,connecticut ,river valley1 and at the blue mountains that hedged it in1 until my heart swelled and my eyes filled with tears2 why1 ,i could not tell4 ,then ,i would push out into the woods and romp with the wildest of them4 ,i visited the grove1 once beautiful1 now meagre and forlorn4 ,i went into the rear building2 each room brought up some forgotten scene1 some face remembered for good or ill4 ,i went to the room where ,i roomed early in my course4 ,the boys were at supper1 and so ,i sat down and meditated awhile4 ,the room in which ,i lived with ,fitzgerald was not to be found1 some changes in the interior of the house having shut it out from the entry where ,i formerly found it4 ,it was a strange mixture of old things found again and old things not to be found--of surprise and disappointment1 of things painful and of things joyful4 ,all my favorites1 the little fellows that ,i used to love and cherish1 their faces looked out at me at every turn4 ,i tried to find the trees1 growing three from a root1 on which ,i made steps and built a slat house up among the branches2 where ,i used to sit wind-rocked and read or muse1 cry and laugh1 just as the fancy took me4 ,it was gone4 ,there are twenty-five boys here at a select school4 ,they were playing down on the old football ground1 and the voices and shouts1 quips and jokes1 were so natural that ,i could hardly help plunging down the hill1 catching up a club1 and going into the game of ball with all my old ardor4 ,but they would have no remembrances to meet mine4 ,i should not have been ,hank ,beecher to them4444 ,good-by1 dear wife4 8,truly yours1 8,h4 ,w4 ,b4 8,love to all the children1 big and little40 ,for the benefit of all school-boys we call attention to some of the most marked features of this period in the life of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 as they appear from the extracts given and from other papers for which we have no space4 ,he was healthy and robust1 a favorite among the boys upon the play-ground1 who called him 8,hank0 ,beecher4 ,he was a leader in their sports1 and at the same time a champion of the younger and weaker boys4 ,he learned to master his work1 and by drill in school-room and gymnasium gained control of his own powers of body and mind4 ,he kept his eyes open to the beauty of the world around him1 and was very susceptible to the attractions of fair faces as well4 ,he was open and manly in following his religious convictions1 clean-mouthed and pure-hearted in his morals4 ,he pondered big matters1 and asked large questions1 and sought out satisfactory conclusions for himself and for his companions4 ,he looked for information in all directions1 and took great pains to store it away for future use4 ,he read good books and a great many of them1 and the novels he read were of the best kind4 ,withal he was a 8hail-fellow-well-met0 companion and a most devoted and faithful friend4 ,upon the authority of every word of testimony we have been able to get from teachers1 classmates1 and old residents of the town1 we declare him to have been a royal school-boy1 whose manly faithfulness1 kindly service1 stalwart morality1 and loving1 cheerful friendliness prepared him for the grand life which he afterwards lived and the great success which he achieved1 and make him a worthy example for all the ingenuous1 aspiring youth of our land4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,amherst ,college--,private ,journal--,testimony of ,classmates--,tutor's ,delight--,begins his ,anti-,slavery ,career--,spiritual ,darkness--,engagement--,letters of his ,mother--,experiences in ,teaching ,school--,first ,sermons--,lecturing--,his ,reading--,the ,record4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher entered ,amherst ,college in #ahcj in a class of forty members4 ,although prepared for the ,sophomore year1 yet1 following the advice of his father1 he entered as a ,freshman in the class of '#cd4 ,on the cover of a very commonplace-looking copy-book1 brown and yellow with age1 which we have in our possession1 he has written with a great many flourishes 8,private ,journal10 and then has added with equal emphasis1 8,not to be looked into40 ,but since he afterwards drew his pen through both clauses1 we have taken the liberty not only to look but also to make extracts from its contents4 ,the pages appear to have been written for the most part with reference to a correspondence which he was then carrying on with his brother ,charles1 referred to in the previous chapter1 many of the questions being apparently argued1 and incidents in the diary noted with him in view4 ,as a whole it forms a rather odd mixture of excellent sentiments1 religious doctrines1 questions and arguments1 studied illustrations and daily incidents1 showing an alert mind1 and one that1 while awake to observe the smallest events1 was equally ready to grapple with the largest subjects4 ,a list of eleven 8,tracts ,french0 on half the first page is followed on the blank spaces of the remainder with careless pen-scrawls in which the name of 8,nancy0 appears with attempts at monograms1 showing the pleasant fancies that possessed his idle moments4 8,tracts ,english0 heads the next page1 which is ruled for names and numbers2 but for some reason1 perhaps because the list was too great or the selection too difficult1 the plan was never carried out and not a single entry was made--a failure so human1 so common1 that it at once brings him into the sympathies of thousands who remember how often they have done the same thing4 8,occasional ,thoughts0 comes next1 printed with the pen in small caps in the middle of a page1 and surrounded with the usual artistic pen-decorations4 ,on the opposite page the thoughts begin4 ,the first is 8,proof of a ,hell40 8,i prove first that there must be a hell1 and then it will appear evident that there must be a judgment40 ,six pages of proof-texts and argument follow1 when we come to the next question3 8,who will enjoy heaven most80 ,when this has been answered1 somewhat more briefly than the former1 but apparently to his own satisfaction1 he opens the next subject3 8,i wish to ask you evidently addressed to his brother1 not as a question1 but for my own information1 what you think about the devil8 ,now1 this of itself is quite a curious question1 but what ,i wish to ask in this particular is1 ,do you think that he is at all under the divine direction as we are80 ,several pages of pithy sayings and illustrations follow1 of which the first three are fair samples3 8,god's plans are like a hive of bees1 for they seem to go on without any order till they are accomplished1 but then you can see a great plan4 ,each one seems to be pursuing something for itself1 but1 like the bees1 they at the end help to form one elegant edifice40 8,a half-way ,christian has too little piety to be happy in the next world1 and too much to be happy in this40 8,religion1 like fire1 will go out nearly as soon if no fuel is added to it as if water is poured on it40 ,these are not quotations1 but original1 and show thus early a habit already formed and a power already being educated of illustrating religious truth by natural objects and processes4 ,the last half of the book is used as a diary1 written mostly with a lead-pencil1 and opens with an account of his journey from ,boston to ,hartford on his way to enter college3 8,i started from ,boston ,tuesday eve at ten o'clock1 and1 riding all night1 ,i arrived in ,hartford in time to dine4 ,i took passage in the ,united ,states mail-stage4 ,it can hold but six passengers inside1 it being made light in order to travel fast4 ,i think that we travelled very fast1 for we went one hundred miles in about fifteen hours4 ,after ,i got into ,hartford ,i started off to find ,mary4 ,i went to her house1 and sent word that ,i wished to see ,mrs4 ,perkins4 ,after waiting awhile she came down-stairs1 and did not know me1 and ,i had to tell her who ,i was4 ,about five o'clock ,i went to see ,harriet and ,catharine4 ,catharine knew me1 but ,harriet did not4 ,she could not think what to make of it when ,i went up and kissed her4 8,i shall now begin my journal3 8,catharine wishes me to go to her leve to-night4 ,don't want to much1 but conclude that ,i will4 ,went before any of the company came4 ,went into ,catharine's room and sat till it was time to go down4 ,the company began to come in1 at first ladies1 like flocks of pigeons1 stringing along through the parlors2 soon also the gentlemen began to come in4 ,in the meantime ,i was sitting by the side of the pianoforte1 alone and #8unbefriended1' looking at the different groups of persons talking4 ,at length ,harriet came and sat down by me1 and ,i had quite a talk2 but she wishing me to go with her into the other parlor1 where a great many young ladies and no gentlemen were sitting1 ,i refused1 whereupon she kept pressing me1 till at length1 when she got up to go and speak with some one on the other side of the room1 ,i seized the opportunity1 and very quickly started for the door1 but unluckily ran against a gentleman1 knocked him half-over1 made an apology1 and got into the entry4 ,nor did my scrape end here2 for1 getting my hat1 ,i perceived that they saw me from the parlors1 and1 getting the other side of the entry to hide myself from them1 ,i espied six or seven young ladies seated on the stairs1 watching to see what ,i was a-going to do4 ,well1 ,i went back to the table where ,i had taken my hat1 and from there whipped out of the door4 ,after ,i had got home ,i sat and talked with ,aunt ,esther and ,mary for a few moments1 and then ,i went out to get a lamp4 ,the stairs1 ,i thought1 were in this shape3 ,illustration but instead of that they were in this way3 ,illustration ,you know when they are moved round in that way there are four or five steps that meet in one point1 a1 and branch at b1 so you cannot step on them except at b4 ,well1 ,i stepped down at a and fell five stairs head-first--stretching my hands forward saved my cranium--and tumbled the rest of the way1 to the no small annoyance of my shins and knees4 ,so much for running away from the leve40 8,catharine and ,harriet came to tea1 after which ,i went home with them1 when ,harriet put her curls on to my head and her bonnet1 ,catharine a cloak and neck-handkerchief1 and then called the young ladies in1 and they all thought that ,i was ,harriet2 and then1 to cap all1 ,harriet put on a man's cloak and my hat1 and she looked exactly like you ,charles60 ,such was ,henry ,ward ,beecher at the age of seventeen1 on the eve of entering college--bashful1 smooth-faced1 and changing rapidly in appearance1 so that his own sisters did not know him4 ,the penmanship shows as yet an unformed hand1 but in its main features is like that of a later date4 ,he carelessly leaves out a word or a letter here and there1 and markedly in places continues the old habit of his early school days--poor spelling4 ,nothing appears that indicates any talent superior to the majority of young men on their way to college1 unless it be a certain enthusiasm1 straightforwardness1 and simplicity4 ,the college at this time was but nine years old1 having been established in #ahba4 ,rev4 ,heman ,humphrey was president4 ,it was small and poorly endowed1 as well as young1 but the chairs of instruction were ably filled2 and since it had been founded by the orthodox ,congregationalists as1 in fact1 an antidote to the ,unitarianism of ,harvard1 and with especial reference to the education of young men for the ministry1 its orthodoxy was unquestioned and its religious spirit pronounced and active4 ,by reason of his excellent preparation and the admirable mental training he had received1 either of two courses were open to ,henry ,ward4 ,he might aspire to lead his class in scholarship1 become a 8high-honor0 man1 and possibly take the valedictory1 or use the time which he had at his disposal in following out those studies and readings that were to his taste4 ,he chose the latter1 and1 while giving sufficient study to the college course to preserve a respectable standing in his class1 gave his greatest effort to carrying out his own plan of development and culture4 8,i had acquired by the ,latin and mathematics the power of study10 he says4 8,i knew how to study1 and ,i turned it upon things ,i wanted to know40 ,the beauty of the ,greek and ,latin classics did not attract him2 it seemed cold and far away1 belonging to another time and another order of mind2 but our ,english classics1 with their warmth of feeling1 their lofty imagination1 their delicate sentiment1 their power and eloquence1 seemed akin and near to him2 they had to do with the present1 and he gave himself to their study with a whole-hearted enthusiasm that rendered him peculiarly open to their influences4 ,inspired and fed by them as to what to say1 he also gave especial attention to the manner of saying it4 ,rhetoric and oratory were diligently pursued throughout his college course4 ,in these departments he seems1 according to the testimony of his class and college mates1 to have excelled then almost as markedly as he has since4 ,says ,dr4 ,thomas ,p4 ,field3 8,the first thing ,i particularly remember about him in college was this3 ,i went into our class prayer-meeting on ,saturday evening1 and young ,beecher gave an exhortation4 ,he urged us to a higher life and more constant activity in religious work4 ,i heard him a great many times after he became a famous preacher1 but ,i think ,i never was more moved by his eloquence than in that boys' prayer-meeting4 ,in the regular routine of our studies ,i always was aroused and astonished by his extemporaneous debates4 ,he surpassed all the rest of us then in extemporaneous power of speech as much as he did in his after-life4 ,there was where he seemed to me particularly to excel as a student4 ,in mere recitation of mathematics or languages many of us could surpass him1 but in extemporaneous debates he could beat us all4 ,i was always greatly interested1 too1 in his written essays4 ,we were in the habit of reading our essays to the professors in the class-room4 ,your father always had something to say that was fresh and striking and out of the beaten track of thought--something1 too1 that he had not gotten from books1 but that was the product of his own thinking40 ,dr4 ,john ,haven1 another classmate1 says of him3 8,he was a great reader1 and probably had more general knowledge than any one of his classmates when he graduated40 ,says ,lewis ,tappan1 a classmate3 8,in logic and class debates no one could approach him4 ,i listened to his flow of impassioned eloquence in those my youthful days with wonder and admiration40 ,s4 ,hopkins ,emery1 another classmate1 in answer to a letter1 writes3 8,nobody could be gloomy or desponding near your father4 ,he made us all cheerful and happy4 ,do ,i remember him in college8 ,indeed ,i do--more than ,i have time to write or you patience1 perhaps1 to read4 ,it seems but yesterday that ,i was reading a composition in the lecture-room of ,professor ,worcester4 ,beecher sat just behind me4 ,i had finished reading1 when ,i heard a friendly whisper in my ear3 #8,emery1 your porch is too large for the house4' ,it was a good criticism4 ,in such college studies which had to do with writing and speaking the ,english language your father excelled4 ,the dead languages and mathematics never seemed to suit his taste4 ,he might have excelled in them if he had been so minded4 ,he was equal to anything he undertook4 ,no one was his match in extemporaneous talk or debate40 ,this power and its exercise upon one memorable occasion was fraught1 according to a college mate1 ,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,hanks1 with very marked consequences3 8,in the annual ,sophomore and ,freshman fray the former found themselves engaged with a force that was more than a match for them1 and their pranks upon the ,freshmen got repaid with much more than the usual interest4 ,in consequence of this a meeting of all the classes in college was held to protest against the barbarities of this customary war1 in which the smoke of the battle usually found its way into the ,freshmen's rooms4 ,at this meeting a leading member of the ,junior class1 finding the ,sophomores a little wanting in courage and speaking talent1 volunteered to act as their attorney1 and made a telling and crushing speech against the ,freshmen class for their hard handling of the ,sophomores1 who had only followed an old custom in their treatment of the ,freshmen4 ,at the close of this speech by the #8leading ,junior1' ,beecher arose and said he wished to say a word on the other side1 whereupon he #8went for' the ,junior in a speech full of wit and point1 which altogether #8turned the tables' to the great amusement of all present and the great annoyance of the #8leading ,junior4' ,when the meeting broke up the ,goliah of the ,junior class found himself suffering from a wound which the little smooth stone from the sling of the hitherto unknown ,freshman had made4 ,this was a new experience for the proud ,junior1 and the wound rankled4 8,it seems never to have been forgotten4 ,time passed on and the #8leading ,junior' became a leading lawyer1 jurist1 judge1 and ,democratic politician1 and when the great scandal arose volunteered a very strong argument against ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,it had great weight in some quarters1 but was less convincing to those parties who remembered that this judge was eagerly embracing the first opportunity that had offered of paying off an old score of their college days40 8,he was whole-souled and hearty1 humorous in the extreme but without a particle of viciousness1 a reformer and an earnest man40 ,this is again the testimony of his classmate1 ,dr4 ,field4 8,we would often gather on the steps of the chapel1 a number of us incidentally1 and if your father was in the gathering we always had much wit and sparkling repartee1 and anecdote and description1 all of which seemed to be infused by your father1 and of which1 indeed1 he was the greater part4 ,he always seemed full of health and hilarity1 and yet1 after all1 there was a prevailing seriousness1 an earnest purpose1 a determination to be a good and true man4 ,i never knew anything of him but what was good1 and great1 and orderly1 and becoming a ,christian4 ,i have heard persons say he was wild in college4 ,nothing more untrue4 ,i never heard him utter a word1 and never heard of his doing a deed1 that was contrary to the rules of morality and propriety4 ,he would criticise some things in college studies1 etc4 ,i remember his maintaining very decidedly that the study of mathematics was not a good discipline for the mind1 but he never set himself against college rules of order4 ,he was a strong temperance man1 and was very bold to rebuke his fellow-students in anything he thought to be wrong40 ,of his social and humorous qualities ,mrs4 ,stowe says3 8,in fact1 ,mr4 ,beecher was generally the centre of a circle of tempestuous merriment1 ever eddying round him in one droll form or another4 8,he was quick in repartee1 an excellent mimic1 and his stories would set the gravest in a roar4 ,he had the art1 when admonished by graver people1 of somehow entrapping them into more uproarious laughing than he himself practised1 and then looking innocently surprised4 8,mr4 ,beecher on one occasion was informed that the head tutor of the class was about to make him a grave exhortatory visit4 ,the tutor was almost seven feet high1 and as solemn as an ,alpine forest4 ,but ,mr4 ,beecher knew that1 like most solemn ,yankees1 he was at heart a deplorable wag1 a mere whited sepulchre of conscientious gravity1 with measureless depths of unrenewed chuckle hid away in the depths of his heart4 ,when apprised of his approach he suddenly whisked away into his closet the chairs of his room1 leaving only a low one which had been sawed off at the second joint1 so that it stood about a foot from the floor4 ,then he crawled through the hole in that study-table which he had made after a peculiar plan of his own1 and1 seated meekly among his books1 awaited the visit4 8,a grave rap is heard4 #8,come in4' ,far up in the air the solemn dark face appears4 ,mr4 ,beecher rose ingenuously and offered to come out4 #8,no1 never mind1' says the visitor2 #8,i just came to have a little conversation with you4 ,don't move4' 8#8,oh6' says ,beecher innocently1 #8pray sit down1 sir1' indicating the only chair4 8,the tutor looked apprehensively1 but began the process of sitting down4 ,he went down1 down1 down1 but still no solid ground being gained1 straightened himself up and looked uneasy4 8#8,i don't know but that chair is too low for you2 do let me get you another1' said ,beecher meekly4 8#8,oh6 no1 my young friend1 don't rise1 don't trouble yourself2 it is perfectly agreeable to me2 in fact1 ,i like a low seat4' ,and with these words the tall man doubled up like a jack-knife1 and was seen sitting with his grave face between his knees1 like a grasshopper drawn up for a spring4 ,he heaved a deep sigh and his eyes met the eyes of ,mr4 ,beecher2 the hidden spark of native depravity within him was exploded by one glance at those merry eyes1 and he burst into a loud roar of merriment1 which the two continued for some time1 greatly to the amusement of the boys who were watching to hear how ,beecher would come out with his lecture4 ,the chair was known thereafter as the #8,tutor's ,delight4'0 ,he carried his usual sports with him into college life4 8,on ,saturday afternoons10 says ,lewis ,tappan1 8we often revisited the woods in the rear of our former home1 on which occasion your father would climb the tallest trees and place a pillow-case over the holes where the flying squirrels were4 ,i on the ground rapped the trees1 startling the inmates1 who were caught in their efforts to escape4 8,botanical and geological specimens were collected on the way1 and in his room your father had a good collection of the latter40 ,he joined a club of eight who boarded a mile from college1 that the going and returning for their meals might give them six miles of exercise a day4 ,this was done in part to save expense1 the board being cheaper at that distance from the village4 ,he also walked from college to ,boston1 more than a hundred miles1 on his vacations1 for the same reason4 ,yet1 with all his care in economy1 and although his board cost him but #a4ej a week1 it was thought at one time impossible to keep him in college on account of the expense1 as this letter1 written by a friend of the family during his ,freshman year1 will explain3 8,while ,henry and ,charles were in college your father and mother felt very much straitened for money4 ,one evening particularly they were talking about it1 and did not know what they should do to keep the boys along4 ,at last your father said3 #8,well1 the ,lord always has taken care of me1 and ,i am sure he always will4' ,the mother lay awake1 she told me afterwards1 and cried4 ,she cried because she did not see how they should get along2 but what most troubled her was that her husband had so much faith and she had not any4 8,the next morning was ,sabbath morning4 ,some one rang at the door1 and a letter was handed in containing a #ajj bill and no name4 ,they came up to tell me1 as they always did1 but they did not know1 nor ,i then1 who gave it4 ,i found out afterwards it was ,mr4 ,homes--a thank-offering at the conversion of one of his children48 ,the following letter1 written near the close of his ,freshman year1 shows the bent of his mind at this period3 0,,my ,,dear ,,sister3 8,i write principally to tell you that ,i have sent the #8,book of ,nature1' and that it is probably at the stage-house4 8,but ,i want to consult you on a plan that ,i have formed--for ,i possess real ,beecher blood in the matter of planning4 ,it is this3 ,in my six weeks' vacation1 and in the four weeks' one1 ,i mean to attach myself as some kind of agent to the ,bible1 or ,tract1 or ,education1 or some other society1 wherever ,i can1 and travel round to the small towns at a distance1 and collect funds or distribute ,bibles and tracts1 or something like that1 or do something or other--of course ,i can't tell what they may want me to do4 8,i shall in a month or two be eighteen years old1 and ,i think that that is old enough to begin to do something4 ,i can get letters of the president and professors here and of gentlemen of ,boston to establish my mission1 so that folks will not think that ,i am collecting for my own purposes under the name of some society4 ,will you write to me about it8 ,tell ,c4 that ,i have engaged one to hear me recite botany4 ,i am going to establish a daily prayer-meeting here1 and pray for a revival4 ,pray for us1 too4 ,mount ,pleasant is in a very bad state4 ,lotteries are here without number--five dollars is the highest prize--and books and everything else1 morals and all1 are going1 ,i believe1 and the masters 7blind fellows7 know nothing of it1 although one of the monitors handed in to ,mr4 ,fellowes a lottery scheme instead of his report in the division4 8,give my love to ,mary and husband1 ,catherine1 ,cos4 ,elizabeth1 and all who care for me1 taking a goodly portion to yourself4 8,your ,brother1 8,h4 ,c4 ,b40 ,lest we get a stronger impression of his sanctity at this time than the facts would warrant1 we add this incident1 related by himself1 of one of his vacation experiences in ,boston that has in it a very decided flavor of humorous and unsanctified humanity3 8,looking for a friend1 ,i rapped at the door where ,i thought he lived4 ,the door stuck1 but at last flew open after a good deal of tugging from the other side1 and a very red-faced woman appeared and asked in a very cross tone what ,i wanted4 #8,does ,mr4 ------ live here8' ,i asked very meekly4 #8,no1 he don't6' snapped the woman1 and slammed the door in my face4 ,i thought ,i would teach her a lesson2 so1 after ,i had walked a little ways to give her time to get to work1 ,i went back and rapped again as if ,i wanted to tear the knocker off4 ,and when the same woman opened the door ,i shouted at the top of my voice1 #8,who said he did8' and then turned and walked away4 ,when ,i reached the corner the woman was still gazing after me in amazed silence40 ,it was at ,amherst that young ,beecher began his anti-slavery career1 as he tells us in his sermon upon the death of ,wendell ,phillips3 8,fifty years ago1 during my college life1 ,i was chosen by the ,athenian ,society to debate the question of ,african colonization1 which then was new1 fresh1 and enthusiastic4444 ,fortunately ,i was assigned to the negative side of the question1 and in preparing to speak ,i prepared my whole life4 ,i contended against colonization as a condition of emancipation--enforced colonization was but little better than enforced slavery--and advocated immediate emancipation on the broad ground of human rights4 ,i knew but very little then1 but ,i knew this1 that all men are designed of ,god to be free1 a fact which ought to be the text of every man's life--this sacredness of humanity as given of ,god1 redeemed from animalism by ,jesus ,christ1 crowned and clothed with rights that no law nor oppression should dare touch40 ,of his religious life at this period we give the story in his own words3 8,when ,i went to college there was a revival there1 in which ,i was prodigiously waked up4 ,i was then about seventeen years old1 and ,i had begun to pass from boyhood to manhood1 but ,i was yet in an unsettled state of mind4 ,i had no firm religious ground to stand upon4 ,i was beginning to slough hereditary influences without being able to take on more salutary influences1 and ,i went through another phase of suffering which was far worse than any that ,i had previously experienced4 ,it seemed as though all the darknesses of my childhood were mere puffs to the blackness which ,i was now passing through4 ,my feeling was such that if dragging myself on my belly through the street had promised any chance of resulting in good ,i would have done it4 ,no man was so mean that ,i was not willing to ask him to pray for me4 ,there was no humiliation that ,i would not have submitted to ten thousand times over if thereby ,i could have found relief from the doubt1 perplexity1 and fear which tormented me4 8,i went to ,dr4 ,humphrey in my darkness of soul and said3 #8,i am without hope and am utterly wretched1 and ,i want to be a ,christian4' ,he sat and looked with great compassion upon me 7for he was one of the best men on earth2 if there is a saint in heaven ,dr4 ,humphrey is one71 and said3 #8,ah6 it is the ,spirit of ,god1 my young man2 and when the ,spirit of ,god is at work with a soul ,i dare not interfere4' ,and ,i went away in blacker darkness than ,i came1 if possible4 8,i went to an inquiry-meeting which ,professor ,hitchcock was conducting1 and when he saw me there he said3 #8,my friends1 ,i am so overwhelmed with the consciousness of ,god's presence in this room that ,i cannot speak a word4' ,and he stopped talking1 and ,i got up and went out without obtaining rescue or help4 8,then ,i resorted to prayer1 and frequently prayed all night--or should have done so if ,i had not gone to sleep2 ,i tried a great many devices2 ,i strove with terrific earnestness and tremendous strength2 and ,i remember that one night1 when ,i knelt before the fire where ,i had been studying and praying1 there came the thought to my mind3 #8,will ,god permit the devil to have charge of one of his children that does not want to be deceived8' and in an instant there rose up in me such a sense of ,god's taking care of those who put their trust in him that for an hour all the world was crystalline1 the heavens were lucid1 and ,i sprang to my feet and began to cry and laugh2 and1 feeling that ,i must tell somebody what the ,lord had done for me1 ,i went and told ,dr4 ,humphrey and others4 8,i endeavored1 from that time out1 to help those who were in trouble of mind like that in which ,i had been whelmed2 and yet ,i was in a sort of half-despair40 ,it was in one of these half-despairing moods1 doubtless1 that he sought counsel from ,moody ,harrington1 of whose piety and wisdom in directing inquirers he has often spoken4 ,harrington's room-mate writes3 8,it was in the midst of this great religious movement that one day ,henry ,ward ,beecher came to our room--how distinctly ,i remember it6--and1 with a countenance betokening a mighty pressure upon his spirit1 said substantially3 #8,harrington1 ,i am in great distress1 in spiritual darkness2 ,i don't think ,i have any religion4 ,i've come to talk with you4' ,my room-mate took him into his bedroom and talked and prayed with him a long time1 and when the young man came out from that interview his face seemed radiant with hope and peace4 ,years after ,beecher had become famous he would repeatedly speak of ,harrington as having been to him a spiritual helper beyond that of any other man he had known40 ,his first talk in a religious meeting outside the school or college is thus described3 8,i think it must have been late in my ,freshman career at ,amherst ,college or in my ,sophomore4 ,my mind was much stirred and distressed at that time on the subject of religion4 ,in the class above1 one ,moody ,harrington took much interest in me4 ,he was in some respects a remarkable man for profound religious feeling1 for fervid imagination1 and for remarkable eloquence in exhortation4 ,he lifted me by his personal sympathy and his encouragement out of great despondency and set me on my feet with some tremblings of heart4 ,on one occasion he asked me to walk with him one evening to ,logtown to a little prayer and conference meeting4 ,after ,harrington had spoken for a while he turned to me all unexpectedly and asked me to make some remarks4 ,i was confounded4 ,i rose and said something--,i do not know what1 nor did ,i quite know then1 for everything was whirling darkness while ,i was speaking1 but it was the letting out of waters4 ,i never ride past the ,dwight house without going out of the cars to look over the place and to bring back to memory that dismal night1 and that dismal speech1 and the dismal walk back to college1 ashamed and silent40 ,another important event took place in his ,sophomore year1 ,january #b1 #ahcb4 ,he became engaged to ,eunice ,white ,bullard1 daughter of ,dr4 ,artemas ,bullard1 of ,west ,sutton1 ,mass4 ,of this event1 the preceding and succeeding acquaintance1 our dear mother has written in a paper entitled 8,looking ,back10 of which she says3 8,of course all this is no help to you in preparing your father's life1 but ,i sit and dream of the past and write just as it rises before me1 as fresh as if but yesterday1 hoping by doing so something may come to me that will be of service to you40 ,we shall give her notes just as she has written them1 leaving it for our readers to judge whether or not they are of any service3 8,,looking ,,back4 8,fifty-seven years ago last ,may1 #ahca1 my brother ,ebenezer1 then in his ,freshman year in ,amherst ,college1 wrote3 #8,the term closes this week4 ,i shall walk home 7fifty miles71 and would like to bring two of my classmates with me4 ,we shall start before the sun and hope to be with you by supper-time4 ,don't be at any more trouble than if there were three ,ebenezers coming home4' 8,no2 of course not6 ,sickness in the village made it impossible to get help that summer1 and mother and ,i were doing the work alone for a very large family1 so large that a half-dozen more or less made little difference4 8,in good time for supper1 weary and travel-soiled1 my brother and his two friends made their appearance3 one a tall1 very dark-complexioned gentleman1 the other a very verdant-looking youth1 a ,freshman of not quite eighteen--an age when one is prepared to find a young man awkward and painfully embarrassed1 and to look with dismay on the prospect of trying to entertain and make him comfortable4 8,but even then the roguish mouth1 the laughing1 merry eyes1 the quaint humor and quick repartee1 very soon put all such anxiety to flight4 ,this was ,henry ,ward ,beecher as ,i first saw him4 ,truth to tell1 an exceedingly homely young man4 ,but1 in youth or old age1 who ever thought of that1 or1 thinking1 believed it after being with him an hour8 ,before that first evening was ended none of the family thought of him as a stranger2 he was thoroughly at home with all4 ,there were truly #8only three ,ebenezers there1' each equally ready for quiet conversation1 music1 fun1 repartee1 or teasing2 but the youngest of the three was the most expert in the latter accomplishment4 8,after our outside work was done mother and ,i took knitting and sewing and sat down with them4 ,i was going to wind a skein of sewing-silk 7that was before spools were common71 and1 as was my custom1 put it over the back of a chair4 ,more gallant and thoughtful1 apparently1 than his older companions1 this young gentleman insisted upon holding it for me to wind4 ,for some reason--perfectly unaccountable if one judged only by his quiet1 innocent face1 without watching the eyes and mouth--that skein became as intricately tangled as if tied by ,macbeth's witches4 #8,a badly tangled skein1 is it not8' said he1 when ,i had lost half my evening in getting it wound4 #8,rather more troublesome1 ,i imagine1 than if ,i had kept it on the chair1' ,i replied4 #8,it was a good trial of patience1 anyhow1' was his response to the laugh that followed4 8,even my quiet mother was not exempt from some of his mirthful sallies1 but he carried1 in all his fun1 such an inexhaustible store of gentleness and good-humor that ,i think she really enjoyed it4 ,often in after-years she used to say that ,henry always made her feel young again4 8,my father had been called out some distance to see a patient and had not yet met the #8three ,ebenezers1' but came in just as we were all laughing heartily at some story ,henry had told4 ,he stood in the doorway1 tall1 dignified1 and somewhat stern4 ,when at last we became conscious of his presence brother at once came forward and introduced his classmates4 ,father received them courteously1 but a little of the sternness still lingered on his face as he took the chair which1 without the least appearance of boldness1 somehow young ,mr4 ,beecher was the first to bring him1 yet in no way seeming to put himself forward4 ,little by little the same subtle influence that had pervaded the whole evening's enjoyment began to steal over father4 ,the little cloud seen at first vanished1 and long before it was time to retire my father was telling stories and ,henry following with another as freely as if they had been boys together4 8,the others joined1 but it was to young ,beecher that father was most drawn4 ,when the #8good-nights' were said1 and while ,i went to the dairy to make some preparations for breakfast1 father and mother took counsel together about the work for the morrow and various matters2 but just as ,i returned father was saying3 #8,he's smart4 ,if he lives he'll make his mark in the world4' #8,who1 father8' ,i asked4 #8,why1 young ,beecher4' 7,but father didn't quite like the #8mark' he made a few months later--#8,nothing but a boy6'7 8,the visit was prolonged some days1 and there was no end to the fun and frolic4 ,your father was constantly investigating1 and by no means lacked assistance from my brother and his other more demure classmate1 who1 however1 stayed only part of the time4 8,mother and ,i were necessarily much of the time busy in the kitchen1 milk-cellar1 dairy1 etc41 but these young collegians found those places most attractive4 ,the gentle way mother smiled at all the younger one's mischievous pranks was a source of perpetual delight to him4 ,he always said he fell in love with my mother1 and1 not being able to get her1 took up with me4 8,one day1 in taking out the bread1 pies1 etc41 from the old-fashioned brick oven with the long-handled shovel1 she dropped some ashes on one of the pies1 and called me from the dairy to get it off while she removed other articles4 ,your father sprang forward4 #8,no1 no2 ,i will get it off for you1' and1 respectfully taking it from her hands1 the three1 without her seeing the mischief1 marched off with it into the garden1 and1 seating themselves under a big apple-tree1 ate it all up4 ,this labor of love accomplished1 the others rather held back from proclaiming it1 but your father demurely walked in and handed mother the empty plate1 saying3 #8,there6 see1 we have cleaned the plate nicely6' 8,one evening your uncle told him one of their classmates was engaged to ,miss ------4 #8,i don't believe it1' said young ,beecher4 #8,she knows nothing about singing1 and ,i am sure ,f------ would never marry one who did not4 ,i know ,i never would marry a woman who could not sing4' ,short-sighted mortal6 ,in the evening brother asked him to get his flute and have some music4 ,he did so1 and after a short time asked me to sing4 ,i replied3 #8,i can't2 ,i never sang a note in my life4' 8,in the summer and fall after first meeting your father ,i taught school in ,clappville1 ,south ,leicester1 ,mass41 and at the commencement of his fall vacation at ,amherst ,henry found it necessary to go from ,amherst to ,boston 7thinking it shorter1 perhaps67 via ,clappville1 and entered my school-room just as ,i was dismissing the school for the day4 ,he spent the evening at ,brother ,jones's1 where ,i was boarding1 and1 incidentally of course1 remarked that he understood ,i was intending to visit my aunt in ,whitingsville during the winter4 ,i replied that after my school closed ,i was thinking of having a play-spell before taking another1 and might be there at least through ,december4 8,after my school closed1 while spending some time at home before my visit to my aunt1 he called at father's1 and incidentally 7again7 remarked that he had been requested to teach the town school in ,northbridge1 and was to board at a ,mr4 ,fletcher's 7,whitingsville was only a part of ,northbridge1 and he knew it all the time74 8#8,why1' said my father1 #8that's where ,eunice will be4 ,now1 child1 you have been teasing to go to some academy this winter and go on with your ,latin1 but1' turning to the demure1 quiet-looking young man1 who had not seemed to pay any attention to what was going on--#8but she has overworked the past few months1 and ,i won't let her go to school4 ,perhaps1 as you are to board at her aunt's and she will be there a short time1 you might give her some help if she is in trouble with her ,latin6' ,strange as it may seem1 he didn't appear to feel it an intrusion1 but professed himself as very ready to render me any service4 ,even my clear-sighted mother saw nothing out of the way in father's suggestion4 #8,he was such a boy6' as she said afterward4 ,neither did ,i1 as ,i might have done had he been older2 only1 even though he was now a ,sophomore1 ,i didn't believe he could help me much--,i who had been a school-ma'am for three terms6 ,and how young and boyish he did look6 ,but 7an after-thought7 he might1 after all1 know much more than his looks led us to give him credit for4 8,he came to uncle's a week after ,i did1 one ,saturday1 so as to be ready to begin school ,monday4 ,that evening 7,january #b1 #ahcb7 the young teacher1 my cousin1 a young lad who was to be under his care1 and myself were all in the parlor writing4 ,uncle and aunt were out calling4 ,he interrupted my writing by asking how far ,i had progressed in ,latin4 ,was ,i perfect in the ,latin grammar8 ,could ,i conjugate all the verbs8 etc4 ,i thought it a queer way to begin teaching1 but ,i said1 #8,oh6 yes2 ,i think so4' #8,suppose you try some of them1 and let me see how well you understand them4' ,i laughed to myself1 for ,i was sure ,i knew them perfectly1 and rather thought ,i knew them as well as my teacher2 but ,i respectfully conjugated the verbs as he gave them out1 and at last1 #8,go through the verb 8amo40' ,i did so1 soberly1 honestly1 without a thought of any mischievous intentions4 ,i went through it creditably1 and was told that the lesson was perfect4 8,i then turned to my writing1 and soon after he slipped a bit of paper on to my writing-desk3 #8,will you go with me as missionary to the ,west8' ,a few minutes after my cousin finished his studies for the evening and went to bed4 ,then some few short questions ensued and a few shorter answers not necessary to repeat4 ,but1 as the embarrassment consequent upon such abrupt and unexpected questions had somewhat diminished1 he urged a more decided1 definite answer from me personally4 ,simply referring him to my parents did not satisfy him1 so ,i quietly remarked3 #8,why6 ,i can't sing1 and only a short time since you said you would never marry a woman who could not sing6' #8,oh6 that was six months ago1 and ,i have changed my mind4' #8,and in six months from now you may change it again4' #8,no6 ,i did change it the very minute you said that night that you never sang4 ,there is no fear of my changing again4' 8,the next day1 ,sabbath1 uncle's horse shied going to church1 and tipped us all out of the sleigh2 and ,henry was so anxious to know if ,i were hurt1 paying no attention to others1 that he awakened uncle's suspicions4 8,that week at the week-day evening meeting 7,preparatory ,lecture7 ,henry was called to speak1 and did wonderfully well1 to the great surprise of all who heard that #8young lad4' ,after that1 while he stayed at ,whitingsville1 he spoke at almost all the evening meetings1 and always with increasing surprise and acceptance4 ,i do not remember your father's alluding to those meetings but once1 and that1 ,i think1 was to an ,english friend who called when we lived on #8,the ,heights4' ,he said1 smiling3 #8,whitingsville was my first pastorate4 ,while teaching there one winter ,i spoke there several times and in some other places near by4' 8,the next ,saturday after giving me that momentous question on that little slip of paper1 ,henry rode to ,west ,sutton and spoke to father and mother1 to their infinite surprise4 ,mother was grieved1 but father was very angry4 #8,why1 you are a couple of babies6 ,you don't know your own minds yet1 and won't for some years to come1' he repeated over and over again4 7,fifty-seven years have given ample proof that we did47 ,but father was grieved1 mortified1 angry that he should have been so blind4 ,but who could resist your father when he pleaded in earnest8 ,mother often spoke of it long after we were married4 ,she said it was wonderful how he swayed that strong1 proud man1 my father1 who winced at being outgeneralled by a boy4 ,his extremely youthful appearance perfectly blinded them both4 ,but mother was soon only a listener1 charmed by the modest1 manly1 earnest manner1 illumined occasionally by flashes of humor1 with which he opened his heart to father and finally overcame him4 ,from the first ,henry's youth and the long engagement was father's only objection1 and the fear that1 as he grew older1 he would repent of such imprudence4 8,from the first hour father saw him he was drawn to him1 and when he left after this conversation1 and returned to ,whitingsville1 father said3 #8,boy as he seems1 he will be true to ,eunice2 ,i have no fear on that score4' ,just before your father came to teach several branches he went a few miles out from ,amherst and gave a lecture1 ,i think on temperance 7am not quite sure71 for which he received five dollars4 ,with it1 among other things1 he bought me ,baxter's #8,saint's ,rest'--not a usual love-token--and some paper that was for me if his suit prospered4 ,on the fly-leaf of the little book1 in pencil1 were the following lines3 #8,take it2 'tis a gift of love ,that seeks thy good alone2 ,keep it for the giver's sake1 ,and read it for thine own4' 8,before his next vacation he walked to ,brattleboro'1 ,vermont1 gave a lecture1 received ten dollars1 and then bought our engagement-ring1 a plain gold ring1 which was also my wedding-ring4 ,with the remainder he bought books4 8,the three years in college soon passed4 ,we only met once in three months--vacations--and there was nothing unusual to record4 ,the #8young boy1' #8too young to know what he was about1' as we were so often told1 went on toward manhood1 unshaken by opposition1 laughing at all prophecies of inconstancy or change1 and then we bade farewell for four years while ,henry went to ,lane ,seminary1 ,walnut ,hills1 ,ohio1 for his theological course40 ,somewhere ,father ,beecher has described a 8,saxon courtship0 as 8a grave and serious thing4 ,it is a matter of consideration4 ,i have known a proposal of love to be stated like a proposition1 and calmly argued for and against with far less warmth than ,luther would have felt in debating a thesis4 ,indeed1 many courtships are like attempts at kindling fires with green wood--a few starveling coals are heaped together1 a mere spark dances in and out upon the inhospitable charcoal1 and disappears on one side as fast as it appears on the other4 ,but by all manner of shavings and bits of paper--mere trinkets1 as it were1 and billet-doux--a slight flame is got up1 which strives1 with doubtful prospect1 to convert the smoke into blaze4 ,the bellows are called in1 the fire is fairly driven up to its work1 the green sticks begin to sizzle at either end2 and though at last1 when the heat triumphs1 the fire is large and lasting1 the poor fellow that kindled it had to work for it40 ,now1 we never could bring ourselves to asking direct questions1 and we do not suppose that we should ever have been any wiser if we had2 but1 from the references sometimes made to riding through covered bridges1 from the comical look that would come to his face and the blushes that would be sure to come to her cheeks when the raillery around the table became hot and personal1 we were led to believe that this was not their kind4 ,on two leaves of his diary1 written probably while at his home in ,boston in the vacation that followed his ,freshman year1 and during the summer in which he had made the acquaintance of ,miss ,bullard1 we find the following3 8,sept4 #c1 #ahca1 ,sab4 morn4--,i found the correspondence of my father and own mother this morning1 and eagerly sought out her letters and read them4 ,o my mother6 ,i could not help kissing the letters4 ,i looked at the paper and thought that her hand had rested upon it while writing it4 ,the hand of my mother6 ,she had formed every letter which ,i saw4 ,she had looked upon that paper which ,i now looked upon4 ,she had folded it4 ,she had sent it4 ,but ,i found out more of her mind than ,i ever knew before2 more of her feelings1 her piety4 ,i should think from her writings that she was very amiable1 lovely1 and confiding in her disposition1 yet had much dignity4 ,she appeared to have a mind very clear1 strong1 yet not perceptible till brought out by her feelings4 ,her letter to father in which she treats of #8love to ,god1 whether we should love him because he has done us good or not1' etc41 ,i was much pleased with4 ,and ,i could not help observing that her letters were superior1 more refined and conclusive1 than the corresponding ones of father's4 ,they corresponded upon subjects1 it seems1 as pride1 dress1 slander1 etc41 etc4 ,her piety was doubted by herself1 although no one who reads her description of her feelings can doubt for a moment that ,christ was found within her heart4 8,the letter to father in reply1 apparently1 to one in which he had expressed his feelings toward her and urged for her permission to hope for a future union1 pleased me much4 ,there was much playfulness about it4 ,i thought that ,i could see that she loved him while she was writing it1 yet she tried not exactly to show it4 ,i should think that at the conclusion she told her feelings frankly1 from one line which ,i saw1 but the rest was torn off4 ,i suspect that father did it that no one might ever see it40 ,in common with many other students of limited means1 he taught a term of eight weeks during three of the four years of his college course1 using the winter vacation1 which was at first six weeks long1 and borrowing two weeks from the winter term in college4 ,of his experience in ,hopkinton and some other matters1 especially the fear of his friends concerning his engagement1 the following letter to his brother ,william gives some interesting details3 8,,hopkinton1 ,friday eve1 #ahcb4 0,,my ,,dear ,,brother3 8444 ,i know not as you would have had a reply at all if it were not for something said on the first page4 ,now1 ,i supposed that my good friends would find out all at once that my engagement had undermined all my habits of study and was ruining me1 nor did it surprise me to have you write it4 ,it is all false1 as false as it can be4 ,no term since ,i have been in college have ,i studied so much as the last term2 no year accomplished so much as the last4 ,i am not anxious1 however1 to vindicate myself2 ,i am ready to have you all think so1 if needful1 for ,i expected it from the first4 8,soon after ,i began the school some of the boys began to be fractious--all of them larger and stronger than myself4 ,their parents set them on1 and they determined to carry me out of the room4 ,a large fellow disobeyed me before the whole school1 and persisted in it4 ,they hoped ,i would thrash him1 and then they would rise4 ,but ,i turned him out of the school forthwith4 ,he came the next day4 ,i had previously told the committee and asked them to take the business out of my hands4 ,they approved1 but said that they wished ,i would do it4 ,the next day ,i saw that they had got another great fellow in to help them4 ,i called two of the committee in1 and then ordered this disobedient boy out4 ,he refused1 and ,i took a rule and beat him1 and finally broke it over his head4 ,he struck at me a number of times and ,i parried them4 ,the large ones then rose4 ,i seized a club of wood and struck the boy three times--tore the skin each blow4 ,the committee had to take the other fellows to keep them off4 ,i then dismissed the school2 told the committee that ,i should not keep the school where ,i could have them stand by and see such a scene without doing something2 that if they would see those fellows removed ,i would go on1 if not ,i would not4 ,they said that they would do it if they thought they had power4 ,i settled it all very soon by saying that ,i would not keep the school1 and set my face as though ,i would return to ,amherst4 ,but the next day1 ,saturday1 it rained4 ,the committee liked my school1 and gave me a good dismission in writing4 ,the scholars were pleased for the most part1 and through them their parents4 ,they wished me much to open a private school4 ,i waited till ,i found they were in earnest1 and then opened one1 and now am comfortably teaching about thirty scholars4 ,besides this my time is loaded4 ,sunday noon1 ,sabbath-school2 ,sunday afternoon1 five o'clock1 ,i have a ,bible-class of ladies2 ,wednesday and ,saturday evenings1 meetings in the centre of town2 two other evenings in the districts1 and1 after this1 ,sunday evening in the vestry4444 ,may ,god bless and prosper you4 8,your affectionate brother1 8,h4 ,w4 ,b40 ,of his preaching at this time he says3 8,my earliest remembered sermons were delivered at ,northbridge1 ,mass41 where ,i taught school for three months in #ahca4 ,i conducted conference meetings almost every night1 and a temperance address at ,upton1 ,mass41 where old ,father ,wood was pastor1 and in his church4 ,in the winter of #ahcb ,i taught school in ,hopkinton1 ,mass41 and carried on revival meetings every night and preached on ,sundays4 ,the people were plain and simple and liked the effusions4 ,during the winter of #ahcc ,i again taught school at ,northbridge1 and made a formal sermon in a chapel over the new store built by ,messrs4 ,whitings40 ,it was in his ,sophomore year that a number of students1 ,henry ,ward among them1 invited a college mate who had been reading up on phrenology to deliver a lecture upon that subject4 ,they did it for a joke1 but it ended in ,henry ,ward's accepting this philosophy as the foundation of the mental science which he used through life4 ,it was during his college course that he began lecturing--that mode of communication with the people that afterwards became so popular1 and in which for so many years he was the acknowledged leader4 ,his first formal lecture for which he received pay was delivered in ,brattleboro'1 ,vt4 ,he was paid ten dollars1 and walked the whole distance1 nearly fifty miles each way1 that he might have the whole sum to expend as he pleased4 ,speaking of this period1 he says3 8,there stands before me a line of battered and worn books--,english classics4 ,their history is little to them1 but much to me4 ,in part it is my own history4 ,i wish ,i could lay my hand on the first book that ,i ever bought after the dim idea of a library began to hover in my mind6 ,but that book is gone4 ,here1 however1 are others whose biography ,i can give4 ,as early as #ahcb ,i began to buy books--a few volumes1 but each one a monument of engineering4 ,my first books1 if ,i remember correctly1 were bought of ,j4 ,s4 ,c4 ,adams1 in ,amherst1 ,mass4 ,i used to go in there and look wistfully at their shelves4 ,my allowance of money was very small--scarcely more than enough to pay my postage1 when a letter cost twelve and a half or twenty-five cents4 ,to take a two or three-dollar book from my five dollars of spending-money would have left me in a state of sad impecuniosity4 ,therefore1 for many1 many months ,i took it out in looking4 8,as early as at sixteen years of age ,i had begun to speak a little in public--faint peepings1 just such as ,i hear in young birds before they are fully fledged4 ,for such service the only payment was a kind patience till ,i relieved them by finishing my crude efforts4 ,but at that time--say #ahcb--;,i was sent by the college society as delegate to a temperance convention in ,pelham1 or ,enfield1 or somewhere else4 ,i conceived a desire thereafter to give a temperance lecture4 ,i have forgotten how ,i ever got a chance to do it4 ,but ,i remember that there came an invitation from ,brattleboro'1 ,vt41 to lecture on the #dth of ,july4 ,my expenses were to be paid6 ,a modest pride warmed my heart at the thought of making a real speech in public4 ,i smothered all the fears and diffidences with the resolute purpose that ,i would succeed6 ,i remember the days of writing and anxious preparation1 and the grand sense of being a man when ,i had finished my manuscript6 ,but the most generous purposes are apt to be ruined with selfishness2 and my public spirit1 alas6 had a financial streak of joy in it--my expenses were to be paid6 8,well1 suppose ,i chose to walk and save all the expenses8 ,i should have at least eight dollars of my own1 of which ,i need give no account6 ,that would be an era indeed4 ,but grave scruples arose4 ,was it honest to take money for expenses which ,i had not really incurred8 ,if ,i went by stage ,i might lawfully charge my fare and food2 but if neither of them cost me anything1 how could ,i honestly make a bill of expenses8 ,i did not get any relief in reflecting upon it4 ,i started off on foot1 went up the ,connecticut ,river valley1 and reached ,brattleboro' by way of ,greenfield4 8,every hour this question of honesty returned4 ,my feet blistered with walking1 but ,i stamped on them hard in the morning1 and the momentary exquisite pain seemed to paralyze the sensibility afterwards4 ,whether it was the counter irritation that relieved my brain1 or whether--as ,i fear that ,i did--,i smothered conscience by saying to myself that ,i would settle the matter when the time came1 ,i do not know4 ,but ,i was relieved from even that struggle1 inasmuch as not a word was said to me about expenses1 or money in any form4 ,yet ,i had a charming visit4 ,the rising of the moon from behind the mountain that hedges in the town on the east powerfully excited my imagination1 and led to the writing of the first piece1 ,i believe1 that ,i ever printed4 ,it was published in the ,guest1 a college paper1 issued chiefly as a rival to another college paper whose name 7alas67 has escaped me4 ,and if anybody could send me a volume of that ,guest ,i should be exceedingly beholden to him6 8,but after reaching college again--no longer a mere student1 but a public man1 one who had made speeches1 one who determined to be modest and not to allow success to puff him up--a very great and wonderful thing happened3 the post brought me a letter from ,brattleboro' containing ten dollars4 ,i could not believe my eyes4 ,i forgot my scruples4 ,providence had put it to me in such a way that ,i got my conscience over on the other side1 and felt that it would be a sin and shame for me to be raising questions and scruples on such a matter6 ,but ,o that bill6 ,how it warmed me and invigorated me6 ,i looked at it before going to sleep2 ,i examined my pocket the next morning early1 to be sure that ,i had not dreamed it4 ,how ,i pitied the poor students1 who had not1 ,i well knew1 ten dollars in their pockets4 ,still1 ,i tried to keep down pride in its offensive forms4 ,i would not be lifted up4 ,i would strive to be even more familiar than before with the plainest of my acquaintances4 #8,what is money8' said ,i to myself4 #8,it is not property that makes the man2 it is--' ,well1 perhaps ,i thought it was the ability to deliver eloquent temperance addresses4 ,but great is the deceitfulness of money4 ,i felt the pride of riches4 ,i knew every waking moment that ,i had money4 ,i was getting purse-proud4 8,i resolved to invest4 ,there was but one thing to invest in--books4 ,i went to ,adams's store2 ,i saw an edition of ,burke's works4 ,with the ease and air of a rich man ,i bought and paid for them4 ,adams looked at me1 and then at the bill1 and then at me4 ,i never could make up my mind whether it was admiration or suspicion that his face expressed4 ,but ,i wanted him1 and panted to have him ask me1 #8,where did you get all of this ten-dollar bill8' 8,however1 ,i concluded that the expression was one of genuine admiration4 ,with my books under my arm 7,i never to this day could get over the disposition to carry home my own packages7 ,i returned to college1 and placed on my table my volumes of ,burke6 ,i tried to hide from myself that ,i had a vain purpose in it1 that ,i was waiting to see ,bannister's surprises and to hear ,howard's exclamation1 and to have it whispered in the class-room3 #8,i say6 have you heard that ,beecher has got a splendid copy of ,burke8' 8,after this ,i was a man that owned a library6 ,i became conservative and frugal4 ,before1 ,i had spent at least a dollar and a half a year for knickknacks2 but after ,i had founded a library ,i reformed all such wastes1 and every penny ,i could raise or save ,i compelled to transform itself into books6 8,as ,i look back on the influence of this struggle for books ,i cannot deny that it has been salutary4 ,i do not believe that ,i spent ten dollars in all my college course for horses or amusements of any kind4 ,but at my graduation ,i owned about fifty volumes4 ,the getting of these volumes was not the least important element of my college education4 ,there are two kinds of property which tend to moralize life4 ,what they are ,i will tell you some other time1 if you will coax me40 ,his reading1 as we have said1 was very largely of the old ,english writers1 whom he studied until the flavor of their language had been so thoroughly appropriated that it is very plainly discernible in all his early public writings4 ,an old poet1 ,daniel1 who belonged to the times of ,spenser and ,shakspere1 was a great favorite of his4 ,in a sermon preached in #ahfb he quotes the poem that especially pleased him4 ,we quote it entire with his introduction1 and venture to say that the mind that makes choice of such a poem is sound and healthy at the core3 8,i remembered a poem that ,i had read in my youth1 and that ,i used to hang over with great interest4 ,it had a strange fascination for me then4 ,the writer was born in #aefb1 and he wrote it somewhere between that time and #afjj4 ,it has had a good long swing1 and it will go rolling down a great many years yet3 8#8,he that of such a height hath built his mind1 ,and reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong1 ,as neither fear nor hope can shake the frame ,of his resolvd powers1 nor all the wind ,of vanity or malice pierce to wrong ,his settled peace or to disturb the same-- ,what a fair seat hath he1 from whence he may ,the boundless wastes and wilds of man survey8 8#8,and with how free an eye doth he look down ,upon these lower regions of turmoil6 ,where all the storms of passions mainly beat ,on flesh and blood2 where honor1 power1 renown ,are only gay afflictions1 golden toil2 ,where greatness stands upon as feeble feet ,as frailty doth1 and only great doth seem ,to little minds1 who do it so esteem4 8#8,he looks upon the mightiest monarch's wars ,but only as on stately robberies2 ,where evermore the fortune that prevails ,must be the right2 the ill-succeeding mars ,the fairest and the best-fac'd enterprise4 ,great pirate ,pompey lesser pirates quails3 ,justice1 he sees 7as if seduced71 still ,conspires with power1 whose cause must not be ill4 8#8,he sees the face of right as manifold ,as are the passions of uncertain man1 ,who puts it in all colors1 all attires1 ,to serve his ends and make his courses hold4 ,he sees that1 let deceit work what it can1 ,plot and contrive base ways to high desires1 ,that the all-guiding ,providence doth yet ,all disappoint1 and mocks the smoke of wit4 8#8,nor is he moved with all the thunder-cracks ,of tyrants' threats1 or with the surly brow ,of ,pow'r1 that proudly sits on others' crimes1 ,charg'd with more crying sins than those he checks4 ,the storms of sad confusion that may grow ,up in the present for the coming times1 ,appall not him1 that hath no side at all ,but of himself1 and knows the worst can fall4 8#8,although his heart 7so near allied to earth7 ,cannot but pity the perplexd state ,of troublous and distressed mortality1 ,that thus make way unto the ugly birth ,of their own sorrows1 and do still beget ,affliction upon imbecility3 ,yet1 seeing thus the course of things must run1 ,he looks thereon not strange1 but as foredone4 8#8,and whilst distraught ambition compasses1 ,and is encompassed2 whilst as craft deceives1 ,and is deceived3 whilst man doth ransack man1 ,and builds on blood1 and rises by distress1 ,and th' inheritance of desolation leaves ,to great-expecting hopes3 he looks thereon ,as from the shore of peace1 with unwet eye1 ,and bears no venture in impiety4'0 ,such is the record of ,henry ,ward ,beecher in college4 ,it is one of which none need be ashamed4 ,it may be pondered with advantage and followed with profit by every one standing himself upon the threshold of that eventful period in his own life4 ,it is the record of a man who was loyal to duty1 to truth and purity4 ,independent in his line of thought and study1 yet obedient to the government of the college1 industrious and aspiring1 his course was essentially a period of education1 a drawing out of his powers1 a training-school of his whole nature1 a fitting preparation for that high place which he came ultimately to fill in the confidence and affection of the nation and the world4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,lane ,seminary--,dr4 ,beecher ,called--,home at ,walnut ,hills--,amusing ,incidents--,family ,meeting--,death of ,mrs4 ,beecher--,extracts from ,journal--,first ,mention of ,preaching in the ,west--,experience in ,ecclesiastical ,matters--,despondency--,meeting of ,synod--,influences of the ,times--,revulsion--,a ,rift along the ,horizon--8,full iolly ,knight40 ,at the close of his college course1 after a two-days' visit to ,sutton with ,miss ,bullard1 he started for ,cincinnati to begin his theological studies at ,lane ,seminary1 of which institution his father had been elected president and professor of theology1 and whither he had moved with his family two years before4 ,the ,seminary1 located at ,walnut ,hills1 two miles out of the city1 had been established for the sake of supplying preachers and pastors for the great and growing ,west4 ,it was thought that the territory traversed by the ,ohio and the ,mississippi was 8the valley of decision0 for the great interests of our country and of the world4 ,to meet the emergency and take possession of this broad domain for ,christ1 its rightful ,lord1 was felt to be the most important work that could occupy the attention of the ,christian public4 ,it had been decided that a theological seminary established at ,cincinnati1 in the very centre of this district1 afforded the most effective means for attaining the great object in view2 that the best man in the whole country should be secured to stand at its head2 and that that man1 all things considered1 was ,dr4 ,beecher4 ,he would bring energy1 enthusiasm1 and practical wisdom2 would secure confidence in the work among ,eastern capitalists1 and conduct the enterprise to assured success4 ,out of this conviction sprang the ,seminary and the call to ,dr4 ,beecher to be its head4 ,he was in perfect and enthusiastic sympathy with the object in view4 ,he says of the project3 8,there was not on earth a place but that ,i would have opened my ears to for a moment4444 ,but ,i had felt and thought and labored a great deal about raising up ministers1 and the idea that ,i might be called to teach the best mode of preaching to the young ministry of the broad ,west flashed through my mind like lightning4 ,it was the greatest thought that ever entered my soul2 it filled it1 and displaced everything else40 ,coming to this definite work under the inspiration of this great thought1 from a church which had been for years in the midst of a continuous revival1 he had naturally given the ,seminary a markedly practical tone of spiritual earnestness4 ,a strong man himself1 he attracted men of like stamp2 and there had come1 soon after he took charge of the institution1 8a noble class of young men1 uncommonly strong1 a little uncivilized1 entirely radical1 and terribly in earnest40 ,dr4 ,beecher's method of instruction was peculiar and in harmony with his spirit and purpose4 ,it was not so much of the formal lecture order as of the free conversational kind1 in which questions were invited1 objections were answered1 thought was quickened1 and feeling was awakened1 with the result that the great truth which was the subject of the lecture was likely to be not only in a large measure comprehended but felt and appropriated by the students4 ,one of the professors1 ,calvin ,e4 ,stowe1 for whom ,henry ,ward conceived one of those ardent friendships which distinguished him through life1 helped him in the same direction4 8,he led him to an examination of the ,bible and to an analysis of its several portions1 not as the parts of a machine1 formal and dead1 but as of a body of truth instinct with ,god1 warm with all divine and human sympathies1 clothed with language adapted to their fit expression and to be understood as similar language used for similar ends in every-day life40 ,and we have now in our hands a roll of manuscript in which1 in line with this idea1 the young student wrote out during his theological course a careful analysis of the miracles and parables of the ,new ,testament4 ,without doubt this tone of the institution and method of instruction had an important and very beneficial influence upon him at this formative period of his professional life1 giving him a genuine enthusiasm for his work1 and training him to investigate carefully and analyze clearly the truths brought under examination4 ,and1 that there might be lacking no element for his fittest training for the great work that was before him1 the question of slavery had arisen among the students1 creating such a disturbance that forty1 under the leadership of ,theodore ,weld1 had withdrawn just before he appeared on the ground4 ,of the place1 his coming1 and some of the incidents in his life his brother1 ,rev4 ,t4 ,k4 ,beecher1 says3 8,by and by they two1 ,henry and ,charles1 came to study theology in ,lane ,seminary1 a brick building in the woods of ,ohio4 ,the whistle of the quail1 the scolding squirrels1 once the heavy1 busky flight of wild turkeys--my hero killed one and claimed a second--the soft thump and pat of a rabbit1 the breezy rush of wild pigeons1 were here heard4 8,a foot-path led through the woods1 over which came three times a day the heroes1 shouting1 exploding the vowel sounds1 and imitating cows1 frogs1 and crows--a laughing menagerie4 8,the ,academy of ,music1 two miles off down-town--,henry primo-basso1 ,charles violin and tenor2 and the little boy1 at last an alto1 permitted to run between the heroes and sing1 while eyes feasted on ,charles's violin bow-hand1 and ears were filled with ,henry's basso1 are well remembered4 8,the #8,creation' and #8,hallelujah ,chorus' were our winter's work1 and ,henry was off sometimes lecturing on temperance and phrenology4 ,sometimes on a ,saturday morning1 at family prayer1 there were ,catharine1 ,george1 ,henry1 ,harriet1 ,isabella1 ,tom and ,jim1 ,aunt ,esther1 and father still praying #8,overturn and overturn1' and singing by all hands3 8#8,awake and sing the song ,of ,moses and the ,lamb2 ,wake1 every heart and every tongue1 ,to praise the ,saviour's name4 ,sing on your heavenly way1 ,ye ransomed sinners1 sing6 ,sing on rejoicing every day ,in ,christ the ,heavenly ,king4' ,long1 long discussions1 lasting till past midnight and resumed at every meal1 of #8free agency1' #8sovereignty1' #8natural and moral ability1' interpretations1 and such4 8,charles could whittle graceful boats with sharp knife out of thick sticks4 8,henry had the full set of ,walter ,scott's works4 8,charles took lessons on the violin of ,tosso1 in the city4 ,henry wrote something that ,editor ,charles ,hammond printed in the ,cincinnati ,gazette4 ,o wonderful ,henry6 ,they both wrote long1 long letters to two far-away beings1 and the little boy sometimes took them to the post-office and paid twenty-five cents1 wondering what they could find to write such long1 long letters about40 ,his brother ,charles says3 8,the glorious old forest lay between the ,seminary and father's house1 and we made it ring with vocal practice and musical scales and imitations of band-music4 ,the house father occupied was of brick1 and ,henry whitewashed it with a kind of whitewash that was equal to paint1 of a sort of cream color4 ,i can see him now1 on his tall ladder1 with his spattered overalls1 working away4 8,one of our professors was ,b------1 a nice1 dapper1 rosy little man1 in the chair of history4 ,we naughty boys made fun of him4 ,henry took notes4 ,i would give something handsome for that note-book4 ,b------ was fond of quoting authors with sounding names1 ,bochart among others1 and ,henry would have it #8,go-cart1' and made a hieroglyphic to that effect4 8,we walked to and from the city1 up and down the long hill1 and attended father's church1 ,second ,presbyterian1 on ,fourth ,street4 ,henry had a ,bible-class of young ladies1 for which he made preparation by writing40 ,for three years young ,beecher was again a member of the home-circle1 from which he had been so long separated4 ,this home had apparently lost none of that broad1 open-doored hospitality and cheerful spirit that so markedly characterized it in ,litchfield4 8,the house was full4 ,there was a constant high tide of life and animation4 ,the old carry-all was perpetually vibrating between home and the city1 and the excitement of coming and going rendered anything like stagnation an impossibility40 8,it was an exuberant and glorious life while it lasted4 ,the atmosphere of the household was replete with mental oxygen1 full charged with intellectual electricity4 ,nowhere else have we felt anything resembling or equalling it4 ,it was a kind of moral heaven1 the purity1 vivacity1 inspiration1 and enthusiasm of which only those can appreciate who have lost it and feel that in this world there is1 there can be1 no place like home40 ,of two of its members and some of their make-shifts we have this account1 copied from his journal3 8,the ,economical ,family4--,my father was an excellent man 7for no one provided better dinners--soups1 codfish1 mutton-chops2 even1 upon great days1 he has been known to have a turkey74 ,he was a man of enlarged mind and great sagacity4 ,he was before his age in his views1 and always before his salary in his expenses4 ,this was from no want of calculation3 nobody ever was longer and shrewder in that4 ,but he was aspiring1 and by nature seemed to go beyond things seen1 far into the region of things hoped for4 8,his sister1 an antique maiden lady1 differed vastly from him and could in no sense be called enlightened4 ,it was astonishing to see how his example and his reasoning were thrown away upon her4 ,to the last she clung to those earthly1 low notions which seem so peculiar to this world4 ,she would persist in saying that no one should buy what he could not pay for1 nor pay for any new thing until old debts were settled4 ,nor could she be brought to adopt an enlarged policy in respect to the family4 ,we were obliged to wear clothes until they were worn out--at least out at the knees and elbows--altho' the fashion should change a dozen times during that period4 ,so that it was not uncommon to find one's self two or three times the pink of fashion before a suit was fairly condemned as unseaworthy4 ,in fact1 we may be said always to have set the fashion at such times1 since we were seen wearing the proper cut before even the leading beau4 ,but if this was comfortable it was but little amends for the days of darkness which ensued4 ,one day we revelled 787 in our glory2 the next every one gaped at our uncouth fashion4 ,we might properly be likened to a ship riding gracefully upon the water1 but suddenly left by the tide sticking in the mud1 stiff and immovable4 ,i used to comfort myself1 when laughed at1 by saying1 #8,never mind2 you laugh now1 before six months you'll be imitating me4' ,and so it often proved1 till ,i began to think ,i was a prophet4 8,but it is of the family ,i write and not of myself1 for be it known that ,i am not under vassalage4 ,i am free from both authority and--money2 the latter condition as no reproach4 ,i have often noticed that these two kinds of independence are closely allied4 ,true independence seems always in the lurch40 ,one amusing incident that grew out of the half country-farm life which they then lived he used often to refer to4 ,living in the outskirts of the city1 where the fences were poor and straying cattle often gave them great annoyance1 ,henry one day1 to his immense disgust1 found a cow quietly resting in the middle of the barn floor4 ,with the accumulated indignation aroused1 by numerous chases1 which these poachers of the highway had led him1 by many tramplings across flower-beds and destruction of the garden vegetables1 he drove her out and chased her down the street4 ,coming in hot and tired from his run1 he threw himself upon the sofa1 saying3 8,there1 ,i guess ,i have taught one old cow to know where she belongs60 8,what do you mean80 said the doctor1 looking up apprehensively from his paper4 8,why1 ,i found another cow in the barn1 and ,i have turned her out and chased her clear down the street1 and ,i think she will stay away now40 8,well10 said ,dr4 ,beecher1 8you have done it4 ,i have just bought that cow1 and had to wade the ,ohio ,river twice to get her home1 and after ,i have got her safely into the barn you have turned her out4 ,you have done it1 and no mistake40 ,and the chasing of that cow was renewed4 ,his humor bubbled out at all times and in all places1 finding its occasion even in so staid a matter as chapel prayers4 ,he roomed with ,prof4 ,stowe1 who was the soul of punctuality1 and was continually pained at the failure of his young room-mate to be on time at morning prayers in the ,seminary chapel4 ,having done his best to wake him up one morning1 apparently without success1 he had gone down-stairs with many expressions of disgust4 ,no sooner was he out of the room than ,henry sprang up1 dressed himself as only college students can1 ran to the ,seminary by a back way1 and when the professor entered was sitting demurely in front of the desk4 ,the amazement of the teacher at this unexpected appearance1 rubbing his glasses and peering at him again and again to determine whether it was real or he only saw a vision1 was always remembered by ,mr4 ,beecher with a chuckle of merriment4 ,for a short time near the close of his theological course he edited a paper1 and appears to have done his work with marked success2 but circumstances brought it to a speedy close4 8,the ,cincinnati ,journal needed an editor4 ,there was at that time in the middle class of ,lane ,seminary a green young man of some facility of pen4 ,he had written a series of anonymous articles on the ,catholic question in the evening paper edited by ,mr4 ,thomas4 ,he was considered rather tonguey1 and not likely to back down from anything from want of hopefulness and self-confidence4 ,him ,dr4 ,brainerd called to the chair1 and1 on relinquishing the editorship1 recommended this beardless youth to the proprietors of the journal as his successor4 ,one fine morning this young man found himself an editor upon a salary6 ,an editor must have a coat2 and ,platt ,evans made a lion-skin overcoat that has never had a successor or an equal4 ,he must have a watch6 ,a plain1 white-faced watch soon ticked in his pocket4 ,alas6 evil days befell the publishers4 ,the paper had a new owner4 ,he did not want the young editor2 the young editor did want the watch1 but could not pay for it2 the seller took it back1 to the great grief of the young theologian1 who went back disconsolate to his classes at ,lane ,seminary1 and was broken-hearted for a whole day4 ,the young man recovered1 and has been in mischief ever since1 some folks think40 ,when the pro-slavery riots broke out in ,cincinnati in #ahcf1 and ,james ,g4 ,birney's printing-office and press were destroyed by a mob headed by ,kentucky slaveholders1 young ,beecher volunteered and was sworn in as special constable1 and for several nights patrolled the streets thoroughly armed to protect the negroes and their friends4 ,he was earnest in this matter1 as in everything else that he undertook4 ,his sister ,harriet1 finding him busy running bullets1 and asking him what he was doing it for1 was a good deal startled to hear him answer in a hard1 determined voice3 8,to kill men40 ,besides the influence of this common1 every-day life1 which was afterwards reflected in his own hospitable spirit and home1 two domestic events took place during these three years that deserve more especial notice4 ,the first was 8the ,family ,meeting40 8,long before ,edward came out here the doctor had tried to have a family meeting1 but did not succeed4 ,the children were too scattered4 ,two were in ,connecticut1 some in ,massachusetts1 and one in ,rhode ,island4 ,but now--just think of it6--there has been a family meeting in ,ohio6 ,when ,edward returned he brought on ,mary from ,hartford4 ,william came down from ,putnam1 ,george from ,batavia1 ,ohio2 ,catharine and ,harriet were here already2 ,henry and ,charles at home1 too1 besides ,isabella1 ,thomas1 and ,james4 ,these eleven6 ,the first time they all ever met together6 ,mary had never seen ,james1 and she had seen ,thomas but once4 ,such a time as they had6 ,the old doctor was almost transported with joy4 ,the affair had been under negotiation for some time4 ,he returned home from ,dayton late one ,saturday evening4 ,the next morning they for the first time assembled in the parlor4 ,there were more tears than words4 ,the doctor attempted to pray1 but could scarcely speak4 ,his full heart poured itself out in a flood of weeping4 ,he could not go on4 ,edward continued1 and each one in his turn uttered some sentence of thanksgiving4 ,they then began at the head and related their fortunes4 ,after special prayer all joined hands and sang #8,old ,hundred' in these words3 8#8,from all that dwell below the skies ,let the ,creator's praise arise4' 99 99 99 99 8,when left alone in the evening they had a general examination of all their characters4 ,the shafts of wit flew amain1 the doctor being struck in several places4 ,he was1 however1 expert enough to hit most of them in return4 ,from the uproar of the general battle all must have been wounded4444 8,tuesday morning saw them together again1 drawn up in a straight line for the inspection of the king of happy men4 ,after receiving particular instructions they formed into a circle4 ,the doctor made a long and affecting speech4 ,he felt that he stood for the last time in the midst of all his children1 and each word fell with the weight of a patriarch's4 ,he embraced them once more in all the tenderness of his big heart4 ,each took of all a farewell kiss4 ,with joined hands they united in a hymn4 ,a prayer was offered1 and finally the parting blessing was spoken40 ,the other event referred to was the death of ,mrs4 ,beecher1 which occurred at the close of ,henry's first ,seminary year4 ,she was his step-mother1 but 8she did all that she could for my good40 8,in the holy yearnings of this truly devoted mother the whole family was included2 nor could the older children perceive any less fervency in her desires for their true welfare than for that of her own flesh and blood40 ,and it was with deep and true feeling that he writes 8that ,god was with her in her closing days1 and that the light of his countenance cheered her passage to the tomb40 ,these varied experiences of joy and sorrow in the home-life of this period2 this variety of occupation--now studying and attending lectures in the ,seminary1 lecturing on temperance and phrenology1 drilling in the 8,hallelujah ,chorus10 painting the old family mansion1 accompanying his father in his attendance upon presbytery and synod1 now a constable and anon an editor--all contributed to give him a broad culture1 had much to do with the variety of labor which he undertook in after-life1 and fitted him for that easy1 natural1 and familiar mingling with all kinds and conditions of men which was in him so marked a characteristic4 ,of what he did1 read1 and thought at this time we are fortunate in having another source of authentic information from his own pen4 ,upon the unruled blank leaf of a letter-book1 as large as a commercial ledger and heavily bound in leather1 is written in a large hand1 large enough to cover the whole page3 ,,journal ,,of ,,events1 ,,feelings1 ,,thoughts1 ,,plans1 ,,etc41 ,,just ,,as ,,they ,,have ,,met ,,me1 ,,thus ,,giving ,,in ,,part ,a ,,transcript ,,of ,,my ,,inner ,,and ,,outer ,,life4 ,,begun ,,june1 #ahce1 ,,at ,,lane ,,theol4 ,,seminary4 ,on the first page1 8,begun three days after birthday10 ,june #bg4 8,i have tried times without number to keep a diary or a journal of my religious feelings4 ,i have never succeeded40 #a4 8,i am not enough contemplative to make a record of reflections and feelings very definite40 #b4 8,i never could be sincere4 ,the only use which ,i distinctly know that ,i have derived from it is a knowledge of my being very averse to saying just what my feelings were4 ,i could not help feeling3 #8,this will1 perhaps1 be seen4' ,and why should ,i not so feel8 ,one object in keeping a journal is to look back upon your mind as it reflected itself at different periods past1 and if you keep one no one can pretend to have enough of prospective wisdom to save it from the hands of others40 ,after half a page of reasons why this possibility--which has indeed been realized--may take place1 he says3 8,can ,i conceal it all from myself1 and feign to myself that that which ,i am disclosing and giving form and permanence to1 my most secret feelings1 none will see8 ,and when ,i feel secretly that they will be seen1 is it possible to go through honestly a narration of those emotions from the disclosure of which ,i shrink in my inmost soul80 ,in view of this possibility1 he decides upon a modification of his ideal3 8,in this journal ,i do not set before me as an object to tell all my feelings1 but only such as for any reason ,i may choose to tell4 ,i intend to record1 too1 my opinions and reflections on occurrences1 on persons1 on books1 and to find a resting-place1 if possible1 for many of those daily thoughts which are too short and unconnected to be noted down separately1 and yet of some small value1 perhaps--at least to give variety to a journal4 ,then1 too1 being little tenacious of dates1 ,i here mean to record and date all changes in my life1 that afterwards1 when business and multiplicity of other facts have crowded from my mind such facts1 ,i may here recur as to a faithful chronicle and refresh my memory4 8,here1 then1 ,i mean to be at ease1 and not molest myself with any obligations to write so much1 or so often1 or so anything1 but in mental dishabille ,i will stroll through my mind and do as ,i choose40 ,it can well be supposed that with such an introduction facing us we feel some delicacy1 even with the quasi permission which his departure from the true ideal of a journal gives1 in handling1 and especially in giving to the public1 the matters which are here written4 ,while we find no word that a perfectly upright and honorable man need be ashamed of1 we do find private matters which we have no right to make public4 ,out of the great amount of material which the journal affords we have selected such portions as illustrate the salient features of his life1 character1 work1 and methods at this time4 ,first of all1 we find him still keeping up the old habit of reading1 and after a very critical method4 8,july #a1 #ahce4--;,i finished ,scott's #8,antiquary' this morning1 and ,i propose giving some little account of my impressions4 ,to do it ,i shall be obliged to collect my general scattered feelings into a definite1 tangible form2 and if ,i always did it after reading ,i should have more numerous ideas of things and of their forms1 and more correct ones4 8,i think it one of ,scott's best1 although my personal taste gives his novels founded on warlike customs1 as #8,ivanhoe1' more relish4 ,but that does not alter the abstract merits of this1 for there are grounds of judging a work altogether aside from our taste as to the subject judged4 ,there are but two general considerations in estimating a novel4 ,first1 has the author been a faithful copyist of nature1 even when his effort is of the imagination8 ,and1 second1 has he made a judicious selection and skilful combination of his material40 ,after several pages of the large ledger have been devoted to this subject1 there follows this entry3 8,july #d4--,the difference between ,scott and ,shakspere is of two kinds3 7#a7 the difference of dramatic and prosaic description1 and 7#b7 the native difference of the two men4 ,the first involves a discussion and comparison of the two kinds of writing4 ,the dramatic is narrower1 more formal and measured1 and consequently more stiff4 ,no one ever heard one speak as ,macbeth1 as ,hamlet1 or as ,iago1 for no one ever spoke so4 ,passion1 or indeed nature1 never marches in heroic measure4 ,in another respect it differs4 ,there is a general sameness of language4 ,the imitation of nature respects feelings and character1 and not expression1 if we except some comic characters4 ,but prose imitates with perfect freedom1 unshackled by verse1 not only the passion1 character1 etc41 but the expression and language4 8,in this respect ,scott differs from himself as a poet and novelist as much as when a novelist he differs from ,shakspere1 etc44440 ,similar and lengthy criticisms of ,crabbe1 ,coleridge1 ,byron1 ,burns1 and others follow1 many of them crude1 but all aiming to grasp and express the original thought of the poet1 as he says after naming some rules by which to judge a book3 8,but such things are the externals of criticism4 ,i admire the ,german way of going into the motive and spirit of a poem1 and discussing the principles and source of feeling40 ,we find his habit of drawing from his own experiences some moral or spiritual lesson1 and then teaching it to others1 thus early formed3 8,june #bg1 #ahce4-- 444 ,being unwell is by no means useless4 ,it crowds one on to thoughts of death1 and sweeps away all the mist of forgetfulness which the frivolity of events has accumulated4 ,one must either wrap himself in designed forgetfulness--which is a stupid resource--or come to some conclusion in respect to his religious prospects4 ,for my part1 in sickness 7what little ,i have had7 ,i am not agitated1 but rendered serious and calmly apprehensive1 and ,i begin to think what ,god is1 and ,christ1 and heavenly joy1 and compare them with my tastes and disposition1 and see if they accord or are repulsive4 ,i've written enough for the present1 so ,i'll return to ,scott's #8,legend of ,montrose4'0 ,we find very little1 almost nothing1 concerning the regulation work and studies of the theological course1 possibly because some other book which has not come down to us contained these4 ,he seems to have plenty to do1 and carries into his work a very decided determination to succeed4 8,aug4 #b1 #ahce1 ,sunday4--,i have for this time work enough3 two courses of lectures--one1 for my ,bible-class1 to begin next ,sunday2 the other a course of temperance lectures for ,reading and elsewhere4 ,i don't know how ,i shall succeed1 but ,i am never self-distrustful and often feel sure ,i shall do ,,very well1 and as often see that ,i may fall through entirely4 ,either course failing would mortify me4 ,but here1 as elsewhere1 let me start with feeling1 #8,i will persevere1 and with every endeavor which interest and ingenuity can furnish4' ,such being one's constant feeling and action1 hardly anything is invincible4 ,perseverance without corresponding exercise of ,,all ,,one',s ,,mind is but a dogged spinning out of tedious and useless effort4 ,remember when most discouraged to labor as though you were in the full blossom of ,hope1 and shortly you will be40 ,at this time he was singing in1 and sometimes leading1 the choir in his father's church1 as he writes3 8,nov4 #ad4--,the medical authorities of the family1 having ordered me up for inspection1 have decided that ,i was not sea-worthy1 but have1 in view of past services1 ordered me into dock to be a receiving-ship1 and there to undergo thorough repairs4 ,i am quietly riding in the dock without mast or rigging4 ,they have sent aboard two sets of workmen this morning1 under the care of ,messrs4 ,calomel and ,aloes2 and these are to remove all my cargo1 ballast1 etc41 after which ,i am to be new-rigged and furnished and sent out on a new cruise4 ,this is well4 ,i have sailed very dully for some time and came near to foundering once or twice4 8,will you take my place to-day and sing bass8 ,i know of no one possessing suitable gravity except yourself to confront the audience and do justice to music4444 ,yours truly1 8#8,old ,constitution4'0 ,a line of tender sentiment runs through the journal1 appearing whenever any reference is made to the one to whom he was engaged4 ,concerning so delicate a matter we only give extracts sufficient to show the radiant atmosphere in which1 at least at times1 he walked1 and the deep and sincere affection which he cherished4 ,they are to be read as the opening stanzas of that beautiful idyl that closed only with his life4 8,aug4 #d1 #ahce4--;,it is a little curious1 perhaps not1 however1 that ,i very much dislike to say anything in my journal of my thoughts and feeling for ,e41 who is so much of my existence4 ,well1 ,i suppose the more and the more delicately we love the less we care and wish to say about it4 ,it becomes a matter of heart1 not of tongue2 it becomes a feeling1 and feeling has no language except action4 ,i have sent her a large letter1 largely laden with affection44440 8,aug4 #e1 #ahce4--,woke up and thought of ,e------1 ,m------1 and ,g------2 compared their characters4 ,m------ is marked by ,,intellect1 ,g------ by lady-like character1 sweetness1 and gayness4 ,e------ has neither so prominent1 but both well combined and softened by strongest and sweetest affectionateness4 ,her character is uniform1 and projects1 if anywhere1 in line of affection40 8,sept4 #ad1 #ahce4--;,i wonder what people think of my warmth8 ,some1 ,i know1 estimate it far too highly1 because they have not seen much of such things4 ,others1 and most1 suppose it very low and suspect very little of it4 ,it is in truth but medium naturally4 ,well1 in a year or two1 and then ,e------ will be disappointed the right way4 ,what a noble creature ,e------ is6 ,i could have looked through ten thousand and never have found one so every way suited to me4 ,how dearly do ,i love her6 ,i long for the portrait40 8,oct4 #a1 #ahce4--;,found a packet of letters from my dearest ,e------4 ,oh1 how dear6 ,her likeness too1 which1 though imperfect in some respects1 has very much the looks of the original1 and if only one feature were preserved ,i would feel grateful4 ,but1 excepting the mouth1 each feature is faithfully like her own4 ,i shall begin a letter to her to-night4 ,god bless and keep her6 ,i love her more and more and say less and less about it4 8,harriet has had ,e------'s portrait all day1 and ,i have felt quite lonesome without it4 ,last evening ,i retired to bed and very philosophically decided to leave the portrait in my side-pocket4 ,i lay for some half-hour and was quite convinced that it was in the wrong place1 and removed it to my pillow4 ,it soon underwent another migration--where1 one may imagine if he will recall all such doings as depicted in novels40 ,the following is his first mention of preaching in the ,west3 8,aug4 #i1 ,sunday1 #ahce4--,preached twice in ,george's church4 ,in morning with great dryness and trouble1 and felt much mortified--more1 ,i think1 than grieved4 8,afternoon smaller audience1 but had great liberty and fluency1 and produced effect2 but whether superficial or permanent and saving1 ,god only knows4 ,afternoon text3 #8,my ways not as your ways'2 ,morning3 #8,for we thus judge' 7#b ,cor4 v4 #ad1 etc47 8,after preliminaries1 subject1 #8,the genius of ,christianity is not to produce gloom or debar from pleasure2 but1 contrary1 earthly pleasures can only be enjoyed by ,christians1 and much more heavenly4'0 ,he begins to be conscious of unused powers4 8,sept41 #ahce4--,since reading ,crabbe and ,scott ,i am possessed with the notion of writing characters4 ,i have some models which ,i know would be originals40 ,his love of fun evidently subjected him now and then to criticism4 ,to one whose remarks had touched him to the quick he writes in self-defence3 8,oct4 #bi #ahce4--444 ,you said last night that ,i was never made for a minister4 ,if a minister were made to wear a lachrymose face and never to enjoy or make mirth1 you said truly and ,i was not born to it4 ,there are1 in fact1 three classes of divines--the ascetic1 the neuter1 and the sunshiny2 the first conceive the chief end of man to consist in a long face1 upturned eyes1 a profound sanctimonious look4444 ,i must plead guilty if you mean that ,i was not born to the rank of these worthy personages4 ,far be it from me to believe that religion makes ridiculous dunces4 ,and though ,i think many such are truly pious men1 yet such endowments are the deformity and misfortune1 not the ornament1 of their piety4 ,the second class ,i call neuter because they 7like the ,chinese leaf by which character is told7 quirl and roll just according to the party with which they are4444 ,i must confess ,i have too many opinions of my own to be whirled about by every change of company4 ,and though it is proper and decent that one should conform to the nature of different occasions1 so as not to jest at a funeral1 laugh at church1 or dance in a hospital among the sick1 the dead and dying2 and though one should respect the conditions of his company1 so as not to obtrude upon age the buoyancy of youth1 444 yet ,i am sure neither old age nor old reflections 444 shall make me disown mirth4444 ,now for the third class1 the glorious1 sunshiny ones4 ,i envy them1 ,i emulate them4 ,these are they who think there is a time for relaxation and elegant enjoyment4 ,too much is to be done to allow them long seasons of gayety4444 ,but while they labor hard1 think and write1 and preach and visit1 weeping with those who weep1 they conceive by the same authority that they may unbend and refresh the mind by laughing with those who laugh4444 ,to be mirthful is part of our constitution1 and ,i believe ,god never gave us that which it is a sin to exercise4444 ,none but those who feel it can tell how hard it is to restrain a disposition which sees everything in the most ludicrous point of view4 ,but ,god knows that if ,i have a good deal of mirth ,i compensate for it in secret2 and although now ,i look for different times1 yet till now ,i have had enough of anything but joy to make mirth acceptable to me4 ,you said what you did in jest1 but ,i lay awake all night thinking of it4 ,god will bear me witness that ,i love the ministry1 and if it be necessary for me to lay aside even my constitutional gayety that ,i may be more useful1 ,i will cheerfully do it44440 ,from a 8catalogue of books in my possession0 we learn that on ,december #b1 #ahce1 he had #db volumes of theological works1 #ga volumes of literary1 #aj scientific1 and #ab miscellaneous1 making a grand total in all of #ace volumes--not a bad showing for one who had earned every book1 either by labor or severe economy1 and1 what is more to the point1 had read and studied them all4 ,we must now turn from the perusal of his journal to note other influences than those already referred to--those of the ,seminary1 of home and books--that were at work upon him at this time4 ,there were some that had a very important influence in shaping his ecclesiastical bearing through life4 ,these were days of heresy-hunting2 days when ,albert ,barnes was arraigned before presbytery for unsoundness because of some kind of heterodoxy 787 discovered in his notes upon ,romans1 and when the conflict between the two parties in the ,presbyterian ,church was rapidly advancing to a division of that great body into ,old and ,new ,school4 8,dr4 ,beecher10 so writes ,mrs4 ,stowe1 8was now the central point of a great theological battle4 ,it was a sort of spiritual ,armageddon1 being the confluence of the forces of the ,scotch-,irish ,presbyterian ,calvinistic fatalism1 meeting in battle with the advancing rationalism of ,new ,england ,new ,school theology4 ,on one side was hard1 literal interpretation of ,bible declarations and the ,presbyterian standards asserting man's utter and absolute natural and moral inability to obey ,god's commands1 and on the other side the doctrine of man's free agency and the bringing to the rendering of the declarations of the ,scriptures and of the standards the lights of modern modes of interpretation40 ,this battle soon assumed the character of an assault upon ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher for the purpose of his destruction4 ,his son knew it to be wholly without justification and as senseless as it was wicked4 ,he knew his father's earnestness1 devotion1 and unselfishness1 the sacrifices he had made to take up this work1 felt how greatly he deserved the gratitude of all ,christian men2 and when he saw that father attacked for heresy and brought before every tribunal of the ,presbyterian ,church1 except the highest1 for trial1 and all because his construction of the ,presbyterian ,confession was not according to the views of one or two of the leaders of that ,church in the ,west1 he was not more indignant than disgusted4 ,he saw him triumphantly acquitted by one body after another1 but still pursued by suspicion1 and knew that a conspiracy had been formed in which some of his ,eastern friends and one or more ,eastern seminaries were enlisted1 with the avowed intention of crushing him1 and all this mostly by good men1 under the strong bias of ecclesiastical prejudice and in a mistaken zeal for ,god's service4 ,we must feel his disgust as he was compelled to go scurrying through the country1 not to rescue souls from danger nor to forward any great moral end1 but to anticipate the action of some presbytery or arrange for some meeting of synod2 we must realize his indignation at seeing his father compelled to leave the death-bed of his mother to defend himself against these heresy-hunters1 if we would understand the position which ,mr4 ,beecher occupied towards ecclesiastical bodies in after-years4 ,in a letter dated 8,canal ,boat1 ,wednesday morning1 ,oct4 #ad1 #ahce10 ,henry ,ward gives an account of a meeting of ,synod4 ,after a humorous description of the eccentricities of ,dr4 ,beecher1 for which we have no space1 he writes3 8,at length we are ready to start4 ,a trunk tumbles out of one side as ,thomas tumbles in the other4 ,i reverse the order--tumble ,tom out1 the trunk in4 ,at length all are aboard1 and father drives out of the yard1 holding the reins in one hand1 shaking hands with a student with the other1 giving ,charles directions with his mouth--at least that part not occupied with an apple2 for since apples were plenty he has made it a practice to drive with one rein in the right hand and the other in the left1 with an apple in each1 biting them alternately1 thus raising and lowering the reins like threads on a loom4 ,away we go1 ,charley horse on a full canter down the long hill1 the carriage bouncing and bounding over the stones1 father alternately telling ,tom how to get the harness mended and showing me the true doctrine of original sin4 ,hurrah6 we thunder alongside the boat just in time4444 ,yesterday the ,synod was constituted ,old ,school4 ,moderator by a majority of seven1 under his administration the system is beginning to assume form and becomes apparent4 ,all the committees are one way1 and the whole aspect of affairs shows you that there is a deep-laid1 regular plan1 and the elders are all drilled in4 ,the committee give leave of absence to all ,new ,school men1 and refuse all others1 so that they may increase and we decrease4 8,it is ,tuesday morning and everybody is talking1 planning1 plotting--all bustle2 heads together2 knots at every corner2 hands going up and down1 and faces approaching earnestly or drawing back in doubt2 one taking hold of the other's coat1 leading off into one corner for a particular argument2 elders receiving drill1 some bolting the collar4 ,here1 in my room1 are father1 ,george1 and ,mr4 ,rankin4 ,they are looking over the ground1 prognosticating1 arranging for the onset1 or for the reception of an onset4444 ,i never saw so many faces of clergymen1 and so few of them intellectual faces4444 ,and the elders are just what forty or fifty common farmers would be supposed to be--except that for eldership the soberest men are chosen1 and1 as stupidity is usually graced with more gravity than great good sense1 the body of elders are not quite so acute in look as the higher class of workingmen40 ,although written in a playful mood1 it is evident that he had no fancy for such work1 and as he advanced his dislike increased4 ,the broad1 kindly1 hospitable living1 the strong1 practical1 sympathetic preaching1 and the honest dislike of all the rattle of ecclesiastical machinery1 which marked his after-life1 came naturally from the training he received on the outside of ,lane ,seminary4 ,the influences of the place in which he lived as well as of the times were powerful factors in his theological education4 ,the great ,west1 with its boundless possibilities which had so moved the spirit of his father1 lay before him1 and stirred his imagination as at an earlier period the sea had done4 ,and1 as when he looked out upon the broad ,atlantic from the wharves of ,boston he had felt the impulse to go forth to be a sailor1 command ships1 and fight naval battles1 so did the movement of the great streams of population ,westward1 and the vast field that stretched out before him like the ocean1 move his spirit to go forth upon the sea of human life and conquer for ,christ4 ,in this period of theological study1 when the most of students withdraw themselves as much as possible from real life1 he was brought to face it in some of its most intense forms4 ,cincinnati was then the central and most important city of the great ,west2 an immense commerce was carried on from its wharves2 it was the point where gathered the multitudes that were going out to occupy the new territory2 it was still the rendezvous for frontiersmen2 more than this1 it lay upon the border-land between the free and slave ,states1 and already felt the uneasiness and bitterness of the irresistible conflict4 ,chain-gangs of slaves were continually passing on the decks of the steamboats1 to be sold down ,south1 and fugitives from bondage were keeping the sympathy or the hatred of the people in continual activity4 ,life of high pressure and in great variety was presented to ,henry ,ward ,beecher there in the heart of the great ,west in the years of #ahcd-ahcg2 life that was very real1 and that called not so much for fine-spun theories as for practical forces2 not for dead and formal dogmas1 but for living truth1 for ,him who is both ,life and ,truth4 ,true1 he might have measurably kept himself from it and immured himself in the library and class-rooms of the ,seminary1 but he followed an entirely opposite course2 he lectured1 wrote anti-slavery editorials1 joined the citizens' body of police for the preservation of order1 every way keeping himself in sympathy with the stirring times in which he lived1 and they helped to make him the living1 practical preacher he afterwards became4 ,his ,bible-class1 to which he gave great attention1 both in preparation and in teaching the lesson1 afforded him a field for the application of the truths he had learned1 and for testing the methods he had adopted4 ,yet for the most of the time his mind was not settled4 ,his ideal of the ,christian ministry was so high that he sometimes despaired of ever attaining it1 and at times he seems to have seriously contemplated giving up his preparation for the ministry and of devoting himself to some other pursuit4 ,mrs4 ,beecher says that through these years his letters were very full of the discomforts and doubts that troubled him4 8444 ,sometimes ,i think ,i shall not succeed in anything4 ,if1 when my course here is finished1 they will not license me1 suppose ,i go far ,west1 enter a homestead 7871 clear the wood off1 build a little log hut1 work during the week1 and hunt up the settlers and hold conference and prayer meetings--will you come to me if that is all ,i can offer you80 ,then1 perhaps1 in the next letter3 8,i will preach1 if it is in the by-ways and hedges2 but oh6 for more light to see my way clear60 8,during the last two years his letters had less of this depression4 ,he would preach1 whether men would hear or whether they would forbear40 8,but ,i must preach the ,gospel as it is revealed to me1 not as it is laid down in the schools40 ,he gives his experience in these words3 8,during the latter part of my stay in college my feelings were unsettled4 ,sometimes they inclined one way and sometimes the other1 until ,i went to ,lane ,seminary4 ,i was then twenty years old1 and there came a great revulsion in me from all this inchoate1 unregulated1 undirected experience in religion4 ,my mind took one tremendous spring over into scepticism1 and ,i said3 #8,i have been a fool long enough4' ,i refused to be any longer played upon in such a way4 ,it was bitter1 it was malignant1 it was sad1 it was sorrowful2 but it was wholesale1 and swept away ten thousand fictions and external observances4 ,i said3 #8,i will not stir one step further than ,i can see my way1 and ,i will not stand a moment where ,i cannot see the truth4 ,i will have something that is sure and steadfast4' ,having taken that ground1 ,i was in that state of mind for the larger part of two years4 8,it then pleased ,god to lift upon me such a view of ,christ as one whose nature and office it is to have infinite and exquisite pity upon the weakness and want of sinners as ,i had never had before4 ,i saw that ,he had compassion upon them because they were sinners1 and because ,he wanted to help them out of their sins4 ,it came to me like the bursting forth of spring4 ,it was as if yesterday there was not a bird to be seen or heard1 and as if to-day the woods were full of singing birds4 ,there rose up before me a view of ,jesus as the ,saviour of sinners--not of saints1 but of sinners unconverted1 before they were any better--because they were so bad and needed so much2 and that view has never gone from me4 ,it did not at first fill the whole heaven2 it came as a rift along the horizon2 gradually1 little by little1 the cloud rolled up4 ,it was three years before the whole sky was cleared so that ,i could see all around1 but from that hour ,i felt that ,god had a father's heart2 that ,christ loved me in my sin2 that while ,i was a sinner ,he did not frown upon me nor cast me off1 but cared for me with unutterable tenderness1 and would help me out of sin2 and it seemed to me that ,i had everything ,i needed4 ,when that vision was vouchsafed to me ,i felt that there was no more for me to do but to love1 trust1 and adore2 nor has there ever been in my mind a doubt since that ,i did love1 trust1 and adore4 ,there has been an imperfect comprehension1 there have been grievous sins1 there have been long defections2 but never for a single moment have ,i doubted the power of ,christ's love to save me1 any more than ,i have doubted the existence in the heaven of the sun by day and the moon by night40 ,we have thus followed ,henry ,ward ,beecher from the cradle to the moment that he stands prepared to enter upon his life-work2 have noted every step of his course from the hills to the sea1 from school to college1 from the ,east to the ,west2 have marked the influences of the home1 of nature1 of the city1 of school1 college1 and seminary1 of the times1 of the ,word and ,spirit of ,god2 have traced his experiences1 felt his dawning strength1 examined the life he lived1 the dispositions he manifested1 the hopes he cherished1 and the character he formed2 and in our confidence and admiration choose1 as not inappropriate for him at this time1 the description of 8,the ,patrone of true ,holinesse0 in the 8,faerie ,queene03 8,full iolly knight he seemed1 and faire did sitt1 ,as one for knightly giusts and fierce encounters fitt2 ,and on his brest a bloodie crosse he bore1 ,the deare remembrance of his dying ,lord1 ,for whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore1 ,and dead1 as living ever1 ,him ador'd3 ,upon his shield the like was also scor'd1 ,for soveraine hope1 which in ,his helpe he had1 ,right faithfull true he was in deede and word2 ,but of his cheere did seeme too solemne sad2 ,yet nothing did he dread1 but ever was ydrad40 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,call to ,preach--,license--,examination by ,miami ,presbytery--,refusal to ,subscribe to ,old ,school--,ordination by ,oxford ,presbytery--,visit ,east--,marriage--,housekeeping4 ,in the early spring of #ahcg ,mr4 ,beecher graduated from ,lane ,seminary4 ,in accordance with the practice of the ,presbyterian ,church1 a clergyman might be licensed to preach1 even though not ordained2 but such license could only be obtained after the applicant had appeared before the ,presbytery for examination1 and he was required also to read a 8trial lecture10 as it was called4 ,agreeably to this custom1 upon graduating from the ,seminary ,mr4 ,beecher went before the ,cincinnati ,presbytery1 was examined1 and read his 8trial lecture40 ,the examination and lecture seem to have been satisfactory1 for he was duly licensed to preach4 ,for a few weeks prior to his examination for license he preached in a little hall at ,covington1 ,kentucky1 just across the river from ,cincinnati4 ,he seriously contemplated settling there as soon as he should be licensed4 8,after preaching there ,covington three or four ,sundays ,i was called1 by ,martha ,sawyer1 a ,yankee woman1 to go to ,lawrenceburg and preach4 ,there was a church in that place1 composed of about twenty members1 of which she was the factotum4 ,she collected the money1 she was the treasurer1 she was the manager1 she was the trustee1 she was the everything of that church40 ,at this time the pulpit of the little1 struggling ,presbyterian church at ,lawrenceburg1 ,indiana1 was vacant1 and one of the ladies of that church came up to ,cincinnati to see if ,bishop ,little could not secure for them a pastor4 ,the good bishop introduced her to young ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,this led to his preaching one or two trial sermons at ,lawrenceburg4 ,the result of the experiment seemed to be satisfactory on both sides1 although the first sermon was said to have been a lamentable failure through the nervous apprehensions of the young preacher in facing the unusually large audience of one hundred persons4 ,in ,may1 #ahcg1 he moved to ,lawrenceburg and began preaching regularly as a licentiate1 not yet ordained4 ,it may not be uninteresting to read just here the brief memoranda from the journal which he was keeping then3 8,may #d #ahcg4--,returned from ,lawrenceburg4 ,i think seriously of settling there--a destitute place indeed4444 8,if ,i go to ,lawrenceburg1 remember you can gain men easily if you get round their prejudices and put truth in their minds2 but never if you attack prejudices4 ,look well at this4444 0,mem4--,my people must be alert to make the church agreeable1 to give seats and wait on strangers1 etc48 0,june #ae1 ,thursday4--,to-day received call from ,lawrenceburg1 and a very flattering call it was and did my heart good4 ,meeting called ,june #ab1 #ahcg2 about #cj persons present4 ,mr4 ,hunt1 moderator2 ,d4 ,s4 ,mayer1 sec4 ,vote for me unanimous4 ,blank filled for #bej1 with but one dissenting voice 7he voting for double that sum748 0,monday1 ,july #aj4--,sat4 eve41 #hth1 arrived here permanently to remain4444 8,i mean to write down little plans and devices for pastoral labor as they occur2 ,i may else forget them4 8#a4 ,in different districts get men quietly to feel themselves responsible for progress of temperance or ,sunday-schools4 8#b4 ,quietly to visit from house to house and secure congregations4 8#c4 ,secure a large congregation4 ,let this be the first thing4 ,for this-- 8#a4 ,preach well uniformly4 8#b4 ,visit widely and produce a personal attachment2 also wife do same4 8#c4 ,get the young to love me4 8#d4 ,see that the church have this presented as a definite thing1 and set them to this work just as directly as ,i would to raising a fund1 building1 etc4 8#d4 ,little girls' societies for benevolent purposes40 ,the town was small1 scarce fifteen hundred inhabitants1 located at the junction of the ,ohio and ,miami rivers--just across the ,miami from ,ohio on the east1 and the ,ohio ,river from ,kentucky on the south--subject to devastating floods from both rivers impartially4 ,the church was small1 with meagre accommodations1 the people poor4 ,we quote his description of the place and church3 8,you can form some conception of that field when ,i tell you that it was a place where they had four gigantic distilleries1 from which was carried to market a steamboat-load of liquor every day4 ,when ,i went there and entered upon my vocation of preaching1 ,i found a church1 occupying a little brick building1 with nineteen or twenty members4 ,there was one man1 and the rest were women4 ,with the exception of two persons1 there was not one of them who was not obliged to gain a livelihood by the labor of the hands4 ,so you will understand how very poor they were4 ,i could not1 of course1 obtain my living in so small a church1 and in a community that was not overblessed with wealth4 ,i was taken up1 therefore1 as a pensioner by the ,home ,missionary ,society1 and my first two years were spent in the field as a missionary1 in part supported by the funds of this society4 8,i was sexton in the church4 ,there were no lamps there1 so ,i went and bought some1 and filled them and lit them4 ,i swept the church and lighted my own fires4 ,i did not ring the bell1 because there was none4 ,i opened the church before every meeting1 and shut and locked it after every meeting4 ,i took care of everything in the church40 ,here in this little frontier village1 then upon the very borders of civilization1 began his real work4 ,for twenty-four years he had been preparing for this step4 ,now it must be determined whether his life should be a success or a failure4 ,the year passed uneventfully1 and it was not until ,september1 #ahch1 when he applied for ordination1 that he got his first taste of trouble4 ,at this time the division between the ,old ,school and the ,new ,school ,presbyterian churches was about to take place1 and two ,general ,assemblies1 afterwards called the ,old ,school ,general ,assembly and the ,new ,school ,general ,assembly1 were1 a short time later1 convened in ,philadelphia4 ,a resolution was introduced into the ,oxford ,presbytery that no man should be licensed or ordained by that body who did not connect himself with the ,old ,school ,presbyterian ,church1 dropping from their care those who declined to do so4 ,this resolution1 it was thought1 was probably aimed at ,mr4 ,beecher#c--;an attempt to strike the father over the shoulders of his son4 ,for the actual division and separation of the ,presbyterian ,church into ,old and ,new ,school was in no small measure the result of the controversy carried on for several years previously against ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher4 ,the doctor in #ahcb had1 as we have seen1 accepted the presidency and professorship of doctrinal theology in ,lane ,seminary4 ,he had been brought up in1 and had been connected with1 the ,congregational ,church until this time4 ,while he entertained no revolutionary spirit1 he had some expectation that the free spirit of ,new ,england thought1 and that loving spirit of voluntary co-operation which he had enjoyed so in his ,new ,england pastorate1 might be infused into the forms of ,presbyterianism4 ,the idea of an intimate friendship and co-operation between the ,congregational and ,presbyterian churches in the ,united ,states had always been dear to him4 ----- ,footnote #c3 8,it is no inconsiderable matter in these days that ,dr4 ,beecher has at least one son who1 after a full and free examination before the ,oxford ,presbytery1 has been pronounced to be orthodox and sound in the faith2 and that1 in order to exclude the son of the arch-heretic1 a new term of ministerial communion had to be introduced0 7,extract from letter of ,dr4 ,bishop1 ,president of ,oxford ,college1 to ,mr4 ,beecher in #ahch74 ----- ,but when he went to ,cincinnati there had already commenced in different quarters a movement aiming at greater stringency and the expulsion from the ,presbyterian ,church of what was called the ,new ,england element1 of which ,dr4 ,beecher was an eminent representative4 ,his settlement at ,lane ,seminary was followed by a more active demonstration of hostility4 ,formal charges of heresy1 slander1 and hypocrisy were preferred against him1 to which reference has already been made4 ,these proceedings produced a very markedly unfavorable impression in the public mind against ,presbyterianism4 ,they had only ended at about the time his son1 ,henry ,ward1 came to ,lawrenceburg4 ,there was a good deal of feeling in the two branches of the ,presbyterian ,church1 and when ,mr4 ,beecher applied to the ,oxford ,presbytery1 within whose jurisdiction ,lawrenceburg was located1 a good deal of interest was aroused4 ,a son of ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher was to be examined by a presbytery known to be in marked hostility to him4 ,it would be a good chance to demonstrate the laxity and heterodoxy of ,dr4 ,beecher4 ,for1 of course1 the young man would only reflect the father's views4 ,the presbytery duly met in session in ,september1 #ahch1 and ,henry ,ward appeared before them4 ,writing to his brother ,george1 he refers to his examination4 ,after telling of his family affairs he says3 8,so much for family news--a quiet lake2 now for public affairs--a troubled ocean casting up mud and dirt4 8,i went some sixty miles up into ,preble ,county1 near ,eaton1 before ,oxford ,presbytery4 ,presented my papers4 ,father ,craigh was appointed to squeak the questions4 ,they examined me to their hearts' content4 ,i was a model to behold1 and so were they6 ,elders opened their mouths1 gave their noses a fresh blowing1 fixed their spectacles1 and hitched forward on their seats4 ,the ministers clinched their confessions of faith with desperate fervor and looked unutterably orthodox1 while ,graham and a few friendly ones looked a little nervous1 not knowing how the youth would stand fire4 ,there he sat1 the young candidate begotten of a heretic1 nursed at ,lane2 but1 with such a name and parentage and education1 what remarkable modesty1 extraordinary meekness1 and how deferential to the eminently acute questioners who sat gazing upon the prodigy6 ,certainly this was a bad beginning4 ,having predetermined that ,i should be hot and forward and full of confidence1 it was somewhat awkward1 truly1 to find such gentleness and teachableness6 8,then came the examination3 #8,will the mon tell us in what relation ,adam stood to his posterity8' #8,in the relation of a federal head4' #8,what do you mean by a federal head8' #8,a head with whom ,god made a covenant for all his posterity4' ,then questions on all the knotty points4 #8,still the wonder grew1' for the more the lad was examined the more incorrigibly orthodox did he grow1 until they began to fear he was a leetle too orthodox upon some points4 ,what was to be done8 ,the vote on receiving me was unanimous6 ,well1 they slept upon it4 ,next day1 while settling the time of my ordination1 ,prof4 ,mc,arthur1 of ,oxford1 moved to postpone the business to take up some resolutions4 ,in the first they #8sincerely adhered to the ,old ,school ,pby4 ,assembly'2 second1 required that all licentiates and candidates under their care should do the same or be no longer such4 ,i declined acknowledging it to be the true one4 ,father ,craigh 7whom my orthodoxy had softened7 said they would give me six months to think and decide1 and ,i might continue to preach in their bounds4 ,i refused1 and they turned me out and gave me my papers back again4 ,i asked them what the duty of my church was4 ,they replied that it was vacant--just what they had to say1 and just what ,i wanted them to say1 and1 moreover1 just what ,i determined they should say4 ,i drove home forthwith2 got back on ,saturday4 ,on ,sunday recounted from the pulpit the doings of ,pby41 and declared them vacant if they continued under ,oxford2 appointed a meeting for ,wednesday ,p4,m4 for their action4 ,by a unanimous vote they withdrew from ,oxford and declared themselves an ,independent ,pbyn4 ch4 ,now for ,synod4 ,the ,old ,school called a convention to meet two days before ,synod met2 cut out a series of resolutions going for ,o4 ,s4 ,assembly1 cutting off those who had officially joined the ,constitutional ,assembly1 etc41 etc4 ,after sermon by ,jno4 ,rankin1 ,stowe and ,coe nominated for moderator--,stowe #dg1 ,coe #gj4 ,the ,new ,school then determined simply to urge on to voting4 ,all speaking was on one side4 ,when they had passed the resolutions to the one cutting off all who had joined ,n4 ,s4 ,assembly they inserted a new one1 by which majority of ,cincinnati ,presbytery were ejected6 ,jno4 ,rankin then rose and declared the body dissolved1 and as moderator of last ,synod would give them time to leave the house1 and would then form the true ,synod4 ,they prayed and adjourned to ,wilson's4 ,it was queer4 #8,synod of ,cincinnati will adjourn to meet at #g in #ast ,pby4 ch4'2 #8,synod ,cin4 will now come to order1' etc4 ,i left after this and both bodies were still in session4 ,i stepped in a moment ,saturday morning just before leaving1 and they were then passing in our ,synod a resolution not to allow any slave-holder in our connection4 ,mills agreed to it4 ,i did not wait to hear votes1 but presume it was nearly unanimous4 ,synod declared the whole ground formerly held by ,oxford ,pby4 to be held by the ,cin4 ,pby4 ,stowe has just written me that ,graham1 ,thomas1 ,chidlow1 ,merril1 ,crothers1 ,dickey1 and others have formally withdrawn from the ,old ,school ,synod1 but not yet united with ours4 ,this is a brief sketch of matters ecclesiastical4 ,pby4 of ,cin4 will begin their new authority over former territory of ,oxford ,pby41 by coming here to ordain me on ,thurs41 ,nov4 #h #ahch40 ,the ,new ,school ,presbytery met in ,cincinnati1 and before this body ,mr4 ,beecher applied for ordination1 the minutes of which record that it ordained and installed him ,november #i1 #ahch1 over the independent church at ,lawrenceburg1 ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher presiding1 ,dr4 ,blanchard charging the pastor1 and ,dr4 ,calvin ,e4 ,stowe1 his brother-in-law1 charging the people4 ,mr4 ,beecher felt that the division in the ,church was wholly uncalled for1 but naturally was unwilling to desert the school to which he was attached by its more liberal and democratic policy1 by the associations of his education1 and the ties of filial love and admiration4 ,the bitterness of this controversy in the body of the ,church1 and the utter folly of a great ,church1 organized for the work of saving men's souls1 wasting its strength in harsh recriminations and angry feuds over matters which seemed to him of minor importance1 and finally splitting the ,church into two hostile bodies1 produced a profound impression upon ,mr4 ,beecher's mind1 and developed rapidly that trait1 doubtless then latent1 which has so markedly characterized his preaching since then--a disregard of mere forms1 provided he could secure the substance4 ,and so he grew to look upon all denominations as his brethren1 wholly disregarding the formal differences that existed1 rejoicing heartily in all their successes1 and wishing them ,god-speed1 seeing only the objects for which all labored--the enlightenment of the world1 the saving of mankind4 ,he was always willing to co-operate4 ,he never withheld his hand or voice1 when there was a chance to help a struggling church1 because it was of a different denomination from his own4 ,he gave another account of these experiences and their effect upon his mind1 in some remarks at one of his ,friday-night meetings1 suggested by the meeting1 in the spring of #ahfi1 of the ,assemblies of the ,old and ,new ,schools1 and their reunion as one body at that time3 8,my whole life has more or less taken its color from the controversy which led to the division of the ,old ,school and the ,new ,school ,presbyterians4 ,i was brought up in ,new ,england1 a minister's son1 the son of a minister who was doctrinally inclined and whose warmest friends were great doctrinarians4 ,my father's household was substantially a debating society4 ,as early as ,i can remember ,i knew enough to discuss foreordination1 and ,i could do it as well as my betters4 ,i could go just as far as they could1 could run against snags at the same spots that they did1 and could not get off any better than they could4 ,all those great doctrines which tend powerfully to enlarge the imagination and to sharpen the reason without feeding them were1 ,i had almost said1 matters of daily conversation in my father's family4 ,when ,i went to college ,i fell under the influence of a young minister who became an ,old ,school ,presbyterian4 ,he was a man of large brain and marked ability4 ,he had a naturally philosophic mind4 ,he was noble-hearted and genial4 ,i remember that my poetic temperament1 alongside of his rigorous1 logical temperament1 used to seem to me mean and contemptible4 ,i thought he was like a big oak-tree1 while ,i was more like a willow1 half-grown and pliant1 yielding to every force that was exerted upon it4 ,at any rate1 he had a powerful influence upon my development4 ,but as ,i came to the possession of myself more and more ,i took on the logical methods in the exercise of the reasoning faculty which ,god had implanted in me1 and they came near wrecking me2 for ,i became sceptical1 not malignantly but honestly1 and it was to me a matter of great distress and anguish4 ,it continued for years1 and no logic ever relieved me4 ,my brother ,charles went through the same process1 and he came back in the same way that ,i did1 through the instrumentality of a living ,saviour4 ,an abstract1 philosophical statement of the truth never met my wants1 but when there arose over the horizon a vision of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as a living ,friend1 who had the profoundest personal interest in me1 ,i embraced that view and was lifted up4 ,my heart did for me then what my head had failed to do4 ,this was an experience which has constituted one of the greatest affirmative forces that have acted on my mind in preaching4 ,all my life long ,i have had a strong disposition to so preach the truth as to meet the wants of men who stand not only outside of the churches but outside of belief4 ,i suppose that as long as ,i live ,i shall think of the truth1 not as it looks to those that are within the ,church1 but as it looks to those that are outside of the ,church and outside of belief itself4 8,this has given to my preaching an element of naturalism4 ,it has led me to seek for a ground on which ,i could stand and bring men to a knowledge of the love of ,christ4 ,i have gone far from the usual narrow ecclesiastical and theological rules to broader social methods by which men that are doubters can be reached4 8,my first settlement as a pastor was at ,lawrenceburg1 ,indiana1 where ,i was two years in the ,presbyterian ,church4 ,when ,i left ,lane ,seminary ,i went down there to preach1 and ,i thought nothing about ,church connection4 ,my business1 as ,i supposed1 was to preach what little ,i knew and to lead men to the ,saviour2 but ,i soon felt1 for the first time1 the authority of the ,church4 ,i had not been ground2 ,i was nothing but corn1 and ,i had to be run through a mill4 ,this ,lawrenceburg church was in the territory of the ,miami ,presbytery4 ,the ,presbytery was not only a body of ,presbyterians1 but was composed of ,old ,school ,presbyterians2 not only were they ,old ,school ,presbyterians1 but they were ,scotch-,irish ,presbyterians2 and not only were they straight1 but they bent like a hoop the other way4 ,i had received an ordination license at the ,cincinnati ,presbytery--where my father belonged at that time--in about #ahcg2 but it was necessary that ,i should undergo another examination4 ,the ,assemblies had not then divided2 there was only the one ,church2 but there were two parties--the ,old ,school and the ,new ,school4 ,there was the one great body1 but there were these two sections4 ,there were presbyteries and synods of the ,new ,school1 and there were presbyteries and synods of the ,old ,school2 but they were under the same authority4 8,i went on horseback from ,lawrenceburg to ,oxford1 where the ,presbytery was in session4 ,and1 by the way1 ,i came near losing my life in crossing the river4 ,the water was high1 and ,i was thrown into it2 but ,i got out and dried off1 and started again1 and reached my destination without any further mishap1 and went through my examination4 8,at that time1 under the instruction which ,i had had in my father's family1 under the college drill that ,i had gone through1 and under the training to which ,i was subjected in ,lane ,seminary1 ,i had become so familiar with the doctrines of theology that it was difficult for any one to put me down in a discussion of them4 ,i could state them very glibly4 ,i was ready with an explanation of every single point connected with them4 ,i knew all their proofs1 all their dodging cuts1 all their ins and outs4 ,therefore ,i had no trouble in standing my ground with the men who examined me4 ,they knew they had ,dr4 ,beecher's son before them2 the questions came like hail1 and ,i was very willing4 ,somehow ,i have always had a certain sympathy with human nature which has led me invariably1 in my better moods1 to see instinctively1 or to perceive by intuition1 how to touch the right chord in people1 how to reach the living principle in them2 and that faculty was fully awakened in me on this occasion4 ,i recollect that the presiding clergyman at that ,presbytery was a man that ,i had seen at my father's house and that ,i had taken a sort of fancy to4 ,he was probably fifty or sixty years of age4 ,he was tall1 and was thin in the face1 and he had a shrill1 ringing voice4 ,i felt that he was like a file2 but still ,i liked him4 ,well1 he put questions to me4 ,some of them ,i answered directly1 some ingeniously1 some intelligently1 and others somewhat obscurely4 ,the examination extended over two or three hours2 and ,i thought ,i perceived a warming and melting influence among those men4 ,i was quite indifferent as to whether or not ,i came out with their endorsement1 and ,i have a recollection of feeling very fine4 ,they questioned1 and questioned1 and questioned2 and it happened that the points on which they were very particular were man's sinfulness1 the influence of the ,holy ,ghost1 its necessity1 its work1 the thoroughness of it1 and so on4 8,now1 ,i was always immensely orthodox--thunderingly so2 and when they thought they were going to get heresy they got a perfect avalanche of orthodoxy4 ,this man whom ,i had seen at father's was quite carried away with me2 he shielded me and helped me over some rough places2 and the ,presbytery1 without a dissenting voice1 voted that ,i was orthodox--to their amazement and mine6 8,i thought then that the bitterness of death was past1 when lo6 a professor from ,oxford ,university1 ,miami1 introduced a resolution1 which was passed1 that that ,presbytery would not license nor ordain any candidate who would not give in his adhesion to the ,old ,school ,presbyterian ,general ,assembly4 ,it was on that point that the ,old and ,new ,schools divided1 and ,i1 being my father's son1 spurned the idea of going over to the ,old ,school2 ,i felt as big as forty men2 and when that resolution passed ,i simply said3 #8,well1 brethren1 ,i have nothing to do but to go back to my father's house4' ,they were kind to me2 they seemed to have conceived an affection for the young man2 they took the greatest pains to conciliate me2 they endeavored to smooth the way for me1 and tried to persuade me to comply with their wish2 but ,i was determined1 and said1 #8,i won't4' ,i always had the knack of saying that and sticking to it6 8,so ,i turned my back on the ,oxford ,presbytery1 and rode to ,lawrenceburg again2 and the next ,sunday morning ,i announced to my congregation the result of my week's pilgrimage1 told them of the vote which declared their church vacant1 and said to them3 #8,now1 brethren1 one of two things is necessary3 you must get somebody else to preach for you1 or you must declare yourselves independent of the ,presbyterian ,church4' ,it was no sooner said than done4 ,before sundown on that day they declared themselves an independent church1 and ,i decided to stay with them4 ,i was then ordained by the ,new ,school ,presbytery in ,cincinnati1 after which ,i went on with my work regularly4 8,preceding all this1 you should recollect that during the three years that ,i was in the ,seminary the controversy between the ,old and ,new ,school ,presbyterians ran very high on questions of theology and on questions of ,church authority4 ,i had been stuffed with these things4 ,i had eaten and drank them4 ,i had chopped and hewed them4 ,i had built up from them every sort of argument4 ,i had had them ad nauseam4 8,when ,i went out into the field ,i found all the little churches ready to divide1 such was the state of feeling throughout the whole ,west4 ,going into my work in the midst of that state of affairs1 ,i made up my mind distinctly that1 with the help of ,god1 ,i would never engage in any religious contention4 ,i remember riding through the woods for long1 dreary days1 and ,i recollect at one time coming out into an open place where the sun shone down through to the bank of the river1 and where ,i had such a sense of the love of ,christ1 of the nature of ,his work on earth1 of its beauty and its grandeur1 and such a sense of the miserableness of ,christian men quarrelling and seeking to build up antagonistic churches--in other words1 the kingdom of ,christ rose up before my mind with such supreme loveliness and majesty--that ,i sat in my saddle1 ,i do not know how long 7many1 many minutes2 perhaps half an hour71 and there1 all alone1 in a great forest of ,indiana1 probably twenty miles from any house1 prayed for that kingdom1 saying audibly1 #8,i will never be a sectary4' ,i remember promising ,christ that if ,he would strengthen me and teach me how to work ,i would all my life long preach for ,his kingdom and endeavor to love everybody who was doing that work4 ,not that ,i would accept others' belief1 not that ,i would embrace their theology1 not that ,i would endorse their ecclesiastical organizations2 but whatever their instruments might be1 if they were sincerely working for the kingdom of ,christ ,i would never put a straw in their way and never strike a blow to their harm4 ,by the grace of ,god ,i have kept that resolution to this day4 ,there was so much good that came from the discussions and quarrels of the ,old and ,new ,schools by which at that period of my ministry ,i was surrounded4 ,so much for the influence on my mind of those early scenes and experiences1 which were more1 in some respects1 a theological school to me than ,lane ,seminary itself was40 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,beecher at the ,time of his ,marriage4 ,such was the beginning of his ministry4 ,we may now retrace our steps a little to take a look at the beginning of his domestic life4 ,for seven years1 like ,jacob of old1 he had labored1 waiting for the time when he could claim his wife4 ,of course1 until he was settled somewhere with some definite income1 it was folly to think of marrying4 ,but when he began preaching on trial at ,lawrenceburg1 and it seemed probable that he might be called there1 his mind ran forward to when1 having a definite home1 he might go ,east for his bride4 ,in his journal we find one of his written reveries3 ,illustration3 ,mrs4 ,beecher at the ,time of her ,marriage4 8,,spring1 ,march #a1 #ahcg4--,the winter has gone4 ,spring has come--the time of the singing of birds4 ,how vividly does that little expression call up the whole scene--the bright sun1 the mild air1 the heaven full of sweet influences1 and the green sprouting grass among patches of snow1 and the swelling buds6 ,every voice echoes in the air1 and all sounds are mellow4 ,the falling of a plank1 the pound of a hammer or beetle1 the rumble of a wagon1 all1 this morning1 sound like joyful music4 ,but ,i have one thought sweeter than any of these1 which makes these sweet3 it is that now only spring and summer are to fly before ,i meet my dear wife1 not again to be parted1 except by death60 ,in ,july1 #ahcg1 having been formally called1 though before his ordination--it then being apparent that he was to be definitely settled at ,lawrenceburg--he wrote to ,miss ,bullard1 suggesting that their marriage be celebrated shortly after his ordination1 which was then expected to be in the following ,september4 ,he had no sooner written and mailed the letter when he said to himself1 as he explained to his wife later3 8,why should ,i wait for my ordination8 ,why not have my wife present at it8 ,and ,i started that very afternoon40 ,his letter reached ,miss ,bullard in the morning of ,saturday1 ,july #bi1 and he himself appeared in the evening of the same day1 to the great surprise of all4 ,his plan was explained1 and after a hasty discussion ,august #c was fixed on for the wedding1 and three o'clock in the afternoon the hour4 8,i was expected to be ready to leave in the afternoon of ,august #c10 writes ,mrs4 ,beecher4 8,the wedding-dress and wedding-cake were to be made--for what ,new ,england damsel could be married without wedding-cake8 ,at one o'clock ,monday morning ,i began my work1 sewing until the family were up4 ,after the breakfast was over the materials for the wedding-cake were brought from the village store1 and ,henry and ,i began the work for the cake4 ,he picked over and stoned the raisins--taking abundant toll while doing it--beating the eggs1 and in every way made himself useful1 and kept the whole family in good spirits and cheerful1 when1 but for him1 in such hurried preparations we might have felt the great exertion severely4 ,but the work was done1 and the #c;d of ,august dawned bright and rosy4 8,very few guests were invited outside of the brothers and sisters1 with their families1 who were near enough to the old home to reach us4 ,both my sisters were married in a storm1 and ,i had always said ,i would not be4 ,three o'clock was the hour appointed for the wedding4 ,about two a heavy thunder-shower came on1 and it began to rain1 thunder1 and lighten4 ,at three o'clock we were summoned1 but ,i said3 #8,wait until the storm passes1' and1 in spite of their remonstrance1 they did wait4 ,at four o'clock the clouds broke away and the sun appeared1 and we were ushered into the parlor1 ,henry and ,i together4 ,just as we were entering the door 7it was very warm1 and door and windows all open7 a rainbow1 the most brilliant ,i ever saw1 and so remarked by all in the room1 seemed through the open window to span the parlor1 and the spectators said we walked under its arch to our places4 ,in his prayer the clergyman spoke of the #8bow of peace and promise1' which he hoped was the beautiful symbol of what our lives were to be4 8,we rode to ,worcester after the long farewells were said1 not expecting to meet the home friends again for years40 ,a few days later ,mr4 ,beecher wrote from ,new ,york to his sister1 ,mrs4 ,stowe3 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,sister3 8,before this gets to you1 you will have begun to look for us and wonder that we do not write or come4 ,this is to certify that we are alive1 safely and thoroughly married4 ,coming1 and came as far as ,new ,york4 ,now1 this damsel1 my most comely wife1 longing for the leeks and cucumbers of ,boston1 did freely eat thereof1 and these1 as in duty bound1 did most freely hurt her4 ,three days she bore it1 but on arriving at ,new ,york they had come well-nigh to the cholera morbus2 and thus we are detained for a few days4 ,the doctor's prescriptions have acted like a charm4 ,she is relieved1 and rapidly grows better4 ,nevertheless1 it being now ,thursday1 we shall tarry until ,monday for her to gain strength1 and then1 ,god willing1 we shall set our faces westward and travel like the wind4 ,we were married on ,thursday afternoon1 at four o'clock1 ,august the third4 ,we went immediately to ,worcester1 to ,mr4 ,barton's4 ,nothing could surpass his delicate kindness to us4 8,i preached a preparatory lecture to the three churches on ,friday ,p4,m41 and preached twice for ,mr4 ,peabody on ,sunday4 ,monday left for ,boston4 ,stayed until ,tuesday of the week ensuing4 ,preached in ,bowdoin church in the morning of ,sunday1 and at ,park ,street in the ,p4,m4 ,was invited to preach all day at ,bowdoin1 and also all day at ,odeon1 but preferred my course4 ,left for ,new ,york on ,tuesday noon2 arrived next morning4 ,am at ,rev4 ,mr4 ,jones's 7,mrs4 ,beecher's brother-in-law71 and very pleasantly situated4 ,lucy ,ann is a dear1 sweet sister1 and ,mr4 ,jones a most amiable and well-read1 gentlemanly man4 ,probably ,i shall preach here on the ,sabbath1 but nothing has yet been definitely said4 8,shall return by ,pittsburgh1 leaving this place on ,monday next1 if ,god wills4 ,at that rate you may calculate upon seeing us somewhere about the middle of the week ensuing4 8,ah6 ,harriet1 how ,i long to see you and ,calvin4 ,i shall soon show you my dear1 dear wife4 ,i grow more and more proud of her every day4444 8,love to all--for ,i love you all1 even to the little homely kitten--and love to all our folks1 ,margaret ,hastings and all4 8,yours most affectionately1 dear ,harriet1 8,h4 ,w4 ,b40 ,leaving ,new ,york1 they started westward1 partly by rail1 partly by steamer1 and not a little by the slow method of the canal2 travelled day and night1 until they finally reached ,cincinnati the last of ,august4 ,from ,mrs4 ,beecher's memory we obtain her impressions of their first pastorate3 8,we remained a few days at ,walnut ,hills1 and then took the little steamer with a free pass to ,lawrenceburg4 ,we were to board for the present1 as we did not think that eighteen cents in pocket and three hundred dollars a year prospective salary would enable us to begin housekeeping4 ,lawrenceburg was a small place on the ,miami4 8,mr4 ,beecher was obliged to take charge of that part of the building in which he was to preach4 ,together we went every ,saturday afternoon1 swept and dusted the room1 filled the lard-oil lamps1 and laid the wood and kindlings ready for him to start the fire the next morning before service1 when needed2 for the members of the church were all1 except a few families1 poor laboring people1 with all they could attend to at home4 8,but curiosity to hear the young preacher filled the room the first ,sabbath1 and from that time it continued to be filled--crowded4 ,the ,methodist church had always been the fashionable church1 where the wealthy and more refined part of the population worshipped4 ,this little ,presbyterian church had almost died out1 and1 when first requested to preach there1 neither ,mr4 ,beecher nor the people had any thought of his coming for more than that one ,sabbath4 ,but his manner of preaching was so very different from what they had been accustomed to--so original--that they wanted to hear him again1 and after that they gave him a call to settle there4 ,the ,home ,missionary ,society were to give #aej1 and the little band who composed the church thought they could manage to raise #aej--;in all #cjj--;and the call was accepted1 notwithstanding the remonstrance of friends in ,cincinnati4 ,they were more ambitious for him than he was for himself1 knowing that he could doubtless1 in a short time1 get a better settlement4 ,they knew1 also1 he intended to marry as soon as his theological course was finished1 and thought him wild to think of bringing a wife out ,west and expect to be able to live on three hundred dollars a year4 ,but from the first he acted up to the advice he always gave in after-years to young graduates from theological seminaries3 #8,don't hang round idle1 waiting for a good offer4 ,enter the first field ,god opens for you4 ,if ,he needs you in a larger one ,he will open the gate for you to enter4' ,and so he did4 8,from his first sermon#d in ,lawrenceburg that little room was crowded4 ,he did not extemporize so entirely1 at first1 as in later years--at least he wrote more copious notes--but those who knew him can well imagine that when warmed up by his subject his notes did not hold him very closely4 ----- ,footnote #d3 8,see ,appendix ,a40 ----- 8,how vividly ,i recall that first ,sabbath6 ,how young1 how boyish he did look6 ,and how indignant ,i felt1 when some of the #8higher classes' came in out of simple curiosity1 to see the surprised1 almost scornful looks that were interchanged6 8,he read the first hymn1 and read it well--as they had never heard their own ministers 7often illiterate1 uneducated men7 read hymns4 ,i watched the expression change on their faces4 ,then the first prayer6 ,it was a revelation to them1 and when he began the sermon the critical expression had vanished1 and they evidently settled themselves to hear in earnest4 8,the next ,sunday the interest was still more strongly marked4 ,his preaching was to them something unusual4 ,it was evident the hearers were not quite at ease4 ,he woke them up1 and they were not quite prepared to decide whether they were anxious to be so thoroughly aroused4 ,they were not exactly comfortable1 and some went away1 after the services were over1 a little irritated and half-decided never to hear him again4 8,the next ,sabbath they concluded it would not hurt them to go just this one time more1 and from that time were constant attendants4 ,the satisfaction with this young preacher increased1 and many from all sects came regularly40 ,on his return from the ,east with his young wife1 not feeling that they could afford to undertake housekeeping1 he accepted the hospitality of one of his elders1 who had offered him a room in his house4 ,there they lived for some little time1 when the sudden death of a member of the family and the necessity of a change in the good elder's domestic arrangements required the use of this room4 ,at this time ,mr4 ,beecher was attending a synodical meeting at ,cincinnati4 ,mrs4 ,beecher set to work at once to get board elsewhere4 ,failing in this1 she sought to hire rooms4 ,after hunting until nearly exhausted she secured the refusal of two rooms over a stable down by the banks of the ,miami1 which had been occupied by the hostler1 rental forty dollars per annum4 ,she immediately took the boat to ,cincinnati1 and then1 being too poor to hire a wagon1 she walked to ,walnut ,hills1 four miles from ,cincinnati--which was then the home of the ,beecher family--to report on the state of affairs to her husband4 ,a hasty examination of his finances showed just sixty-eight cents4 ,as they had no household furniture of any kind1 the prospect was not alluring4 ,but an ability to get along somehow was a characteristic of those days4 ,friends1 though not over-rich themselves1 were able each to furnish something4 ,one supplied half of an old carpet1 another some knives and forks1 a third a few sheets and pillow-cases1 then a bedstead1 a stove2 and little by little1 before they returned home that night1 there was gathered together enough to meet the absolute requirements of living4 ,later the sale of ,mrs4 ,beecher's cloak realized thirty dollars4 ,the salary1 though nominally #ejj per annum1 was in fact but #cjj1 of which one-half was paid by the ,home ,missionary ,society1 and neither half paid with great regularity4 ,any industrious day-laborer of modern times would have been ill-content with either income or home possessions4 ,returning from ,walnut ,hills1 the next thing was to cleanse the rooms and settle down4 ,mrs4 ,beecher gives a graphic account of their first housekeeping3 8,when we reached our former boarding-house we found our good friends with whom we had boarded very blue because their pastor and wife could find no better rooms2 but the lady was a true ,new ,england woman and knew how soon a little hard labor would change the looks of the rooms4 ,old ,toby1 their colored man1 brought round1 the next morning1 two pails and scrub-brushes and plenty of soap1 and ,henry and ,i went to work with great energy4 ,think of father with sleeves rolled up1 a big apron on1 scrubbing the floors6 ,but ,i confess ,i never had known anything so hard to clean4 ,tobacco-stains and all manner of dirt that might have been looked for from the former occupants was so soaked into the floor that it seemed impossible to remove the stains4 ,i asked the landlord if we might get some paint and paint the floors4 #8,oh6 no4 ,that would injure the wood6' 8,in a day or two the rooms were as clean as faithful1 hard work could make them1 and after our last breakfast with our kind friends we bade them good-morning1 with thanks and a blessing1 and went to get our furniture1 which the good captain of the steamboat had stored until we were ready4 ,with it came some groceries1 wash-tubs1 and a nice painted dining-table1 and a husk mattress1 and husk pillows4 8#8,where did these last things come from8' said your father4 8#8,part of my cloak1' ,i replied1 #8but not all of it4' 8,the kitchen-window looked out on a large back-yard that could be made a fine one with a little care1 but among the rubbish ,i espied an old three-legged table and something that looked like the remains of small hanging shelves4 ,i ran down stairs and asked the landlady if they had been thrown aside as worthless4 #8,oh6 yes4 ,they are good for nothing4' #8,then may ,i have them8' #8,certainly4 ,but on examination you will find them of no use4' 8,i washed and cleaned them well1 and called to ,henry to take them up-stairs to our rooms4 ,by the table ,i found the broken leg4 ,with very little trouble the table was repaired1 the hanging shelves put up1 and both varnished4 ,they proved to be mahogany1 and when the varnish was dry they looked quite nice4 ,among your father's very scanty wardrobe was an old coat past any mending4 ,i took the skirt1 cleaned it1 and put it on the top of the table1 and fastened the sides and ends with some strips of kid that ,i had brought from home4 ,it did look quite fine1 and you can hardly imagine how much pride and pleasure your father had with his writing-table4 8,the long boxes made in ,amherst expressly to pack his books in when he came ,west were well made of planed boards4 ,these we set one atop of the other1 open side out1 and filled with books bought by his own labors while in college1 teaching school1 and making speeches4 ,these made quite a fine addition to the room which was to be the parlor1 study1 and our bed-room all in one4 8,in the back room was a cook-stove given by brother ,george1 and the old three-quarter bedstead that your father used at ,lane ,seminary1 now all nice and clean1 curtained with some four-cent calico ,mrs4 ,judge ,burnet gave us4 ,henry made the upright posts and ran a large wire round it on which the curtain was hung1 with a wide tape all round the top on which our clothes were pinned4 ,crosswise from the door to the chimney a piece of four-cent calico curtained the corner where wash-benches and tubs1 flour-barrel and sugar-barrel 7the two last sent in by good friends7 were placed1 and over the door leading to the loft in the adjoining store your father had nailed some large pieces to hold saddle1 bridle1 and buffalo-robe4 ,on the other side of the range was a good dish-closet1 and in front a sink4 8,so these two small rooms1 at first so repulsive1 were becoming quite a pleasant home4 ,the house was situated very near the boat-landing on the wharf of the ,miami ,river--too near for comfort when freshets swept down in that direction1 but a pleasant outlook across on to the ,kentucky hills2 the river sometimes so low that your father has walked across and gathered flowers in ,kentucky1 then again rising so as to sweep everything before it as it did two years ago1 utterly obliterating all that portion of ,lawrenceburg where we lived40 ,we are indebted to the ,rev4 ,john ,h4 ,thomas1 the present pastor of ,mr4 ,beecher's old church in ,lawrenceburg1 for the impressions of his ministry there1 as gathered from the reminiscences of his surviving parishioners3 8,mr4 ,beecher made his mark immediately4 ,his youthful appearance--he was but twenty-three--and his careless dress may have raised doubts as to his ability when his hearers first saw him1 but they disappeared as soon as he began to speak4 ,the characteristics of his later oratory were all present from the first--fluency1 glowing rhetoric1 abundance of illustrations1 witty points1 brilliant ideas4 ,from the first he filled the church4 ,merchants told their customers of the talented young preacher1 and they would come miles to hear him4 ,he was annoyed at interruptions1 and when late-comers appeared he would stop speaking till they were seated4 8,his personal habits were as original and effective as his pulpit efforts4 ,he was not what would be called a good pastor4 ,an old pastor of the ,methodist ,episcopal church in ,lawrenceburg said to me3 #8,mr4 ,beecher could outpreach me1 but ,i could out-visit him1 and visiting builds up a church more than preaching4' ,the records of the church during his pastorate are yet in our hands1 though in one of the great floods here the volume floated out of the submerged study of the pastor1 and was found1 by chance1 embedded in the yellow deposit of the ,ohio4 ,it is accurately and neatly kept1 in the beautiful hand of ,mr4 ,beecher1 each entry signed with his well-known autograph4 ,the additions to the church were about on the average of other pastors4 8,but outside of strictly pastoral work ,mr4 ,beecher's influence was felt widely and beneficially4 ,he was universally popular4 ,he was kindly1 genial1 and free with all classes4 ,he would hunt and fish with men not used to the society of clergymen1 and spent much time on the river1 especially in catching drift-wood brought down in every rise4 ,once he called to a poor ,german emigrant woman that if she would bring him her clothes-line he would show her how to get her winter's supply of fuel4 ,she brought it1 and he tied a stone to one end1 and1 flinging it out from the shore over logs1 would draw them in4 ,in a little while their combined efforts had brought in a dray-load4 8,he was fond of talking with all sorts and conditions of men4 ,there was an old shoemaker in the town of pronounced infidel views4 ,mr4 ,beecher would spend hours in the room where he worked1 discussing with him4 8,there is no evidence that he lowered in any degree his character as a ,gospel minister1 but plenty that his influence was felt by the neglected classes1 and even by the rough elements4 ,and in this did he not follow the example of his divine ,master1 of whom it was said3 #8,this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them'8 8,he was not unscholarly1 but is remembered as a reader rather than as a student4 ,he studied men even more than books4 ,a ,baptist minister with whom he had a discussion one ,sunday is yet living here1 and has told me that at the close of the discussion1 in which the ,baptist minister thought he had the best of it1 ,mr4 ,beecher waved his hand and said to the audience3 #8,well1 ,i don't care if you all go down to the river and get immersed4' 8,his going away was esteemed a great loss4 #8,cords of people1' says an old lady graphically1 #8were about to come into the ,church4' ,but ,indianapolis1 then with only #b1ejj people1 was the ,state capital1 and was rapidly outstripping the little town on the river4 ,it was a louder call4 8,mr4 ,beecher's relations with the other ministers were happy1 although he outshone them completely4 ,he established a popular union ,sunday-school1 notwithstanding there was one in each church1 and he often spoke in other churches40 ,mr4 ,beecher described his preaching there as follows3 8,i preached some theology4 ,i had just come out of the ,seminary1 and retained some portions of systematic theology1 which ,i used when ,i had nothing else2 and as a man chops straw and mixes it with ,indian meal in order to distend the stomach of the ox that eats it1 so ,i chopped a little of the regular orthodox theology1 that ,i might sprinkle it with the meal of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,but my horizon grew larger and larger in that one idea of ,christ4 ,it seems to me that first ,i saw ,christ as the ,star of ,bethlehem1 but afterward ,he seemed to expand1 and ,i saw about a quarter of the horizon filled with ,his light1 and through years it came around so that ,i saw about one-half in that light2 and it was not until after ,i had gone through two or three revivals of religion that1 when ,i looked around1 ,he was all and in all4 ,and my whole ministry sprang out of that40 ,at another time he said3 8,i had no idea that ,i could preach4 ,i never expected that ,i could accomplish much4 ,i merely went to work with the feeling3 #8,i will do as well as ,i can1 and ,i will stick to it1 if the ,lord pleases1 and fight ,his battle the best way ,i know how4' ,and ,i was thankful as ,i could be4 ,nobody ever sent me a spare-rib that ,i did not thank ,god for the kindness which was shown me4 ,i recollect when ,judge ------ gave me his cast-off clothing ,i felt that ,i was sumptuously clothed4 ,i wore old coats and second-hand shirts for two or three years1 and ,i was not above it either1 although sometimes1 as ,i was physically a somewhat well-developed man1 and the judge was thin and his legs were slim1 they were rather a tight fit4 8,there was a humorous side to this1 but ,i could easily have put a dolorous side to it4 ,i could have said3 #8,humph6 pretty business6 ,son of ,lyman ,beecher1 president of a theological seminary1 in this miserable hole1 where there is no church1 and where there are no elders and no men to make them out of6 ,this is not according to my deserts4 ,i could do better4 ,i ought not to waste my talents in such a place4' ,but ,i was delivered from any such feeling4 ,i felt that it was an unspeakable privilege to be anywhere and speak of ,christ4 ,i had very little theology--that is to say1 it slipped away from me4 ,i knew it1 but it did not do me any good4 ,it was like an armor which had lost its buckles and would not stick on4 ,but ,i had one vivid point--the realization of the love of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,and ,i tried to work that up in every possible shape for my people4 ,and it was the secret of all the little success which ,i had in the early part of my ministry4 ,i remember that ,i used to ride out in the neighborhood and preach to the destitute1 and that my predominant feeling was thanksgiving that ,god had permitted me to preach the unsearchable riches of ,his grace4 ,i think ,i can say that during the first ten years of my ministerial life ,i was in that spirit40 ,here he began a habit which he followed during the first ten years of his ministry--that of keeping a record of every sermon preached1 stating the date1 text1 an outline of the sermon1 and then the reasons why he preached that particular sermon1 8as giving a kind of guide to my course by a perusal of what ,i have done1 also to avoid repetition and to show why ,i made given sermons02 thus forming the habit of preparing his sermons with a view to reaching some specific object4 ,this record1 with his daily journal in which he jotted down such thoughts on religious subjects as came to his mind day by day1 are now before us1 and show an immense amount of painstaking care4 ,his habit of careful analysis was of incalculable value to him later1 giving a logical method to his reasoning4 ,it was not until after he came to ,brooklyn that1 under the increased pressure of this larger field of work1 he abandoned this habit4 ,the last recorded sermons we find were those preached on the morning and evening of ,january #e1 #ahdh4 ,during the second year of his ,lawrenceburg pastorate he received a call to the ,second ,presbyterian ,church in ,indianapolis1 at a salary of #fjj per year4 ,though this opened up a much larger and more effective field of labor1 with the means of living much more comfortably1 yet1 feeling that he was doing effective work where he was1 he refused the call4 ,he was always opposed to short pastorates and frequent changes3 he had no faith in rolling stones4 ,after a short time the call was repeated and again declined4 ,he was then urged to reconsider his refusal1 and strong representations were made to him that it was his duty to accept the larger and more important field4 ,at last1 perplexed1 he agreed to lay the matter before the ,synod and abide by their recommendation ,the ,synod advised that he accept the call4 ,aside from the strong aversion which he felt for restless changes1 and the feeling that1 no matter how humble the field might be1 he ought to labor there so long as there was work for the ,master to engage him1 he also felt a great unwillingness to leave the people to whom he was becoming strongly attached4 ,the life there1 though rude and simple1 had been very happy4 ,there his first child had been born4 ,there for the first time he really had begun to live and work in the field he had chosen4 ,but as he felt constrained to be guided by the advice which he had sought1 on the ,synod's recommendation he accepted the call4 ,on the afternoon of ,july #bh1 #ahci1 he preached his farewell sermon at ,lawrenceburg from the text3 8,these are the words which ,i spake unto you while ,i was yet with you40 ,,chapter ,x4 ,the ,new ,field--,growth of ,influence--,social ,life--,the ,secret of ,effective ,preaching--,editorial ,labors--,lectures to ,young ,men--,call to ,brooklyn--,departure4 ,with a heart full of tender feelings he parted with his people and entered into the larger work in which he first became known outside of the limits of his ,presbytery4 ,in the last week in ,july1 #ahci1 he removed his family to ,indianapolis1 which1 though it was the ,state capital1 was hardly more than a village1 having less than #d1jjj inhabitants1 its streets unpaved and noted for the depth and persistency of the mud4 ,like most of the then frontier towns1 it was very malarial2 chills and fever were expected as a matter of course1 very rarely disappointing the expectation4 ,the ,second ,presbyterian ,church was an offshoot from the 8,first0 ,church1 a chip struck out by the axe of controversy1 then being so fiercely waged between the ,old and ,new ,schools4 ,the new church was of course ,new ,school4 ,its fifteen original members1 having been released from the ,first ,church after some little ecclesiastical difficulty1 organized at once1 and secured the second story of the old ,marion ,county ,seminary4 ,their first call was to ,rev4 ,s4 ,holmes1 of ,new ,bedford1 ,mass42 he declined4 ,they then invited ,rev4 ,john ,c4 ,young1 of ,danville1 ,ky41 with like result4 ,their next call was to ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 who became their first pastor4 ,he was then but twenty-six1 looking still young1 but fresh1 rugged1 and full of life4 ,to the few survivors of that little band who knew and loved him in those early days we are largely indebted for the impression produced by his preaching in this church and in the community1 and for a brief account of his life among them4 8,my first recollection of ,mr4 ,beecher10 said one of his early parishioners1 8was when ,i was a journeyman printer4 ,a man named ,king came to me and1 with much enthusiasm1 declared he had heard the greatest preacher he had ever listened to in his life--a young fellow who was preaching at the ,marion ,county ,seminary4 8,i went there and heard him for the first time in the spring of #ahdj1 ,i suppose it was4 ,i was1 like everybody else1 perfectly carried away with him4 ,i soon formed his acquaintance1 and1 after he got to the new church on the ,circle1 became a member in the great revival of #ahdb4 ,i was a printer when he delivered those lectures to young men1 and in the course of printing them 7,i was at work in the shop where they were published7 ,i was much in contact with him4 ,they were published by the old jobbing house of ,e4 ,chamberlain1 who was afterwards a bookseller here4 ,the ,indiana ,farmer was printed in the office where ,i worked1 published by a ,quaker named ,willis4 ,mr4 ,beecher was really the life and soul of it--wrote all the articles in it that were good for anything4 ,i frequently assisted him in reading proofs4 ,he had no practical experience as an agriculturist1 except that he was thoroughly alive to every new thing4 ,he took great pride in raising flowers1 and his garden was full of plants that had never been seen here before4 ,during his revival meetings--,i think as much to test my sincerity and earnestness as anything else--he invited me to come to his house at five o'clock in the morning and breakfast with him4 ,it was a winter morning and before daylight4 ,mrs4 ,beecher and the children were up1 everything in perfect order1 and breakfast ready4 ,he called his wife and children together for family worship1 and spoke and prayed in simple words4 ,it seemed to me the most beautiful and touching thing ,i ever saw in my life4 ,mr4 ,beecher1 ,i thought1 was even then broad in his ideas and the most industrious man ,i ever knew4 ,for a time he lived in one side of a little one-story house in the alley half a square north of ,washington ,street1 between ,east and ,new ,jersey ,streets1 in the rear of where the ,jewish ,synagogue now stands4 ,i think there were three rooms4 ,at another time he occupied a house that stood near the southeast corner of ,pennsylvania and ,new ,york ,streets4 ,he has told me that during a malarial season he preached when he could hardly stand up1 and1 making his way home1 would1 on entering his door1 fall from exhaustion40 ,illustration3 ,the ,church at ,indianapolis4 ,another writing to us says3 8,i remember well the occasion of his advent here 7from ,lawrenceburg74 ,almost immediately his ministry attracted a strong following--quite too numerous and influential for the limited seating capacity of one hundred and fifty the chapel could accommodate1 and a church was erected for him on the corner of ,market and ,circle ,streets4 ,that was probably in #ahdj4 ,the building was regarded as a colossal edifice1 and1 while what would now be considered primitive in the extreme1 was in the main comfortable and inviting4 ,it was the first departure from the orthodox style of high pulpits1 and contained a low desk and platform4 ,from the first his preaching and precept were of the beauty of holiness and praise1 gladness and thanksgiving1 and to this end he added the attraction of music to the service of lesson and prayer4 ,in those days his choir was considered magnificent1 and what the organ might lack in volume was more than made up in melody and soul-reaching timbre4 ,he was especially happy in the selection of music that seemed to be an accompaniment to his discourse4 ,he was also the first clergyman1 out of the ,episcopal ,church1 to introduce chants in the service4 8,upon the opposite side of ,the ,circle from his church1 facing west1 was located the ,first ,presbyterian ,church1 the ,rev4 ,phineas ,d4 ,gurley1 pastor4 ,i have often heard them spoken of as the #8two distinguished divines' who were #8the wheel-horses among theologians4' ,they were both leaders4 ,i think that if there was one impression more than another conveyed by ,mr4 ,beecher's appearance it was that of reserve force4 ,the steam up1 he was capable and eager for the work in hand4 ,indeed1 he seemed the very personification of energy4 ,i recall1 however1 that he was always neatly dressed1 usually in black1 and that he was the first clergyman in this part of the country to wear a soft hat4 ,i am not sure if he did not wear the first straw hat in those days of clerical conventionality4 ,he was certainly devoted to comfort1 if in no manner given to taking his ease4 ,i doubt if he knew what it was to be idle4 ,when apparently indulging in recreation his active mind was storing food for thought and spiritual teaching4 ,the lightest romance which caught his fancy 7for he was an omnivorous reader7 furnished material for practical application4 8,in form he was compactly built1 with just enough flesh to give grace to his lithe and active movements4 ,his step was particularly elastic and yet firm4 ,all vigor and animation1 there was the rosy tint of health in his complexion1 and his eyes were as clear and bright as a child's4 ,his disposition was sunny1 and the kindly grasp of his hand confirmed the charm of his genial presence4 ,it followed that he was fond of young people and frequently participated in their romps and sports4 ,i remember in a game of copenhagen at a church picnic he was in no way disconcerted by being rolled over and over down the hill when entangled in the rope4 8,when need be he could be determined enough4 ,at one time a younger brother was an inmate of his family1 and was a classmate of mine at the ,university4 ,in the boy's judgment #8all work and no play made ,jack a dull boy1' and he went fishing and was gone two days4 ,instead of whetting his appetite for study the diversion had the opposite effect1 and he openly declared he would go to school no more4 ,mr4 ,beecher did not waste words on the matter1 but seized him and took him by main force4 ,as they drew near the ,university the lad broke loose and took to his heels1 ,mr4 ,beecher after him4 ,the mud in our streets at that day was something phenomenal1 and there was a tussle in it1 when the two closed1 that sent the #8soft impeachment' in every direction4 ,for a little while the air was filled with mud2 arms and legs were scarcely distinguishable4 ,the authority of elder brother prevailed1 carrying its point--and the younger brother1 too--and handed him over to the tender mercies of the principal1 ,mr4 ,kemper1 who was a rigid disciplinarian1 and proverbial for observing the ,scriptural injunction of not sparing the rod4 ,the youth was equal to the occasion1 however4 ,equipped in extra thickness of clothing1 he took his punishment with most astonishing fortitude1 much to the admiration of the other boys1 whose sympathies were naturally enlisted4 8,this incident illustrated ,mr4 ,beecher's indifference to appearances where a duty was involved4 ,he also assisted in building1 painting1 and varnishing his house1 and1 if material fell short or heavy groceries were needed1 did not hesitate to go after them with his wheelbarrow and take them home4 ,in the single particular of giving dignity to labor1 if there had been no other1 his influence in the community was invaluable4 8,as in a notice of his personnel his characteristics first attract attention1 so in his ministerial labors his method of conversion came before the inculcation of doctrine4 8,i have spoken of his fondness for young men4 ,it was reciprocated to a degree amounting to championship4 ,his influence was personal and direct4 ,in his revival work he did not trust entirely to church service4 ,he became personally acquainted with people4 ,he had a habit of taking long strolls with men1 and what his precept failed in his good companionship made up4 ,one long walk generally captured the sinner4 8,he did not confine himself to ,bible preachments4 ,i heard his lectures to young men in the basement of the church1 and they were so practical that they reached every mind4 ,he struck yeoman blows at the evils of intemperance1 and engaged in a controversy with an influential distiller of ,lawrenceburg that attracted much attention and was reported by the press of that date4 ,largely owing to the sentiment aroused by the debate1 no doubt1 the distiller abandoned his calling4 8,he also engaged in the publication of an agricultural paper1 the ,indiana ,farmer1 and1 as far as known1 was the only professional man who ever put practical sense into a periodical of the sort4 ,a keen lover of nature1 he may be said to have put his heart in the work and made it a memorable success4 8,i do not remember his making any political speeches1 although it is well known that his church was the favorite resort of statesmen1 who made a study of his oratory and diction for their own benefit4 ,i know that he was deeply interested in all charitable enterprises1 particularly the benevolent institutions that are now the pride of the ,state4 8,nor am ,i aware that he ever addressed the legislative bodies in particular1 although the ,general ,assembly men attended his church almost in a body4 ,he was known as a ,whig1 but was not pronounced in that direction4 8,the heart-felt interest he took in the slavery question was well known4 ,about the year #ahdb a roving commission of ,abolitionists from the ,east visited ,indianapolis4 ,they held a meeting on the ,state ,house grounds1 and ,i remember seeing ,mr4 ,beecher a prominent figure on the platform4 8,the unpopularity of the ,abolition cause at that time cannot easily be imagined4 ,to be identified with it was to be socially ostracized and boycotted generally4 ,it required the courage of a martyr to be an ,abolitionist4 ,as notable examples may be cited two physicians who were members of ,mr4 ,beecher's church4 ,bold enough to avow their principles1 they were exceedingly unpopular with the masses1 and in their struggle to combat popular opinion found it extremely difficult to support themselves and families4 ,they literally had no practice4 ,the manner in which ,mr4 ,beecher sustained himself on this question was prophetic of the personal hold he had upon men4 ,it was exceptional4 8,meanwhile his popularity both as a preacher and man continued to increase4 ,indeed1 his success was without precedent and has never been rivalled since4 ,his church was crowded every ,sabbath1 both by his own congregation and visitors from other and distant churches4 ,although the pew system obtained1 at least one-fourth of the seats 7one entire section7 was reserved for young men and strangers4 ,among them may be named the judges of the ,supreme1 ,federal1 and local courts2 distinguished professional men2 and if there was a ,hugh ,miller of a fellow1 picking out truths of humanity from stone or devoting himself like the ,owens to his fellow-man1 he would be found in that imposing body of men4 ,i suppose ,indianapolis could not then boast of more than five thousand inhabitants1 but there was an unusual aggregate of culture and refinement1 and it was pretty sure to find delight in ,mr4 ,beecher's preaching and service4 8,as a rule his morning sermons were more doctrinal and more confined to notes than his evening discourse4 ,in the delivery of all of his sermons1 however1 he would at times become very much enthused and dramatic4 8,one frequent gesture that ,i noticed in attending his last lecture here he retained through life4 ,it was the habit of raising his right hand high in air1 and after a pause1 sometimes prolonged1 bringing his arm down sharply to his side4 ,an amusing incident once occurred in consequence4 ,at the identical moment that his hand was raised a big1 burly fellow1 a member of his congregation1 aroused from a nap 7even his eloquence could not keep every man awake7 and seeing the hand uplifted1 the sleepy lout thought the benediction was being pronounced4 ,he gathered himself up accordingly and marched toward the door1 making a terrible racket with his squeaking boots1 to the visible annoyance of the congregation4 ,there was a charming twinkle of fun in the preacher's eye as he gravely said3 #8,if others of the congregation desire to leave ,i will wait4' ,a laugh went round the audience4 8,in his liberal interpretation of the divine calling of bringing sinners to repentance1 some motley members1 not to say black sheep1 were gathered into the fold4 ,among these was a lame tailor who was a very hard case indeed1 but was possessed of an appreciative soul and a wonderfully retentive memory4 ,he was always to be found in his seat in church and was attentive enough to inspire a speaker4 ,the following morning the tailor's shop would be crowded to hear him repeat the sermon1 or eloquent passages thereof4 ,this he would do1 word for word1 and with a close imitation of voice and gesture that proved a first-class actor had been lost to the world in the realm of #8the shears' and #8goose4' ,a propensity for gambling that could not be checked was reported to the church and he was dropped from the roll4 8,take them all in all1 ,mr4 ,beecher's sermons in ,indianapolis were marvels of logic and learning1 graced by rare beauty of expression and that feeling to nature kin which touched the heart4 ,his usefulness could not be circumscribed by the then narrow limits4 ,his fame spread abroad in the land1 and one fine ,sunday two or more strangers1 with an unmistakable ,new ,york air1 appeared in the church4 ,it transpired that they were a visiting committee in search of a bright and shining pulpit light1 and it all ended in his call to ,brooklyn4 8,great were the regrets of his congregation and the community of which he was the great central figure of interest and influence4 ,the impress he left has not been obliterated1 with the growth of the city1 by the lapse of time4 ,in many respects the city is a monument to his earnest efforts to promote her moral and intellectual development40 ,mr4 ,beecher has often remarked in later years that his first real preaching was at ,indianapolis4 ,although at ,lawrenceburg he was noted for his brilliancy of diction and wonderful oratorical power1 and by his good-fellowship and the strong personal interest which he took in all his people made many and lasting friends1 yet he did not feel that he was doing real1 effective work4 8,i can preach so as to make the people come to hear me10 said he to good old ,bishop ,little1 8but somehow ,i can't preach them clear into the kingdom40 ,a year or two after his removal to ,indianapolis he determined to find out what the difficulty was4 8,we had delivered hundreds before1 but until then the sermon was the end and not the means4 ,we had a vague idea that truth was to be preached1 and then it was to be left to do its work under ,god's blessing as best it might4 ,the result was not satisfying4 ,why should not preaching do now what it did in the ,apostles' days8 ,why should it be a random and unrequited effort8 ,these thoughts grew1 and the want of fruits was so painful that we determined to make a careful examination of the ,apostles' teaching1 to see what made it so immediately efficient4 ,we found that they laid a foundation first of historical truth common to them and their auditors2 that this mass of familiar truth was then concentrated upon the hearers in the form of an intense personal application and appeal2 that the language was not philosophical and scholastic1 but the language of common life4 ,we determined to try the same4 ,we considered what moral truths were admitted by everybody and gathered many of them together4 ,we considered how they could be so combined as to press men toward a religious state4 ,we recalled to mind the character and condition of many1 who1 we knew1 would be present1 and then1 after as earnest a prayer as we ever offered1 and with trembling solicitude1 we went to the academy and preached the new sermon4 ,the ,lord gave it power1 and ten or twelve persons were aroused by it and led ultimately to a religious life4 8,this was the most memorable day of our ministerial life4 ,the idea was born4 ,preaching was a definite and practical thing4 ,our people needed certain moral changes4 ,preaching was only a method of enforcing truths1 not for the sake of the truths themselves1 but for the results to be sought in men4 ,man was the thing4 ,henceforth our business was to work upon man2 to study him1 to stimulate and educate him4 ,a sermon was good that had power on the heart1 and was good for nothing1 no matter how good1 that had no moral power on man4 ,others had learned this4 ,it was the secret of success in every man who ever was eminent for usefulness in preaching4 ,but no man can inherit experience4 ,it must be born in each man for himself4 ,after the light dawned ,i could then see how plainly ,jonathan ,edwards's sermons were so made4 ,those gigantic applications of his were only the stretching out of the arms of the sermon upon the lives and hearts of his audience4 ,i could see it now1 and wondered that ,i had not seen it before40 ,the application of this1 to him1 new idea soon began to be apparent in rich results4 ,a series of revivals sprang up1 by which many were brought into the church4 ,from one of his successors we learn that 8these were great foundation days for the church4 ,strong religious impressions were made upon the young town1 and very many were redeemed to a life of ,christian service4 ,these were fruitful years1 starred over by three prolific revivals4 ,in the spring of #ahdb nearly one hundred were received2 again1 in #ahdc1 was another spiritual blessing1 and once more in #ahde4 ,such fruits vindicate the character and fervor of the pastoral activity4 ,many of these converts are in the church to-day1 old men1 testifying as elders and devout believers to the genuineness of this work4 ,mr4 ,beecher preached seventy nights in succession during one spring1 in labors abundant4 ,he ceased special effort1 he said1 to permit many who did not wish to come out under an excitement1 to calmly join the church4 8,revivals have been characteristic of this church from the beginning4 ,they have brought it steady and growing and efficient workers40 ,he wrote to his father ,may #a1 #ahdb3 8,prosperity and peace dwell with us4 ,our church is filled2 our young converts run well1 and already there is gathered in material for another revival of persons hitherto not wont to attend church anywhere4 8,i hope this fall and early winter to see the scenes of this spring renewed4 ,the neighborhoods about town are also revived40 ,he has told us of one occasion when he attended a meeting of the ,presbytery with his father4 ,great efforts were made at these meetings to awaken a religious interest among the people especially in the church where the meetings were held4 ,several sermons had been delivered on this occasion1 with no great effect1 when he was called upon to preach4 ,he selected for his subject 8,the ,parable of the ,prodigal ,son40 8,as ,i went on describing the going away of the sinner from ,god the people became interested2 as ,i described the sinner's coming to himself the interest increased2 but when ,i came to the return of the sinner to ,god1 and ,god's readiness1 even hastening1 to receive him1 the whole audience broke down1 and father1 who was on the platform with me1 said1 wiping his eyes and spectacles1 #8,thank the ,lord6 a revival is begun4' ,mr4 ,c------1 a good brother1 grasped my hand after the sermon with great fervor4 #8,you did well1 ,beecher1 you did well2 but you ought to have given 'em salt instead of sugar4' ,but since the salt had been tried several days without effect1 and the sugar1 as he called my preaching1 brought many to ,christ1 ,i did not agree with him40 ,his zealous labors were by no means confined to ,indianapolis4 ,he was constantly called to help in the towns and villages throughout the centre of the ,state4 ,one1 two1 and even three weeks at a time he would be gone1 laboring to help some brother striving to awaken his people4 ,terre ,haute1 ,madison1 ,greenwood1 ,greencastle1 ,lafayette1 ,logansport1 ,fort ,wayne1 ,laporte1 and ,columbus are the names we find most frequently endorsed on the manuscript notes of his old revival sermons now before us4 ,these were the days he loved to look back upon2 though full of hardship1 privations1 and not a little suffering1 they were also full of that great joy which comes to those who labor successfully in winning souls4 ,revisiting ,terre ,haute in one of his lecture tours many years afterward1 and for the first time after coming ,east1 he writes back3 8,and now my face is turned homeward6 ,i am bound to ,terre ,haute--clear across the prairie that ,i once traversed in early days4 ,farm touches farm over these wide expanses which1 forty years ago1 ,i thought could never be inhabited6 ,no coal1 no timber--how1 except along the streams1 could men settle and thrive8 ,railroads1 those dry and solid rivers1 have solved the problem4 8,is this ,terre ,haute8 ,how has thy prosperity increased and thy beauty diminished6 8,i wandered up and down the streets to find my ,terre ,haute6 ,it was gone1 covered up1 lost1 utterly lost1 in new streets1 new buildings6 ,where is the former green8 ,where the quiet fields within bowshot of the town8 8,at any rate1 ,i shall know the church4 ,there it was that ,i first wrought in revivals1 and every board and nail in it was precious4 ,i found it4 ,i entered by the basement side-door and stood in the lecture-room where ,i preached my first sermon1 the same day of my arrival in town1 to aid ,rev4 ,dr4 ,jewett4 ,it was a solemn feeling that stole over me4 ,i saw the audience again4 ,the seats were filled with shadowy listeners6 ,it only needed to see a few of the familiar faces--,l4 ,h4 ,scott1 ,dr4 ,ketcham1 ,ball1 ,gookin1 and others--to make it real again6 ,just then came up the aisle ,harry ,ross himself6 ,it was the touch needed to round out the reminiscence4 ,only one fact disturbed the sweet illusion4 ,this was not the same church4 ,the old one had been burned1 and this one took its place6 ,it was a gentle shock to my sensibilities4 ,but it stood on the very ground1 and was on the old foundations1 and upon the same plan1 and looked like the old one1 and so ,i inwardly voted that it was the old one and took my comfort of it6 ,the city is wonderfully improved in every way except to those sentimentalists who come hither to renew the past and live over again old experiences4 8,after the lecture1 in a special train1 we sped1 through darkness and storm1 to ,indianapolis--three hours' blessed ride4 ,how different this midnight ride from the first one1 thirty-five years before6 ,for three weeks ,i had labored side by side with ,brother ,jewett--the first revival in which ,i had ever taken part6 ,how helpless and wretched did ,i feel when ,jewett sent for me--then newly settled in ,indianapolis--to come over and help him6 ,i had no effective sermons4 ,i did not know how to preach in a revival4 ,yet my elders said1 ,go4 ,i rode two days the lonely road1 through beech forests 7now all gone71 in a dazed and wondering state4 ,hardly was my saddle empty before ,jewett was at my elbow4 #8,you have done well to come4 ,you must preach to-night4' ,in a moment the cloud lifted4 ,the reluctance was gone4 ,it has been so all my life4 ,at a distance ,i dread and brood and shrink from any weighty enterprise2 but the moment the occasion arrives joy shines clear1 and an eager appetite to dash into the battle comes4 8,three memorable weeks at a time when events stamp the memory and the heart as the die stamps the coin6 ,when the time came to return home did ever heart swell with stronger and more unutterable feeling8 ,to go back to the ordinary round of church life from this glowing centre seemed so intolerable that my whole nature and all my soul rose up in uncontrollable prayer4 ,through the beech woods1 sometimes crying1 sometimes singing1 and always praying1 ,i rode in one long controversy with ,god4 #8,slay me if ,thou wilt1 but do not send me home to barrenness4 ,thou shalt go with me4 ,i will not be refused4 ,i am not afraid of ,thee6 ,i will prevail or die6'--these and even wilder strains went through the soul4 8,at length the clouds rolled away4 ,the heavens had never seemed so beautiful and radiant4 ,an unspeakable peace and confidence filled my soul4 ,the assurance of victory was perfect1 and tranquillity blossomed into joy at every step4 ,the first day was one long struggle of prayer4 ,the second day was one long ecstasy of joy and thanksgiving6 ,i need not say to the wise that the fire of my heart kindled in the church1 and for months the genial warmth brought forth a spiritual summer1 so that flowers and fruit abounded in the garden of the ,lord4 8,and now in this three-hour midnight ride1 amid outward storms but inward joy and thanksgiving1 ,i recalled the old days1 and mingled their light with the gladness of the passing hour40 ,referring to a revival at ,terre ,haute--perhaps the one just mentioned--,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher wrote3 8,the revival here under ,henry's administration and preaching was1 in the adaptation of means and happy results1 one of the most perfectly conducted and delightful that ,i have ever known40 ,we can get some slight idea of the hard physical labor he endured in his ordinary home preaching by quoting a single page of his 8,sermon ,record ,book0--a not unusual record3 8,oct4 #bb4 ,rode #cf miles2 ,adams' neighborhood by noon4 ,evening rode five miles to ,franklin2 preached on ,faith4 8 #bc4 ,rode back to ,adams1 and at #aj preached ordination of ,stimson3 ,duties of ,pastor4 8 #bd4 ,sunday morning and evening1 our church4 8 #bf4 ,funeral of ,mrs4 ,jennison4 8 #ca4 ,twice--once on ,baptism4 ,nov4 #g4 ,morning1 baptism2 ,p4,m41 funeral4 8 #aa4 ,rode #h miles to ,brewer's and preached2 home again4 8 #ab4 ,rode #h miles to ,n4 ,prov4 ,ch42 preached1 and home4 8 #ac4 ,preached morning and night1 and rode #e miles to ,m------2 ,p4,m41 #aj miles1 preached #c times a day40 ,at this time he undertook a minute and careful analysis of the ,gospels3 8,i took the ,new ,testament1 ,i read it diligently1 ,i made myself familiar with the life and teachings of ,christ1 ,i became saturated with the spirit of the four ,gospels1 ,i obtained all the helps ,i could get for their interpretation1 and ,i have now in my drawer a heap of manuscripts in which ,i have condensed and compiled these ,gospels1 everything in them being conveniently arranged for use4 ,it was an immense work4 ,these four ,gospels had1 as it were1 been eaten and digested by me and gone into my blood and bones4 8,it was while ,i was engaged in this work that ,christ was brought to my soul for the first time in my life with a sweetness and beauty1 with a vividness and glory1 that for the time transformed the heavens and the earth to my eyes4 ,i had a conception of the depths of the nature of the ,divine ,being that made metaphysical doctrines and philosophical formulas more repugnant to me than they had ever been before1 and ,i entered into a vow and covenant that if ,i were permitted to preach ,i would know nothing but ,christ and ,him crucified among ,his people4 ,i took my horse and saddle-bags and traversed the wilderness of ,indiana1 keeping that view in my mind4 ,for eight or ten years ,i labored for the poor and needy1 in cabins1 in camp-meetings1 through woods1 up and down1 sometimes riding two days to meet my appointments4 ,i had no books but my ,bible1 and ,i went from one to the other--from the ,bible to men1 and from men to the ,bible4 ,when a case came up ,i said to myself3 #8,what will reach that case8' and ,i looked through the ,acts of the ,apostles to see how they reached such cases4 ,i hunted the ,bible through in order to get at the right way4 ,so ,i worked on1 and at last the habit was formed in my mind of studying men1 their dispositions1 their wants1 their peculiarities2 and then ,i worked with reference to curing them1 not constructing a system1 but striving to produce righteousness in the individual and in communities40 ,it is said that in his preaching he often went double-loaded4 ,he would go to church with a sermon specially prepared for some person whom he greatly desired to reach4 ,if1 however1 he was not present1 he would preach a more general sermon4 ,but when1 on some other occasion1 he found1 on entering church1 that the object of his solicitude was present1 he would lay aside the sermon prepared for that day and preach the special one4 ,it often occasioned no little surprise in the mind of the subject that ,mr4 ,beecher should have happened that day to preach a sermon so exactly fitted to his case4 ,although he had the strongest feelings of love and kindliness toward mankind1 both in the abstract and the concrete1 yet he never hesitated to lash with stinging words any who took advantage of their strength to abuse another's weakness4 ,and in such a case nothing could induce him to back down or withdraw from the attack1 unless he could be satisfied that he had been mistaken in his facts4 ,one noticeable incident of the kind occurred during his ministry in ,indianapolis1 as narrated by ,mrs4 ,beecher3 ,a man in the city hotel1 and not a little feared because of his brutality1 had done something more brutal than usual1 and1 the facts coming to ,mr4 ,beecher's knowledge1 in his sermon on the following ,sunday he expressed in no gentle terms his abhorrence of the act1 and in very strong language rebuked the man4 ,many of his listeners were alarmed lest the man would1 when he heard of the sermon1 do ,mr4 ,beecher some injury4 ,of course before the day was over the substance in the sermon had been reported throughout the town1 and did not fail to reach the man's ears4 ,monday morning ,mr4 ,beecher went to the post-office immediately after breakfast1 and must go right by the hotel around which this man would most likely be hanging4 ,he got his mail and turned to come home4 ,as he passed the hotel there were several standing by1 evidently watching for some development4 ,at that moment the man came down the steps with a pistol in his hand4 8,did you say thus and so in your sermon yesterday80 8,i did40 8,did you intend those remarks for me1 or were you meaning me80 8,i most certainly did40 8,then take it back right here1 or by ------ ,i'll shoot you on the spot40 8,shoot away10 was the reply1 as1 looking the ruffian sternly in the face1 ,mr4 ,beecher calmly1 with deliberate step1 walked past the man4 ,with pointed pistol and fierce oaths the man followed for a few paces1 when1 baffled by the imperturbable coolness of his opponent1 he slunk away down a side-street1 ashamed to return to the hotel4 ,mr4 ,beecher himself has given us an account of another similar event3 8,i remember that in ,indianapolis there was a meeting called for the enforcement of the laws against gamblers and against grog-selling1 at which ,i was requested to address mechanics and laborers2 and some of these violators of the law were there4 ,a man named ,bishop1 and others of that stamp1 were in the meeting to hear what was going to be said4 ,they were the very men that we were aiming at4 ,i was much excited4 ,there were gambling-dens and liquor-saloons where young men were induced to drink and form bad habits1 and were in danger of being dragged down to destruction2 and ,i expressed myself plainly1 and pointed to ,bishop1 who sat on a back seat1 and denounced him to his face4 ,there was a lively time1 if ,i recollect right2 and he gave out the next day that when he and ,i met one or the other of us was going to be whipped4 ,i went down the street soon after1 and ,i had forgotten all about it until ,i was right in front of his shop4 ,he was a bully4 ,he watched me as ,i came down1 and ,i confess that my first thought was a wish that ,i was not there2 but then it would never do for me to flinch1 and ,i walked as though ,i did not see him till ,i came close to him1 when ,i turned and looked at him4 ,he thought ,i was going to attack him1 and waited a moment2 ,i bowed and said1 #8,good-morning1 ,mr4 ,bishop1' and passed on4 ,he would not run after me and hit me1 and so the affair blew over4 8,a year or two after that ,i left ,indianapolis and went up the river1 and he chanced to be on the boat with me2 and there never was a man that paid me more kind attention than he did4 ,he looked after my children here and there1 guarded me at night1 and wanted me to drink with him--some soda-water4 ,he opened his whole heart to me1 and told me how he felt at the time of my remarks1 how he felt the next day1 and how he had come to feel since4 ,he said he knew he was carrying on a wicked trade1 that he was mad with himself1 and that he was mad with me1 and told me what it was that induced him to stop4 ,i found that under his love of gain1 which had led him to sell liquor1 there was a conscience1 a heart1 and a good deal of kindness40 ,during the latter part of his ministry in ,indianapolis the ,presbyterian clergymen had been requested by the presbytery to preach at least one sermon during the year on slavery4 ,agreeably to this suggestion ,mr4 ,beecher prepared three sermons on this subject4 ,he waited until the ,united ,states ,federal ,court came there1 with ,judge ,mc,lean as the presiding judge2 and when all of the ,state courts1 ,supreme ,court and ,circuit1 were in session and the ,legislature was convened--so that all lawyers and public officers1 men of every kind1 thronged the city--he announced that he should preach on slavery4 ,from the original manuscript before us we learn that he presented his subject in three sermons4 ,in the first he discussed ancient slavery1 especially among the ,hebrews1 its origin1 methods1 and final abandonment4 ,in his second he presented 8the doctrine and practice of the ,new ,testament in respect to slavery40 ,in his last he discussed the moral aspects of slavery and its effect upon the community4 ,these sermons made a profound impression on the public mind4 ,indiana was just over the border of slaveland1 and many of its people sympathized heartily with the slave-holders4 ,the prevailing sentiment was very bitter against the ,abolitionists4 ,there was very little patience with such 8cranks0 and 8fanatics40 ,so when ,mr4 ,beecher attacked slavery with the same unsparing earnestness which characterized his utterances on this subject in latter days--for he did not hesitate to denounce it as a crime against ,god and man--he stirred up a very large and very energetic hornet's nest4 ,the city was all excitement4 ,men talked of nothing else4 ,the friends of slavery were bitter and threatening2 the few friends of freedom1 overawed by the threatening demonstrations1 held their peace and waited to see the outcome4 ,mr4 ,beecher stood almost alone4 ,many of the church-brethren were shocked and grieved beyond all expression2 some even felt so outraged as to send for letters of dismissal4 ,many prophesied that he had destroyed himself and ended his influence for usefulness for ever1 mourning over his speedy downfall--a mournful prophecy so often repeated in after-years by timid brothers whenever he took any advanced position1 and with the same results as in this instance4 ,holding the ,united ,states ,circuit1 then in session1 was ,judge ,mc,lean1 of the ,united ,states ,supreme ,court1 whose views upon all public questions were naturally held in high esteem4 ,the hotel where he was stopping was full of lawyers and members of the ,legislature4 ,on the ,monday morning after these sermons1 in angry and excited groups1 they stood in the public rooms of the hotel1 talking about the three sermons which had thrown the town into such a ferment4 ,the judge1 happening to join one of these groups1 was asked his opinion4 ,instead of denouncing ,mr4 ,beecher's bold stand as madness1 he calmly but with decisive emphasis replied3 8,well1 ,i think if every minister in the ,united ,states would be as faithful it would be a great advance in settling this question40 ,the judge's words spread as rapidly as had the sermons4 ,they checked the flow of bitter criticism4 ,men stopped talking and began to think2 before the day was out a revulsion of feeling set in4 ,many of the most hostile found their anger changing into admiration--not convinced by ,mr4 ,beecher's logic1 but deeply impressed by his pluck4 ,those who shared his views felt emboldened to speak out2 and that middle class1 the social weather-vanes who like to go with the majority1 soon felt the changing breeze and began veering around to his side4 ,the timid church-members took heart1 the applications for letters of dismissal were recalled4 ,the tide that threatened to overwhelm the plucky preacher only lifted him up and carried him the higher in public estimation4 ,this was the first demonstration of his ability to face and overcome an adverse public sentiment while championing a just but unpopular cause--an experience many times repeated in the forty years that followed4 ,sometimes it seemed as if he could not stand against the flood poured out upon him4 ,then the consciousness of right made him strong and gave him that great peace that no whirlwind of adversity could destroy1 and roused up in him a determination to only work the harder4 ,it was while in ,indianapolis that he began his first real literary work4 ,it is true that he did some editorial work while at ,lane ,seminary1 but that was too short-lived and occasional to be regarded as regular literary occupation4 ,here at ,indianapolis he accepted the editorial chair of the ,indiana ,farmer and ,gardener1 and1 as we are assured by those who were readers of that journal1 threw around the subjects therein discussed a brightness of humor and fancy that made the otherwise dry topics of fodder1 fertilizers1 and plantings seem new and interesting subjects4 8,it may be of some service to the young1 as showing how valuable the fragments of time may become1 if mention is made of the way in which we became prepared to edit this journal4 8,the continued taxation of daily preaching1 extending through months1 and once through eighteen consecutive months without the exception of a single day1 began to wear upon the nerves1 and made it necessary for us to seek some relaxation4 ,accordingly we used1 after each week-night's preaching1 to drive the sermon out of our heads by some alterative reading4 8,in the ,state ,library were ,loudon's works--his encyclopdias of ,horticulture1 of ,agriculture1 and of ,architecture4 ,we fell upon them1 and for years almost monopolized them4 8,in our little one-story cottage1 after the day's work was done1 we pored over these monuments of an almost incredible industry1 and read1 we suppose1 not only every line but much of it many times over2 until at length we had a topographical knowledge of many of the fine ,english estates quite as intimate1 we dare say1 as was possessed by many of their truant owners4 ,there was something exceedingly pleasant1 and is yet1 in the studying over mere catalogues of flowers1 trees1 fruits1 etc4 8,a seedsman's list1 a nurseryman's catalogue1 are more fascinating to us than any story4 ,in this way1 through several years1 we gradually accumulated materials and became familiar with facts and principles1 which paved the way for our editorial labors4 ,lindley's #8,horticulture' and ,gray's #8,structural ,botany' came in as constant companions4 ,and when1 at length1 through a friend's liberality1 we became the recipients of the ,london ,gardener's ,chronicle1 edited by ,prof4 ,lindley1 our treasures were inestimable4 ,many hundred times have we lain awake for hours unable to throw off the excitement of preaching1 and beguiling the time with imaginary visits to the ,chiswick ,garden1 to the more than oriental magnificence of the ,duke of ,devonshire's grounds at ,chatsworth4 ,we have had long discussions in that little bed-room at ,indianapolis1 with ,van ,mons about pears1 with ,vibert about roses1 with ,thompson and ,knight of fruits and theories of vegetable life1 and with ,loudon about everything under the heavens in the horticultural world4 8,this employment of waste hours not only answered a purpose of soothing excited nerves then1 but brought us into such relations to the material world that we speak with entire moderation when we say that all the estates of the richest duke in ,england could not have given us half the pleasure which we have derived from pastures1 waysides1 and unoccupied prairies40 ,he was an earnest advocate of manual labor4 ,he had no patience with those whose squeamish effeminacy made them look upon labor as degrading4 ,on the fly-leaves of his 8,editorial ,agricultural ,book10 begun ,january #aj1 #ahde1 he wrote3 8,it is my deliberate conviction that physical labor is indispensable to intellectual and moral health1 that the industrial and producing interests of society are powerfully conservative of morals4 ,especially do ,i regard the tillage of the soil as conducive to life1 health1 morals1 and manhood4 ,i sympathize with the advance of society through practical physical labors more than ,i do through metaphysical speculations4 ,i obtain clearer views of religious truth through my sympathies with men and their life than ,i do through books and their thoughts4 ,nor do ,i think any theology will be sound which is made in the closet4 ,it should be made in the street1 shop1 ship1 office1 and on the farm4 ,i have followed both inclination and conviction in allying myself to the laboring classes40 ,his knowledge on the subject of farming was not altogether theoretic4 ,one of his old parishioners writes us3 8,he loved to work and toil1 especially in his own garden4 ,he always had the earliest vegetables in the market1 and his garden was better than any other in the city4 ,he loved to work among his flowers1 and could call every flower by its name readily4 ,i think that he loved his flowers and took more pleasure with them than anything else1 excepting his family4 ,he certainly was more devoted to his family than any man ,i ever saw40 ,it was no uncommon thing for him to take his vegetables to the market before daylight1 sometimes1 as an especial favor1 taking his little five-year-old girl with him4 ,from the report of the fall exhibition of the ,indiana ,horticultural ,society we learn that ,mr4 ,beecher took the three first prizes for the best exhibition of squashes1 beets1 and oyster-plants4 ,his beets1 it is stated1 weighed from eight to fourteen pounds4 ,the literary production which first attracted any general attention was his 8,lectures to ,young ,men40 ,the ,state capital seemed to be the headquarters for all those forms of temptation and vice which are particularly liable to undermine the morals of the young4 ,many a young man1 whose future seemed bright with the promise of an honorable and useful life1 had ,mr4 ,beecher seen swept from his feet and whirled away to a dishonorable end--young men who might have been saved had some one been able to show them the dangers of the paths they were treading1 whose beginnings seemed so pleasant and fair4 ,greatly distressed at what he saw1 he finally determined to deliver a series of lectures intended primarily for young men1 and for the purpose of opening their eyes4 ,these were subsequently revised and published1 under the title of 8,lectures to ,young ,men40 ,the purpose of these lectures he aptly indicated in his preface3 8,when a son is sent abroad to begin life for himself1 what gift would any parent consider excessive to him who should sit down by his side and open the several dangers of his career1 so that the young man should1 upon meeting the innumerable covert forms of vice1 be able to penetrate their disguises1 and to experience1 even for the most brilliant seductions1 a hearty and intelligent disgust8 8,having watched the courses of those who seduce the young--their arts1 their blandishments1 their pretences--having witnessed the beginning and consummation of ruin1 almost in the same year1 of many young men1 naturally well disposed1 whose downfall began with the appearances of innocence1 ,i felt an earnest desire1 if ,i could1 to raise the suspicion of the young and to direct their reason to the arts by which they are with such facility destroyed4 8,i ask every ,,young ,,man who may read this book not to submit his judgment to mine1 not to hate because ,i denounce1 nor blindly to follow me1 but to weigh my reason1 that he may form his own judgment4 ,i only claim the place of a companion2 and1 that ,i may gain his ear1 ,i have sought to present truth in those forms which best please the young2 and though ,i am not without hope of satisfying the aged and the wise1 my whole thought has been to carry with me the intelligent sympathy of young men40 ,he dedicated the book to his father-- 8,,to 8,,lyman ,,beecher1 ,d4,d4 ,to you ,i owe more than to any other living being4 ,in childhood you were my ,parent1 in later life my ,teacher1 in manhood my ,companion4 ,to your affectionate vigilance ,i owe my principles1 my knowledge1 and that ,i am a minister of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,for whatever profit they derive from this ,book the young will be indebted to you40 ,our space forbids any attempt at reproducing or analyzing these lectures4 ,the evils that he attacked were real1 and he did not mince matters in the assault4 ,in the course of his lectures some of his good people1 including one or two of the elders1 thought that he was too plain and outspoken in his description of the temptations and dangers that beset the young1 and undertook to advise him1 suggesting that he should be more prudent in the forms of his expressions4 ,he expressed regret that he should differ with them1 but he proposed1 he said1 to treat the subject as he thought he ought1 without regard to any instructions given4 ,he did not propose to fight a mad dog with a handful of straw4 ,notwithstanding the timidity of his advisers1 it appears1 from the universal testimony of those who heard them1 that they did great good1 awakening the community to the dangers he exposed4 ,he was earnestly urged to revise and print them1 8that their usefulness may be extended beyond the place of their delivery40 ,his first attempts at their revision were not at all satisfactory to him1 for he said afterwards3 8,i remember1 when ,i was reading over my lectures to young men1 with the intention of printing them1 that ,i took down a volume of ,dr4 ,barrow's sermons and read two on the subject of #8,industry and ,idleness4' ,i had two lectures on similar subjects that ,i thought of publishing1 but they seemed to me so mean in the comparison that ,i took up the manuscript and fired it across the room and under the book-case1 where it lay ,i do not know how long1 and said3 #8,i am not going to put those lectures into print and make an ass of myself4' ,i thought that ,i would be a fool to think there was anything in them worth publishing4 ,afterwards1 however1 a volume of lectures to young men was lent to me1 and when ,i read them they seemed so thin and weak that ,i said3 #8,if these are acceptable to the public and will do good ,i think ,i can print mine4'0 ,the many editions published in this country and ,england justified his final conclusion4 ,although his salary had been doubled on coming to ,indianapolis1 had he received it all it would hardly have kept pace with his necessities4 ,many little necessities incident to their new surroundings called for expense4 ,in the ,state capital two rooms over a stable would hardly meet the requirements of his social surroundings4 ,it became necessary to hire an entire house1 the spare rooms of which were devoted to boarders whose rent helped out the slender family purse4 ,the house needed painting2 why hire a painter8 ,he could do it himself4 ,was he not born and brought up in sturdy old ,new ,england1 where every lad was expected1 almost from the day he was weaned1 to take care of himself and add his labor to increase the common good2 where a man was thought wanting in ordinary 8cuteness0 who could not turn his hand to any job and do anything he had seen another do8 ,off he starts to the paint-store with his old horse and wagon1 entering so enthusiastically upon the work in hand that he wholly forgot an engagement1 made for that morning1 to marry a couple4 ,as the paints were being put up1 he suddenly recalls his engagement1 abruptly turns on his heel1 rushes from the store1 jumps into his wagon1 and goes clattering down the street1 leaving the astounded storekeeper in anxious solicitude for his sanity4 ,returning shortly1 with a merry laugh he explained the cause of his precipitate outgoing4 ,he found the couple waiting1 married them1 and then returned for his paint4 ,getting his supplies1 he goes to work4 ,he said3 8,i wanted to economize in every way ,i could1 and meant to paint the house myself2 and ,i did4 ,i got along well enough until ,i came to the gable end1 which was two and a half stories high4 ,when ,i began to paint there ,i was so afraid that ,i should fall off from the platform that ,i nearly rubbed out with my vest what ,i put on with the brush1 but in the course of a week ,i got so used to climbing that ,i was as nimble as any painter in town40 ,here three more little ones came to swell the family circle1 adding new joys to the heart of one who loved almost with a mother's devotion every little child he saw4 ,but these joys brought three more mouths to feed1 three more little bodies to clothe4 ,fortunately food was abundant and very cheap4 ,in the fall and early winter game abounded1 so that pigeon1 quail1 and ducks were bought for almost nothing1 and at times were literally given away4 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,beecher's ,house at ,indianapolis4 ,we remember the story oft told by him of the man bringing six dozen pigeons to town4 ,he tried to sell them1 and was laughed at4 ,he then offered to give them away2 no one wanted them4 8,well10 he said1 8,i won't take them home2 perhaps if ,i leave them in my wagon in the street some one will steal them40 ,returning a half-hour later1 he found that some other hunter equally anxious to get rid of his game had dumped eight dozen more into his wagon4 ,his people would sometimes donate food or clothing4 ,the best suit of clothes he owned was made over from a discarded suit donated by one of his parishioners4 ,yet these were among the happiest years of his life4 ,for he found joy in his work4 ,he loved his people and was beloved4 ,above all1 his teaching was bearing rich harvest1 and many1 many souls found rest and peace through his words4 ,his success was very gratifying1 and urged him on to greater effort4 ,among the young his influence was especially marked4 ,a genial playfellow and companion1 entering with hearty zest into all their sports1 helping them out of their little difficulties1 he gained their confidence and love4 ,he guided the feet of many into the paths of a higher and nobler life4 ,one of these friends writes3 8,he had a class of young girls1 and ,i do not think that any one that recited to him could ever forget his original way of teaching4 ,there were eight in the class1 and we enjoyed the hour spent with him4 ,he developed our originality4 ,he first attracted us toward ,milton4 ,we studied1 for he inspired in us the desire to know4 ,in after-years1 in his visits to ,indianapolis1 the surviving scholars were looked up and called upon1 and the children of those who were gone were asked after4 ,with some of these scholars he was thrown more intimately than with others1 for all were not in his church4 ,in these he naturally took much interest and directed them in their reading4 ,i remember his telling me to #8let ,bulwer alone and the ,french novels1' which were then first being translated4 ,at a company1 a church social1 or the singing-school he had a merry word to say to one and another4 ,all felt at home with him4 8,my brother tells this story3 ,when he was nine years old he had with great labor made a kite1 at least what he thought would serve as one4 ,in those days there were no toy-shops here1 and1 indeed1 it was with difficulty material could be found out of which to manufacture a kite4 ,but1 as ,i said1 he and his little sister had succeeded in shaping a thing which they called a kite4 ,so1 on a spring day1 they set forth to fly it4 ,my brother held the string and the little sister kept the kite off the ground4 ,he ran1 and she after him2 but run as they would1 coax as they might1 their efforts availed nothing4 ,finally1 disappointed1 footsore1 and covered with dust1 they stopped to take breath4 ,while thus brooding over their failure they saw ,mr4 ,beecher standing near1 looking down upon them with an amused but sympathetic expression on his face4 #8,what do you call that8' #8,a kite1' was the melancholy response4 #8,well6 well6' the kind heart fully taking in the situation4 #8,come to my house to-morrow afternoon4' ,there was hope in the tone1 and the boy's heart bounded4 ,the next day he went to ,mr4 ,beecher's4 ,he was shown a kite bigger than himself4 ,he could scarcely believe his senses4 ,why1 the tail even was long enough to set him wild4 #8,where's your string8' asked ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,out of his well-worn pocket1 where all a boy's treasures are hidden1 he drew forth a cotton string neither long nor strong4 #8,this will not do2 have you any money8' #8,no1 sir4' #8,come1 let's go and get a string4' ,to the nearest grocery-store1 where in early times everything was kept1 from pins up to ploughs1 they went4 ,a ball of twine was bought for a #8bit'2 one was not enough--two for a quarter4 ,out into the street they went1 and the kite was a success4 ,away it flew over their heads1 the heart of the happy boy flying with the kite far into the heavens1 and won to his pastor for all time by this simple1 kindly act40 ,like all mankind1 he had to taste the bitter with the sweet and pass under the shadow of the dark cloud of sorrow4 ,first his brother ,george1 who had been a kind of guardian brother to him1 and deeply loved1 was killed4 ,the news came with the shock of a lightning-bolt4 8,i was called to go to ,jacksonville to deliver an address10 he said1 speaking of his brother's death4 8,the journey was a long one1 across two ,states 7or one and a half74 ,i took my wife and child with me1 and we were gone some two weeks4 ,when1 on returning1 we had got within two miles of ,indianapolis1 and were as elated and songful and merry as one can imagine anybody to be1 we met one of the elders of my church riding out from the city1 and he said1 after stopping to greet us3 #8,have you heard the news8' #8,no1' said ,i2 #8what is it8' #8,your brother ,george has killed himself4' ,i did not say a word1 my wife did not say a word1 and he did not say one word more4 ,we rode on1 and as we rode ,i could not help thinking1 #8,killed himself6 killed himself6 killed himself6' ,it was nearly an hour before we got home1 and then ,i learned that my brother's death was caused by an accident with a double-barrelled gun while he was shooting birds in the garden2 and it was a great relief to me to know that #8killed himself' did not mean suicide40 ,later came the death of his little boy ,george1 the first loss in his own immediate family4 ,he wrote1 a few years later1 to his sister1 ,mrs4 ,stowe3 8,i was in a missionary field1 enduring hardships1 and thinking in myself always how to stand up under any blow1 even if it were a thunder-stroke1 with ,paul's heroism at once firing me and putting me to shame4 ,our noble boy suddenly sickened4 ,our people did not know how to sympathize4 ,few came while he lived2 fewer yet when1 on a bleak ,march day1 we bore him through the storm1 and1 standing in the snow1 we laid his beautiful form in his cold1 white grave4 ,eunice was heart-broken4 ,my home was a fountain of anguish4 ,it was not for me to quail or show shrinking4 ,so ,i choked my grief and turned outwardly from myself to seek occupation40 ,in later years this sorrow had hardly lost its acuteness3 8,i remember1 to-night1 as well as ,i did at the time1 the night that my eldest-born son died4 ,that was my first great sorrow4 ,i remember the battle of hope and of fear1 and ,i remember the victory of submission4 ,the child revived in the night4 ,i went to ,indianapolis 7,i lived on the edge of that city71 and ,i shall never forget the amazing uplift of soul that ,i had1 nor that one unspoken1 universal thought of prayer1 which seemed to me to fill the whole hemisphere1 for the life of my child4 ,i think that if one ever came near throwing his soul out of his body1 ,i did4 ,and yet before the morning dawned the child had found a brighter world4 ,this was a double sorrow because ,i had given him up and then taken him back again4 ,then came the sudden wrench4 8,it was in ,march1 and there had just come up a great storm1 and all the ground was covered with snow4 8,we went down to the graveyard with little ,georgie1 and waded through it in the snow4 ,i got out of the carriage1 and took the little coffin in my arms1 and walked knee-deep to the side of the grave1 and looking in ,i saw the winter down at the very bottom of it4 ,the coffin was lowered to its place1 and ,i saw the snowflakes follow it and cover it1 and then the earth hid it from the winter4 8,if ,i should live a thousand years ,i could not help shivering every time ,i thought of it4 ,it seemed to me then as though ,i had not only lost my child1 but buried him in eternal snows4 ,it was very hard for faith or imagination to break through the physical aspect of things and find a brighter feeling40 ,the attachment which his people felt for him was more than reciprocated4 ,he always loved to recall these early years and in memory live over again their joys and sorrows1 their struggles and triumphs4 ,in the early winter of #ahgg1 in the course of a ,western lecture trip1 revisiting ,indianapolis1 he wrote back3 8,i went to ,indianapolis in the fall of #ahdi with a sick babe in my arms1 who showed the first symptoms of recovery after eating blackberries which ,i gathered by the way4 ,the city had then a population of four thousand4 ,at no time during my residence did it outreach five thousand4 ,behold it to-day with one hundred and ten thousand inhabitants6 ,the ,great ,national ,road1 which at that time was of great importance1 since sunk into forgetfulness1 ran through the city and constituted the main street4 ,with the exception of two or three streets there were no ways along which could not be seen the original stumps of the forest4 ,i bumped against them in a buggy too often not to be assured of the fact4 8,here ,i preached my first real sermon2 here1 for the first time1 ,i strove against death in behalf of a child1 and was defeated2 here ,i built a house and painted it with my own hands2 here ,i had my first garden and became the bishop of flowers for this diocese2 here ,i first joined the editorial fraternity and edited the ,farmer and ,gardener2 here ,i had my first full taste of chills and fever2 here for the first and last time ,i waded to church ankle-deep in mud and preached with pantaloons tucked into my boot-tops4 ,all is changed now4 8,in searching for my obscure little ten-foot cottage ,i got lost4 ,so changed was everything that ,i groped over familiar territory like a blind man in a strange city4 ,it is no longer my ,indianapolis1 with the aboriginal forest fringing the town1 with pasture-fields lying right across from my house2 without coal1 without railroads1 without a stone big enough to throw at a cat4 ,it was a joyful day and a precious gift when ,calvin ,fletcher allowed me to take from the fragments of stone used to make foundations for the ,state ,bank a piece large enough to put in my pork-barrel4 ,i left ,indianapolis for ,brooklyn on the very day upon which the cars on the ,madison ,railroad for the first time entered the town2 and ,i departed on the first train that ever left the place4 ,on a wood-car1 rigged up with boards across from side to side1 went ,i forth4 8,it is now a mighty city1 full of foundries1 manufactories1 wholesale stores1 a magnificent court-house1 beautiful dwellings1 noble churches1 wide and fine streets1 and railroads more than ,i can name radiating to every point of the compass4 8,the old academy where ,i preached for a few months is gone1 but the church into which the congregation soon entered still is standing on the ,governor's ,circle4 ,no one can look upon that building as ,i do4 ,a father goes back to his first house1 though it be but a cabin1 where his children were born1 with feelings which can never be transferred to any other place4 ,as ,i looked long and yearningly upon that homely building the old time came back again4 ,i stood in the crowded lecture-room as on the night when the current of religious feeling first was beginning to flow6 ,talk of a young mother's feelings over her first babe--what is that compared with the solemnity1 the enthusiasm1 the impetuosity of gratitude1 of humility1 of singing gladness1 with which a young pastor greets the incoming of his first revival8 ,he stands upon the shore to see the tide come in6 ,it is the movement of the infinite1 ethereal tide6 ,it is from the other world6 ,there is no color like heart color4 ,the homeliest things dipped in that for ever after glow with celestial hues4 ,the hymns that we sang in sorrow or in joy and triumph in that humble basement have never lost a feather1 but fly back and forth between the soul and heaven1 plumed as never was any bird-of-paradise4 8,i stood and looked at the homely old building1 and saw a procession of forms going in and out that the outward eye will never see again--,judge ,morris1 ,samuel ,merril1 ,oliver ,h4 ,smith1 ,d4 ,v4 ,cully1 ,john ,l4 ,ketcham1 ,coburn1 ,fletcher1 ,bates1 ,bullard1 ,munsel1 ,ackley1 ,o',neil1 and many1 many more6 ,there have been hours when there was not a hand-breadth between us and the saintly host in the invisible church6 ,in the heat and pressure of later years the memories of those early days have been laid aside1 but not effaced4 ,they rise as ,i stand1 and move in a gentle procession before me4 ,no outward history is comparable to the soul's inward life2 of the soul's inward life no part is so sublime as its eminent religious developments4 ,and the pastor1 who walks with men1 delivering them from thrall1 aspersing their sorrow with tears1 kindling his own heart as a torch to light the way for those who would see the invisible1 has1 of all men1 the most transcendent heart-histories4 ,i have seen much of life since ,i trod that threshold for the last time2 but nothing has dimmed my love1 nor has any later or riper experience taken away the bloom and sanctity of my early love4 ,and ,i can truly say of hundreds3 #8,for though ye have ten thousand instructors in ,christ1 yet have ye not many fathers2 for in ,christ ,jesus ,i have begotten you through the ,gospel4' 8,but other incidents arise--the days of sickness1 chills and fever1 the gardening days1 my first editorial experience1 my luck in horses and pigs1 my house-building2 and not a few scrapes--being stalled in mud1 half-drowned in crossing rivers1 long1 lonely forest rides1 camp-meetings1 preachings in cabins1 sleepings in the open air4 8,i was reminded of one comical experience as ,i was seeking on ,market ,street to find the old swale or shallow ravine which ran between my cottage and ,mr4 ,bates's dwelling4 ,it had formerly been a kind of bayou in spring when the stream above town overflowed1 but dried off in summer4 ,to redeem it from unhealth a dike had been built to restrain the river and turn the superfluous freshets another way4 ,but one year the levee gave way in the night2 and when the morning rose1 behold a flood between me and my neighbor6 ,there was sport on hand6 ,it was too deep for wading1 but ,i could extemporize a boat4 ,i brought down to the edge my wife's large washing-tub1 and intended with a bit of board to paddle about4 ,no sooner was ,i in than ,i was out4 ,the tub refused to stand on its own bottom4 ,well1 well1 said ,i1 two tubs are better than one4 ,so ,i got its mate1 and1 nailing two strips across to hold them fast together1 ,i was sure that they were too long now to upset4 ,so they were1 in the long line2 but sideways they went over1 carrying me with them with incredible celerity4 ,tubs were one thing1 boats another--that ,i saw plainly4 8,i would not be baffled4 ,i proposed a raft4 ,getting rails from the fence1 ,i soon had tacked boards across--enough of them to carry my weight4 ,then1 with a long pole1 ,i began my voyage4 ,alas6 it came to a ludicrous end4 8,a rail fence ran across this ravine in the field1 just above the street4 ,one end of the fence had loosened1 and the water had floated it round enough to break its connection with its hither side4 ,a large but young dog belonging to a friend had walked along the fence1 hoping to cross dry-footed1 till he came to the abrupt termination1 and1 his courage failing him1 he had crouched down and lay trembling and whining1 afraid to go back or to venture the water4 ,i poled my raft up to the rescue2 and1 getting alongside1 coaxed him to jump aboard1 but his courage was all gone4 ,he looked up wistfully1 but stirred not4 #8,well1 you coward1 you shall come aboard4' ,seizing him by the skin of the neck1 ,i hauled him on to the raft1 which instantly began to sink4 ,it was buoyant enough for a man1 but not for a man and a lubberly dog4 ,there was nothing for it--as the stupid thing would not stir1 ,i had to2 and with a spring ,i reached the fence just abdicated by the dog1 while he1 the raft now coming to the surface again1 went sailing down the pond and was safely landed below1 while ,i was left in the crotch of the fence4 ,one such experiment ought to serve for a life-time1 but alas6 8,there is no end of things gone by4 ,they rise at every point2 and one walks encompassed with memories which accompany him through the living streets like invisible spirits40 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,invitation to come ,east--,call to ,plymouth ,church--,friendly ,misgivings--,plainly ,outlining his ,views--,early ,success--,plymouth ,burned--,preaching in the ,tabernacle4 ,mr4 ,beecher had confidently expected to have remained permanently in the ,west1 and to have grown up with the new but rising country2 but it was destined to be otherwise4 ,his fame had spread ,eastward1 and in the early winter of #ahdf a tentative effort was made to call him thither4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,t4 ,cutler1 returning from a visit at the ,west1 wrote in ,december1 #ahdf1 to ,mr4 ,beecher that ,dr4 ,storrs had been called to the ,church of the ,pilgrims2 that one of ,dr4 ,cheever's principal men1 ,j4 ,hunt1 had 8observed to me that ,dr4 ,cheever named you as the man for the ,pilgrims1 and he thinks that there will be new churches formed on the ,congregational plan here and in ,brooklyn1 and that you are the man to build up one of them40 ,while in ,cincinnati ,mr4 ,cutler called on ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher relative to his son's going ,east1 but 8he set his face like flint against it40 ,he then had a long and urgent talk with the son again1 in answer to which he received the following letter3 8,,indianapolis1 ,december #ae1 #ahdf4 0,,dear ,,sir3 ,your letter has just come to hand1 and thanks for it4 ,i am glad you saw father1 for your sake1 for his1 and for mine4 ,touching the question of our former conversations1 this is my position3 ,my pride tells me that if the only question in life were personal advantage1 he is on the right road who is developing truth within himself1 and the road to truth lies in one's own self1 and not in the place where he lives4 ,but my conscience tells me1 and1 ,i thank ,god1 my whole heart goes with my conscience1 that the grand question in human life is the work of benevolence--the doing good on our scale1 just as ,god does on ,his4 ,i am sure that the shortest road to one's own happiness is by making others happy4 ,now1 in this work1 the labor of usefulness1 if there be one thing which1 above all others1 ,i especially abhor1 it is this cant talk about #8taking care of one's influence'2 going where one can #8use his influence to best advantage'2 refraining from this or that for fear #8of ignoring influence1' and all suchlike trash4 ,a man's influence is simply the shadow which usefulness casts4 ,let him look out that he is doing enough1 and doing the right things1 and then he may spare all time usually employed in looking after his shadow lest it should give him the slip4 8,as to where a man shall live and labor ,i have no plan1 no theory except this3 ,that ,god has a very sufficient ability to make ,himself understood when ,he wants a man4 ,a man should work just where he is until he is clearly called somewhere else4 ,this keeping one's ear open to hear if ,god is not calling1 this looking out every little while to see if one is not wished for somewhere else1 is rather of the nature of self-seeking4 ,a minister1 like a maiden1 ought not to make the first overtures1 nor to be over-eager to have them made to him4 8,now1 ,i set forth this long preamble because it has occurred to me that my situation and my conversations with you were a little queer1 and that it was worth while to state explicitly where ,i stand4 8,whenever it clearly seems to me that ,god has work for me to perform1 ,i shall1 ,i hope1 perform it1 wherever it lies and whatever the work may be4 ,moreover1 when ,god has work for me in another sphere1 ,i do not doubt that ,he will make it so plainly ,his voice that calls me that ,i shall be in no more doubt about it than ,abraham was when called to leave his native land or when called to offer up his son4 ,i have no plan for staying here1 or for going to the ,west1 or for going to the ,east4 ,i leave it entirely with ,him who called me to the ministry where ,i shall live1 where and when ,i shall die2 and in all fields1 actual or contemplated1 ,i do desire above every other thing to have a heart prepared to receive that welcome call1 joyous to every one who has tasted of the powers of the world to come1 to go up and labor in a higher field1 with ennobled faculties and results1 every one of which shall be both perfect and illustrious4 8,i believe that ,christ will surely lead you wisely1 if you will be led2 and that ,he will point out to you what enterprises it will be wise for you to undertake1 and to what one of all ,his multitudinous servants you should apply for help4 ,and should ,i never labor in such service with you or near you1 in ,new ,york1 what then8 ,i feel1 in that respect1 as if we were like the two portions of our army before ,monterey4 ,what matters it on which side of the city we are1 since on either side we are bravely pushing our arms toward a common centre1 and when we meet it will assuredly be in the hour of victory8 8,but if ever ,i come to you or go to any other place1 although ,i have no plan as to situations1 ,i have1 ,i hope1 an immovable plan in respect to the objects which ,i shall pursue4 ,so help me ,god1 ,i do not mean to be a party man1 nor to head or follow any partisan effort4 ,i desire to aid in a development of truth and in the production of goodness by it4 ,i do not care in whose hands truth may be found1 or in what communion2 ,i will thankfully take it of any4 ,nor do ,i feel bound in any sort to look upon untruth or mistake with favor because it lies within the sphere of any church to which ,i may be attached4 8,i do not have that mawkish charity which seems to arise from regarding all tenets as pretty much alike--the charity1 in fact1 of indifference--but another sort3 a hunger for what is true1 an exultation in the sight of it1 and such an estimate and glory in the truth as it is in ,christ that no distinction of sect or form shall be for one moment worthy to be compared with it4 ,i will overleap anything that stands between me and truth4 ,whoever loves the ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity and in truth is my brother4 ,he that doeth ,god's will was1 in ,christ's judgment1 ,his mother1 ,his sister1 ,his brother1 ,his friend1 ,his disciple4 8,your visit has certainly been of collateral advantage to me4 ,some who did not seem to care whether ,i had anything to live on or not have been stirred up1 at least to attempt to discharge the pledges to me for a support3 #hjj does not seem to me to be an extravagant salary1 but ,i would gladly take #fjj in lieu of it1 if ,i could have it paid regularly4 8,give my love to ,mr4 ,day and family1 if you know them2 if not1 just take this letter in your hand1 go to his store1 show him this paragraph3 #8,mr4 ,day1 allow me to present to you my friend1 ,mr4 ,cutler4 ,mr4 ,cutler1 ,i am happy in introducing you to an old and valued friend1 ,mr4 ,day4' 8,and now1 as you are at the fountain of news1 why will you not drop me a line from time to time1 and keep me apprised of things in the great world8 ,you hold the pen of a ready writer as well as the tongue of a ready speaker4 ,and though ,i may have little news to send in return1 such as ,i have will ,i give unto thee4 ,truly yours1 8,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher48 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,beecher and his ,father at the time of ,call to ,brooklyn4 ,again in ,february ,mr4 ,cutler wrote1 this time asking pointedly if ,mr4 ,beecher would accept a call to ,brooklyn1 stating that the property formerly owned by the ,first ,presbyterian ,church--,rev4 ,dr4 ,cox--had been purchased by ,henry ,c4 ,bowen1 ,seth ,b4 ,hunt1 and ,david ,hale2 that it would be vacant in ,may1 and that they proposed to organize in it a new church on the ,congregational plan2 that if he would come they would give him a salary of #a1ejj per annum1 and1 if necessary1 make it #b1jjj4 ,mr4 ,cutler held out many alluring inducements1 but without apparent effect4 ,mr4 ,beecher would not even entertain the proposition4 ,in the meantime ,mr4 ,cutler shrewdly reasoned that if he would come ,east1 even for a short time1 it might be possible to make him change his mind4 ,it was so arranged that ,mr4 ,beecher received an invitation from the ,american ,home ,missionary ,society to deliver an address1 under its auspices1 at what was then called the 8,may ,anniversaries0 held in ,new ,york4 ,he accepted this invitation1 intending1 as he said since1 8to urge young men to go ,west1 to show what a good field the ,west was1 and to cast some fiery arrows at men that had worked there and got tired1 and slunk away1 and come back4 ,i remember that ,i was particularly glowing on this subject2 but ,i came ,east not knowing what ,i did4 ,it was a trap4 ,brother ,cutler 7who has gone to heaven71 it seems1 had a little plan at that very time1 and ,i was running into a noose1 though ,i did not suspect it4 ,the result of that visit was the formation of this church ,plymouth4 ,mr4 ,david ,hale1 of the ,journal of ,commerce--whose son ,richard is still one of our members1 though he is not with us--with two or three others1 desired at once to extend me an invitation to become the pastor of this church4 ,but the church did not exist4 ,it was like asking a young man to become the husband of an unborn girl4 ,there was no church to be my bride4 ,i refused to receive a call to an empty house4 ,they therefore made haste to form a church2 and ,i think it was early in ,june of the same year that some twenty-five persons covenanted together over this very ground for the church as it then stood4 ,the main building fronted on one street1 and the lecture-room on the other4 ,here they agreed to become a church of ,christ2 and then they extended to me a call to be its pastor4 ,the call was not publicly known until the ,october following2 but still the mischief was done40 ,on ,sunday evening1 ,june #ac1 #ahdg1 ,plymouth ,church was formally organized with a membership of twenty-one1 ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4 ,storrs1 of the ,church of the ,pilgrims1 preaching the sermon4 ,on the ,monday evening following business meetings were held by both the church and society1 in each of which it was unanimously voted to invite ,mr4 ,beecher to be their pastor1 with a salary of fifteen hundred dollars the first year1 seventeen hundred and fifty the second year1 and two thousand the third year and thereafter4 ,a formal call was at once sent4 ,for the first time the question was taken into serious consideration1 and for the next two months every argument was presented that might lead to an acceptance of the call1 great stress being laid on the fact that in the larger field could be accomplished a more important work and an influence might be exerted that would be felt throughout the entire country2 that the ,west could easily be reached from ,new ,york1 when it might be difficult to reach ,new ,york from the ,west4 ,long and most urgent letters were sent to ,dr4 ,lyman ,beecher1 begging him to withhold any adverse influence4 ,it is very doubtful if any of the inducements or the flattering representations so strongly presented had succeeded in winning him from the field where he was then working1 were it not that another influence was silently and powerfully at work4 ,the health of his wife1 who literally was giving her very life to aid and sustain him in his work1 was rapidly failing under the malarial influences of the ,west4 ,it became very evident that she must have rest and a change of climate4 ,a few years in the ,east might restore her health1 then he could return and resume his work4 ,in ,august he came to a decision1 and on the #abth wrote his letter of resignation1 in which he set out his reasons and plans3 8,,indianapolis1 ,august #ab1 #ahdg4 0,to the ,elders of the ,second ,presbyterian ,church1 ,indianapolis3 8,,dear ,,brethren3 ,i have the very painful necessity laid upon me of relinquishing the pastoral charge of the church over which for eight years ,i have presided4 ,i need not assure you that ,i do it with extreme grief4 ,if ,i could have had the control of my own affairs ,i should certainly have supposed it wisest and best that1 for the present at least1 ,i should remain in the ,west and with you4 ,it is only the firm belief that in removing temporarily to the sea-coast ,i should save the life and restore the health of my wife that has induced me to sever the connection which has so long and so pleasantly existed between us4 ,i am peremptorily warned1 not only by those in whose medical skill ,i place implicit reliance1 but by a continual confirmation of their judgment in actual experience1 to leave this climate if ,i would save her life4 ,you will perceive in this state of facts that against which neither ,i nor any one can form any argument or persuasion4 ,i cannot express the feelings which have warred in my breast in the anticipation of this necessity1 nor can ,i without the deepest regret recall the deficiencies of my ministry among you4 ,but ,i shall never forget the kindness with which my failings have been borne1 the sympathy which ,i have experienced from you in the vicissitudes of the past eight years1 and that co-operation without which ,i am sure ,i could but in a small part have accomplished the work which has been done4 ,there are some details of arrangements which ,i desire to make1 but which can be better treated in conversation4 8,i am1 with ,christian and personal affection1 very truly yours1 ,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher40 ,having decided1 he wrote at once to the committee of ,plymouth ,church from whom he had received the call3 8,,indianapolis1 ,august #ai1 #ahdg4 0,,dear ,,brothers3 ,i desire to convey through you to the ,plymouth ,church and congregation my acceptance of the call to the pastoral office tendered by them to me4 8,i cannot regard the responsibilities of this important field without the most serious diffidence1 and ,i wholly put my trust in that ,saviour whom ,i am to preach in your midst4 ,i can heartily adopt the language of ,paul3 #8,brethren1 pray for us1 that the word of the ,lord may have free course and be glorified4' ,it will be necessary for me to remain yet for some time in this place1 but ,i hope to arrive in ,brooklyn in the middle of ,october1 or at farthest by the first of ,november4 8,i am1 in ,christian love1 most truly yours1 8,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher4 8,,jos4 ,t4 ,,howard1 8,h4 ,c4 ,,bowen1 8,,chas4 ,,rowland1 and others40 ,while in the ,east1 after having received the call from ,plymouth ,church and while the question of acceptance was still in doubt1 ,mr4 ,beecher also received a call from the ,park ,street ,church of ,boston--the same church where he had preached nine years before1 when on his way back to ,lawrenceburg with his young wife4 ,on ,june #aj1 #ahdg1 he received a letter from the ,rev4 ,silas ,aikens1 the pastor of ,park ,street ,church1 stating that they very much desired ,mr4 ,beecher to accept a call to the position of associate pastor4 ,early in ,july a formal call was sent by the church and society to the same effect1 but was shortly afterwards declined4 ,the call to ,brooklyn having been definitely accepted1 ,mr4 ,beecher began at once to arrange for the removal of his family4 ,his salary was in arrears4 ,to meet the necessities of his family he had been obliged to borrow five hundred dollars4 ,this1 with other and smaller debts1 must be paid1 and money must be raised wherewith to transport his family ,east4 ,but how8 ,fortunately this difficulty had been foreseen1 and as soon as it seemed probable that the call would be accepted the friends at ,plymouth ,church1 in prophecy of that generosity which characterized them in all after-years1 promptly raised by subscription one thousand dollars1 and notified ,mr4 ,beecher to draw thereupon as he might need4 ,about the first of ,october1 #ahdg1 he started ,eastward1 leaving ,indianapolis on the first passenger-train run on the new road just built4 ,modern luxuries had not then been introduced1 if we may rely upon his account of the ride3 8,the car was no car at all1 a mere extempore wood-box1 used sometimes without seats for hogs1 but with seats for men1 of which class ,i 7ah me miserable67 happened to be one4 ,and so at eleven at night ,i arrived in ,madison1 not overproud in the glory of riding on the first train that ever went from ,indianapolis to ,madison40 ,october1 #ahdg1 marked a new era in ,mr4 ,beecher's experience4 ,by successive steps he had advanced from field to field with steadily increasing responsibility1 from the collegian tramping twenty miles to deliver an occasional address in some adjoining town on topics affecting public morals1 to the young theologian still in the seminary1 trying his powers in some little hamlet--a knight-errant breaking a lance with the adversary2 to the young1 unknown missionary entering the lists for his first real1 earnest battle against 8the world1 the flesh1 and the devil02 to the acknowledged preacher called to the ,state capital1 dealing stalwart blows at those evils which sap the public conscience and allure the youth into evil ways1 a recognized leader not only within the limits of his ,presbytery but even throughout his ,state4 ,and at last1 called to the metropolitan centre1 he enters a field whose limits of influence were to be bounded only by the limits of the civilized globe4 ,with each increase of influence came corresponding responsibilities4 ,so far he had developed resources sufficient for each increase in his burdens2 but would he be sufficient for this new experience8 ,he had fully sustained himself as a missionary and a preacher in a pioneer ,state1 in a comparatively rude and uncultured society4 ,he had earned a reputation that had preceded him ,east2 could he maintain it8 ,could he meet the requirements of the refined1 critical1 and highly-cultured metropolis 7for ,new ,york and ,brooklyn were1 to all intents1 one great centre78 ,many feared1 and kindly volunteered the information that neither the new church nor its new pastor would last many months4 ,he was altogether too outspoken for his own good1 said they4 ,it was all very well for a minister to combat evil1 but he must do it in the good old-fashioned1 orthodox way3 he should confine himself to generalities and not be too specific4 ,there were some things he ought not to meddle with3 the pulpit was no place for politics1 and slavery was purely a political question4 ,he would find that in ,new ,york the public would not tolerate those things which had been permitted to him in ,indiana4 ,if he persisted he would soon have empty pews to preach to1 even if he did not have a personal demonstration of the folly of attacking those popular sins--sins which most of his clerical brothers had had the good sense to leave alone4 ,endless were the similes and metaphors indulged in1 of which the well-worn rocket was perhaps the most suggestive4 ,some amiable critics even went so far as to intimate that his success in the ,west was due more to the surreptitious use of the father's old sermons than any inherent ability in the son1 and he was generously given just one year to run through the barrelful of such sermons supposed to have been brought on with him4 ,the barrel1 like the widow's oil-cruse1 seems to have had a miraculous power of refilling4 ,many friends advised him against the change3 the risk was too great1 his experience too little4 ,he said of this time3 8,in coming to ,brooklyn ,i had but one single thought--that of zeal for ,christ4 ,i came under all manner of warnings and cautions4 ,many good brethren told me how men got puffed up in the city1 what temptations ,i would encounter1 and how ,i would very likely be conservative1 and forget my zeal1 and so on2 and ,i was obliged at last to say even to my father3 #8,father1 do you understand1 then1 that ,god's grace only extends to the country1 and that ,he cannot protect anybody in the city8'0 ,on the other hand1 some counselled self-interest3 8,it is not necessary that you should settle in ,brooklyn2 with your talent you will make more show in ,new ,york40 8,i didn't come to make a show10 he replied4 8,i came to preach what ,i understand to be the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ to men1 and this is the first opening1 and ,i take it40 ,he did not propose to have any misunderstanding on the part of his new church as to the course he should pursue4 ,he intended to make that very plain and at the outset4 ,if they wanted him they would have to take him with their eyes open--wide open4 ,october #aj1 the first ,sunday after his arrival1 he preached in the new church1 both morning and evening4 8,my first sermon1 ,i think1 was directed to the ,source of all true religion--the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and ,his power4 ,in my second sermon--on the evening of the first ,sunday--,i recollect that ,i lifted up the banner and blew the trumpet in the application of ,christianity to intemperance1 to slavery1 and to all other great national sins4 ,i said to those who were present3 #8,if you come into this church and congregation ,i want you to understand distinctly that ,i will wear no fetters2 that ,i will be bound by no precedent2 that ,i will preach the ,gospel as ,i apprehend it1 whether men will hear or whether they will forbear1 and that ,i will apply it without stint1 and sharply and strongly1 to the overthrow of every evil and to the upbuilding of all that is good4'0 ,well-meaning but timid friends took alarm at this bold declaration4 ,it was not customary2 it was not what they were used to2 they came to him to 8counsel him for his own good10 they said4 8,save yourself1 anyway2 don't ally yourself to unpopular men nor unpopular causes4 ,there is no need of it4 ,you can have your own notions about abolition2 what is the use of preaching anti-slavery sermons80 ,to their great distress their counsels had just the opposite effect intended3 8,i despised them all1 and preached like thunder on those subjects1 especially before pew-renting4 ,for a period of more than ten years ,i never let a month elapse before pew-renting that ,i did not come out with the whole strength of my nature on the abominations of ,american slavery4 ,i remember saying1 with some discourtesy and with language that ,i should not use now3 #8,if you don't want to hear such doctrines1 don't take a pew here next time4' ,it had something of youthful eagerness in it1 but ,i am proud that it pleased ,god to ally me to causes that were weak but right4 ,it has ever been a cause of great gratification to me that ,i have not lost that spirit1 and that ,i ally myself to that which ,i think to be right2 and ,i do not care what man says to me1 provided only ,i can believe that ,god likes it1 and that ,i have the testimony of ,his approval in myself40 ,to have remained silent in the presence of such great evils was to have shared the responsibility of their existence4 ,we quote here his views on this subject1 uttered from his pulpit many years later3 8,in every reform from intemperance1 from vice1 from crime1 each individual citizen is responsible to the degree of influence which he has1 and if he does not exert it he is responsible for a neglect of duty--a binding duty4 ,he is bound to create a public sentiment that shall work for virtue4 ,he is bound to drain the community of all those evils that run together and form a channel for vice and crime4 ,it is not a matter of election1 it is a matter of obligation2 and because there are the most respectable classes in the community that don't do it1 you are not set free4 ,because the men of riches and the men of power and the men of standing in society don't do it1 the poorest laboring man in the community1 if he does not1 under the direction of his reason and conscience1 labor for the purification of the commonwealth1 is responsible to ,god4 ,he is bound to do it4 ,if his individuality on the one side has shielded him against aggression1 it brings with it also certain obligations1 and he is bound to meet them4 ,all parties hold their members only subject to the corrected judgment and moral sense of the individual4 ,if they go with their party on the general ground that it is going right and is doing right1 as far as the limitations of human ignorance and human power are concerned1 travelling in the right direction also with many imperfect steps and many imperfect elements1 he may justly go on with it2 but if he is committed1 as were the parties of slavery1 to so atrocious a wrong as that which violated the fundamental rights of the whole human family1 a man is bound to fight the party1 in and out of it3 in it by correction1 out of it by protest and opposition4 ,and merely because he can say1 #8,the party did it1 ,i did not1' he is not relieved of responsibility4 ,inasmuch as you knew what was right and did not do it1 so much you are involved in the guilt2 and there was a great deal of guilt4 ,the ,church itself was involved in the same--dumb pulpits1 uncirculated ,bibles1 a corrupt and vicious public sentiment4 8,when ,i came into ,plymouth ,church as its pastor there was probably hardly a single church in the bounds of ,new ,york or ,brooklyn of any note that dared to say a word for the liberty of the abject slave4 ,was ,i wrong in protesting against it1 with the knowledge that ,i had8 ,with the conscience that ,i had1 had ,i been silent ,i should have been doomed justly to the stroke of ,god's righteous judgment2 and the want of moral courage under such circumstances is a very great sin everywhere4 ,you are not right to stand still in any great party1 moving in any direction1 doing wrong1 without deliberately taking account with yourself4 ,am ,i striving to correct the evil by all the influence ,i can wield8 ,on finding that to be impossible1 do ,i free myself from all imputation of partnership in any such guilt1 one way or the other80 ,now it is easy enough to express such sentiments3 it is popular2 it is in the line of public sentiment4 ,then it was a very different matter1 and the living up to them still more difficult4 ,recalling the early history of ,plymouth ,church1 he said3 8,it was formed in the midst of the development of the greatest work of the modern century--the emancipation of the slaves in ,america1 by which the industry of the ,continent was also emancipated1 and by which the ,church and religion itself were saved from a worse than ,babylonian captivity4 8,when ,i came here you could get no great ,missionary ,society1 ,bible ,society1 or ,tract ,society to say one solitary word for the slave4 ,such were the interests of the mercantile classes of the ,south that it was extremely difficult to exert there any anti-slavery influence4 ,as the merchants largely held the funds1 as the great societies needed support1 and as churches were built by respectable men whose prosperity depended mainly upon the peace and order of the ,south1 the position that this church took was a bold and unpopular one4 ,those who did not live then can have no conception of what it was to form a church that should stand right out in the intense light of the time1 and declare for universal liberty and for the right of the slave to the ,bible1 and to full religious freedom4 ,this church grew up right against a flinty way of bitterness and opposition40 ,such was the beginning1 and such the times6 ,although he began preaching in ,plymouth ,church1 ,october #aj1 #ahdg1 ,mr4 ,beecher was not formally installed until the #aath of ,november following4 ,on that day an ecclesiastical council was convened 8by letters from the ,plymouth ,church in ,brooklyn1 in the ,state of ,new ,york1 at their lecture-room1 444 for the purpose of installing 7if the way should be found clear7 the ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher as their pastor10 etc4 8,after an extended and thorough examination of the pastor-elect respecting his views of the doctrine of natural and revealed religion1 his experience of renewing and sanctifying grace1 and his object in entering on the work of the ,christian ministry1 the council unanimously pronounced the examination sustained and voted to proceed to installation40 ,the invocation and reading of the ,scriptures was by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,humphrey1 of ,pittsfield1 ,mass42 the sermon by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,edward ,beecher1 of the ,salem ,church of ,boston1 an older brother of the new pastor2 the installing prayer by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,hewitt1 of the ,second ,congregational ,church of ,bridgeport2 the charge to the pastor by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,lansing1 of the ,second ,congregational ,church of ,new ,york2 the fellowship of the churches by ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4 ,storrs1 ,jr41 of the ,church of the ,pilgrims1 ,brooklyn2 address to the people by ,rev4 ,j4 ,p4 ,thompson1 of the ,broadway ,tabernacle1 ,new ,york1 and the concluding prayer by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,bushnell1 of the ,north ,church of ,hartford4 ,as soon as he was fairly installed the pastor set himself vigorously to work to build up the young church1 and to fill it with new converts4 ,the audience-room of the church began to fill rapidly1 in the morning being generally three-fourths full1 and in the evening entirely full4 ,early in #ahdh difficulty was found in accommodating those who wished to attend1 the building being crowded from that time on1 both night and morning4 ,in the spring1 daily morning prayer-meetings were held1 under the conduct of the pastor4 ,soon revivals broke out in the church1 which1 though singularly free from undue excitement1 produced a deep and wide-spread influence4 ,more than seventy persons were converted1 most of them joining ,plymouth ,church1 the rest uniting with other evangelical churches4 ,notwithstanding the many doleful prophecies that greeted its early beginnings1 and the 8dangerous stand0 taken by its pastor which alarmed so many conservative minds1 the church was just perverse enough to prosper and grow rapidly--a perversity which characterized it for the next forty years4 ,in a little over two years from its birth it had an enrolled membership of four hundred and four1 of whom fifty-six joined in #ahdg2 one hundred and fifty-two in #ahdh2 one hundred and thirty-six in #ahdi 7the year of the fire71 and sixty in the first part of #ahej4 ,on the #acth of ,january1 #ahdi1 occurred one of those fortunate mishaps which proved to be a blessing in disguise4 ,for some time previous1 the congregation had been greatly disproportioned to the capacity of the church2 the necessity of rebuilding began to be seriously discussed1 when occurred a fire that abruptly terminated the discussion4 ,the building was so badly damaged that it was unanimously determined to rebuild rather than repair4 ,the kindly sympathy of neighboring churches1 in volunteering the use of their buildings for the houseless congregation1 was gratefully accepted for a short time4 ,it soon became apparent that this unsettled and migratory condition was harmful to the church4 ,it was therefore determined to erect a temporary structure upon ground in ,pierrepont ,street1 kindly offered by ,mr4 ,lewis ,tappan4 ,in thirty days a building1 one hundred by eighty feet1 was put up1 and in this the church made its home until the first ,sunday in ,january1 #ahej4 ,the whole expense of this 8,tabernacle10 as it was called1 was twenty-eight hundred dollars4 ,the subsequent sale of the building1 together with the weekly collections1 more than repaid this outlay1 while the pew-rents were amply sufficient to meet the current expenses4 ,as soon as possible after the fire1 steps were taken to put up the new building1 which was to be constructed on a much larger scale than the old one4 ,on ,may #bi1 #ahdi1 the corner-stone was laid1 and on the first ,sunday in ,january1 #ahej1 the congregation worshipped in their new church4 ,the new structure was built on ,orange ,street1 and ran through to ,pineapple4 ,it was really two buildings under one roof1 the church proper being one hundred and five feet long by eighty broad4 ,adjoining and opening into this1 from the rear1 was a lecture-room of two stories1 eighty by fifty feet1 the second story being the ,sunday-school4 ,the entire cost of the new church was about #cf1jjj1 of which #ca1abg was raised upon scrip1 bearing interest1 payable in pew-rents4 ,to provide for the balance1 and a mortgage of #aj1ejj on the old property1 the new building was mortgaged for #af1jjj4 ,the entire indebtedness and all encumbrances were paid off by #ahfg1 at which time the church was entirely free from debt4 ,the cost of the lecture-room and ,sabbath-school was about #ac1jjj1 of which #aj1hjj were donated1 the rest being paid partly by festivals and fairs held for the purpose1 and partly from the general fund of the church4 ,the ,sabbath-school at this time consisted of two hundred and fifty scholars and thirty teachers4 ,the seating capacity of the pews and choir-gallery of the church was about twenty-one hundred persons4 ,this was thought at first1 by some1 to be a very extravagant allowance4 ,but in #aheg the seating capacity could not supply the demand1 and folding-seats were placed in the aisles1 fixed to the end of each pew1 and so constructed as to fold up against the pew-side when not in use2 while benches were set along the walls all around the galleries1 and in the vacant space in front of the pulpit4 ,these accommodated about eight hundred more1 while the standing space1 almost always occupied during the last twenty-five years1 permitted about three hundred more to be present4 ,as his last year at ,indianapolis had been consecrated by the loss of his little boy1 so in like manner were the first in his new pastorate4 ,scarce had a month passed when the death of his little girl 8,caty0 became the means of closer communion between pastor and people through the bonds of sympathy and kind service4 ,he wrote to his sister3 8,when ,caty sickened and began her quiet march toward the once opened gate1 to rejoin the brother 7cherub pair71 we found our house full of friends4 ,many of the truest1 deepest hearts asked no bidding1 but1 with instinctive heart taught right1 lived with us almost literally2 and when her form was to go forth from us1 they embowered her in flowers1 winter though it seemed1 and every thought and remembrance of her is sweet in itself and sweet in its suggestions4 8,what had ,i to bear up against8 ,i was held up by increasing love and sympathy on every side4 ,of this world ,i had more than heart could wish2 of friends1 never so many or so worth having2 and the effect1 as might be supposed1 has answered to the cause4 ,i find now that it is with me as with mountains in spring-time--every fissure is growing to a rill1 every patch of soil is starting its flowers1 every shrub has its insect and every tree its bird40 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,plymouth ,church--,the ,new ,building--,sabbath ,service--,prayer-,meeting--,weekly ,lecture--,socials--,church ,polity--,the ,pastor's ,policy4 ,as we have stated1 ,plymouth ,church took possession of its new building on the first ,sabbath in ,january1 #ahej4 ,then1 as on the ,sabbaths of the nearly forty succeeding years in which ,mr4 ,beecher ministered here1 the crowd came and filled every available seat4 ,then began that sound1 once heard never forgotten1 and heard nowhere else so continuously1 of the incoming multitude1 the tread of hurrying feet like the sound of many waters1 as the crowds1 held back for a time until pew-holders have been in part accommodated1 press in and take their places4 ,here1 on this first ,sabbath1 arose that song of thanksgiving whose fulness and power were for so many years a marked feature of the religious service of this great congregation4 ,here began that long succession of sermons which opened to so many thousands1 at first by the voice and then by the printing-press2 the nearness1 the righteousness1 and the boundless love of ,god revealed in ,jesus ,christ4 ,and here began on that day to ascend those prayers which drew hearts into the very presence of the ,most ,high and left them gladdened1 refreshed1 and filled as with the fulness of ,god4 ,blessed old ,plymouth ,church6 ,its every memory1 its very walls are dear unto multitudes4 ,it was plain even to bareness--unnecessarily so in the opinion of many--both without and within1 with not the slightest effort at show or even ornament4 ,none of those harmonies of color nor graces of form1 such as are now shown or attempted in almost every church edifice1 were here found4 ,it was builded with the simple conscientious purpose of enabling as many as possible to hear the ,gospel1 of affording every advantage to such as wished to meet together in the prayer-meeting and sociable1 and of instructing the young in the ,sunday-school4 ,herein lay the beauty of the ,plymouth ,church building3 its excellent adaptation to the great end in view4 ,more than any church of that day1 and1 with all the progress of later times1 excelled by but few1 if any1 at the present time1 ,plymouth ,church building afforded superior accommodations for ,gospel hearing and spiritual1 educational1 and social training4 ,by placing the seats in a partial curve1 by the admirable arrangement of the commodious galleries1 and by pushing the pulpit well forward toward the centre of the circle1 the vast audience of nearly three thousand people were brought near together and near to the speaker4 ,while this enabled him to address them with great ease1 it also afforded an opportunity for the cultivation of that feeling of homeness and fraternity that always characterized the gatherings of this church with its pastor4 ,the pulpit was then1 as now1 a plain platform1 with no railing in front1 and no other furniture than a set of chairs1 a stand for notices1 and an open table for the ,bible2 as far removed as possible from those boxes where the man must stand1 cramped and stiff1 while he delivers his message4 ,an offering of flowers was also found there1 the beginning of a custom which has been continued1 we believe1 without the failure of a single ,sabbath1 from that day to this4 ,behind the pulpit was the organ and seats for a choir of fifty or more who should lead the great congregation in their songs of praise4 ,in the rear of the audience-room1 opening back into another street1 was the lecture and prayer-meeting room1 and above this were the parlors and the ,sunday-school rooms4 ,such was the equipment that the pastor and ,plymouth ,church began to use on that first ,sabbath in #ahej4 ,it seemed to many more than ample4 ,the audience-room was more commodious than any in the land4 ,would the young minister be able to fill it8 ,would he hold out8 ,the 8six months0 that one of ,brooklyn's most oracular of ,d4,d4's had given 8that young man to run out in0 had long since passed1 and he gave1 as yet1 no signs of waning popularity2 but perhaps he will1 and a few possibly hoped1 and some1 it may be1 feared1 that it would be so2 but by far the larger part of that great congregation praised ,god that day in joyful confidence without any fears or misgivings4 ,they had faith in their pastor as well as in ,god2 and he1 conscious that he had builded sincerely1 without sham or pretence1 had no question but that ,he who had begun this good work would carry it prosperously forward to the end4 ,all these appliances had been demanded by the thousands in attendance4 ,their necessity was of ,god1 hence they could trust ,him to vindicate ,his own plans4 ,the young pastor neither feared nor was anxious4 ,he was the ,lord's2 let ,him do with him as ,he pleased4 ,of this feeling in connection with his preaching he himself says3 8,i had at that time almost a species of indifference as to means and measures4 ,i cared little1 and perhaps too little1 whether ,i had or had not a church building4 ,i thought of one thing--the love of ,christ to men4 ,this1 to me1 was a burning reality4 ,less clearly than now1 perhaps1 did ,i discern the whole circuit and orb of the nature of ,christ2 but with a burning intensity ,i realized the love of ,god in ,jesus ,christ4 ,i believed it to be the one transcendent influence in this world by which men should be roused to a higher manhood and should be translated into another and better kingdom4 ,my purpose was to preach ,christ to men for the sake of bringing them to a higher life2 and though ,i preferred the polity and economy of the ,congregational churches1 yet ,i also felt that ,god was in all the other churches1 and that it was no part of my ministry to build up sectarian walls2 that it was no part of my ministry to bombard and pull down sectarian structures2 but that the work of my ministry was to find the way to the hearts of men1 and to labor with them for their awakening and conversion and sanctification4 8,i have said that ,i had no theory2 but ,i had a very strong impression on my mind that the first five years in the life of a church would determine the history of that church and give to it its position and genius2 that if the earliest years of a church were controversial or barren it would take scores of years to right it2 but that if a church were consecrated1 active1 and energetic during the first five years of its life1 it would probably go on through generations developing the same features4 ,my supreme anxiety1 therefore1 in gathering a church1 was to have all of its members united in a fervent1 loving disposition2 to have them all in sympathy with men2 and to have all of them desirous of bringing to bear the glorious truths of the ,gospel upon the hearts and consciences of those about them4 8,consequently ,i went into this work with all my soul1 preaching night and day1 visiting incessantly1 and developing as fast and as far as might be that social1 contagious spirit which we call a revival of religion40 ,the services in the church were then1 as ever since1 in harmony with the building--simple and without ostentation1 differing from those of other ,congregational churches only in the spirit of unusual heartiness and the impression of unusual power4 ,when the bell ceased tolling the organ began its work of preparing the hearts of the great multitude for worship4 ,then followed the invocation by the pastor1 always devout1 always joyful and trustful1 uniformly sincere1 and always varied4 ,no set phrase ever took possession and held in its formal grasp the expression of his praise and expectant prayer3 8,thou that dost hold the sun1 and pour forth therefrom the light and glory of the day1 from ,thine own self let there come1 streaming as the daylight1 those influences that shall awake in us all hope and all gladness of love4 ,for we sleep except when ,thy beams are upon us4 ,only when we are in ,god are we alive4 ,let us in1 ,o our ,father6 and may all that is within us rise up to worship ,thee4 ,accept our service according to what we would do and according to what ,thou wouldst have us do4 ,bless the word and the reading thereof4 ,bless our songs of praise and our fellowship therein4 ,bless our communion one with another and with ,thee4 ,bless us in our meditation1 in the services of the day1 at home1 and everywhere4 ,make this a golden day to our souls1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,redeemer4 ,amen40 ,then followed1 in those early days--in later years he often omitted it--the reading of the hymn1 simply1 with no straining after effect1 but so as to give the full meaning of the words to be sung1 and in a measure to interpret their spirit4 ,the singing which followed1 so full and appreciative1 was something to remember4 ,it was the voices of the multitude joining and blending in one great1 full song of adoration and thanksgiving4 ,the reading of the ,scripture was usually without comment1 but so vivid to his thought were the great truths uttered1 and so flexible was his voice in giving them expression1 and so natural the adaptation of his whole manner to their import1 that his simple reading gave a better understanding of ,scripture than the explanations of most other men4 ,the prayer that followed the hymn was very marked in its general characteristics1 comprehensive1 and adapted to the occasion and the needs of the people before him4 ,it invariably gave expression to a thankful spirit1 lamented sins and failures1 was permeated with a yearning desire for communion with ,god and with great sympathy with men1 class after class of whom he brought before the ,heavenly ,father for deliverance1 comfort1 and blessing4 ,the sermon was long1 consuming from three-quarters of an hour to an hour1 and sometimes more1 in delivery1 and usually combined in a very marked degree the three elements1 the exegetical1 the philosophic1 and the hortatory4 ,he delighted in giving a full and broad opening of ,scripture1 that all might be quickened and fed2 in showing the relation and harmony of the truths thus presented to other truths already admitted1 making their bearings clear by frequent illustrations1 and pressing them in the progress of the sermon1 and especially at the close1 upon the acceptance of his hearers4 ,his preaching informed1 convinced1 inspired1 and moved men to decisive action ,godward1 or it was1 in his view1 a failure4 ,the benediction with which the services closed was as if he saw the hands of the living ,saviour stretched out over ,his beloved people1 and he became but a mouthpiece for the solemn and tender expression of ,his beneficence4 ,then followed the informal after-meeting1 unadvertised and unarranged--the pressing forward to the pulpit1 or the waiting in the aisles until he should pass out1 of some who perhaps had a word of thanks for help received in the sermon1 of others asking questions or bearing messages1 of strangers who wished to press his hand1 or of troubled ones who wanted a word of cheer4 ,the meeting continued down the aisle1 out into the porch1 out on to the street1 as friends still walked along with him1 talking as they went4 ,the weekly meetings of the church1 besides ,sabbath services and the ,sunday-school1 at this early period1 were three3 a 8,lecture10 ,tuesday evening2 a 8,sociable10 ,thursday evening2 and a ,prayer-meeting1 ,friday evening4 ,the weekly lecture was a familiar meeting of the church family and their friends1 where1 in simple and colloquial speech1 the pastor instructed them in the things that pertain to the spiritual life4 ,it was always spoken of1 not as a sermon1 but as a 8,lecture-,room ,talk40 ,the subjects chosen were practical1 like these1 given in the order in which he delivered them3 8,groping after ,god10 8,praying for ,others10 8,fervency of ,religious ,feeling10 8,conversing with the ,impenitent10 picked up in his intercourse with his people1 selected with direct reference to solving doubts1 removing difficulties1 and securing spiritual growth and activity4 ,in these1 perhaps more than anywhere else1 he displayed the resources of his great common sense1 revealed the depth of his spiritual life1 and drew most largely on the wealth of his own ,christian experience4 ,the prayer-meetings did not differ in form from those that are common in ,congregational churches4 ,a moment before the hour for the meeting ,mr4 ,beecher came upon the platform1 threw his hat upon the floor by the side of his chair1 sat down1 and1 throwing back his cloak1 took up the 8,plymouth ,collection10 and1 the instant the bell ceased tolling1 without rising1 gave out in a clear1 firm voice the number of some familiar hymn1 usually of thanksgiving4 ,the pianist wasted no time in playing the tune through1 but struck the opening note firmly1 the audience joined without delay and sang without dragging1 and the meeting gained that most important advantage--a good send-off4 ,no sooner had the hymn ceased than the pastor arose and read a passage from a ,bible which he held in his hand4 ,he then led in a prayer1 simple1 confiding1 hopeful1 tender1 that helped all weary and waiting souls to realize that they were in the presence of their very best ,friend1 and gave them needed help4 ,another hymn1 given out in the same manner and sung with the same spirit1 followed4 ,then1 that there might be no break in the movement of the service1 looking at the individual addressed1 usually some one of the old warriors upon the front seats1 he would say1 8,will ,brother ------ lead us in prayer80 ,when this prayer was finished his eye seemed to take a broader range and search out some of the younger and less experienced to bring them into the work4 ,woe be to you then if you have come in late1 taken a back seat1 and tried to keep out of sight6 ,he seemed to know instinctively where you were1 and how you felt1 and how essential1 if you would enjoy the meeting1 that this ice should be broken2 and on this second call for leaders you would be very likely to hear your name pronounced with that same kind but authoritative intonation that you could neither pretend not to hear nor refuse to obey4 ,another hymn increases the kindly warmth of ,christian feeling that has begun to pervade the audience like an atmosphere1 and under its inspiration other prayers are offered1 at this stage by volunteers2 experiences are related1 often by the pastor2 questions are asked upon some practical difficulty1 and answers are given2 failures and sins are confessed and lamented1 and prayers are requested and offered1 until the hour was passed all too quickly4 ,another hymn1 and then the benediction closes the meeting4 ,the social meetings1 for the accommodation of which ,mr4 ,beecher added the parlors--at that time an unusual feature of a church--were a very earnest attempt made by him in the meridian of his social power and enthusiasm1 and in a church more than ordinarily inspired by his loving spirit1 to overcome the separations which different conditions and dissimilar social training and surroundings bring about in the ,church of ,christ1 and to realize as nearly as possible the family ideal4 ,a sewing-meeting was held in the afternoon for some benevolent enterprise1 followed by a plain tea to which all were invited4 ,friends dropped in1 pleasant conversation ensued1 and perhaps a few selections of reading or song1 prepared for the occasion1 were given4 8,mr4 ,beecher then took his stand in the centre of the large room1 rapped with his pencil and called his flock around him1 and gave them ten minutes of appreciative1 kindly1 witty1 helpful talk4 #8,plymouth ,collection of ,hymns' was then handed round1 and everybody sang1 or tried to4 ,after this1 prayer and #8good-night4'0 ,this was about the outline1 and for several years it was moderately successful2 but busy times crowded in upon it1 unregulated elements worked into it1 getting and doing more harm than good1 and at length it was given up1 and the members of ,plymouth ,church chose their companions according to social affinities1 similarity of position1 and circumstances1 like other people4 ,such preaching and labors1 with such appliances1 under the blessing of ,god were sure to bring abundant results1 and revivals followed each other in quick succession all through those early years2 in fact1 ,plymouth ,church thus far during its whole history may be called a revival church4 ,its polity was ,congregational1 as we find in its manual of #ahej3 8,this church is an independent ecclesiastical body1 and in matters of doctrine1 order1 and discipline is amenable to no other organization4 ,this church will extend to other evangelical churches and receive from them that fellowship1 advice1 and assistance which the laws of ,christ require40 ,his own policy toward the church is given in these words3 8,i have never managed4 ,i have never employed management4 ,i have tried to inspire kind feelings and thus lead men to take up their crosses4 ,i have never sought to exert my authority1 but to promote the utmost freedom of thought and action4444 ,i have maintained from the beginning the most profound desire that there should be a church-life among you quite independent of me1 and that as the pulpit was independent1 so should the pews be also4 ,i have scrupulously avoided meddling with the liberties of this church1 except to enforce them4 ,my simple aim from the beginning has been to develop among you as high a standard of manhood1 and of ,christian manhood1 as the infirmity of human nature would permit2 and for that--the exaltation of manhood in ,christ ,jesus--,i have labored in season and out of season3 not without flaw1 not without fault1 not without sin1 but1 as ,god is my witness1 with every power of my soul and body and understanding1 from year to year40 ,such was ,plymouth ,church as she stood a score and a half and more years ago1 and as she still remains4 8,beautiful for situation1 the joy of the whole earth is this our ,mount ,zion0 well expresses the feelings of multitudes as they recall these years and remember these places4 ,her streets of ,sabbath service and work-day conference and prayer were continually trodden by eager crowds1 and were made beautiful and attractive by the ,christian fellowship that grew up and blossomed here on every side under the inspiration and culture of one who himself so trustfully1 hopefully1 and exultingly walked with ,god4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,beginning of the ,great ,battle--,five ,great ,eras--,compromise ,measures of #ahej--8,shall ,we ,compromise0--,the ,fugitive ,slave ,law ,denounced--,right of ,free ,speech ,defended--,commercial ,liberty--,fighting ,caste--,liberty of the ,pulpit ,defended--,quickness of ,retort--,sentiment of the ,times--,reaction--,visit of ,kossuth--,election of #aheb--,the ,parker ,controversy--,degraded into ,liberty--,john ,mitchel--,garrison--,close of this ,era4 ,other things than opening the church building contributed to make #ahej an eventful year to ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,in that year slavery came to the place of supreme interest in our national affairs which it never afterwards lost until it was swept away in the battle-storm of #ahfa-fe4 ,the very month that ,plymouth ,church took possession of its new house1 the first month of the last half of the nineteenth century1 ,henry ,clay submitted a series of resolutions in the ,senate of the ,united ,states as 8compromise measures for a final and complete adjustment of the slavery question40 ,in the debate1 passage1 and enforcement of these measures1 the utterly antagonistic nature of the two contending elements1 liberty and slavery1 which had been brought together under our ,constitution1 became so evident2 slavery1 from the very necessity of self-preservation1 became so aggressive1 advanced claims so comprehensive and so forced the fighting1 that the very measures intended to compromise the whole difficulty made it clear that there could be no compromise4 ,there could be no amicable adjustment of interests so diametrically opposed2 one or the other1 liberty or slavery1 must take undivided and undisputed possession of the government4 ,from debate of words the conflict passed rapidly to the argument of arms1 first on the plains of ,kansas and eventually over the whole southern half of our country1 developing into the greatest civil war ever known in the world's history--a war in comparison with which1 in the numbers engaged on either side1 in the breadth of the battle-field1 in the agents of destruction employed and the important interests at stake1 ,england's ,wars of the ,roses1 and even the strife of the rival claimants for the imperial purple of ,rome1 were insignificant and secondary contests4 ,the part of this great slavery conflict in which ,mr4 ,beecher was actively engaged had five distinct eras1 clearly marked by well-defined boundaries1 each presenting peculiar difficulties of its own to be overcome1 and each bringing forward peculiar and important questions for solution4 ,the first began with the agitation of the ,compromise measures of #ahej1 and ended in the passage of those measures and their enforcement1 more or less complete1 during the uneasy years of #ahej and #ahec4 ,the second began with the proposition to repeal the ,missouri ,compromise measures and continued through what was known as 8,the ,kansas ,struggle10 until ,april #a1 #aheh1 when the first substantial victory ever won by the free ,states was gained in ,congress in the permission to give the actual residents of ,kansas a fair vote upon the question of the acceptance or rejection of the infamous ,lecompton ,constitution4 ,the third began with the abandonment by the slave-power of its dependence upon legislative enactments1 which its defeat in ,kansas had proved to be futile1 and the inauguration of an era of secession and violence1 and ended with the ,proclamation of ,emancipation1 which took effect ,january #a1 #ahfc1 and which legally destroyed slavery in all the ,states in rebellion1 and substantially within the whole domain of the ,united ,states4 ,the fourth era began with the issuing the ,proclamation of ,emancipation2 extended through two years and more of battle by which the proclamation was carried into effect1 and slavery was destroyed de facto as it had already been de jure1 and foreign intervention was prevented2 and ended with raising the flag over ,sumter1 the sign of the restoration of our national authority over a free and undivided national domain4 ,the fifth includes the period of reconstruction1 in which the difficult task of bringing the ,states1 once in rebellion but now submissive1 back into the ,union was successfully accomplished4 ,it covers the ground from the close of the war to the present time1 or1 more properly1 from the death of ,president ,lincoln1 when the ,south lay prostrate at the feet of the victorious ,north1 to the election of ,president ,cleveland1 when1 as ,mr4 ,beecher hoped and believed1 sectional lines were obliterated and the ,south once more saw the candidate she favored raised to be the chief magistrate of our common country4 ,the ,compromise measures of #ahej were conceived for the purpose of removing the serious and dangerous complications that had arisen1 between the ,north and the ,south1 in the attempt to organize the territory recently acquired from ,mexico1 and in admitting ,california as a free ,state with a constitution for ever prohibiting slavery within her borders4 ,the ,south felt that such an addition to the free ,states would so disturb the balance of power between the sections that something must be given her as a compensation4 ,hence these ,compromise measures1 which provided for the admission of ,california as a free ,state1 but gave the ,south1 as an offset1 a more stringent ,fugitive ,slave ,law and paid ,texas ten millions of dollars for the adjustment of her ,state boundaries4 ,honestly intended1 no doubt1 and urged by the mover1 ,henry ,clay1 and accepted by many who disliked it1 from patriotic motives1 this ,compromise was1 nevertheless1 wrong in principle and proved only mischievous in results4 ,it rested on the false theory that the development of both liberty and slavery was equally the duty of the ,republic1 and that whatever gain was made by the former must be equalized to the latter by some new concession1 and led to constantly increasing disturbance in both sections4 ,while failing to satisfy the more radical men of the ,south1 it was utterly abhorrent to a much larger body at the ,north4 ,it seemed to the latter to be but another great step taken by the slave-power in its attempt to gain possession of the whole land4 ,the first had been the ,missouri ,compromise1 in which slavery1 surrendering what it never owned--viz41 the territory north of #cf #cj1 called ,mason and ,dixon's line--gained ,missouri and a quasi right to all territory south of that line4 ,in this second great step now proposed they did not fail to note that the provision to prohibit slavery in the newly-acquired territories1 called the 8,wilmot ,proviso10 had been defeated in ,congress1 nor fail to see that in these ,compromise measures1 should they be carried1 the slave-power would secure the right to hunt and capture its fugitives in every city1 town1 and home of the free ,states1 and to compel every ,northern citizen to aid in the work1 thus making1 so far as fugitives were concerned1 slave territory of the whole ,north4 ,they saw in this measure a great advance towards nationalizing this institution and securing for it the right1 aimed at by its advocates from the first1 to go unquestioned and protected wherever the authority of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states was recognized4 ,if this were passed they felt it to be not at all improbable that the threat of ,senator ,toombs1 of ,georgia1 to call the roll of his slaves from the steps of ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 would be executed1 and they opposed it with an energy born both of conviction and abhorrence4 ,in this opposition none were more strenuous than ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,speaking of this period1 he says3 8,in #ahej1 when the controversy came up about ,clay's ,omnibus ,bill1 including the ,fugitive ,slave ,laws1 ,i was thoroughly roused1 and in the pulpit and with my pen ,i attacked with the utmost earnestness the infamous ,fugitive ,slave ,bill4 ,it was then that ,i wrote that article1 #8,shall we ,compromise8' ,it was read to ,john ,c4 ,calhoun on his sick-bed by his clerk1 and he raised himself up and said3 #8,read that article again4' ,the article was read4 #8,the man who says that is right4 ,there is no alternative4 ,it is liberty or slavery4' ,and then1 when ,webster made his fatal apostasy on ,march #g1 #ahej1 ,i joined with all ,northern men of any freedom-loving spirit in denouncing it and in denouncing him4 ,forthwith1 after a paralysis of a few weeks1 his friends determined to save him by getting all the old clergymen--such men as ,dr4 ,spring1 ,dr4 ,lord of ,dartmouth1 and the ,andover professors--to take his part4 ,the effort was to get every great and influential man in the ,north to stand up for ,webster2 and then it was that ,i flamed4 ,they failed utterly4 ,professor ,woolsey of ,new ,haven1 ,dr4 ,bacon1 ,dr4 ,hopkins1 ,president of ,williams ,college in ,massachusetts1 and various other most influential men1 absolutely refused to sustain ,webster40 ,in the issue of the ,independent of ,february #ba1 #ahej1 filling three columns1 we have the famous article referred to above4 ,we quote only enough to indicate its spirit and line of argument3#e ----- ,footnote #e3 ,this article entire can be found in ,mr4 ,beecher's 8,patriotic ,addresses10 published by ,fords1 ,howard ,hulbert1 ,new ,york ,city4 ----- 8,,shall ,,we ,,compromise8 8,mr4 ,clay's ,compromise has been violently resisted by the ,south and but coldly looked upon by the ,north4 8,it is not that both sides are infatuated and refuse a reasonable settlement2 but the skill of ,mr4 ,clay has evidently not touched the seat of the disease4 ,he either has not perceived or else has not thought it expedient to meet the real issue now before the people of the ,united ,states4 ,the struggle now going on is a struggle whose depths lie in the organization of society in the ,north and ,south respectively2 whose causes are planted in the ,constitution4 ,there are two incompatible and mutually destructive principles wrought together in the government of this land4444 ,these elements are slavery and liberty4444 ,one or the other must die4 0444 ,the ,south now demands room and right for extension4 ,she asks the ,north to be a partner4 ,for every free ,state she demands one ,state for slavery4 ,one dark orb must be swung into its orbit1 to groan and travail in pain1 for every new orb of liberty over which the morning stars shall sing for joy4 8444 ,it is time for good men and true to gird up their loins and stand forth for ,god and humanity4 ,no compromises can help us which dodge the question1 certainly none which settle it for slavery4444 8,there never was a plainer question for the ,north4 ,it is her duty openly1 firmly1 and for ever to refuse to slavery another inch of territory1 and to see to it that it never gets it by fraud4 ,it is her duty to refuse her hand or countenance to slavery where it now exists4 ,it is her duty to declare that she will under no consideration be a party to any farther inhumanity and injustice4444 8,mr4 ,clay's ,compromise resolutions demand better provision for the recovery of fugitive slaves1 and a bill is now pending in the ,united ,states ,senate for that purpose4 ,on this matter our feelings are so strong that we confess a liability to intemperance of expression4 8,if the compromises of the ,constitution include requisitions which violate humanity1 ,i will not be bound by them4 ,not even the ,constitution shall make me unjust4 ,if my patriotic sires confederated in my behalf that ,i should maintain that instrument1 so ,i will to the utmost bound of right4 ,but who1 with power which even ,god denies to ,himself1 shall by compact fore-ordain me to the commission of inhumanity and injustice8 ,i disown the act4 ,i repudiate the obligation4 ,never while ,i have breath will ,i help any official miscreant in his base errand of recapturing a fellow-man for bondage2 and may my foot palsy and my right hand forget her cunning if ,i ever become so untrue to mercy and to religion as not by all the means in my power to give aid and succor to every man whose courageous flight tells me he is worthy of liberty6 0444 ,from those compromises1 like ,mr4 ,clay's1 which seek for peace rather than for humanity--from such compromises1 guileless though they seem1 and gilded till they shine like heaven1 evermore may we be delivered40 ,this battle in ,congress resulted1 like every battle since the adoption of the ,constitution1 in a victory for the slave party4 ,in ,september of this year1 #ahej1 the ,compromise measures1 which had passed both ,houses of ,congress1 were signed by ,president ,fillmore and became by a very decided majority the law of the land4 ,many things had contributed to this result4 ,on the one hand1 there was a strong party in the ,south1 representing largely the sentiment of that whole section1 who felt themselves aggrieved and deprived of their rights under the ,constitution1 since they could not carry their property with them into the common territory of the ,union1 and who saw in these ,compromise measures a step in the direction of nationalizing their peculiar institution2 on the other the commercial and manufacturing interests of the ,north demanded a cessation of strife1 that they might enter into the prosperity opened to them by the discovery of the gold upon our ,western coast2 again1 the fear of disruption1 if the bitter discussion in ,congress should continue1 reconciled many to such measures as promised peace2 also1 the habit of compromise1 which had been early formed1 and stood apparently justified by years of prosperity and growth1 made it easier to again adopt this course2 and1 perhaps more influential than any other1 the leaders most beloved and trusted at the ,north were in favor of the measure4 ,henry ,clay was its originator1 and ,daniel ,webster1 the great expounder of the ,constitution1 in his fatal speech of ,march #g1 #ahej1 had justified the ,compromise measures1 spoke not a word in condemnation of the legal or moral crudities and enormities of the ,fugitive ,slave ,law1 and had reserved the lightning of his sarcasm and the thunder of his condemnation for the ,abolitionists3 8,nothing can be plainer than that all parties in the state were drifting in the dark1 without any comprehension of the elemental causes at work4 ,without prescience or sagacity1 like ignorant physicians1 they prescribed at random2 they sewed on patches1 new compromises on old garments1 sought to conceal the real depth of the danger of the gathering torrent by crying peace6 peace6 to each other4 ,in short1 they were seeking to medicate volcanoes and stop earthquakes by administering political quinine4 ,the wise statesmen were bewildered and politicians were juggling fools40 ,if the anti-slavery men of the ,north hated the ,compromise1 and especially the ,fugitive ,slave clause in it1 while it was being debated in ,congress1 their abhorrence was increased a thousand-fold now that all it had cost and all it threatened was in a measure comprehended4 ,looking at it calmly1 they saw that safe-guards which from time immemorial had gathered around the individual to protect him in person and liberty had1 for a very large class in the community1 been suddenly destroyed4 ,trial by jury was denied4 ,opportunity for the accused to summon witnesses in his own defence was not given1 and 8in no trial or hearing under this act shall the testimony of such alleged fugitives be admitted to evidence40 ,he had no hearing before any competent judge1 but before a commissioner appointed to take depositions1 who1 whatever his ability or lack of ability1 was clothed by this infamous act with plenary power in the premises4 ,on the simple certificate of this man the unhappy victim was hurried off at once into slavery1 and no stay of proceedings or liberty of appeal was granted4 ,dumb1 undefended1 his destiny at the mercy of any accuser1 and of a commissioner possibly ignorant and possibly vicious1 the accused was consigned to a state worse to many than death4 ,aimed at a particular class1 its injustice was seen to be indiscriminate enough to make an attack possible upon individuals of any class2 and its provisions for the deprivation of a single right made necessary such a stringency in the exercise of other rights as could not be tolerated in a free community4 ,atrocious in itself1 it became still more offensive and dangerous by reason of the ease with which its provisions could be employed by villains for kidnapping negroes1 or even white men1 who had never been slaves4 ,it was stated and believed that along the whole line between the slave and free ,states arresting fugitives at once became a regular business1 with very little care in many instances as to the previous liberty or slavery of those arrested4 ,instances were continually being recorded of colored boys and girls being unexpectedly spirited away and hurried off into bondage4 ,great activity in this work of securing fugitives who had lived in the ,north for years prevailed1 and fear and apprehension took possession of the whole negro population of that section1 and a corresponding indignation grew hot in the hearts of multitudes of freemen4 ,scenes and incidents were continually transpiring and published in the newspapers that stirred the one party to greater hatred of the institution of slavery1 and the other party to greater hatred to the means1 regular or irregular1 that were employed to prevent the carrying out of its purpose4 ,as may well be supposed1 ,mr4 ,beecher speaks with no greater affection for this measure1 now that it has become a law1 than when it was being debated in ,congress4 ,in a ,star paper that appeared ,october #c1 upon 8,the ,fugitive ,slave ,bill at its ,work10 he meets it with undisguised and open defiance4 8,with such solemn convictions no law impious to ,god and humanity shall have respect or observance at our hands4 ,if in ,god's providence fugitives ask bread or shelter1 raiment or conveyance1 from us1 my own children shall lack bread before they2 my own flesh shall sting with cold ere they shall lack raiment2 ,i will both shelter them1 conceal them1 or speed their flight1 and while under my shelter or my convoy they shall be to me as my own flesh and blood2 and whatsoever defence ,i would put forth for my own children1 that shall these poor1 despised1 and persecuted creatures have in my house or upon the road40 ,he follows with another very thoughtful and able article upon 8,law and ,conscience0 in defence of his position1 and for the instruction of those who were in doubt what course to take in the conflicting claims of the law of the land on one side and their feelings of humanity upon the other4 ,in the first place1 he makes the duty of obedience to law very strong3 8,nothing could be more mischievous than the prevalence of the doctrine that a citizen may disobey an unjust or burdensome law4 ,should that liberty be granted1 the bad1 the selfish1 the cruel and grasping1 might disregard wholesome laws as easily as just men unjust laws4 ,it would constitute every man a court in his own case2 and a court1 too1 in which selfishness would preside4 ,society could not exist for a day4 8,it is a question seriously asked by thousands3 ,how can we as good citizens subscribe to such wholesome doctrine and yet openly resist the ,fugitive ,slave ,law8 ,many reasons make it important that this question should be thoroughly answered4 ,there are thousands who say that this law must be obeyed1 and who1 with the next breath1 bravely and generously declare that nevertheless1 should a distressed fugitive ask succor1 shelter1 and guidance at their hand1 he should have them4 ,but this is breaking the law4 ,to keep this law you must not shelter a slave mother fleeing to her free husband in the ,north1 nor a slave girl whose foot bounds at the sound of a pursuer1 as if it were the knell of virtue4 ,you must not give direction to a fugitive1 though his head be white and his old limbs reveal half a century of unrequited toil2 though a man say to you1 in the awful agony of his soul1 #8,kill me1 but for the love of ,god do not betray me6' the law enjoins you to go with the officer1 if he summon you1 and help in his arrest6 ,the minister of the ,gospel1 the humane philanthropist1 peacefully walking to the ,sabbath-sounding bell1 must turn aside and help some scoundrel hireling to run down his slave1 if the marshal command him1 or break the law60 ,he then lays down this general principle3 8,every citizen must obey a law which inflicts injury upon his person1 estate1 and civil privilege1 until legally redressed2 but no citizen is bound to obey a law which commands him to inflict injury upon another4 ,we must endure but never commit wrong4 ,we must be patient when sinned against1 but must never sin against others4 ,the law may heap injustice upon me1 but no law can authorize me to pour injustice upon another4 ,when the law commanded ,daniel not to pray he disobeyed it2 when it commanded him to be cast into the lions' den he submitted4 8,a law which enjoins upon a citizen the commission of a crime1 and still more of an open1 disgraceful1 and flagitious crime1 has violated the confidence of the citizen1 and is dissolved in the court of ,god the moment it is enacted4 8,let no man stand uncommitted1 dodging between daylight and dark1 on this vital principle4 ,let every man firmly and openly take sides4 ,this vibrating between humanity for the fugitive and conscience for the law1 this clandestine humanity in spite of law1 to which the lips only give a sullen and pouting obedience1 is not consistent with sincerity and open-hearted integrity4 ,we adjure every ,christian man1 every man to whom conscience is more than meat1 and honor better than thrift1 to stand forth and enunciate the invincible truth of the ,christian's creed3 ,obedience to laws1 even though they sin against me3 disobedience to every law that commands me to sin40 ,his conviction of the origin of this whole trouble1 his policy concerning it1 and his confidence in the working out of natural causes are well set forth in an article at this period upon 8,the ,cause and ,cure of ,agitation03 8,it ought primarily to be understood that our ,constitution has invited this whole conflict which has raged about it4 ,had the framers been gifted with prescience they would1 we cannot but think1 have regarded the inevitable future mischief of that compromise by which slavery had its rights embedded in a constitution of liberty1 as too great to be risked4 ,they acted with the light which they had4 ,they swaddled and laid in one cradle two infant forms4 ,these were rocked together and grew up together2 but one was a wolf's cub and the other a lamb4 ,both were alike peaceful at birth--for a lion's whelp when first dropped is as gentle as a doe4 ,growth brought forth separate natures4 ,then appeared hostility4 ,each acted to its nature4 8,our policy for the future is plain4 ,all the natural laws of ,god are warring upon slavery4 ,we have only to let the process go on4 ,let slavery alone4 ,let it go to seed4 ,hold it to its own natural fruit4 ,cause it to abide by itself4 ,cut off every branch that hangs beyond the wall1 every root that spreads4 ,shut it up to itself and let it alone4 ,we do not ask to interfere with the internal policy of a single ,state by ,congressional enactments3 we will not ask to take one guarantee from the institution4 ,we only ask that a line be drawn about it2 that an insuperable bank be cast up2 that it be fixed and for ever settled that slavery must find no new sources1 new fields1 new prerogatives1 but that it must abide in its place1 subject to all the legitimate changes which will be brought upon it by the spirit of a nation essentially democratic1 by schools taught by enlightened men1 by colleges sending annually into every profession thousands bred to justice and hating its reverse1 by churches preaching a gospel that has always heralded civil liberty1 by manufactories which always thrive best when the masses are free and refined and therefore have their wants multiplied1 by free agriculture and free commerce4 8,when slavery begins1 under such a treatment1 to flag1 we demand that she be denied political favoritism to regain her loss2 we demand that no laws be enacted to give health to her paralysis and strength to her relaxing grasp4 ,she boldly and honestly demanded a right to equality with the ,north1 and prophetically spoke by ,calhoun1 that the ,north would preponderate and crush her4 ,it is true4 ,time is her enemy4 ,liberty will1 if let alone1 always be a match for oppression4 ,now1 it is because statesmen propose stepping in between slavery and the appointed bourne to which she goes1 scourged by ,god and nature1 that we resent these statesmen and refuse to follow them4 ,if her wounds can be stanched1 if she may have adventitious aid in new privileges1 slavery will renew her strength and stave off the final day4 ,but if it be forbidden one additional favor and be obliged to stand up by the side of free labor1 free schools1 free churches1 free institutions2 if it be obliged to live in a land of free books1 free papers1 and free ,bibles1 it will either die or else it ought to live40 ,he ridicules those measures that had been adopted ,north and ,south to enforce the peace1 and compares those who keep agitating against agitation to poor old 8crazy ,dinah0 who used to sit on the pulpit stairs in ,litchfield4 8,once she began talking1 but1 startled at her want of manners1 she said out loud3 #8,why ,i'm talking6 ,i'm talking in meetin'6 ,there1 ,i spoke again4 ,i ought not to speak4 ,there1 ,i spoke once more4 ,tut1 tut6 why1 ,i keep a-speaking4'0 ,while advocating at this time1 as ever afterwards1 the utmost liberty of discussion1 he stated his creed in these words3 8,there is nothing so safe in a free country as free discussion1 nothing so dangerous as the suppression of it2 peace and liberty of speech1 violence and intolerance1 respectively go together40 ,he argued and advised in a lengthy paper against 8the usual unfortunate concomitants of controversy1 bitterness1 railing1 unfairness1 and exaggerated prejudices4 8,we have not the least objection to the most unbounded ardor of expression1 to the most enthusiastic convictions1 expressed in the most positive manner1 so long as they relate to truths or principles4 ,but when the propagandist comes to regard those who do not receive his views as devoid of all principle and necessarily dishonest1 and becomes offensively personal1 then controversy is morbid and mischievous4 ,and as nothing gives such vigor to like or dislike as conscience1 so they who profess to be conscientious are often conscientiously bitter4 ,there is no revulsion against men or measures so violent as that of pure and honorable men4 ,a man consciously right should watch against severe judgments of others4 ,it is sad and curious to observe the progress of exaggerated impressions of personal character4 ,those who do not follow our conscience on the slavery question are often1 nevertheless1 on the whole1 more conscientious men than we4 ,those whose reasonings we pronounce cold and inhuman are not cold or inhuman men4 ,those whose commercial interests reduce them1 as it seems to us1 to a policy on this particular question which outrages justice and rectitude1 are in their private character most estimable for truth1 and even for tender sympathy4 ,indeed1 this is often shown in strange contrast2 for the very men who give their counsel and zeal and money against the unseen slave of the ,south irresistibly pity the particular fugitive whom they may see running through the ,north4 ,they give the ,union ,committee money to catch the slave1 and give the slave money to escape from the ,committee40 ,all who were acquainted with ,mr4 ,beecher know that the course he advised for others he persistently and conscientiously pursued himself4 ,we doubt if any man ever lived who was engaged in so many severe battles and carried into them or brought from them so little bitterness4 ,such a vigorous treatment of large and vital questions commanded a following2 and it was not long before this young minister from the ,west was recognized as one of the great anti-slavery leaders and had a national reputation4 ,men at the ,south began to hate him2 men at the ,north1 conservatives whose business interests were wrapped up in the present state of things1 whose goods and principles were equally for sale in ,southern markets1 were horrified and alarmed at his unwise sayings1 his blasphemous use of the pulpit for political ends1 and his fiery denunciations of the nation's pet institution4 ,but over against these there was another class1 daily growing larger1 whose consciences were set free by his clear discrimination of a citizen's and a ,christian's duty1 whose intelligence was broadened and enlarged by his lofty views1 and whose hearts were set on fire by his mighty enthusiasm and abounding love4 ,this body daily increased in numbers and came more and more to share the spirit of their leader4 ,whatever he wrote they read4 ,whenever he spoke the size of church or hall alone decided the number of hearers4 ,without ambition1 without self-seeking1 with a simple1 earnest desire to do his work as ,god revealed it to him1 unrasped by hatreds1 he had come to a place and leadership as broad and high as there was in the land4 ,with cheek still ruddy with youth1 with eyes from which the laughter never died out except when the tears of sympathy filled them or the deep things of ,god veiled them1 with a heart that was in sympathy with all nature round him1 and which nature and ,he who is above nature fed with perennial freshness1 with a voice that could interpret every emotion1 with that excellent health that makes the body a perfect channel of expression for the mind and a complete instrument for its service1 he stands like a ,david just come from his sheepfolds1 free1 unencumbered1 and singing as he strikes4 ,in the progress of this discussion upon the ,compromise measures1 which had its centre in ,congress1 but in which every hamlet1 almost every household1 in the ,north had a share1 other questions came to the front as parts of the great controversy4 ,among the earliest of these was the right of free speech--a right utterly unknown where slavery was in power1 and always bitterly attacked where it had influence4 ,as may well be expected1 it found in ,mr4 ,beecher one of its most strenuous champions4 ,early in his career he urged all the claims of friendship1 risked the safety of his new church building1 and defied the ,new ,york and ,brooklyn mob1 then under the control of the notorious ,captain ,rynders1 in its defence4 ,in a sermon preached in #ahhd upon the death of ,wendell ,phillips he gives an account of his experience in this matter3 8,it is a part of the sweet and pleasant memories of my comparative youth here that when the mob refused to let him speak in the ,broadway ,tabernacle before it was moved up-town1 ,william ,a4 ,hall1 now dead--a fervent friend and ,abolitionist--had secured the ,graham ,institute1 on ,washington ,street1 in ,brooklyn1 wherein to hold a meeting where ,mr4 ,phillips should be heard4 ,i had agreed to pray at the opening of the meeting4 ,on the morning of the day on which it was to have taken place ,i was visited by the committee of that ,institute 7excellent gentlemen1 whose feelings will not be hurt1 because they are all now ashamed of it3 they are in heaven71 who said that1 in consequence of the great peril that attended a meeting at the ,institute1 they had withdrawn the liberty to use it and paid back the money1 and that they called simply to say that it was out of no disrespect to me1 but from fidelity to their supposed trust4 ,well1 it was a bitter thing4 ,if there is anything on earth that ,i am sensitive to it is the withdrawing of the liberty of speech and thought4 ,henry ,c4 ,bowen said to me3 #8,you can have ,plymouth ,church1 if you want it4' #8,how8' #8,it is a rule of the church trustees that the church may be let by a majority vote when we are convened2 but if we are not convened1 then every trustee must give his consent in writing4 ,if you choose to make it a personal matter and go to every trustee1 you can have it4' ,he meanwhile undertook1 with ,mr4 ,hall1 to put new placards over the old ones1 notifying men quietly that the meeting was to be held here1 and distributing thousands and tens of thousands of hand-bills at the ferries4 ,no task was ever more welcome4 ,i went to the trustees man by man4 ,the majority of them very cheerfully accorded the permission4 ,one or two of them were disposed to decline and withhold it4 ,i made it a matter of personal friendship3 #8,you and ,i will break if you don't give me this permission1' and they signed4 ,so the meeting glided from ,graham ,institute to this house4 ,a great audience assembled4 ,we had detectives in disguise1 and every arrangement made to handle the subject in a practical form if the crowd should undertake to molest us40 ,neither at this nor any other time was an attack actually made upon ,plymouth ,church1 although many times in its history have angry men gathered in the immediate neighborhood1 evidently bent on mischief1 but were restrained from violence by the bold bearing of many in the audience who were known not to be ,quakers1 and by the presence of the police1 who were kept well informed of their intentions4 ,another of the secondary battles that were fought early in this year was one for commercial liberty4 ,the ,south1 by the help1 and perhaps by the instigation1 of ,northern co-operators1 attempted nothing less than to boycott every commercial or manufacturing company that was opposed to them upon the great political questions of the day4 ,a great 8,union ,saving ,committee0 was formed in ,new ,york1 and met in ,castle ,garden and made out a black-list of the merchants that were anti-slavery1 from whom the ,south were to withdraw their patronage4 ,mr4 ,beecher not only preached against the outrage1 but visited from store to store to uphold the courage of the merchants4 ,he says3 8,mr4 ,bowen was1 of course1 included in that blacklist1 and threatened with the loss of all his ,southern custom4 ,he came to me and asked me if ,i would not write a card for him1 and ,i undertook to do it2 but1 my head not running very clear1 the only thing ,i got at1 after making three or four attempts1 was1 #8,my goods are for sale1 but not my principles1' but ,i could not lick it into shape1 and ,i gave the paper to him and said1 #8,you must fix it yourself4' ,he took it to ,hiram ,barney1 and he drew up the card in the shape in which it appeared1 including that sentence1 which was the snap of the whole thing40 8,my goods are for sale1 but not my principles0 became a war-cry for the independent business men of the day1 and had immense influence upon commercial action4 ,he fought the petty ostracism of the ,north1 and apparently with success3 8,i never preached on that subject4 ,i never said to the people in this congregation1 from the beginning to this day1 #8,you ought to let colored folks sit in your pew4' ,i preached the dignity of man as a child of ,god1 and lifted up the sanctity of human life and nature before the people4 ,they made the application1 and they made it wisely and well4 8,when ,i came here there was no place for colored men and women in the theatre except the negro pen2 no place in the opera2 no place in the church except the negro pew2 no place in any lecture-hall2 no place in the first-class car on the railways4 ,the white omnibus of ,fulton ,ferry would not allow colored persons to ride in it4 ,they were never allowed to sit even in the gentlemen's cabin on the boats4 8,i invited ,fred ,douglass1 one day in those times1 to come to church here4 #8,i should be glad to1 sir1' said he2 #8but it would be so offensive to your congregation4' #8,mr4 ,douglass1 will you come8 ,and if any man objects to it1 come up and sit on my platform by me4 ,you will always be welcome there40 8,at the ,fulton ,ferry there are two lines of omnibuses1 one white and the other blue4 ,i had been accustomed to go in them indifferently2 but one day ,i saw a little paper stuck upon one of them1 saying3 #8,colored people not allowed to ride in this omnibus4' ,i instantly got out4 ,there are men who stand at the door of these omnibus lines1 urging passengers into one or the other4 ,i am very well known to all of them2 and the next day1 when ,i came to the place1 the gentleman serving asked3 #8,won't you ride1 sir8' #8,no1' ,i said2 #8,i am too much of a negro to ride in that omnibus4' ,i called the attention of every one ,i met to that fact1 and said to them3 #8,don't ride in that omnibus1 which violates your principles1 and my principles1 and common decency at the same time4' ,i do not know whether this had any influence1 but ,i do know that after a fortnight's time ,i had occasion to look in and the placard was gone40 ,but perhaps the most important1 at all events the hardest-fought1 battle of this era was in behalf of the liberty of ministers of the ,gospel to preach in their pulpits for the slave and against the atrocities of slavery4 ,it sprang from the publication1 by an influential ,new ,york daily paper1 of an article in which it was threatened that clergymen who spoke in their pulpits upon slavery 8would have their coats rolled in the dirt40 ,mr4 ,beecher at once took up the glove in his own defence and that of his brethren who thought it their duty to preach on this subject4 ,he entered into an examination of the whole status of the slave with great thoroughness1 and gathered his materials for defence and attack from ,southern sources4 ,a report made to the ,synod of ,south ,carolina and ,georgia in #ahcc says3 8,they have no ,bible to read by their own firesides2 they have no family altars2 and when in affliction1 sickness1 or death1 they have no minister to address to them the consolations of the ,gospel4 8,they are destitute of the privileges of the ,gospel1 and ever will be1 under the present state of things4 ,they may justly be considered the heathen of this country1 and will bear a comparison with heathen in any country in the world40 8,says ,judge ,ruffin1 of ,north ,carolina1 in a case brought against defendant for shooting and wounding a woman who endeavored to run away from a whipping3 #8,with slavery it is far otherwise4 ,the end is the profit of the master1 his security1 and the public peace4 ,the subject is one doomed in his own person and in his posterity to live without knowledge1 and without capacity to make anything his own1 and to toil that others may reap the fruits4'0 ,aroused by such testimony from reports of religious bodies and the decisions of the courts1 he exclaims1 with hot indignation3 8,yet the pulpit1 whose echoes roll over the heathenism of the globe1 must be dumb6 8,it is vain to tell us that hundreds of thousands of slaves are church-members2 does that save women from the lust of their owners8 does it save their children from being sold8 does it save parents from separation8 ,in the shameless processions every week made from the ,atlantic to the ,gulf are to be found slaves ordained to preach the ,gospel1 members of churches1 baptized children1 ,sunday-school scholars carefully catechised1 full of ,gospel texts1 fat and plump for market4 ,what is religion worth to a slave1 except as a consolation from despair when the hand that breaks to him the bread of communion on ,sunday takes the price of his blood and bones on ,monday1 and bids him ,god-speed on his pilgrimage from old ,virginia tobacco-fields to the cotton-plantations of ,alabama8 8,what is church fellowship1 and church privilege1 and church instruction worth if the recipient is still as much a beast1 just as little loved1 just as ruthlessly desolated of his family1 just as coolly sold1 as if he were without ,god and without hope8 ,what motive is there to the slave to strive for ,christian graces1 when1 if they make him a real man1 they are threshed out of him2 or1 if they make him a more obedient and faithful man1 raise his market price and only make him a more merchantable disciple of ,christ8 ,it is the religious phase of slave-life that reveals the darkest features of that all-perverting system40 ,ridiculing the idea that it takes distance to make a topic fit for the pulpit1 and upbraiding the ministry1 who are engaged in snatching here and there a child from the ,ganges1 and have no words for those children that1 here at home1 every year are snatched from the parents' bosom and sold everywhither1 he says3 8,it requires distance1 it seems1 to make a topic right for the pulpit4 ,send it to ,greenland or to ,nootka ,sound1 and you may then practise at the far-away target4 ,and the reason of such discrimination seems to be that preaching against foreign sins does not hurt the feelings nor disturb the quiet of your congregation2 whereas1 if the identical evils at home which we deplore upon the ,indus or along the ,burampootra are preached about1 the ,journal says that it will risk the minister's place and bread and butter2 and it plainly tells all ,northern ministers that if they meddle with such politics they will have their coats rolled in the dirt4 ,will the ,journal tell us how many leagues off a sin must be before it is prudent and safe for courageous ministers to preach against it8 8,every year thousands of women are lashed for obstinate virtue1 and tens of thousands robbed of what they have never been taught to prize1 and the ,journal stands poised to cast its javelin at that meddlesome pulpit that dares speak of such boundless licentiousness1 and send it to its more appropriate work of evangelizing the courtesans of ,paris or the loose virtue of ,italy6 ,and it assures us that multitudes of clergymen are thanking it for such a noble stand4 ,some of those clergymen we know4 ,the platforms of our benevolent societies resound with their voices1 urging ,christianity to go abroad1 stimulating the ,church not to leave a corner of the globe unsearched nor an evil unredressed4 ,but when the speech is ended they steal in behind the ,journal to give it thanks for its noble stand against the right of the pulpit to say a word about home-heathen--about their horrible ignorance1 bottomless licentiousness1 and about the mercenary inhumanity which every week is selling their own ,christian brethren1 baptized as much as they1 often preachers of the ,gospel like themselves1 eating from the same table of the ,lord1 praying to the same ,saviour1 listening to snatches of that same ,bible 7whose letters they have never been permitted to learn71 out of which these reverend endorsers of the ,journal preach60 ,he shows that the slavery of ,new ,england never was the slavery of the ,south3 8,the slavery of the ,south in our day adopts the ,roman civil law as the basis of its code4444 ,now1 ,new ,england never held a slave on the basis of the ,roman civil law1 but under a law which was expressly enacted for the benefit of the slave and for the ultimate destruction of slavery--viz41 the ,hebrew law of slavery4 ,no system of slavery1 in this land1 can be profitable which does not put the slave under a regimen which denies him the rights of manhood4 ,the ,north1 on the basis of the ,hebrew slavery law1 found it out2 she refused to go further and sacrifice her religious scruples4 ,the ,south1 on the basis of the ,roman civil law1 imbibed its inhuman spirit1 put on the screws1 and forced the system into its present legal attitude1 with a written code more infamous than the unwritten law of any pirate's deck40 ,he proves that the ,north never sold out her slaves1 with a profit1 to 8her partners in the ,south1 and so closed up the business10 by showing that in most of the ,northern ,states the slaves were set free by the decisions of the courts upon the adoption of the ,state constitutions1 and that in the meantime their masters were forbidden1 under heavy penalties1 to sell them ,south4 ,in ,new ,york gradual emancipation was enacted1 and not only was the sale of slaves out of the borders forbidden1 but masters travelling with their slaves in the ,south were required to give heavy bonds for the safe return of the same4 ,these words reveal his own spirit in the discussion3 8,in exploring this wilderness of inhumanity1 filled with the shapes and motley sights of degradation1 ,i live in a perpetual struggle how to calm the natural expressions of an honest soul into that measured phrase that may best suit the sated public ear4 ,if one overhang this abyss until his spirit do drink in its very import1 his soul must be full of thunder and his words glance like fire4 ,neither are these feelings the foul engenderings of fanaticism4 ,they are the true feelings of a heart taught to hate injustice and degrading wrong1 by that nature which ,god gave it2 by the ,bible which educated it2 by the law under which it was made1 and by the public sentiment in which it has been bred4 ,it is with a sense of shame that we see strong words for oppression granted an unapologized liberty to walk up and down as they will2 while he who speaks for freedom must rake up his ardor under the ashes of a tame propriety1 and stand to answer for want of a ,gospel spirit if indignation at double and treble wrongs do sometimes give forth a bolt6 ,nevertheless1 we hope2 we trust2 we pray2 and hoping1 trusting1 and praying1 we soothe ourselves in such thoughts as these3 #8,from this shame1 too1 thou shalt go forth1 ,o world6 ,god1 who1 unwearied sitting on the circle of the earth1 hath beheld and heard the groanings and travailings of pain until now1 and caused ,time to destroy them one by one1 shall ere long destroy thee1 thou abhorred and thrice damnable oppression cancerously eating the breasts of liberty4'0 ,he concludes by giving his views upon the position of the pulpit1 and utters this solemn protest3 8,therefore1 against every line of the ,coward's ,ethics of the ,journal we solemnly protest1 and declare a minister made to its pattern fitter to be sent to the pyramids and tombs of ,egypt to preach to old-world mummies than to be a living man of ,god among living men1 loving them but never fearing them6 ,god be thanked that in every age hitherto pulpits have been found1 the allies of suffering virtue1 the champions of the oppressed6 ,and if in this day1 after the notable examples of heroic men in heroic ages1 when life itself often paid for fidelity1 the pulpit is to be mined and sapped by insincere friends and insidious enemies1 and learn to mix the sordid prudence of business with the sonorous and thrice heroic counsels of ,christ1 then1 ,o my soul1 be not thou found conspiring with this league of iniquity2 that so1 when in that august day of retribution ,god shall deal punishment in flaming measures to all hireling and coward ministers1 thou shalt not go down1 under double-bolted thunders1 lower than miscreant ,sodom or thrice-polluted ,gomorrah60 ,some idea of his mode of address and quickness in retort at that day will appear from extracts from his speech at the annual meeting of the ,american and ,foreign ,anti-,slavery ,society1 and two incidents that occurred at this meeting4 ,mr4 ,beecher answered the ,scriptural argument for the return of fugitives1 based on the return of ,onesimus1 in this manner3 8,there are two ways of sending fugitives back into slavery4 ,one is the way ,paul sent back the slave ,onesimus4 ,now1 if people will adopt that way ,i will not object4 ,in the first place1 he instructed him in ,christianity and led him to become a ,christian2 then he wrote a letter and sent it by ,onesimus himself4 ,now1 ,i should like to see ,marshal ------ or ,marshal somebody else1 of this city1 send back a slave in this way4 ,in the first place1 the marshal would take him and teach him the catechism1 and pray with him1 and convert him1 and then write a letter to his master telling him to receive him as a brother beloved2 and then the slave goes of his own free will to his master1 and walks into the house1 and1 with his broad1 black1 beaming face1 says3 #8,how d'ye do1 my brother8 and how d'ye do1 my sister8'0 ,the broad1 beaming face which he himself wore as he described this scene and personated this character was irresistibly comical1 and nothing more was heard in that quarter of ,paul's return of fugitives4 ,it was in this speech that1 in describing the situation of the slave1 he says3 8,they are married and separated in the ,south until perhaps they have twenty wives40 ,a voice3 8,there are men in ,new ,york ,city who have twenty wives40 8,i am sorry for them10 he answered at once4 8,i go for their immediate emancipation60 ,he read extracts from the law as laid down by some of the able members of the ,southern bench in ,south ,carolina and ,louisiana1 to show that slaves are mere goods and chattels4 8,the slave10 he exclaimed1 8is made just good enough to be a good slave and no more4 ,it is a penitentiary offence to teach him more40 ,here a person among a group in one corner of the gallery exclaimed3 8,it's a lie60 8,well1 whether it's a penitentiary offence or not1 ,i shall not argue with the gentleman in the corner1 as doubtless he has been there and ought to know40 ,such was the voice that began to attract attention throughout the whole land4 ,it was as truthful and earnest as that of the old ,abolitionists1 but took in a broader range of subjects and was inspired by a higher spirit than theirs2 it was as politic in its utterances as that of the prince of politicians1 ,martin ,van ,buren1 but it was the policy of right and justice2 it had in it the strength of ,webster's1 but argued from truer premises than he2 it was as popular as ,henry ,clay's1 but its sympathy was broader than his2 it was the voice of ,henry ,ward ,beecher as he stood in the early maturity of his powers1 aflame with ,christian love and patriotism1 preaching the ,gospel of the ,son of ,god1 the ,deliverer and ,saviour for slave and master1 for ,north and ,south1 for commerce and manufactures1 for our whole land from shame and thraldom4 ,the need of such a voice will appear if we consider the state of things at this time1 as he himself described it3 8#8,an ,abolitionist' was enough to put the mark of ,cain upon any young man that arose in my early day1 and until ,i was forty years of age it was punishable to preach on the subject of liberty4 ,it was enough to expel a man from church communion if he insisted on praying in the prayer-meeting for the liberation of the slaves4 ,i am speaking the words of truth and soberness4 ,the ,church was dumb in the ,north1 but not in the ,west4 ,a marked distinction exists between the history of the ,new ,school of ,presbyterian churches in the ,west and the ,congregational churches1 the ,episcopal churches1 the ,methodist and ,baptist churches in the ,north and ,east4 ,the great publishing societies that were sustained by the contributions of the churches were absolutely dumb4 ,great controversies raged round about the doors of the ,bible ,society1 of the ,tract ,society1 and of the ,american ,board of ,commissioners for ,foreign ,missions4 ,the managers of these societies resorted to every shift except that of sending the ,gospel to the slaves4 ,they would not send the ,bible to the ,south2 for1 they said1 #8it is a punishable offence in most of the ,southern ,states to teach a slave to read2 and are we to go in the face of this ,state legislation and send the ,bible ,south8' ,the ,tract ,society said3 #8,we are set up to preach the ,gospel1 not to meddle with political and industrial institutions4' ,and so they went on printing tracts against tobacco and its uses1 tracts against dancing and its abuses1 and refusing to print a tract that had a shadow of criticism on slavery6 8,one of the most disgraceful things took place under the jurisdiction of ,bishop ,doane1 of ,new ,jersey--,i take it for granted1 without his knowledge4 ,i have the book4 ,it was an edition of the ,episcopal prayer-book4 ,they had put into the front of it a steel engraving of ,ary ,scheffer's #8,christus ,consolator'--,christ the ,consoler4 ,there was a semi-circle around about the beneficent and aerial figure of our ,saviour--the poor1 the old1 the sick1 the mother with her dead babe1 bowed in grief2 every known form of human sorrow belonged to the original design and picture1 and among others a fettered slave1 with his hands lifted to heaven1 praying for liberty4 ,but this was too much2 and so they cut out the slave1 and left the rest of the picture1 and bound it into the ,episcopal prayer-book of ,new ,jersey4 ,i have a copy of it1 which ,i mean to leave to the ,historical ,society of ,brooklyn when ,i am done using it4 8,these things are important as showing the incredible condition of public sentiment at that time4 ,if a man came to be known as an anti-slavery man it almost preluded bankruptcy in business40 ,after the intense excitement1 within and without ,congress1 upon the discussion and the passage of the ,compromise measures of #ahej1 a reaction followed1 and the year #ahea is1 in many respects1 a marked contrast to that immediately preceding4 ,the people1 in the main1 tired of the discussion and the consequent turmoil1 thankful for their escape1 as they thought1 from the threatened danger of the dissolution of the ,union1 were determined to preserve the peace that had been won1 and frowned upon everything that endangered its continuance4 ,public meetings and conventions1 held for the expression of free-,state sentiments1 were regarded with great disfavor and often broken up by mob violence4 ,four millions of people in a ,christian land were denied every right belonging to them1 not only on the ground of ,christianity but of humanity1 and yet they must be dumb4 ,the pulpit1 which represented ,him who came to set the captive free and preach the ,gospel to the poor1 on this great matter must utter no voice4 ,statesmanship must see consummated an utter perversion of the fundamental principles and policy of the nation1 and yet offer no protest4 ,a common humanity1 outraged by the atrocities committed against a fellow human being1 must be silent or join in the hue and cry for the capture of the unhappy victim4 ,this was the programme that conservatism1 through the press1 in the pulpit1 by the ballot-box1 through business patronage1 social frowns or favors1 and not unfrequently through mob violence1 attempted to execute4 ,it was as vain as to try to still the voice of ,niagara or the noise of the breakers upon the coast4 ,one thing more powerful than any other contributed to prevent a complete reaction and consequent stagnation upon this subject--the activity of the ,south in availing itself of the advantages offered by the ,fugitive ,slave ,bill for obtaining possession of the property that had escaped and was living on ,northern soil4 ,the year #ahea was emphatically a year of slave-hunting4 ,and since these refugees from labor had1 many of them1 lived for years at the ,north1 had become respectable citizens and reared families1 their violent capture invariably occasioned1 if not forceful resistance1 at least deep and bitter indignation4 ,the quiet of #ahea was not perfect and it could not be made permanent4 ,it was only the lull which weariness compels in every hard-fought battle4 ,in ,december of this year ,kossuth visited this country at the invitation of the ,senate1 coming in a government steamer sent to ,asia especially for his conveyance4 ,many things contributed to awaken immense enthusiasm for him4 ,he had represented ,hungary in the ,austrian ,diet2 had championed the liberty of free press and free speech so fearlessly as to gain the honor of an ,austrian dungeon2 had been elected governor of ,hungary1 and for two years had waged successful war with ,austria4 ,overcome by the immense military power of that great empire in alliance with ,russia1 he had been forced into exile with a price set upon his head4 ,he represented1 in that year of ,european revolutions1 the struggles of the common people for liberty4 ,these experiences1 united with his personal appearance and marvellous eloquence1 combined to secure for him a most enthusiastic reception by the people of this country4 ,the ,senate1 on the other hand1 were far more chary of their welcome4 ,the ,hungarian exile stood for universal liberty1 and that was just what at that time the ,senate of the ,united ,states were most interested in suppressing4 ,however1 though granted no reception1 a banquet was given in his honor1 at which most of our public men were present1 and ,daniel ,webster1 ,secretary of ,state1 delivered the principal address4 ,quick to perceive the dilemma in which ,congress found itself1 and eager that the nation at large should appreciate it1 ,mr4 ,beecher writes a ,star ,paper in which1 in his usual happy and effective style1 he describes the incongruity in the action of our government in welcoming this fugitive from the oppression of the ,old ,world while we are engaged in remanding to their oppressors fugitives in the ,new4 ,invited by ,mr4 ,beecher1 ,kossuth delivered an address in ,plymouth ,church in behalf of the cause of ,hungarian liberty4 ,so great was the eagerness of the people to hear him that some ten thousand dollars were realized from the sale of tickets4 ,so did the pastor of this church link himself with the cause of freedom all over the earth4 ,fifty-two1 being 8election year10 saw efforts more persistent1 if possible1 than ever before to regard the ,compromise measures as a finality and discourage all agitation of the subject of slavery4 ,a public pledge was signed by more than fifty senators1 among them the most influential from both the great parties1 including ,henry ,clay1 agreeing that they would thereafter support no candidate who did not approve and promise to abide by the provisions of that compact4 ,both the great parties of the day--the ,whig and ,democratic--put into their platforms resolutions declaring that the above ,compromise was accepted as a final settlement of the questions at issue1 and agreed to resist all attempts at renewing the agitation of the slavery question under any pretext whatsoever4 ,in the election ,franklin ,pierce1 who had but two qualifications for the office of chief magistrate--he was a gentleman and a radical pro-slavery man--was chosen by an overwhelming majority for ,president1 for the reason that his party affiliations gave the best assurance that the pledges which all had alike made would in his case be fulfilled4 ,general ,scott and the ,whig party made just as profound an obeisance to the slave-power1 and offered just as heavy a bid for its favors2 but there was not the same confidence in their ability to perform the service demanded as in that of their ,democratic rivals1 and they were in consequence disastrously defeated4 ,so did the popular vote upon its first opportunity endorse the action of ,congress and declare that discussion on this great matter was closed4 ,yet1 in spite of the verdict of the ballot-box1 in spite of resolutions1 compacts1 and threats1 agitation still went on4 ,mr4 ,beecher explains the phenomenon3 8,politicians inquire whence is the tenacity of life of the anti-slavery movement4 ,it is not fanaticism that animates or controls it1 it is the religious principle that is the secret of the strength of this cause2 it is because ,jesus ,christ is alive1 and there are ,jesus ,christ men who count this cause dearer than their lives40 ,in the summer and autumn of #aheb ,mr4 ,beecher was engaged in what was called 8,the ,parker ,controversy40 ,we have no desire to open anew the bitterness of those old matters which have passed so long ago into history1 and almost into forgetfulness1 but no biography of the man would be complete without a reference to this trial1 the severest which he had thus far endured1 and which prepared him for other and greater ones to come4 ,in our study of the character and disposition of ,henry ,ward ,beecher we find him1 as we believe1 to have been pre-eminently a man of peace4 ,in his history we see him almost continuously engaged in war4 ,this anomaly is easily explained4 ,it was not from desire or disposition1 but a necessary consequence of the progress which he was making and the position which he occupied4 ,the age was moving forward3 wrongs must be overcome1 new positions of advantage must be gained4 ,by the habit of his mind1 the intuitions of his genius1 and the earnestness and simplicity of his purpose he found himself a leader in this progress4 ,while others stopped to discover the truth by laborious study in their libraries1 he found it among the results of former researches1 derived it intuitively from well-admitted principles1 or gathered it from the people with whom he associated by the way4 ,while others were carefully weighing the consequences of their actions1 he1 trusting in ,god1 in the righteousness of his cause1 in the forces of nature and in himself1 stepped forward to the front4 ,while others were laboriously forging their speeches his sprang like the fabled ,minerva from the brain of ,jupiter1 alive1 armed1 and beautiful4 ,he came into battle for the same reason that the head of a column advancing to seize a favorable position within the enemy's lines is early brought under fire1 or that a heavy field-battery1 which is sending its shot with deadly effect into the ranks of the enemy1 is attacked4 ,in his discussion with a ,new ,york daily1 of which we have already spoken1 he had come in conflict with the commercial spirit of the day which held its principles and its goods both for sale1 and against it had defended the right of the pulpit to discuss the live topics of the hour4 ,this had drawn fire4 ,men who had been scored as he scored them in a ,star ,paper of ,january #bd1 #ahej1 entitled 8,a ,man in the ,market0-- 8444 ,they hang themselves up in the shambles of every ,southern market2 they trust the pliant good nature of the ,north1 and are only fearful lest they should fail to be mean enough to please the ,south0--and who deserved the scoring1 would not be likely to forget it soon or forgive it readily4 ,the conflict in which he now became engaged was more painful than the former1 for it was waged with ,christian brethren4 ,beginning as a skirmish1 it became a general battle1 in which the conservatism of the ,church1 which had expurgated its religious tracts1 curbed the religious press1 and toned down the utterances of the pulpit1 so as not to hurt the feelings of slave-holders1 was engaged and brought to judgment4 ,it came about in this way3 ,in 8,uncle ,tom's ,cabin0 ,mrs4 ,stowe had described the sale of a child taken from the arms of the mother1 and of ,tom's feeling on the subject4 8,to him it looked like something unutterably horrible and cruel1 because1 poor1 ignorant black soul6 he had not learned to generalize and take in large views4 ,if he had only been instructed by certain ministers of ,christianity he might have thought better of it1 and seen in it an every-day incident of a lawful trade--a trade which is the vital support of an institution which some ,american divines tell us has no evils but such as are inseparable from any other relations in social and domestic life40 ,in a note she refers to ,dr4 ,joel ,parker by name as the man who had given utterance to these sentiments1 and as representing the class which entertained them4 ,the words1 8,no evils but such as are inseparable from any other relations in social and domestic life10 had been printed as his in a discussion which he had held in ,philadelphia1 had gone the rounds of the papers as his and had been printed and commented upon in ,england1 and he had never denied that they rightfully belonged to him4 ,but the quickened moral feeling which followed the publication of 8,uncle ,tom's ,cabin0 made the authorship of such sentiments less pleasant than formerly1 and ,dr4 ,parker suddenly discovered that he had been wronged in having these words ascribed to him1 and threatened ,mrs4 ,stowe with a suit for libel4 ,a friend of his lawyer visited her brother ,henry1 and suggested that this matter could be arranged without a law-suit4 ,with a confidence that was born of sincerity and inexperience1 the brother attempts that most difficult rle--that of peace-maker4 ,he visits ,dr4 ,parker1 becomes satisfied that his language is capable of a less violent construction than had been put upon it1 confers with ,mrs4 ,stowe and finds her ready to take the most favorable view of the case possible1 bears a letter from her to the doctor1 writes and discusses with him the answer which he shall make1 forwards ,mrs4 ,stowe's letter1 which had been somewhat changed in the discussion1 to her for approval--which being gained1 he publishes both letters over the united signatures of the two parties1 and goes off to ,indiana on a lecturing trip1 with the happy consciousness that he has done a good thing4 ,never was a man waked from a sweeter dream to a more bitter disappointment4 ,instead of making peace between them1 he found1 as a result of his labors1 their differences increased and embittered1 and himself charged with forgery both of letter and signature4 ,offended professional pride1 newspaper rivalry1 the hatred of men who had been lashed by his tongue and pen1 the fears of conservatives and the bitter hatred of pro-slavery men1 suddenly united their forces for his destruction4 ,this young radical had left himself open to attack1 and they all rushed to the onset or stood back and cheered others on1 and were already beginning to rejoice in his downfall4 ,the lead in the attack soon passed out of the doctor's hands into those of more able and less scrupulous men1 and aimed at nothing less than his annihilation4 8,the arrow was well shot10 he said2 8had ,i been unshielded it would have done its work1 for the point was poisoned40 ,but he was not unshielded6 the overthrow was not accomplished1 and he stood1 at the end1 fully vindicated from all the aspersions of his enemies4 ,in a long1 carefully written article over his own name he gives the whole beginning1 continuance1 and end of this unhappy matter3 8,for myself ,i profess that no event of my life1 not the loss of my own children nor bereavements of friends most dear1 have ever filled me with so deep a sorrow as that which ,i have in being made a party to a public dispute when three of the parties concerned are ministers of the ,gospel1 and when the fourth is a woman and the wife of a clergyman4 ,at the very best it is a shame and a disgrace4 ,to avert it ,i labored most honestly and with all my might40 ,he closes with these words3 8,i commit this narrative to the sober judgment of all good men1 and myself ,i commit to the charge of ,almighty ,god40 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher40 ,two letters selected from the voluminous correspondence of that time1 one to a friend who approved1 and the other to one who condemned1 his course1 are given1 that the spirit which he cherished may be more thoroughly understood3 8,,brooklyn1 ,oct4 #ab1 #aheb4 0,,barnabas ,,bates1 ,,esq43 8,,dear ,,sir3 ,your kind letter gave me much pleasure1 not as adding anything to that quiet which belongs to a conscience void of offence1 but as showing that ,i have been able to manifest to others that which was undoubted truth to me4 ,it is very painful to be placed before the public as ,i have been1 even when the verdict is ultimately favorable2 for there is something repugnant to one's feelings even to feel it possible that a suspicion of his honor could be for a moment entertained4 8,but ,i am sure that ,i should be the most ungrateful of men if ,i failed to recognize the presence and abundant blessing of my ,god in all the passages of this painful experience4 8,not a promise made to me has been left unfulfilled1 and ,i know that it has been a better sermon to me than was ever preached by human lips4 8,toward the parties of this wrong much must be allowed to wounded vanity1 much to partisanship1 something perhaps to forgetfulness4 ,after all this1 however1 the rest will be a burden to their conscience whenever they shall hereafter look back upon it4 ,and while ,i do most heartily forgive them1 and could with earnest good-will do either of them a kindness1 ,i cannot refrain from thanksgiving that ,i was the accused1 not the accuser4 ,your kindness ,i have felt the more because personally 7although not otherwise7 a stranger to me1 and because1 coming among the first letters of sympathy1 it has been the harbinger of great kindnesses1 similar in kind1 from many4 8,i am1 with sincere esteem1 8,gratefully yours1 8,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher48 0,,brooklyn1 ,oct4 #ab1 #aheb4 8,,richard ,,hale1 ,,esq43 0,,dear ,,sir3 ,i was for a moment pained by the reading of your note this morning1 and but for a moment2 for it has pleased ,god to grant ,himself to me in such measure that neither the wrath of enemies1 nor the strife of tongues1 nor the unadvised blows of friends have power to do me harm or unsettle my peace4 ,had ,i ever doubted the promises of ,god ,i should now find every shadow swept away2 and ,i surely count the little annoyance which this perversion of honor and truth in these unprincipled men has caused me not worthy to be mentioned in the joy which ,i have had in being folded into the very bosom of my ,saviour4 8,all that ,i can ask in your behalf is that when the day of trouble shall come to you 7with as little fault on your part as this on mine7 ,god may sustain you by that certainty of integrity and that consciousness of honor which have given me unspeakable comfort1 and would were ,i this day standing before ,god's judgment-seat4 8,i do not blame you2 ,i believe that you meant me no unkindness2 but it is manifest that with your present views it would be as painful for you to associate with me as it would be impossible for me to permit it4 8,whenever the evil impressions which have tempted you into misjudgments shall have passed away 7and they assuredly will71 and when my righteousness shall shine forth as the light 7and ,god will bring it forth71 then you will find me unchanged in my affections for you2 nor shall ,i then remember anything but that you were once my friend4 8,i am1 with ,god's unwavering support1 and with the patience and peace which ,christ only can give1 8,truly your brother1 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher48 ,also we give extracts from a third3 0,,brooklyn1 ,october #ab1 #aheb4 8,r4 ,w4 ,,landis3 0,,dear ,,sir3 ,your welcome letter ,i received this morning4 ,it gave me great pleasure1 though ,i did not need it for my happiness4 ,for it has pleased ,god so graciously to stand by me in this fiercest attack of my life that if every friend in the world had abandoned me ,i should not have been alone4 ,i need not tell you1 who have both known and taught to others1 that ,christ has a peace which1 surpassing all other experience of earthly joy1 requires for its possession an unusual earthly trial4 ,in that peace ,i have rested as in ,god's pavilion4444 8,i never expected to stand up in the publicity which ,god has been pleased to draw me into1 and faithfully to declare ,his truth against the interests of commercial and political circles1 and not be visited with this wrath4 8,but they shall neither destroy me nor daunt me nor silence me1 for my ,god is greater than their devil4 ,i will work yet harder and speak more plainly for every blow they deal4 ,may ,god repay your kindness to me a thousand-fold6 0,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher40 ,we find no word from ,mr4 ,beecher concerning the election of this year1 but an article immediately following shows that he kept his eye upon the main issue1 and that none of its humorous any more than its sorrowful features escaped him4 ,it was entitled 8,degraded into ,liberty03 8,a ,southern gentleman en route for ,texas brought to ,new ,york eight slaves1 to be shipped hence by one of our ocean-going steamers4 ,the birds of the air informed the ,abolitionists of the facts1 and it was not long before a writ was served upon the whole chattel-gang1 and they were hauled up before ,judge ,paine to show cause why they should not be doomed to freedom4 ,the cruel inhospitality of ,new ,york was never more manifest4 ,these innocent fellow-beings1 blessed by being born slaves1 and not painfully educated for it1 as ,northern ,southerners are2 having had all the manifold mercies which make a ,virginia slave so much better off than a free factory-girl in ,massachusetts2 having grown up in the indulgence of those hilarious dances and in the practice of those songs which make plantation life perfectly paradisaical1 they were on their way to that land waving with sugar-cane and cotton-plants1 where1 hoe in hand1 they were to while away the brilliant hours with gentle dalliances with loam and clay--when lo6 they were suddenly arrested4 8,from these bright anticipations they have been ruthlessly snatched1 and plunged into freedom utterly unprepared6 ,are there no tears in ,castle ,garden8 ,ought not the ,union ,committee to spend something for a trifle of crape8 ,eight innocent fellow-chattels changed into fellow-beings6 ,no kind master have they now4 ,the tender relation is sundered4 ,our bereaved master and mistress must depart slaveless and alone4 ,having been worked for so long1 and tended and taken care of1 it is doubtful whether they will be able to take care of themselves now4 ,much as we sympathize with them1 we do not consider their affliction at all comparable to that of the late happy slaves4 ,these poor creatures are free1 and we are assured in the highest quarter that no greater evil than that can well befall the slave population4 ,they have degraded themselves4 ,they have refused to be #8content rather4' ,in all the world they cannot find a man who owns them4 ,they are now to sneak through life1 like white men1 owning themselves6 ,they must have had some awful moments of compunction when the conviction first flashed upon them that they owned their own hands1 trod upon their own feet1 put their clothes upon their own shoulders1 and felt that thing throbbing under their ribs to be their own heart4 ,some natural feelings must have shot through the maternal heart as she pressed her own babe to her own breast1 and dropped her own tears upon its dusky cheek4444 8,only one woman can be found faithful in this emergency4 ,their former mistress alone has appealed to their conscience and adjured them to return to her6 ,where were the teachers1 the chaplains1 the casuists1 the lawyers1 that a little time ago choked the press with beatitudes of slavery8 #8,his watchmen are blind2 they are all ignorant2 they are all dumb dogs2 they cannot bark2 sleeping1 lying down1 loving to slumber4' 8,in reply to ,mrs4 ,lemmon's appeal the deluded slave-woman drew herself up1 and1 pressing her child to her breast1 said1 #8,i had rather be free6' ,what6 not value the radiant mercies of slavery more than that8 ,the creature is crazy6 ,slaves in their senses are always contented4 ,they are mere pets4 ,the ,uncle ,toms of ,virginia do nothing but look after the children1 or sit in sunny nooks and smoke their stubbed pipes4 ,the ,aunt ,phillises are always fat1 rollicking cooks1 bursting with laughter4 ,nobody is happy but slaves4 ,the poor masters have all the care and burden1 slaves all the glee and leisure4444 8,it is a dreadful state of things here in ,new ,york1 where we feed upon ,cotton1 and have our very living in the smiles and favor of the ,south1 to be hurting their feelings by talking so much about liberty and all that4 ,a few more slaves set free1 and the ,south will get angry again2 and then ,new ,york will be in a world of trouble1 and another call will call together another ,castle ,garden full of anxious merchants1 all full of love to the ,south2 and we shall have more sermons and more newspaper articles2 and nobody can tell what will happen the next time4 8,in part1 the ,south is at fault4 ,it has sent ,north the wrong kind of negroes4 ,those who have run away1 or been judicially sentenced to freedom1 or been bought--all these have loved liberty4 ,now1 won't the ,south send us some of another sort--some of those model slaves that love bondage and wouldn't take liberty if they could get it8 ,with a few specimen copies of such1 we believe that we could do ,southern institutions great good in the ,north4 990 ,fifty-three follows in much the same line as that of the two years immediately preceding4 ,franklin ,pierce1 who had been elected in ,november last1 takes the oath of office on the #dth of ,march4 ,his inaugural gives expression to what was undoubtedly the general feeling of the country--a determination that the ,compromise measures shall be enforced1 and a fervent trust that the question of slavery has been settled2 and in his annual message1 upon the assembling of ,congress in that year1 promises that the peace which now so happily existed through the land should not be disturbed during his term of office1 if he could prevent it4 ,a large majority of the people1 both ,north and ,south1 were undoubtedly in perfect accord with this desire1 greatly pleased with this assurance1 and tried to share his confidence4 ,those were days in which a great deal of sympathy was felt in this country for the ,irish1 and by many1 too1 who were stanch opposers of liberty for the negro4 ,mr4 ,beecher had no patience with men1 on either side of the ,atlantic1 whose sympathy was limited by the bounds of race or color2 and when ,john ,mitchel1 who had posed as the 8,great ,irish ,patriot0 of that day1 having escaped from an ,english penal colony and been received here with great enthusiasm1 took occasion to state in an editorial in the ,citizen1 8,we deny that it is a crime or a wrong1 or even a peccadillo1 to hold slaves1 to buy slaves1 to sell slaves1 to keep slaves to their work by flogging or other needful coercion2 we only wish we had a good plantation well stocked with healthy negroes in ,alabama10 he 7,mr4 ,beecher7 enters into public correspondence with him1 in which he denies the claims of the refugee to be an 8apostle of liberty10 sorrows over his downfall1 and dismisses him to the test of history in these words3 8,once you stood like some great oak whose wide circumference was lifted up above all the pastures1 the glory of all beholders1 and a covert for a thousand timid singing-birds6 ,now you lie at full length along the ground1 with mighty ruptured roots ragged and upturned to heaven1 with broken boughs and despoiled leaves6 ,never again shall husbandman predict spring from your swelling buds6 ,never again shall ,god's singing-birds of liberty come down through all the heavenly air to rest themselves on your waving top6 ,fallen6 ,uprooted6 ,doomed to the axe and the hearth6 8,but there is a future beyond this1 even on earth6 ,there is a time promised1 and already dawning1 in which the human family shall be one great brotherhood1 and ,love shall be the law of man6 ,in that golden age there shall be research made for all the names that1 since the world began1 have wrought and suffered for the good of their kind4 ,there will be a memorable resurrection of forgotten names4 ,from the obscurity into which despotism has flung all who dared to defy it1 from the shades and darkness of oblivion by which oppressors would cover down the memory of all who proclaimed human right and human liberty1 they will come forth shining like the sun1 and none be forgotten that labored to bring to pass the world's freedom6 ,in that day1 when ten thousand names shall be heard1 in all their number not one shall utter that gone and forgotten name--,john ,mitchel60 ,we do not wish it to be inferred from our words that ,mr4 ,beecher was the only anti-slavery leader who was doing good service in those days4 ,there were many others1 and some1 perhaps1 were doing as effective work in a single line as he4 ,but we believe that1 when the whole sphere of his activity was considered1 he went far beyond any man of his time4 ,in any one of the three channels of largest influence1 of that or of any time--the pulpit1 the press1 and the platform--he was the peer1 if not the superior1 of any leader2 and while the most of his co-laborers used but one1 or at the most two1 of these instrumentalities1 he was constantly employing the three1 and each with unequalled efficiency4 ,his beliefs1 as his labors1 were broader than the most who were at that day prominently identified with the anti-slavery cause4 ,he believed in the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 and claimed that1 if the government should be administered according to the original intent of this document1 slavery must speedily cease4 ,in this he differed from ,garrison and his school1 who held that 8the 7,federal7 ,constitution is a covenant with death and an agreement with hell40 ,he believed in the ballot-box1 and in using its power to the utmost4 ,in this he differed from ,wendell ,phillips and others of his school1 who had disfranchised themselves for years1 lest by voting they should seem to countenance an institution that was being used for the perpetuity of so great an injustice4 ,he believed in the ,church and the moral forces which she could bring to the work4 ,he believed in love rather than hate1 and most of all1 with a triumphant1 joyful faith1 he believed in the person1 presence1 and leadership of the ,redeemer and ,reformer of the world4 ,in all this he separated from the great body1 individuals here and there excepted1 of the ,garrison and ,pillsbury school of ,abolitionists4 ,his judgment of the spirit of the leaders in this great movement may be inferred from the following extracts3 8,events made ,garrison a leader4 ,we never thought1 and we do not now think1 that ,garrison deserved the one-half of the bitter reproaches that have been heaped upon him4 ,his worst faults have been the reaction1 in him1 of the opposite faults of men favoring slavery or indifferent to it4 ,but we regard him as one of the most unfortunate of all leaders for the best development of anti-slavery feeling4 ,he is a man of no mean ability1 of indefatigable industry1 of the most unbounded enterprise and eagerness1 of perseverance which pushes him like a law of nature1 and of courage which amounts to recklessness4 ,these are the qualifications which make a man powerful for stimulation4 ,had he possessed1 as a balance to these1 conciliation1 good-natured benevolence1 or even a certain popular mirthfulness2 had he possessed the moderation and urbanity of ,clarkson1 or the deep piety of ,wilberforce1 he had been the one man of our age4 ,these all he lacked4 ,had the disease of ,america needed only counter-irritation1 no better blister could have been applied4 8,garrison did not create the anti-slavery spirit of the ,north4 ,he was the offspring of it4 ,it existed before he was born4 ,but he at one time more powerfully developed and organized it than any other one mind2 and developed it in modes and spirit1 as we think1 most unfortunate4 ,anti-slavery under his influence was all teeth and claw4 ,it fought4 ,it never conciliated4 ,it gained not one step by kindness4 ,it won not a single fort by surrender4 ,it bombarded everything it met1 and stormed every place which it won4 ,we do not deny that ,garrison and his early followers did a great work4 ,another generation will divide praise and blame1 as no one is fitted to do in the heats of the present day4 ,but when bare justice shall be done we believe that it will be found that a noble soul1 deeply and truly benevolent1 who sought the truest interests of his age1 yet sought them with such a fierceness and such a hard and relentless courage as constantly roused up in his path the worst feelings of man1 and heaped obstacles before him to such a degree that at length1 in combating them1 his sympathies for good seemed swallowed up in a bitter hatred of evil4 ,the result of the agitation1 inspired largely with this feeling1 was that almost every interest in the nation rose up against the movement with which he was identified4 ,churches dreaded abolitionism1 parties hated abolitionism1 commerce abhorred abolitionism4 ,mobs rioted around the meetings1 and threatened the dwellings1 the stores1 and the very persons of ,abolitionists4 8,there was odium and influence enough arrayed against the anti-slavery movement1 under the form of early abolitionism1 to have sunk ten enterprises which depended on men for existence4 ,but there was a spirit in this cause1 there was a secret strength1 which nerved it1 and it lived right on1 and grew1 and trampled down opposition1 and came forth victorious6 ,there was an irresistibility in it which made it superior to the faults of its friends and the deadly hatred of its enemies40 ,it will be seen from the above how thoroughly he differed from what may be called the right wing of the ,abolition party4 ,this difference is emphasized and the spirit which impelled him is indicated in an address which he delivered before the annual meeting of the ,anti-,slavery ,society1 and in a letter which he wrote to the ,new ,york ,tribune in answer to a criticism that appeared in that paper3 8,i believe there is to be found ,christianity enough in the world1 in the ,church and out of it1 in the ,bible and out of it1 i4e41 in the record and in the living heart1 and1 ,i had almost said1 breathed through the very air1 as a ,divine ,providence1 inspiring the great organic laws of society1 controlling the moral sense of the ,church1 yea1 beating in the veins of political economy1 subtly guiding the common generosities of men into a public sentiment which1 in ,god's own time1 in spite of recreant clergymen1 apostate statesmen1 venal politicians1 and trafficking shopmen1 shall fall upon this vast and unmitigated abomination and utterly crush it4 ,but my earnest desire is that slavery may be destroyed by the manifest power of ,christianity4 ,if it were given me to choose whether it should be destroyed in fifty years by selfish commercial influences1 or1 standing for seventy-five years1 be then the spirit and trophy of ,christ1 ,i had rather let it linger twenty-five years more1 that ,god may be honored1 and not mammon1 in the destruction of it4 ,so do ,i hate it that ,i should rejoice in its extinction1 even did the devil tread it out1 as he first kindled it2 but how much rather would ,i see ,god ,almighty come down to shake the earth with ,his tread1 to tread all tyrannies and oppressions small as the dust of the highway1 and to take unto ,himself the glory60 ,this having been severely criticised1 especially his willingness to have slavery linger1 if by so doing its destruction could become a trophy to the prevailing power of ,christ1 he replies in a letter addressed to the same journal3 8,our highest and strongest reason for seeking justice among men is not the benefit to men themselves1 exceedingly strong as that motive is and ought to be4 ,we do not join the movement party of our times simply because we are inspired by an inward and constitutional benevolence4 ,we are conscious of both these motives and of many other collateral ones2 but we are earnestly conscious of another feeling stronger than either1 that lives unimpaired when these faint1 yea1 that gives vigor and persistence to these feelings when they are discouraged2 and that is a strong personal1 enthusiastic love for ,christ ,jesus4 ,i regard the movement of the world toward justice and rectitude to be of ,his inspirations4 ,i believe my own aspirations1 having a base in my natural faculties1 to be influenced and directed by ,christ's ,spirit4 ,the mingled affection and adoration which ,i feel for ,him is the strongest feeling that ,i know4 ,whether ,i will or not1 whether it be a phantasy or a sober sentiment1 the fact is the same nevertheless1 that that which will give pleasure to ,christ's heart and bring to my consciousness a smile of gladness on ,his face in behalf of my endeavor1 is incalculably more to me than any other motive4 ,i would work for the slave for his own sake1 but ,i am sure that ,i would work ten times as earnestly for the slave for ,christ's sake4 8,i am not ashamed to own that ,i bear about with me an ineffaceable consciousness that ,i am what ,i am from ,christ's influence upon me4 ,i accept the power to do good as ,his inspiration4 ,life is sacred to me only by my belief that ,i am walking in the scenes of a personal ,divine ,providence4 ,when ,i drop from these beliefs life becomes void1 the events of human society mere bubbles1 and strifes of hope and fear1 of good and bad1 are useless as the turmoil of the rapids above ,niagara4 ,nay1 there is more than this3 there is a heart-swell which no words can express2 there is a sense of the sweet freedom of love1 a sense of gracious pity1 of patient condescension1 of entire and transcendent excellence in ,christ1 which makes me feel how utterly true was the impassionate language of ,david3 #8,whom have ,i in heaven but ,thee8 and there is none upon earth that ,i desire besides ,thee4 ,my heart and my flesh cry out for ,god6'444 8,this sentiment does not spring from any indifference to the slave1 but from a yet greater sympathy with ,christ ,jesus--the slave's only hope1 my only hope1 the ,saviour of the world60 ,with this letter we close our consideration of ,mr4 ,beecher's work in this era of slavery agitation4 ,great as were his labors--and we think they were unsurpassed and unequalled by those of any other man--we still believe that his best contribution to the great cause was the spirit which he manifested and the motives that influenced him4 ,it was like the walking of the ,hebrew youths in the fiery furnace and coming forth unscathed from the flames4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,the ,battle ,renewed--,repeal of the ,missouri ,compromise ,proposed--,the ,struggle in ,congress--,mr4 ,beecher's ,appeals--,the ,battle lost in ,congress is ,transferred to the ,territories--,forces ,engaged--,kansas ,war--,dred ,scott ,decision--,mr4 ,beecher's ,defence of ,kansas--8,beecher's ,bibles0--,charles ,sumner ,attacked in the ,senate--,the ,fremont ,campaign--,the ,dog ,noble4 8,henry1 the battle is coming on4 ,when it will end ,i know not4 ,i only hope that every one feels as alert as ,i do0 7extract from a letter of ,mrs4 ,stowe to ,henry ,ward ,beecher74 ,it was dated ,november #a1 #aheb1 but expresses the feeling of some of the more sagacious ones during the whole of this era of apparent peace4 ,they were not deceived by the surface calm4 ,they felt that1 beneath all party platforms1 and the compromises of party politics1 and the make-shifts of a commercial spirit1 the great conscience of the ,north was being stirred4 ,deep was calling unto deep1 and the moanings of the sea that presaged the coming tempest had reached their ears4 ,the storm1 not a new one but the violent rising of the same old elements1 began in ,congress in the early part of #ahed1 upon the question of the organization of the territory of 8,the ,platte10 afterwards divided into two ,territories called 8,kansas and ,nebraska40 ,the star of empire was moving ,westward1 but of what kind should this empire be1 of liberty or slavery8 ,if matters continued as they then were it must be the former4 ,california1 stretching along the ,pacific coast for two hundred and fifty miles below ,mason and ,dixon's line1 had declared for freedom through all her borders4 ,the ,territories of ,new ,mexico and ,utah were not favorable to any great growth of slavery nor capable of rendering it much assistance4 ,texas1 although intensely pro-slavery1 yet1 by reason of ,state pride1 would not divide her imperial domain into quarters for the benefit of that institution4 ,only in one direction was expansion and growth possible1 and that was in this broad domain which was now asking to be organized into ,territories and would soon demand admission as ,states4 ,why should not this magnificent country be opened to the slave-owner and his property as well as to the settler from the ,north8 ,was not this his right8 ,other factors than property interests have entered into the question4 ,conscience has been enlisted upon the one side as on the other4 ,the ,south has come to look upon slavery as having equal rights1 under the ,constitution1 with liberty1 and she feels aggrieved that she is not given all the privileges of her fellow-citizens of the ,north4 ,the only thing that apparently prevented this natural and1 as it seemed to her1 just expansion1 was the ,missouri ,compromise1 which had solemnly guaranteed this whole territory to freedom4 ,why not repeal this obnoxious measure8 ,the proposition to do this sprang from ,kentucky4 ,the same ,state which1 through its senator4 ,henry ,clay1 had been foremost in originally securing the act1 now through its senator1 ,mr4 ,dixon1 his successor1 was the first to ask for its repeal4 ,unlike as the movement seems1 and disowned as it undoubtedly would have been by ,mr4 ,clay1 the great projector of the ,missouri ,compromise1 yet in reality the substance of each is the same4 ,in both there is but one design--to placate the slave-power and save the country by attempting to compromise1 not diverse interests1 but antagonistic principles4 ,they were but separate steps in one path1 and that a road towards national perversion1 disgrace1 and ruin4 ,the guiding star which once shone in the heavens had been lost1 and our statesmen were taking up with a will-o'-the-wisp1 born of swamp and miasma1 in its place4 ,although the project was conceived by the ,south1 it could not have been brought to the birth1 much less nourished into baneful strength1 had it not been adopted by the ,north in the person of ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas1 one of the ablest leaders of the ,democratic party1 a member of the ,united ,states ,senate1 and chairman of the ,committee upon ,territories4 ,into the bill for organizing the ,territories of ,kansas and ,nebraska1 which he reported to the ,senate in ,january of #ahed1 he introduced the proposition to repeal the old ,missouri ,compromise4 ,the mere proposal was regarded as little less than sacrilege4 ,for thirty years that compromise had been looked upon as a sacred pledge1 to be held in the same reverence as the ,constitution itself4 ,scarcely four years before1 the mover of the proposition for its repeal had described it as 8canonized in the hearts of the ,american people as a sacred thing which no ruthless hand would ever be reckless enough to disturb40 ,an attempt to set it aside roused the most intense excitement throughout the whole land1 the ,south in favor1 the ,north opposed4 ,the readiness with which the flame sprang up proved that through these past years of apparent quiet the fire had been covered but not put out4 ,now that fresh fuel was added and the draught opened1 it blazed up more fiercely than ever4 ,it was not confined to any class or condition4 ,all of anti-slavery tendencies saw in it an evidence of the settled purpose of the ,south to nationalize the institution of slavery1 and a testimony that it would not scruple to use any means to attain its end4 ,moralists saw in it a disregard of most sacred promises1 and felt the ground of constitutional fidelity shaking under their feet4 ,more than three thousand clergymen in ,new ,england signed a protest against the action proposed4 8,we protest against the repeal of the ,missouri ,compromise as a great moral wrong2 as a breach of faith1 eminently unjust to the moral principles of the community and subversive of all confidence in national engagements2 as a measure full of danger to the peace and even the existence of our beloved ,union1 and exposing us to the righteous judgments of the ,almighty40 ,even the mere politician was angry that an issue so repugnant to a majority of the people had been so unwisely precipitated4 ,nor were his anger and apprehension unwarranted4 ,the storm of popular indignation swept down like a tempest upon the forests1 scattering dead leaves1 breaking off dead branches1 and throwing down trees that had become rotten in trunk or root4 ,before the end of the year the ,democratic party had lost its magnificent majority in ,congress1 and the ,whig party had practically ceased to exist1 dishevelled1 torn up by the roots1 buried by the storm4 ,during this preliminary contest ,mr4 ,beecher is neither indifferent nor silent4 ,in lectures1 in special sermons1 and in numerous ,star ,papers he makes his influence felt4 ,in one of the latter upon 8,the ,crisis0 his appeals and reproaches go out to all classes3 8,the virtue1 the morals1 the prosperity of a domain large enough to be an empire has no safeguard about it4 ,those future ,states1 silent and unpopulous1 are like so many lambs huddled in a thicket by crowds of wolves1 that only wait for some single taste of blood to plunge in and tear the whole6 ,unless there is a storm from the people that shall roll like thunder in the mountains2 unless the recreant and graceless herd in ,congress shall hear the coming down of many waters1 like roaring freshets from mountains on whose tops clouds have burst1 there will soon be no more ground to fight for4 ,if anything is to be done it must be done by the ,north4 ,it must be quickly1 loudly1 and impetuously done6 ,there must be an outcry coming up from the bosom of the people1 like that which rent the midnight of ,egypt when all its first-born were stricken4 ,let no man wait for his fellow4 ,let children and women lead and teach sluggish manhood with what energy and soul a voice should be heard for liberty1 upon half a continent1 like the voice of ,god when ,he speaks in storms6 8,let every single man write1 #8,i solemnly protest against the perfidy and the outrage of abolishing the ,missouri ,compromise'2 and as he bears it to the post-office1 if he find a fellow to sign it1 let him sign2 but if not1 let it go as his single protest4 8,let families send solemn protests--the father and mother1 the children and hired laborers4 ,let there be ten thousand petitions from single families within a week at ,washington4 8,let churches and congregations unite and send instant petitions4 8,in this solemn hour of peril1 when all men's hearts sink within them1 we have an appeal to those citizens who rebuked us for our fears in #ahej4 8,did you not declare that that should be a finality8 ,did you not say that1 by a concession of conscience1 we should thereafter have peace8 8,is this the peace8 ,is this the fulfilment of your promise8 ,is not this the very sequence which we told you would come8 ,that compromise was a ball of frozen rattlesnakes4 ,you turned them in your hands then with impunity4 ,we warned and besought4 ,we protested and adjured4 ,you persisted in bringing them into the dwelling4 ,you laid them down before the fire4 ,now where are they8 ,they are crawling all around4 ,their fangs are striking death into every precious interest of liberty6 ,it is your work6 8,in this emergency where are those ministers of the ,gospel who have always refused to infuse into the public mind a sound and instructed moral sentiment upon the subject of slavery8 ,hitherto you have been silent1 because it did not concern the ,north4 ,we earnestly protested that so deep and dreadful a disease could not prey upon any limb of this nation and not strike its taint and danger through and through the whole body politic4 ,we implored men not to let the first principles of human rights die out of the popular mind2 not to let a gigantic engine of despotism1 through its selfish remunerations of commerce1 deaden every quick sensibility to justice and bribe to sleep the vigilance of humanity1 though every palm should have thrice as many pieces of silver as did he of old4 8,the ,north is both bound and asleep4 ,it is bound with bonds of unlawful compromise6 ,you1 ministers of ,christ1 held her limbs1 while the gaunt and worthy minions of oppression moved about1 twisting inextricable cords about her hands and feet2 or1 like ,saul1 stood by1 holding the garments of those that slew the martyr6 ,the poor ,northern conscience has been like a fly upon a spider's web4 ,her statesmen1 and not a few of her ministers1 have rolled up the struggling insect1 singing fainter and fainter1 with webs of sophistry1 till it now lies a miserable1 helpless victim1 and ,slavery is crawling up to suck its vital blood6 8,what1 then1 do you owe to ,god1 to heaven1 and to your country1 in an effort to regain conscience1 liberty1 and duty8 ,god1 who searches the heart1 knows that it is not in our heart to say these things for the sake of aspersion4 ,we would lie down before you1 and let your steps tread our very neck1 if you were only marching toward the high ends of our country's good4 ,but we cannot endure to see noble and venerable ministers of the ,gospel first duped and deceived1 and made to serve the ends of oppression1 and then1 when the mighty juggle is detected1 stand silent and aghast1 as unwilling now to repair as before to prevent the utter misery and evil4 8,but let us not be deceived4 ,let every man be prepared for a future6 ,if this bill shall be defeated the ,north will be like a man just dragged out of the rapids above ,niagara6 ,if this bill pass1 the ,north will be like a man whirled in the very wildest rage of the infuriate rapids and making headlong haste toward the awful plunge4 8,does any man believe that there can be peace if this iniquity goes forward8 ,will the ,south1 with such advantage gained1 easily relinquish her grip8 ,will the ,north1 betrayed1 wounded1 and religiously aroused from the very bottom1 let slave ,states come to the door of the ,union1 from the very territory of which she has been cheated1 and bid them enter8 ,such struggles are before us as we have never seen4 ,the next time the masses1 the religious-minded men of the then undivided ,north1 are aroused1 standing on no flimsy base of compromise but on the solid foundations of humanity1 of natural feeling1 of a ,northern national feeling springing from a love of liberty1 they will not be put to sleep again by any mere pretences of peace4 ,the finality which the ,south gave was a hollow truce but to give them time to forge their arms and grind their swords4 ,they bribed the ,north with a lie4 ,the next time the ,north reaches forth her hand it will scarcely be for gold or silver4 ,there is more danger now of wild collisions than of lying finalities4 ,it will come to that if the foolish counsels of timid men prevail4 ,if civil wars are to be prevented1 now is the time2 courage to-day or carnage to-morrow4 ,firmness will give peace2 trembling will bring war4 990 ,another one follows upon 8,the ,christian's ,duty to ,liberty03 8,mar4 #bc1 #ahed4--;,at length ,god seems to have caught the wicked in their own craft4 ,it was not in the power of all the men of the ,north to develop so earnest a feeling against slavery and for liberty as is now finding tongue and giving itself forth all over the ,north4 ,all that for which we have been counted uncharitable by men anxious to be honorable toward the ,south has come to pass4 8,let the conscience of the ,north settle this question1 not her fears4 ,god calls us to a religious duty4 ,long has our talent lain in a napkin4 ,our testimony for liberty has been waived2 our assertion of freedom has been timid and without enthusiasm4 ,we have refused to accept at ,god's hands the true mission of the ,north1 to preach liberty to the captives and elevation to the whole human family4 ,at length let the banner flow out to the wind1 let the battle begin4 ,there will never be another day of grace if this goes past4 ,retreat now and the ,north will never retreat again4 ,we beseech ,christian men and ministers to put this question where it belongs1 upon a religious basis4 ,let them feel their duty in their own land as they feel their duty of preaching the truth of ,christ1 whether men will hear or whether they will forbear4 8,oh6 that ,god1 by breathing a spirit of prayer upon ,his people and of unflinching fidelity1 would give us token that ,he has appeared at length for our salvation60 ,in spite of all efforts to the contrary1 the repeal of the ,missouri ,compromise was effected in ,september of #ahed1 and the battle which had been fought in ,congress and lost by the free ,states was at once transferred to the newly-admitted ,territory1 and was there waged with a fierceness and persistence that cannot be understood or appreciated1 unless it be remembered that ,kansas had become the strategic point of the whole great conflict4 ,given ,kansas1 slavery would have not only additional territory1 but1 what was even more important to its purposes1 a majority in the ,united ,states ,senate that should for ever1 as it hoped1 prevent the admission of more free than slave ,states1 or the following of any course which should be prejudicial to its interests4 ,in this new field the ,north at first labored under great disadvantage4 ,the peculiar institution had already been planted and had taken root4 ,the eastern border of ,kansas was upon ,missouri1 a slave ,state which was fully aware of the advantage that broader fields would furnish the labor of her increasing slave population1 and containing enough of a rough and wild frontier element to carry through any plan that desperation or villany might devise4 ,the ,president of the ,united ,states ,senate and acting ,vice-,president of the ,united ,states1 ,david ,r4 ,atchison1 was on the ground1 and for months had been organizing ,blue ,lodges and other secret bodies1 with the intent to take possession of the ,territory1 or at least of its polling-places1 and secure it for slavery4 ,the officers appointed by the ,president--a governor1 three judges1 a secretary1 a marshal1 and an attorney--were1 of course1 all favorable to the policy of the ,administration1 a policy which was all that the most radical pro-slavery advocate could desire4 ,the party thus happily situated did not hesitate to avail itself of its advantages4 ,its members swarmed across the borders at the election of a delegate to ,congress1 took possession of the ballot-boxes1 appointed judges of election from their own number1 elected their man by an overwhelming majority1 and then for the most part returned to their homes in ,missouri4 ,this was in ,october1 #ahed4 ,in the following spring a ,legislature was elected by the same illegal process1 and proceeded at once to form a constitution most rabidly pro-slavery4 ,it prescribed the death-penalty for any who should entice or decoy away a slave or assist him to escape1 and ten years' imprisonment for harboring or concealing a fugitive slave4 ,to deny the right of holding slaves in the ,territory1 either by speaking1 writing1 printing or circulating books or papers1 was declared to be felony1 punishable with two years' imprisonment4 ,having formed an elaborate constitution of the above character1 and made ample provision for enforcing its requirements1 they selected a site for the new ,state capital1 called it ,lecompton--after the attorney of the ,state1 whose legal acquirements had assisted them greatly in their villany--and adjourned4 ,looking upon affairs as they then appeared1 and seeing that the ,legislature1 however elected1 had been officially recognized1 and that its enactments were in form legal1 that the whole machinery of courts1 marshals1 and militia were in its hands and could be used to enforce its statutes1 that it was favored by the ,administration and the dominant faction at ,washington1 which could employ the ,united ,states army for its support1 it would seem as if the battle had already been lost to the ,free-,state men1 and that ,kansas could be counted upon to give that majority in the ,united ,states ,senate which the slave-power so greatly coveted4 ,but other forces were at work4 ,in the first place1 the very enormity of these slave-laws compelled all the decent residents of ,kansas1 whether ,free-,soil1 ,whig1 or ,democrat1 to combine for their own defence against the possible outrages to which they were exposed by these enactments4 ,in the second place1 the party which had brought about the repeal of the ,missouri ,compromise had1 by this very act1 lost the control of the ,lower ,house in ,congress1 and could not be relied upon to admit the ,territory with its present infamous code4 ,besides these near and more immediate advantages1 there were forces enlisted on this side that were working slowly but with great certainty toward the result aimed at by the ,free-,state men4 ,the old migratory instinct which had throbbed in the veins of this race from the first1 which had brought them from the steppes of ,asia to the shores of the ,atlantic1 pushed the stronger and abler ones across the seas1 moved them from the sea-coast to the foot of the ,alleghanies1 then drove them across this barrier to take possession of the great valley of the ,ohio and the ,mississippi1 was still as active as ever and readily responded to the enticements of the new and fertile lands just opened in ,kansas for settlement4 ,no sooner was it known that the broad plains of this ,territory could be occupied than the tide began to flow in this direction4 ,principle also came in to strengthen and ennoble this instinct4 8,then arose a majesty of self-sacrifice that had no parallel before4 ,instead of merely protesting1 young men and maidens1 laboring men1 farmers1 mechanics1 sped with a sacred desire to rescue free territory from the toils of slavery1 and emigrated in thousands1 not to better their own condition1 but in order that when this ,territory should vote it should vote for freedom40 ,lest both instinct and principle should move too slowly or with insufficient equipment1 emigrant societies were formed at the ,north to assist those who would offer themselves for the redemption of ,kansas4 ,one of the earliest of these to be on the ground was the 8,massachusetts ,emigrant ,aid ,company10 headed by the ,hon4 ,eli ,thayer4 ,this organization sent out a body of some thirty persons1 who1 in ,july of this year1 had founded the town of ,lawrence4 ,with this company1 organized1 mutually acquainted1 and trained in the orderly methods of ,new ,england1 for a centre1 there rapidly gathered a strong body1 and one that well represented the bona-fide settlers of ,kansas4 ,they proceeded at once to call a mass convention and elect delegates4 ,in due time a ,constitutional ,convention was called at ,topeka1 ,october #bc1 #ahee1 which formed a constitution1 submitted it to the people1 from whom it met with a hearty endorsement4 ,it was then transmitted to ,congress for approval4 ,these1 ,lecompton and ,topeka1 were the storm-centres around which surged the principal events of those turbulent times in ,kansas which have been designated as 8,the ,kansas ,war40 ,it was a wild1 irregular1 barbarous1 and bloody strife1 made up of night-attacks1 house-burnings1 secret murders1 skirmishes between armed bodies sometimes rising to the proportions of a battle1 ,lawrence twice burned1 ,leavenworth sacked1 and acts of that description1 filling up four years or more of most eventful history4 ,kansas at that time was the skirmish-line of two great hosts that were already settling down to a life-and-death struggle4 ,on the one side a ,legislature1 as we have seen1 elected largely by the votes of marauders from an adjoining ,state2 a reckless population just over the line1 whose historic name1 ,border ,ruffians1 seems to have been fully deserved1 organized into secret bands ready to march at a moment's warning1 equipped either to vote or fight as should be required2 a regiment of ,united ,states troops placed at their disposal2 the whole ,south awake to the work they have undertaken1 and forwarding supplies of men and money for the support of those already on the field2 and the ,administration at ,washington1 through portions of two presidential terms1 alternately scheming and commanding for its success4 ,on the other hand was a ,legislature1 illegally convened1 but elected by a large majority of the resident population of the ,territory1 with a constituency1 some of them doubtless adventurers1 some fanatics1 and others possibly villains1 but for the most part honest homesteaders1 living1 it may be1 in sod huts or dug-outs1 but living upon land which they had pre-empted and could call their own2 the great ,north behind them1 slowly but surely moving down to their rescue2 the throb of the world's progress beating towards them2 the consciousness that they are fulfilling the purposes of ,god in saving this land to liberty animating them2 and the great natural elements of soil1 air1 and sunshine1 that are always on the side of liberty1 working for them4 ,these were the forces on the other side4 ,each section came to the support of its skirmish-line in characteristic fashion3 the ,south by military companies and the incursions of armed bands of raiders aiming to conquer the country1 if necessary1 by force of arms and overawe it into accepting its bogus ,state constitution4 ,the ,north came in emigrant-wagons1 with family1 stock1 house-furniture1 and farm utensils1 prepared to remain and occupy the land4 ,the general trend of the government at an early period in the strife1 as seen in various acts at home and abroad1 must also be taken into the account4 ,the ,ostend ,manifesto1 issued under the inspiration of ,president ,pierce by our three ministers1 ,buchanan1 ,mason1 and ,soul1 at the courts respectively of ,london1 ,paris1 and ,madrid1 recommended the purchase of ,cuba1 if possible2 if not that we obtain it by force4 8,if ,spain10 they said1 8should refuse to sell ,cuba to the ,united ,states1 then by every law1 human and divine1 we shall be justified in wresting it from her1 if we possess the power40 ,slavery at this period had a foreign as well as a home policy4 ,it was that of the old buccaneer1 a policy of unscrupulous aggression1 that would not hesitate to embroil the nation in war1 if necessary for the carrying out of its designs4 ,filibustering expeditions1 which were continually being planned and attempted at this time against ,cuba and ,central ,america1 were rightly looked upon not only as additional proof of the purpose but as the initial steps in the proposed plan of foreign conquest4 ,as if the forces arrayed against liberty were not enough1 as the conflict advanced the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states added its influence to the side of the antagonist4 ,in the historic ,dred ,scott decision1 given in the spring of #aheg1 the ground is taken that the negro slave is so completely and exclusively property1 under the ,constitution1 that the owner can take him1 as any other property1 into any and all territory belonging to the ,united ,states government4 ,in effect 8the negro has no rights which the white man is bound to respect40 ,after the lapse of many years1 upon a calm review of that decision it is difficult to say whether the historical errors1 the feeble reasoning1 or the immoral sentiments most awaken our surprise and contempt4 ,it is sufficient for our purpose at this time to know that this decision threw a vast influence against the ,free-,state men4 ,if it were final1 then their struggle was all in vain4 ,strive as much as they would1 and suffer as much as they might1 they could never make ,kansas a free ,state4 ,and yet1 in spite of the ,dred ,scott decision1 the hostility of the ,administration1 and all other adverse forces and circumstances1 they held on4 ,to this result had our country come through the compromises and surrenders of three-quarters of a century3 slavery in possession of the machinery of government1 nationalized by the highest tribunal in the land1 declared to have equal rights with freedom in all the public domain1 and1 in logical sequence1 not to be shut out from even the free ,states4 ,every institution of thirty millions of freemen was to be judged and graded1 encouraged or restrained1 with supreme reference to the interests of this institution4 ,dominant at home1 it was already taking steps preparatory to foreign conquest1 and the only effective obstacle in the way of the consummation of its plans was the life-and-death tenacity with which the free settlers of ,kansas held to their determination that theirs should be a free ,state4 ,the contest continued for four years before any substantial advantage was gained for the ,free ,state party4 ,four governors1 three appointed by ,president ,pierce and one by ,president ,buchanan1 had successively been sent1 and then deposed and disgraced because they could not1 or would not1 carry out the unjust measures proposed by the ,administration4 ,the victory in ,congress in #aheh was simply a resubmission of the ,lecompton constitution to the people of the ,state to be voted upon1 whether they would accept it or frame one for themselves4 ,they of course buried it amid universal execrations4 ,slight and unmistakably just as was this concession of ,congress1 it was nevertheless secured but by a small majority4 ,the change of five votes would have passed the notorious ,lecompton ,bill1 admitted the ,state with slavery into the ,union1 added two senators to the slave-power1 restored the supremacy of that power in the ,senate of the ,united ,states1 to be followed by the carrying out the ,dred ,scott decision to its logical consequences1 slavery supremacy at home1 slavery aggression1 annexation1 and expansion over ,cuba and ,central ,america1 abroad4 ,a vast slave-empire stretching from the lakes to the southern shores of the ,caribbean ,sea seemed not an improbable dream1 if there had not been wisdom enough or will enough to fight the battle out in ,kansas4 ,all honor to those brave men and women who in those days saved this ,territory to the ,north6 ,all honor to those who stood by them and helped them to win6 ,a more important battle was never fought in our history1 and a more heroic spirit was never shown4 ,what the chteau of ,hougoumont1 held by the ,british right centre1 was to the battle of ,waterloo2 what the 8,bloody ,angle0 held by ,hancock was to the battle of ,spottsylvania ,court-,house1 such was the ,kansas war in the early and determining era of the great ,american conflict4 ,call this four years of struggle one battle1 and it will take rank with the 8fifteen great battles0 of the world's history1 second in importance to none4 ,we have thus given an outline of this great preliminary struggle of the war1 that ,mr4 ,beecher's position and labors1 which were much criticised at the time1 may be seen in their true light4 ,as is well known1 he threw himself into this work with all the enthusiasm which such an emergency might be supposed to awaken4 ,he felt the importance of the struggle and the need of instant action4 ,since1 under the doctrine of 8squatter sovereignty10 which had taken the place of the former restriction1 the question of freedom or slavery in ,kansas must be decided by the vote of the actual settlers1 these must be aided to emigrate to that ,territory from the ,north1 and at once4 ,since they were to be the foundation elements of a ,christian ,state1 they should be supplied with ,bibles2 and since they would doubtless be called upon to defend themselves against attack1 they must be supplied with firearms4 ,he lectured and took up collections in ,plymouth ,church and from the lecture platform for ,sharp's rifles1 an arm then but just come into notice4 ,he preached1 lectured1 and bought rifles with the same object in view--to redeem men to liberty2 and with the same spirit--love to ,god and man4 ,some of the rifles1 it is said1 were sent in boxes marked ,bibles1 but without his knowledge1 and so passed in safety through ,missouri and the enemy's lines4 ,hence the term ,beecher's ,bibles came to be applied to these effective weapons4 ,at this time he published his famous 8,defence of ,kansas10 that showed not more clearly the warmth of his spirit than his clear understanding of the issues at stake and the dangers that were impending3 8,a battle is to be fought4 ,if we are wise it will be bloodless4 ,if we listen to the pusillanimous counsels of men who have never shown one throb of sympathy for liberty1 we shall have blood to the horses' bridles4 ,if we are firm and prompt to obvious duty1 if we stand by the men of ,kansas and give them all the help they need1 the flames of war will be quenched before it bursts forth1 and both they of the ,west and we of the ,east shall1 after some angry mutterings1 rest down in peace4 ,but if our ears are poisoned by the advice of men who never rebuke violence on the side of power1 and never fail to inveigh against the self-defence of wronged liberty1 we shall invite aggression and civil war4 ,and let us know assuredly that civil war will not burst forth in ,kansas without spreading4 ,now1 if bold wisdom prevails1 the conflict will be settled afar off in ,kansas1 and without blows or blood4 ,but timidity and indifference will bring down blows there1 which will not only echo in our houses hitherward1 but will by and by lay the foundation for an armed struggle between the whole ,north and the ,south4 ,shall we let the spark kindle1 or shall we quench it now8 ,but1 that intelligent citizens may the better judge1 let the facts of this case be reviewed4444 8,there was never so strong an appeal to public sympathy as that which is presented in the case of ,kansas free settlers4 ,their emigration was a mission of mercy1 full of the ripest fruits of ,christianity4 ,their conduct has been noble4 ,they have borne hardships without faltering1 they have borne outrage and persecution with patience1 returning good for evil4 ,they have suffered wrongs manifold and infinitely provoking1 without retaliation4 ,when aggression on one occasion was pushed so sorely that their patience failed1 some of the men said3 #8,we cannot bear such wrongs4' ,the reply made by ,pomeroy will become a maxim of ,christian men3 #8,be patient6 your wrongs are your very strength4' 8,when the armed day came1 and their adversaries came out to consume them1 then1 and only then1 they took up arms and surrounded their homes with living men1 determined not to attack1 but never to surrender4444 ,once when ,england only asserted the right to tax the colonies without representation1 the colonies rebelled and went to war4 ,but now a foreign ,legislature has been imposed upon ,kansas4 ,that ,legislature has legalized slavery against the known wishes of nine-tenths of the actual settlers4 ,it has decreed that no man shall enter the ,territory who will not take an oath of allegiance to this spurious ,legislature4 ,it has made it death to give liberty to the man escaping from oppression4 ,it has muzzled the press4 ,it has forbidden discussion4 ,it has made free speech a penitentiary offence4 ,the rights for which the old colonists fought were superficial compared with these4 ,these are the rights which lie at the very heart of personal liberty4 8,indeed1 there can be no personal freedom where free speech1 a free press1 a free canvass and discussion are penitentiary offences6 ,these are the laws which the ,president is determined to enforce6 ,congress is to be asked for money to sustain this government in ,kansas1 or to pay for an army to cut the throats of every free citizen who will not yield to this infamy6444 8,peace in ,kansas means peace everywhere2 war there will be war all over the land4 ,now it can be stopped4 ,but fear will not do it4 ,a truculent peace will not do it4 ,indolence and presumptuous prayer will but hasten the mischief4 ,when tyrants are in arms they who cry peace become their confederates4 ,manliness1 action1 courage1 and ample preparation for defence will stop the danger4 ,the ,providence that will help us is the ,providence that we help4 ,god works for those who work for ,him4 ,when ,he answers prayer for harvests ,he inspires men to work1 and petitions for crops and harvests are answered through ploughs and spades4 ,and ,god will answer prayers for peace by inspiring men with justice1 with abhorrence of oppression2 by making good men bold and active1 and bad men feeble and cowardly2 by stopping the ears of the community to the counsel of cowards and hypocrites4 ,let every man in this awful crisis not fail to pray1 and1 that they may pray without hypocrisy1 let them watch and work6 ,how shall we dare ask ,god to save us from bloodshed when we will not use the means ,he has put into our hands8 ,faith without works and prayer without works are dead--stone-dead4 ,let the emigrants go hither and thither by hundreds1 and pray as they go6 ,let them that have money now pour it out1 and pray as they give6 ,let them that have sons in ,kansas send them arms1 and pray that they may have no occasion to use them2 but that1 if they must be used1 that the son may so wield them that the mother be not ashamed of the son whom she bore6 ,let them that have influence speak out6 ,let ministers and ,christian free men now1 if ever1 speak against barbarism and uphold the whole retinue of ,christian institutions6 ,let those whose tongue has been hitherto palsied by evil advisers now loose their tongue and speak6 ,of whom will the land take counsel8 ,there have been two sorts of counsellors hitherto4 ,one has pointed out for twenty years the nature of slavery1 its tendencies1 the dangers which it threatened2 and all the prophecies have come true4 ,the other kind of counsellors have predicted peace1 dissuaded from action1 urged compromise1 and at each reluctant step have promised the country peace4 ,in not a single instance have they been right4 ,events have overthrown every one of their promises4 ,they have led us down deeper into trouble at every step4 ,we have been betrayed by kisses4 ,excitements have deepened1 lessons have multiplied1 compromises have bred cockatrices4 ,we are spun over with webs4 ,we are tangled with sophistries4 ,we have everything but manliness1 straightforwardness1 courage1 and decisive wisdom4444 8,but what is done must be done quickly4 ,funds must be freely given2 arms must be had1 even if bought at the price mentioned by our ,saviour3 #8,he that hath no sword1 let him sell his garment and buy one4' ,young men who would do aught for liberty should take no counsel of fear4 ,now is the time when a man may do for his country in an hour more than in a whole life besides4 ,time flies4 ,events hasten4 ,fear and treacherous peace1 that betray duty with ignorant words of religion1 will ruin all2 but energy1 courage1 action will save all4 ,woe to us if war comes from our fault6 ,if it comes1 on the skirts of false peace will its blood be found60 ,of the result of this sending armed colonists into ,kansas he speaks a few weeks later3 8,of all the revolutions on record1 we remember none so remarkable as that which has been wrought by ,sharp's rifles4 ,we do not know that a single man has ever been injured by them4 ,they are guiltless of blood4 ,but the principle which they involve has brought the whole ,south to a protest against violence1 even in the extremest necessity of self-defence6 ,these aforetime heroes of the knife and revolver are now deep in the ,scriptures4 ,they are quoting all the peaceable texts2 they hang with irrepressible delight over all those passages which teach forbearance40 ,being attacked in a religious paper for his aggressive attitude1 he answers3 8,we have acted consistently with our settled belief4 ,we have ,,nothing to retract40 ,an event that took place at this time added still more fuel to the hot indignation that was glowing through the ,north--the attack by ,preston ,s4 ,brooks1 of ,south ,carolina1 upon ,charles ,sumner1 ,may #bb1 #ahef1 in the ,senate ,chamber4 ,it was an act so cowardly and atrocious that it cannot be recalled after these many years without a tingling of the blood4 ,if a blow had been given at the moment of the debate1 if the man seeking redress had approached his adversary face to face and given him opportunity to defend himself1 if it had been but a single blow1 possibly some extenuation could be offered2 but to strike a man a stunning blow without warning1 when he is sitting at his desk and so hampered that he is unable to rise until he has torn the desk up from its fastenings2 to follow with more than a score of blows until the instrument of attack1 a heavy cane1 is broken to pieces and his victim is left senseless--is an act that1 search where it may1 can find nothing to add to its infamy4 ,among the meetings called all over the ,north to give voice to the anger of the people at this dastardly act1 one was in ,new ,york ,city4 ,the advertised speakers were ,william ,m4 ,evarts1 ,john ,van ,buren1 ,daniel ,lord1 ,jr41 and others of eminence4 ,the speeches were able but tame and conservative4 ,they did not meet the demand of the popular heart over that tremendous outrage4 ,just as the meeting was being adjourned ,mr4 ,beecher was discovered in the back part of the room1 having come in to listen to men whose reputation was so great but whom he had never heard4 ,at once the cry from the unsatisfied audience was 8,beecher1 ,beecher60 ,so unexpected was the call1 and so annoyed was he at being called out1 that it required almost physical force to get him to take the platform2 but when once there his soul kindled with the occasion4 ,a simple recital of facts led the audience step by step over the ground which had been traversed for the last ten years4 ,the grand principles of our polity were uncovered to their view4 ,scene after scene was depicted by his marvellous dramatic power1 culminating in that outrage in the ,senate ,chamber on account of which they had gathered2 and the audience1 alternately moved by his pathos1 fired by his passion1 or swept by his humor1 became one with the speaker4 ,they saw as he saw1 they felt as he felt2 and he stamped them that night with the impress of his hatred of slavery and his burning enthusiasm for liberty4 ,the next day the press carried this impression to the multitude of its readers1 and1 dismissing the other speeches of the evening with a formal notice1 gave his as nearly as possible verbatim4 ,it was his meeting for the first time upon the platform with the leading men of the country1 and from that hour he took his place with them and held it to the end4 ,many leading men in ,massachusetts having been invited to a similar meeting held in ,boston1 and sending regrets1 he analyzes their excuses in a ,star ,paper upon 8,hearts and no ,hearts03 8,admirable6 ,the man is sacrificed to the position4 ,no tear1 no indignation1 no heart-felt throb1 no voice or gesture which befits an open and free heart4 ,all instincts and spontaneity must be judged by supposed interests of a professorship4 ,in such cases as this the man is a mere ,jonah in the whale's belly4 ,his professorship has swallowed his manhood6 ,alas for the whale60 ,of this attack on ,sumner he said in the ,star article of ,june #ab1 8,silence must be ,nationalized03 8,this deed stands absolutely alone in our history4 ,it has not a single fellow6 ,there have been brutal things1 and cruel things1 and mean things1 and cowardly things1 and wicked and inhuman wrongs1 but nothing before that epitomized them all4 ,with the exception of one or two papers1 the whole ,south has accepted the act and made it representative6 ,it is no longer ,brooks that struck ,sumner6 ,he was the arm1 but the whole ,south was the body6 ,and with one consent it is declared that for the crime of free speech it was done and deserved60 ,in the meantime a new party1 born of this conflict1 was rapidly coming into power4 ,made up of elements apparently most diverse1 it was brought together by a common purpose and fused into one by a grand enthusiasm4 ,there was1 for a nucleus1 the larger part of the old ,free-,soil party1 that had been in existence since #ahdb2 then came ,abolitionists1 of which there had been for years a sprinkling in all the ,northern ,states2 seceders from the ,whig party1 called in ,new ,york ,state 8,silver ,grays10 and from the ,democratic party1 called 8,barnburners20 and a multitude of others1 a daily increasing host1 vital in every member with the spirit of the hour4 ,combining some of the best elements of all the parties1 it had a breadth of power that no one party could have given it alone4 ,while it had enough men of experience in affairs to secure wisdom of action1 its recruits were for the most part young men1 who brought the inspiration of their youth1 their numbers1 their hope1 and their indignation4 ,after a preliminary mass convention in ,pittsburgh on ,washington's birthday1 ,february #bb1 #ahef1 they met in ,philadelphia and adopted a platform of principles and nominated candidates for ,president and ,vice-,president4 ,in this platform they gave their attention mostly to the great issue of supreme importance--that between liberty and slavery4 ,their action here was positive and unequivocal3 no more slave territory2 no more coddling of slave institutions4 ,upon this platform it nominated ,john ,c4 ,fremont for its standard-bearer1 and organized its hosts for the great presidential contest of that year4 ,the party thus brought before the country had some great advantages over all rivals4 ,the ,whig party was already dead1 although not yet fully conscious of the fact1 and awaiting burial2 the ,democratic party was inextricably associated1 for weal or for woe1 with the slave-power2 while the ,know-,nothing party was but a mushroom1 and a poisonous variety at that4 ,on the other hand1 this new organization was intensely alive4 ,it had a definite object in view and was not afraid to avow it4 ,it had the strength of intense moral conviction4 ,its cause gave opportunity for inspiration and awakened the grandest enthusiasm4 ,it was in harmony with the fundamental principles of our nation and the early struggles of our people4 ,it was in sympathy with the great movement of the age in all lands4 ,its lengthening lines and the rising hosts of the ,old ,world were parts of the same army4 ,its standard-bearer1 by reason of his youth1 adventurous career1 and brilliant service1 was well adapted to awaken a loyal and spirited following4 ,it had nothing to conceal2 it had nothing to fear2 it carried with it the hopes of the nation and the world4 ,adopting the 8,marseillaise10 the greatest liberty song that was ever written1 it adapted its own chorus to the music and sang at its meetings with boundless enthusiasm3 8,arise1 arise1 ye braves6 ,and let your war-cry be1 #8,free speech1 free press1 ,free soil1 free men1 ,fremont1 and victory6'0 ,mr4 ,beecher gave himself unreservedly to this contest3 8,well1 of course we felt all aflame4 ,my church voted me all the time that ,i thought to be required to go out into the community and speak and canvass the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,i went into that canvass1 spoke twice and often three times a week1 having the whole day to myself--that is1 making all the speeches that were made4 ,i was sent principally to what we called the ,silver-,gray districts or counties--the old-time ,whigs that were attempting to run a candidate between ,fremont and ,buchanan4 ,i generally made a three hours' speech a day in the open air to audiences of from eight to ten thousand people4 ,i felt at that time that it was very likely that ,i should sacrifice my life1 or my voice at any rate1 but ,i was willing to lay down either or both of them for that cause40 ,of ,mr4 ,beecher's contributions to the literature of the campaign we can1 for lack of space1 give but few quotations1 and these only as they afford an idea of the humorous and enthusiastic manner in which he stood up for his candidate4 ,in the close scrutiny of private life1 which is so marked a feature of presidential campaigns1 it had been learned that ,john ,c4 ,fremont and ,jessie ,benton had fallen in love with each other1 and1 her father not approving of his daughter's selection1 the two lovers had made a runaway match of it1 and in their haste had been married by a ,roman ,catholic priest4 ,this escapade was being used against the candidate by the opposite party1 not because he ran away with the fair ,jessie--the ballot of the average ,american voter would as likely be won as lost by such an exhibition of youthful enterprise--but because it helped to prove1 what was persistently claimed1 that he was a ,roman ,catholic4 ,in answer ,mr4 ,beecher wrote a vigorous article disproving the charge1 and justifying the groom in securing the services of any one competent to perform the marriage ceremony1 closing with these words3 8,like a true lover and gallant man1 ,fremont said that he did not care who married him1 so that it was done quick and strong4 ,if we had been in ,colonel ,fremont's place we would have been married if it had required us to walk through a row of priests and bishops as long as from ,washington to ,rome1 ending up with the ,pope himself60 ,he ridicules the persistency with which certain newspapers returned to the attack upon ,fremont on the assumed ground of his being a ,roman ,catholic1 with the story of 8,the ,dog ,noble and the ,empty ,hole10 that probably did as good campaign service as any story that was ever written3 8,the first summer which we spent in ,lenox we had along a very intelligent dog named ,noble4 ,he was learned in many things1 and by his dog-lore excited the undying admiration of all the children4 ,but there were some things which ,noble could never learn4 ,having on one occasion seen a red squirrel run into a hole in a stone wall1 he could not be persuaded that he was not there for evermore6444 8,the intense enthusiasm of the dog at that hole can hardly be described4 ,he filled it full of barking4 ,he pawed and scratched as if undermining a bastion4 ,standing off at a little distance1 he would pierce the hole with a gaze as intense and fixed as if he were trying magnetism on it4 ,then1 with tail extended and every hair thereon electrified1 he would rush at the empty hole with a prodigious onslaught4 8,this imaginary squirrel haunted ,noble night and day4 ,the very squirrel himself would run up before his face into the tree1 and1 crouched in a crotch1 would sit silently watching the whole process of bombarding the empty hole with great sobriety and relish4 ,but ,noble would allow of no doubts4 ,his conviction that that hole had a squirrel in it continued unshaken for six weeks4 ,when all other occupations failed this hole remained to him4 ,when there were no more chickens to harry1 no pigs to bite1 no cattle to chase1 no children to romp with1 no expeditions to make with the grown folks1 and when he had slept all that his dog-skin would hold1 he would walk out of the yard1 yawn and stretch himself1 and then look wistfully at the hole1 as if thinking to himself3 #8,well1 as there is nothing else to do1 ,i may as well try that hole again6' 8,we had almost forgotten this little trait until the conduct of the ,new ,york ,express in respect to ,colonel ,fremont's religion brought it ludicrously to mind again4 ,colonel ,fremont is1 and always has been1 as sound a ,protestant as ,john ,knox ever was4 ,he was bred in the ,protestant faith and has never changed4444 8,but the ,express1 like ,noble1 has opened on this hole in the wall1 and can never be done barking at it4 ,day after day it resorts to this empty hole4 ,when everything else fails this resource remains4 ,there they are indefatigably--the ,express and ,noble--a church without a ,fremont1 and a hole without a squirrel in it6444 8,we never read the ,express nowadays without thinking involuntarily1 #8,goodness6 the dog is letting off at that hole again4'0 ,the election of #ahef resulted1 as is well known1 in the choice of ,james ,buchanan for ,president4 ,since his policy was dictated by the same power behind the throne as that of ,mr4 ,pierce1 it was1 of course1 not unlike that of his predecessor2 and this era in the great conflict which opened with the repeal of the ,missouri ,compromise closes with the ,administration at ,washington more than ever submissive to the demands of the ,south4 ,but it also closes with the right wing of the great army of liberty1 whose lines reached from the ,atlantic to the roots of the ,rocky ,mountains1 securely entrenched and holding its position1 and with continually increasing numbers1 barring farther aggressions of slavery for ever4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,remarkable experiences--,the ,edmonson ,sisters--,pinky and her ,freedom-,ring--,slave ,auction in ,plymouth ,church--,john ,brown--,the ,wrong and ,right ,way--,election of ,abraham ,lincoln--,secession--,buchanan's ,fast4 ,while these larger public matters were engaging his attention there was an equally engrossing field of private activity in which he was constantly engaged1 and which developed into some very peculiar and remarkable experiences4 ,as early as #ahdh we find him conducting an auction sale1 in ,new ,york ,city1 of the two ,edmonson sisters4 ,this case at the time attracted wide attention4 ,two respectable young women of light complexion1 living in ,washington ,city1 had the misfortune to be born while the mother was a slave4 ,after they had grown to womanhood they found that the former owner of their parent was about to sell them to a slave-dealer for exportation to ,new ,orleans and the market4 ,despairing of being able to raise the exorbitant sum at which they were valued1 and not knowing how to escape from a doom far more dreadful than death1 they risked everything by going on board the ,pearl schooner with seventy-seven others1 in the hope of escaping to a land of liberty and purity4 ,the ship was captured and they were hurried off to ,slater's ,den1 ,baltimore1 and thence to ,new ,orleans4 ,by some most extraordinary providences they were brought back from ,new ,orleans to ,washington1 and their sad case at length reached the ears of those who had hearts to feel and means to save4 ,a meeting was held in the ,tabernacle ,october #bc1 at which ,dr4 ,dowling and ,mr4 ,beecher spoke with so much effect that #b1bjj were raised and the captives were free4 ,mr4 ,beecher's speech is described by an eye-witness1 himself a minister1 as beyond anything he has ever heard before or since4 ,he extemporized there on the stage an auction of a ,christian slave4 ,the enumeration of his qualities by the auctioneer1 and the bids that followed1 were given by the speaker in perfect character4 ,he made the scene as realistic as one of ,hogarth's pictures and as lurid as a ,rembrandt4 ,physical excellences1 mental1 moral1 and spiritual qualities1 are each dwelt on with an emphasis and moving effect that proved that he would have made a capital auctioneer if he had chosen that business4 8,and more than all that1 gentlemen1 they say he is one of those praying ,methodist niggers2 who bids8 ,a thousand--fifteen hundred--two thousand--twenty-five hundred6 ,going1 going6 last call6 ,gone60 ,the audience were wrought up to a perfect frenzy of excitement while that picture was being drawn1 and when real contributions instead of imaginary bids were called for1 the sum was easily raised and the girls were free4 ,he says of it3 8,i think that of all the meetings that ,i have attended in my life1 for a panic of sympathy ,i never saw one that surpassed that4 ,i have seen a great many in my day4 ,an amount of money was subscribed1 and they were bought and set free4 ,the mother was a very old woman4 ,she had been a nurse of a great ,richmond lawyer whose name has died out of my memory4 ,he owed his conversion to her4 ,he was famous in the days of ,webster40 ,we have lying before us as we write a little leather-covered account-book1 soiled and worn by use1 which has upon its first pages letters from various humanitarians--,william ,lloyd ,garrison being among the number--recommending to the ,christian public one ,pomona ,brice1 who 8is engaged in collecting money to secure the ransom of her daughter and two grandchildren who are scattered somewhere in ,north ,carolina1 ,mississippi1 ,alabama1 and ,missouri40 ,the names of subscribers follow1 with the sums subscribed--ranging from twenty-five cents to ten dollars--among which stands the familiar autograph 8,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 if the whole is made up1 five dollars40 ,receipts from the different savings-banks where she had deposited the money2 a letter from her lawyer to ,mr4 ,beecher telling him that at her request he had examined the laws of the above-mentioned ,states1 and found them all against her2 a bill for his services and a judgment of the court against her for #ajj1 all either directed or entrusted to ,mr4 ,beecher1 give us an inkling of another kind of work that wore upon his time1 sympathy1 and purse4 ,not only did he help by his subscriptions some poor mother or grandmother to buy the liberty of her children or grandchildren1 but sometimes brought the slave upon ,plymouth pulpit and raised the money for its redemption on the spot4 ,a handful of letters in our possession gives the preliminaries to such a transaction4 ,one is from a ,mr4 ,blake1 who has called on the 8nigger trader0 and obtained the refusal of the child for #ijj1 and has also 8obtained four or five good names to a bond for the payment of the money or return of the child4 ,when ,i told the grandmother what ,i had done the poor old soul cried for joy4 #8,god bless you6' she said4 #8,i will sit up all night to get you some breakfast4 ,you have saved my child4'0 ,then comes a hitch in the proceedings4 ,a partner to the trader before spoken of appeared4 ,he hated 8the d------ ,abolitionists1 and would not let the child go among them40 8,do you not think something could be done without the child8 ,she has light flaxen hair4 ,her owner said ,i would easily get her on the cars1 for no one would know her from a white child4 ,the grandmother has purchased herself4 ,she has also saved up about #bjj to support her in her old age4 ,she is willing to give this4 ,if we take it we shall want #gjj more4 ,if you can do anything1 in ,god's name do it and save the child4 8,g4 ,,faulkner ,,blake40 ,in some way1 the letters do not tell us how1 the difficulties were overcome4 ,the permission of the joint owners of this flaxen-haired girl was obtained1 bonds were given to the railroads as well as the owners to secure them from loss in case this property should not be returned1 and the child was brought to the auction-block of ,plymouth pulpit and was bought for liberty4 ,the following is ,mr4 ,beecher's farther account of this matter3 8,before the passage of the ,red ,sea1 before the escape of the ,israelites 7in this country1 not in ,egypt71 ,i was accustomed1 from time to time1 to buy slaves here2 and it was thrown up that this was one of the best slave-auction places anywhere to be found--that better prices were obtained for slaves that were put up for sale here than for any others4 ,some thought there was an inconsistency in it4 ,i did not4 ,i was always glad1 at suitable times1 as often as was proper1 to bring before you living men and women1 and let them stand and look you in the face1 that you might see what sort of creatures slaves were made of4 ,i was glad by every means in my power to arouse men's feelings against the abomination of slavery1 which ,i hated with an unutterable hatred1 and which ,i hate still in memory as much as then ,i hated it in substance and in fact4 ,illustration3 ,pinky's ,freedom-,ring4 8,well1 at one time there was a girl named #8,pink1' or #8,pinky1' brought here4 ,she came through the agency of ,g4 ,faulkner ,blake1 a brother of one of our own members4 ,he was studying in the ,episcopal ,seminary at ,alexandria1 ,i believe4 ,he learned from her old grandmother that #8,pinky1' who was too fair and beautiful a child for her own good1 was to be taken away from the grandmother and sent ,south4 8,to make a long story short1 those interested in the girl wrote me to see if ,i could purchase her4 ,i replied1 #8,i cannot unless you send her ,north'2 and there was trouble in bringing her here4 ,i wrote that ,i would be responsible for her1 and that she would be lawfully purchased or sent back4 8,i remember that the pen-keeper paid me a compliment which ,i shall never forget1 by saying that if ,henry ,ward ,beecher had given his word he considered it better than a bond4 ,so she was brought here and placed upon this platform2 and the rain never fell faster than the tears fell from many of you that were here4 ,the scene was one of intense enthusiasm4 ,the child was bought1 and overbought4 ,the collection that was taken on the spot was enough1 and more than enough1 to purchase her4 ,it so happened 7it is not wrong to mention now7 that a lady known to literary fame as ,miss ,rose ,terry was present2 and as1 like many others1 she had not with her as much money as she wanted to give1 she took a ring off from her hand and threw it into the contribution-box4 ,that ring ,i took and put on the child's hand1 and said to her1 #8,now remember that this is your freedom-ring4' ,her expression1 as she stood and looked at it for a moment1 was pleasing to behold2 and ,eastman ,johnson1 the artist1 was so much interested in the occurrence that he determined to represent it on canvas1 and he painted her looking at her freedom-ring2 and ,i have a transcript of the picture now at my house in the parlor1 and any of you can see it by asking4 8,so the girl was redeemed4 ,she went back ,south after her redemption2 but she was in the ,north for a time and received some rudiments of education4 ,at length ,i lost sight of her until #ahfd1 ,i think1 when she was at ,chief-,justice ,chase's1 and ,i received word that she wished to see me4 8,it seems that #8,pinky' was not a good enough name for her when she was free1 though it was when she was a slave2 so they mixed things and called her #8,ward1' after my name1 and #8,rose1' after the name of this lady2 and ever since her name has been ,rose ,ward--a very nice name indeed4 ,she then had grown to be a young woman1 and was very fair4 ,i supposed she would probably live and die in labor to support herself and her grandmother1 who was becoming infirm2 but it seems that she has shown uncommon intelligence1 and has manifested a very earnest desire to become a laborer for her people1 and she is to be educated and to become a teacher and missionary among them4 8,now1 it suits me exactly to have this child brought out of slavery1 redeemed on this platform1 and grow up and develop a ,christian disposition1 and go back and labor for her people4 ,she does not know anything about it1 but if we can raise #aej she shall have a year's schooling in the ,lincoln ,university at ,washington4 ,it seems to me as though there was poetic justice and fitness in it4 ,as you redeemed her in the first instance from slavery1 in the second instance you must redeem her from ignorance by contributing the amount necessary to send her a year to that university48 ,and it was done4 ,an account of another is found in the weekly press3 0,,slave ,,made ,,free ,,in ,,plymouth ,,church1 ,,june #a1 #ahef4-- 8,there was never a more thrilling exemplification of ,gospel principles than last ,sabbath morning1 ,june #a1 in ,rev4 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's church1 ,brooklyn4 ,mr4 ,beecher preached from ,luke x4 #bg4 8,just after announcing the last hymn he stepped to the platform and said3 #8,i am about to do a thing which ,i am not wont to do1 which ,i have never done before upon this day2 and1 in order that you may have no scruples about it1 ,i will preface it by reading what the ,lord ,jesus ,christ says of the ,sabbath and its duties3 8,and it came to pass also on another ,sabbath that ,he entered into the synagogue and taught3 and there was a man whose right hand was withered4444 ,and ,he said to the man which had the withered hand1 ,rise up1 and stand forth in the midst4 ,and he arose and stood forth4 ,then said ,jesus unto them1 ,i will ask you one thing3 ,is it lawful on the ,sabbath days to do good1 or to do evil8 to save life1 or to destroy it8 ,and looking around about upon them all1 ,he said unto the man1 ,stretch forth thy hand4 ,and he did so2 and his hand was restored whole as the other40 8#8,some two weeks since ,i had a letter from ,washington informing me that a young woman had been sold by her own father to go ,south--for what purpose you can imagine when you see her4 ,she was purchased by a slave-trader for #a1bjj2 and he1 knowing her previous character and the circumstances of the case1 was so moved with compassion that he offered to give her an opportunity to purchase her freedom4 ,he himself gave towards it #ajj1 and persuaded a friend and another slave-trader to give each #ajj more4 ,so much of good is there in the lowest of men6 ,he allowed her to go to ,washington to solicit aid from the ,free-,state men there1 and she succeeded in obtaining #djj more4 ,i was then applied to1 to know if we would do anything to raise the remaining #ejj4 ,i answered we would do nothing unless the woman could come here4 ,after much hesitation on the part of her master she was allowed to visit ,new ,york1 giving her word of honor that she would return to ,richmond if the money were not raised'2 and1 going to the platform stairs1 #8,come up here1 ,sarah1 and let us all see you1' said he4 8,a young woman rose from an adjacent seat1 and1 ascending the steps1 sank down1 embarrassed and apparently overcome by her feelings1 in the nearest chair4 ,she was of medium size and neatly dressed4 ,the white blood of her father might be traced in her regular features and high1 thoughtful brow1 while her complexion and wavy hair betrayed her slave mother4 #8,and this1' said ,mr4 ,beecher1 #8is a marketable commodity4 ,such as she are put into one balance and silver into the other4 ,she is now legally free1 but she is bound by a moral obligation which is stronger than any law4 ,i reverence woman4 ,for the sake of the love ,i bore my mother ,i hold her sacred1 even in the lowest position1 and will use every means in my power for her uplifting4 ,what will you do now8 ,may she read her liberty in your eyes8 ,shall she go out free8 ,christ stretched forth ,his hand and the sick were restored to health2 will you stretch forth your hands and give her that without which life is of little worth8 ,let the plates be passed and we will see6' ,there was hardly a dry eye in the church2 and amidst tears and earnest lookings at the poor woman1 who sat with downcast eyes1 the plates went around4 ,every purse was in requisition1 and as the bills were thrown down ,mr4 ,beecher said3 #8,i see the plates are heaping up4 ,remember every dollar you give is the step of a weary pilgrim toward liberty1 and that ,christ has said3 8,inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ye have done it unto ,me60' ,at this ,mr4 ,lewis ,tappan rose and said1 #8,there need be no anxiety about the matter2 some gentlemen had just now pledged themselves to make up the deficiency1 whatever it might be4' 8,then she was free6 ,and when ,mr4 ,beecher told her so and announced it to the great congregation1 there was an involuntary burst of applause4 ,it was in the church1 upon the ,sabbath day1 but it was no desecration--rather it was echoed by richer acclamation in heaven6 ,as it subsided ,mr4 ,beecher said3 #8,when the old ,jews went up to their solemn feasts they made the mountains round about ,jerusalem ring with their shouts4 ,i do not approve of an unholy clapping in the house of ,god1 but when a good deed is well done it is not wrong to give an outward expression of our joy4444' 8,he then read the closing hymn1 saying1 as he handed her the book1 #8,we shall sing this hymn as we never have sung a hymn before1 and she will sing it too4' ,this was the hymn3 8#8,do not ,i love ,thee1 ,o my ,lord8 ,behold my heart and see2 ,and turn the dearest idol out ,that dares to rival ,thee4' 4 4 4 4 4 4 8#8,hast ,thou a lamb in all ,thy flock ,i would disdain to feed8 ,hast ,thou a foe before whose face ,i fear ,thy cause to plead8' 4 4 4 4 4 4 8,the blessing was pronounced and the meeting was over2 but many lingered to know the amount of the contribution1 and when it was found that #ghc had been raised1 so that not only she but her child of two years old could be redeemed1 the applause burst forth anew4 8,in the plates were several articles of jewelry1 thrown in by those who had no money with them or were unable to give anything else4 8,thus may ,plymouth ,church be consecrated4 ,verily #8it is lawful to do good on the ,sabbath day4'0 ,a handful of photographs of children1 white and beautiful1 who had been set free1 have come to my hand with the above letters4 ,having to do with white-faced1 flaxen-haired children born under the curse of slavery2 with mothers carrying their little account-books from house to house1 gathering funds wherewith to accomplish the apparently hopeless task of first finding their children who had been swept away from them in the black maelstrom of slavery1 and then of purchasing them2 of grandmothers who wept for joy at the prospect of saving their grandchildren1 and willingly surrendered all the money which they had laid aside for their old age if it could be accomplished1 would make a man tender toward the victims and hard against the system which caused their trouble4 ,through this course of training he walked in these years1 his heart now dissolved in tears and now hot with righteous indignation4 ,no compromise1 no surrender1 no betrayal1 no yielding1 but the destruction of slavery and the salvation of the ,union4 ,the ,kansas and ,nebraska troubles had resulted in more than establishing certain theories or in deciding the status of portions of our territory4 ,it had intensified the feeling in both sections of our country1 and men were being irreconcilably divided upon the subject of slavery4 ,out of these troublous times sprang ,john ,brown1 originally a farmer1 born in the northern part of ,connecticut1 and emigrating to ,ohio when a child4 ,in #ahed his four elder sons migrated to ,kansas1 joining with the thousands from the ,north to make that a free ,state and to secure homes for themselves and their families4 ,plundered and harassed1 they wrote to their father to procure arms4 ,to make sure that they should get these he went with them4 ,this was his introduction into ,kansas4 ,we have no design of following out his history in detail1 but only claim that his fanatical zeal and his unreasonable expectations were the product of the times in which he lived and the experiences which he suffered1 acting upon a temperament peculiarly unselfish1 heroic1 and religious4 ,enough for us is it to know that his course led him1 with an army of sixteen men1 to the capture of ,harper's ,ferry and to a conflict with the whole ,state of ,virginia1 in fact with the power of the whole ,united ,states government1 and ultimately to the scaffold4 ,his courage1 his calmness1 his undoubting faith in the future deliverance of the slaves1 crowned by his heroic death1 made his name the war-cry of the future legions of the loyal ,states1 who sang as they marched3 8,john ,brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave1 ,john ,brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave1 ,but his soul is marching on40 ,the attack on ,harper's ,ferry was made ,october #ag4 ,on ,sunday evening1 ,october #cj1 ,henry ,ward ,beecher preached upon 8,the ,harper's ,ferry ,tragedy10 and gives his judgment of the principal actor in the following language3 8,an old man1 kind at heart1 industrious1 peaceful1 went forth with a large family of children1 to seek a new home in ,kansas4 ,that infant colony held thousands of souls as noble as liberty ever inspired or religion enriched4 ,a great scowling slave ,state1 its nearest neighbor1 sought to tread down this liberty-loving colony and to dragoon slavery into it by force of arms4 ,the armed citizens of another ,state crossed the ,state lines1 destroyed the freedom of the ballot-box1 prevented a fair expression of public sentiment1 corruptly usurped law-making power and ordained by fraud laws as infamous as the sun ever saw1 assaulted its infant settlements with armed hordes1 ravaged the fields1 destroyed harvests and herds1 and carried death to a multitude of cabins4 ,the ,united ,states government had no marines for this occasion6 ,no ,federal troops were posted by cars night and day for the poor1 the weak1 the grossly-wronged men in ,kansas4 ,there was an army there that unfurled the banner of the ,union1 but it was on the side of the wrong-doers1 not on the side of the injured4 8,it was in this field that ,brown received his impulse4 ,a tender father1 whose life was in his sons' life1 he saw his first-born seized like a felon1 chained1 driven across the country1 crazed by suffering and heat1 beaten by the officer in charge like a dog1 and long lying at death's door6 ,another noble boy1 without warning1 without offence1 unarmed1 in open day1 in the midst of the city1 was shot dead6 ,no justice sought out the murderers4 ,no ,united ,states attorney was despatched in hot haste4 ,no marines or soldiers aided the wronged and weak6 8,the shot that struck the child's heart crazed the father's brain4 ,revolving his wrongs and nursing his hatred of that deadly system that breeds such contempt of justice and humanity1 at length his phantoms assume a slender form and organize such an enterprise as one might expect from a man whom grief had bereft of good judgment4 ,he goes to the heart of a slave ,state3 one man--and sixteen followers6 ,he seizes two thousand brave ,virginians and holds them in duress4 8,when a great ,state attacked a handful of weak colonies the government and nation were torpid2 but when seventeen men attacked a sovereign ,state1 then ,maryland arms1 and ,virginia arms1 and the ,united ,states government arms1 and they three rush against seventeen men6 8,travellers tell us that the ,geysers of ,iceland--those singular boiling springs of the ,north--may be transported with fury by plucking up a handful of grass or turf and throwing them into the springs4 ,the hot springs of ,virginia are of the same kind6 ,a handful of men was thrown into them1 and what a boiling there has been6 8,but meanwhile no one can fail to see that this poor1 child-bereft old man is the manliest of them all4 ,bold1 unflinching1 honest1 without deceit or dodge1 refusing to take technical advantages of any sort1 but openly avowing his principles and motives1 glorying in them in danger and death as much as when in security--that wounded old father is the most remarkable figure in this whole drama4 ,the governor1 the officers of the ,state1 and all the attorneys are pigmies compared to him4 8,i deplore his misfortunes4 ,i sympathize with his sorrows4 ,i mourn the hiding or obscuration of his reason4 ,i disapprove of his mad and feeble schemes4 ,i shrink from the folly of the bloody foray1 and ,i shrink1 likewise1 from all the anticipations of that judicial bloodshed which1 doubtless1 ere long will follow--for when was cowardice ever magnanimous8 ,they will kill the man1 not for treason1 but for proving them cowards6 8,by and by1 when men look back and see without prejudice that whole scene1 they will not be able to avoid saying3 #8,what must be the measure of manhood in a scene where a crazed old man stood head and shoulders above those who had their whole reason8 ,what is average citizenship when a lunatic is a hero8'0 ,he also availed himself of this opportunity to show the wrong way and the right way in our treatment of this whole question of slavery4 ,i can only mention the heads1 but they so far outline his whole principle of action during the war that ,i give them that his position may be understood3 8#ast4 ,we have no right to treat the citizens of the ,south with acrimony and bitterness because they are involved in a system of wrong-doing40 8#b;d4 ,the breeding of discontent among the bondmen of our land is not the way to help them40 8#c;d4 ,no relief will be carried to the slaves or to the ,south as a body by any individual or organized plans to carry them off or to incite them to abscond40 ,as to the right way3 8#ast4 ,if we would benefit the ,african at the ,south we must begin at home4 ,no one can fail to see the inconsistency between our treatment of those amongst us who are in the lower walks of life and our professions of sympathy for the ,southern slaves4 ,how are the free colored people treated at the ,north8 ,they are almost without education1 with but little sympathy for ignorance4 ,they are refused the common rights of citizenship which the whites enjoy4 ,they cannot even ride in the cars of our city railroads4 ,they are snuffed at in the house of ,god1 or tolerated with ill-disguised disgust4 ,can the black man be a mason in ,new ,york8 ,let him be employed as a journeyman1 and every ,irish lover of liberty that carries the hod or trowel would leave at once or compel him to leave6 ,can the black man be a carpenter8 ,there is scarcely a carpenter's shop in ,new ,york in which a journeyman would continue to work if a black man were employed in it4 ,can the black man compete in the common industries of life8 ,there is scarcely one in which he can engage4 ,he is crowded down1 down1 down1 through the most menial callings1 to the bottom of society4 ,we tax them1 and then refuse to allow their children to go to our public schools4 ,we tax them1 and then refuse to sit by them in ,god's house4 ,we heap upon them moral obloquy more atrocious than that which the master heaps upon the slave40 8#b;d4 ,we must quicken all the springs of feeling in the free ,states in behalf of human liberty1 and create a public sentiment based upon truth and true manhood40 8#c;d4 ,by all the ways consistent with a fearless assertion of truth1 we must maintain sympathy and kindness toward the ,south4 ,if1 in view of the wrongs of slavery1 you say that you do not care for the master but only the slave1 ,i reply that you should care for both master and slave6 ,if you do not care for the fate of the wrong-doing white man1 ,i do care for the fate of the wrong-doing white man6 ,but even though your sympathy were only for the slave1 then for his sake you ought to set your face against1 and discountenance anything like1 an insurrectionary spirit40 8#dth4 ,we are to leave no pains untaken1 through the ,christian conscience of the ,south1 to give to the slave himself a higher moral status40 8#eth4 ,the few virtues which shall lead inevitably to emancipation are to be established and insisted upon--the right of chastity in the woman1 unblemished household love1 and the right of parents to their children4 ,the moment these three stand secure1 that moment slavery will have its death-blow struck40 8#fth4 ,and1 lastly1 among the means to be employed for promoting the liberty of the slave we must not fail to include the power of true ,christian prayer4 ,when slavery shall cease it will be by such instruments and influences that shall exhibit ,god's hand and heart in the work4 ,may ,he1 in ,his own way and time1 speed the day60 ,with such radical yet conservative and kindly speech1 bringing home to his audience their own deficiencies and pointing out the way that must be taken1 did he temper and direct the hot passion of those fiery days4 ,the heat occasioned by the ,john ,brown raid in the fall of #ahei was not cooled by the after-events that occurred both in and out of ,congress during the following winter2 and the country came to nominating its candidates in #ahfj in a state of the most intense feeling4 ,four parties were in the field1 each representing as its essential characteristic some phase of feeling towards slavery4 ,among them stood the ,republican party1 with a well-defined purpose1 clearly understood and openly declared--no interference with and no extension of slavery4 ,abraham ,lincoln was its nominee for ,president4 ,mr4 ,beecher had met him in #ahei when he came to ,new ,york to deliver his speech at ,cooper ,institute1 and1 with his quick perception of the ability of men1 and already well acquainted with his record1 had placed confidence in this tall1 gaunt ,westerner from the first4 ,he had doubted the policy of nominating ,mr4 ,seward1 and one of his first interviews with a member of the ,new ,york delegation1 who had labored earnestly but vainly for his nomination1 is thus described3 8,with a laugh that was almost a roar he burst into the editorial room where ,mr4 ,raymond sat1 his chair tilted upon its two fore legs1 and1 grasping him cordially1 heartily1 vigorously1 said3 #8,young man1 ,i know the people of this country at heart better than you do4 ,your friend ,seward has too much head and too little heart to succeed in any such crisis as this4' 8#8,and yours1' replied ,mr4 ,raymond1 #8,i fear1 has too much heart and too little head for such a crisis as will assuredly be precipitated4' 8#8,trust1 then1' replied ,mr4 ,beecher1 #8in ,god1 and keep your powder dry4'0 ,for the election of their nominee ,mr4 ,beecher labored with pen and voice to the utmost of his ability4 ,his sermons ,sunday evenings often had reference to the great questions of the day4 ,his lectures of this period were little more than political addresses1 and by his ,star ,papers in the ,independent1 which were largely copied in other papers1 he made his views known to the reading public throughout the land4 ,believing that the election of ,abraham ,lincoln was of the utmost importance1 he gave himself unreservedly to make it an accomplished fact1 and made himself as obnoxious to the timid and time-serving as he was admirable to the opposite party4 ,of this period he says3 8,we next had to flounder through the quicksands of four infamous years under ,president ,buchanan1 in which senators sworn to the ,constitution were plotting to destroy that ,constitution2 in which the members of the ,cabinet1 who drew their pay month by month1 used their official position1 by breach of public trust and oath of allegiance1 to steal arms1 to prepare fortifications1 and make ready disruption and war4 ,the most astounding spectacle the world ever saw was then witnessed--a great people paying men to sit in the places of power and offices of trust to betray them40 ,most portentous events followed the election4 ,state after ,state in the ,south called their conventions and passed decrees of secession1 in every case1 except in ,south ,carolina1 by the jugglery of political leaders1 in spite of the popular vote4 ,representatives withdrew from the ,house1 senators from the ,senate1 and members from the ,cabinet1 and flocked to ,montgomery1 ,ga41 where a rebel government was being organized4 ,the most specious arguments were urged in justification of secession1 were substantially admitted even by so excellent an authority as the ,new ,york ,tribune1 and the right to coerce a sovereign ,state1 as well as the expediency of the attempt1 was denied by a large portion of the ,northern press4 ,preparations to make secession successful1 if resisted1 were made openly1 while the denial of the right to prevent the same tied the hands of the government and left it powerless in the toils of its enemies4 ,in the meantime different schemes of conciliation1 all amounting to some species of concession or compromise1 were advanced both in and out of ,congress1 and urged to the very utmost possible limit of forbearance and kindness4 ,against 8peace at any price0 and all patched-up compromises ,mr4 ,beecher1 together with a multitude of others of like feeling at the ,north1 threw his influence4 ,his ,thanksgiving sermon this year was upon this topic3 8,against a ,compromise of ,principle40 ,he recounts the common but abundant blessings of the year1 and gathers assurance that they are from ,god on the following testimony4 8,all the sons of ,god rejoice and all good men rejoice4 ,it needs but one element to complete the satisfaction4 ,if we could be sure that this is ,god's mercy1 meant for good and tending thereto1 we should have a full cup to-day4 ,that satisfaction is not denied us4 ,the ,mayor of ,new ,york1 in a public proclamation1 in view of this prodigal year that has heaped the poor man's house with abundance1 is pleased to say that there is no occasion apparent to him for thanksgiving4 ,we can ask no more4 ,when bad men grieve at the state of public affairs1 good men should rejoice4 ,when infamous men keep fast1 righteous men should have thanksgiving4 ,god reigns and the devil trembles4 ,amen4 ,let us rejoice60 ,he then describes the true nature of the compromise that is asked1 and shows the impossibility of making any that shall be satisfactory to either side3 8,we are told that ,satan appears under two forms--that when he has a good1 fair field he is out like a lion1 roaring and seeking whom he may devour2 but that when he can do nothing more in that way he is a serpent and sneaks in the grass4 ,and so it is slavery open1 bold1 roaring1 aggressive1 or it is slavery sneaking in the grass and calling itself compromise4 ,it is the same devil under either name4 ,if by compromise is only meant forbearance1 kindness1 well-wishing1 conciliation1 fidelity to agreements1 a concession in things1 not principles1 why then we believe in compromise1 only that is not compromise1 interpreted by the facts of our past history4 8,we honestly wish no harm to the ,south or its people2 we honestly wish them all benefit4 ,we will defend her coast2 we will guard her inland border from all vexations from without2 and in good faith1 in earnest friendship1 in fealty to the ,constitution1 and in fellowship with the ,states1 we will1 and with growing earnestness to the end1 fulfil every just duty1 every honorable agreement1 and every generous act within the limits of truth and honor2 all that and no more--no more though the heavens fall2 no more if ,states unclasp their hands2 no more if they raise up violence against us--,,no ,,more6 ,we have gone to the end40 ,he did not agree with ,mr4 ,lincoln in his hope that the ,south would be satisfied by the careful explanations given in his inaugural1 nor with ,mr4 ,seward in his expectation that the difficulty would be settled in ninety days2 but he did believe with all his heart that ,god was in the work1 and that the trouble would be settled some day1 and that it would be settled right4 ,in the turmoil of that turbulent time his mind was kept in perfect peace1 because it was stayed on ,god4 ,the ,republican party was charged with having brought about this unhappy state of the country4 ,this charge he answers in a sermon preached ,january #d1 #ahfa1 the day appointed by ,president ,buchanan for ,fasting and ,prayer3 8,what is the errand of this day8 ,why are we observing a sad ,sabbath8 a day of humiliation8 a day of supplication8 ,it is for the strangest reason the world ever heard4 ,it is because the spirit of liberty has so increased and strengthened among us that the government is in danger of being overthrown6 ,there never before was such an occasion for fasting1 humiliation1 and prayer6 ,other nations have gone through revolutions for their liberties2 we are on the eve of a revolution to put down liberty6 ,other people have thrown off their governments because too oppressive2 ours is to be destroyed1 if at all1 because it is too full of liberty1 too full of freedom4 ,there never was such an event before in history4444 ,meanwhile we have had no one to stand up for order4 ,those who should have spoken in decisive authority have been--afraid6 ,severer words have been used2 it is enough for me to say only that in a time when ,god1 and providence1 and patriotism1 and humanity demanded courage1 they had no response but fear4 ,the heart has almost ceased to beat1 and this government is like to die for want of pulsations at the centre4 ,while the most humiliating fear paralyzes one part of the government1 the most wicked treachery is found in other parts of it40 ,so closes in shame and fear the second era of the great conflict4 8,buchanan's ,fast0 marks the lowest point of degradation the government of the ,united ,states ever reached--a point of abject fear of the consequences of its own sins1 of feeble persistence in them1 and of cowardice in applying the remedy for its trouble4 ,instead of abandoning its policy of falsehood and injustice1 and making a manly use of the means still at hand to avert the threatening dangers1 it held to its course1 declared that it could do nothing more under the ,constitution than to advise and remonstrate with treason1 and made a frantic appeal to the ,christians of the land to plead with ,jehovah to save it from the inevitable consequences of its folly and wickedness4 ,it was a failure4 ,the ,call of the ,president to his kind of ,fast awakened little response from the people4 ,another ,proclamation was ringing in their ears4 ,it was that of the old prophet uttered centuries before4 8,is not this the ,fast that ,i have chosen8 to loose the bands of wickedness1 to undo the heavy burdens1 and to let the oppressed go free1 and that ye break every yoke80 ,this ,fast of the ,lord was rapidly approaching1 and for it the people were getting ready4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,war ,begun--,firing upon ,fort ,sumter--8,the ,american ,eagle as you want it0--,death of ,col4 ,ellsworth--,equips his ,sons--,personal ,feeling yields to ,patriotism--,his ,house a ,store-,house of ,military ,supplies--,sends a ,regiment as his ,substitute--,our ,national ,flag--,the ,camp1 its ,dangers and ,duties--,bull ,run--,becomes ,editor of the ,independent--,salutatory--,the ,trent ,affair--,fight1 ,tax--,soldiers or ,ferrets--,characteristics as an ,editor--,one ,nation1 one ,constitution1 one ,starry ,banner--,mc,clellan ,safe1 and ,richmond too--,mildly ,carrying on ,war--,the ,root of the ,matter--,the only ,ground--,a ,queer ,pulpit--,president's ,proclamation of ,emancipation--,let come what will--,close of the ,third ,era4 ,for five months the daily papers had borne for their prominent headlines1 8,the ,national ,crisis10 8,pro-,slavery ,rebellion10 8,pro-,slavery ,revolution10 8,the ,war-,cloud40 ,at length the issue of ,april #ab1 #ahfa1 was headed1 8,the ,war ,commenced3 ,the first ,gun fired by ,fort ,moultrie against ,fort ,sumter02 the next day1 8,fort ,sumter ,fallen40 ,mr4 ,beecher was lecturing in ,cincinnati when the tidings came ,north of the bombardment of ,fort ,sumter4 ,the committee who had charge of the lecture were alarmed1 and1 remembering the old pro-slavery riots of thirty years before1 declared that it would be unsafe for him to deliver his lecture4 ,he told them that to give that lecture was his object in coming to ,cincinnati1 and do it he should2 if not in a hall1 then on the public street4 ,with many misgivings on their part1 he was permitted to go ahead1 but so great was the fear of a riot that few attended4 ,that night he turned his steps homeward4 ,eager to learn his opinion of the matter1 we met him on the doorsteps4 ,his oldest son1 having left his position up the river1 had stopped at a recruiting station on ,broadway1 already opened1 and enlisted1 and had then come home4 ,fearing something of the kind1 the mother gave strict commands that he should not leave the house until his father's return--a command which he was the more ready to obey since the business had already been attended to4 ,naturally he felt some little solicitude as to what his father should say1 and his first words were3 8,father1 may ,i enlist80 and was answered3 8,if you don't ,i'll disown you40 ,the next day was ,sunday4 ,the report of his sermon was headed thus3 8,henry ,ward ,beecher on the ,crisis3 #8,what will you do1 stand still or go forward8' 8,the good people of ,brooklyn have shared with us all the fears and anxiety of the past weeks4 ,yesterday there was1 if possible1 a more dense mass of human beings than usual packed within the walls of ,plymouth ,church1 and a more than ordinary curiosity on the part of strangers1 and a more than customary solemnity pervading the congregation4 ,it was manifestly the belief of all there that the pastor would not fail to improve the occasion by preaching to the people of this age upon the duties of the present trying hour1 and that he would deal with so grand a subject in a manner befitting its character1 its importance1 and its universal occupation of the ,american mind4 ,nor were they disappointed4 ,mr4 ,beecher delivered a sermon from the text1 #8,speak to the children of ,israel that they go forward4'0 ,the above appeared in one of the daily papers4 ,we have not time to give the synopsis of the reporter4 ,the sermon was a careful review of the present condition of affairs and a sober counting the cost of both advance and retreat4 8,peace can be had by two-thirds of the nation yielding to the one-third2 by legalizing the right of any discontented community to rebel2 by changing our charter of universal freedom into a charter of deliberate oppression2 by becoming partners in slavery and ratifying this gigantic evil2 by surrendering all right of discussion1 of debate or criticism4 ,on these terms10 he said1 8we may have peace4 8,you can have your ,american eagle as you want it4 ,if1 with the ,south1 you will strike out his eyes1 then you shall stand well with ,mr4 ,davis and ,mr4 ,stephens1 of the ,confederate ,states2 if1 with the ,christians of the ,south1 you will pluck off his wings1 you shall stand well with the ,southern churches2 and if1 with the new peacemakers that have risen up in the ,north1 you will pull out his tail-feathers1 you shall stand well with the ,society for the ,promotion of ,national ,unity6 ,but when you have stricken out his eyes1 so that he can no longer see2 when you have plucked off his wings1 so that he can no longer fly2 and when you have pulled out his guiding tail-feathers1 so that he can no longer steer himself1 but rolls in the dirt1 a mere buzzard--then will he be worth preserving8 ,such an eagle it is that they mean to depict upon the banner of ,america4 0444 ,so far as ,i myself am concerned1 ,i utterly abhor peace on any such grounds4 ,give me war redder than blood and fiercer than fire1 if this terrific infliction is necessary that ,i may maintain my faith in ,god1 in human liberty1 my faith of the fathers in the instruments of liberty1 my faith in this land as the appointed abode and chosen refuge of liberty for all the earth6 ,war is terrible1 but that abyss of ignominy is yet more terrible68 ,he then pointed out the steps that must be taken in the going forward4 ,they were1 deepening and cleansing our convictions1 making them more earnest and religious2 drawing the lines2 cherishing feelings of benevolence1 and aiming at a peace built on foundations of ,god's immutable truth1 so solid that nothing can reach to unsettle it4 ,to show the spirit which he cherished in those days1 we cannot do better than give one of the familiar lecture-room discussions which were so frequent between him and his people4 ,it was immediately after the death of ,colonel ,ellsworth1 which took place ,may #ba1 #ahfa3 0,ques4 ,will you please explain one point8 ,i am so much a natural man as not to be able to obey the injunction which calls upon me to love my enemies2 and when ,i stand on ,broadway in ,new ,york1 and see men in regiments which are bound for the field of battle1 having been taken from their homes1 their wives1 their children1 and all that is dear to them on earth1 by the conduct of miscreants1 ,i cannot understand how you can have such feelings as you express4 ,i wish you would speak on that subject40 8,i have no doubt that the brother feels just as he says he does1 and ,i have no doubt that ,i do not feel a bit so4 ,when ,i consider the interests of ,god's advancing kingdom of justice1 and judgment1 and mercy1 and purity1 and truth1 and liberty1 ,i think that all the things in the earth are of no value at all in the comparison1 and that the earth might melt with fervent heat1 the elements dissolve1 and the globe vanish away rather than that this kingdom should not prevail4 #8,let ,god be true1 but every man a liar4' ,let the nations perish1 let everything go1 but let the eternal treasures of ,god--truth1 liberty1 mercy1 judgment1 and purity--be preserved4 ,i feel lifted up to a sovereign height of inspiration when ,i conceive of the majesty of these treasures1 effluent from the heart of ,god1 which ,he is seeking to embody in our time1 in our earth1 in this nation4 ,therefore1 when ,i see justice put down ,i feel like a lion4 ,when ,i see a great moral principle overborne there are no bounds to my indignation4 ,when ,i see a great humanity trodden under foot ,i long to be a champion for it4 ,and when ,i look on the face of an ignorant1 erring1 wicked multitude1 ,i think of a great many things besides4444 8,for the sake of these great principles ,i would give my life as quick as ,i would pour out a glass of water2 or ,i will do what is harder than that--,i will keep it and use it for forty years1 if ,god spares it1 increasing its toil every year4 ,i will make any sacrifice or perform any labor for the sake of a moral principle4 ,but when ,i look at the ,south1 other feelings besides those of vengeance are excited in me4 ,every one of those traitors is as wicked as you think1 and more4 ,the ,floyds1 the ,davises1 the ,toombses1 the ,rhetts1 and all such as they1 are more wicked than we know2 and yet the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is the ,saviour held up for every such one4 ,they are all immortal1 they are all1 like myself1 pilgrims toward the bourne of the eternal4 ,and when ,i think how many ignorant creatures are led by those base men to do wicked things1 half of the wickedness of which they do not know1 ,i feel compassion for them and am sorry for them4 ,if they array themselves against justice it is necessary that they should be overborne2 but not one blow more than is necessary for the defence of the principle assailed should be struck4 ,we are not authorized to inflict vengeance4 #8,vengeance is mine1 ,i will repay1 saith the ,lord4 ,therefore1 if thine enemy hunger1 feed him2 if he thirst1 give him drink2 for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head4' ,about the use of every single sword and spear and ball needful to assert a divine principle there should be no squeamishness4 ,i am for war just so far as it is necessary to vindicate a great moral truth4 ,but one particle of violence beyond that is a flagrant treason against the law of love4 ,and ,i can say to-night that ,i would go to war with every ,state in the ,southern ,confederacy1 if called of ,god to join the army1 and would hold them to the conflict till the cause of right was vindicated2 and that ,i could1 at the same time1 pray for those misguided men as easily as to-night ,i can pray for my own babes4 ,i am as sorry for them as for any set of men in the world4 ,i do not think ,i utter a prayer on any morning that ,i do not pray for them1 and that ,god does not see my feeling of tenderness and sorrow toward them4 ,and that is not all4 ,i regard them as citizens yet4 ,i love this whole country4 ,i love its past and its prospective history4 ,god do so to me1 and more also1 if ,i ever cease to feel for them all1 misguided though they be1 as anxiously as for my own kin and brethren4 ,we cannot afford to be very critical with wickedness4 8,however1 there are some difficulties involved in this question4 ,colonel ,ellsworth1 who has just been murdered by one of these #8miscreants' of whom you speak1 ,i knew well4 ,i was thinking of my own sensations when ,i walked over from ,new ,york after hearing the sad news4 ,why1 ,i was forty feet high6 ,i was scared1 ,i grew so fast4 ,i walked so lordly that every step seemed to have the weight of a mountain2 yet ,i did not feel the touch of the earth4 ,for one hour ,i think ,i had enough volume of feeling to have swept away a continent4 ,i was almost frightened at the turbulent and swelling tide within me1 and ,i said3 #8,suppose my ,master should come and say3 ,my child1 what are you doing with such feelings8 ,where is ,my teaching8 ,what are you taking on yourself ,my supreme attribute for8 8,vengeance is mine1 ,i will repay1 saith the ,lord40' ,is it not charming how these texts will exorcise the devil8 ,i put that passage on my head as a crown1 and ,i have felt as peaceful as a lamb ever since4 ,and although it was very base and wicked for that man to murder ,colonel ,ellsworth as he did1 ,i can say that had he not expiated his crime1 and had the victim been my brother1 ,i could still have forgiven him and prayed for him4 8,now1 my brethren1 ,i am going to fight this battle right straight through from beginning to end1 and not lose my ,christian feelings either4 ,i am going to stick close to my ,saviour4 ,and1 with regard to the past1 ,i am not sorry for one sermon that ,i have preached among you1 or that ,i have preached during the last twenty years of my life4 ,if the question were put to me to-night1 #8,when you look back upon your public life and see what you have done to bring about the present issue1 are you not sorry for the ground you have taken8' ,i would say1 ,no4 ,i bless ,god for every word ,i have spoken and every influence ,i have exerted in that direction4 ,knowing all that was to be1 ,i would do over again all that ,i have done if the same state of things existed1 only my little finger should be as heavy as my loins have been4 8,now that the time of conflict has come1 we must accept it4 ,i mean to go through it1 and you shall2 and ,i pray ,god that the whole anointed ,church at the ,north may1 bearing the banner of ,christ along with the banner of our country4 ,the stars over us shall not be brighter and purer than those that we carry into this very conflict4 ,we have had examples enough to know that even in such a desperate case as civil war a man may be a ,christian4 ,i thank ,god that praying men have gone into the army from this church4 ,every day and night there is a prayer-meeting in our camp1 and there will be to the end4 ,and ,i believe that among our soldiers are those who1 if they saw the bitterest and most blasphemous of the enemy suffering and dying1 would relieve their sufferings by kind offices and soothe their last moments by comforting words4 ,god grant that it may be so1 and that1 both in the service of the country and in the service of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 they may be true soldiers60 ,it is impossible to describe1 or even1 in our time1 to conceive1 the fervor of patriotism that followed the firing upon ,fort ,sumter4 ,patriotic meetings were held in nearly every village of the ,north1 and the raising of flag-poles with their accompanying exercises was the order of the day4 ,a monster mass-meeting was held in ,union ,square1 ,new ,york1 over which ,john ,a4 ,dix presided1 and where the flag which had been lowered at ,sumter was displayed4 ,the attack on the ,massachusetts regiment in ,baltimore as it hastened to the defence of ,washington deepened and increased the excitement4 ,the ranks of military companies already organized were speedily filled1 and the young men met1 in most of our ,northern cities1 week by week for military drill4 ,a squad of these was formed in ,brooklyn4 ,some fifteen of us wanted to go to the front1 and offered ourselves to one of the ,new ,york regiments1 but the offer was refused with thanks4 ,their ranks were full and they had no place for us4 ,hearing of this1 ,mr4 ,beecher1 who took a deep interest in this whole matter and used to attend our drills1 proposed that two of us1 his own son and one who expected to belong to his family1 should join a cavalry regiment then being enlisted in ,new ,york4 ,he gave us each a horse1 brought us home our equipment of pistols1 bowie-knives1 etc41 and1 the next day1 went with us to ,new ,york to see us enlist2 but the enlisting officer had received notice from ,washington the day before to accept no more recruits--cavalry regiments were not thought to be necessary for the ninety days' struggle2 and so we were refused4 ,one of us went to ,riker's ,island1 and1 after a month of waiting1 was able to get into service2 the other1 having just finished his theological course1 and having for weeks been importuned by a church to become its pastor1 concluded that it was ,god's will that he should preach1 left the city1 and went to work4 ,there was great variety of work to be done4 ,no need now of efforts to arouse the public mind--the firing upon ,fort ,sumter had done that2 no need now of urging men to the front--the young men of the nation had formed into companies and regiments faster than the government was willing to accept them4 ,illinois asked permission to furnish all the men that were required4 ,but another work pressed upon heart and hand4 ,homes at the ,north were being made desolate1 not only by the absence but by the death of their loved ones4 ,tidings began to reach us of what afterwards seemed skirmishes1 but were important battles in those days--,big ,bethel1 ,newport ,news1 and others2 and the list of the dead1 small to what it afterwards became1 carried with it then1 as always1 sorrow and heart-break4 ,the bodies of fallen sons and brothers1 picked up on the battle-field or gathered from the hospitals1 covered with the stars and stripes1 were being borne through the streets of our cities on the way to bereaved homes1 and the people needed comforting4 ,then it was that the words of one perfectly assured of the justice of the cause1 that it was of ,god1 and that those who upheld their country's flag were doing ,his work1 and who viewed life and death as only and equally desirable when they accomplished ,his will1 rang out like the resurrection challenge of ,st4 ,paul3 8,o death6 where is thy sting8 ,o grave6 where is thy victory80 ,in a sermon preached ,may #bf1 #ahfa1 when but the first mutterings of the storm had been heard and the first splashes of rain were felt1 he says3 8,he whose remains are to pass to-day1 amid many tears1 through yonder city1 lived long though he died early4 ,why8 ,because he lived to a moral purpose4 ,because he has given his name to patriotism4 ,millions of men shall live four-score years and shall not leave any such memorial as he has left4 ,he had lived long enough4 ,any man that can give the whole weight of his being and his heart-life to a great truth or cause has lived long enough4 ,measure him by the higher and not by the lower standard4 ,do not say that he has lost days1 that he has lost coming honors1 that he lost pleasure4 ,he lost nothing4 ,he gained everything4 ,he gained glory1 and paid his life for it in such a way as to take on immortality40 ,one very intimate with him in those days says3 8,i do not think that he spent a moment in solicitude for the fate of those who were at the front1 not even of his own flesh and blood4 ,everything seemed swallowed up in his zeal for his country1 and for her he was ready to sacrifice everything without complaint or hesitation40 8,my oldest son is in the army1 and shall ,i read with trembling anxiety the account of every battle to see if he is slain8 ,i gave him to the ,lord1 and ,i shall not take him back and ,i will not worry and fret myself about him4 ,i will trust in ,god though ,he slay not only him but me also2 and all ,i have ,i put on the same ground--,i try to1 sometimes not succeeding and sometimes succeeding a little4 ,my ,god1 this ,christ ,emmanuel--,god with me--has sustained and comforted me in care and trouble1 and taken away my fear and put hope in its place1 and ,i will look to ,him still2 and if there are any here that have carried burdens1 and whose faces are wrinkled with care1 ,i beseech of you to try living by faith in a present ,saviour that loves you and ordains all things1 and says that everything shall work for your good if you love ,god40 ,among the things that occupied his time and called forth all his energies was the equipment of the ,fourteenth ,long ,island ,regiment4 ,his home at #abd ,columbia ,heights became a store-house of military goods and a place of consultation for men interested in the events that were taking place2 ,plymouth ,church became a rendezvous for regiments passing to the front1 and the church parlors a workshop where the women and maidens of the church1 under the direction of ,mrs4 ,beecher1 met daily to sew and knit and pack for the soldiers4 ,he told ,mrs4 ,beecher to use all his salary in this direction1 except such as was absolutely necessary for running the household4 ,she did this1 and added to the amount by personal solicitation from families and merchants1 until an immense sum was raised and expended4 ,while many men sent single substitutes1 ,mr4 ,beecher determined to be represented in the war by a whole regiment2 and so1 after helping to fit out two regiments1 he took upon himself the entire burden of equipping a new one1 called 8,the ,long ,island ,volunteers10 afterwards the ,sixty-seventh ,new ,york4 ,this regiment would never have had any existence but for the labors of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher1 and the members of the church whom they interested in it4 ,their eldest son1 ,henry ,barton ,beecher1 joined it and was made a lieutenant4 ,in those days the government had plenty of men and very little money1 and therefore declined to accept this regiment for many weeks after it was organized1 during which time the entire expense of feeding and clothing the men was borne by subscriptions raised by ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,it was not until after the battle of ,bull ,run1 at the end of ,july1 #ahfa1 that the regiment was even in form accepted1 and not until much later that it was actually mustered into the national service4 ,in those days of multiplied and harassing labors ,mr4 ,beecher did not lose his hope1 his cheerfulness1 nor even his mirthfulness4 ,he had a refuge to which he constantly fled when the pressure became too heavy4 ,he had also the power of seeing the humorous side of many common or even tragic events1 and drawing from them laughter as well as tears4 ,the flowers1 too1 and the clouds had their message for him4 ,he kept the channels of his soul wide open on every side to receive1 and became a fountain of perpetual inspiration to others4 ,at this time1 while the route through ,baltimore was closed against our troops on their way to ,washington1 he preached to the 8,brooklyn ,fourteenth10 on the eve of their departure to the front1 upon 8,our ,national ,flag40 ,after giving the history of our banner he more particularly addressed the soldiers before him3 8,and now ,god speaks by the voice of ,his providence1 saying1 #8,lift again that banner6 ,advance it full and high6' ,to your hands ,god and your country commit that imperishable trust4 ,you go forth self-called1 or rather called by the trust of your countrymen and by the ,spirit of your ,god1 to take that trailing banner out of the dust and out of the mire1 and lift it again where ,god's rains can cleanse it1 and where ,god's free air can cause it to unfold and stream as it has always floated before the wind4 ,god bless the men that go forth to save from disgrace the ,american flag6 8,accept it1 then1 in all its fulness of meaning4 ,it is not a painted rag4 ,it is a whole national history4 ,it is the ,constitution4 ,it is the government4 ,it is the free people that stand in the government on the ,constitution4 ,forget not what it means2 and1 for the sake of its ideas rather than its mere emblazonry1 be true to your country's flag4 ,by your hands lift it2 but let your lifting it be no holiday display4 ,it must be advanced #8because of the truth4' 8,that flag must go to the capital of this nation2 and it must not go hidden1 not secreted1 not in a case or covering1 but full high displayed1 bright as the sun1 clear as the moon1 terrible as an army with banners6 ,for a single week that disgraceful work1 that shameful circuit1 may be needful2 but the way from ,new ,england1 the way from ,new ,york1 the way from ,new ,jersey and ,pennsylvania1 to ,washington1 lies right through ,baltimore1 and that is the way the flag must and shall go6 ,enthusiastic cheers4 ,but that flag1 borne by ten thousand and thrice ten thousand hands1 from ,connecticut1 from ,massachusetts 7,god bless the ,state and all her men671 from shipbuilding ,maine1 from old granite ,new ,hampshire1 from ,vermont of ,bennington and ,green-,mountain-,boy patriotism1 from ,rhode ,island1 not behind any in zeal and patriotism1 from ,new ,york1 from ,ohio1 from ,pennsylvania and ,new ,jersey and ,delaware1 and the other loyal ,states--that flag must be carried1 bearing every one of its insignia1 to the sound of the drum and the fife1 into our national capital1 until ,washington shall seem to be a forest in which every tree supports the ,american banner6 8,and it must not stop there4 ,the country does not belong to us from the ,lakes only to ,washington1 but from the ,lakes to the ,gulf of ,mexico4 ,the flag must go on4 ,the land of ,washington shall see ,washington's flag again4 ,the land that sits in darkness1 and in which the people see no light1 shall yet see light dawn and liberty flash from the old ,american banner6 ,it must see ,charleston again1 and float again over every fort in ,charleston harbor4 ,it must go further1 to the ,alligator ,state1 and stand there again4 ,and sweeping up through all plantations and over all fields of sugar and rice and tobacco1 and every other thing1 it must be found in every ,state till you touch the ,mississippi2 and1 bathing in its waters1 it must go across and fill ,texas with its sacred light4 ,nor must it stop when it floats over every one of the ,states4 ,that flag must stand1 bearing its whole historic spirit and original meaning1 in every ,territory of this nation60 ,other sermons of similar character followed4 8,the ,camp1 its ,dangers and ,duties10 was one3 8,for any one that is going forth to meet the temptations of camp life ,i had almost said ,i would sum up in one single word of remembrance a talisman of safety--temperance1 absolute temperance4444 ,the men that are dangerous in camps are not bloated drunkards1 shameless gamblers1 and such as they4 ,but an accomplished officer1 a brilliant fellow1 who knows the world1 who is gentle in language1 who understands all the etiquettes of society1 who is fearless of ,god1 who believes nothing in religion1 who does not hesitate1 with wit and humor1 to jeer at sacred things1 who takes an infernal pleasure in winding around his finger the young about him1 who is polished and wicked1 and walks as an angel of light to tempt his fellow-men1 as ,satan did to tempt our first parents--if there be in camp such a one1 he is the dangerous man4 8,there ought to be a bold stand taken in favor of virtue by the good in each one of the various companies4 ,if there is not such a stand taken in ,company ,c of the ,fourteenth ,regiment1 ,i shall be ashamed of my preaching40 ,he was constantly invited to lecture1 and almost any sum was offered to secure his services4 ,these1 as we may well conceive1 were mostly patriotic addresses upon the great subjects that were then burning in the minds of the ,american people4 ,we remember well his having a course at ,providence1 ,rhode ,island1 the third of which was delivered ,monday1 after the heavy work of the day previous1 and when he took the train he had not touched pen to paper nor given it a moment's thought2 but his mind and heart were fully awake1 and the resources of a lifetime of thought and labor were at his command4 ,the battle of ,bull ,run1 which was fought in ,july1 as is well known1 was the first battle of the war of really national importance4 ,the result was sobering and humiliating to the ,north4 ,on the following ,sunday evening ,mr4 ,beecher preached a sermon upon 8,god in ,national ,affairs40 ,after tracing ,his way in the history of the nation1 he says3 8,the battle is well begun4 ,if ,i consult my pride1 if ,i consult my vanity1 ,i fain would never have seen our banners dip2 and yet1 if ,i consult a larger wisdom1 ,i know not but that the best thing that can befall us is that humiliation which shall teach us not to rely so much on words and cheers and newspaper campaigns4 ,a defeat just sufficient to make us feel that we must fall upon the interior stores of manhood1 that we must have faith in ,god1 that we must set aside everything but a solemn purpose and an earnest consecration of ourselves to this work which ,god has given us to do--such a defeat cannot but be beneficial40 ,and so it proved4 ,the battle of ,bull ,run awoke the ,north from its dream of easy conquest1 and thenceforth she took up the war in earnest4 ,in his ,thanksgiving sermon in ,november of that year1 upon 8,modes and ,duties of ,emancipation10 he shows the conservatism of his belief and his confidence in the national authority if rightly used--8,this conflict must be carried on through our institutions1 not over them0--and his view of the great forces engaged--8,while preparations for this conflict have been going on ,god has poured money into our coffers and taken it away from those who might use it to our harm4 ,he is holding back ,france and ,england1 and saying to all nations1 #8,appoint the bounds6 ,let none enter the lists to interfere while those gigantic warriors battle for victory6 ,liberty and ,god1 and slavery and the devil1 stand over against each other1 and let no man put hand or foot into the ring till they have done battle unto death6' ,amen6 ,even so1 ,lord ,almighty4 ,it is ,thy decree1 and it shall stand6 ,and when the victory shall come1 not unto us1 not unto us1 but--in the voice of thrice ten thousand1 and thousands of thousands1 of ransomed ones1 mingled with ,thine earthly children's gladness--unto ,thee shall be the praise and the glory1 for ever and ever4 ,amen40 ,during all these years1 almost from the time he came to ,brooklyn1 ,mr4 ,beecher had been fortunate in having a channel of communication with the public1 in general so in harmony with his own views and spirit as the ,new ,york ,independent4 ,in its second number appears an extract from a sermon of his1 followed by frequent contributions from his pen called 8,star ,papers10 and for the last three years a sermon in full upon the second page4 ,he is now called to its head4 ,in the issue of ,december #ai1 #ahfa1 appears his 8,salutatory40 ,since in this he gives1 in brief1 his conception of the office and importance of the religious newspaper1 it is given in full3 8,the undersigned has to-day assumed the editorial management of the ,independent4 ,this will not involve any change in the principles1 the purposes1 or general spirit of the paper4 ,the ,independent was founded to illustrate and to defend the truths and doctrines of the ,christian religion2 to employ them as the authoritative standards by which to estimate and influence events1 measures1 and men2 to infuse a spirit of truth and humanity into the affairs of this nation2 to give aid and encouragement to every judicious scheme of ,christian benevolence4 ,it has sought to leaven with the ,christian spirit all the great elements of our civilization4 ,these were the aims4 ,the results are upon record4 8,for the future1 studying a catholic sympathy with all who love our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and seeking to promote concord among all ,christians of every name1 the ,independent will still continue explicitly and firmly to hold and to teach those great cardinal doctrines of religion that are substantially held in common by the ,congregational orthodox churches of ,new ,england and by the ,presbyterian churches of our whole land4 ,but1 as heretofore1 this will be done for the promotion of vital godliness rather than for sectarianism4 8,the ,independent will not deviate from that application of ,christian truth to all public questions which has thus far characterized its course4 ,while seeking to promote religious feeling1 as such1 and to incite and supply devotional wants1 it will not forget that there is an ethical as well as an emotive life in true religion4 ,we shall therefore assume the liberty of meddling with every question which agitates the civil or ,christian community1 according to our own best discretion4 8,the editorial profession1 with the progress of popular intelligence1 has assumed an importance second to no other4 ,it may unite in it the elements of power hitherto distributed in the several professions1 and add1 besides1 many that have belonged to no other calling4 ,he who knows the scope and power of the press need desire no higher office than the editorial4 8,in that silent realm of influences out of which proceed the actions of men and the events of history1 the editor is the invisible leader4 ,votes cannot raise him higher4 ,his pen is more than a sceptre4 ,profoundly impressed with such a responsibility1 desiring to honor ,god in the welfare of men1 we ask the sympathy of good men and the remembrance of all who pray4 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher40 ,at this time the excitement growing out of the capture of ,mason and ,slidell on board the ,british steamer ,trent1 by ,commodore ,wilkes on the ,san ,jacinto1 was at its height4 ,news had just reached this country of the bitter feeling awakened by 8the outrage10 of the shipment of troops to ,canada1 and other hasty preparations by ,great ,britain to avenge the insult to her flag4 ,and ,mr4 ,beecher's first editorial bears the somewhat ominous title of 8,war with ,england40 ,as we might expect1 it is both temperate and defiant in language and tone3 8,we have no idea that there will be any war with that power4 ,england has a peculiar practical wisdom in affairs which touch her own material interests4 ,her folly will be expended in words2 her wisdom reserved for actions4 ,it is not her interest to go to war with the ,northern ,states in the interest of the ,southern ,states4 ,there is no probability that she will allow herself1 whatever she has done in other days1 to be found fighting for slavery against freedom4444 8,there is no desire on our part for so unnatural a war4 ,to avert it we shall be willing to yield anything but honor4 ,our hands are sufficiently full4 ,to have a ,british fleet thundering at our sea-doors1 while the volcano was yet pouring lava through our ,southern ,states1 would be a little more business on hand than could be attended to with that thoroughness which our people desire in all warlike enterprises4 8,yet should ,england force us into war1 terrible and atrocious as that would be1 ,america is determined to put her in the wrong before the world4 ,if we have transgressed any law of nations2 if we have1 indeed1 violated any right of ,england2 if we have1 to the width of a hair1 passed beyond the line of our own proper duty and right1 we shall1 upon suitable showing1 need no menace to make ample reparation4 ,we shall do it for the satisfaction of our own sense of justice4 ,but if we are right1 if we have done right1 all the threatenings in the world will not move this people from their steadfastness4444 8,our wish is to unite with ,england in a race of civilization4 ,but if she will fight1 we must40 ,some idea of the variety and character of the work he did at this time may be gained by a look at his editorials found in the ,independent of ,january #af1 #ahfb1 the third week of his administration as editor4 ,the first is 8,our ,help from ,above10 in which he directs all burdened hearts to the great sources and divine methods of consolation4 8,the nearer our thoughts come to the infinite and the divine the more power have we over our troubles4 ,the act of consolation is1 to a great degree1 the act of inspiration40 ,the raising1 equipping1 and feeding such vast armies as1 it was now seen1 would be required for the prosecution of the war1 awakened in the minds of thoughtful men a question scarcely second in importance to any4 ,by what plan or on what system shall the money required for these large and expensive enterprises be secured8 ,his second editorial upon this page takes up this matter under the head of 8,a ,word from the ,people to ,congress10 in which he urges the fearless imposition of taxes sufficient to carry on the war1 and justifies such a course upon the simple basis of honesty4 ,the article opens with this sentence1 8,taxation and national honesty are now synonymous10 and closes with this1 8,every honest man in ,america ought to send to ,washington one message in two words1 ,fight1 ,tax40 ,how to treat the black men that came into our lines1 or were liberated by the advance of our armies1 was another of the pressing questions at this time1 and one concerning which there was a great difference of opinion4 ,he treated this subject in a column article on this page1 entitled 8,men1 not ,slaves40 ,the position which he held1 and advocated with great force and clearness1 is given in this sentence3 8,one thing is plain--one thing as a starting-point admits of no doubt1 needs no hesitation3 let us forget that these blacks ever were slaves1 and remember only that they are men4 ,with this as our first principle we cannot go far wrong40 ,this money-raising was a matter of so great importance that he devoted another column to it on this same page1 on the 8,duty of the ,hour40 ,in the first article he sent a message to ,congress2 in this he speaks to the ,christian public3 8,whether the great impending patriotic tax shall be a moral triumph and a testimony to the religious life of this people will depend largely upon the conduct of ,christian men and the action of ,christian teachers4444 ,there seems to have been very little education of the consciences of ,christian men to the duty of a cheerful support of government by their property4 ,even ,christian men are tempted to give grudgingly1 selfishly1 meanly4 ,the nobler sentiments of the heart have been allowed but little scope in this part of citizen duty4 8,is the ,gospel worn out8 ,are ministers of the ,gospel less manly and ,christian than in the days of the fathers8 ,has the ,american pulpit forgotten that its place is in the van--that it leads1 not follows1 the camp8 8,every church should have a public sentiment developed within it which shall make this national tax almost a free-will offering4 ,let ,christian laymen take counsel together4 ,let the leading men of towns and neighborhoods not only set a good example1 but make it their duty to cheer and inspirit the slow and reluctant4 ,let ,christian men everywhere1 and in all things1 seek to inspire the public mind with an earnest willingness to discharge this great debt which we are called to pay for national unity1 national safety1 and national glory40 ,in those days of dress-parades in our largest army1 and 8all quiet on the ,potomac10 men chafed continually over what appeared to be inaction and timidity on the part of the government at ,washington4 ,this found expression in still another article by this same pen upon this same page1 8,courage and ,enterprise03 8,there was never a time when timidity was so nearly allied to rashness1 and courage to the highest prudence1 as now4 ,we have every element of national prosperity except the courage to use our power4 ,standing on a centre and whirling around with sound and celerity may make a top1 but never an administration4 ,courage to see and accept the whole national danger2 courage to see and to accept the thoroughest remedy2 courage to ask the people for all that is needed1 without a thought of refusal2 courage to use the means1 willingly afforded1 so as to put the whole strength of this nation into every blow2 courage to dash in pieces every enemy1 without stopping to consider just how we shall mend the pieces afterward--this is the very critical prudence of good administration4 8,since war is upon us1 let us have courage to make war4 8,there is no money needed1 there are no men wanted1 there is no enthusiasm that the ,north will not give with eager gladness1 if only ,,somebody will speak to the nation such words as the fathers spoke6 ,then men ,,loved liberty6 ,the nation suffered for a principle6 ,what are we doing now8 ,are we raising moss on cannon-wheels1 or are we fighting8 ,is it husbandry or war that is going on8 ,are we to starve ,southern armies or conquer them8 ,do we mean to put down rebellion by soldiers or ferrets80 ,these editorials showed certain features which were as characteristic of his work in the editor's chair as they were in the pulpit and upon the platform2 the first of these was this3 he chose his subjects from among the things which at that time affected and interested the people4 ,this he did1 not simply because he could then get the ear of the public1 nor because these were in themselves the largest or most important matters1 but from a deep religious conviction that these present questions and present interests were a part of ,god's providence1 by which and through which ,he was accomplishing ,his purposes2 and that in treating these matters he was working together with ,him4 ,he believed thoroughly in ,god's action in common affairs and through the impulses given to common men4 ,this conviction made him a leader of the people without bringing him into bondage to them4 ,it gave him the kind of leadership to which he attained3 not of the abstract thinker in the movements of a hundred years hence1 but of the practical man of affairs in the battles of to-day4 ,this gave him the boldness that he never failed to display4 ,confident that he was moving in harmony with ,god's purpose and at ,his own appointed time1 he waited for no gathering of numbers1 but pushed on alone1 if necessary1 with an assurance born of faith4 ,storms and confusion did not daunt him1 because he recognized in these but the necessary methods by which the ,almighty carries out ,his designs in the moral and spiritual as in the material world4 ,another characteristic feature was seen in his treatment of the subject in hand4 ,he uniformly regarded it from the standpoint of the law of ,christ's kingdom on the earth--8,bear ye one another's burdens40 ,this insured harmony in his policy through all changes of events around him1 and ultimately secured success4 ,all the forces of the universe1 because created and administered by the ,saviour of mankind1 were on the side not only of justice and truth but of kindness1 forbearance1 and helpfulness1 and must in time prevail4 ,so deep was his conviction of the direct and universal application of the law of this kingdom that he instinctively took this side1 and linked his action and his destiny with its fortunes1 when prudence and policy would seem to dictate a different course1 with a sublime confidence in its final victory4 ,a third characteristic was this3 ,he wrote so as to awaken inspiration1 to stir men's hearts to feel4 ,it was not enough that men believed a truth2 that was nothing unless they felt it4 ,his words must take hold1 they must excite the emotions and move men to action1 or they were a failure4 ,besides the editorial articles referred to on this one page1 there was his sermon in this same issue occupying more than four columns of the second page of the paper4 ,it was upon the ,divine ,government1 and moved along on these lofty heights3 8,we believe that ,god is in ,his own world and that ,he governs it by ,his personal will2 that this government includes nations1 families1 and individuals2 that it aims at the highest good and the everlasting good of sentient and intelligent creatures2 that it is one which admits the action of our minds upon ,god's and the action of ,god's upon ours2 that it has in it a place for all human yearnings and strivings and longings40 8,i bring you a ,gospel that will never wear out1 a ,gospel which is for ever fresh1 and that is1 ,emmanuel--,god with us3 ,god with you1 in you1 around you1 loving you1 bearing with you1 forgiving you1 helping you1 watching over you1 taking you up and carrying you as the parent takes up and carries the little child40 ,the first anniversary ,sunday of the attack on ,fort ,sumter was marked by a sermon on the 8,success of ,american ,democracy10 the tone of which may be judged by the following passage3 8#8,we will give every dollar that we are worth1 every child that we have1 and our own selves2 we will bring all that we are and all that we have1 and offer them up freely--but this country shall be one and undivided4 ,we will have one ,constitution and one liberty1 and that universal4' ,the ,atlantic shall sound it and the ,pacific shall echo it back1 deep answering to deep1 and it shall reverberate from the ,lakes on the ,north to the unfrozen ,gulf on the ,south--#8,one nation1 one ,constitution1 one starry banner6' ,hear it1 ,england6--one country1 and indivisible4 ,hear it1 ,europe6--one people1 and inseparable4 ,one ,god2 one hope2 one baptism2 one ,constitution2 one government2 one nation2 one country2 one people--cost what it may1 we will have it60 ,the summer of #ahfb was1 perhaps1 a period of as great discouragement to the ,north as any during the war4 ,after months of preparation and wearisome delays1 with the grandest army that had ever been gathered on this continent1 ,mc,clellan had made his advance against ,richmond1 only to entrench1 retreat1 and at last to be hurled back defeated and shattered4 ,it was when these terrible disasters were beginning to be understood and their true significance appreciated that ,mr4 ,beecher's editorials in the ,independent rose to their highest point of power and influence4 ,they were directed to the people and to the government as occasion demanded1 but always with such a grouping of facts1 with so clear an appreciation of the situation1 and with so great earnestness of appeal and power of denunciation that they must be reckoned among the loyal forces4 ,we give the titles and a few sentences from several of that time1 that their general character may be understood4 ,on ,july #c1 #ahfb1 we have one upon 8,the ,great ,duty03 8,in another column will be found the ,president's call for #cjj1jjj more soldiers4 ,these1 and as many more if needed1 can be raised4 ,the ,north has not changed her mind4 ,the integrity of this nation1 the authority of its ,constitution over all its original territory1 will be maintained at every hazard and at whatever expense4 8,it is our duty to the nation and to the family of nations to make a slaveholders' rebellion so odious and disastrous that it shall stand to all ages like ,sodom and ,gomorrah4 ,whatever it may cost in men and money1 the ,north is fully assured that for nothing else can money be so well spent1 and for nothing nobler can men live1 or1 if need be1 lay down their lives6 8,the great duty now is to maintain a united ,north4 ,no event can be more sure than the victory of this government over the slaveholders' conspiracy1 if the loyal ,states are united4 ,but if secret feuds or open factions shall divide and paralyze the popular feeling1 the cause will fail1 or succeed only after long1 wasting1 and useless expenditures40 ,in the next issue1 ,july #aj1 he has an equally strong editorial upon 8,the ,country's ,need40 ,the suppression of news1 the failure to trust the people1 the political intrigues at the capital1 moved him to righteous and sorrowful indignation3 8,did the government frankly say to this nation1 ,we are defeated8 ,to this hour it has not trusted the people4 ,it held back the news for days4 ,nor was the truth honestly told when outside information compelled it to say something4 ,it is even to this hour permitting ,mc,clellan's disaster to be represented as a piece of skilfully planned strategy6 ,after the labor of two months1 the horrible sickness of thousands of men poisoned in the swamps of the ,chickahominy1 the loss of probably more than ten thousand as noble fellows as ever lifted a hand to defend their country1 ,mc,clellan1 who was four miles from ,richmond1 finds himself twenty-five miles from the city1 wagons burned1 ammunition-trains blown up1 parks of artillery captured1 no entrenchments1 and with an army so small that it is not pretended that he can reach ,richmond6 ,the public are infatuated4 ,the papers that regaled us two weeks ago with visions of a ,fourth of ,july in ,richmond are now asking us to rejoice and acclaim--not at victory--but that we have just saved the army6 ,mc,clellan is safe6--and ,richmond too6 8,the government1 upon this disaster1 procures the governors of the ,states to ask it to call for #cjj1jjj more men4 ,why did not the ,president take the responsibility1 plainly confess our disaster1 say that we were within a hand-breadth of ruin1 throw himself on the people8 ,no4 ,the people pay taxes1 give their sons and brothers--but that is all4 ,we are sick and weary of this conduct4 ,we have a sacred cause1 a noble army1 good officers1 and a heroic common people4 ,but we are like to be ruined by an administration that will not tell the truth2 that spends precious time in playing at ,president-making2 that is cutting and shuffling the cards for the next great political campaign4 ,unless good men awake1 unless the accursed silence is broken that has fallen on the people1 unless the government is held sternly to its responsibility to the people1 we shall dally through the summer1 make brigadier-generals until autumn1 build huge entrenchments1 but fight no battles till they are forced upon us1 and then we shall be called upon to celebrate our defeats or retreats as masterly strategies6 8,we have a country4 ,we have a cause4 ,we have a people4 ,let all good men pray that ,god would give us a government60 ,this is followed by one1 ,july #ag1 on the 8,patriotism of the ,people40 ,its tone will be understood by these few sentences3 8,there is no need of rousing the patriotism of the people4 ,it is an inexhaustible quality4 ,it underlies their very life4 ,the government itself is buoyed up by it1 and rides upon it1 like a ship upon the fathomless ocean4 8,no4 ,it is the government that needs rousing4 ,we do not need meetings on the ,hudson1 but motion on the ,potomac4 ,it is not in ,boston1 or ,buffalo1 or ,cincinnati1 or ,new ,york that this case is to be settled1 but in ,washington4 ,there is no use of concealing it4 ,the people are beginning to distrust their rulers--not their good nature1 their patriotism1 their honesty1 but their capacity for the exigency of military affairs4 ,they know that in war an hour often carries a campaign in its hand4 ,a day is a year4 ,the ,president seems to be a man without any sense of the value of time4 ,the people admire his disinterestedness4 ,they believe him firm when he reaches decisions4 ,but they perceive how long a period he requires to form judgments2 how wide a circuit he takes of uncertainty and vacillation before he determines4 ,in civil affairs1 that can bear to wait1 the people deem him among the best of our long line of ,presidents4 ,but it is war6 ,armies are perishing4 ,months are wasting4 ,we are in the second year of rebellion4 ,we have been just on the eve of doing something for sixteen months6 8,the nation rose up in its majesty to punish rebellion4 ,it put a magnificent army into the ,president's hand4 ,for one year that army was besieged in the capital6 8,at length1 this past spring1 began the campaign in ,virginia4 ,the people gloried in the belief that the majesty of the government would be asserted4 ,after four months' campaign the armies of the ,united ,states are on the defensive6 ,not less than a hundred thousand men have been lost by death1 wounds1 sickness1 and captivity2 ,mc,clellan is cooped up on ,james ,river2 ,pope is collecting an army2 and the country is to-day actually debating whether the enemy cannot strike a blow at ,washington6 ,is this such a management as will confirm the confidence of the country in ,mr4 ,lincoln's conduct of the war8 ,do we need to ask why men are slow to volunteer8 ,does any man need to be told what the end of such things must be8 ,this is not punishing rebellion2 it is helping it4444 8,we speak plainly1 sorrowfully1 earnestly4 ,an enemy of the ,administration would have no right to speak so4 ,we are friends--all the more because we speak out what millions think but do not utter1 lest it might hinder the cause4 ,but1 unless some one speaks1 there will soon be little cause left to hinder or to help40 ,in the next issue1 that of ,july #bd1 he has another two-column editorial upon 8,the ,duty of ,to-day03 8,in the beginning of this great struggle the question among loyal men was1 ,how shall we save this nation8 ,one year of fighting and the question is1 ,,whether we can save it8 ,that is the question of to-day4444 8,the ,south has simplicity and unity of purpose4 ,the ,north is uncertain which she wishes most--to subdue the rebellion1 to leave slavery unharmed1 or to have the right ,president at the next election6 8,the ,south adjourns every question and postpones every interest in favor of arms4 ,the ,north is busy with conflicting schemes and interests--and is also mildly carrying on war4 8,does anybody doubt the result of such a course8 ,it is so certain that it is not worth our while to waste another man or another dollar6 ,either the ,administration policy should instantly change or the war cease6 ,it is not more vigor so much as a different internal idea4 ,if the ,administration cannot be disenchanted of the traditional policy that has grown up during the heartless1 timid1 compromising era of the last half-century1 and adopt the simple and straightforward policy that becomes a people striving for liberty and free institutions upon the ,american continent1 then we are doomed6 ,it is war that we are making--war first1 war second1 war wholly6 ,it is not politics4 ,it is not ,constitution-making4 ,it is not the decision of legal niceties4 ,these are not the business of government1 as toward the ,south4 ,it is war1 absolute1 terrible1 and immeasurable war6 8,the ,south has organized on the fact of slavery1 and fights on that issue1 pure and simple4 ,the ,north must organize on the doctrine of liberty1 and fight right through on that issue1 pure and simple4 8,the ,south sacrifices everything that conflicts with her central idea4 ,the ,north must do the same4 ,the ,south is not ashamed of slavery4 ,the ,north must not be ashamed of liberty6 0444 ,the government cannot any longer avoid choosing the issue that has been made up and thrust upon it--freedom or slavery4 ,the time has come4 ,so long as there was a chance of solving this question as a civil question it was wise to leave it1 as far as possible1 to the ,states concerned1 and to employ the moral influences which change men's minds4 ,but slavery has become a military question4 ,one year has changed all things4 ,a remiss and vacillating policy of the ,administration2 the committing of the armies of the ,united ,states for a whole year to a man who thought he was at ,west ,point giving a four years' course of instruction to five hundred thousand men infinitely at leisure1 has changed the relations and possibilities of things4 ,it has taken slavery out of the realm of discussion and placed it in the arena of war4 ,it must be settled by force4444 8,nothing will unite this people like a bold annunciation of a moral principle4 ,let the ,american flag be lifted up by ,mr4 ,lincoln1 as was the brazen serpent1 and let it be known that every man who looks upon it on this continent shall be free1 and a tide of joy and irresistible enthusiasm will sweep away every obstacle4 ,let ,mr4 ,lincoln decree it4 ,the nation will do it6 8,such a policy would carry the conscience of the ,north2 would kindle the enthusiasm for liberty1 which is always the most potent of influences2 would bring all the historic traditions of the old ,american struggle to enkindle the ardor of the young1 who are to form our armies4 ,it would brush away at one stroke a thousand hindrances1 give simplicity and unity to our plans1 and distinctness to our policy4 ,it would end all threat of foreign intervention4 ,above all1 it would give to the ,american armies that pillar of smoke by day and fire by night by which ,god the ,emancipator led forth ,his people from bondage into liberty60 ,in the next issue1 ,july #ca1 he writes a two-column editorial upon 8,the ,root of the ,matter03 8,it is not enough that we increase our men and means4 ,we shall never succeed until we accept the idea latent in this conflict4 ,slavery must be crushed4 ,liberty must have absolute and unquestioned dominion on this continent4 ,we will not have oppression under the symbol of a sceptre or of a whip--neither exported from abroad nor sprouting from our own soil6 ,this continent is dedicated to ,liberty4 ,it is the mission of this generation of men to establish free institutions from ocean to ocean4 ,we sought to do it in peace4 ,since war has come1 we will seek to take from its repulsiveness and horror by making it serve the noblest ends of human liberty4 ,if it is for liberty upon a whole continent that we fight1 then every son or brother that falls is a sacrificial victim4 ,by his blood we ransom generations of men6 8,the way to make the ,administration see this truth is to see it ourselves4 ,there is a kind of political mesmerism4 ,our rulers will partake of our sensations4 ,what the people see the ,president will see4 ,what the people taste will repeat itself on the ,president's tongue4 8,let the sentence be spoken4 ,let all hindrances and hesitations end4 ,lift up the banner6 ,and as the winds of war roll out its folds1 let those letters shine out as if ,god had written them with heavenly light1 #8,,universal ,,emancipation4'0 ,the next editorial1 ,august #g1 is upon 8,a ,leader for the ,people40 ,these were the days of ,pope and the disasters of the army1 and the uncertainty and terror at ,washington4 ,two columns of argument and appeal for more genuine enthusiasm for the great doctrines on which this government was founded close with a prayer1 the only relief of a heart bursting with a mighty passion of sorrow and impatience3 8,great ,god1 what a people hast ,thou brought forth upon this continent6 ,what love of liberty2 what heroic love of law and institution2 what courage1 and constancy1 and self-sacrifice hast ,thou given them6 ,and no man is found to lead this so great a nation6 ,be ,thou ,leader6 ,lord ,god of ,hosts1 hast ,thou forgotten how to lead a people8 ,there are no ages on ,thy head6 ,years make ,thee neither old nor weary6 ,behind ,thy unwrinkled brow no care dwells6 ,teach this people to need no other leader but ,thyself6 ,then1 led by ,thee1 teach them to be all-sufficient for every deed of justice1 and omnipotent for liberty60 ,these are followed1 ,august #ad1 by a three-column editorial upon 8,the ,time has ,come03 8,we have been made irresolute1 indecisive1 and weak by the ,president's attempt to unite impossibilities2 to make war and keep the peace2 to strike hard and not hurt2 to invade sovereign ,states and not meddle with their sovereignty2 to put down rebellion without touching its cause2 to bring an infuriated people into enforced union with their enemies1 and to leave all their causes of quarrels unsettled and vigorous1 and yet hope for future concord4 8,thus far the conservative ,north has been striving to conduct this war so as not to meddle with the so-called ,southern right of slavery4 ,but1 in spite of every scruple1 events have crowded men to the necessity of confiscation and emancipation4 ,there is one more step4 ,it is the last sublime step toward national safety and national ,christian glory4 ,it is immediate and universal emancipation60 ,in the next issue1 ,august #ba1 is another article1 upon 8,the ,only ,ground10 of the same temper1 urging the same plea3 8,the ,president has the right and power to destroy slavery4 ,let him account to the civilized world for not doing it40 ,and another ,august #bh1 upon 8,reconstruction03 8,since1 then1 the old ,union is de facto ceased1 and all the local rights lapsed by rebellion to the hands of the government1 and it is to reconstruct the ,union1 would it be a stretch of authority in the government so to reconstruct it as to insure its perpetuity by purging out all possible cause of future discord8 ,the ,president has the authority4 ,he is exercising it every day4 ,all that we ask is that he will look forward and not backward2 that he will consider the nation of the future1 and not mere precedents in the past4444 ,to put down rebellion first1 and attend to slavery afterwards1 is letting two serpents uncoil that may as well be stricken through with one blow40 ,the preacher's pulpit is in perfect accord with the editor's chair4 ,in a sermon of ,july #bg1 #ahfb1 he says3 8,god has been pleased to bring this nation at this time into great trials that are to test the faith of all true men4 ,i think that we have not by a long way touched bottom yet4 ,i think that the wind has not yet blown its fiercest4 ,there are blacker clouds than those that have yet expended their fury4 ,i cast no confidence away4 ,i do not know that we are to succeed to-day or to-morrow2 but we are going to succeed4 ,i do not know that we are going to succeed in ,virginia for the present1 but we are a-going to succeed in ,america4 8,when ,i die there will be a great many things that1 if ,i have time to think of them1 ,i may be sorry for4 ,after ,i die there may be a great many inconsistencies1 a great many sins1 a great many unperformed duties that1 when ,i behold them in retrospect1 ,i shall regret4 ,but ,i tell you that1 whether in the passage of death1 or at the gate of heaven1 or before ,god's eternal throne1 ,i never expect to be sorry that ,i have preached so often and so strongly in behalf of those that were in bonds2 that ,i have spoken1 as ,i have had opportunity1 for those that could not speak for themselves2 that ,i have roused up1 according to the measure of my influence1 the whole community to vindicate the cause of ,god toward ,his oppressed ones4 ,i shall not be sorry for that4 ,i shall be sorry that ,i have not done more2 but ,i never shall be sorry that ,i have done so much4 8,and my faith in this cause was never so strong as it is now4 ,i do not throw it away4 ,i feel certain that if the will of ,god is done in this matter1 though we may have to wait1 we shall have great recompense of reward in waiting4 8,may ,god inspire the hearts of our rulers by the right things6 ,may ,god unite the hearts of this great people in right counsels and in right feelings6 ,may ,god accept the offerings that we make of our children1 of our brothers1 of our neighbors1 of everything that we have6 ,let us put them all on the altar of patriotism1 knowing that in this case the altar of patriotism is the altar of ,god4 ,he will accept the offering1 and in ,his own time1 by tokens infallible1 ,he will reward our faith and bring us forth purged1 purified1 strengthened by the things which we have suffered40 ,with all his earnestness he must have his laugh at a contemporary1 8,a ,queer ,pulpit03 8,we knew that the ,journal of ,commerce was famous upon statistics and prided itself upon its good literary taste4 ,but we had no idea before of the powers of its rhetoric4 ,we extract a figure from its issue of ,august #bg that should be commended to the directors of the ,new ,york ,hospital3 8#8,it is the voice of a glorious past which speaks to him1 in the tones of the fathers whose graves are with us4 ,it is the voice of the living nation1 millions on millions of whom utter the same words we utter to-day4 ,it is the voice of posterity1 speaking from the womb of time1 that calls on him to save the ,constitution1 which was made1 not for the duration of a human life1 but to be the blessing of all men and all nations until the end of thrones and earthly powers4 ,that he will be faithful we do not for one instant doubt4' 8,this is taking part in politics rather early4 ,constitutional studies must be pursued under difficulties in this case4 ,but if posterity are so greatly stirred in their minds1 there is nothing for it but for the ,president to write them a letter4 ,he answered ,horace ,greeley4 ,surely he will heed the sufferings of posterity in such uncomfortable quarters4 8,for ourselves1 we cannot be too thankful that we are already born4 ,we prefer open-air speaking4 ,if the ,president don't save the ,constitution now1 it is a hopeless case60 ,in an editorial1 ,september #aa1 upon 8,the ,contrast10 he sums up the difference in sentences like these3 8,richmond determines1 ,washington reasons2 ,richmond is inflexible1 ,washington vacillates2 ,richmond knows what it wants to do1 ,washington wishes that it knew2 ,richmond loves slavery and hates liberty1 ,washington is somewhat partial to liberty and rather dislikes slavery2 ,rebellion is wise and sinful1 ,government is foolish40 ,upon a report that a member of the ,cabinet had said 8that nations often lose their institutions1 their liberties1 and yet preserve their national life1 and that in our case we must aim to preserve the national life10 he writes an editorial 7,september #ah1 #ahfb7 which he properly entitled 8,the ,trumpet03 8444 ,let other people imagine as they may a national life1 like a disembodied spirit1 wandering over the continent seeking rest and finding none4 ,we propose no such issue to this struggle4 ,the nation must emerge from war shorn of no attribute and mutilated in none of its members4 ,we claim this continent for liberty4 ,we demand the execution of slavery for treason4 ,we arraign this arch-conspirator1 arrested with a dagger in its hand aimed at the life of this government and the liberties of the people1 and in the name of mankind and before ,almighty ,god we demand that its life be forfeited4 ,let the trumpet sound60 ,these are but samples of the editorials that were sent out from his pen through the columns of the ,independent4 ,week after week they continued1 pleading for vigor1 denouncing inaction1 urging that liberty be recognized as the great issue at stake1 and demanding immediate emancipation of the slave4 ,at last1 after this long1 weary1 heart-breaking delay1 he publishes1 ,september #be1 8,the ,proclamation0 of the ,president announcing 8that on the first day of ,january1 in the year of our ,lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three1 all persons held as slaves within any ,state1 or any designated part of a ,state1 the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the ,united ,states1 shall be thenceforward and for ever free40 ,mr4 ,beecher says of it3 8,we send forth to-day the most important paper ever published in the ,independent1 the most extraordinary document ever proceeding from this government4444 8,no more guises and veils4 ,no more side-issues4 ,no more deceitful compromises4 ,the government has taken ground1 and every man in the nation must take ground4 ,you are for or against this government1 and this government is declared to mean liberty to the slave6 ,there is no neutral ground for traitors to hide in1 playing wolf at night and sheep by day4 ,the ,president's proclamation will sift the ,north1 give unity to its people1 simplicity to its policy1 liberty to its army6 ,that whole army is no longer a mongrel something between a police force and a political caucus4 ,it is an army organized to strike where blows will be most felt4 8,the ,proclamation emancipates slaves in thrice thirty days4 ,but it emancipates the government and the army to-day4 ,the nation is freer than it was on the #bast4 ,we have a policy4 ,the people will base it upon a principle4 ,it is the policy of liberty upon the principle of justice4 ,the future is before us6 ,through what dark days we must pass we know not4 ,what battles and what reverses are in store we do not inquire4 ,at last we have a right to believe that ,god is leading us4 ,he who carried ,his people from bondage through the wilderness1 and established them in the promised land1 can surely guide us6 8,let sorrows fall fast2 there is joy before us6 ,we behold upon the troubled sea a ,christ coming to us1 walking on the waves6 ,in ,his hand are winds and storms4 ,every hour now moves toward the great day of ,emancipation4 ,at length the dawn shall bring that day most eminent in our national calendar4 ,amid all the festivities that usher in the year1 there shall be a great joy1 deeper1 purer1 holier than ever came to us with the ,new ,year--the joy of a nation that1 after long sorrow and shame1 shall cast off from itself the guilt of slavery1 and stand erect before the world a consistent witness for liberty60 ,he looks upon it as the beginning of the end1 and is satisfied if it be ,god's will that his work should now cease4 ,on the evening of the last day of slavery in ,america--,wednesday evening1 ,december #ca--;he says in his lecture-room talk3 8,as for myself1 let come what will come1 ,i care not4 ,god may peel me1 and bark me1 and strip me of my leaves1 and do as ,he chooses with my earthly estate4 ,i have lived long enough2 ,i have had a good time4 ,you cannot take back the blows ,i have given the devil right in the face4 ,i have uttered some words that will not die1 because they are incorporated into the lives of men that will not die4 ,through my instrumentality1 aided by ,god's providence1 many souls have been converted and gone singing home to their eternal abode4 ,i think ,i have a larger church in heaven than ,i have on earth1 and ,i think they love me and want me there4 ,i have no reason to ask for longer life4 ,if my work is done1 and ,god does not want me here1 and this is my last night of labor on earth1 ought ,i to be sorry8 ,ought ,i not to be the most grateful man that ever lived that ,i have had such health1 that ,i have had such an open field1 that ,i have had the privilege of speaking the truth right straight along for fifteen years1 whether men would hear or whether they would forbear1 and that ,i have been borne up1 in doing this1 by so large a church1 composed of such an enthusiastic body of ,god's people8 8,and to-night the shadows of the past come over me4 ,i remember when ,i first stood1 in about this place1 in the old church4 ,i remember the sermon that ,i preached to you on the first ,sunday night after ,i came among you1 as if it were but an hour ago4 ,i then declared to the inchoate congregation gathered here that it was my purpose to preach the ,gospel in its applications to slavery1 and peace1 and war1 and moral purity1 and every ,christian reform1 and that ,i would do it whether you heard it or not1 and whether you stood by me or forsook me4 ,i recollect those times perfectly well4 8,fifteen years have passed since then1 and here we are talking about the ,president of the ,united ,states emancipating four million slaves4 ,here we are in the midst of a war whose inevitable outcome from this time must be to make war on slavery4 ,mightier than ,congress now is the arm for emancipation--mightier than all things6 ,in the providence of ,god what wonderful revolutions and changes have taken place in fifteen years6 ,i am willing to live fifteen years more1 if ,god wishes it1 if ,i may renew my youth and work on4 ,i should dread to find now that there were no more locks to get up1 and that ,i must henceforth travel on a dead level4 ,i would try and pull with my freight-boat on a level1 if ,god wished me to1 though ,i would like here and there to rise4 ,it would be a pleasure to live1 if it were ,god's will1 till the day-star dawned1 for ,i know it will dawn1 but ,i am willing to lay down my burden at any time1 if it please ,god4 ,if ,he will accept the thanks that ,i give ,him for all that ,he has permitted me to do1 to say1 and experience in days past1 then1 as to the future1 let ,his will be done4 ,i ask neither to live nor to die40 ,this closes the third era of his work in the great anti-slavery contest4 ,we now turn back to glance over the same period and note some of the more important events aside from this struggle1 public1 domestic1 and private1 that marked the years from #ahej to ,january1 #ahfc4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,first ,voyage to ,england--,extracts from ,diary--,warwick ,castle--,stratford-on-,avon--,the ,skylark--,oxford--,bodleian ,library--,london--,old-time ,sadness--,paris--,catch-,words from ,diary--,effect of ,picture-,gallery--,the ,louvre--,his ,return4 ,in the middle of the year #ahej his labors were interrupted4 8,henry ,ward ,beecher1 our esteemed brother1 sailed for ,europe on ,tuesday1 ,july #i1 in the ship ,new ,world1 ,captain ,knight4 ,it was a sudden move1 but having received a friendly invitation from the captain1 and taking the advice of his friends that a voyage out and back would be of essential benefit to his health1 which has been considerably shattered by repeated attacks of illness1 he accepted the invitation1 but expects to return with the vessel4 ,during his absence the pulpit of ,plymouth ,church will be supplied by the pastor's younger brother1 ,rev4 ,charles ,beecher1 of ,indiana40 ,this item we find in the ,independent of that week3 8,journal4--,landed from ,new ,world ,july #cj1 #ahej4 ,waterloo ,inn40 ,this is the first entry in a memorandum-book now in our hands1 and it tells its own story4 ,he is in ,liverpool1 ,england4 ,we have spoken of ,mr4 ,beecher's perfect health1 and such he enjoyed1 for the most part1 through life4 ,but it was only retained1 after he came to ,brooklyn1 by great care on his part4 ,before he had learned the necessity of this there had been several failures4 ,one was an attack of erysiphaltic fever1 in the spring of #ahdi1 which kept him out of his pulpit for several months4 ,during the following winter he had a severe attack of quinsy1 from the exhaustion of which it seemed to his friends that he was breaking down1 and they procured passage for him to ,europe1 as has just been stated1 and gave him a three months' leave of absence4 ,another experience now opened to him4 ,the sea1 out upon which he had so often looked with longing eyes1 in boyhood1 from the wharves of ,boston1 and across whose waters he had often sailed in imagination1 he now1 for the first time1 traversed in reality4 ,he found it far less agreeable than he expected1 and learned on this his first voyage1 what no after-experience ever contradicted1 that for him 8the only pleasant thing about going to sea was the going ashore40 ,from his note-book and diary we can follow him1 step by step1 and from his letters to friends can learn of some of those experiences that made this trip memorable in its impressions and influence4 ,the next entry in his journal reads3 8,july #ca1 ,manchester and back4 ,hedges same as combed and uncombed hair4 ,railroad mile-posts subdivided2 grading in manufacturing villages4 ,go out from ,london under ground1 come into ,manchester over tops of houses4 ,clothes-line across streets4 8,august #c1 ,birmingham2 railroad stations4 ,knight says thirty-three ocean steamers have been put afloat in eighteen months2 only the ,bremen steamers before afloat4 0,plated ,ware4--,pattern dies1 stamping1 handles1 etc42 spoons1 forks1 plain piece1 cut shape1 then slit tines1 stamp shape2 filing-room1 polishing1 chasing or fretting1 plating1 brushing4 ,designer gets #b to #b #aj_/per week40 ,this is the first page of his note-book1 and is given entire1 not because there is anything remarkable about it1 but because it is a sample of his note-books in general4 ,they are full of facts1 and facts of every description4 ,he seldom gives impressions or sentiments4 ,he has a hunger for all kinds of items2 give him these and the sentiments will take care of themselves4 ,occasionally he concludes with a description that sets the items in some higher relation and shows the processes that are going on in his own mind2 as when1 after giving some dozen particulars in the process of manufacturing papier-mach1 he closes the list of catch-words with this3 8,it is the art of creating plastic wood4 ,it grows by hand and not by vegetable vitality1 then hardens and receives ,art40 ,but it was not items alone that he learned in his travels2 he became familiar with objects of which he had read1 and gained inspiration from a more intimate acquaintance4 ,in ,warwick ,castle and ,kenilworth he walked among scenes made vivid to him in his youth in the pages of ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,he entered1 as he said1 8into the very life of that olden time1 and took from it its good without tasting its evil40 ,csar's ,tower1 which had stood for eight hundred years1 co-eval with the ,norman ,conquest1 especially aroused his imagination3 8,i stood upon its mute stones and imagined the ring of the hammer upon them when the mason was laying them to their bed of ages4 ,what were the thoughts1 the fancies1 the conversations of these rude fellows at that age of the world8 ,i was wafted backward1 and backward1 until ,i stood on the foundations upon which old ,england herself was builded1 when as yet there was none of her4 ,there1 far back of all literature1 before the ,english tongue itself was formed1 earlier than her jurisprudence and than all modern civilization1 ,i stood in imagination1 and1 reversing my vision1 looked down into a far future to search for the men and deeds which had been1 as if they were yet to be2 thus making a prophecy of history1 and changing memory into a dreamy foresight4 8,against these stones1 on which ,i lay my hand1 have rung the sounds of battle4 ,yonder1 on these very grounds1 there raged1 in sight of men that stand where ,i do1 fiercest and deadliest conflicts4 ,all this ground has fed on blood4444 8,i walked across to ,guy's ,tower1 up its long stone stairway1 into some of its old soldiers' rooms4 ,the pavements were worn1 though of stone1 with the heavy1 grinding feet of men-at-arms4 ,i heard them laugh between their cups1 ,i saw them devouring their gross food1 ,i heard them recite their feats1 or tell the last news of some knightly outrage or cruel oppression of the despised laborer4 ,i stood by the window out of which the archer sent his whistling arrows4 ,i stood by the openings through which scalding water or molten lead was poured upon the heads of the assailants1 and heard the hoarse shriek of the wretched fellows who got the shocking baptism4 ,i ascended to the roof of the tower1 and looked over the wide glory of the scene1 still haunted with the same imaginations of olden time4 ,how many thoughts had flown hence besides mine6--here where warriors looked out or ladies watched for their knights' return4 ,how did ,i long to stand for one hour1 really1 in their position and in their consciousness who lived in those days2 and then to come back1 with the new experience1 to my modern self60 ,in this is shown his sympathy with the old ,saxon yeomanry1 and was his ,saxon ancestry taking voice2 all the romantic1 picturesque elements of his nature were fed1 and ran1 like the streams of springtide1 full-banked to the sea4 ,we next find in his note-book these items and references3 8,approach to ,stratford-on-,avon4 ,how peaceful the associations in contrast with those of ,warwick and ,kenilworth60 8,the place3 old ,english houses2 ,red ,horse ,inn40 8,birds3 thrush1 lark1 nightingale1 sparrow1 robin1 starling1 rooks1 cuckoo40 8,a different but1 to me1 even greater interest attaches to ,avon from the throngs from every nation that have visited it40 8,shakspere3 eleven years old when ,elizabeth visited ,kenilworth40 8,no greater change can be imagined than from the warlike towers of ,guy of ,warwick to the quiet home of ,shakspere1 ,stratford-on-,avon40 ,the change in his experience was equally marked4 ,in the one the martial spirit of the warrior1 in the other the loving1 receptive spirit of the prophet and poet1 were aroused and fed4 ,in ,stratford-on-,avon he had one of those luminous hours which were1 in his experience1 like ,mountains of ,transfiguration4 ,in a letter to a friend describing a ,sabbath here1 written at this time1 he says3 8,the scenes of ,saturday had fired me2 every visit to various points in ,stratford-on-,avon added to the inspiration1 until1 as ,i sallied forth to church1 ,i seemed not to have a body4 ,i could hardly feel my feet striking against the ground2 it was as if ,i were numb4 ,but my soul was clear1 penetrating1 and exquisitely susceptible4444 8,i had been anxious lest some ,cowper's ministerial fop should officiate1 and the sight of this aged man was good4 ,the form of his face and head indicated firmness1 but his features were suffused with an expression of benevolence4 8,he ascended the reading-desk and the services began4 ,you know my mother was1 until her marriage1 in the communion of the ,episcopal ,church4 ,this thought hardly left me while ,i sat1 grateful for the privilege of worshipping ,god through a service that had expressed so often her devotions4 ,i cannot tell you how much ,i was affected4 ,i had never had such a trance of worship1 and ,i shall never have such another view until ,i gain the ,gate4 8,i am so ignorant of the church service that ,i cannot call the various parts by their right names1 but the portions which most affected me were the prayers and responses which the choir sang4 ,i had never heard any part of a supplication1 a direct prayer1 chanted by a choir1 and it seemed as though ,i heard not with my ear but with my soul4 ,i was dissolved2 my whole being seemed to me like an incense wafted gratefully toward ,god4 ,the divine presence rose before me in wondrous majesty1 but of ineffable gentleness and goodness1 and ,i could not stay away from more familiar approach1 but seemed irresistibly yet gently drawn toward ,god4 ,my soul1 then thou didst magnify the ,lord and rejoice in the ,god of thy salvation6 ,and then came to my mind the many exultations of the ,psalms of ,david1 and never before were the expressions and figures so noble and so necessary to express what ,i felt4 ,i had risen1 it seemed to me1 so high as to be where ,david was when his soul conceived the things which he wrote4 ,throughout the service--and it was an hour and a quarter long--whenever an #8,amen6' occurred it was given by the choir accompanied by the organ and the congregation4 ,oh6 that swell and solemn cadence rings in my ear yet6 8,not once1 not a single time1 did it occur in that service without bringing tears from my eyes4 ,i stood like a shrub on a spring morning--every leaf covered with dew1 and every breeze shook down some drops4 ,i trembled so much at times that ,i was obliged to sit down4 ,oh6 when in the prayers1 breathed forth in strains of sweet1 simple1 solemn music1 the love of ,christ was recognized1 how ,i longed then to give utterance to what that love seemed to me4 ,there was a moment in which the heavens seemed opened to me and ,i saw the glory of ,god6 ,all the earth seemed to me a store-house of images made to set forth the ,redeemer1 and ,i could scarcely be still from crying out4 ,i never knew1 ,i never dreamed before of what heart there was in that word amen4 ,every time it swelled forth and died away solemnly1 not my lips1 not my mind1 but my whole being said3 #8,saviour1 so let it be4' 8,the sermon was preparatory to the communion1 which ,i then first learned was to be celebrated4 ,it was plain and good2 and although the rector had done many things in a way that led me to suppose that he sympathized with over-much ceremony1 yet in his sermon he seemed evangelical and gave a right view of the ,lord's ,supper4 8,for the first time in my life ,i went forward to commune in an ,episcopal church4 ,without any intent of my own1 but because from my seat it was nearest1 ,i knelt down at the altar1 with the dust of ,shakspere beneath my feet4 ,i thought of it as ,i thought of ten thousand other things1 without the least disturbance of devotion4 ,it seemed as if ,i stood upon a place so high that1 like one looking over a wide valley1 all objects conspired to make but one view4 ,i thought of the ,general ,assembly and ,church of the ,first-,born1 of my mother and brother and children in heaven1 of my living family on earth1 of you1 of the whole church entrusted to my hands--they afar off1 ,i upon the banks of the ,avon40 ,he did not forget his old friends1 birds and trees4 ,from ,stratford-on-,avon he writes3 8,as ,i stood looking over on the masses of foliage and the single trees dotted in here and there1 ,i could see every shade of green1 and all of them most beautiful1 and as refreshing to me as old friends4 ,after standing awhile to take a last view of ,stratford-on-,avon from this high ground and the beautiful slopes around it1 and of the meadows of the ,avon1 ,i began to walk homeward1 when ,i heard such an outbreak behind me as wheeled me about quick enough4 ,there he flew1 singing as he rose1 and rising gradually1 not directly up1 but with gentle slope--there was the free-singing lark1 not half so happy to sing as ,i was to hear4 ,in a moment more he had reached the summit of his ambition and suddenly fell back to the grass again4 ,and now if you laugh at my enthusiasm ,i will pity you for the want of it4 ,i have heard one poet's lark1 if ,i never hear another1 and am much happier for it40 ,at ,oxford a new world opened to him--that of an ,english university town enriched with the growth and associations of seven hundred years4 ,the beauty of its architecture1 its cloistered quiet1 its galleries1 and1 most of all1 its libraries1 impressed him4 8,few places affect me more than libraries1 and especially the ,bodleian ,library1 reputed to have half a million printed books and manuscripts4 ,i walked solemnly and reverently among the alcoves and through the halls1 as if in the pyramid of embalmed souls4 ,it was their life1 their heart1 their mind1 that they treasured in these book-urns4 ,silent as they are1 should all the emotions that went to their creation have utterance1 could the world itself contain the various sounds8 ,they longed for fame6 ,here it is--to stand silently for ages1 moved only to be dusted and catalogued1 valued only as units in the ambitious total1 and gazed at occasionally by men ignorant as ,i am of their name1 their place1 their language1 and their worth4 ,indeed1 unless a man can link his written thoughts with the everlasting wants of men1 so that they shall draw from them as from wells1 there is no more immortality to the thoughts and feelings of the soul than to the muscles and the bones4 ,a library is but the soul's burial-ground4 ,it is the land of shadows40 ,it was1 however1 not all shadowy4 8,noon ,refection4--#8,what will you take to drink1 ,oxford ale or a little wine8' ,cold water4 #8,oh6 not cold water1 surely8 ,a little sherry and water8' #8,surely you will not come to ,england to drink cold water8' ,my dear sir1 ,i am a thorough-going teetotaler1 and you surely would not have me come to ,england to lose my good principles8 #8,why1 sir1 ,i am not a teetotaler1 but ,i am a temperance man--was never drunk in my life--but you surprise me6' 8,dining and tea-room of ,fellows4 ,elaborate carved oak--no sham4 ,in all respects college in quadrangle proposes to take care of its students1 head and stomach1 soul1 intellect1 and body1 and therefore has added kitchen to library40 8,london1 ,august #i4--;,arrived last night4 ,old ,bell4 ,visited ,trafalgar ,square and ,westminster ,abbey1 ,guildhall1 ,bank of ,england1 ,tower1 ,tunnel1 etc40 ,in ,london something of the old-time sadness came over him1 with the old-time sources of relief3 8,now1 too1 ,i am apt1 if ,i do not fall asleep soon enough--or more frequently when ,i awake1 hours before it is the fashion here to get up--to lie and think over my way of life hitherto2 and my life-work seems to me to be so little1 and so poorly done1 that ,i feel discouraged at the thought of resuming it6 ,i have everywhere in my travelling--at the shrine of the martyrs in ,oxford1 at the graves of ,bunyan and ,wesley in ,london1 at the vault in which ,raleigh was for twelve years confined in the ,tower--asked myself whether ,i could have done and endured what they did1 and as they did6 ,it is enough to make one tremble for himself to have such a heart-sounding as this gives him4 ,i cast the lead for the depth of my soul1 and it strikes so soon that ,i have little reason for pride4 8,had it not been for paintings1 and flowers1 and trees1 and the landscapes1 ,i do not know what ,i should have done with myself4 ,often when extremely distressed ,i have gone to the parks or out of the city to some quiet ground where ,i could find a wooded stream1 and the woods filled with birds1 and found1 almost in a moment1 a new spirit coming over me4 ,i was rid of men1 almost of myself4 ,i seemed to find a sacred sweetness and calmness1 not coming over me1 but into me4 ,i seemed nearer to heaven4 ,i felt less sadness about life1 for ,god would take care of it2 and my own worthlessness1 too1 became a source of composure1 for on that very account it made little difference in the world's history whether ,i lived or died4 ,god worked1 it seemed to me1 upon a scale so vast and rich in details that anything and anybody could be spared and not affect the results of life40 ,he crossed over to ,paris in ,august1 and his note-book gives us catch-words and sentences evidently intended for reminders of sights1 incidents1 and adventures that he wished to remember4 ,so disconnected are they that they are of little worth except as showing what interested him in this great city on this his first visit1 and as affording the raw materials out of which grew his letters and more finished descriptions4 ,when he arrived1 by what route1 at what hotel he stopped1 he apparently did not think worth noting2 but what he saw in the life of the people he wished to remember1 and the first few pages of his diary are filled with items like these3 8,three mothers with their babies40 8,boy and sister frolicking1 six or seven years old40 8,family on seat2 little thing talking1 about three years old40 8,twelve soldiers going to relieve sentinels40 8,stand for flowers10 etc4 ,next to the life of the common people the largest space in his diary is given to the art-galleries4 ,on two pages he jots down 8,effect of ,gallery on my ,mind03 8#ast4 ,astonishment1 at number and exquisite character1 beyond what had expected--not of something finer1 but such as to make me feel that before ,i had not seen anything4 8#b;d4 ,then sense of intense pleasure1 from what do not stop to inquire4 ,it is not color1 form1 composition1 nor mere sympathy with thing expressed4 ,it is the whole4 ,the walls flame out as if the hall was a summer and all shining in concentration upon you4 ,i see all that is painted--and more4 ,i see1 beyond1 other visions1 the mute figures speak4 ,i imagine the scene before the time chosen and afterwards4 8#c;d4 ,then comes sense of beauty1 complex1 of rich and exquisite coloring2 also the beauty of the scenes4 ,the objects1 in other words1 and the instrument of their manifestation4 8#dth4 ,then you begin to select and to hang in a dreamy review over one or another4 ,time is not known2 you wake by some footfall4 ,whether you have been here an hour or four you cannot tell2 it seems by the populous experience a long time4 ,you do not weary1 but you exhale--i4e41 the senses seem to flag1 while mind is keener than ever1 and you imagine rather than see2 as one who is exhilarated by wine sees1 to be sure1 but his own mind affords the color and--0 ,in his letters he afterwards enlarged upon this topic3 8,ah6 what a new world has been opened to me1 and what a new sense within myself6 ,i knew that ,i had gradually grown fond of pictures from my boyhood4 ,i had felt the power of some few4 ,but nothing had ever come up to a certain ideal that had hovered in my mind1 and ,i supposed ,i was not fine enough to appreciate with discrimination the works of masters4 ,to find myself absolutely intoxicated2 to find my system so much affected that ,i could not control my nerves2 to find myself trembling1 and laughing1 and weeping1 and almost hysterical1 and that in spite of my shame and determination to behave better--such a power of these galleries over me ,i had not expected4 ,i have lived for two days in fairyland1 wakened out of it by some few sights which ,i have mechanically visited1 more for the sake of pleasing friends at home1 when ,i return1 than for a present pleasure to myself1 but relapsing again into the golden vision4444 8,i could not tell whether hours or minutes were passing4 ,it was a blessed exhalation of soul1 in which ,i seemed freed from matter1 and1 as a diffused intelligence1 to float in the atmosphere4 ,i could not believe that a dull body was the centre from which thought and emotion radiated4 ,i had a sense of expansion1 of etherealization1 which gave me some faint sense of a spiritual state4 ,nor was ,i in a place altogether unfitted for such a state4 ,the subject of many of the works--suffering1 heroic resistance1 angels1 ,arcadian scenes1 especially the scenes of ,christ's life and death--seemed not unfitting accompaniment to my mind1 and suggested to me1 in a glorious vision1 the drawing near of a redeemed soul to the precincts of heaven6 ,oh6 with what an outburst of soul did ,i implore ,christ to wash me1 and all whom ,i loved1 in ,his precious blood1 that we might not fail of entering the glorious city whose builder and maker is ,god6 ,all my sins seemed not only sins but great deformities4 ,they seemed not merely affronts against ,god but insults to my own nature6 ,my soul snuffed at them and trod them down as the mire in the street4 ,then1 holy and loving thoughts toward ,god or toward man seemed to me to be as beautiful as those fleecy islets along the west at sunset1 crowned with glory2 and the gentler aspirations for goodness and nobleness and knowledge seemed to me like silver mists through which the morning is striking1 wafting them gently and in wreaths and films heavenward4 ,great deeds1 heroism for worthy objects1 for ,god1 or for one's fellows1 or for one's own purity1 seemed not only natural but as things without which a soul could not live4 8,but at length ,i perceived myself exhausted1 not by any sense of fatigue 7,i had no sense or body71 but by perceiving that my mind would not fix upon material objects1 but strove to act by itself4 ,thus a new picture was examined only for an instant1 and then ,i exhaled into all kinds of golden dreams and visions4 8,i left the gallery1 and in this mood1 as ,i threaded my way back1 how beautiful did everything and everybody seem6 ,the narrow streets were beautiful for being narrow1 and the broad ones for being broad2 old buildings had their glory1 and new structures had theirs2 children were all glorified children2 ,i loved the poor workmen that ,i saw in the confined and narrow shops2 the various women1 young and old1 with huge buck-baskets1 or skipping hither and thither on errands1 all seemed happy1 and my soul blessed them as ,i passed4 8,my own joy of being overflowed upon everything which ,i met4 ,sometimes singing to myself1 or smiling to others so as to make men think1 doubtless1 that ,i had met some good luck or was on some prosperous errand of love1 ,i walked on through street after street1 turning whichever corner1 to the right or left1 happened to please the moment1 neither knowing or caring where ,i went1 but always finding something to see and enjoying all things4 ,nor do ,i know yet by what instinct ,i rounded up my journeyings by finding my proper lodging4 ,that night ,i slept1 as to my body1 but felt little difference between dreaming asleep and dreaming awake40 ,we turn from his note-book and letters to one of the papers of the day1 and read3 8,rev4 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 our esteemed brother1 has returned from his transatlantic trip with improved health4 ,he reached ,new ,york yesterday 7evening7 in the ,asia1 ,september #aa40 ,he arrived unexpectedly and found his family1 which had been spending the summer at ,sutton1 ,mass41 with the grandmother1 awaiting him4 ,his trip had been a success in every particular4 ,not only was his health restored1 but his field of observation had been vastly broadened and his experiences greatly deepened4 ,england1 the home of his race1 had been seen and touched2 he had visited her castles1 colleges1 and churches2 walked among her fields1 become acquainted with her people2 and henceforth her noble history1 great achievements1 and mighty names seemed more real to him1 and she was more admired and beloved than ever4 ,in ,paris he became conscious for the first time of the power of true art1 and began that study of it which only ended with his life4 ,but1 whether in ,england or ,france1 so well read was he in the history of the places visited1 and so vivid was his imagination to bring back the scenes and men that made these places memorable1 that his journey was as a sojourn with the wisest and best of our race1 and he returned from it refreshed and enlarged for the work that1 for a few weeks1 had been laid aside4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,church and ,steamboat--,jenny ,lind--,hospitality--,colonel ,pertzel--,the ,family--,twins--,medicine--,giving ,counsel--,for the ,sailor--,an ,absurd ,story ,contradicted--,salisbury--,trouting--,d eath of ,alfred and ,arthur--,letters to his ,daughter at ,school--,lenox--,equivocal ,honors ,declined--,the ,pulpit--8,plymouth ,collection0--8,shining ,shore40 ,a ,church ,liturgy--,courting with his ,father's old ,love-letters--#aheg a ,year of ,trial--,matteawan--,visit to ,litchfield--#aheh a ,year of ,harvest--,revival ,meetings--,hospitality of ,plymouth ,church--,courtesy to ,errorists--,new ,organ--,peekskill--,letters to his ,daughter abroad--,marriage of his ,daughter--,lecturing--,title of ,d4,d4 declined--,flowers in ,church--,christian ,liberty in the ,use of the ,beautiful--,his two ,lines of ,labor4 ,no sooner has he put his foot on shore than he is engaged in battle4 ,this time it is against religious bigotry and intolerance upon the seas4 ,a ,star article from his pen appeared ,september #ai upon 8,church and ,steamboat--,cunard ,line03 ,no religious service was allowed on the steamers except that which was appointed for the crew1 at which the passengers were permitted to be present4 ,no one was allowed to read the service there except the captain1 who1 having been playing cards late ,saturday night1 and being addicted to the sailor habit of profanity1 was not considered fit for the office4 ,no one at all was permitted to preach1 or1 if the rule were ever varied1 only a clergyman of ,episcopal ordination4 ,one of the owners1 who happened to be on the ship1 when courteously asked to allow some one of the nine clergymen on board to preach1 and to give the use of one of the several cabins to those who chose to have service of their own1 lost his temper and said that if ,americans did not choose to go on his line1 8d------ 'em6 they may go to h------40 ,all this appeared to ,mr4 ,beecher as rank injustice and an interference with the freedom of worship of multitudes of travellers4 ,humorously1 yet with good1 solid1 set phrase1 he denounces this bigotry in the article above mentioned4 ,like most of his articles1 it was strong enough to draw the fire of the enemy4 ,the captain and the son of this owner reply in letters which partly explain1 partly deny1 but wholly charge ,mr4 ,beecher with falsehood4 ,this brings another article from him in the next issue1 ,september #bf3 8,it is not to be supposed1 gentlemen1 that either of you can sympathize fully with me in an inveterate prejudice which ,i have contracted against lying in all its moods and tenses4 ,but1 really1 ,i feel hurt that you have so low an opinion of my ingenuity as to suppose that1 if ,i set out to tell lies1 ,i should tell such poor and graceless ones4 8,allow me to assure you1 gentlemen1 that while my principles forbid me to employ falsehood1 yet should ,i attempt it ,i should conscientiously endeavor to lie well40 ,he reiterates his charges1 adds to them some further remarks upon the gambling habits of the captain1 which unfit him to act as conductor of public worship1 procures affidavits from responsible parties to substantiate his charges1 and refers them to the courts for redress1 if they think themselves aggrieved4 ,the first battle upon his return to his native land was waged for freedom of worship upon the high seas6 ,in this same month of ,september1 ,jenny ,lind came to this country and began that series of concerts which have never been surpassed4 ,her first concert in ,castle ,garden1 ,september #aa1 netted #cj1jjj4 ,some of the papers having criticised her and her manager for the high price of tickets1 and the community for paying it1 ,mr4 ,beecher takes up the cudgels in her behalf3 8,jenny ,lind1 if we understand her desires and aims1 is employing a resplendent musical genius in the most noble accordance with the spirit of the ,gospel4 ,in her we behold a spectacle of eminent genius employing its magic power in the elevation of the human race4 8,if men would spare from the disgusting weed and poisonous liquors one-half of what they spend every month1 there are few so poor as not to be able to hear ,jenny ,lind4 990 ,one of his children gives this incident3 8,in those early days father always had a flower-garden in the back-yard of our city homes4 ,i remember when we lived in the little1 brown wooden house on ,columbia ,heights1 ,jenny ,lind came to board near us for a short time4 ,all the neighboring children used to gather round her door to see her start for her drive2 and one day when we saw the carriage in front of her house1 ,i ran in to ask father if ,h------ and ,i could go and see her come out4 ,he was at work in the garden among his flowers1 and1 after giving his consent1 called me back1 cut a handful of roses1 and told me ,i could take those and give them to her4 ,so off ,h------ and ,i went1 but ,i believe1 after all1 my courage failed1 and ,i brought them home again1 very much ashamed4 ,father laughed1 but comforted me by saying he'd rather ,i would be too shy than too bold40 ,he closes this eventful year 7#ahej7 with two ,star articles--the one 7,december #ab71 8,remember the ,poor03 8,upon the whole1 we doubt if there is any other means of grace so profitable to a ,christian as the whole duty of relieving the poor2 for giving money is but a small part1 and often the least effective part1 of duty to them4 ,every man ought to take a single case or family1 and look after them through the winter40 ,another 7,december #ai7 upon 8,different ,ways of ,giving03 8,now and then you will find a man whose face is ,march but whose pocket is ,june4 ,he will storm and scold at you1 but send you away with ten times as much as you asked40 ,mr4 ,beecher was very hospitable1 and kept open house for friends1 and even for such chance acquaintance as came to be associated with him4 8,when ,kossuth was in this country1 ,colonel ,pertzel1 his chief of staff1 with his wife1 stopped with us for several weeks4 ,when they went away she gave me her bracelet of national coins1 which1 she said1 was prized by the ,hungarian women in their exile above all their possessions4 8,our own family circle at this time consisted of father1 mother1 and three children--two boys and a girl4 ,besides these ,aunt ,esther was with us1 whom ,i remember as little and round1 straight and precise1 with snapping black eyes1 looking after the second generation of nephews and nieces1 and telling us stories2 and also ,grandma ,bullard1 doing the mending and cosseting while she sang #8,bounding ,billow' and #8,like the ,hart and the ,roe4' ,dear1 ideal old grandmother60 ,december #bj1 #aheb1 there was an addition to this circle4 8,i can remember sitting in the parlor one evening with ,aunt ,esther1 and father's coming in1 going up to her1 and kissing her first on one cheek and then on the other1 and her giving a little jump1 saying1 #8,not two1 ,henry6' and his answering1 #8,yes1 two4' ,then he told me that ,i had two little new brothers up-stairs4 8,father was so proud of these twins that ,i remember on ,new ,year's day he took fifteen or twenty of the ,hungarians who were making ,new ,year's calls up into mother's room to see them40 ,at the ,thanksgiving service of this year ,mr4 ,beecher had announced that an effort would be made to raise by subscription the sum of #ac1jjj to pay off the floating debt of the church before ,january #a1 and the papers of a later date contain the announcement that the sum was promptly subscribed1 8and ,plymouth ,church may now be considered on a firm foundation in temporal matters1 and is in every way in a prosperous condition40 ,the church entered the new year1 #aheb1 without debt1 and more than ten thousand dollars were realized from the rent of the pews4 ,evidently he begins the year with especial effort to overcome spiritual coldness among the people1 and bring in the summer of ,christian life and growth1 for his ,star ,papers are upon subjects like these3 8,ice in the ,church10 8,various ,convictions of ,sin10 and later are announcements in the papers of morning prayer-meetings in 8,plymouth ,church10 8,preaching ,every ,evening40 ,in due time the announcement is made that 8sixty persons were last ,sabbath morning received into the church1 fifty upon profession of faith40 ,he is experiencing one of the evils to which religious meetings are prone1 and concerning it he sends out a note of warning1 8,one ,cause of ,dull ,meetings03 8,we hardly know of a more unprofitable exercise for social meetings than what is called exhortation4 ,men impose upon themselves and social meetings degenerate into absurd formalities--a pretence of caring for what they do not care for1 of renouncing what all the world knows they do not renounce1 of asking for what they do not desire and desiring what they dare not ask40 ,through life ,mr4 ,beecher was as free with pathies in medicine as of isms in religion1 and used allopathy1 homopathy1 hydropathy1 electricity1 or hand-rubbing1 as seemed to him at the time most likely to secure the coveted result4 ,in general he trusted more to the man than to the system4 ,his position on this matter1 which he held substantially for years1 is given in a review of a medical work3 8,in good earnest1 we regard medicine with little favor4 ,our first recipe for sickness is1 not to get sick4 ,our second is reliance upon a well-bred1 sensible doctor4 ,we select the doctor4 ,it is his business to select the medicine1 and we do not care a pin what it is4 ,to all who ask us1 therefore1 what school we belong to1 we reply3 #8,we are firmly persuaded of ,dr4 ------4' ,this is the sum of our present creed40 ,his interest in common men and their affairs brought many to him by letter or in personal conversation for advice in their difficulties4 ,probably few physicians or lawyers in good practice were consulted by more people than came daily to ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,so practical were his principles of action1 so great his sympathy with men in trouble1 and such his ability to see through the difficulty1 that men came to him for counsel from far and near4 ,a man asks him as to his duty to his creditors under certain peculiar circumstances which he mentions4 ,mr4 ,beecher goes over the matter in detail1 states the ground of difficulty in that and all similar cases1 and points out the way of relief in this fruitful sentence3 8,selfishness is the great mischief-maker in settlements4 ,men think of their own rights first and their creditors' afterwards4 ,reverse this4 ,be careful first that no man suffer by you40 ,again1 at this time a man writes asking as to the duty of a temperance man and a professor of religion in regard to selling liquor as an agent4 8444 ,he1 therefore1 who loves his situation or his pocket more than his religion can expect but little sympathy from robust ,christians1 and little favor from that ,christ of the cross who has ordered a church of cross-bearing disciples4 ,but we will turn our friend in such a dilemma over to our friend ,hall1 a drayman in ,new ,york1 who utterly refuses to cart liquor1 who will not unload a ship if in so doing he must cart brandy4 ,for he says he will not disgrace any horse that he owns by letting him be seen with a load of liquor behind him40 ,while carrying a free lance ready as any knight of old to champion every cause that was suffering injustice1 we want to emphasize the fact that he had none of that small1 truculent spirit that leads to personal attacks4 ,he was very lenient to individual human failures1 charitable in his judgments1 and would rather attempt to save by hiding than to punish by exposing them4 ,in answer to a question which we once asked concerning a man who1 to our mind1 had greatly transgressed the limits of public propriety1 if not of morality1 8,why don't you pitch in and show up this matter80 this man of a thousand battles said quietly1 with just a shade of rebuke for the spirit we had shown in his tone3 8,i don't like to pitch into folks as much as some do40 ,but when wrong or injustice had wrought itself into a system1 it made no difference to him how high in position they were who upheld it1 or how low in the scale were the sufferers1 or how securely entrenched was the wrong2 he waited for no invitation1 he asked no permission1 he sought for no support1 but attacked it at once1 aiming to expose and remove the root element of the evil4 ,an illustration of this characteristic of ,mr4 ,beecher is afforded by an article written by him at this time upon 8,naval ,discipline10 in which he brings to the sailor the same broad sympathy1 established principles1 and clear reasoning that he was accustomed to employ in the case of another and very different class3 8444 ,it is of little use to cobble a system whose radical idea is wrong4 ,this is our judgment in the case of the ,american navy4 ,the republican institutions of ,america1 slavery always excepted1 contemplate the improvement and elevation of the masses4 ,government does not undertake to educate the citizen1 but it contemplates1 it is obliged from its origin to accommodate itself to the radical idea of1 the liberty of the people to move among themselves1 to guide1 to change1 to advance freely in any direction4 ,the ,american navy is a monarchy4 ,its subjects are regarded in but one light--they are to be under service4 ,more than this nothing is thought of4 ,sailors have no liberty4 ,there is neither provision for1 nor expectation of1 improvement4444 ,there must be an entirely new spirit infused into the whole system of such service4 0444 ,in short1 the naval system must address the social and moral need of the sailor4 ,they must be allowed to act under all those high motives which develop men on shore40 ,while moved by these world-wide sympathies1 he was in no mood to submit with patience to bigotry nearer home1 and utters a very strong protest against the ostracizing of certain ,sabbath-schools by the orthodox schools of ,brooklyn in their yearly parade3 8,we ought to seize such an occasion to promote kindly feelings and cultivate such sympathy as differing sects might lawfully have in common4 ,there is no liberality in urging this matter2 it is simply common sense and common decency4444 8,does the ------ 7paper7 regard it as dangerous to walk the streets with a ,unitarian8 ,is heresy like smallpox1 so contagious that one school will give it to another by sitting for an hour in the same audience-room with it8444 ,we shall pray more earnestly than ever for the advance of that day when the love of ,god shall abound in the hearts of men and inspire men to love each other40 ,his ,star ,papers of #aheb close with this1 which will at once be recognized as eminently characteristic3 8,we had always supposed that absurd stories grew in this vicinity like weeds in the tropics or trees planted by rivers4 ,for once1 however1 the country newspapers have got ahead of our neighborhood4 8,we have made diligent search1 taken the census1 examined every cradle1 drawer1 closet1 crib1 nook1 and corner1 and are prepared to affirm the following story1 which was born in the ,windham ,county ,telegraph1 the ,norwich ,tribune1 ,springfield ,republican1 ,boston ,chronicle1 and other papers1 to be exaggerated3 8#8,rev4 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's lady has presented him with five little responsibilities in a little better than one year3 two soon after the arrival of ,kossuth and three the other day4' 8,twins there were a year ago whose blessed faces fill the house with light1 but the three above-mentioned were born of those maternal editors whose brains fulfil the prophet's word1 #8,ye shall consume chaff2 ye shall bring forth stubble4' 8,we turn these mousing1 mongering editors over to the next woman's-rights convention2 or1 if they are not fit for a seat there1 they may amuse the children with nursery tales while the mothers are at discussion2 or1 if not fit for that1 let them in mercy be bound out as very dry nurses at some foundling hospital40 ,he spends the summer of #ahec1 as he had the one preceding1 at ,salisbury1 ,connecticut4 8,once more we find ourselves at home among lucid green trees1 among hills and mountains1 with lakes and brooks on every side1 and country roads threading their way in curious circuits among them4 ,all day long we have moved about with dreamy newness of life4 ,birds1 crickets1 and grasshoppers are the only players upon instruments that molest the air4 ,chanticleer is at this instant proclaiming over the whole valley that the above declaration is a slander on his musical gifts4 ,very well2 add chanticleer to cricket1 grasshopper1 and bird4 ,add1 also1 a cow1 for ,i hear her distant low melodious through the valley1 with all roughness strained out by the trees through which it comes hitherward4 ,o this silence in the air1 this silence on the mountains1 this silence on the lakes60 ,he closes a long letter upon trouting in this fashion3 8,you forget your errand4 ,you select a dry1 tufty knoll1 and1 lying down1 you gaze up into the sky4 ,o those depths6 ,something in you reaches out and yearns4 ,you have a vague sense of infinity1 of vastness1 of the littleness of human life1 and the sweetness and grandeur of divine life and of eternity4 ,you people that vast ether4 ,you stretch away through it and find that celestial city beyond1 and therein dwell oh6 how many that are yours6 ,tears come unbidden4 ,you begin to long for release4 ,you pray4 ,was there ever a better closet8 ,under the shadow of the mountain1 the heavens full of cloudy cohorts1 like armies of horsemen and chariots1 your soul is loosened from the narrow judgments of human life1 and touched with a full sense of immortality and the liberty of a spiritual state4 ,an hour goes past4 ,how full has it been of feelings struggling to be thoughts1 and thoughts deliquescing into feeling6 ,twilight is coming4 ,you have miles to ride home4 ,not a trout in your basket6 ,never mind2 you have fished in the heavens and taken great store of prey4 ,let them laugh at your empty basket4 ,take their raillery good-naturedly2 you have certainly had good luck40 ,the sadness which is plainly visible in the passage quoted is an old acquaintance4 ,we have learned to expect its appearance somewhere at every feast4 ,at this time undoubtedly it comes the oftener because of the sorrowful experiences of the early summer4 ,the twins1 ,alfred and ,arthur1 8whose blessed faces fill the house with light10 had both died on the fourth of ,july of this year1 and been buried in the same grave4 ,it was one of the deep sorrows of his life1 seldom mentioned save when attempting by his sympathy to comfort others in like affliction2 it became a fountain of deep and tender feeling for all in distress1 and of earnest longings for the rest and the reunions of heaven4 ,the going away of his daughter to boarding-school during the autumn makes another break in the family1 to which he refers in a letter in ,november3 8444 ,this is the first departure of any of my children from home1 and it is an experience which testifies to my affection for you and my solicitude2 yet ,i do not in the least doubt that you will do well4444 8,there is little news at home4 ,your room is occupied by ,e------ ,b------1 who now lives with us and takes care of ,w------4 ,she seems a very good girl1 and ,w------ is getting very fond of her4 ,he makes no resistance to her dressing him1 and submits even to having his hair curled with great peace4 ,the rogue is fat and happy1 and opens his big eyes with a half-tearful1 dreamy look when we ask him3 ,where is ,sister ,h------8444 8,we are all going to ,aunty ,h------'s to dinner1 and in the evening ,mrs4 ,h------ and family will come round there too4 ,as for me1 ,i am in the agony of writing my ,thanksgiving sermon4444 8,there1 ,h------1 ,i have made quite an effort1 for me1 at letter-writing and news-telling4 ,let me hear from you4 8,your loving father1 8,h4 ,w4 ,b40 ,in a letter to her the following ,june he mentions an important domestic event3 8,,brooklyn1 ,june #bd1 #ahed4 0,my dear ,h------3 8,i must answer your last letter to me before you leave1 lest ,i lose my repute as a good and frequent correspondent2 and ,i am the more willing to do it as ,i have very agreeable tidings to communicate to you4 8,you will receive a visit from ,w------ ,a------1 of our church1 whom ,i presume you remember4 ,well1 it has been thought best1 after consultation1 and some mysterious correspondence with your ,aunt ,s------ which you may have noticed1 that you should meet me at ,cleveland and spend the next ,sabbath there1 ,july #b2 go to ,painesville and spend ,july #d with me there2 and then come back at our leisure to see your mother and a new little brother who was safely born into this world on last ,thursday1 ,june #bb1 at three o'clock in the afternoon1 weighing ten pounds1 and filling all people's hearts with joy at his health and general peaceable qualities4 ,as yet we have fallen upon no name4444 0444 ,meanwhile young ,master ,nameless is sleeping off all traces of remembrance of that former state of existence from which ,edward supposes him to be an emigrant to this world4444 8,h4 ,w4 ,b40 ,this year he spent the summer in ,lenox1 ,berkshire ,county1 ,massachusetts1 where a few friends have aided him to purchase a farm1 8which the deeds1 with great definiteness1 say contains ninety-six acres1 more or less40 ,annoyed by the inquisitiveness of certain newspapers1 he goes on to say3 8,we gave for farm and farm-buildings #d1ejj2 for the crops1 stock1 implements1 etc41 #a1jjj more2 total1 #e1ejj4 ,any person in search of useful information can have further particulars as to terms of payment and any other private publicities by personal application to us40 ,his emotions upon taking possession are described in a letter of that date3 8,it was in the presence of this pasture elm1 which we name the ,queen1 that we first felt to our very marrow that we had indeed become owners of the soil6 ,it was with a feeling of awe that we looked up into its face1 and when ,i whispered to myself1 #8,this is mine1' there was a shrinking1 as if there were sacrilege in the very thought of property in such a creature of ,god as this cathedral-topped tree6 ,does a man bare his head in some old church8 ,so did ,i1 standing in the shadow of this regal tree1 and looking up into that completed glory at which three hundred years have been at work with noiseless fingers6 ,what was ,i in its presence but a grasshopper8 ,my heart said1 #8,i may not call thee property1 and that property of mine6 ,thou belongest to the air4 ,thou art the child of summer4 ,thou art the mighty temple where birds praise ,god4 ,thou belongest to no man's hand1 but to all men's eyes that do love beauty1 and that have learned through beauty to behold ,god6 ,stand1 then1 in thine own beauty and grandeur6 ,i shall be a lover and a protector1 to keep drought from thy roots and the axe from thy trunk4'0 ,although the owner of the farm1 we are not to suppose that he took hold of work as the neighboring farmers did4 ,we fancy that his love of downright hard work exhausted itself in the ,west4 8,the chief use of a farm1 if it be well selected and of a proper soil1 is to lie down upon4 ,mine is an excellent farm for such uses1 and ,i thus cultivate it every day4 ,large crops are the consequence1 of great delight and fancies more than the brain can hold4 ,my industry is exemplary4 ,though but a week here1 ,i have lain down more hours and in more places than that hard-working brother of mine in the whole year that he has dwelt here4 ,strange that industrious lying down should come so naturally to me1 and standing up and lazing about after the plough or behind the scythe so naturally to him60 ,when we remember how many ministers who take an interest in public affairs find themselves elected to some town or village office1 made mayor of a city1 sent to the ,state ,legislature or even to ,congress1 we are surprised that ,mr4 ,beecher was never elected1 so far as we remember1 to the smallest public office4 ,this was largely owing to the fact that he looked upon the work of a preacher1 to inspire men to right conduct in public affairs1 as more important than filling any official position1 however high4 ,he declares this opinion facetiously1 but none the less as a matter of deliberate judgment1 in a letter3 ,,equivocal ,,honors ,,declined4 8,the ,tribune last ,saturday1 in reply to a private letter asking its advice on the matter1 recommends that we be nominated for ,congress1 elected and sent1 and1 when that shall be done1 that we go4444 8,had the proposal to go to ,congress proceeded from the ,american ,board of ,missions there would have been grave reasons for considering it4 ,we doubt whether they have a harder field in all heathendom1 nor yet a field where the ,gospel is more needed4 ,but1 for mere political reasons1 to backslide from the pulpit into ,congress is a little too long a slide for the first venture4 ,we beg to decline in advance40 ,in some of the sharp discussions of this year1 #ahed1 the ministry have been bitterly criticised by papers who opposed politics in public1 and a great deal of advice has been given to ministers concerning preaching4 ,this receives his attention in this fashion3 8,when one considers the amount of advice given to ministers about preaching1 it is surprising that there should ever be again a dull or improper sermon4 0444 ,we have no doubt that a rigorous landlord1 having sharked it all the week1 screwing and gripping among his tenants1 would be better pleased on ,sunday to doze through an able ,gospel sermon on divine mysteries than be kept awake by a practical sermon that1 among other things1 set forth the duties of a ,christian landlord4 ,a broker who has gambled on a magnificent scale all the week does not go to church to have his practical swindlings analyzed and measured by the #8,new ,testament spirit4' ,catechism is what he wants2 doctrine is to his taste4 ,a merchant whose last bale of smuggled goods was safely stored on ,saturday night1 and his brother-merchant who on the same day swore a false invoice through the custom-house--they go to church to hear a sermon on faith1 on angels1 on resurrection4 ,as they have nothing invested in those subjects1 they expect the minister to be bold and orthodox4 ,but if he wants respectable merchants to pay ample pew-rents1 let him not vulgarize the pulpit by introducing commercial questions4 ,a rich ,christian brother owns largely in a distillery1 and is clamorous against letting down to the vulgarity of temperance sermons4 ,another man buys tax-titles and noses around all the week to see who can be slipped out of a vacant lot4 ,on ,sunday he naturally wants us to preach about eternity1 or moral ability and inability4 ,a mechanic that plies his craft with the unscrupulous appliance of every means that will win1 he1 too1 wants 8doctrine0 on the ,sabbath--not these secular questions4 ,men wish two departments in life--the secular and the religious4 ,between them a high and opaque wall is to be built4 ,they wish to do just what they please for six long days4 ,then1 stepping the other side of the wall1 they wish the minister to assuage their fears1 to comfort their conscience1 and furnish them a clear ticket and insurance for heaven4 ,by such a shrewd management our modern financiers are determined to show that a ,christian can serve two masters1 both ,god and ,mammon1 at the same time40 ,while fully alive to all the advantages of natural forces1 the ,sabbath1 the pulpit1 and a spiritual church-membership always held the highest place in his regard4 8,it is no small thing1 as it regards the education of the community1 that from their youth up they have been taught to discuss all questions from ascertained and authoritative moral grounds4444 8,the pulpit is the popular religious educator4 ,its object is to stimulate and develop the religious feelings4444 8,when a whole community are wont to have their social life1 their secular business1 their public duties taken out of their low and selfish attitudes1 and lifted up into the light of ,god's countenance1 and there measured1 judged1 repressed1 or developed1 and wholly bathed or inspired by the spirit of conscience and of love1 then they are receiving a moral education for which there is no other provision except the ,sabbath and the pulpit4 8,such are the members that make a church rich--poor in this world's goods1 but rich toward ,god--rich in faith1 in hope1 in meekness1 in patience1 in prayer1 and1 according to the feeble measure of their ability1 in good works4 ,many a church is destroyed through an ambition of having strong and wealthy men1 only rich1 not holy4444 8,it may be very easy to sustain a church that has great wealth and little piety1 but it is not worth sustaining4 ,it is not a moral power40 ,he had no confidence in secret political organizations4 8,one might as well study optics in the pyramids of ,egypt or the subterranean tombs of ,rome1 as liberty in secret conclaves controlled by hoary knaves versed in political intrigue1 who can hardly enough express their surprise and delight to find honest men going into a wide-spread system of secret caucuses4 ,honest men in such places have the peculiar advantage that flies have in a spider's web--the privilege of losing their legs1 of buzzing without flying1 and of being eaten up at leisure by big-bellied spiders6444 8,when will men understand that simple1 open integrity1 an unflinching adhesion to ,,principle1 is the peculiar advantage of truth and liberty8 ,all that the ,right asks is air1 light1 an open enemy1 and room to strike4 ,it is ,wrong that sneaks in the dark and gains by the stiletto4 990 ,from time to time he gave examination to modern spiritualism1 with this result3 8,i am a stout unbeliever in the spiritual origin of this phenomenon1 either by good spirits1 bad spirits1 or any spirits whatever4 8,a belief in modern spiritualism seems to weaken the hold of the ,bible upon conscience1 the affections1 and to substitute diluted sentimentalism and tedious platitudes instead of inspired truth40 ,in #ahee ,mr4 ,beecher published the 8,plymouth ,collection40 ,of its history he has spoken somewhat at length3 8,soon after ,i came to ,brooklyn from the ,west the conductor of music in this church was a ,mr4 ,jones4 ,he was intimately associated with the house of ,mason ,bros41 publishers of music in ,new ,york1 and sons of ,lowell ,mason1 of honored and revered memory4 ,i desired very much to inaugurate a new day in music--that is to say1 to transfer to the great congregation on ,sunday the same methods1 so far as singing was concerned1 that we had already instituted in our evening meetings1 our conference meetings1 and our revival meetings--namely1 that of having both the hymns and the music before them at the same time4 8,i can go back in my memory1 easily1 to the time when there was no hymn-book with notes for church use4 ,the #8,christian ,lyre1' edited by ,joshua ,leavitt1 was largely used in the revivals under ,dr4 ,finney1 and #8,christian ,songs1' by ,mr4 ,hastings 7the sweet singer of ,israel1 whose service to the church was never adequately recognized71 were also used in revivals4 ,when these books came they brought a progeny with them2 but still there was nothing of the kind for the great congregation4 ,the music-books for choirs were those long1 narrow1 inconvenient ones which could not well be held in the hand1 but must always needs be laid upon a shelf4 ,these were granted to the choir only1 and the congregation had to sing from memory or not at all4 ,it seemed to me that it would be a step in the right direction to put the tunes and hymns together1 so that everybody who had the one should also have the other4 8,with this end in view ,i asked the trustees of this church to agree to purchase a few copies of the #8,temple ,melodies1' a small book of hymns1 the music for which was to be selected by ,mr4 ,jones and myself1 and in which ,i interested the publishing house of ,mason ,bros4 8,connected with this was a curious incident4 ,mason ,bros4 would not publish the book unless we would pay for the stereotype plates2 and the trustees agreed to take a certain number of copies of the book--enough to cover the cost of the plates--so that the publishers should suffer no loss4 ,when the book came to be published there was an acknowledgment of the services of ,mr4 ,jones1 but my name was not mentioned4 ,although ,i did not care particularly about that1 ,i was curious to know how it should happen that ,mr4 ,jones1 conductor of music in my church1 was personally mentioned1 and ,i1 who had given to the work time and influence1 and who had obtained means with which to pay for the plates1 was not mentioned at all4 ,though ,i was the father of the book1 everybody else got a slice of the credit1 and ,i was left without a crumb4 ,i asked ,jones how it was1 and1 blushing up to his ears1 he said 7if you will pardon the adjective7 that the publishers said that they would not have the name of a d--d abolitionist in their book4 8,this was the first step in that direction4 ,the success of the undertaking was such as to satisfy me that a larger endeavor of the same sort would be successful also2 and ,i went to work and laid the foundation for the #8,plymouth ,collection4' ,it was to be published by ,mr4 ,a4 ,s4 ,barnes1 but it was necessary that there should be a guarantee in the form of an advance sufficiently large to pay for the plates1 that the publishers might run no risk in issuing the book4 ,mr4 ,henry ,c4 ,bowen and ,mr4 ,james ,freeland agreed to furnish the money1 with the understanding that when the income1 if there was one1 from our copyright should equal the amount they had advanced1 with interest1 all further profits from the copyright should inure to the benefit of the choir of this church4 8,the book has been a profitable one on the whole2 but ,i know not how much the choir has ever received from it4 ,there was no written agreement1 and the memorandum lapsed4 ,i forgot to make any arrangement for myself4 ,the consequence was that ,i was left out in the cold1 and never got a penny for my services in the matter4 ,i do not care for that4 ,the object for which ,i was eager and earnest was to procure for the churches a book of hymns and tunes1 so that they should have both before them at the same time4 8,the book was assailed1 but was defended1 and it made its way4 8,since that time there have been eight or ten books of the same general character adopted1 and they have so exactly copied the #8,plymouth ,collection' as to size1 type1 and form that you may take the eight or ten volumes and set them on a shelf1 and unless a man stood close to them he could not tell one from the other4 ,so that the #8,plymouth ,collection' not only has been a good book for this church1 but has been a good pattern for other churches to follow4 ,although it was the first one of its kind1 it was so well adapted to the want of the community that it has not been deemed expedient to change in the least degree its form1 nor to change1 except to a very small extent1 its method4 ,it has invariably proved to be a book acceptable and well suited to the purpose for which it was designed4 ,it was made on a theory of my own1 or rather it was the result of my observation and experience4 ,i had observed what hymns appealed to the imagination and the affections of the people2 and ,i did not believe that any hymn-book would ever be popular which had not in it hymns the elements of which appealed to these faculties4 ,i had observed1 also1 what tunes the people loved4 ,i had observed that any music1 however irregular or grotesque1 that appealed to their imagination and affection1 they would adopt and make their own4 ,guided by that observation1 ,i introduced into the book a great many melodies of a kind that were unknown in the sobriety of the old-fashioned psalmody1 but that have been developed more fully and skilfully in subsequent books4 8,with that conception of what a hymn-book should be1 ,i was very much shocked in a conversation with ,mr4 ,lowell ,mason1 whose services to ,american music cannot be over-estimated1 and who has gone to a higher choir1 but who in his old age fell upon a theory that ,i thought to be as vicious as it could possibly be--the theory1 namely1 that all music should be of one character1 and that the tune should be the main thing4 ,he said to me one day3 #8,i think a perfect hymn-tune is one to which you ought to be able to sing every psalm in the whole collection4' ,i considered that simply monstrous1 literalizing and ,platonizing everything4 ,his late books lost ground a great deal because they were so insuperably flat4 ,a man might sing them to all eternity and not find in them anything which hooked on to his memory or affections1 or anything that had a tendency to develop his higher nature4 8,about twenty years ago ,mr4 ,love1 of ,chicago--who has conferred great benefit upon churches and schools by his compositions--and ,i were riding together from ,brooklyn to ,boston1 and we discussed this question of music4 ,he was under the influence of ,mr4 ,mason1 and partook of his views on the subject1 and ,i blew him up soundly and told him how preposterous ,i thought they were4 ,he went home pondering what ,i said1 and subsequently1 as ,i afterward heard1 cut out from a newspaper the verses beginning #8,my days are gliding swiftly by1' and with that conversation in his mind he sat down and wrote the #8,shining ,shore' to go with them4 ,whether this tune has justified my idea or not1 it has been employed in this congregation for many years4 ,moreover1 it was taken by the ,brooklyn ,fourteenth ,regiment to the war1 it was performed by their band1 and whenever they gave anything like a serenade in the army the #8,shining ,shore' was called for4 ,since that time this tune has been played and sung all over the continent4 ,how great a favorite it has been here you know40 ,this collection was vehemently attacked by one of the religious papers of the day in the lead1 several others following1 and was vigorously defended by ,mr4 ,beecher in a series of articles in the ,independent over his well-known signature1 the 994 ,so simple a matter as bringing out a hymn-book for the use of his own church1 and only for others so far as they chose1 would hardly seem likely to call out so strong a protest1 but it shows the position that he had already come to occupy in the public mind4 ,with his advanced views and strong following1 everything that he did demanded examination1 must be sifted and probably marked dangerous4 ,in the vigorous defence of this child of his heart he discourses at length upon hymns4 ,we have room for only two or three extracts3 8,hymns are the exponents of the inmost piety of the ,church4 ,they are crystalline tears1 or blossoms of joy1 or holy prayers1 or incarnated raptures4 ,they are the jewels which the ,church has worn2 the pearls1 the diamonds1 and precious stones formed into amulets more potent against sorrow and sadness than the most famous charms of wizard or magician4 ,and he who knows the way that hymns flowed knows where the blood of piety ran1 and can trace its veins and arteries to the very heart4 ,illustration3 ,henry ,ward ,beecher in #ahej4 8,oftentimes when1 in the mountain country1 far from noise and interruption1 we wrought upon these hymns for our vacation tasks1 we almost forgot the living world1 and were lifted up by noble lyrics as upon mighty wings1 and went back to the days when ,christ sang with ,his disciples1 when the disciples sang too1 as in our churches they have almost ceased to do4 ,oh6 but for one moment1 even1 to have sat transfixed and to have listened to the hymn that ,christ sang and to the singing6 ,but the olive-trees did not hear ,his murmured notes more clearly than1 rapt in imagination1 we have heard them6 8,there1 too1 are the hymns of ,st4 ,ambrose and many others1 that rose up like birds in the early centuries1 and have come flying and singing all the way down to us4 ,their wing is untired yet1 nor is the voice less sweet now than it was a thousand years ago4 8,there are ,crusaders' hymns1 that rolled forth their truths upon the ,oriental air1 while a thousand horses' hoofs kept time below and ten thousand palm-leaves whispered and kept time above6 ,other hymns1 fulfilling the promise of ,god that ,his saints should mount up with wings as eagles1 have borne up the sorrows1 the desires1 and the aspirations of the poor1 the oppressed1 and the persecuted1 of ,huguenots1 of ,covenanters1 and of ,puritans1 and winged them to the bosom of ,god4 8,in our own time1 and in the familiar experiences of daily life how are hymns mossed over and vine-clad with domestic associations6 8,one hymn hath opened the morning in ten thousand families1 and dear children with sweet voices have charmed the evening in a thousand places with the utterance of another4 ,nor do ,i know of any steps now left on earth by which one may so soon rise above trouble or weariness as the verses of a hymn and the notes of a tune4 ,and if the angels that ,jacob saw sang when they appeared1 then ,i know that the ladder which he beheld was but the scale of divine music let down from heaven to earth40 ,we must find room for his answer to the charge of having left out from ,watts 8fifteen splendid hymns10 whose first lines are mentioned4 ,after accounting for five of them by showing that they were left out because others of ,watts's versions of the same ,psalms1 and better ones1 have been selected1 he goes on to say3 8,next in the list the ------ charges that we have omitted ,watts's hymn1 #8,glory to ,thee1 my ,god1 this night4' ,this evening hymn1 dear to thousands of hearts1 was probably written before ,watts was born1 certainly before he had written his psalms and hymns1 by ,bishop ,ken1 who was thirty-seven years old when ,watts was born1 and who died when ,watts was but thirty-six years old4 ,there is not1 perhaps1 another hymn in the language which it would require such ignorance to ascribe to ,dr4 ,watts4 ,to make the blunder full-orbed1 it turns out that the hymn is not omitted1 after all1 from #8,plymouth ,collection1' but may be found at page #daf1 hymn #abhg4 8,the next omission from ,watts charged by the ------ is the hymn #8,while my ,redeemer's near4' ,we left that hymn out from ,watts because ,dr4 ,watts left it out himself1 not thinking it honest1 we suppose1 to insert a hymn before it was written1 or to appropriate another author's labors as his own4 ,for this hymn was written by ,mrs4 ,steele1 ,i know not how many years after ,watts's death4 ,how dearly this critic must have loved ,watts6 8,we are next charged with excluding from #8,plymouth ,collection' the hymn of ,watts1 #8,god is our ,refuge and ,defence4' ,alas6 this hymn is by ,montgomery1 and not by ,watts at all4 8,how precious ,watts's hymns must be to a man who cannot tell a ,steele or a ,montgomery from a ,watts6 ,with what grief must one be afflicted at the injury done to ,watts by not ascribing to him ,bishop ,ken's hymns8 ,why did not the ------ go on and mention the even more glaring omissions from ,watts in the #8,plymouth ,collection1' such as #8,ye ,mariners of ,england1 #8,drink to me only with thine eyes1' #8,to be or not to be'--all of which are left out of ,watts and the #8,plymouth ,collection1' and which should have attracted the learned attention of the critic of the ------4 8,it is rumored that the ,psalm-,book of the ,new ,school ,assembly is to be revised4 ,if so1 the interests of the ,church require that the editor of the ------ should be put on the committee4 ,his accuracy1 his carefulness1 his profound knowledge of hymns1 and especially his intelligent admiration of ,dr4 ,watts1 cannot be spared in such a labor40 ,in this discussion his adversaries found out1 what to this day1 we think1 is not well understood1 that his action1 however impulsive it might appear1 really sprang from very clearly defined principles1 which could be justified whenever1 wherever1 and by whom attacked1 and that1 however careless he seemed1 he had a habit of making himself thoroughly acquainted with the matter in hand1 and was prepared to meet any antagonist4 ,mr4 ,beecher had great boldness and perfect confidence in his conclusions1 and was willing to stand alone upon them1 because he had thought them out and settled the matter once for all4 ,from the kindly manner in which he had often spoken of the ,episcopal ,church1 his mother's communion1 and in his account of the effect which the service had upon him at ,stratford-on-,avon1 it might seem that he would attempt to bring some form of it into use in ,plymouth ,church2 but no movement in that direction was ever made1 and he appears to have been well satisfied with the possibilities that lay in the simple forms of his own order4 ,he has several articles at different times upon a proposed 8,congregational ,liturgy10 but advocates no change of method1 only an improvement of spirit4 8,our services are barren1 not from any want of common forms of devotion1 but from the want of common sympathy4 ,a church has a right to the gifts of every one of its members1 and the minister is set to disclose and develop them4 ,he is not to lean upon the strong1 or avail himself alone of the services of those already developed4 ,it is his office to take hold of every individual man1 and to educate him1 so that he may bring forth the one1 or five1 or ten talents which are committed to him for the use and profit of all his brothers4 ,a man of books1 a man of ideas1 a man of sermons1 is not ,christ's idea of a minister4 #8,follow me and ,i will make you fishers of men4' ,a minister is a man of men4 ,he is an inspirer and driller of men4444 ,but a dead church with a liturgy on top is like a sand desert covered with artificial bouquets4 ,it is bright for the moment4 ,but it is fictitious and fruitless4 ,there are no roots to the flowers4 ,there is no soil for the roots4 ,the utmost that a liturgy can do upon the chilly bosom of an undeveloped1 untrained church is to cover its nakedness with a faint shadow of what they fain would have but cannot get4444 8,as to #8surpliced boys1' we have them already4 ,the whole congregation is a choir1 and our boys1 bright and happy1 unite and respond with the elders2 so the surplice which they wear is just that thing which the dear mother threw over them when they left her4 8,if we were disposed to use any liturgy1 we know of no one which we should sooner employ than that which expressed the earliest religious feelings of our own mother1 now in heaven4 ,the mere fact that she had used and loved it would for ever make it sacred to us4 ,we never hear it pronounced by a sincere and earnest man without deriving profit from it ourselves2 and we have no doubt that others are benefited by its use4 ,we do not1 however1 believe that its continual use as the only vehicle of expression of the religious feeling of the congregation would be as profitable1 on the whole1 as an extemporaneous worship4 ,if we did we should use a liturgy4 ,while1 then1 we decline to use it in public1 because we think it1 on the whole1 less edifying than the usage of ,congregational churches1 we do it without wishing to detract from its intrinsic excellence1 and without wounding the feelings of those who delight to use it40 ,at this time he takes pains to contradict the report that he had spoken slightingly of the ,episcopalian forms in saying that 8he would as soon go a-courting with his father's old love-letters as to go to church and carry a book to pray out of03 8,so far from its being true that the remark in this story was applied to the ,episcopal or any other liturgy1 it was applied to what are called extemporaneous prayers in ,congregational and ,presbyterian prayer-meetings4 ,we were reprehending the practice of praying without sincerity or real religious feeling4 ,we said that when men began to lead in public prayer they should be simple1 truthful1 and strictly individual1 expressing their own wants or feelings with child-like truthfulness4 ,we commented upon the undeniable fact that men too often borrowed their prayers1 copying the elder or deacon or minister1 not to express real feelings1 but as forms4 ,thus extemporaneous prayers became hereditary4 ,and it was in reference to these unwritten forms of prayer1 in our own ,congregational churches1 that the remark imputed to us was made4 ,it was not a fling at the ,episcopal service4 ,we never indulge in such remarks at the expense of other denominations1 and never intend to do it4 ,we regard the whole practice of railing at other sects or their religious usages1 from the pulpit1 as not only unchristian but discourteous and ungentlemanly40 ,the year #aheg was one of great commercial trouble through the country4 ,many of his people were involved and became bankrupt4 ,this gave him much uneasiness from his sympathy with them1 and to some extent affected his health1 which he alludes to in a letter to his brother later in the year3 8,i do not think it safe for me to undertake so much work this winter4 ,my head is already suffering from overwork and anxiety induced by commercial troubles among my people4 ,god will in the end make it a greater blessing than their prosperity40 ,a family affliction which he felt very keenly1 both in his personal affection and in sympathy with those who were bereaved1 added to his burden4 ,in a letter to the ,independent1 ,july #af1 #aheg1 he says3 8,the writer has been called by the stroke of violence to part with three nephews within two weeks--two of them of one age--dying1 one in ,new ,hampshire1 and the others in ,ohio4 8,two sons of ,dr4 ,talbot ,bullard1 of ,indianapolis1 ,ind4--,henry1 aged thirteen1 and ,frank1 aged eighteen--were thrown with the cars over an embankment1 and died the same day4 8,nobler1 truer1 more gentle1 and more amiable natures never were4 ,just a moment before the accident one of them said to a gentleman by their side3 #8,in a few moments we shall be at home4' ,they were indeed nearer home than they thought4 8,henry ,e4 ,b4 ,stowe was the eldest son of his father's family4 ,on the #ith of ,july1 while bathing in the ,connecticut ,river1 he was drowned4 ,but we sorrow not as those without hope3 his race was quickly run40 ,we are not surprised1 therefore1 that we detect in most of the letters of this year a tinge of sadness accompanied with increased spiritual tenderness1 as if he were finding the sources of consolation for himself1 that he might lead others to them4 ,lenox was found to be so far from ,brooklyn that it was given up as a summer home1 and this year1 #aheg1 he spends his vacation at ,matteawan1 on the ,hudson4 ,his first letter gives us this bit of characteristic description3 8,we are living in a pleasant old house1 around which fruit-trees have grown in which birds have bred and lived unmolested from year to year4 ,it is but a dozen wing-beats from the trees to the mountain woods4 ,nothing can please a meditative bird better than to have domestic scenes on one side and the seclusion of the wilderness on the other4 ,a bird loves a kind of shy familiarity4 ,here we have a garden1 a door-yard1 an orchard1 and a barn grouped together2 and they on the other side have the young forests of scooped mountain-side4 ,so the birds come down here for fun and go up there for reflection4 ,this is their world2 that is their cathedral40 8,in the ,mountain and the ,closet0 he is speaking out of his own experience3 8,the influences which brood upon the soul in such a covert as the closet are not like the coarse stimulants of earthly thought4 ,the soul rises to its highest nature and meets the influences that rest upon it from above4 ,what are its depths of calmness1 what is the vision of faith1 what is the rapture1 the ecstasy of love1 the closet knows more grandly than all other places of human experience40 ,it is not all sadness even in this year of the minor key4 ,in ,august we have a long article upon 8,hours of ,exaltation10 in which he gives us some of those higher experiences which were common to him3 8444 ,we are filled with the very affluence of peacefulness and joy4 ,there is neither sorrow1 nor want1 nor madness1 nor trouble in the wide world4 ,the glory of the ,lord1 that at other times hangs upon the horizon like embattled clouds full gorgeous with the sun1 on such days as we have described descends and fills the whole earth4 ,the impassioned language of the psalmists and prophets1 which on other days is lifted up so high above our imaginations that we can scarcely hear it1 now comes down and sounds all its grandeur in our ears4 ,the mountains do praise the ,lord2 the trees clap their hands4 ,the clouds are ,his chariot and bear ,him through the air1 leaving brightness and joy along their path4 ,the birds know their ,king4 ,the flowers lift up their hands1 and with the silent tongue of perfume praise ,god with choice odors4 ,the whole earth doth praise ,thee40 ,in ,september of this year he visits ,litchfield with his father--the latter for the first time since he had moved to ,boston--and writes a letter upon 8,an ,aged ,pastor's ,return03 8,a man past eighty going through the streets1 to visit all the fathers and mothers in ,israel that had been young in his ministry there1 was a scene not a little memorable4 ,one patriarch in his ninety-ninth year1 when his former pastor came into the room1 spoke not a word1 but rose up and1 putting his trembling arms around his neck1 burst into tears44440 8,the particular errand that brought us hither was a lecture4 ,a new organ was to be bought4 ,all ,litchfield boys were permitted to help4 ,our contribution was asked in the shape of a lecture4 ,my part was soon done4 ,then the aged pastor came forward4 ,a crowd of old and young gathered at the pulpit-stairs to greet the hand that had baptized them or had broken to them the bread of life4 ,it was a scene of few words4 ,one woman gave her name1 but was not recognized in her married name4 ,she then mentioned her maiden name4 ,that touched a hidden spring4 ,both burst into tears1 but spoke no words4 ,the history came up instantly before both1 but silently1 which had occasioned the preaching of those sermons upon intemperance whose influence for good will never cease40 ,and now he points to one of the dangers which he has learned to avoid1 and opens to us some of the lessons which he has himself learned from the experiences of this year3 8,many troubles in life cease when we cease to nurse them4 8,many troubles are but the strain which we endure when ,god would carry us the right way and we insist upon going the wrong4 ,troubles come to us like mire and filth1 but when well mingled they change to flower and fruit4 8,it should be borne in mind and thought of with thankfulness that although a heavy pecuniary pressure has been resting on the community1 nothing perishes4 ,no ships will rot1 as under embargo2 stores will not go down2 not a wheel will rust1 but only rest2 the railroads1 whose creation has cost us so much1 are created1 and will not go back but thunder on4 ,not an acre will go again to the forest2 not a seed will rot4 8,we shall hold the substantial elements gained1 losing no art1 no science1 no ideas1 no habits1 no skill1 no industry1 nothing but a little temporary comfort2 and for that we shall receive back steadiness1 safety1 reality1 and consolation worth a thousand-fold40 ,that there had been no diminution of the prosperity of the church appears from an announcement in one of the ,new ,york papers of the annual pew-renting1 which took place ,january #g of the following year3 8,the membership of ,plymouth ,church was never so large as at present1 and the size of the congregation is undiminished4 ,the building admits of an audience of about three thousand persons1 and it is not an uncommon occurrence on a pleasant ,sunday evening for fully as great a number as this to go away from the church-doors1 unable to get even standing-room within the walls40 ,if the year #aheg was one of sadness1 that of #aheh was one of rejoicing4 ,the sowing with tears was followed by the reaping with joy4 ,never in the history of our country were revivals of religion so frequent1 so deep and wide-spread1 as in the year that followed the great financial disasters of #aheg4 ,the shattering of men's hopes of wealth1 the disturbance and destruction of their confidence in material things1 was followed by a very general turning to those things that endure4 ,from a little book entitled 8,the ,revival in ,plymouth ,church10 published anonymously1 from the testimony of those who were active at that time1 and from letters and sermons besides1 we get a very clear idea of the part which ,mr4 ,beecher took in this great work and the methods he pursued4 ,near the close of the year preceding he had received a letter from a young man in ,new ,york1 who described himself as slowly but surely sinking beneath the temptations which he could not escape1 and who implored help from the destruction that hung over him4 ,he said1 8,preach to me the terrors of the law1 anything to arouse me from this fearful lethargy40 ,mr4 ,beecher read the appeal to his audience1 and answered it by preaching on the love of ,god in ,jesus ,christ as the only remedy for man's sin and the only power for his salvation1 and said3 8,if this remedy fails ,i know of no other4 ,if love will not save you1 fear will be of no avail40 ,he then led the congregation in a most earnest and tender prayer for that young man and for the great multitude which he represented4 ,it was by such means as this1 enlisting the feeling of his audience in specific cases1 awakening and directing the sympathies of the church1 that the work began4 ,he disclaimed any confidence in a revival1 born of mere excitement1 carefully explained ,god's methods in saving men1 and threw the whole responsibility for success upon ,christians4 ,if their hearts were filled with the love of ,god the influence would be felt with power by those around them4 ,on the last ,sabbath in ,february he preached upon the reasonableness1 usefulness1 and ,scriptural nature of revivals1 combated objections against them1 and finally brought it home to the conscience of his people3 8,ought you not to have a revival80 ,on the next ,sabbath1 at the communion season1 he preached upon the words1 8,for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ10 holding up before his people with great clearness and tenderness the privileges and the infinite rewards of patient1 ,christian following and labor4 ,the father1 who assisted at the service which followed1 expressed the feeling of many hearts when1 in his prayer1 he said3 8,lord1 we thank ,thee for the opening out of ,thy word this morning2 we have been brought very near heaven2 we see not how we can be any nearer till we stand within the very gates40 ,on the ,wednesday evening following1 at the usual weekly lecture1 he spoke to a crowded audience upon the conversion of the ,philippian jailer4 ,it was a service of confession of the lack of faith in the ever-present grace of ,god1 of instruction concerning the spirit and methods of the apostles1 and of guidance to any who were seeking light and peace4 ,a prayer-meeting followed1 at which any who desired prayers for themselves or others were given opportunity to make their desire known1 and the work was begun4 8,morning meetings were opened daily1 and were attended by ever-increasing numbers1 while so many remained afterward for instruction that the pastor's work was rarely over before eleven or twelve o'clock4 ,he called in lieutenants of both sexes1 who helped him in the work4 ,no one who attended on those occasions can ever forget the fascinating mixture of tenderness1 earnestness1 pathos1 dry humor1 quick wit1 and sound common sense that ran through all the instruction of those meetings4 ,one would be told to pray2 another1 whose knees were almost worn out and whose mind was diseased with useless anxiety1 was told in the next breath to stop praying and go to sweeping2 the many timid and shrinking ones were encouraged into freedom1 while one or two1 who thought that all the angels were anxiously awaiting the news of their conversion before the business of heaven could proceed1 were taken down by a little quiet humor that cured yet did not wound2 and all alike were brought into the one fold4 ,under such influences and instructions three hundred and thirty-five persons united with the church this season4 8,the morning prayer-meeting has been in ,plymouth ,church emphatically a #8love-feast1' the attractive influences being love to ,christ1 to the pastor1 and to one another in full and lively exercise4 ,no better description of these meetings can be given than that of a happy and united family gathering together1 under the guidance of a beloved and honored father1 for morning worship4 ,no wonder that men as they passed along the street1 though unused to a prayer-meeting1 could not resist the voice of song which fell on their ear daily in the sweet morning hour2 and no wonder that1 once having entered1 they should be fascinated by the scene which met their eye and warmed by the atmosphere of love which they breathed1 and should return saying3 #8,surely ,god is in this place1 though we knew it not2 this is indeed the house of ,god1 and this is none other than the gate of heaven4' ,there was no such feeling as that smiles1 or even an honest laugh1 were sinful2 smiles and tears mingled in curious proximity1 without any attempt at restraint2 in short1 everything was natural4 8,at the close of a meeting1 when1 owing to the quaintness of speech of some of the brethren1 especially the newly-awakened ones1 in the relation of their varied experiences1 we had laughed and cried alternately1 the one as heartily as the other1 ,mr4 ,beecher said3 #8,i call you to witness whether this has not been a good meeting1 whether there has not been a tender spirit among us1 and whether the influence of the ,holy ,ghost has not been here8 ,i say this because1 as you know1 many persons entertain the opinion that laughing is quite inexpedient on such occasions as these and a sure means of grieving away the ,spirit4 ,bear this meeting in mind1 and let it be your answer to the charge of irreverence whenever it may be brought against us on this score4'0 ,he gave one of his own experiences3 8,you know that my usual frame of mind is hopefulness4 ,i am apt to look at the bright side of things and take cheerful views of life4 ,on this very account an occasional experience of sadness is an inexpressible luxury to me4 ,last night1 ,i know not why1 but ,i could not sleep for some hours4 ,i lay restlessly1 turning from side to side1 till this morning between one and two4 ,no sooner was ,i asleep than it seemed to me ,i was in an ,episcopal church1 robed in black1 where a clergyman was celebrating the ,lent service4 ,by and by he ascended the pulpit and began to speak4 ,there was no eloquence in his language1 nor anything particularly striking in his mode of dealing with his subject1 but his heart was evidently in it4 ,he was setting forth in simple language the sufferings of ,jesus1 and as ,i listened there seemed to rise up before me a vivid conception of the ,saviour in ,his last agony on ,calvary4 ,i gazed till the tears gushed from my eyes1 and ,i awoke to find my pillow soaking wet4 ,i composed myself again to sleep1 and my imagination took up the stitch just where ,i had dropped it1 and knitted on4 ,i beheld the same vision1 and again the tears flowed4 ,i gazed and wept until it seemed to me as if my very soul would dissolve and the fountain of tears be itself exhausted4 ,again ,i awoke1 and1 again falling asleep1 the vision was for the third time repeated1 and ,i seemed to weep my very life away4 ,i know not when ,i had before such a sweet1 rich experience of the love of my ,saviour2 and when ,i awoke finally this morning1 it was with a tenderness of soul ,i cannot well describe4 ,i was thankful ,i did not sleep sooner1 and that when ,i did sleep ,i made such good use of my time40 ,opportunity was given at these meetings to any who wished to ask the brethren to pray for themselves or for others1 and was largely used4 ,a little before the close of the meeting ,mr4 ,beecher would rise1 and1 taking the slips of paper that covered his table1 read from them aloud4 ,after reading these he would ask1 8,are there any here who desire to make requests on behalf of their friends80 ,and then when these had all been made he would say1 8,are there any who desire to ask on their own account80 ,then having caught the eye of each as they arose1 and acknowledged the request by a slight inclination of the head1 in token of recognition1 until they ceased rising1 8in a low1 soft tone would come the words1 #8,let us unite in prayer1' and instantly every head was bowed4 ,the prayers which followed these scenes were the most precious opportunities of communion with the ,lord ,jesus ,christ which we were ever permitted to enjoy4 ,we believe that he who uttered them was taught of the ,holy ,ghost1 and that he spake as the ,spirit gave him utterance4 ,there was an exuberance of faith and love in these utterances not usually found in prayer2 a gladness on the part of the speaker1 and a recognized consciousness of gladness on the part of ,christ4 ,they were the breathings of love into a loving ear40 8,we always concluded with a hymn1 for ,mr4 ,beecher was wont to say that he liked to send us away with a full tide of song1 and for a long time our choice for concluding hymns lay between #8,shining ,shore' and #8,homeward ,bound4'0 ,march #bg1 #aheh1 ,mr4 ,beecher gave a twenty-minute address in ,burton's old theatre in ,chambers ,street at the noon prayer-meeting4 8,i wish to leave the impression that the matter of salvation is a matter between your own heart and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 that there is between you a sympathy so plain that there is no need of any interference4 ,you may become a ,christian now1 and go home to your household and be enabled to ask a blessing at your table to-day40 ,letters are frequent this year upon subjects like this1 8,trust in ,god03 8,we ought not to forget that an affectionate1 confiding1 tender faith1 habitually exercised1 would save us half the annoyances of life1 for it would lift us above the reach of them4 ,if an eagle were to fly low along the ground every man might aim a dart at it2 but when it soars into the clouds it is above every arrow's reach4 ,and they that trust in ,god #8shall mount up with wings as eagles2 they shall run and not be weary2 they shall walk and not faint4'0 ,about this time he answers a criticism that appeared in several papers upon the extravagant income of ,plymouth ,church3 8,it is easy to stand off and rail4 ,will any one suggest a plan by which five thousand men can be put into a church that can hold only three thousand8 8,the poor should be held in lively remembrance4 ,but ought we to provide for the poor in a way that shall punish those who are not poor8444 8,in closing we will only say that from the beginning no church ever more conscientiously endeavored to give the ,gospel to all classes1 rich and poor1 resident or strangers4 ,for ten years the members of this society have cheerfully submitted to an inconvenience1 for the sake of the poor and of strangers1 such as has rarely had a parallel4 ,gentlemen have paid hundreds of dollars for pews which were1 with the exception of a single ,sabbath in the year1 more or less filled with the poor4 8,every ,sabbath day families who have paid hundreds of dollars for a pew1 coming to church1 find it pre-occupied by the poor and the stranger1 and it is a rare exception that in such cases there is any irritation4 8,generally the owner1 distributing his family as best he can1 takes a seat in the aisle or stands in the entry4 ,and this is not an occasional thing4 ,it is the regular experience of the congregation1 year after year40 ,the year #ahei opens with some very characteristic letters from ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,he had been charged with having held the doctrine of total depravity up to ridicule in a lecture which he delivered in ,boston4 ,this brings from him a letter1 two or three passages of which we here transcribe3 8,but although we did not employ the phrase total depravity in any opprobrious sense at the time mentioned1 we do not hesitate to say that we regard it as one of the most unfortunate and misleading terms that ever afflicted theology4444 8,on the other hand1 we do believe1 with continual sorrow of heart and daily overflowing evidence1 in the deep sinfulness of universal man4444 ,we heartily hate the phrase total depravity1 and never feel inclined to use it except when reading the ethics of ------ or the religious editorials of ------40 ,he was shortly after this attacked for lecturing in a 8,fraternity ,course0 in the same city4 ,this calls out a long answer upon 8,working with ,errorists10 in which he says3 8,i have long ago been convinced that it was better to love men than to hate them1 that one would be more likely to convince them of wrong belief by showing a cordial sympathy with their welfare than by nipping and pinching them with logic4 ,and although ,i do not disdain but honor philosophy applied to religion1 ,i think that the world just now needs the ,christian heart more than anything else4 ,and even if the only and greatest question were the propagation of the right theology1 ,i am confident that right speculative views will grow up faster and firmer in the summer of true ,christian loving than in the rigorous winter of solid1 congealed orthodoxy or the blustering ,march of controversy4444 8,if tears could wash away from ,mr4 ,parker's eyes the hindrances1 that he might behold ,christ as ,i behold and adore ,him1 ,i would shed them without reserve4 ,if prayers could bring to him this vision of glory1 beyond sight of philosophy1 ,i would for him besiege the audience-chamber of heaven with an endless procession of prayers1 until another voice1 sounding forth from another light brighter than the noonday sun1 should cast down another blinded man1 to be lifted up an apostle with inspired vision4 8,but since ,i may not hope so to prevail1 ,i at least will carry him in my heart2 ,i will cordially work with him when ,i can1 and be heartily sorry when ,i cannot4 8,while we yet write word comes that ,mr4 ,parker1 broken down by over-labor1 seeks rest and restoration in a warmer climate4 ,should these lines reach his eyes let him know that one heart at least remembers his fidelity to man in great public exigencies1 when so many swerved of whom we had a right to expect better things4 ,god shield him from the ocean1 the storm1 the pestilence1 and heal him of lurking disease6 ,and there shall be one ,christian who will daily speak his name to the heart of ,god in earnest prayer1 that with health of body he may receive upon his soul the greatest gift of ,god--faith in ,jesus ,christ as the ,divine ,saviour of the world40 ,another incident calls forth a similar response3 8,at the recent celebration of ,tom ,paine's birthday at ,cincinnati the infidels present toasted3 #8,the heretic clergy1 ,parker1 ,emerson1 ,conway1 ,chapin1 ,beecher1 and all who love man above all creeds1 and sects1 and rituals1 and observances1 who regard man as the highest and holiest and most sacred of all in the universe--may their motto be3 ,ever onward1 greater freedom1 and clearer light4'0 ,having disclaimed any distinction as one who loves man more than creeds1 since this is 8true of all ,christians when they are in their most ,christian disposition10 and having accepted their motto as being in line with sundry passages of ,scripture1 he gives his true and honest feeling towards them in these words3 8,let no man think that we despise the sympathy and well-wishing of a convention of infidels4 ,we thank them for their kind feelings4 ,like our ,master1 we had rather discourse with publicans and sinners than dine with the most select and eminent ,pharisee4 ,but we love a true ,christian better than either4 ,but1 infidel or ,pharisee1 all need the grace of ,god1 and all1 by repentance of sin and faith in ,christ1 the ,saviour of sinners1 may yet meet in heaven4 8,gentlemen of the ,cincinnati convention of infidels6 we should be ashamed to be less kind and courteous than you have been1 and in concluding we take leave of you kindly1 saying1 in the words of ,inspired ,writ3 8#8,now may the ,god of peace1 that brought again from the dead our ,lord ,jesus1 that great ,shepherd of the sheep1 through the blood of the everlasting covenant1 make you perfect in every good work to do ,his will1 working in you that which is well pleasing in ,his sight1 through ,jesus ,christ4 ,to whom be glory for ever and ever4' 990 ,the setting up of a new organ in ,plymouth ,church this winter is thus duly announced3 8,the organ long expected has arrived1 been unpacked1 set up1 and glorified over4 ,it has piped1 fluted1 trumpeted1 brayed1 thundered4 ,it has played so loud that everybody was deafened1 and so softly that nobody could hear40 ,after speaking of the characteristics of the many organists who have tried it1 and of one who was an especially brilliant player1 he says3 8,but he was not a ,christian man1 and the organ was not to him a ,christian instrument1 but simply a grand ,gothic instrument1 to be studied just as a mere ,protestant would study a cathedral1 in the mere spirit of architecture and not at all in sympathy with its religious signification or uses4 ,and before long he went abroad to perfect himself in his musical studies1 but not till a most ludicrous event befell him4 ,on a ,christmas day a great performance was to be given4 ,the church was full2 all were musically expectant4 ,it had been given out that something might be expected4 ,and surely something was had a little more than was expected4 ,for when every stop was drawn1 that the opening might be with a grand choral effect1 the down-pressing of his hands brought forth not only the full expected chord1 but also a cat that by some strange chance had got into the organ4 ,she went up over the top as if gunpowder had helped her4 ,down she plunged into the choir1 to the track around the front bulwark of the gallery1 until opposite the pulpit1 when she dashed down one of the supporting columns1 made for the broad aisle1 when a little dog joined in the affray1 and both went down toward the street-door at an astonishing pace4 ,our organist1 who1 on the first appearance of this element in his piece1 snatched back his hands1 had forgotten to relax his muscles1 and was to be seen following the cat with his eyes1 with his head turned1 while his astonished hands stood straight out before him1 rigid as marble60 ,in the spring of this year he purchased a farm in ,peekskill1 and explains his object as follows3 8,i knew that the place was good for grass1 for grain1 and for fruits1 of all which ,i talked a good deal during the preliminary approaches to a purchase1 but for which ,i cared about as much as ,i should whether the inside of my boots were red or yellow4 8,if the thing must be told--and ,i mention it to you1 ,mr4 ,bonner1 confidentially--it was the remarkable aptitude of the place for eye-crops that caught my fancy4 ,it was not so much what grew upon the place1 as what you could see off from it1 that won me4 ,it is a great stand for the eye4 ,if a man can get rich by looking1 ,i am on the royal road to wealth4 ,and1 indeed1 it is true wealth that the eye gets1 and the ear and all the finer senses2 riches that cannot be hoarded or squandered2 that all may have in common2 that come without meanness and abide without corrupting4 ,so long as it remains true that the heavens declare the glory of ,god1 and the earth ,his handiwork1 so long will men find both heart wealth and strength by a reverent admiration of the one and a sympathetic familiarity with the other40 ,in a letter to his daughter he describes the new home3 8444 ,farm--,i wrote so far at home1 but being interrupted have brought it up to the green hills4 ,you will be quite ashamed to think that ,matteawan ever seemed beautiful to you when you shall have seen this place4 ,it has no wild or romantic features1 but it is full of soft1 nice1 beautiful views4 ,no barren fields are seen1 no brown pasture-lands1 no rugged hills--the very mountains in the horizon are carved into round and graceful shapes4 ,the near hills are round1 gentle1 smooth1 and verduous to the very top4 ,only one summit is rugged and wild1 and we keep that in the distant foreground as a contrast to all the other graceful shapes4 ,the river in the distance is like a lake1 except the fleets of sloops and schooners give it a sense of navigation4 ,from the top hill of the farm you can see almost as wide a prospect as from ,bald ,mountain in ,salisbury--on the north and east1 wild1 mountainous1 solitary2 but all the rest beautiful and cultivated1 with the ,hudson rolling along the west4 ,i have traced a rude diagram#f on the opposite page1 but it will be only just better than nothing1 though you must confess that it is exceedingly well drawn for me6 ----- ,footnote #f3 ,the ,publishers regret that the diagram could not be given4 ----- 0444 ,i heard from ,h------ yesterday4 ,he is well and lively1 and wrote me quite a sprightly and witty letter4 ,w------ is round1 rosy1 curly1 and loving as usual4 ,b------1 the rogue1 is fairly recovering from a double charge of scarlet-fever and whooping-cough1 and is becoming most healthfully saucy48 ,early in the autumn they returned from the country and began life again in the city4 ,we give copies of several letters written to his daughter3 0,,brooklyn1 ,sept4 #d1 #ahei4 8444 ,in the beginning let me say1 my dear child1 that ,i heartily approve of all that you have done4 ,i am not a superstitious observer of the ,sabbath1 nor do ,i hold to the rigor either of the ,jewish or the ,puritan ,sabbath4 ,but ,i do believe that one-seventh part of our time was originally appointed for rest1 for home-society1 and for religious culture4444 8,when ,i was myself in ,paris ,i acted just as ,i do in ,brooklyn4 ,i took no more liberties1 and was quite as observant of my home proprieties4 ,and ,i must say that ,i do not relish the idea of our young countrymen going to ,europe to learn how to get rid of religious habits4 ,foreign travel should improve our manners1 increase our information1 enlarge our experience of men1 enrich our imagination1 cultivate our tastes1 but not enervate our conscience4444 8,everything is going well at the farm4 ,i have bought a yoke of cattle1 white with mottled necks and red heads2 also two ,ayrshire calves1 and a little bull calf of the same breed4 ,your mother is driving away at her cheeses in the most housewifely style4 ,she has already made1 eaten1 and given away two or three1 and she has four or five on hand1 good large ones1 which are to grow old for city use4 ,already ,i imagine myself a nimble little maggot making the cheese fly4 ,the pet ponies do bravely1 the pigs are fat and flourishing1 the chickens comely1 and the ducks noisy but drawing very near to doom and dinner4 8,i would not advise you to use wine unless you are weak and it is recommended by judicious advisers for real reasons of health2 and then ,i should take it frankly and without hesitation4 ,but while you do not use it1 you are not bound to take it on any occasion for others' sake4 ,if the occasion comes1 call for a glass of water and calmly lift that to your lips4 ,but more of this by and by4 ,i have no objection to your learning to dance as a part of physical education40 ,the home life in ,brooklyn ran undisturbed through the autumn1 until1 early in #ahfj1 a serious accident befell ,mrs4 ,beecher1 which ,mr4 ,beecher describes in the following letter3 8,,february #aa1 #ahfj4 0,,my ,,dear ,,child ,h------3 8,i suppose you will not scold me if ,i relieve your mother of letter-writing this steamer2 it is1 ,i think1 the first time she has missed4 ,but she is too lame to write to-day1 having had an accident that ought to have killed her1 and that would have killed anybody else4 ,and that your fears may not magnify the matter1 ,i shall go back and describe it all to you4 8,on ,wednesday last1 ,february #h1 she took the horse and chaise 7a two-wheeled chaise1 which we have bought of ,mr4 ,m------71 and started to go to ,new ,york and meet and bring me home from the ,new ,haven depot4 ,eliza and ,bertie were taken in1 the former to go over to the ,hudson ,river ,railroad for milk1 and ,bertie for the ride4 ,the horse was spirited and soon got under way beyond control1 but did not run till1 turning into ,hicks ,street from ,orange1 she dashed off like lightning1 ran to ,fulton ,street and right across it1 up on to the pavement and headlong on to the ,brooklyn ,bank steps4 ,the carriage was broken and turned over1 and all1 of course1 heaped up together--horse1 chaise1 and people4 ,men sprang to the horse1 held and detached her2 others succored the party4 ,bertie had a smart thump on his right eye1 or above it1 which has done him no harm1 and he has not been kept in from his play1 though made a little homelier than he was before4 ,eliza was thrown against the stone and a smart slit cut in her head1 which bled profusely1 and though she has kept her bed by the doctor's orders1 she expects to be about to-day4 ,your mother1 as usual1 took everybody's share on herself4 ,she was shot out apparently head-first1 and fell upon the right side of her head1 neck1 and shoulder1 bruising her1 but breaking nothing4 ,she was insensible when taken into the drug-store close by4 ,i know not how ,h------ was notified so soon1 but he seems to have been on the spot within five minutes1 and manifested as much self-possession and decisive wisdom as would have done credit to a much older head4 ,he gave orders to have his mother taken home1 sent for ,dr4 ,adams to come to the drug-store1 sent another messenger to the stableman to look after the carriage and horse 7who1 confound her homely self6 was but little hurt71 and then took a hack to meet me at the ,new ,haven depot and bring me home4 8,i reached the house very nearly as soon as your mother did4 ,found ,mrs4 ,e------ ,b------1 ,mrs4 ,l------1 ,mrs4 ,b------1 ,mrs4 ,e------1 and one or two strange ladies present1 the doctor1 a policeman or two1 and scores of people running to and fro2 yet1 in the main1 there was order and good sense4 0444 ,the doctors regard her as out of danger1 but she will be a sufferer for a week or more4 ,everything is going on regularly in the house1 except that ,i am at home all the time1 which is very irregular in my habits4 8444 ,and so when you read this you must remember that though it seems to you as if it had just happened1 it will have been all past1 and your mother doubtless1 while you read1 will be marching forth in full authority4 ,everybody who saw the scene speaks in admiration of her courage and skill4 ,she guided the horse to the last1 though she could not control her1 and was game to the end4 ,but that we should all expect4 ,nor does her courage flinch yet4 ,some one said to her yesterday3 #8,well1 ,i suppose you will never drive that horse again4' #8,yes1 ,i shall too1' said she2 and she shall4 ,we are very grateful for her safety and merciful deliverance1 and although she will suffer from twinges1 yet1 as there are no internal injuries1 no bones fractured1 it is only a matter of patience4444 ,slept very well and has the beginning of an appetite1 although ,i am constrained to say that when ,i mentioned the little luxury of gruel as something appetizing and excellent for her1 she turned up her nose 7,i could not be mistaken7 at the suggestion1 so that she is evidently not quite settled yet in her mind4 ,she can walk slowly1 takes her bath1 submits to packs1 and has refreshed herself once or twice with a hand-glass1 looking at the recent improvements about her countenance4 0444 ,love to all4 ,i shall keep you faithfully apprised of her health1 and you need not fear that anything is a bit worse than ,i say4 ,i shall tell the truth4 ,good-by4 8,may ,god have you in ,his care6 8,your affectionate father1 ,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher40 8,,february #ad4 0,,my ,,dear ,h------3 8,your aunt has told you of your mother1 and little is to be added on that score4444 ,i wish you would take all your gauze paper and send it to ,cardinal ,antonelli1 or the pope1 or the--that is1 burn it up1 tear it up1 crumple it1 throw it away1 do anything with it except sending it to me4 ,go forth and search and buy some that is respectable1 for ,i wow a wow that ,i will vex my eyes no more with such intolerable stuff4 ,i feel as though ,i could say a little more with great comfort to myself1 but1 as ,i must receive several letters before this reaches you and reforms your writing materials1 ,i reserve a stock of wrath for those several occasions4 0,wednesday1 ,feb4 #ae4--,your mother this morning is generally better1 though suffering from cramps4 ,she is now lying in a pack4 ,mrs4 ,f------ has been as good as an angel1 and a great deal more useful4 ,indeed1 ,i do not think much of angels1 unless they have a good serviceable body on4 ,of course ,auntie ,b------ is on hand kindly and constantly4 ,everybody is kind4 ,mrs4 ,g------ has spent four days here1 two in the parlors to receive company1 etc41 and two with your mother4 ,mrs4 ,l------ has been incessantly here1 and has both watched1 waited1 and run for watchers and nurses without tire or fatigue4 ,we had a meeting on ,monday night for new church4 ,the action of the trustees was confirmed1 and they were requested to go ahead immediately and raise the necessary funds1 and as soon as #ajj1jjj were secured to proceed to lay the foundations4 ,i do not regard the enterprise as quite sure yet1 though looking favorably4 ,give my love to the pope4 ,i am sorry for his situation4 ,if he only sat under my preaching how much his eyes might be opened6 ,as it is1 if he chooses to write to me in regard to any of his little difficulties1 ,i hope he will allow no delicacy to restrain him4 ,i will do the best ,i can for him4 ,ditto ,antonelli4 8,i am now the holder of your room4 ,there nap ,i1 and there sleep ,i1 and seldom either without a faint shadow of a rosy-cheeked1 ,minerva-eyed girl that whilom tenanted it4 ,i have removed the boys1 ,w------ and ,b------1 into the room next it1 formerly ,h------'s1 while he holds the front large room1 now pink-papered and famously carpeted and furnished4 ,eliza is quite well and trots about the house with a diligence that shows how wholesome it is for an ,irishwoman to have her head broke4 ,i have promised her1 whenever she is sick1 to give her a granite-steps course1 instead of water1 as being much better adapted to her wants and nationality4 ,give my love to all the great ,american family4444 ,remember that paper1 ,,that ,,paper1 ,,that ,,paper6 8,your loving and longing father1 8,h4 ,w4 ,b40 8,good-by1 old fellow4 ,give my love to ,hattie1 and tell her that her father hasn't forgotten her10 were the first words of ,mr4 ,beecher to me that ,i remember4 ,i had been introduced to him the evening before1 but he had just returned from a lecturing tour1 tired and sleepy1 and if he said anything brilliant it has entirely escaped my memory4 ,i was going1 in company with ,mrs4 ,stowe's son1 to take a pedestrian tour in ,europe4 ,we expected1 in time1 to join her party1 who were then on the ,continent1 and were busy getting ready to go on board ship that day4 ,it was a hearty send off to one who was comparatively a stranger1 that was very characteristic of the man4 ,of course ,i remembered the message and gave it faithfully2 and after several months' acquaintance1 travelling in ,switzerland and ,italy1 made an addition of the same in kind on my own account1 which being accepted and reciprocated1 we were married ,september #be1 #ahfa4 8,the innumerable friends of the ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher would hardly forgive us if we were to omit mentioning the pleasing incident that occurred at his country residence at ,peekskill last week4 ,on ,wednesday morning1 after the dew was dry1 ,mr4 ,beecher chose a spot under the shadows of the trees near his garden1 where1 in the presence of a fit circle of friends and neighbors1 he gave away his only daughter in a novel ceremony of marriage4 ,the beauty of the day and the beauty of the ceremony together rendered the scene singularly charming1 tender1 and impressive40 ,of his method of making himself acquainted with the peculiar features of the villages in which he lectured1 and his pleasant words concerning the people he met1 the following letter is a good illustration3 8,,my ,,dear ,,doctor3 8,i sent you a scrap from the goodly town of ,norwich1 ,n4 ,y41 in which ,i have most pleasantly spent a portion of three days1 and would fain have added as many more4 ,it is one of the many towns in this ,chenango ,valley of which ,dr4 ,dwight said that the time would come when men of wealth would leave the seaboard cities and retire to it as a place of rare repose4 8,the great hammer manufactory of the ,new ,world is also located here4 ,what hardware man has not seen ,david ,maydole's name8 ,many of the best improvements in the hammer have sprung from his ingenious skill4 ,but there is room for improvement still4 ,thus our hammers have the power of hiding themselves4 8,after investigating many cases it becomes plain that hammers have a power of locomotion1 and that when we are asleep they crawl off4 ,we have never seen them actually move1 but we have almost4 ,we have found them on the ground or floor1 and they were probably on their way somewhere when we surprised them1 and then1 like many insects1 they feigned dead4444 ,we should be glad to listen every night to as sweet music as that which rose up before our window in ,hamilton and in ,norwich40 ,as a complement to the above an experience in not lecturing is here given in full3 8,,st4 ,,louis1 ------1 #ahei4 0,,rev4 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher1 ,brooklyn3 8,,dear ,,sir3 ,on behalf of the ,mercantile ,library ,association of this city1 it is my pleasant duty to address you4 ,we are now endeavoring to form the lecture programme for our association for the coming season1 and we wish to do so as early as possible4 ,fully appreciating your well-known reputation as a lecturer and an orator1 we should be pleased to make an engagement with you for two or three lectures the coming fall and winter4 ,if you can serve us1 will you be so kind as to give us your terms1 time1 and subject as soon as possible8 8,as our ,association may not be well known to you1 permit me to say one word in regard to it4 ,we think that there is no library association in this country that is in a more prosperous condition than ours4 ,it has some eighteen hundred members1 and is rapidly increasing4 ,its members are merchants1 clerks1 and members from the several professions4 ,as a matter of course these members come from all parts of our country1 and naturally entertain a variety of views1 both as to politics and religion4 ,hence it becomes our ,association to be very careful to eschew all matters pertaining to either of these subjects in its lectures4 ,should you be so kind as to favor us with a course of lectures--and we sincerely hope you will do so--you will please bear the above facts in mind4 ,hoping to hear from you at your earliest convenience1 ,i remain1 ,yours truly1 8,r4 ,h4 ,d------1 0,chairman ,lecture ,committee1 ,m4 ,l4 ,a48 ,they heard from him at once as requested1 and this was the answer3 ,,mr4 ,,beecher',s ,,reply4 0,,brooklyn1 ------1 #ahei4 8,,dear ,,sir3 ,i have received your letter politely inviting me to give one or more lectures before the ,st4 ,louis ,mercantile ,library ,association next fall or winter4 ,but you ask1 in consequence of the diversity of opinions among your members1 that ,i should1 if ,i accepted your invitation1 #8eschew all matters pertaining to politics and religion4' ,i am too much of a patriot to eschew the one1 and too good a ,christian to neglect the other4 ,indeed1 the only motive that ,i have for lecturing at all is the hope that ,i may make better citizens and better ,christians of my fellow-men4 ,and it seems to me that a course of lectures from which have been strained out #8all matters pertaining to politics and religion1' must afford but a very meagre diet to the young people of ,st4 ,louis4 8,nor can ,i imagine why you should1 under the circumstances1 have wished me to visit you4 ,if ,i have ever been of any service to my fellow-men1 it has been because ,i never would eschew any topic which ,i thought it needful for them to hear4 ,nor have ,i ever allowed myself to stand on any platform where ,i could not follow my own judgment as to what should be said with the most unlimited freedom4 ,and it is too late in my life for me to yield up my sense of self-respect and come under a censorship4 8,i hope ,i have not taken seriously a matter which1 perhaps1 you meant only as a pleasant jest4 ,for1 on reading your letter again1 ,i hardly repress the conviction that you deemed it a pleasant jest to ask me to come all the way to ,st4 ,louis to give lectures1 under an implied agreement that ,i should #8eschew all matters pertaining to politics and religion6'0 ,when the title of ,doctor of ,divinity was offered him he declined it1 as follows3 8,,peekskill1 ,august #ba1 #ahfj4 0,to ,president and ,board of ,trustees of ,amherst ,college3 8,,gentlemen3 ,i have been duly notified that at the last meeting of the ,board of ,trustees the title of ,d4,d4 was conferred upon me4 ,it would certainly give me pleasure should any respectable institution bear such a testimony of good will1 but that ,amherst ,college1 my own mother1 should so kindly remember a son is a peculiar gratification4 ,but all the use of such a title ends with the public expression4 ,if the wish to confer it be accepted1 for the rest it would be but an encumbrance and furnish an address by no means agreeable to my taste4 ,i greatly prefer the simplicity of that name which my mother uttered over me in the holy hour of infant consecration and baptism4 8,may ,i be permitted1 without seeming to undervalue your kindness or disesteeming the honor meant1 to return it to your hands1 that ,i may to the end of my life be1 as thus far ,i have been1 simply ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher40 ,one of the peculiar features of ,mr4 ,beecher's work in those days of #ahfa-fc was the revival interest that continued1 with variations of intensity1 it is true1 but with no substantial interruption1 for years4 ,the revival of #aheh had not entirely ceased at that time1 and although those days of war1 especially since he gave himself so intensely to public matters1 would naturally be regarded as unfavorable to any marked religious interest1 yet it continued notwithstanding1 as is shown by the numbers that constantly sought admission to the church upon profession of faith4 ,this was owing1 we doubt not1 to the perfect conviction of ,mr4 ,beecher that the whole work of that time was the ,lord's1 and to his entering upon it with such consecration that he was continually shielded and refreshed by experiences of the divine presence4 ,this gave a deep practical spirituality to his preaching1 which was appropriated and reflected by his church1 making the ,gospel attractive1 in those days of trouble1 as never before4 ,men turned to the refuge which they saw he had found1 and which1 with deepest sympathy and with abundant hopefulness1 he was pointing out to them4 ,he himself says3 8,it is a mistake to suppose that the preoccupation of the public mind with the war1 and the great excitements which are fed by the ever-changing rumors and news1 are unfavorable to the work of a true minister of the ,gospel40 ,the continued ingathering into ,plymouth ,church during all those years of the war was something almost phenomenal4 ,one marked occasion1 the ,may communion of #ahfb1 was described in a newspaper of that day3 8,every part of the house was densely packed4 ,the platform and desk were decorated with vases of flowers1 while banks of azaleas1 magnolias1 carnations1 fuchsias1 white lilies1 roses1 and other plants in blossom reached from the pulpit floor to the orchestra4 ,after the usual exercises of singing1 reading1 and prayer1 ,mr4 ,beecher read a list of about eighty names of persons who were to unite with the church4 ,many of them were members of the ,sabbath-schools and ,bible-classes4 ,some were persons of middle age2 a few were persons of advanced years4 ,after a brief address ,mr4 ,beecher read the articles of faith1 to which the parties gave their assent4 ,the ordinance of baptism was then administered to those who had never before received it2 after which the members of the church arose and received the new members into full and cordial communion4 ,mr4 ,beecher took his text from ,john x4 #c1 #d4 ,there had been provided memorial bouquets for each new communicant1 which were distributed at the close of the services40 ,these floral decorations may almost be said to have been introduced by ,plymouth ,church1 and were justified by ,mr4 ,beecher upon the highest moral and religious grounds4 ,he says of 8,flowers in ,church03 8,they are simply the signs of gladness4 ,they are offerings of joyful hearts to ,god4 8,flowers are not of man4 ,they are divine4 ,man can1 by culture1 develop all that ,god has hidden in them1 but can add nothing to them1 nor can he invent or build them4 8,god has made flowers for everybody4 ,they are next in abundance to the great elements--air1 light1 water4 ,the poorest man has a roadside flower-garden4 ,no mission-church is so poor that it cannot afford wild flowers upon the altar and a few assorted leaves in the windows4 ,how beautifully would woman's hand light up the dreary plaster wall and frigid seats of many a church room1 if permitted to garnish them with these field-thoughts of ,god6 8,the effect upon children is well worth our thought4 ,to teach a child to love flowers is to give him riches that no bankruptcy can reach4 ,this is the wisdom of finding our pleasures1 not in conventional arrangements1 but in sympathy with nature1 which never is confiscated1 or goes out of fashion1 or becomes old and exhausted4 ,there is a new heaven and a new earth every day1 as if suggesting that grand and final event of prophecy4 8,the use of flowers on social and religious occasions soon gives to them meanings which they had not to us before4 ,we read nature more thoughtfully and lovingly4 8,weeds change to flowers4 ,the moment a plant inspires intelligent emotion in us it ceases to be a weed and becomes a flower4 ,the natural world is not any longer godless or commercial and mechanical4 ,it has a moral power4 8,at first many will shrink at seeing flowers upon the speaker's desk or on the pulpit4 ,but why8 ,is the place too holy8 ,but is it holier than ,god8 ,and are not flowers ,his peculiar workmanship8 ,if ,god deemed it suitable to ,his dignity and glory to occupy ,his mind with making and preserving such innumerable flowers1 are we wise in disdaining them or considering the place too sacred for ,god's favorites8 ,do men reflect that ,god has been pleased to name ,himself from flowers8 #8,i am the ,rose of ,sharon and the ,lily of the ,valley4'0 ,in line with this are his views upon 8,christian ,liberty in the ,use of the ,beautiful03 8,i cannot but think ,christian men have not only a right of enjoyment in the beautiful1 but a duty1 in some measure1 of producing it1 or propagating it1 or diffusing it abroad through the community4 8,but in all your labors for the beautiful1 remember that its mission is not of corruption1 nor of pride1 nor of selfishness1 but of benevolence6 ,and as ,god hath created beauty1 not for a few1 but hath furnished it for the whole earth1 multiplying it until1 like drops of water and particles of air1 it abounds for every living thing1 and in measure far transcending human want1 until the world is a running-over cup1 so let thine heart understand both the glory of ,god's beauty and the generosity of its distribution4 ,so living1 life shall be a glory1 and death a passing from glory to glory40 ,if we have supposed that his love for nature was intuitive or came to its fulness without effort or study1 the following letter will correct that impression3 8,we are performing not alone a work of love in commending ,ruskin1 but paying a small part of a debt that can never be discharged4 ,we are more indebted to him for the blessings of sight than to all other men4 ,we were1 in respect to nature1 of the number of those who1 having eyes1 saw not2 and ears1 heard not4 ,he taught us what to see and how to see4 ,thousands of golden hours and materials both for self-enjoyment and the instruction of others1 enough to fill up our whole life1 we owe to the spirit excited in us by the reading of ,ruskin's early works4 8,the sky1 the earth1 and the waters are no longer what they were to us4 8,we have learned a language and come to a sympathy in them more through the instrumentality of ,ruskin's works than by all other instrumentalities on earth1 excepting always the nature which my mother gave me--sainted be her name60 ,we have again come to the point1 #ahfc1 which we once before reached in this biography1 but this time upon entirely different lines4 ,in our first examination1 for the sake of unity of impression1 we confined ourselves to the events of the great anti-slavery conflict4 ,in this which we have just completed we have sketched the outline of other labors and the events of his home life during this period4 ,no one1 we suspect1 reading the first record1 the record of strife and battle1 would conceive it possible that a life so full of all manner of peaceful pursuits and home labors was being lived2 nor1 on the other hand1 would any one going over his work of preaching1 lecturing1 writing helpful ,star articles upon all manner of common subjects1 imagine that he had the time or the spirit for the former work4 ,but1 in fact1 in his case they were each the necessary complement of the other4 ,we have seen how1 at the ,west in the midst of continued revival efforts1 he took up the study of landscape-gardening as an alterative4 ,this was an illustration of his habit through life4 ,in the midst of the most exciting events he would escape and go apart from them all1 if possible1 to some point where he could look out upon the landscape or up to the clear heavens4 ,such places at such times seemed to become ,mountains of ,transfiguration1 where he would meet the ,master and be refreshed by ,his presence1 and whence returning he would bring back a store of beautiful experiences that enabled him to give cheer and inspiration to his fellow-toilers1 who had not1 perhaps1 noted his absence from their side4 ,or he would escape to some quiet nook and hold converse with birds and flowers1 delight himself in quaint and pleasant fancies1 look at life from a new standpoint1 until he was able again to take up the burden without weariness2 or he would sit down with his boxes of seeds or catalogues of plants1 and lose himself in their imagined growth and beauty2 or1 drawing from his pocket some one of the precious stones he always carried with him1 gather rest and inspiration as he watched its changing hues4 ,in this way he was enabled to carry on the most various and exhaustive labors1 and at the same time to preserve that mental health and good cheer for which he was remarkable4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,visit to ,england in #ahfc--,the ,need of ,rest--,condition of ,affairs at ,home--,arrival at ,liverpool--,refusal to ,speak--,visit to the ,continent--,reception by the ,king of ,belgium--,civil ,war ,discussed--,news of ,victories--,return to ,england4 ,the spring of #ahfc found ,mr4 ,beecher thoroughly exhausted and greatly in need of both mental and physical rest4 ,the past twelve years had been a season of unremitting care and toil4 ,in addition to the regular duties of his new and growing church1 and the active revival work carried on at this period1 which were quite enough to task the energies of any one less fortunately endowed with mental and vital energy1 he had taken a very active part in the anti-slavery agitation1 and from the pulpit1 the lecture platform1 and the columns of the ,independent kept up a constant fire upon this national evil4 ,in #ahef1 as we have seen1 he had thrown himself heart and soul into the ,fremont campaign1 well-nigh destroying his health4 ,from #ahfj he had been laboring1 without rest1 to uphold the government1 to rouse and maintain the patriotic confidence of the ,north1 and through all of this time was a contributor to the ,new ,york ,independent1 and since #ahfa its editor-in-chief4 ,fagged out and despondent from exhaustion1 rest was imperative4 ,his church1 with that generous love which has always characterized it1 voted him a four months' leave of absence with expenses paid4 ,in company with ,dr4 ,john ,raymond1 then the president of ,vassar ,college1 a warm personal friend1 he set sail early in ,june for a holiday1 making his second trip across the water4 ,fortunately we are able to give almost wholly in his own words the history of this trip3 8,i left ,new ,york in ,june1 #ahfc1 for a tour through ,europe during the summer vacation4 ,i was not requested1 either by ,president ,lincoln nor by any member of the ,cabinet1 to act in behalf of this government2 it was purely a personal arrangement4 ,the government took no stock in me at that time4 ,seward was in the ascendency1 and1 as ,i had been pounding ,lincoln during the early years of the war1 ,i don't believe there was a man in ,washington1 excepting perhaps ,mr4 ,chase1 who would have trusted me with anything2 at any rate1 ,i went on my own responsibility1 with no one behind me except my church4 ,they told me they would pay my expenses and sent me off4 ,i went away wholly for the sake of rest and recuperation4 ,i went simply as a private citizen1 and ,i went with a determination not to speak in ,great ,britain4 8,it was perhaps the dreariest period in the whole war4 ,one after another of our generals had been sent to school in the field to learn the art of generalship4 ,the task was too large for most of them1 and they took a secondary rank4 ,at that time1 up to the date of my departure1 we had made a stand and maintained it1 but had gained but very little4 ,the most defensible country1 perhaps1 on earth is our own in its southern portion2 and the line that ran two thousand miles of active warfare through our middle had been so fortified1 and was defended with such skill and unquestionable bravery1 that our forces had not been able to push back the line of rebellion much1 and there had been nothing to encourage the hearts of our people beyond their faith--for we lived by faith and not by sight in those days4 8,i had not1 except in times of sickness1 when the whole tone of my nervous system was lowered1 had an hour of doubt4 ,i was sure of victory4 ,there were some sick hours in which ,i remember distinctly thinking1 #8,one nation is ground to make soil for another1 and it may be that this nation will be ground up in order that another one may grow up on its ruins'2 but ordinarily ,i was full of courage and hope1 not unfounded ,i think now in review2 and it stood me in good stead abroad4 8,at that time ,grant had not emerged4 ,mc,clellan had1 and had retired again4 ,burnside had briefly shown that he was too modest and not strong enough to take ,mc,clellan's place4 ,hooker1 who had lost his head in the great battle which he fought1 was at the head of affairs1 and we were on the eve of one more change--a change which has surrounded the name of ,meade with lustre4 ,grant was at the time besieging ,vicksburg4 ,lee had not yet ventured into ,pennsylvania1 out of which he never ought to have been permitted to go4 8,it was at about that stage of things that ,i left4 ,the political condition of the country1 and also its civic and secular condition1 will justify a word or two4 ,there was a great party of the ,union1 made up of men indifferently from all foregoing parties4 ,old lines were effaced1 old questions sank to the bottom1 and the one question that united the strangest elements1 discordant in every other respect1 was the wise determination to maintain intact the union of this whole country4 ,that formed the band and belt that gave unity to the party of war4 ,the great ,democratic party was divided into three ranks4 ,the largest part1 and the noblest1 joined themselves to the party of the ,union2 and better men never came from any party than those that formed under our banner1 bearing briefly and for a time the name of ,republicans1 but very largely going back again1 after the war was over1 to the ,democratic party4 ,there was a second division of lukewarm ,unionists in the ,democratic party1 that were always hoping the war would be compromised--men of great patriotism1 who could not forbear to ask3 #8,what will be my position politically when we shall have secured peace again8' ,they were for compromise and for easy adjustment4 8,now1 war is good for nothing if it is not intense and cruel4 ,it means organized force2 and it is nonsense to go into the field with anything else except guns in your hands and swords at your side4 ,the attempt so to fight1 as in the earlier periods of our struggle1 as not to hurt anybody1 is most disastrous1 whether in prudence or in civil successes4 ,the ,south never did make war except to hurt somebody2 and in the earlier day the vehemence1 the courage1 and the convictions which they brought into the field1 made them more than a match for our ,northern soldiers4 ,very largely our generals had anticipations of ,congress1 or the ,presidency1 or what not1 before them2 and such political anticipations never whet anybody's sword4 8,there was a third section1 and that was the least--those that were directly in league with the ,southern and slavery element4 ,of them it is not necessary that anything should be said4 ,they are wiped out1 and that is fulfilled in regard to them which the ,scriptures hath spoken3 #8,the name of the wicked shall rot4' 8,in that divided state ,lincoln was under great discouragements1 yet maintaining invincible his purpose1 without compromise1 to destroy all oppositions to this ,union4 ,meanwhile we were maintaining a blockade of about three thousand miles--an unexampled blockade4 ,we had to extemporize a navy1 as we shall again if we have any war4 ,we are always wise afterward4 ,for the sake of economy we are the most wasteful of all nations1 without foresight in such matters2 too confiding4 ,there is not a ship in the ,american navy to-day that could not be blown out of the water in a ten minutes' conflict with the best-armored ships of ,europe2 and ,congress1 that has no end of money for votes1 through pensions and various other channels of distributing1 cannot be persuaded to do anything for stability and inexorable defence against foreign invasion and warfare4 8,we had at that time converted almost every sea-going craft into a man-of-war2 and this extended blockade was in the main well served4 ,europe stood watching as a vulture does to see the sick lamb or kine stagger to fall1 and from her dried branch of observation she was ready to plunge down4 ,napoleon did4 ,he already had sent ,french armies into ,mexico4 ,that was a mere preface4 ,mexico was not his final object4 ,the recovering again of territory that once had belonged to ,france lay in the achievements or the expectations of this weak and wicked potentate in the future4 8,in this condition of things we were hovering on the very edge of intervention4 ,it was well known to those acquainted with the condition of affairs in other lands that ,napoleon was disposed by every art and intrigue to persuade the government of ,great ,britain to interpose1 to break the blockade1 and to give its moral support to the rebellion of the ,south4 8,i found in ,england the utmost scepticism prevailing as to our success1 and an exaggerated conception of the endurance and courage of the ,south2 and no sentence was more frequently uttered in my hearing than this1 #8,you will never subdue the ,south'2 to which ,i invariably replied1 #8,we shall subdue the ,south4' 8,i found that1 with a few noble exceptions--,mr4 ,john ,bright1 ,richard ,cobden1 ,mr4 ,forster1 and such like--that the statesmen of ,great ,britain were either lukewarm or in avowed sympathy with the ,south4 ,the middle-class and laboring people of ,great ,britain were in sympathy1 on the whole1 with the ,north2 but they had no votes4 ,as a general thing1 the officeholders under the government1 the rich families1 the manufacturing interests1 the educated and professional men of ,great ,britain1 believed that our ,union had been or would soon be dissolved4 ,some one said to me at that time1 #8,all men who ride in first-class cars1 and put up at first-class hotels1 and live upon intellectual professions1 together with most of the clergymen1 even of the dissenting bodies of ,england1 are adverse to the ,northern cause4' 8,the conduct of the laboring classes in ,great ,britain was admirable4 ,while they were on the verge of starvation in the cotton districts1 they patiently endured their sufferings without retracting their sympathy for the ,northern cause4 ,as a body1 the ,quakers1 whose testimony against slavery had been continuous and unswerving1 were in sympathy with the ,north4 ,the ,congregational churches of ,great ,britain1 with few exceptions1 were adverse to the ,north4 ,the ,congregational churches of ,wales were almost wholly in sympathy with the ,north4 8,all the world looked upon ,america as about to be split asunder4 ,here and there was a faithful witness and a faithful friend4 ,the civilized nations of ,europe looked with varying emotions upon our conflict1 but agreed generally that it was an impossible task that the ,north had undertaken2 and everywhere ,i felt the numbness that that produced4 8,it was at just that period that ,i left our shores and was in ,great ,britain40 ,from his letters home we have gathered something of an outline of his experience and first impressions3 8,i reached the mouth of the ,mersey1 seven miles from ,liverpool1 on ,wednesday night4 ,the tide would not let us across till five the next morning4444 ,duncan was on the tug when we reached the city--for there are no wharves at ,liverpool1 and we lay in the middle of the stream and landed passengers by means of a little steam-tug4444 ,before leaving the boat a ,mr4 ,estcourt1 of ,manchester1 was at hand to invite me to have a reception and speech at ,manchester4 ,the same happened for ,liverpool within a few hours1 and letters from ,london1 from two committees1 came within a day1 soliciting the same4 ,i declined them all and declared my intention not to speak anywhere at present1 and until ,i had had time to form some judgment of things4 ,i find that all our ,american friends at ,liverpool approve highly of my decision4 ,and even those who most solicited speeches admit that they think my decision the wiser one4 ,i will not trouble you with any description of the state of the ,english mind toward our country4 ,we have nothing to hope from it when it might be of use to us1 and we shall not by and by care a pin whether they think ill or well40 ,after a week's run in the country he returned to ,liverpool and 8went to meet some friends at the parlor of a store4 ,the great stores here have parlors1 in which the heads of departments dine every day4 ,gave them a plain talk about ,america4 ,at the end1 as we got familiar1 they confessed that ,america had sufficient reason for her complaints against ,great ,britain40 ,writing from ,london a week later3 8,every man ,i meet who is on our side commends my determination to keep quiet for the present4 ,i do not mean in preaching1 but public addresses and public receptions4 ,there is but little favor for the ,north4 ,whatever may be said1 a narrow but intense jealousy is felt1 and fear of future rivalry4444 0,london1 ,july #g4--,on ,monday of this week 7yesterday7 ,i met a circle of temperance men at a breakfast4 ,it was private in this1 that no reports were to be made or published4 ,i gave them a good talk on our affairs4444 ,to-day a like meeting with a section of anti-slavery men40 ,he attended the meeting4 ,of course he was expected to make some remarks1 and he did4 ,he says1 speaking of this incident3 8,several speeches had been made when ,i was called upon1 and made a statement expressing my indignation at the position of the ,congregational clergy of ,england in view of this war4 ,they were men who were seeking to know the signs of the times1 and had as a whole body gone wrong and had virtually arrayed themselves on the side of slavery and against liberty4 ,i put my best leg foremost1 and1 although ,i succeeded in making a favorable impression1 ,i saw that ,i was likely to be regarded as an enthusiast1 and so determined that ,i should clinch the arguments ,i had advanced with a speech from a calm-minded man1 and accordingly when ,i had concluded ,i said3 #8,gentlemen1 ,dr4 ,john ,raymond1 president of ,vassar ,college1 is present and will add a few views of his own4' ,he was a cool man and not easily excited1 but his sympathies were with the ,union1 and when he had kindled up to his work ,i sat and looked at him in perfect amazement4 ,he went at them like a hundred earthquakes1 with a whirlwind thrown in4 ,he made a magnificent speech1 of such towering indignation as ,i never have heard before or since40 ,the expectation that the speeches would not be reported was misplaced2 there appears to have been 8a chiel amang us takin' notes10 and the substance of the speeches was quite fully reported the next day4 ,almost immediately thereafter he crossed over to the ,continent1 and did not return to ,england until the following ,september4 ,he remained strongly disinclined to make any formal addresses1 though he had been urged to speak in ,london1 ,liverpool1 and ,manchester on his return4 ,writing from ,switzerland1 ,july #bh1 to ,mrs4 ,stowe1 he refers to the two meetings in ,london1 and his views regarding his return in the fall3 8,my time in ,london1 where ,i spent ten days1 was1 for the last six or eight1 spent in meeting private circles of gentlemen1 and talking to them like a father4 ,i breakfasted with almost a hundred from the ,temperance ,alliance1 with seventy-five of the ,congregational ,liberty ,association1 with forty or fifty at a soire at ,mr4 ,evans's1 president of the ,emancipation ,league1 where ,baptist ,noel was the questioner1 and ,i responded for two hours4 ,i hear since that great good was done1 and at the time there was elicited a great deal of confession from many that they had been both ignorant and wrong4 ,there was a universal and vehement desire that ,i should arrange to speak in ,london1 and elsewhere1 when ,i return to ,england in the autumn4 ,if ,i see the way clear to do so1 these conferences will have opened the door effectually4 ,meanwhile ,i shall wait and watch the development of things4444 ,but let me tell you that the root of all the conduct of ,england is simple and absolute fear4 ,i do not mean fear of a narrow and technical kind4 ,but the shadow that the future of our nation already casts is so vast that they foresee they are falling into the second rank--that the will of the ,republic is to be the law of the world4 ,there is no disguising of this among ,englishmen4 8,i was told by ,rev4 ,henry ,allen1 of ,london1 eminent among the ,congregationalists1 that they had long felt that a time must come when ,england would have to take hold of us and curb our power1 and that1 now that we were divided against ourselves1 they rejoice to see their work done for them4 ,the ,duke of ,argyle distinctly recognized this feeling1 not in himself but in others4 ,roebuck openly avowed it in the ,house of ,commons4 ,the papers on all hands abused him for it4 ,but1 in fact1 it was because he spoke the truth1 which they were ashamed to have spoken so boldly and openly4 ,i met at ,yungfrau a young ,irishman1 friendly1 who gave the same view of ,english feeling4 ,indeed1 ,i have searched into it and am thoroughly satisfied that it is mainly and deeply the dread of our gigantic national development in the future1 that has been coiled up as the main-spring under all the other reasons1 excuses1 and pretendings1 and that has1 consciously or unconsciously1 moved the whole mind of ,england4 ,against this what will reasoning or exposition avail8 ,is there any explanation that will make ,england ready to stand second8 ,is there any way of stating our gigantic power that would lead her to rejoice in it8 ,i do not propose to pull wool over their eyes1 nor to play the sheep in any way4 ,for ,i distinctly see the difficulty4 ,i know it to be unremovable1 and all that can be done is to appeal to the higher feelings of the ,christian part of ,england1 that the elect few1 in both countries1 may hold fast the golden cords of love till ,god in ,his own way shall have settled the future40 ,as late as ,august #bg we find him still in doubt as to what he will do in ,england2 at that date he writes3 8,when you read this1 therefore1 ,i shall probably be in ,london4 ,i cannot yet decide anything about my course in ,england4 ,from a distance ,i do not see any occasion or necessity for my squandering time there in speaking44440 ,on his way back to ,england he passed through ,brussels2 while there he paid his respects to the ,united ,states minister1 ,mr4 ,sandford4 ,we give his experience in his own words3 8,in drawing near to ,england ,i went to ,brussels1 and at a dinner by our ,american minister there1 found him very much wavering as to our final success4 ,i expressed such sentiments1 and expressed them so firmly1 as to lead him to wish that ,i should see ,king ,leopold of ,belgium1 who was considered the wisest sovereign in ,europe1 and to whom ,queen ,victoria and others were accustomed to refer many questions for judgment or arbitration4 8,for the first and only time in my life ,i prepared myself for the ordeal4 ,but oh6 consider it1 ye that dwell at home1 ye that sit at ease among flowers and all pleasant things--consider my sufferings in a fashionable hat1 a white cravat1 and a pair of white gloves6 ,yes1 it was even so6 ,i reluctated1 but ,sandford plead2 and as it was more for his sake than my own that ,i consented to the interview at all1 and also because the king was very influential with all the sovereigns of ,europe1 and especially with ,victoria1 and was pleased with attentions from ,americans1 ,i took to myself a hat1 cravat1 and gloves1 and in an open barouche with two white horses1 and ,mr4 ,simmonds sitting by the side of the driver1 large as life1 and most happy to be the courier of a party called on in all the capitals by ,american ministers and consuls1 and now going actually to see the king6 ,happy1 happy ,simmonds6 ,the crowd stared2 the people gave way right and left2 the royal guard at the ,governor's ,house opened2 we dismounted just at eleven 7hat1 cravat1 gloves1 and all74 ,a golden-laced official received us at the lower door and jabbered ,french in our faces1 which we answered by making for the stairs beyond him4 ,at the top two officers1 much dressed1 bowed and seemed to be expecting us1 showing us toward a pair of folding-doors which1 opening into the ante-room1 revealed to us an aide-de-camp in waiting1 who took my card1 walked softly to the next door1 communed with some one within1 returned1 and said that in a moment the king would receive us4 8,in a moment the door opened1 a servant beckoned us1 and we entered4 ,a tall man in full military uniform1 blue1 with eleven orders1 crosses1 etc41 on his left breast1 with hair black 7not his own71 of a face quite reverend1 long1 thin1 somewhat corrugated1 came towards us graciously and paternally1 bowed gently1 and began a conversation of our travels1 of ,europe1 of ,america a little4 ,well1 it was my duty1 of course1 always to address him as #8,sire1' but ,i generally managed to call him #8,sir' with a hasty correction to #8,sire4' 8,after some conversation1 in which he plainly intimated to me that he would rejoice in bringing us to terms and peace again1 all the while intimating that the ,south could not be overcome1 and that it would be very wise for us to make a compromise1 and that he would be entirely willing to render service in that direction1 ,i said to him3 #8,your majesty'--,i got it out once or twice right--#8if there were any ruling sovereign in ,europe to whom more than to another we should be glad to refer this question1 it would be to the king of ,belgium1 a judge among nations and adviser among kings2 but we do not propose to refer it to any one4 ,we are going to fight it out ourselves2 the strongest will win in our conflict1 and so it must be settled4' 8,turning from that1 he asked me what ,i thought of sending ,maximilian to ,mexico--for at that time he had not been sent to be the emperor of this new nation the ,latins had established there2 and1 without suitable diplomacy1 ,i said to him3 #8,your majesty1 any man that wants to sit upon a throne in ,mexico1 ,i would advise to try ,vesuvius first2 if he can sit there for a while1 then he might go and try it in ,mexico4' 8,this very soon brought our conversation to a close4 ,he bowed1 we bowed4 ,he stepped back a step1 we two1 and1 repeating the operation1 we were soon at the door and out of it40 ,the next day finds ,mr4 ,beecher at ,london4 ,but a short time before1 and while in ,paris1 an event occurred that had a marked effect upon his subsequent course in ,england and the results which he achieved4 ,the news came to him of the fall of ,vicksburg and the repulse of ,lee at ,gettysburg3 8,such a revulsion of feeling as ,i experienced myself1 and such a revulsion and intoning as all patriotic ,americans experienced 7for all ,americans were not patriotic2 very largely they were commercial cowards71 from those tidings1 one can scarcely imagine who was not there to see4 ,at this time ,i was staying in ,paris at the ,grand ,hotel4 ,it was on a radiant ,sunday1 as ,i wended my way from the hotel to the church1 that the news came of the surrender of ,vicksburg4 ,no words can tell the buoyancy1 the awful sense of gladness that ,i had4 ,i went into the house of ,god and sat down in the pew of our minister to ,france1 ,mr4 ,dayton4 ,by my side sat his daughter4 ,in a pause in the service ,i turned to ,miss ,dayton and asked1 #8,have you heard the news8' #8,no1' said she1 looking earnestly at me4 #8,vicksburg has fallen6' #8,is it true8' #8,yes1 be sure4' ,she answered me not a word1 but turning to her companion1 another young lady1 she whispered it to her1 and both sat still as statues4 ,the hymn was given out1 the music sounded1 and she began to sing2 but no sooner had she opened her lips than1 in a flood of tears1 she buried her face in her hands and wept for gladness and triumph4 ,it overwhelmed her1 and it overwhelmed me too4 ,and before the sun went down1 yea1 before the sun was at noon1 the other tidings came of the victory at ,gettysburg2 and then my cup ran over4 ,no man can tell how victoriously ,i walked4 ,in the ample court of the ,grand ,hotel there usually gathered a very large company of ,southern men1 to whom my name was not savory2 and day after day1 as ,i went out1 they were wont to collect in one corner1 and with sneers and undisguised attempts at insult they met me as ,i came in and went out1 even sending contemptible messages to me by the servants 7which ,i never received1 being intercepted at the office1 although ,i heard of them afterwards74 ,but on that day when ,i heard that ,lee had been driven out of ,pennsylvania and that ,vicksburg had surrendered to ,grant1 ,i put on my best coat1 walked down-stairs and out into that court to see how it fared with my brethren of the ,south2 but1 alas6 they were not there1 not one of them4 ,they1 too1 had heard something6 8,the effect which these tidings produced throughout ,great ,britain was immense4 ,before this no avowed friend of the ,north could go through the ,exchange in ,liverpool without being looked at and watched1 largely as one would look at a bear escaped from a menagerie4 ,my friend ,charles ,duncan had scarcely been able to transact business without being insulted at every step2 when the good news came he went down into the ,exchange to look into the faces of these men that had been so insulting1 but there was not a man in the whole ,exchange who had not been on our side from the very beginning1 and who had not always believed in us1 in our cause1 and in our final victory6 ,how wonderful are the workings of ,providence6 8,on returning to ,england representations were made to me which compelled me to consent to a series of public speeches4 ,our friends said3 #8,we have sacrificed ourselves in your behalf1 and have been counted as the offscouring1 because we had championed the cause of the ,north2 and now if you go home without making a recognition of our efforts we will be overwhelmed4' ,aside from other considerations1 ,i found that a movement was on foot to induce ,parliament to declare for the ,southern ,confederacy4 ,this they were very willing to do1 but did not dare to without the approval of the unvoting ,english1 who held great power4 ,steps had been taken by friends of the ,southern cause to have orators go through the manufacturing districts for the purpose of enlisting the sympathies of the laboring classes4 8,by projecting a series of meetings on the other side it was hoped that this mischievous course might be baffled and forestalled4 ,at first there was thought of but a single speech1 and that at ,manchester4 ,so soon as it was known that there was to be such a meeting applications were made from ,glasgow1 from ,edinburgh1 from ,liverpool and ,london1 for like meetings in these places40 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,facing the ,mob in ,manchester--,glasgow--,edinburgh--,desp erate ,attempts to break ,mr4 ,beecher down at ,liverpool--,victory in ,london4 8,after spending some days in the ,lake district ,i went to ,manchester to meet the engagement there for ,october #ith4 ,great excitement existed2 the streets were placarded with vast posters1 printed in blood-red1 appealing to the passions and even to the spirit of violence on the part of the people4 ,threats resounded on every side4 ,both there and at ,liverpool afterwards it was declared that ,i should never come out of the audience alive4 8,i was met at the station by ,john ,estcourt and young ,watts1 whose father was ,sir ,something ,watts and had the largest business house in ,central ,england4 ,when they approached me ,i saw that there was something amiss1 and before ,i had proceeded twenty steps they let the cat out of the bag3 #8,of course you know there is a great deal of excitement here'--at the same time pointing to placards printed in red letters1 with which the streets were flooded1 denouncing the ,northern cause and all its advocates4 ,i always feel happy when ,i hear of a storm1 and ,i looked at them and said3 #8,well1 are you going to back down8' #8,no1' said they1 #8but we didn't know how you would feel4' #8,well1' said ,i1 #8you'll find out how ,i'm going to feel4 ,i'm going to be heard4 ,i won't leave ,england until ,i have been heard4' 8,the ,free ,trade ,hall1 ,i was informed1 held from five to six thousand4 ,it was the purpose of our adversaries to break down my first speech in ,england there1 and prevent my being heard thereafter4 ,all the great papers of ,london and of the kingdom were represented4 ,the tumult defies description4 ,no ,american audience1 under any amount of excitement that ,i have ever known1 could be compared for one moment with the condition of the audience at ,manchester2 and that was equalled1 and surpassed even1 by the one subsequently at ,liverpool4 ,if one can imagine a shipmaster giving orders to a mutinous crew in the midst of a tropical thunder-storm1 he will have some faint idea of the task that was on my hands4 8,although in every speech ,i was obliged to rehearse substantially the same general facts in regard to the questions at issue in ,america1 yet each speech had a field peculiar to itself4 ,in ,manchester ,i discussed the effect of slavery upon manufacturing interests of the world1 and gave a history of the external political movement for fifty years past1 so far as it was necessary to illustrate the fact that the ,american war was only an overt and warlike form of a contest between liberty and slavery that had been going on politically for over half a century40 ,after ,mr4 ,beecher was introduced1 and before he had fairly entered upon his speech1 the mob began to show its teeth1 and in a few seconds there was one unparalleled scene of riot and confusion4 ,mr4 ,beecher took the measure of his audience1 about one-fourth of whom only were against him1 but they made up in noise and tumult what they lacked in numbers4 ,they had been systematically bunched about the house1 so as to make their interruptions the more effective4 ,he had come with his speech carefully prepared in manuscript1 but when the interruptions began he tossed the paper to one side1 and1 stepping forward1 with head erect1 said3 8,my friends1 we will have a whole night's session1 but we will be heard40 ,it was like attempting to preach a sermon through a trumpet in a howling gale2 but the press was well represented1 and1 bending forward1 he said to the reporters3 8,gentlemen1 be kind enough to take down what ,i say4 ,it will be in sections1 but ,i will have it connected by and by40 ,the uproar continued1 and all sorts of insulting questions were hurled at the speaker4 ,the latter1 however1 had made up his mind to be heard1 and he was4 ,he would wait until the noise had somewhat subsided1 then1 arresting the attention of the audience by some witticism1 he would take advantage of the lull to give them some telling sentences4 ,finally1 after about an hour of speaking by fits and starts1 the audience became manageable4 ,the ,english admire pluck1 and they had an excellent example of the article before them1 and finally could not fail to show their appreciation4 ,his cool1 determined appearance as he said1 8,i have many times encountered similar opposition1 and afterwards been heard2 ,i shall be heard to-night10 produced a marked effect1 and in a short time thereafter the vast assemblage was brought in perfect silence and into full sympathy with the speaker4 ,they listened during the remaining hour1 and were convinced2 the next morning every paper in ,england printed the entire speech4 ,just as the speaker was drawing to a close1 occurred a stirring incident that strongly emphasized the effect of this speech4 ,the chairman1 taking advantage of a slight pause1 touched ,mr4 ,beecher on the shoulder and whispered a few words to him4 ,the latter retired sufficiently to give his place to the chairman1 who1 raising a paper which he held1 said in a distinct voice3 8,i hold in my hand a telegram just received from ,london1 stating that her ,majesty has to-night caused the #8broad arrow' to be placed on the rams in ,mr4 ,laird's yard at ,birkenhead40 ,this meant the stoppage of the ships which were being built for ,confederate cruisers4 ,the effect was startling4 ,the whole audience rose to its feet4 ,men cheered and waved their hats1 while women waved their handkerchiefs and wept4 ,at the conclusion of his address the feeling of the audience1 which a short time previous had been a howling mob1 can be best portrayed by the following incident3 ,a big1 burly ,englishman who was sitting in the gallery1 seeing that it would be impossible to reach ,mr4 ,beecher to shake hands with him1 cried1 8,shake my umbrella10 at the same time reaching it down to him4 ,mr4 ,beecher complied with the request1 and as he did so the enthusiastic ,englishman cried1 8,by ,jocks6 nobody sha'n't touch that umbrella again60 ,hundreds of others1 more fortunate1 crowded in to shake the speaker's hand4 ,of course it will be impossible1 within our space1 to give the speeches entire1 whilst an attempt at analysis would be like presenting a bony skeleton bared of its flesh1 omitting all that gave them life and strength4 ,but a few of the more striking passages from each speech may not be uninteresting3#g ----- ,footnote #g3 ,these speeches have been reprinted in full in 8,patriotic ,addresses10 by ,messrs4 ,ford1 ,howard ,hulburt1 of ,new ,york4 ----- 8,i have not come to ,england to be surprised that those men whose cause cannot bear the light are afraid of free speech4 ,i have had practice of more than twenty-five years1 in the presence of tumultuous assemblies1 opposing those very men whose representatives now attempt to forestall free speech4 ,little by little1 ,i doubt not1 ,i shall be permitted to speak to-night4 ,little by little ,i have been permitted in my own country to speak1 until at last the day has come there1 when nothing but the utterance of speech for freedom is popular4 ,you have been pleased to speak of me as one connected with the great cause of civil and religious liberty4 ,i covet no higher honor than to have my name joined to the list of that great company of noble ,englishmen from whom we derived our doctrines of liberty4 ,for although there is some opposition to what are here called ,american ideas1 what are these ,american ideas8 ,they are simply ,english ideas bearing fruit in ,america4 ,we bring back ,american sheaves1 but the seed corn we got in ,england2 and if1 on a larger sphere and under circumstances of unobstruction1 we have reared mightier harvests1 every sheaf contains the grain that has made ,old ,england rich for a hundred years4444 8,allusion has been made by one of the gentlemen to words or deeds of mine that might be supposed to be offensive to ,englishmen4 ,i am sure that in the midst of this mighty struggle at home1 which has taxed every power and energy of our people1 ,i have never stopped to measure and to think whether my words1 spoken in truth and with fidelity to duty1 would be liked in this shape or in that shape1 by one or another person1 either in ,england or ,america4 ,i have had one simple1 honest purpose1 which ,i have pursued ever since ,i have been in public life1 and that was1 with all the strength that ,god has given to me1 to maintain the cause of the poor and of the weak in my own country4 ,and if1 in the height and heat of conflict1 some words have been over-sharp and some positions have been taken heedlessly1 are you the men to call one to account8 ,what if some exquisite dancing-master1 standing on the edge of a battle where ,richard ,cur de ,lion swung his axe1 criticised him by saying that #8his gestures and postures violated the proprieties of polite life'8 ,when dandies fight they think how they look1 but when men fight they think only of deeds4 ,but ,i am not here either on trial or on defence4 ,here ,i am before you1 willing to tell you what ,i think about ,england or any person in it4 ,the same agencies which have been at work to misrepresent good men in our country to you1 have been at work to misrepresent to us good men here2 and when ,i say to my friends in ,america that ,i have attended such a meeting as this1 received such an address1 and beheld such enthusiasm1 it will be a renewed pledge of amity4 ,i have never ceased to feel that war1 or even unkind feelings between two such great nations1 would be one of the most unpardonable and atrocious offences that the world ever beheld1 and ,i have regarded everything1 therefore1 which needlessly led to those feelings out of which war comes1 as being in itself wicked4 ,the same blood is in us4 ,we hold the same substantial doctrines4 ,we have the same mission amongst the nations of the earth4 ,never were mother and daughter set forth to do so queenly a thing in the kingdom of ,god's glory as ,england and ,america4 ,do you ask why we are so sensitive1 and why have we hewn ,england with our tongue as we have8 ,i will tell you why4 ,there is no man who can offend you so deeply as the one you love most4444 ,now 7whether we interpreted it aright or not is not the question71 when we thought ,england was seeking opportunity to go with the ,south against us of the ,north1 it hurt us as no other nation's conduct could hurt us on the face of the globe2 and if we spoke some words of intemperate heat1 we spoke them in the mortification of disappointed affection4 ,it has been supposed that ,i have aforetime urged or threatened war with ,england4 ,never6 ,this ,i have said--and this ,i repeat now and here--that the cause of constitutional government1 and of universal liberty as associated with it1 in our country1 was so dear1 so sacred that1 rather than betray it1 we would give the last child we had2 that we would not relinquish this conflict though other ,states rose and entered into a league with the ,south2 and that1 if it were necessary1 we would maintain this great doctrine of representative government in ,america against the armed world--against ,england and ,france4444 ,we ask no help and no hindrance4 ,we do not ask for material aid4 ,we shall be grateful for moral sympathy2 but if you cannot give us moral sympathy we shall still endeavor to do without it4 ,all that we say is1 ,let ,france keep away1 let ,england keep hands off2 if we cannot manage this rebellion by ourselves1 then let it not be managed at all4 ,we do not allow ourselves to doubt the issue of this conflict4 ,it is only a question of time4 ,for such inestimable principles as are at stake--of self-government1 of representative government1 of any government at all1 of free institutions rejected because they inevitably will bring liberty to slaves unless subverted1 of national honor1 and fidelity to solemn national trusts--for all these war is waged2 and if by war these shall be secured1 not one drop of blood will be wasted1 not one life squandered4 ,the suffering will have purchased a glorious future of inconceivable peace and happiness6 ,nor do we deem the result doubtful4 ,the population is in the ,north and ,west4 ,the wealth is there4 ,the popular intelligence of the country is there4 ,,there only is there an educated common people4 ,the right doctrines of civil government are with the ,north4 ,it will not be long before one thing more will be with the ,north--victory4 ,men on this side are impatient at the long delay2 but if we can bear it1 can't you8 ,you are quite at ease2 we are not4 ,you are not materially affected in any such degree as many parts of our own land are4 ,but if the day shall come in one year1 in two years1 or in ten years hence1 when the old stars and stripes shall float over every ,state of ,america2 if the day shall come when that which was the accursed cause of this dire and atrocious war--slavery--shall be done away2 if the day shall have come when through all the ,gulf ,states there shall be liberty of speech1 as there never has been2 when there shall be liberty of the press1 as there never has been2 when men shall have common schools to send their children to1 which they never have had in the ,south2 in short1 if the day shall come when the simple ordinances1 the fruition and privileges1 of civil liberty1 shall prevail in every part of the ,united ,states--it will be worth all the dreadful blood and tears and woe4 ,you are impatient2 and yet ,god dwelleth in eternity1 and has an infinite leisure to roll forward the affairs of men1 not to suit the hot impatience of those who are but children of a day and cannot wait or linger long1 but according to the infinite circle on which ,he measures time and events6444 8,the institutions of ,america were shaped by the ,north2 but the policy of her government1 for half a hundred years1 by the ,south4 ,all the aggression and filibustering1 all the threats to ,england and tauntings of ,europe1 all the bluster of war which our government has assumed1 have been under the inspiration and under the almost monarchical sway of the ,southern oligarchy4 ,and now1 since ,britain has in the past been snubbed by the ,southerners1 and threatened by the ,southerners1 and domineered over by the ,southerners--yet now ,great ,britain has thrown her arms of love around the ,southerners1 and turns from the ,northerners4 ,a voice1 #8,no4' ,she don't8 ,i have only to say that she has been caught in very suspicious circumstances4 ,i speak as ,i have1 perhaps as much as anything else1 to bring out from you this expression2 to let you know1 what we know1 that all the hostility felt in my country towards ,great ,britain has been sudden1 and from supposing that you sided with the ,south and sought the breaking up of our country2 and ,i want you to say to me1 and through me to my countrymen1 that those irritations against the ,north1 and those likings for the ,south1 that have been expressed in your papers1 are not the feelings of the great mass of your nation4 ,great cheering1 the audience rising4 ,those cheers already sound in my ears as the coming acclamations of friendly nations2 those waving handkerchiefs are the white banners that symbolize peace for all countries4 ,join with us1 then1 ,britons4 ,from you we learnt the doctrine of what a man was worth2 from you we learnt to detest all oppressions2 from you we learnt that it was the noblest thing a man could do ,,to ,,die ,,for ,a ,,right ,,principle4 ,and now1 when we are set in that very course1 and are giving our best blood for these most sacred principles1 let the world understand that the common people of ,great ,britain support us44440 ,the attempt to 8break ,beecher down at his first speech0 signally failed4 ,he had beaten the mob4 ,he had made himself heard1 and the full reports of his speech were scattered throughout the entire kingdom4 ,many crude misconceptions were corrected1 not a few of his opponents were converted1 while many others were forced to admit that they had received some new ideas respecting the ,north and the ,united ,states government4 ,on the #acth he spoke in ,glasgow1 where the blockade-runners were being built1 and where the laboring-classes were in some sense bribed by their occupation in the shipyards4 ,here were discussed the effects of slavery upon the welfare of the working-classes the world over1 showing the condition of work or labor necessitated by any profitable system of slavery1 demonstrating that it brought labor into contempt1 affixing to it the badge of degradation2 that a struggle to extend servile labor across the ,american continent interests every free workingman on the globe1 and that the ,southern cause was the natural enemy of free labor and the free laborer all the world over4 ,a strong ,southern sentiment existed here1 and the same attempt was made as in ,manchester to break the speaker down4 ,the ,city ,hall was crowded to its utmost limits with friends and opponents4 ,the opposition here was neither so determined nor prolonged as at ,manchester4 ,his success there had encouraged him while it discouraged them4 ,his opening sentences established a kindly bond between the hearers1 so devotedly attached to their own country1 and the speaker4 ,their kindly interest once aroused1 it was not difficult to gain and keep their sympathy throughout the speech4 ,the unruly element was soon put down1 but little disturbance occurring after the first half-hour4 8,no one who has been born and reared in ,scotland can know the feeling with which1 for the first time1 such a one as ,i have visited this land1 classic in song and in history4 ,i have been reared in a country whose history is brief4 ,so vast is it that one might travel night and day for all the week1 and yet scarcely touch historic ground4 ,its history is yet to be written2 it is yet to be acted4 ,but ,i come to this land1 which1 though small1 is as full of memories as the heaven is of stars1 and almost as bright4 ,there is not the most insignificant piece of water that does not make my heart thrill with some story of heroism or some remembered poem2 for not only has ,scotland had the good fortune to have had men that knew how to make heroic history1 but she has reared those bards who have known how to sing her histories4444 ,i come to ,scotland1 almost as a pilgrim would go to ,jerusalem1 to see those scenes whose stories had stirred my imagination from my earliest youth2 and ,i can pay no higher compliment than to say that1 having seen some part of ,scotland1 ,i am satisfied2 and permit me to say that if1 when you know me1 you are a thousandth part as satisfied with me as ,i am with you1 we shall get along very well together4 ,and yet1 although ,i am not of a yielding mood nor easily daunted1 ,i have some embarrassment in speaking to you to-night4 ,i know very well that there are not a few things which prevent my doing good work among you4 ,i differ greatly from many of you4 ,i respect1 although ,i will not adopt1 your opinions4 ,i can only ask as much from you for myself4 ,i am aware that a personal prejudice has been diligently excited against me4444 ,it is not a pleasant avenue to a speech for a man to walk through himself4 ,but since every pains is taken to misrepresent me1 let me once for all deal with that matter4 ,in my own land ,i have been the subject of misrepresentation and abuse so long that when ,i did not receive it ,i felt as though something was wanting in the atmosphere4 ,i have been the object of misrepresentation at home simply and only because ,i have been arrayed1 ever since ,i had a voice to speak and a heart to feel--body and soul ,i have been arrayed1 without regard to consequences1 and to my own reputation or my own ease1 against that which ,i consider the damning sin of my country and the shame of human nature--slavery4 ,i thought ,i had a right1 when ,i came to ,great ,britain1 to expect a different reception2 but ,i found that the insidious correspondence of men in ,america had poisoned the ,british mind1 and that representations had been made that ,i had indulged in the most offensive language and had threatened all sorts of things against ,great ,britain4 ,now1 allow me to say that1 having examined that interesting literature1 so far as ,i have seen it published in ,british newspapers1 ,i here declare that ninety-nine out of one hundred parts of those things that ,i am charged with saying ,i never said and never thought--they are falsehoods wholly and in particular4 ,allow me next to say that ,i have been accustomed freely and at all times1 at home1 to speak what ,i thought to be sober truth both of blame and of praise of ,great ,britain1 and if you do not want to hear a man express his honest sentiments fearlessly1 then ,i do not want to speak to you4 ,if ,i never spared my own country1 if ,i never spared the ,american ,church1 nor the government1 nor my own party1 nor my personal friends1 did you expect ,i would spare you8444 ,i have heard the voice of my ,master1 saying1 #8,if any man come unto ,me and hate not father1 and mother1 and brother1 and sister1 yea1 and his own life also1 he is not worthy of ,me4' ,when1 therefore1 the cause of truth and justice is put in the scale against my own country1 ,i would disown country for the sake of truth2 and when the cause of truth and justice is put in the scale against ,great ,britain1 ,i would disown her rather than betray what ,i understood to be the truth4 ,we are bound to establish liberty1 regulated ,christian liberty1 as the law of the ,american ,continent4 ,this is our destiny1 this is that towards which the education of the rising generation has been more and more assiduously directed as the peculiar glory of ,america--to destroy slavery and root it out of our land1 and to establish in its place a discreet1 intelligent1 constitutional1 regulated ,christian liberty4444 ,i call your attention to a few propositions1 then1 in reference to slavery as it exists in the extreme ,southern ,states4 ,and1 first1 the system of slavery requires ignorance in the slave1 and not alone intellectual but moral and social ignorance4 ,anybody who is a slaveholder will find that there are reasons which will compel him to keep slaves in ignorance1 if he is going to keep them at all4 ,not because intelligence is more difficult to govern2 for with an intelligent people government is easier4444 ,the slave would not be less easily governed if he were educated4 ,if the slaveholder taught him to read and write1 if he made him to know what he ought to know as one of ,god's dear children1 the ,south would not be so much endangered by insurrection as she is now4 ,there is nothing so terrible as explosive ignorance4 ,men without an idea1 striking blindly and passionately1 are the men to be feared4 ,even if the slaves were educated they would be better slaves4 ,what is the reason1 then1 that slaves must be kept in ignorance8 ,the real reason is one of expense4 ,in order to make slave labor profitable you must reduce the cost of the slave2 for the difference between the profit and the loss turns upon the halfpenny per pound4 ,if the price of slaves goes up and cotton goes down a shade in price1 in ordinary times1 the planters lose4 ,the rule is1 therefore1 to reduce the cost of the man2 and the slave1 to be profitable1 must be simply a working creature4 ,what does a man cost that is a slave8 ,just a little meal and a little pork1 a small measure of the coarsest cloth and leather--that is all he costs4 ,because that is all he needs--the lowest fare and the scantiest clothing4 ,he is a man with two hands1 and two feet1 and a belly4 ,that is all there is of a profitable slave4 ,but every new development within him which religion shall make--the sense of fatherhood1 the wish for a home1 the desire to rear his children well1 the wish to honor and comfort his wife1 every taste1 every sentiment1 every aspiration--will demand some external thing to satisfy it4 ,his being augments4 ,he demands more time4444 ,profitable slaveholding requires only so much intelligence as will work well1 and only so much religion as will make men patient under suffering and abuse4 ,more than that--more conscience1 more ambition1 more divine ideas of human nature1 of men's dignity1 of household virtue1 of ,christian refinement--only makes the slave too costly in his tastes4 ,not only does the degradation of the slave pass over to his work1 but it affects all labor1 even when performed by free white men4 ,throughout the ,south there is the most marked public disesteem of honest homely industry4444 ,but even in the most favored portions of the ,south manual labor is but barely redeemed from the taint of being a slave's business1 and nowhere is it honored as it is in the great and free ,north4 ,whereas1 in the richer and more influential portions of the ,south1 labor is so degraded that men are ashamed of it4 ,it is a badge of dishonor4 ,the poor and shiftless whites1 unable to own slaves1 unwilling to work themselves1 live in a precarious and wretched manner but a little removed from barbarism1 relying upon the chase for much of their subsistence1 and affording a melancholy spectacle of the condition into which the reflex influence of slavery throws the neighboring poor whites4 ,having turned their own industry over to slaves1 and established the province and duties of a gentleman to consist of indolence and politics1 it is not strange that they hold the people of the ,north in great contempt4 ,the ,north is a vast hive of universal industry4 ,idleness there is as disreputable as is labor in the ,south4 ,the child's earliest lesson is faithful industry4 ,the boy works1 the man works4 ,everywhere through all the ,north men earn their own living by their own industry and ingenuity4 ,they scorn to be dependent4 ,they revolt at the dishonor of living upon the unrequited labor of others4 ,honest labor is that highway along which the whole body of the ,northern people travel towards wealth and usefulness4 ,from ,northern looms the ,south is clothed1 from their anvils come all ,southern implements of labor1 from their shops all modern ware1 from their lasts ,southern shoes4 ,the ,north is growing rich by its own industry4 ,no wonder1 then1 that ,southerners have been wont to deride the free workmen of the ,north4 ,governor ,hammond only gave expression to the universal contempt of ,southern slaveholders for work and workmen when he called the ,northern laborer the #8mudsill of society1' and stigmatized the artisan as the #8greasy mechanic4' ,the ,north and ,south alike live by work3 the ,north by their own work1 the ,south by that of their slaves6 ,which is the more honorable8 ,i have a right to demand of the workmen of ,glasgow that they should refuse their sympathy to the ,south1 and should give their hearty sympathy to those who are1 like themselves1 seeking to make work honorable and to give to the workman his true place in society4 ,disguise it as they will1 distract your attention from it as they may1 it cannot be concealed that the ,american question is the workingman's question all over the world6 ,the slavemaster's doctrine is that capital should own labor--that the employers should own the employed4 ,this is ,southern doctrine and ,southern practice4 ,northern doctrine and ,northern practice is that the laborer should be free1 intelligent1 clothed with full citizen's rights1 with a share of the political duties and honors4 ,the ,north has from the beginning crowned labor with honor4 ,nowhere else on earth is it so honorable40 ,on the following evening1 ,october #ad1 he spoke in ,edinburgh4 ,the crowd1 that packed the hall and completely blocked the entrances1 was so vast that it very nearly deprived the meeting of both chairman and speaker4 ,with great difficulty they managed to struggle through and finally reached the platform4 ,edinburgh being a centre of refinement and learning1 ,mr4 ,beecher aimed to give some idea of the philosophy of slavery1 showing1 how1 out of separate colonies and ,states intensely jealous of their individual sovereignty1 there grew up and was finally established a nation2 and how1 in that nation of united ,states1 the distinct and antagonistic systems were developed and strove for the guidance of the national policy1 which struggle at length passed and the ,north gained the control4 ,thereupon the ,south abandoned the ,union1 simply and solely because the government was in future to be administered by men who would give their whole influence to freedom4 ,comparatively speaking1 but little opposition was encountered at this meeting4 ,at the outset some disturbance was attempted1 but the temper of the audience was opposed to the unruly ones and they were soon quieted4 ,the speech produced a marked impression1 the resolution and vote of thanks being carried with 8loud and prolonged applause40 ,we give a few extracts from it3 8,during the last fifteen years ,i believe you cannot find a voice1 printed or uttered1 in the cotton ,states of the ,south1 which deplored slavery4 ,all believed in and praised it1 and found authority for it in ,god's ,word4 ,politicians admired it1 merchants appreciated it1 the whole ,south sang pans to the newfound truth that man was born to be owned by man4 ,this change of doctrine made it certain that the ,south would be annoyed and irritated by a ,constitution which1 with all its faults1 still carried the ,god-given principle of human rights1 which were not to be taken by man except in punishment for crime4 ,that ,constitution1 and the policy which went with it at first1 began to gnaw at1 and irritate1 and fret the ,south when they had adopted slavery as a doctrine4 ,how could they live in peace under a ,constitution that all the time declared the manhood of men and the dignity of freedom8 ,it became necessary that they should do one of two things1 either give up slavery or appropriate the government to themselves1 and in some way or other drain out of the ,constitution this venom of liberty and infuse a policy more in harmony with ,southern ideas4 ,they took the latter course4 ,they contrived to possess themselves of the government2 and for the last fifty years the policy of the country has been ,southern4 ,was a tariff wanted8 ,it was made a ,southern tariff4 ,was a tariff oppressive8 ,the ,southerners overthrew it4 ,was a tariff wanted again8 ,the ,southern policy declared it to be necessary1 and it was passed4 ,was more territory wanted8 ,the ,south must have its way4 ,was any man to obtain a place8 ,if the ,south opposed it he had no chance whatever4 ,for fifty years most of the men who became judges1 who sat in the presidential chair and in the courts1 had to base their opinions on slavery or on ,southern views4 ,all the filibustering1 all the intimidations of foreign powers1 all the so-called snubbing of ,european powers1 happened during the period in which the policy of the country was controlled by the ,south4 ,may ,i be permitted to look on it as a mark of victorious ,christianity that ,england now loves her worst enemy1 and is sitting with arms of sympathy round her neck8 ,the man who was an ,abolitionist when ,i was twenty-one years of age might bid farewell to any hopes of political advancement2 and the merchant who held these opinions was soon robbed of customers4 ,as far as ,i remember1 there was nothing in the world that so ruined a man--not crime itself was so fatal to a man's standing in the country--as to be known to hold abolition sentiments4 ,the churches sought to keep the question of slavery out2 so did the schools and colleges2 so did synods and conventions4 ,but still the cause of abolition progressed2 and still1 as is always the case with everything that is right1 though the men who held those sentiments were scoffed at1 though such men as ,garrison were dragged through the streets with halters round their necks1 yet the more it was spoken of and canvassed the more the cause prospered1 because it was true4 ,the insanity at last abated2 for the command came from on ,high saying to the evil spirit concerning the ,north3 #8,i command thee to come out of her4' ,then the nation wallowed on the ground and foamed at the mouth2 but the unclean spirit passed out1 and she became clean4 ,the more some people wanted to keep down this subject and keep out the air1 the more ,god forced the subject on their minds4 ,when ,missouri knocked at the door there were those who opposed its admission as a slave ,state1 but by ,southern management and intimidation ,henry ,clay persuaded the ,north to a compromise4 ,now1 when there is no difference in principle1 but only conflicting interests1 a compromise is honorable and right2 but when antagonistic principles are in question ,i believe compromises to be bargains with the devil1 who is never cheated4444 ,we do not want to quarrel2 we do not want animosity between ,great ,britain and ,america4 ,no man has spoken of ,great ,britain words of praise and blame with more honest heart than ,i have4 ,that man is not your friend who dares not speak of your faults to your face4 ,the man that is your friend1 tells you when he thinks you are wrong2 and whether ,i am right or wrong1 ,i assert that in giving moral sympathy largely to the ,south1 and1 above all1 in allowing the infamous traffic of your ports with the rebels1 thus strengthening the hands of the slaveholders--and that without public rebuke--you have done wrong4 ,i have said this because1 dear as your country is to us1 precious as were the legacies given to us of learning and religion1 and proud as we have been for years past to think of our ancestry and common relationship to you1 yet so much dearer to us than kindred is the cause of ,god that1 if ,great ,britain sets herself against us1 we shall not hesitate one moment on her account1 but shall fulfil our mission6 444 ,i have a closing word to speak4 ,it is our duty in ,america1 by every means in our power1 to avoid all cause of irritation with every foreign nation1 and with the ,english nation most especially4 ,on your side it is your duty to avoid all irritating interference1 and all speech that tends to irritate4 ,brothers should be brothers all the world over1 and you are of our blood1 and we are of your lineage4 ,may that day be far distant when ,great ,britain and ,america shall turn their backs on each other and seek an alliance with other nations6 ,the day is coming when the foundations of the earth will be lifted out of their places2 and there are two nations that ought to be found shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand for the sake of ,christianity and universal liberty1 and these nations are ,great ,britain and ,america40 ,the effect of these three speeches was being very widely felt4 ,it looked at first as though the backbone of opposition had been broken4 ,this pleasant impression was soon dispelled4 ,the mob spirit was not dead2 it was only resting and gaining breath for a final and more desperate effort4 ,the next speech was to be in ,liverpool on the #afth1 at the great ,philharmonic ,hall4 ,liverpool was the headquarters of the ,southern sympathizers4 ,a great many ,southern men were there4 ,the feeling was very strong that if ,mr4 ,beecher should succeed there he would carry the day4 ,a determined and desperate effort was to be made1 at any cost1 to prevent the delivery of the speech4 ,the streets were placarded with abusive and scurrilous placards1 often posted over the notices of the meeting1 couched in the most inflammatory language1 urging that 8,englishmen see that he gets the welcome he deserves40 ,on the morning of the #afth the leading papers came out with violent editorials against ,mr4 ,beecher1 full of falsehoods and misquotations from his speeches4 ,every art was resorted to to work the passion of the mob up to the point of violence4 ,we quote a brief extract from the ,liverpool ,courier of that date3 8,the visit of ,mr4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher to ,liverpool to-night is not likely to do the ,federal cause much service in this neighborhood4 ,his views on slavery are too violent and unreasonable to meet with much favor from thoughtful people2 and even those who earnestly desire the freedom of the ,southern slaves would not consent to adopt the extreme1 sanguinary principles enunciated by ,mr4 ,beecher4444 ,but1 apart from his abolition doctrines1 ,mr4 ,beecher1 unless he has been greatly misrepresented1 has displayed the most intense hatred of ,great ,britain1 and has vilified the ,british people in a disgraceful manner4 ,he was most violent in his denunciations of ,england during the never-to-be-forgotten ,trent affair1 and if his views had been adopted the two great ,anglo-,saxon peoples would have been plunged into war4 ,when he said1 #8,the best blood of ,england must flow for the outrage ,england had perpetrated upon ,america1' he used language unbecoming a man1 still more a professing preacher of the ,gospel4 ,yet the person who could thus insult the ,british nation has now the audacity to come amongst us to lecture us on ,american politics4 ,such conduct evidences unbounded impudence and little discretion1 and can only be explained by the assumption that he is the accredited emissary of the ,federal government40 ,it was openly declared that if he should dare to address the meeting he would never leave the hall alive--a threat believed to have been sincerely made1 with the fullest intention of fulfilment4 ,the friends of ,mr4 ,beecher were greatly alarmed1 many advising him not to attend the meeting4 ,he was fully conscious of the risk that he ran1 and knew that to be present was to carry his life in his hand4 ,during the whole day he was under the shadow of a black cloud4 ,he was plunged into the depths of despondency4 ,he was going to the meeting1 but would he leave it alive8 ,could he make himself heard8 ,must he fail now that he was on the very verge of success8 ,these and similarly anxious thoughts tormented him throughout the day4 ,no light illumined the darkness of his soul until1 having left the hotel1 he was on his way to the hall2 then1 he says1 suddenly a great light burst in upon him1 and1 night though it was1 it seemed as if the whole heavens blazed with light like the noonday4 ,fears and anxious doubts disappeared like mists before the morning sun4 ,a great peace settled down upon him1 and as he entered the hall he was filled with the certainty of succeeding4 ,it was well known that the mob was armed2 it was not so well known that a small but determined band of young men1 occupying a commanding position to the right of the platform1 were also armed1 determined1 if any dangerous outbreak occurred1 to protect ,mr4 ,beecher at all hazards4 ,mr4 ,beecher himself was in ignorance of the fact until some days later4 ,happily nothing more serious than noise was developed1 the cool and determined appearance of the speaker and the earnest demonstration by the majority present seeming to discourage a resort to violence4 ,the speech was devoted to a discussion of the relation of slavery to commerce1 showing that1 in the long run1 it was as hostile both to commerce and manufactures the world over as it was to free interests in human society2 that a slave nation must be a poor customer1 buying the poorest and fewest goods1 and the least profitable to the producers2 that it was the interest of every manufacturing country to promote freedom1 intelligence1 and wealth amongst all nations2 that the attempt to cover the fairest portion of the globe with a slave population that buys nothing1 and a degraded white population that buys next to nothing1 should array against it every political economist and every thoughtful and far-seeing manufacturer1 as tending to strike at the vital wants of commerce1 which was not cotton but rich customers4 ,it would be impossible for tongue or pen adequately to describe the scenes at the meeting4 ,the great hall was packed to the crushing point4 ,the mob was out in force1 with lungs in good working order and a disposition to use them to the best advantage4 ,manchester and ,glasgow were love-feasts in comparison4 ,we give an attempt at description from one of the ,liverpool papers3 8,for several days before the meeting it was understood that efforts would be made to create a disturbance4 8,for some moments before the time fixed for the commencement of the proceedings1 cat-calls1 groans1 cheers1 hisses1 etc41 were freely indulged in1 and it was evident that a strong force of the pro-,southern 7or at least of the anti-,beecher7 party had congregated in front of the gallery and at the lower end of the body of the hall4 ,the dbut of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,beecher was1 judging from the frequently manifested impatience of the audience1 awaited with intense interest4 ,several occupants of seats in the upper gallery loudly insisted upon somebody bringing him out2 and when the reverend gentleman did step on the platform1 the enthusiasm of his friends and the indignation of his opponents were almost indescribable4 ,cheer rolled after cheer with deafening effect1 and1 in the brief pauses between each hurrah1 hisses fell upon the ear with a sound like that of a falling torrent4 ,the uproar was maintained so long that the chairman1 ,mr4 ,robertson1 determined not to await the abatement of the storm1 but to try to subdue it by a few judicious words4 ,he was only partly successful until he appealed to the audience as ,englishmen to stand up for fair play and not to withhold justice from a stranger4 8,mr4 ,beecher's introduction surprised though it did not disconcert that gentleman4 ,he was evidently prepared for some opposition2 but he could hardly have expected that his appearance at the front of the platform1 would rouse one portion of the audience to a high state of enthusiasm1 and cause the other portion to approach almost a state of frenzy4 ,for some time it was doubtful whether the celebrated ,abolitionist would be allowed to speak2 but those who sat near the reverend gentleman1 and observed his firmly-compressed lips and imperturbable demeanor1 saw at once that it would require something more than noise and spasmodic hisses to cause ,mr4 ,beecher to lose heart4 ,he stood calmly at the edge of the platform1 a representation of #8patience smiling at grief1' and a simile of sincerity1 battling tacitly but successfully with opposition4 ,one of the two must sooner or later give way1 and no one who scrutinized ,mr4 ,beecher's features could imagine that he would be the first to become tired4 ,at last there was a lull2 clergymen and ladies ceased to wave their umbrellas and handkerchiefs1 the torrent of hisses became less perceptible1 and the chairman made another appeal to the meeting for fair play to ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,his assurance that an opportunity would be offered1 after ,mr4 ,beecher had concluded his address1 to persons who wished to ask the reverend gentleman questions1 was not very favorably received1 and a series of disturbances ensued4 ,cries of #8,turn him out6' were heard in various parts of the hall1 and efforts were made to eject some members of the unruly party4 ,when the scuffling had partly subsided1 the chairman expressed his determination to preserve order by calling in1 if necessary1 the aid of the police4 ,this announcement produced something like order1 and ,mr4 ,beecher took up the advantage and commenced his address4 ,the interruptions were incessant1 while a scene prevailed the equal of which has seldom been witnessed in ,liverpool4 #8,three cheers for ,jeff4 ,davis6' was a proposal which once more met with a hearty response from a portion of the audience2 and as the admirers of the ,confederate ,president were loath to cease their expressions of approval1 ,mr4 ,beecher composedly sat down on the low parapet of the platform and awaited a calm1 at the same time apologizing to the reporters for causing them to be so long detained4 ,at one time1 about a score of persons were speaking in various parts of the hall1 and ,mr4 ,beecher1 as a last resource1 said that if the meeting would not hear him he would address the reporters4 ,from the gallery were suspended placards on which the words1 #8,who is ,henry ,ward ,beecher8' were conspicuous2 and1 taken all in all1 the scene was one of complete disorder4 ,mr4 ,beecher repeatedly declared that it was not new to him2 but he admitted that his struggle for an hour and a half against the prevailing disorder had caused his voice to fail4 ,so far1 indeed1 had his voice suffered that he was compelled1 in concluding1 to declare that he could not answer any questions unless perfect order prevailed4 ,he did reply1 in comparative peace1 to one or two written interrogatories2 but1 the disturbance being renewed1 ,mr4 ,beecher sat down40 ,a few quotations from this speech will not only give an idea of the line of ,mr4 ,beecher's argument1 but1 by retaining the interruptions as indicated by the reports in the next day's papers1 will also to some extent show the conditions under which the speech was delivered4 8,for more than twenty-five years ,i have been made perfectly familiar with popular assemblies in all parts of my country except the extreme ,south4 ,there has not for the whole of that time been a single day of my life when it would have been safe for me to go south of ,mason and ,dixon's line in my own country1 and all for one reason3 my solemn1 earnest1 persistent testimony against that which ,i consider to be the most atrocious thing under the sun--the system of ,american slavery in a great1 free republic4 ,cheers4 ,i have passed through that early period when right of free speech was denied to me4 ,again and again ,i have attempted to address audiences that1 for no other crime than that of free speech1 visited me with all manner of contumelious epithets2 and now since ,i have been in ,england1 although ,i have met with greater kindness and courtesy on the part of most than ,i deserved1 yet1 on the other hand1 ,i perceive that the ,southern influence prevails to some extent in ,england4 ,applause and uproar4 ,it is my old acquaintance2 ,i understand it perfectly laughter1 and ,i have always held it to be an unfailing truth that where a man had a cause that would bear examination he was perfectly willing to have it spoken about4 ,applause4 ,and when in ,manchester ,i saw those huge placards1 #8,who is ,henry ,ward ,beecher8' laughter1 cries of #8,quite right1' and applause1 and when in ,liverpool ,i was told that there were those blood-red placards1 purporting to say what ,henry ,ward ,beecher had said1 and calling upon ,englishmen to suppress free speech--,i tell you what ,i thought2 ,i thought simply this3 #8,i am glad of it4' ,laughter4 ,why8 ,because if they had felt perfectly secure that you are the minions of the ,south and the slaves of slavery1 they would have been perfectly still4 ,applause and uproar4 444 ,and1 therefore1 when ,i saw so much nervous apprehension that if ,i were permitted to speak hisses and applause--when ,i found they were afraid to have me speak hisses1 laughter1 and #8,no1 no'2 when ,i found that they considered my speaking damaging to their cause applause2 when ,i found that they appealed from facts and reasonings to mob law applause and uproar1 ,i said3 ,no man need tell me what the heart and secret counsel of these men are4 ,they tremble and are afraid4 ,applause1 laughter1 hisses1 #8,no1 no1' and a voice3 #8,new ,york mob4' ,now1 personally1 it is a matter of very little consequence to me whether ,i speak here to-night or not4 ,laughter and cheers4 ,but one thing is very certain--if you do permit me to speak here to-night you will hear very plain talking4 ,applause and hisses4 ,you will not find a man interruption--you will not find me to be a man that dared to speak about ,great ,britain #c1jjj miles off1 and then is afraid to speak to ,great ,britain when he stands on her shores4 ,immense applause and hisses4 ,and if ,i do not mistake the tone and the temper of ,englishmen1 they had rather have a man who opposes them in a manly way applause from all parts of the hall than a sneak that agrees with them in an unmanly way4 ,applause and #8,bravo4' ,now1 if ,i can carry you with me by sound convictions1 ,i shall be immensely glad applause2 but if ,i cannot carry you with me by facts and sound arguments1 ,i do not wish you to go with me at all2 and all that ,i ask is simply ,,fair ,,play4 ,applause1 and a voice3 #8,you shall have it1 too4' ,those of you who are kind enough to wish to favor my speaking--and you will observe that my voice is slightly husky1 from having spoken almost every night in succession for some time past--those who wish to hear me will do me the kindness simply to sit still and to keep still2 and ,i and my friends the ,secessionists will make all the noise4 ,it is just as important to have customers educated1 intelligent1 moral1 and rich out of ,liverpool as it is in ,liverpool4 ,applause4 ,they are able to buy2 they want variety1 they want the very best2 and those are the customers you want4 ,that nation is the best customer that is freest1 because freedom works prosperity1 industry1 and wealth4 ,great ,britain1 then1 aside from moral considerations1 has a direct commercial and pecuniary interest in the liberty1 civilization1 and wealth of every people and every nation on the globe4 ,loud applause4 ,you have also an interest in this1 because you are a moral and a religious people4 #8,oh6 oh6' laughter1 and applause4 ,you desire it from the highest motives2 and godliness is profitable in all things1 having the promise of the life that is1 as well as of that which is to come2 but if there were no hereafter1 and if man had no progress in this life1 and if there were no question of civilization at all1 it would be worth your while to protect civilization and liberty1 merely as a commercial speculation4 ,to evangelize has more than a moral and religious import--it comes back to temporal relations4 ,wherever a nation that is crushed1 cramped1 degraded under despotism is struggling to be free1 you1 ,leeds1 ,sheffield1 ,manchester1 ,paisley1 all have an interest that that nation should be free4 ,when depressed and backward people demand that they may have a chance to rise--,hungary1 ,italy1 ,poland--it is a duty for humanity's sake1 it is a duty for the highest moral motives1 to sympathize with them2 but beside all these there is a material and interested reason why you should sympathize with them4 ,pounds and pence join with conscience and with honor in this design4 ,now1 ,great ,britain's chief want is--what8 ,they have said that your chief want is cotton4 ,i deny it4 ,your chief want is consumers4 ,applause and hisses4 444 ,now1 there is in this a great and sound principle of political economy4 #8,yah6 yah6' from the passage outside the hall1 and loud laughter4 ,if the ,south should be rendered independent--at this juncture mingled cheering and hisses became immense2 half the audience rose to their feet1 waving hats and handkerchiefs1 and in every part of the hall there was the greatest commotion and uproar4 ,you have had your turn now2 now let me have mine again4 ,loud applause and laughter4 ,it is a little inconvenient to talk against the wind2 but1 after all1 if you will just keep good-natured--,i am not going to lose my temper2 will you watch yours8 ,applause4 ,besides all that1 it rests me1 and gives me a chance1 you know1 to get my breath4 ,applause and hisses4 ,and ,i think that the bark of those men is worse than their bite4 ,they do not mean any harm--they don't know any better4 ,loud laughter1 applause1 hisses1 and continued uproar4 ,what will be the result if this present struggle shall eventuate in the separation of ,america1 and making the ,south loud applause1 hisses1 hooting1 and cries of #8,bravo6' a slave territory exclusively cries of #8,no1 no1' and laughter1 and the ,north a free territory--what will be the first result8 ,you will lay the foundation for carrying the slave population clear through to the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,there is not a man that has been a leader of the ,south any time within these twenty years that has not had this for a plan4 ,never have they for a moment given up the plan of spreading the ,american institutions1 as they call them1 straight through towards the ,west1 until the slave who has washed his feet in the ,atlantic shall be carried to wash them in the ,pacific4 ,cries of #8,question6' and uproar4 ,there6 ,i have got that statement out1 and you cannot put it back4 ,laughter and applause4 444 ,now1 here are twelve millions of people1 and only one-third of them are customers that can afford to buy the kind of goods that you bring to market4 ,interruption and uproar4 ,my friends1 ,i saw a man once1 who was a little late at a railway station1 chase an express-train4 ,he did not catch it4 ,laughter4 ,if you are going to stop this meeting you have got to stop it before ,i speak2 for after ,i have got the things out you may chase as long as you please--you will not catch them4 ,laughter and interruption4 ,but there is luck in leisure2 ,i'm going to take it easy4 ,laughter4 ,two-thirds of the population of the ,southern ,states to-day are non-purchasers of ,english goods4 ,a voice1 #8,no1 they are not1' #8,no1 no1' and uproar4 ,and if by sympathy or help you establish a slave empire1 you sagacious ,britons #8,oh6 oh6' and hooting--if you like it better1 then1 ,i will leave the adjective out laughter1 hear1 and applause--you will be busy in favoring the establishment of an empire from ocean to ocean that should have fewest customers and the largest non-buying population4 ,applause2 #8,no1 no4' 444 ,it was the ,south that obliged the ,north to put the tariff on4 ,applause and uproar4 ,just as soon as we begin to have peace again and can get our national debt into a proper shape1 as you have got yours laughter1 the same cause that worked before will begin to work again2 and there is nothing more certain in the future than that the ,american is bound to join with ,great ,britain in the world-wide doctrine of free-trade4 ,applause and interruption4 ,here1 then1 so far as this argument is concerned1 ,i rest my case1 saying that it seems to me that in an argument addressed to a commercial people it was perfectly fair to represent that their commercial and manufacturing interests tallied with their moral sentiments2 and as by birth1 by blood1 by history1 by moral feeling1 and by everything1 ,great ,britain is connected with the liberty of the world1 ,god has joined interest and conscience1 head and heart1 so that you ought to be in favor of liberty everywhere4 ,great applause4 ,there6 ,i have got quite a speech out already1 if ,i do not get any more4 ,hisses and applause4 444 8,it is said that the ,north is fighting for ,union1 and not for emancipation4 ,the ,north is fighting for ,union1 because we never shall forget the testimony of our enemies4 ,they have gone off declaring that the ,union in the hands of the ,north was fatal to slavery4 ,loud applause4 ,there is testimony in court for you4 ,a voice1 #8,see that1' and laughter4 ,we are fighting for the ,union1 because we believe that preamble which explains the very reason for which the ,union was constituted4 ,i will read it4 #8,we'--not the ,states--#8,we1 the people of the ,united ,states1 in order to form a more perfect ,,nation' uproar--,i don't wonder you don't want to hear it laughter--#8in order to form a more perfect ,,nation1 establish justice1 assure domestic tranquillity uproar1 provide for the common defence1 promote the general welfare1 and secure the blessings of ,,liberty #8oh6 oh6' to ourselves and our posterity1 ordain and establish this ,constitution of the ,united ,states of ,america4' ,a voice3 #8,how many ,states8' ,it is for the sake of that justice1 that common welfare1 and that liberty for which the ,national ,union was established1 that we fight for the ,union4 ,interruption4 ,because the ,south believed that the ,union was against slavery1 they left it4 ,renewed interruption4 ,gentlemen1 ,i have travelled in the ,west ten or twelve hours at a time in the mud knee-deep4 ,it was hard toiling my way1 but ,i always got through my journey4 ,i feel to-night as though ,i were travelling over a very muddy road2 but ,i think ,i shall get through4 ,cheers4 444 ,in the first place1 ,i am ashamed to confess that such was the thoughtlessness interruption1 such was the stupor of the ,north renewed interruption--you will get a word at a time2 to-morrow will let folks see what it is you don't want to hear--that for a period of twenty-five years she went to sleep1 and permitted herself to be drugged and poisoned with the ,southern prejudice against black men4 ,applause and uproar4 444 ,when ,i was twelve years old my father hired ,charles ,smith1 a man as black as lampblack1 to work on his farm4 ,i slept with him in the same room4 #8,oh6 oh6' ,ah6 that don't suit you4 ,uproar4 ,now1 you see1 the ,south comes out4 ,loud laughter4 ,i ate with him at the same table2 ,i sang with him out of the same hymn-book #8,good'2 ,i cried when he prayed over me at night2 and if ,i had serious impressions of religion early in life1 they were due to the fidelity and example of that poor humble farm-laborer1 black ,charles ,smith4 ,tremendous uproar and cheers4 444 ,there is another fact that ,i wish to allude to--not for the sake of reproach or blame1 but by way of claiming your more lenient consideration--and that is1 that slavery was entailed upon us by your action4 ,hear1 hear4 ,against the earnest protests of the colonists the then government of ,great ,britain--,i will concede not knowing what were the mischiefs--ignorantly1 but in point of fact1 forced slave-traffic on the unwilling colonists4 ,great uproar1 in the midst of which one individual was lifted up and carried out of the room amidst cheers and hisses4 444 ,we do not agree with the recent doctrine of neutrality as a question of law4 ,but it is past1 and we are not disposed to raise that question4 ,we accept it now as a fact1 and we say that the utterance of ,lord ,russell at ,blairgowrie applause1 hisses1 and a voice1 #8,what about ,lord ,brougham8'1 together with the declaration of the government in stopping war-steamers here great uproar and applause1 has gone far towards quieting every fear and removing every apprehension from our minds4 ,uproar and shouts of applause4 ,and now in the future it is the work of every good man and patriot not to create divisions1 but to do the things that will make for peace4 #8,oh6 oh6' and laughter4 ,on our part it shall be done4 ,applause and hisses1 and #8,no1 no4' ,on your part it ought to be done2 and when1 in any of the convulsions that come upon the world1 ,great ,britain finds herself struggling single-handed against the gigantic powers that spread oppression and darkness applause1 hisses1 and uproar1 there ought to be such cordiality that she can turn and say to her first-born and most illustrious child1 #8,come6' ,hear1 hear1 applause1 tremendous cheers1 and uproar4 ,i will not say that ,england cannot again1 as hitherto1 single-handed manage any power applause and uproar2 but ,i will say that ,england and ,america together for religion and liberty a voice1 #8,soap1 soap1' uproar1 and great applause are a match for the world4 ,applause2 a voice1 #8,they don't want any more soft soap4'0 ,thus in the wildest confusion1 little by little1 a few sentences at a time1 the speech was delivered4 ,for nearly three hours the fight was kept up1 until at last the speech was done4 ,although the mob was not quieted--it did not come there for that purpose--yet the speech was delivered1 and1 what was more to the point1 was printed verbatim in the morning's papers4 ,the mob wholly failed to accomplish their object4 ,it did not break down ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,four days later the concluding speech of the series was to be delivered at ,exeter ,hall1 ,london4 ,the great metropolis was the centre of political thought and influence4 ,it was of great importance that the ,london speech should be a success1 and to that end that the speaker should be in good condition himself4 ,but the constant strain upon his voice in his efforts to be heard in the first three speeches1 culminating in the prolonged struggle at ,liverpool1 where his strength had been taxed to the uttermost1 had at last gone beyond even his powers of endurance4 ,the day before the ,london speech his voice failed him2 by night he could not speak above a whisper4 ,voiceless1 he was helpless4 ,when he first realized the truth he was for a moment overwhelmed4 ,to fail in ,london was1 in very large measure1 to lose the ground so hardly gained4 8,i felt all day ,monday that ,i was coming to ,london to speak to a public audience1 but my voice was gone2 and ,i felt as though about to be made a derision to my enemies1 to stand up before a multitude and be unable to say a word4 ,it would have been a mortification to any one's natural pride4 ,i asked ,god to restore me my voice1 as a child would ask its father to grant it a favor4 ,but ,i hoped that ,god would grant me ,his grace to enable me1 if it was necessary for the cause that ,i should be put to open shame1 to stand up as a fool before the audience4 ,i said3 #8,lord1 ,thou knowest this4 ,let it be as ,thou wilt4'0 ,rest being of the first importance1 he retired early1 and1 having wrapped his throat in wet bandages1 dismissed all further thought of the morrow and slept4 ,in the morning waking refreshed1 the first thought that came to him was1 8,can ,i speak80 ,for a while he lay silent1 fearing the attempt4 ,first he tried a low whisper1 then louder1 finally spoke out4 ,his voice had returned1 not in its old strength1 yet strong enough to use4 ,now his exaltation was as great as twelve hours before had been his depression4 ,the night came1 and with it increased strength1 fully sufficient for the work before him4 ,in this speech slavery was discussed in its moral relations4 ,of the meeting we quote briefly from the published account of an eye-witness3 8,in the five great speeches which ,mr4 ,beecher has made in ,england and ,scotland on the ,american question1 before vast audiences1 he has taken care to observe a system of selection which has brought before the country all the great salient points of the ,american war4 ,he has not repeated himself1 but met the ,confederate sympathizers here1 upon every field which they had chosen for their own advantage4 ,but the grand climax of all his efforts was that which was made at ,exeter ,hall last night1 before a crowd as great as ever gathered into that immense hall1 and which1 despite the persistent efforts of the opposition to destroy the meeting and its effect1 made a mark upon ,english opinion which must prove of the utmost importance4 8,mr4 ,beecher's strokes in other cities of the kingdom having invariably drawn blood from the hides of the ,confederate sympathizers here1 it was plain that they had determined to meet with yells and uproar what they could not meet with argument4 ,that an organized opposition was contemplated was not concealed4 ,during all yesterday1 posters were scattered through the length and breadth of the city1 making all kinds of charges of a personal character against him1 abounding in fictitious and distorted quotations from discourses and lectures delivered by him in old times4 ,it had been considered of prime importance to the ,confederate cause here that ,lord ,russell's assertion at ,blairgowrie1 that the moral sympathies of the ,english people were adverse to the ,southern cause1 should be disproved2 and it was hoped1 through personal assaults upon ,mr4 ,beecher1 to injure the effect of the meeting1 and then claim it in as the verdict of ,london in favor of the ,southern ,confederacy4 8,at an early hour the hall was crowded to overflowing1 and there was evidence1 too1 that they were orderly men and women1 who1 whether sympathizing with the ,north or not1 had come to hear a fair discussion of the question which concerns all1 and were determined to secure fair play4 ,the crowd outside in the ,strand and ,exeter ,street was enormous1 and consisted chiefly of the opposition4 ,one of the committee came in smilingly1 and said3 #8,our shilling admission-fee has filtered the crowd4 ,the ,southern sympathizer is always a man who looks hard at a shilling before he parts with it1 and then don't part with it4' ,yet it was known that in two or three sections of the house there were parties who meant mischief4 8,when ,beecher arose there were five minutes of the most tremendous cheering that ,i have ever witnessed4 ,wave after wave1 as of a tumultuous sea of sound1 came thundering up from the gallery at one end to the organ at the other1 in the midst of which stood ,mr4 ,beecher1 calm as a rock in the midst of the surges4 ,a hiss was then begun1 but at his first word it sank back into the diaphragms of those who uttered or meant to utter it4 ,the first glance and the self-possessed manner of the man told plainly that he had something to say in ,exeter ,hall that night1 and that he meant to be heard4 8,mr4 ,beecher's voice was scarcely as sonorous and clear as it usually is1 and all recognized that this was natural after the many speeches in immense halls which he had given during the week4 #8,i expect to be hoarse1' he said1 #8and ,i am willing to be hoarse if ,i can in any way assist to bring the mother and daughter heart to heart and hand to hand together4' ,this sentiment was received with great applause2 and ,beecher's hoarseness was thus impressed to the service of his cause4 ,but he so economized his voice that every word was distinctly heard by the vast assembly4 ,and ,i assure you that every word was freighted2 in the day when men are called to give an account for every idle word spoken1 ,mr4 ,beecher will not be confronted by any one uttered last night at ,exeter ,hall4 ,at one time1 when there was an interval of a few moments arising from the effort of the hisses to triumph over the cheers1 ,mr4 ,beecher1 with a quiet smile1 said3 #8,friends1 ,i thank you for this interruption2 it gives me a chance to rest4' ,the hisses thereupon died away1 and had no resurrection during the evening4 ,it was evident1 indeed1 that the speaker1 who knows a thing or two about audiences1 felt that the meeting was his and that no interruption would succeed4 ,but many of his friends had serious apprehensions4 ,one of the editors of the ,star1 himself a distinguished speaker1 and thoroughly acquainted with ,english audiences1 who sat near to me1 whispered in my ear3 #8,there are a great many here who do not cheer2 there is a strong chance of a row yet2 but the meeting is just in such a condition that its result will depend upon the power and equanimity of the speaker4' #8,then1' ,i replied1 #8you needn't fear4' ,if ,mr4 ,beecher had heard our brief whispers he could not have more distinctly appreciated the remark of the editor4 ,at that moment1 although he had been interesting all along1 he suddenly stepped one side from the desk upon which his notes lay1 and his face gleamed like a sword leaping from a scabbard4 ,no more hisses1 no more cheers1 now for half an hour2 the audience is magnetized1 breathless2 when the first pause came1 a ,sir ,somebody1 sitting behind me1 said1 #8,why1 he looked at first like a heavy man1 but he's got wings'2 whilst a reporter near our feet whispered audibly to a brother writer1 #8,oh6 but he can put things6' ,mr4 ,beecher forgot all things but his subject2 his tongue burned with living coals2 his arm pointed like a prophet's rod4 ,the shams of our enemies in ,england2 their talk of peace when they mean every kind of bloodshed except that which is for justice--#8the aspect of a lamb with the voice of a dragon1' as ,st4 ,john saw it2 their cant about emancipation being not a principle with ,mr4 ,lincoln1 but only an expedient1 as if that would make liberty any less a prize to the slave and humanity if they got it--all these collapsed palpably before the masses then gathered1 and all the fine points of ,roebuck and ,lindsay became toads under the touch of his flame-tipped spear4 8#8,this cannot go on1' whispered a clergyman near2 #8these strokes draw too much blood2 the victim is writhing in pain now4' 8,again did ,mr4 ,beecher level his lance2 it was at those who were making capital out of what they call #8,american sympathy with the oppressor of ,poland4' ,nothing could exceed the drollery with which1 almost blushing1 he presented the loving and jealous maiden who1 when her suitor is not attentive enough1 gets up a flirtation with some other man4 #8,america flirts with ,russia1 but has her eye on ,england4' ,now1 the presence of warships from ,russia at ,new ,york has been the leading card of the ,confederates here in their game to win popular sympathy for the ,south2 for our friends among the ,english people are also the friends of the ,poles4 ,it was plain that the opposition in the meeting did not mean to let this matter pass without trying to get some capital4 ,consequently1 when ,mr4 ,beecher said1 #8,but it is said it is very unworthy that ,america should be flirting with the oppressor of ,poland1' there were violent shouts1 #8,yes1 yes1' #8,certainly it is1' etc4 ,mr4 ,beecher waited until the cries had entirely subsided1 and a little time had been allowed for friend and foe to speculate as to his reply2 then1 leaning a little forward1 he put on an indescribably simple expression1 and said mildly3 #8,i think so1 too4 ,and now you know exactly how we felt when you flirted with ,mason at the lord-mayor's banquet4' ,i cannot attempt to describe the effect of these words on the throng4 ,the people arose with a shout that began to be applause1 but became a shout of laughter4 ,the hit was so perfect and felicitous that roars of hearty laughter told that that topic was summed up for ever4 ,three loud groans given for the late lord-mayor--his place is now filled with a much better man--ended that scene1 and the drama proceeded4 8,in the heart of ,mr4 ,beecher's oration was given a denunciation of slavery more powerful than ,i have ever heard from his lips4 ,he scored and scourged it until it seemed to stand before us a hideous monster1 bloated with human blood and writhing under his goads4 8,mr4 ,beecher1 having sustained himself throughout better than ,i had ever known him to do before--and ,i am pretty familiar with his grand successes in our own country--having carried the meeting entirely and evoked the warmest expressions of good-will to ,america1 sat down1 leaving the audience hungry and shouting #8,go on1 go on6'0 ,london was captured2 the speech was discussed in every parlor and in every club4 ,it was the topic of the day4 ,farewell meetings1 veritable love-feasts1 were held in ,london1 ,manchester1 and ,liverpool on the #bc;d1 #bdth1 and #cjth of ,october1 and then ,mr4 ,beecher sailed for home4 ,that these speeches1 delivered just at this time1 in connection with the events at home1 produced a marked effect cannot be doubted4 ,they certainly cleared up many gross misconceptions that filled the ,english mind1 and gave the ,english people a clearer insight into the real purpose of our government and the true object of the ,south4 ,this seems to have been the judgment of contemporaneous opinion4 ,a prominent ,english paper said3 8,before he left ,england he had thoroughly enlisted the sympathies of the people with the cause of the ,north2 and he had no small share in averting a collision1 which at one period of the ,civil ,war threatened ominously1 between this country and the ,united ,states40 ,on his return to ,brooklyn he was called to address two monster meetings on his ,english experiences1 one in ,brooklyn in aid of the ,war ,fund ,committee1 and one in ,new ,york in aid of the ,united ,states ,sanitary ,commission4 ,in his introductory speech at the former1 ,dr4 ,r4 ,s4 ,storrs thus eloquently summarizes ,mr4 ,beecher's work abroad3 8,we are here as ,american citizens all1 to welcome one who has done to our country on foreign shores a signal service6 ,the rapid and private trip which he undertook1 simply for the purposes of rest and recreation1 was transformed1 not so much by his own device or desire or will as by the persistent urgency of ,englishmen1 into a real international embassy of peace and good-will4 ,and by consent of all who know1 of all the interpreters1 the advocates1 the champions of our great national cause in ,england--of whom there have been not a few able and eloquent--no one has labored more faithfully1 zealously1 and effectively than he4444 8,we may gratefully recognize the kindness and the wisdom of that preceding preparation of both body and mind which fitted him for this work4 ,the rest and leisure of those weeks upon the ,continent prepared him not only to face the rough seas that have delayed his return1 but to meet and master the more tempestuous savagery of the ,liverpool mob4 ,the ,alpine peaks to whose summit he climbed contributed1 no doubt1 to lift him afterwards to the climax of his eloquence at ,london and at ,manchester4 ,and so it has come to pass that to him it is owing1 as much1 perhaps1 as to any other one man on either hemisphere1 that the mind of the great middle class in ,england--which is the mind that in the last analysis moulds and governs the government of ,great ,britain--is at least now partially informed concerning the principles and the history of our struggle2 that the warships framed by ,confederate malice and commercial cupidity to harass our commerce1 break our blockade1 or desolate our cities1 are not to be left to step out to sea through any loose interpretation of the law1 but are to be kept chained to the docks and held there by the strong arm of the government1 and that stars of promise are shining in the east1 where lately the thunderbolts of war seemed to gather40 ,at this same meeting ,mr4 ,beecher himself gave an outline of the state of public opinion when he reached ,england1 and some estimate of his own work in changing this public opinion3 8,i desire this evening to speak upon that which you all have come to hear--namely1 my impressions and experiences in respect to the condition of things in ,great ,britain1 as they relate to this struggle and this country4 8,there are many reasons why an ,american would have presumed it easy to understand ,british feeling and ,british policy4 ,there was a similarity of institutions in ,england and ,america and a sameness of radical principles2 but that very similarity1 since it begets1 through different institutions and different vehicles1 different policies1 is liable to deceive us4 ,if ,i had judged of the condition of ,england from the impressions produced upon me by my first four weeks' tarry there in the summer1 ,i should have judged very wrongly4 ,you are aware that the original expectation of our people was almost universal that in ,great ,britain we should find a sympathizer4 ,one thing we counted sure1 and that was that1 if all the other nations stood aloof1 there was one which would stand by us in the hour of our peril1 and that one was ,great ,britain4 ,and the sharpness of our retaliatory complaints was acuminated by that very disappointment of a very confident conviction4 ,we never asked for help4 ,we never asked that she should lend us anything1 or stretch out so much as the little finger of her right hand4 ,we did ask simply a generous confidence and a generous moral sympathy1 and that was all4 ,i found1 in the first place1 on going there1 that every man ,i met was a ,southern man--not literally born in the ,south1 but this is the designation they have themselves made4 ,they are ,southerners and ,northerners even more than we are here4 ,i found that on the railways1 on the boats1 in the hotels1 and wherever there was a travelling public1 there was a public that sympathized with the ,south and adverse to the ,north4 8,the nobility as a class are also against us1 though there are some very noble exceptions4 8,in ,parliament1 if a vote were taken to-day according to the private thoughts1 sympathies1 and wishes among its members1 ,i suppose they would vote five to one against the ,north and in favor of the ,south4 ,it is believed1 too1 by those well informed1 that at least a portion of the government have been entirely willing to go into a rupture with the ,north1 and that but for the unflinching restraints they would have done so long ago4 ,but it is the impression throughout the realm that the sovereign of ,great ,britain has been from the first our judicious but our steadfast friend4 ,it is believed1 and so represented to me1 that her never-rightly-estimated and lamented consort was our fast friend1 and that among the last acts of his life were those which erased from documents presented to him sentences that would have inflamed the growing anger4 ,and if you ask me what is the great underlying influence that has been at work upon the upper class of ,england1 ,i answer thus3 8#a4 ,commercial interest and rivalry therein4 8#b4 ,class-power and the fear of contagion from ,american ideas4 8#c4 7,i know not how ,i shall say it so that it shall be the least offensive to our friends on the other side1 but neither they nor you have come to the bottom of the conduct of ,great ,britain until you have touched that delicate and real foundation cause47 ,we are too large and strong a nation4 8,with this state of facts you will ask how it is that the ,english people have been restrained8 ,how is it that they have not gone into overt belligerency8 ,that is the very question that ,i propose to answer1 and in the statement that the ,english heart is on our side4 ,the nobility is against us2 the government is divided and a part is against us4 ,i think ,i may say that while the brains that represent progress in ,great ,britain are in our favor1 yet the conservative intelligence of ,great ,britain is against us1 and that all there is on the surface of society1 representing its dignities1 its power and intelligence1 is anti-,american4 ,and the question ,i propose to you is1 ,how1 with the papers1 magazines1 and universities1 how with their titled estates opposed to us1 that they have been restrained from manifesting this in open hostility8 ,it is because there is a great underlying influence that restrains them--it is the influence of that under-life1 and to a very great extent of the non-voting ,english1 which has produced this effect1 ,it is a thing ,i could not understand at first1 and which it is very difficult for us to understand2 for wherever in our country there is a majority of the votes there is sure to be a direction of affairs4 ,but it is not so in ,england4 ,i learned that the men who could not vote1 where they were united and determined1 had the power to control the men who do vote4 ,i hold in my hand a letter from ,richard ,cobden4 ,he says3 #8,you will carry back an intimate acquaintance with a state of feeling in this country among what1 for a better name1 ,i call the ruling class4 ,their sympathy is undoubtedly strongly for the ,south1 with the instinctive satisfaction at the prospect of the disruption of the great ,republic4 ,it is natural enough4 ,but do not forget that we have in this case1 for the first time in our history1 seen the masses of the ,british people taking sides for a foreign government against its rebellious citizens4 ,in every other instance1 whether in the case of the ,poles1 ,italians1 ,hungarians and ,corsicans1 ,greeks1 or ,south ,americans1 the popular sympathy of this country has always leaped to the side of the insurgents the moment the rebellion has broken out4 ,in the present case our masses have an instinctive feeling that their cause is bound up in the prosperity of the ,states--the ,united ,states4 ,it is true that they have not a particle of power in the direct form of a vote1 but1 when millions in this country are led by the religious middle class1 they can go and prevent the governing class from pursuing a policy hostile to their sympathies4' 8,into such an atmosphere and among such a people ,i went4 ,and when1 unsought1 and indeed against my feelings if not against my judgment1 ,i entered upon the labor of the past few weeks of my sojourn in ,england1 ,i assumed the responsibility1 ,i cannot say with trembling--for ,i am not accustomed much to tremble--but ,i assumed the responsibility with the gravest sense of what it was4 ,i have felt the inspiration of nationality often1 but ,i never before was placed between two such great peoples1 where ,i saw them both in prospective1 both in their present relations and in their future4 ,i never before felt so much as ,i felt all the time1 waking or dreaming1 night or day1 what it was to stand and plead for the unity of these two great nations1 for the sake of struggling mankind2 and it was at once an excitement to me and a support4 ,but1 after all1 ,i did not know how my countrymen would regard my efforts4 ,if you had disapproved ,i should have been sorry that you disapproved1 but not sorry for what ,i had done4 ,i did the best ,i knew how to do1 every time1 everywhere disinterestedly1 for the love ,i bear to the cause and to the principles which underlie it4 ,i did not hear from home whether my representations of policy1 of fact1 of history1 and of the tendencies of things would accord with yours1 or whether ,i should not be caught up in the whirl of conflicting parties1 my reasonings traversed1 and my arguments denied4 ,when ,i landed in ,boston ,i learned for the first time that my services had been accepted by my countrymen4444 8,that to a certain extent my speeches produced among the common people beneficial results there can be no doubt2 but how far that extended1 or whether they had influence upon the thinking classes1 others could say better than ,i4 ,they were certainly greatly aided by the fact that ,lee was defeated at ,gettysburg and driven back to ,virginia1 and that at the same time ,grant received the surrender of ,vicksburg4 ,those timely victories1 together with other causes1 held in check the manuvres and diplomacy of crowned heads and made intervention less certain and more remote2 and gave time for ,grant's success at ,chattanooga1 and his transfer to the ,army of the ,potomac1 and in turn his promotion to general-in-chief of the operations in the field4 8,i put no immoderate estimate on my services4 ,i believe ,i did some good wherever ,i spoke4 ,but it should be remembered that a single man1 a stranger in the community1 would be eaten up by vanity if he said or supposed1 that he had done all the good that had been accomplished4 ,there must have been preparation4 ,he merely came to touch the train that had already been laid4 ,when1 in ,october1 you go to the tree and give it a jar1 and the fruit comes down all around you1 it is not you that ripens it4 ,a whole summer has been doing that4 ,you merely brought down the fruit prepared4 ,it was my happy fortune to be there to jar the tree4 ,the fruit that fell was not of my ripening40 ,a few brief extracts from three of the leading papers in ,new ,york1 published at the time1 are quoted as indications of the popular sentiment as to the value of his work3 8,it is plain1 from the whole tone of the ,british press1 that ,mr4 ,beecher has been instrumental in starting1 or at least hastening1 a complete revolution of the popular feeling of the kingdom in favor of our ,national cause4 ,he is the man who ought to have been sent to ,england two years ago to enlighten and rouse the people4 ,had this been done he could have hardly failed of preventing a vast deal of that bitterness which has since1 all the while1 been fermenting between the two nations40 8,the ,administration at ,washington have sent abroad more than one man to represent the cause of the ,north and press it upon the minds of foreign courts and citizens2 but here is a person who goes abroad without official prestige1 on a mere private mission to recruit his health1 and yet we doubt whether his four or five speeches in ,england have not done more for us1 by their frank and manly exposition of our principles1 our purpose1 and our hopes1 than all the other agencies employed40 8,every loyal ,american1 whatever his opinions respecting the past words and acts of ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 will thank him for his work across the water4 ,it is no exaggeration to affirm that the five speeches he has delivered--in ,manchester1 ,glasgow1 ,edinburgh1 ,liverpool1 and ,london--each pursuing its own line of argument and appeal1 have done more for our cause in ,england and ,scotland than all that has been before said or written40 ,whatever may have been the causes1 it is historical that the ,english government1 which had been trembling upon the very verge of intervention1 withdrew from this project and began to entertain much more peaceful and friendly feelings towards the ,united ,states--feelings that have grown stronger and deeper with each successive year4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,close of the ,war--,distrust of the ,administration--,kindlier ,feelings after ,mr4 ,beecher's ,return from ,england--,growing ,confidence--,intimacy with ,secretary ,stanton--,fort ,sumter--,lee's ,surrender--,lincoln's ,death4 ,on his return home from ,england1 ,mr4 ,beecher found that there was a marked change in the feelings of the ,administration towards him4 ,it was the popular verdict1 in which ,washington concurred1 that the series of speeches just delivered1 in conjunction with the successes of our armies in the field1 had switched the ,english government off from the track leading to intervention and probably war1 and had started it in the direction of friendliness and peace4 ,before that time he had succeeded in creating in the minds of the ,president and his cabinet a feeling which1 if not hostile1 was at least not friendly4 ,with many things that had occurred or failed to occur during #ahfa-b and early in #ahfc he had felt great impatience4 ,he had had no sympathy with the feeling1 that prevailed so generally during the first few months of the war1 that it would be an affair of but a few months1 that #ge1jjj men would be more than enough to end the rebellion4 ,he felt that the proper policy was for the government to crush the rebellion by the power of an enormous army1 and that it was but poor economy to send forward troops by driblets4 ,nor did he at all believe in the distinction that existed between the ,united ,states regulars and the ,state troops4 ,he thought that they ought to be all ,united ,states troops4 ,what he felt he was not slow to say4 ,on ,june #aj1 #ahfa1 he wrote to the ,president1 urging the government to accept a regiment raised by ,colonel ,stockton3 8,ought not such a man as the one whom ,i send to you1 ,colonel ,t4 ,b4 ,w4 ,stockton1 of ,michigan1 a ,west ,point graduate1 a colonel in the ,mexican war1 to have a chance in this great war1 with a thousand men at his back8 8,do we not need men that have seen fire8 8,i am exceedingly desirous1 anxious even1 that a large demonstration of power should be made1 as a matter of economy1 of humanity1 and of expedition4 8,are we not in danger of being injured by a ,northern misconstruction of ,state rights1 which shall prevent government from taking troops where it pleases1 without being obliged to come to the people through the machinery of ,state governments8 0,it is the people's war4 ,the people must be allowed to have a fair chance for the exertion of their will40 ,and later1 when political expediency was permitted to play so prominent a part in the selection and action of our generals1 his indignation was intense and outspoken4 ,while he felt great admiration for ,president ,lincoln and great confidence in him1 still he felt that he was making serious mistakes4 ,as we have seen1 ,mr4 ,beecher was then the editor-in-chief of the ,new ,york ,independent1 and through its editorials he sought to rouse both the ,president and public sentiment4 ,speaking of this time1 he says3 8,in #ahfb the great delay1 the want of any success1 the masterly inactivity of our leading generals1 roused my indignation1 and ,i wrote a series of editorials addressed to the ,president0 to which we have referred and from which we have largely quoted in a previous chapter1 8and as near as ,i can recollect they were in the nature of a mowing-machine--they cut at every revolution--and ,i was told one day that the ,president had received them and read them through with very serious countenance1 and that his only criticism was3 #8,is thy servant a dog8' ,they bore down on him very hard40 ,not unnaturally1 neither the ,president nor his cabinet felt especially pleased at this4 ,they looked upon it as a hostile attack1 and did not regard him with any over-friendly feeling4 ,but in ,november1 #ahfc1 we find all this changed4 ,the ,administration now could see in past criticism1 not personal hostility1 but an anxious desire1 through love of country1 to prevent mistakes and secure the best course of action4 ,a far more kindly and confidential relation was established1 which continued through that ,administration4 ,when1 in #ahfd1 there was so much talk about compromise1 ,mr4 ,beecher went direct to the ,president and had a confidential talk with him1 which he describes in a brief sketch 7of ,lincoln73 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,beecher at the ,close of the ,war4 8,there was some talk early in #ahfd of a sort of compromise with the ,south4 ,blair had told the ,president that he was satisfied1 if he could be put in communication with some of the leading men of the ,south in some way or other1 that some benefit would accrue4 ,lincoln had sent a delegation to meet ,alexander ,stephens1 and that was all the ,north knew4 ,we were all very much excited over that4 ,the war lasted so long that ,i was afraid ,lincoln would be so anxious for peace1 and ,i was afraid he would accept something that would be of advantage to the ,south1 so ,i went to ,washington and called upon him4 ,we were alone in his receiving-room4 ,his hair was #8every way for ,sunday4' ,it looked as though it was an abandoned stubble-field4 ,he had on slippers1 and his vest was what was called #8going free4' ,he looked wearied1 and1 when he sat down in a chair1 looked as though every limb wanted to drop off his body4 ,and ,i said to him3 #8,mr4 ,lincoln1 ,i come to you to know whether the public interest will permit you to explain to me what this ,southern commission means8' ,well1 he listened very patiently1 and looked up to the ceiling for a few moments1 and said3 #8,well1 ,i am almost of a mind to show you all the documents4' 8#8,well1 ,mr4 ,lincoln1 ,i should like to see them if it is proper4' ,he went to his little secretary1 and came out and handed me a little card as long as my finger and an inch wide1 and on that was written-- 8#8,you will pass the bearer through the lines' 7or something to that effect74 #8,a4 ,,lincoln4' 8#8,there1' he said1 #8is all there is of it4 ,now1 ,blair thinks something can be done1 but ,i don't1 but ,i have no objection to have him try his hand4 ,he has no authority whatever1 but to go and see what he can do4' 8#8,well1' said ,i1 #8you have lifted a great burden off my mind4'0 ,during the last year of the ,president's life they became very intimate1 and the respect and admiration which ,mr4 ,beecher shared1 in common with the general feeling of the ,north1 deepened into a strong personal love4 ,in one of his ,friday night prayer-meetings1 shortly after ,mr4 ,lincoln's death1 he refers to their intimacy3 8,i am sure no one more than ,i1 can feel the personal affliction1 outside of those that were immediately associated with ,president ,lincoln4 ,i need not say to you how my public relations have brought me1 not only to the most constant study of his course and of his character1 but into some personal relations with him that have given me more knowledge of him than otherwise ,i should have had4 ,i was reading to-night1 before ,i came here1 the last letter that ,i received from him4 ,it had reference to an interview which ,i had had with him on a particular subject4 ,it is a precious letter to me4 ,during the time that ,i was with him 7it was between eleven and twelve o'clock at night1 in ,washington7 his great kindness1 his great simplicity1 and his great frankness opened him to me1 and ,i saw him more fully than ever before1 as very wise1 as shrewd as well as wise1 as far-reaching and sagacious as well as shrewd1 and1 above all1 as faithful to the great interests that were committed to him4 ,that interview has come up to me over and over and over again4 ,it seemed as though it was but yesterday4 ,and when the tidings that he was gone came to me1 ,i know not how ,i shall describe the sense that ,i had of a strange personal loss40 ,during this period ,mr4 ,beecher formed the acquaintance of ,stanton1 which speedily ripened into a very strong friendship1 largely through an impulsive act of sympathy by ,mr4 ,beecher3 8,i came up ,wall ,street one day and met a friend1 who said3 #8,i have just come back from ,washington4 ,stanton is breaking down2 he won't hold out much longer4' 8,well1 it just struck me all into a heap4 ,i walked into an office in ,wall ,street and said1 #8,will you allow me pen and ink8' and wrote to him just what ,i had heard--that he was sick and broken down and desponding4 ,i wrote that he need not despond1 that the country was saved1 and1 if he did not do another thing1 he had done enough4 ,i sent the letter1 and in the course of a few days ,i got back a letter1 and if it had been a woman writing in answer to a proposal it could not have been more tender4 ,and when ,i went to ,washington he treated me with great tenderness1 as if ,i had been his son40 ,from this letter of ,secretary ,stanton1 which is before us1 we quote3 8,how deeply your kind note has affected me is beyond my power to tell4444 ,the approbation1 confidence1 and sympathy of any man was never more highly prized than yours is by me4 ,your friendly words are a cordial that strengthens me1 and your kind sympathy will serve to dispel the gloom and despondency that1 as you rightly judged1 does sometimes1 in moments of physical weariness1 gather upon my brain and press heavily upon my heart4 ,let me tell you that often and often1 in dark hours1 you have come before me1 and ,i have longed to hear your voice1 feeling that above all other men you could cheer1 strengthen1 guide1 and uphold me in this great battle1 where1 by ,god's ,providence1 it has fallen upon me to hold a post and perform a duty beyond my own strength4 ,but1 being a stranger1 ,i had no right to claim your confidence or ask for help1 and so have been forced to struggle on patiently as ,i might from day to day1 supported only by fervent faith in our sacred cause1 and the consciousness that prayers were being offered up by good people for aid4 ,now1 my dear sir1 your voice has reached me1 and your hand is stretched forth as to a friend1 and henceforth ,i shall look to you and lean upon you with a sure and abiding trust4 ,already my heart feels renewed strength and is inspired with fresh hope4 ,there are some points involved in1 or developed by1 this present contest1 on which ,i wish to commune with you before long40 ,early in #ahfe1 and shortly after the surrender of ,charleston1 in reply to a letter received from ,mr4 ,beecher making some suggestions1 the ,secretary wrote3 8,it will not be in my power to go to ,charleston just now1 but ,i would be glad to send you1 and as many school-teachers as will go4444 ,your idea of raising the flag over a colored school and making our banner the banner of civilization is indeed a noble one1 and heartily my feelings respond to the suggestion4 ,soon after the #dth of ,march ,i may be able to go to ,south ,carolina and do what may be done in that direction4444 ,we received this morning the news of the capture of ,wilmington yesterday4 ,surely the end cannot be afar off4 ,the battle of physical force is nearly won1 and now we must fight for civilization1 including therein legal protection to the rights of all1 and universal education4 ,what of strength1 heart1 and hope is left to me ,i am willing to spend with you in that cause4 ,please let me know if you will go to ,charleston without waiting for me4 ,the sooner you go the better40 ,shortly after this it was decided to celebrate the anniversary of the fall of ,fort ,sumter 7,april #ad7 by an imposing military and naval demonstration1 and by raising again the old flag over its parapet1 and the project of sending to ,charleston a delegation headed by ,mr4 ,beecher was abandoned4 ,as soon as the general plan of the ,fort ,sumter celebration had been decided upon1 the ,president invited ,mr4 ,beecher to be present and deliver the address4 ,on ,march #bg1 #ahfe1 the following general order was issued3 8,,general ,,orders1 ,,war ,,department1 ,no4 #ej4 ,,adjutant-,,general',s ,,office1 ,,washington1 ,march #bg1 #ahfe4 8,,ordered-- 0,first4 ,that at the hour of noon1 on the #adth day of ,april1 #ahfe1 ,brevet ,major-,general ,anderson will raise and plant upon the ruins of ,fort ,sumter1 in ,charleston ,harbor1 the same ,united ,states flag which floated over the battlements of that fort during the rebel assault1 and which was lowered and saluted by him and the small force of his command when the works were evacuated on the #adth day of ,april1 #ahfa4 8,second4 ,that the flag1 when raised1 be saluted by one hundred guns from ,fort ,sumter1 and by a national salute from every fort and rebel battery that fired upon ,fort ,sumter4 0,third4 ,that suitable ceremonies be had upon the occasion1 under the direction of ,major-,general ,william ,t4 ,sherman1 whose military operations compelled the rebels to evacuate ,charleston1 or1 in his absence1 under the charge of ,major-,general ,q4 ,a4 ,gillmore1 commanding the ,department4 ,among the ceremonies will be the delivery of a public address by the ,reverend ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 8,fourth4 ,that the naval forces at ,charleston1 and their commander on that station1 be invited to participate in the ceremonies of the occasion4 8,by order of the ,president of the ,united ,states4 0,,edwin ,m4 ,,stanton1 8,secretary of ,war40 ,the steamer ,arago was sent by the government to ,new ,york to transport the invited guests to ,charleston4 ,as soon as the formal invitations to the guests of the government had been issued and accepted1 ,secretary ,stanton telegraphed ,mr4 ,beecher3 8,a list of the persons who have accepted invitations on the ,arago has been forwarded to ,general ,van ,vliet4 ,i do not exactly understand the extent of the accommodations on the ,arago1 but think there may perhaps be room for a few more2 if you will see him and find that more can be accommodated1 you are authorized to fill up the number with such persons as you may wish to accompany you4 ,on presentation of this telegram he will give them free transportation and subsistence as if this were a formal order4444 8,,edwin ,m4 ,,stanton1 8,secretary of ,war40 ,during this spring the ,secretary was in constant telegraphic communication with ,mr4 ,beecher1 keeping him informed of each victory or successful move of our army as it occurred4 ,this led to a thrilling incident in ,plymouth ,church4 ,during the month of ,march of this year it became very plain that the war was surely drawing to a close4 ,lee1 hemmed in by ,grant1 ,sherman1 and ,sheridan1 obviously could not hold out very much longer4 ,the whole country watched and waited with almost breathless interest as slowly but surely the end drew on1 the intensity of feeling growing stronger as the end seemed nearer4 ,it was in this condition of the public mind1 and on ,sunday1 ,april #b1 that1 just after ,mr4 ,beecher had finished his sermon and had given out a hymn1 a telegram was handed up to him on the platform4 ,catching the feeling in the air that something of importance had happened1 every eye was turned to the platform and a silence like death fell upon the three thousand gathered there4 ,eagerly the telegram was opened1 and as the flash of joy lit up ,mr4 ,beecher's face a thrill ran through the congregation1 instantly hushed as he said3 8,the congregation will turn to #8,america' while ,i read the following telegram3 8#8,,war ,,department1 ,,washington1 8#8,april #b1 #ahfe4 8#8,,to ,,rev4 ,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher1 ,brooklyn3 8#8,a despatch just received from ,general ,grant's adjutant-general at ,city ,point announces the triumphant success of our armies after three days of hard fighting1 during which the forces on both sides exhibited unsurpassed valor3 8#8,,city ,,point1 ,,va41 ,april #b1 #ahfe1 8#8#e4cj ,a4,m4 8#8,a despatch from ,general ,grant states that ,general ,sheridan1 commanding cavalry and infantry1 has carried everything before him4 ,he captured three brigades of infantry1 a wagon-train1 and several batteries of artillery4 ,the prisoners captured will amount to several thousand4 8#87,signed7 ,t4 ,s4 ,,bowers1 ,a4 ,a4 ,g4 8#8,,edwin ,m4 ,,stanton1 8#8,secretary of ,war4'0 ,as he ceased speaking the great throng rose and1 as one man1 with streaming eyes joined in the triumphant anthem1 8,my country1 'tis of thee60 ,the organist drew the trumpet stops1 and turned the full power of the great organ into the hymn1 but it was drowned by the voices raised in solemn thanksgiving4 ,not a voice was silent1 not an eye was dry4 ,as the last notes of the hymn died out many a strong man dropped into his seat and sobbed with thankfulness4 ,the beginning of the end had come4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the #hth of ,april the ,arago sailed from ,new ,york for ,charleston4 ,the day after she sailed came the surrender of ,lee's army4 ,of course no word of the news was received aboard the ,arago until she arrived off ,charleston ,harbor4 8,it was when ,i was tossing upon the sea10 said ,mr4 ,beecher1 8off the harbor of ,charleston1 that we were spoken1 and the tidings were communicated to us from another ship1 #8,lee has surrendered6' ,and the wild outcry1 the strange caprices and exultations of that moment1 they never will forget who were present4 ,we were far off from the scene of war2 we saw no signs nor tokens2 it was as if the heaven had imparted it to us2 but oh6 what gladness1 what ecstasy there was in that news no man can know but those who have suffered as we had suffered40 ,of his speech at the raising of the flag we can only quote a few brief extracts3 8,on this solemn and joyful day we again lift to the breeze our fathers' flag1 now again the banner of the ,united ,states1 with the fervent prayer that ,god will crown it with honor1 protect it from treason1 and send it down to our children with all the blessings of civilization1 liberty1 and religion4 ,terrible in battle1 may it be beneficent in peace6 ,happily no bird or beast of prey has been inscribed upon it4 ,the stars that redeem the night from darkness1 and the beams of red light that beautify the morning1 have been united upon its folds4 ,as long as the sun or the stars endure may it wave over a nation neither enslaved1 nor enslaving4 ,once1 and but once1 has treason dishonored it4 ,in that insane hour1 when the guiltiest and bloodiest rebellion of time hurled its fires upon this fort1 you1 sir turning to ,general ,anderson1 and a small heroic band1 stood within these now crumbled walls1 and did gallant and just battle for the honor and defence of the nation's banner4444 8,after a vain resistance1 with trembling hand and sad heart you withdrew the banner from its height1 closed its wings1 and bore it far away to sleep amid the tumults of rebellion and the thunder of battle4444 8,to-day you are returned again4 ,the heavens over you are the same2 the same shores are here2 morning and evening come as they did4 ,all else how changed6 ,what grim batteries crowd the burdened shores6 ,what scenes have filled this air and disturbed these waters6 ,these shattered heaps of shapeless stone are all that is left of ,fort ,sumter4 ,desolation broods in yonder sad city2 solemn retribution hath avenged our dishonored banner4 ,you1 who departed hence four years ago1 leaving the air sultry with fanaticism1 have come back with honor4 ,the surging crowds that rolled up their frenzied shouts1 as the flag came down1 are dead1 or scattered1 or silent1 and their habitations are desolate4 ,ruin sits in the cradle of treason4 ,rebellion has perished4 ,but there flies the same flag that was insulted4 ,with starry eyes it looks all over this bay for that banner that supplanted it1 and sees it not4 ,you that then1 for the day1 were humbled1 are here again1 to triumph once and for ever4 ,in the storm of that assault this glorious ensign was often struck2 but1 memorable fact1 not one of its stars was torn out by shot or shell4 ,it was a prophecy4 ,it said1 #8,not one ,state shall be struck from this nation by treason4' ,the fulfilment is at hand4 ,lifted to the air to-day1 it proclaims that1 after four years of war1 #8not a ,state is blotted out6'444 8,wherefore have we come hither1 pilgrims from distant places8 ,are we come to exult that ,northern hands are stronger than ,southern8 ,no2 but to rejoice that the hands of those who defend a just and beneficent government are mightier than the hands that assaulted it6 ,do we exult over fallen cities8 ,we exult that a nation has not fallen4 ,we sorrow with the sorrowful4 ,we sympathize with the desolate4 ,we look upon this shattered fort and yonder dilapidated city1 with sad eyes1 grieved that men should have committed such treason1 and glad that ,god hath set such a mark upon treason that all ages shall dread and abhor it4 8,we exult1 not for a passion gratified1 but for a sentiment victorious2 not for temper1 but for conscience2 not1 as we devoutly believe1 that our will is done1 but that ,god's will hath been done6 ,we should be unworthy of that liberty entrusted to our care if1 on such a day as this1 we sullied our hearts by feelings of aimless vengeance2 and equally unworthy if we did not devoutly thank ,him who hath said1 #8,vengeance is mine1 ,i will repay1 saith the ,lord1' that ,he hath set a mark upon arrogant ,rebellion1 ineffaceable while time lasts6444 8,that long night is ended6 ,and for this returning day we have come from afar1 to rejoice and give thanks4 ,no more war4 ,no more accursed secession6 ,no more slavery1 that spawned them both6 8,let no man misread the meaning of this unfolding flag6 ,it says1 #8,government hath returned hither4' ,it proclaims1 in the name of vindicated government1 peace and protection to loyalty1 humiliation and pains to traitors4 ,this is the flag of sovereignty4 ,the nation1 not the ,states1 is sovereign4 ,restored to authority1 this flag commands1 not supplicates4 8,there may be pardon1 but no concession4 ,there may be amnesty and oblivion1 but no honeyed compromises4 ,the nation to-day has peace for the peaceful1 and war for the turbulent4 ,the only condition of submission1 is1 to submit6 ,there is the ,constitution1 there are the laws1 there is the government4 ,they rise up like mountains of strength that shall not be moved4 ,they are the conditions of peace4 0,one nation1 under one government1 without slavery1 has been ordained and shall stand4 ,there can be peace on no other basis4 ,on this basis reconstruction is easy1 and needs neither architect nor engineer4 ,without this basis no engineer or architect shall ever reconstruct these rebellious ,states4444 8,i charge the whole guilt of this war upon the ambitious1 educated1 plotting political leaders of the ,south4 ,they have shed this ocean of blood4 ,they have desolated the ,south4 ,they have poured poverty through all her towns and cities4 ,they have bewildered the imagination of the people with phantasms1 and led them to believe that they were fighting for their homes and liberty1 whose homes were unthreatened1 and whose liberty was in no jeopardy4444 0,but for the people misled1 for the multitudes drafted and driven into this civil war1 let not a trace of animosity remain4 ,the moment their willing hand drops the musket and they return to their allegiance1 then stretch out your own honest right hand to greet them4 ,recall to them the old days of kindness4 ,our hearts wait for their redemption4 ,all the resources of a renovated nation shall be applied to rebuild their prosperity and smooth down the furrows of war40 ,after the ceremonies of the #adth ,mr4 ,beecher and his party spent two days in visiting the various historic points in the city and harbor of ,charleston1 then went to ,hilton ,head1 where the steamer ,sua ,nada was placed at his disposal by the government4 ,from ,hilton ,head ,mr4 ,beecher and his party went on an excursion visit to ,beaufort4 ,the day1 which opened so bright and beautiful1 was to close in the gloom which overshadowed the nation4 ,the near points of interest about ,beaufort had all been seen1 and the party1 full of the joyous brightness of the day1 were sauntering back to the boat which was to take them to ,hilton ,head1 when a telegram was handed to ,senator ,wilson that drove the smile from every lip4 ,lincoln had fallen1 struck down by an assassin6 ,dazed and bewildered1 for a few moments all stood silent2 then ,mr4 ,beecher exclaimed1 8,it's time all good men were at home10 and in mournful silence they hastened back to ,hilton ,head4 ,the ,sua ,nada was ordered to get under weigh at once4 ,in sadness and gloom the party1 that but a few days before had left ,new ,york with hearts filled with joy and thankfulness1 now hastened back through dreary rain-storms--nature's sympathetic mourning4 ,we can best describe that awful sorrow by quoting from ,mr4 ,beecher's sermon preached in memory of the martyr3 8,never did two such orbs of experience meet in one hemisphere as the joy and the sorrow of the same week in this land4 ,the joy was as sudden as if no man had expected it1 and as entrancing as if it had fallen a sphere from heaven4 ,it rose up over sobriety1 and swept business from its moorings1 and ran down through the land in irresistible course4 ,men embraced each other in brotherhood that were strangers in the flesh4 ,they sang1 or prayed1 or1 deeper yet1 many could only think thanksgiving and weep gladness4 ,that peace was sure2 that government was firmer than ever2 that the land was cleansed of plague2 that the ages were opening to our footsteps1 and we were to begin a march of blessings2 that blood was stanched1 and scowling enmities were sinking like storms beneath the horizon2 that the dear fatherland1 nothing lost1 much gained1 was to rise up in unexampled honor among the nations of the earth--these thoughts1 and that undistinguishable throng of fancies1 and hopes1 and desires1 and yearnings that filled the soul with tremblings like the heated air of midsummer days1 all these kindled up such a surge of joy as no words may describe4 8,in one hour joy lay without a pulse1 without a gleam or breath4 ,a sorrow came that swept through the land as huge storms sweep through the forest and field1 rolling thunder along the sky1 dishevelling the flowers1 daunting every singer in thicket or forest1 and pouring blackness and darkness across the land and up the mountains4 ,did ever so many hearts1 in so brief a time1 touch two such boundless feelings8 ,it was the uttermost of joy3 it was the uttermost of sorrow--noon and midnight1 without a space between4 8,the blow brought not a sharp pang4 ,it was so terrible that at first it stunned sensibility4 ,citizens were like men awakened at midnight by an earthquake1 and bewildered to find everything that they were accustomed to trust wavering and falling4 ,the very earth was no longer solid4 ,the first feeling was the least4 ,men waited to get straight to feel4 ,they wandered in the streets as if groping after some impending dread1 or undeveloped sorrow1 or some one to tell them what ailed them4 ,they met each other as if each would ask the other1 #8,am ,i awake1 or do ,i dream8' ,there was a piteous helplessness4 ,strong men bowed down and wept4 ,other and common griefs belonged to some one in chief3 this belonged to all4 ,it was each and every man's4 ,every virtuous household in the land felt as if its first-born were gone4 ,men were bereaved1 and walked for days as if a corpse lay unburied in their dwellings4 ,there was nothing else to think of4 ,they could speak of nothing but that2 and yet of that they could speak only falteringly4 ,all business was laid aside4 ,pleasure forgot to smile4 ,the city for nearly a week ceased to roar4 ,the great ,leviathan lay down and was still4 ,even avarice stood still1 and greed was strangely moved to generous sympathy and universal sorrow4 ,rear to his name monuments1 found charitable institutions and write his name above their lintels2 but no monument will ever equal the universal1 spontaneous1 and sublime sorrow that in a moment swept down lines and parties1 and covered up animosities1 and in an hour brought a divided people into unity of grief and indivisible fellowship of anguish40 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,reconstruction--,mr4 ,beecher favors speedy ,readmission--,soldiers' and ,sailors' ,convention at ,cleveland--,the 8,cleveland ,letters0 cause great ,excitement4 ,with ,president ,lincoln's death the ,rebellion died4 ,a few fitful flames and a few smouldering coals here and there were all that was left of the great conflagration1 but the ,rebellion was broken and dead4 ,in its death-struggles it struck one wicked1 random blow1 and left the victors mourning in the very hour of victory--never was so great a victory so sad and joyless4 ,but the nation soon roused itself and turned to the solution of those new problems which confronted it4 ,through four harsh and bitter years1 years of suffering1 this peace-loving nation had been trained to war4 ,energetic fighting men had been pushed forward1 by the necessities of the times1 to the front1 and put in command of national affairs4 ,a vast army1 trained for fighting1 was at hand4 ,when suddenly the war was at an end1 and he who with patient wisdom had stood at the helm1 and guided the nation through such troubled seas1 was stricken down4 ,a new and untried man was1 by virtue of his office1 called to the head of the government4 ,armies were to be disbanded4 ,the credit of the nation was to be sustained1 and steps taken to meet the vast debt rolled up by the war4 ,the problem was changed3 instead of war was peace1 disarmament1 and reconstruction4 ,most serious of all was this question of reconstruction--what to do with the conquered ,states and conquered people4 ,having rebelled and led armies against the national government1 the leaders had been guilty of high treason4 ,what should be done to them8 ,should they be punished1 and1 if so1 how8 ,what should be done with the ,states8 ,it had been determined that they should not depart from the ,union4 ,they were not in1 and how should they be received back8 ,they had submitted1 offered anew their loyalty to the government of the ,nation1 and asked to be taken back again4 ,the passions of a four-years strife1 and such a strife1 were slow to subside2 boiling blood cools but slowly4 ,at first a strong feeling of resentment set in1 and it was earnestly proposed to hang out of hand the leading rebels4 ,then they proposed to hang ,jefferson ,davis as a symbol of defeated treason1 and so vicariously punish the ,south4 ,in time even that feeling passed away4 ,but on the question of reconstruction and readmission the feelings of the ,republican party leaders ran high4 ,president ,johnson1 himself a loyal ,southerner1 was strongly in favor of readmitting the ,southern ,states to a participation in the government 7upon such terms as might be just71 and receiving ,senators and ,congressmen from the readmitted ,states4 ,to this plan ,congress1 which was overwhelmingly ,republican1 was bitterly opposed1 and the result was the executive and legislative branches of the government divided one over against the other1 waging a fierce and disgraceful fight--disgraceful alike to each4 ,as in all other matters that affected the welfare of the government1 ,mr4 ,beecher was deeply interested in this1 and lost no opportunity to express his views from the pulpit and the platform4 ,he was strongly opposed to any vindictive course1 and when it was proposed to make an example of ,jeff ,davis he declared3 8,the war is itself the most terrific warning that could be set up1 and to attempt1 by erecting against this lurid background the petty figure of a gallows with a man dangling at it1 to heighten the effect1 would be like lighting tapers when ,god's lightnings are flashing across the heavens to add to the grandeur of the storm40 ,on the #bjth of ,february1 #ahff1 at the ,brooklyn ,academy of ,music1 in answer to ,wendell ,phillips's lecture entitled 8,the ,south ,victorious10 given a short time previous1 ,mr4 ,beecher delivered a speech which he called 8,the ,north ,victorious40 ,in this he took a pronounced stand on the question of reconstruction3 8,each day will develop the prosperity of the ,south moving upon the new basis1 and each day will make it plainer and plainer to them that nationality is necessary for their prosperity4 ,old aspirations must die4 ,the war passion must cease4 ,it is a new ,south we are talking about4 ,it has a new political economy4 ,it has a new future4 ,god has said by the side of the sepulchre1 #8,south1 come forth6' and the ,south has come1 though bound hand and foot4 ,methinks ,i hear the ,saviour say1 #8,loose her and let her go4' 8,on the other hand1 look for one moment at the effects of a prolonged exclusion of the ,southern ,states4 ,it is weaning the citizens of those ,states more and more from the national government4 ,for five years they have not thought of ,washington except to curse her4 ,they have not felt the need of it4 ,they have not felt any blood running through them that came from the national heart4 ,it is proposed to make them live five years more out of the ,union4 ,is that the way to make them love it8 ,is that the way to make them feel their need of the government8 8,the utmost evil in admitting them that can result will be that we shall be obliged to take a longer time to do some things which now we mean to do by legislation4 ,many of the things which we seek to accomplish by laws we shall be obliged to accomplish by moral means4 ,i have seen this anxiety to do everything by legislation1 legislation1 legislation1 waiting for it1 and ,i have seen the power of great moral causes4 ,although there is a wisdom in legislation which ,i would be far from invalidating1 the forms of wholesome legislation1 still ,i would balance that by the other consideration that it may take too long a time1 and we may rely too much upon legislation4 ,i rely upon reason and conscience4 ,churches are my congresses1 and school-houses are my legislators4 ,kindness1 equal1 reciprocal1 or identical interests--these are renovating influences2 and ,i would not wait too long for laws1 which at best are but as mills which must run by some external power4 ,what is a windmill without wind1 or a water-mill without a stream of water8 ,why put a mill upon the hill-top with a water-wheel1 or in a valley if made with a sail8 ,what are laws without public sentiment8 ,they are water-mills without water1 wind-mills without wind4 ,we must fall back upon moral force4 ,it may take a little more time1 but we shall do the work more thoroughly2 and ,i believe we shall yet see the day when1 throughout the ,south1 they will show an enthusiasm for liberty1 and schools1 and churches1 and colleges1 such as we have never seen even in the ,north2 when every man shall sit under his own vine and fig-tree1 blessed and blessing40 ,shortly after the assassination of ,president ,lincoln he said1 referring to its effect upon the ,south3 8,i know not how this may turn1 so far as the ,south is concerned2 ,i know not but that the cords will be drawn tighter than they would have been if ,mr4 ,lincoln had been spared2 yet ,i am not without hope that those men who have for four years learned almost nothing but to curse the name of our beloved and now martyred ,president1 with the beginning of better thoughts and feelings may1 by sorrow and by grief1 be led back again toward a national feeling4 ,the ,north has been unified by a sorrow of one kind2 and ,i would fain hope that ,god1 in ,his providence1 will make use of this great affliction to produce the beginnings of compunction and the return of national feeling throughout the ,south4 ,and so the death of ,mr4 ,lincoln may be blessed to them as well as to us4 8,but1 brethren1 my heart goes out toward my whole country4 ,i mourn for those outcast ,states4 ,the bitterness of their destruction2 the wrath that has come upon them2 their desolation--you know nothing of these4 ,the sublimest monument that has ever been reared in this world to testify ,god's abhorrence of cruelty and rebellion has its base as broad as fifteen ,states4 ,no pyramid was ever lifted up in such awful majesty as is the pyramidal overthrow of these fifteen ,states4 ,and ,i pray ,god that this last1 cruelest1 wickedest offspring of the ,rebellion may be an expiation through which they shall be redeemed4 ,christ1 when ,he died1 prayed for those that crucified ,him1 and instead of asking vengeance on them1 said3 #8,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4'0 ,just before going to ,fort ,sumter in ,april1 #ahfe1 he said from his pulpit3 8,i would be no man's servant to go to add additional sorrows to those that already press and weigh down the ,south4444 ,i go to say to them1 #8,sound government has come back2 beneficent government has come back2 the day has dawned2 and1 as brethren to brethren1 ,i come to bring you good tidings of great joy'0--a feeling that was more fully expressed in his speech at the fort4 ,shortly after ,johnson had been called to the presidential chair1 and before the open rupture with ,congress and his subsequent extravagant follies1 ,mr4 ,beecher wrote him3 8,the two points that have lain most at my heart are3 8#a4 ,that the government should not allow itself1 by any temptation1 to invade the true ,state rights4 ,the temptation is strong4 ,but the precedent established might by and by plunge us again into great trials1 and even conflicts4 8#b4 ,the other point is1 the necessity of securing for freedmen the kindness and good-will of ,southern white men4 ,their fate will largely depend upon their neighbors' dispositions toward them4 ,northern people nor the government can hold them up long if all the ,state populations around them are inimical4 8,in both these respects1 as in others1 ,i perceive that your sentiments are enlightened and statesmanlike4 8,may it please ,almighty ,god to endue you with health and strength to complete the work which you have so auspiciously begun60 ,by the autumn of #ahff there had grown up in the ,republican party quite a minority1 called 8,conservative ,republicans10 who were opposed to the policy of exclusion2 and an effort was made that fall to elect ,congressmen who would be in favor of admitting the ,southern ,states again under such terms and restrictions as might be deemed necessary4 ,this feeling was quite marked among the soldiers themselves1 who1 with the chivalry natural to bravery1 were opposed to humiliating a conquered enemy4 ,in ,september a ,national ,convention of ,soldiers and ,sailors was called to be held on the #agth in ,cleveland1 ,ohio1 to give expression to this feeling4 ,the preparatory committee sent to ,mr4 ,beecher an invitation to serve as chaplain to the convention1 saying in it3 8,your name has been selected by the ,executive ,committee from sincere admiration of your character1 and as the only tribute within their power to pay in acknowledgment of your noble devotion to the cause of the ,union1 and your earnest and unceasing efforts in behalf of our soldiers and sailors during the recent war4 8,the ,executive ,committee also find in your course since the termination of the struggle substantial harmony with the views to which they desire to give effect in the convention--your eloquence and the just weight of your name being employed to enforce upon the country a generous and magnanimous policy toward the people of the lately rebellious ,states1 and a prompt reconstruction of the ,union under the ,constitution as the best means of regaining the national tranquillity which the country so much needs1 and readjusting the rights of all sections1 under the new order of things1 on a basis of law1 order1 ,christian brotherhood1 and justice4 8,in the call for the convention1 which the undersigned have the honor to transmit herewith1 you will see fully set forth the motives which actuate the military and naval defenders of the ,union in their present unusual course of taking part in a political movement2 and it is our hope--as we have always looked to you in the darkest days of the war for inspiration1 aid1 and the cheering sympathy of a noble heart1 never failing to find them--that you will consent to invoke the ,divine ,blessing upon the ,convention of the ,soldiers and ,sailors of the ,united ,states who served during the late ,rebellion1 and who approve the restoration policy of ,president ,johnson and the principles announced by the recent national convention of ,philadelphia--the first convention since #ahfj in which all the ,states of our beloved ,union were represented40 ,as the convention was called for a time when he was prostrated by his annual 8hay cold10 he was obliged to decline1 but wrote to them what has since become famous as his first ,cleveland letter4 ,this invitation1 which seems so proper and natural to-day1 and the letter in reply recapitulating the views which1 as we have seen1 had been expressed again and again in public1 to the intense astonishment of ,mr4 ,beecher produced a perfect tornado1 and for a few days he was in the centre of a wild and furious whirlwind that threatened to destroy his influence in public affairs--then very great--and even to rend his church asunder4 ,it seems impossible1 as we look back twenty years1 to believe that such results could have followed such a cause4 ,it would seem1 as we follow the exposition of his views almost daily on this subject1 as though the public1 and certainly his friends1 would have become fully accustomed to them1 and would have recognized the object for which he strove2 and the sudden1 almost blind outburst of anger1 indignation1 and grief that followed the ,cleveland letter1 can only be explained on the theory that the course of ,president ,johnson had so exasperated the ,northern feelings1 that the people1 fairly beside themselves with anger1 indignation1 and suspicion1 could see nothing right in what he did or advised1 and would not permit any one to speak a kind word either for him or any of the views that he advocated4 ,eighteen years later1 looking back upon the accomplishment of that which he had so strenuously advocated1 and seeing men commending as wisdom that which they had then condemned as folly1 he recalls this incident in his life1 which1 like many others before and since1 awaked the mournful prophecies of timid friends4 ,from his ,thanksgiving sermon1 ,november #bg1 #ahhd1 we quote3 8,but one thing more was needed1 and that was to chase the scowl from the ,southern brow2 to revive the old friendship2 to clasp hands again in a vow of loving and patriotic zeal4 ,it was given to us last1 because it is the greatest of ,god's gifts4 ,there never has been such a scene since the earth was born2 there never has been such a rupture1 never such a conflict1 never such a victory1 never such a reconstruction1 never such restoration of integrity in business1 never such a reconciliation and gladness between good men on both sides1 as come to us to-day4 ,as yet the eyes of many are holden1 and they cannot see how great a blessing ,god has brought to our unbelieving eyes and timid hands4 ,from the bottom of my soul ,i believe in the honor and integrity of thoughtful ,southern men2 and when ,i get from them such letters as ,i do1 and hear from their lips such declarations as ,i hear1 that they feel at last that they are in and of the ,union1 as much as we1 and point to the flag1 declaring1 with tears1 #8,that is now my flag1' ,i believe it2 ,i should be faithless to ,god and to ,providence if ,i did not4 ,i believe it with an enthusiasm of faith1 and with a longing heart of love2 for ,i think they are above hypocrisy or insincerity1 and that1 if we choose1 the last cloud will rise from between us and then pass away for ever4 8,moses1 after forty years of toil1 was allowed to see the promised land from afar off only4 ,less worthy1 yet more blessed1 ,i am spared to go over with the rejoicing tribes into the land flowing with milk and honey4 ,what am ,i1 or my father's house1 that to me should be given the privilege of laboring in all this drama1 and seeing it end nobly thus8 ,the discipline is complete1 and to the end of time this great epic of liberty1 our struggle with slavery1 will shine like the sun4 8,not the least joyful element in this reconciliation is the assured safety and benefit which will accrue to the colored race4 ,that has come to pass which was their only safety4 ,just as soon as the ,southern statesmen accept the perfect restoration of themselves to the great body politic1 and find that there is no division1 as between ,northern men and ,southern men1 in any of the honors of government2 just as soon as they are in and a part of every administration--as1 thank ,god6 they will be--just so soon of necessity that will take place which has taken place everywhere1 in every community3 there will be the party of administration1 the #8ins1' and the party opposed to them1 the opposition1 the #8outs4' ,the moment you have these two parties1 each party has a sentinel watching it4 ,in the ,south that will take place which is the salvation of the colored race4 ,as long as they were a fringe upon a ,northern party the ,south was condensed and solidified against it4 ,as soon as they are divided at home between the administrational party and the opposition party1 they will be guarded and taken care of4 ,the administration party will not allow its voters to be injured2 the opposition party will not allow its voters to be injured4 ,they will be distributed as they should be1 and the strength of each party in the ,south will be the safeguard of the intermediate voters4 ,i regard this now1 with schools and academies and various seminaries spread among them1 as the final step of emancipation4 8,it is in these views that ,i have acted2 and in the calmest retrospect ,i now rejoice that ,i was able to act so4 8,the greatest mistake of my life has happened twice1 as ,i have been informed4 8,i was in #ahff invited to act as chaplain to the convention called at the city of ,cleveland1 ,ohio1 of the soldiers and sailors of our army and navy4 ,the object of that convention was to so shape our ,northern politics as to bring the ,southern ,states back immediately1 or as soon as possible2 and in that general tendency ,i sympathized4 8,the question of reconstruction of the seceding ,states was under discussion1 and feeling ran high1 not alone on account of the nature of the work to be done1 but also by reason of the disturbed relations between ,president ,johnson and ,congress4 8,president ,lincoln had been assassinated1 and ,johnson had assumed his place4 ,the statesmen whose vigor and courage had carried the country through the civil war were less adapted to the delicate task of restoring the discordant ,states to peace and unity than they had been to the sudden duties of war4 8,in a general way there were two parties3 one counselling a speedy readjustment1 and the other a longer probation4 8,president ,lincoln and ,governor ,andrew1 of ,massachusetts1 in the last conversations which ,i had with them1 inclined to the policy of immediate restoration2 and their views had great weight with me4 ,it was in the interest of such a policy that the ,cleveland convention was called4 8,my first letter was in reply to the invitation from the convention3 8#8,,peekskill1 ,n4 ,y41 ,august #cj1 #ahff4 8#8,,chas4 ,g4 ,,halpine1 ,brevet ,brig4-,gen42 ,h4 ,w4 ,,slocum1 ,major-,gen42 ,,gordon ,,granger1 ,major-,gen41 ,committee3 8#8,,gentlemen3 ,i am obliged to you for the invitation which you have made to me to act as chaplain to the ,convention of ,sailors and ,soldiers about to convene at ,cleveland4 ,i cannot attend it1 but ,i heartily wish it and all other conventions1 of what party soever1 success1 whose object is the restoration of all the ,states late in rebellion to their federal relations4 8#8,our theory of government has no place for a ,state except in the ,union4 ,it is justly taken for granted that the duties and responsibilities of a ,state in federal relations tend to its political health and to that of the whole nation4 ,even ,territories are hastily brought in1 often before the prescribed conditions are fulfilled1 as if it were dangerous to leave a community outside of the great body politic4 8#8,had the loyal senators and representatives of ,tennessee been admitted at once on the assembling of ,congress1 and1 in moderate succession1 ,arkansas1 ,georgia1 ,alabama1 ,north ,carolina1 and ,virginia1 the public mind of the ,south would have been far more healthy than it is1 and those ,states which lingered on probation to the last would have been under a more salutary influence to good conduct than if a dozen armies had watched over them4 8#8,every month that we delay this healthful step complicates the case4 ,the excluded population1 enough unsettled before1 grows more irritable2 the army becomes indispensable to local government and supersedes it2 the government at ,washington is called to interfere in one and another difficulty1 and this will be done inaptly1 and sometimes with great injustice2 for our government1 wisely adapted to its own proper functions1 is utterly devoid of those habits1 and unequipped with the instruments1 which fit a centralized government to exercise authority in remote ,states over local affairs4 ,every attempt to perform such duties has resulted in mistakes which have excited the nation4 ,but whatever imprudence there may be in the method1 the real criticism should be against the requisition of such duties of the general government4 8#8,the federal government is unfit to exercise minor police and local government1 and will inevitably blunder when it attempts it4 ,to keep a half-score of ,states under federal authority1 but without national ties and responsibilities2 to oblige the central authority to govern half of the territory of the ,union by federal civil officers and by the army1 is a policy not only uncongenial to our ideas and principles1 but pre-eminently dangerous to the spirit of our government4 ,however humane the ends sought and the motive1 it is1 in fact1 a course of instruction preparing our government to be despotic1 and familiarizing the people to a stretch of authority which can never be other than dangerous to liberty4 8#8,i am aware that good men are withheld from advocating the prompt and successive admission of the exiled ,states by the fear1 chiefly1 of its effect upon the freedmen4 8#8,it is said that1 if admitted to ,congress1 the ,southern senators and representatives will coalesce with ,northern ,democrats and rule the country4 ,is this nation1 then1 to remain dismembered to serve the ends of parties8 ,have we learned no wisdom by the history of the past ten years1 in which just this course of sacrificing the nation to the exigencies of parties plunged us into rebellion and war8 8#8,even admit that the power would pass into the hands of a party made up of ,southern men and the hitherto dishonored and misled ,democracy of the ,north1 that power could not be used just as they pleased4 ,the war has changed1 not alone institutions1 but ideas4 ,the whole country has advanced4 ,public sentiment is exalted far beyond what it has been at any former period4 ,a new party would1 like a river1 be obliged to seek out its channels in the already existing slopes and forms of the continent4444 8#8,i hear with wonder1 and shame1 and scorn the fear of a few that the ,south1 once more in adjustment with the federal government1 will rule this nation6 ,the ,north is rich1 never so rich2 the ,south is poor1 never before so poor4 ,the population of the ,north is nearly double that of the ,south4 ,the industry of the ,north1 in diversity1 in forwardness and productiveness1 in all the machinery and education required for manufacturing1 is half a century in advance of the ,south4 ,churches in the ,north crown every hill1 and schools swarm in every neighborhood2 while the ,south has but scattered lights1 at long distances1 like light-houses twinkling along the edge of a continent of darkness4 ,in the presence of such a contrast how mean and craven is the fear that the ,south will rule the policy of the land6 ,that it will have an influence1 that it will contribute1 in time1 most important influences or restraints1 we are glad to believe4 ,but if it rises at once to the control of the government it will be because the ,north1 demoralized by prosperity and besotted by grovelling interests1 refuses to discharge its share of political duty4 ,in such a case the ,south not only will control the government1 but ought to do it4 8#8,it is feared1 with more reason1 that the restoration of the ,south to her full independence will be detrimental to the freedmen4 ,the sooner we dismiss from our minds the idea that the freedmen can be classified and separated from the white population1 and nursed and defended by themselves1 the better it will be for them and us4 ,the negro is part and parcel of ,southern society4 ,he cannot be prosperous while it is unprospered4 ,its evils will rebound upon him4 ,its happiness and reinvigoration cannot be kept from his participation4 ,the restoration of the ,south to amicable relations with the ,north1 the reorganization of its industry1 the reinspiration of its enterprise and thrift1 will all redound to the freedman's benefit4 ,nothing is so dangerous to the freedman as an unsettled state of society in the ,south4 ,on him comes all the spite1 and anger1 and caprice1 and revenge4 ,he will be made the scapegoat of lawless and heartless men4 ,unless we turn the government into a vast military machine1 there cannot be armies enough to protect the freedmen while ,southern society remains insurrectionary4 ,if ,southern society is calmed1 settled1 and occupied1 and soothed with new hopes and prosperous industries1 no armies will be needed4 ,riots will subside1 lawless hangers-on will be driven off or better governed1 and a way will be gradually opened to the freedmen1 through education and industry1 to full citizenship with all its honors and duties4 8#8,civilization is a growth4 ,none can escape that forty years in the wilderness who travel from the ,egypt of ignorance to the promised land of civilization4 ,the freedmen must take their march4 ,i have full faith in the results4 ,if they have the stamina to undergo the hardships which every uncivilized people has undergone in its upward progress1 they will in due time take their place among us4 ,that place cannot be bought1 nor bequeathed1 nor gained by sleight of hand4 ,it will come to sobriety1 virtue1 industry1 and frugality4 ,as the nation cannot be sound until the ,south is prosperous1 so1 on the other extreme1 a healthy condition of civil society in the ,south is indispensable to the welfare of the freedmen4 8#8,refusing to admit loyal senators and representatives from the ,south to ,congress will not help the freedmen4 ,it will not secure for them the vote4 ,it will not protect them4 ,it will not secure any amendment of our ,constitution1 however just and wise4 ,it will only increase the dangers and complicate the difficulties4 ,whether we regard the whole nation or any section of it or class in it1 the first demand of our time is entire reunion6 8#8,once united1 we can1 by schools1 churches1 a free press1 and increasing free speech1 attack every evil and secure every good4 ,meanwhile1 the great chasm which rebellion has made is not filled up4 ,it grows deeper and stretches wider6 ,out of it rise dread spectres and threatening sounds4 ,let that gulf be closed1 and bury in it slavery1 sectional animosity1 and all strifes and hatreds6 8#8,it is fit that the brave men who1 on sea and land1 faced death to save this nation1 should now1 by their voice and vote1 consummate what their swords rendered possible4 8#8,for the sake of the freedmen1 for the sake of the ,south and its millions of our fellow-countrymen1 for our own sake1 and for the great cause of freedom and civilization1 ,i urge the immediate reunion of all the parts of this ,union which rebellion and war have shattered4 ,i am1 truly yours1 8#8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4'0 ,this letter was published by the convention in the hope that it would make an impression on the public mind4 ,it did4 ,their most sanguine expectations were more than realized in that respect4 ,but it was a step in advance of the prevailing public sentiment1 and1 like such steps1 was largely misunderstood or misrepresented4 ,the partisan ,republican press at once assailed ,mr4 ,beecher1 some bitterly1 some indignantly1 and some compassionately4 ,read hastily1 it was construed as a declaration against the ,republican party and in favor of ,president ,johnson1 who by this time had come in violent collision with ,congress and the general sentiment of the ,north4 ,the ,president's course was regarded as treacherous1 and a feeling of hatred was spreading through the ,north1 so intense that it was only necessary for him to advocate any measure to have it looked upon with suspicion and be bitterly opposed4 ,many of ,mr4 ,beecher's personal friends were alarmed and distressed1 fearing that he was giving aid and comfort to the enemy4 ,he was overwhelmed with letters full of fear--fear for the country1 fear for the ,republican party1 fear for him and his future usefulness4 ,some who had been among his intimate friends attacked him openly and fiercely in the public prints4 ,the ,independent1 whose editorship he had but recently resigned1 and to which he was still a regular contributor1 in its leading editorial1 from the pen of ,theodore ,tilton1 attacked him with intense and persistent bitterness4 ,writing shortly afterwards to a friend1 he said3 8,the rage and abuse of excited men ,i have too long been used to1 now to be surprised or daunted4444 ,i stood almost alone1 my church1 in my absence1 full of excitement2 all my ministerial brethren1 with a few honorable exceptions1 either aloof or in clamor against me2 well-nigh the whole religious press denouncing me1 and the political press furious40 ,on the other hand1 many thoughtful1 earnest men agreed with the letter and commended it most earnestly4 ,we quote from a letter received from ,dr4 ,stephen ,h4 ,tyng as a type of this class3 8,i have just read your admirable letter in the ,times of to-day4 ,my eyes are wet with tears of sympathy and thanksgiving4 ,you have expressed in terms and with beauty peculiar to yourself precisely what ,i have in my humble way thought and felt4444 ,the recognition and establishment of our ,union on the basis of undisputed loyalty to the national government1 unlimited liberty to the people1 universal fidelity in payment of our responsibility1 and generous reciprocation and acknowledgment of mutual kindness and confidence among all portions of our territory and all classes of our people1 is to me the one great immediate end for us to strive for4 ,i have not a doubt that all our interests and hopes1 social1 moral1 and economical1 are far safer in the union of our ,states and the complete acknowledgment of them all1 than they can be in its refusal--nay1 that they are safe in no other course4 ,i cannot justify the partisan and acrimonious action which resists and impedes this immediate union4444 ,the country has been much indebted to you for faithful and powerful defence1 but it has never had more occasion to honor you than for the letter which ,i have read this morning44440 ,the reply to ,dr4 ,tyng1 written some days before the second letter1 is valuable as showing how little his critics understood ,mr4 ,beecher's position1 and with what unreasonable and passion-blinded haste they jumped to the conclusion that he had abandoned the ,republican party1 become a ,johnson man1 ,copperhead1 etc43 8,,peekskill1 ,sept4 #f1 #ahff4 0,,my ,,dear ,,dr4 ,,tyng3 8,your kind letter surprised and delighted me1 and has been a great comfort withal4 ,you perhaps are aware by this time that my letter has been excessively distasteful to the great body of men with whom ,i have acted1 and to my own congregation4 ,nothing but a deep sense of public danger1 to which the eyes of our best men seem blind1 induced me to write it4 ,the sentiments contained in it ,i had1 in speeches and lectures1 openly declared in all the principal cities of the ,east during the whole winter and spring1 and ,i was therefore not a little surprised at the wonder and excitement with which they have now been received4 8,i attribute it to the sharp issue made by ,mr4 ,johnson and ,congress1 and to the exasperation of the public mind with the ,president1 especially his most unwise speeches made during his present tour4 ,i am far from being a ,johnson man4 ,i am an advocate of the principles of speedy readjustment1 without waiting for a greater but at present unattainable good4 ,i am1 however1 constrained to say that ,mr4 ,johnson just now and for some time past has been the greatest obstacle in the way of his own views4 ,the mere fact that he holds them is their condemnation with a public utterly exasperated with his rudeness and violence4 ,the ,,truth is1 however1 just as important as if it had a wiser advocate4 8,things may go so far that no choice will be left but between a ,copperhead ,johnson party and a radical ,republican1 and ,i cannot for a moment hesitate on which side ,i shall be1 or rather already am4 8,the moral sentiment of justice1 liberty1 and ,christian progress is with the ,republican side4 ,there are the men whom ,i most esteem1 and with whom ,i have always acted1 and for whom first and last ,i have wished success4 8,for that very reason ,i have desired and labored assiduously to secure to them more practical views than those at first peculiar to a few extreme men1 but which1 partly by the ,president's indiscretions1 partly by the inflammation of the public mind and the adroitness with which things have been managed by a few1 seem likely to become the enthusiastic belief of the whole community1 or of a large majority4 ,i must submit to things which ,i cannot control4 ,should things turn out better than my fears ,i shall be glad to find myself a false prophet4 ,but ,i confess that the cause of the freedmen1 which lies near my heart1 looks gloomy in the future4 ,with a very ,southern ,south and a very ,northern ,north ,i do not see but they will be ground to powder4 ,but ,god rules--that is my unfailing comfort4 ,his cause gains as well by disaster as by success4 ,good and evil both serve ,him44440 ,on the #gth of ,september ,mr4 ,beecher received a letter from ,dr4 ,r4 ,s4 ,storrs1 then an intimate friend1 which expressed the feelings of not a few of his friends4 ,in this he urged ,mr4 ,beecher to make a fuller and more explicit statement of his position1 and to show plainly that he was not in sympathy with ,johnson1 ,seward1 etc41 in their general attitude4 8,a vast number of people who have loved and honored you for years are really beginning to believe that you have gone over bodily2 of course all those who know you as ,i do1 know this to be an utter misapprehension of your position40 ,many of the members of ,plymouth ,church shared the common misapprehension1 while many saw plainly what ,mr4 ,beecher was seeking1 and sympathized with him4 ,as a consequence the church was deeply stirred and in commotion4 ,to quote again from ,mr4 ,beecher3 8,not many days after1 ,president ,johnson began that ill-favored journey1 known as #8swinging around the circle1' during the progress of which his temper1 attitude1 and injudicious speeches thoroughly alarmed the community4 8,it was believed that he was betraying the country1 and that all that had been gained by the war was about to be lost by the treachery of the ,president4 ,the public mind was greatly inflamed1 and my ,cleveland letter was received with violent protests4 ,many personal friends and members of ,plymouth ,church were greatly exercised4 8,there was a great pother made about that4 ,my own friends were very hot4 ,some dove into the newspapers1 some into letters4 ,they flew thick and fast all around about me4 ,neighboring ministers thought that ,i was unseated and disrupted for ever4 ,in the midst of it all ,i knew ,i was right1 and that if ,i had patience others would know that ,i was right4 ,and they did1 though they still talk about that greatest blunder of my life1 #8the ,cleveland letter4' ,i am going to send down that document to my children as one of the most glorious things that ,i ever did in my life4 ,but such was the excitement and clamor that ,i thought it wise to alleviate the fear and trouble of my people by giving a fuller view of the ground of my first letter and to confute the idea that ,i had abandoned the ,republican party1 so ,i wrote the second letter to a friend to read to the church1 assuming the same position1 but with explanatory reasoning40 ,this was the second so-called 8,cleveland ,letter03 ,we give a few extracts from this letter1 which was a very long one1 covering nearly the same ground as the first1 only giving his reasons more fully3 8,,peekskill1 ,saturday1 ,sept4 #h1 #ahff4 0,,my ,,dear ------3 8,i am obliged to you for your letter4 ,i am sorry that my friends and my congregation are grieved by my ,cleveland letter4 8,this feeling1 however1 has no just grounds1 whatever may be the seeming4 ,i have not left1 and do not propose to leave1 or to be put out of1 the ,republican party4 ,i am in sympathy with its aims1 its great principles1 and its army of noble men4 ,but ,i took the liberty of criticising its policy in a single respect1 and to do what ,i could to secure what ,i believed1 and still believe1 to be a better one4 8,i am1 and from the first have been1 fully of opinion that the amendment of the ,constitution proposed by ,congress1 equalizing representation in ,northern and ,southern ,states1 was intrinsically just and reasonable1 and that it should be sought by a wholesome and persistent moral agitation4 8,but1 from the present condition of the public mind and from the ,president's attitude1 ,i deemed such a change to be practically impossible1 in any near period1 by political action4 ,and a plan of reconstruction based upon that seems to me far more like a plan of adjourning reconstruction for years1 at least1 with all the liabilities of mischief which are always to be expected in the fluctuations of politics in a free nation4 8,it is not the ,north that chiefly needs the restoration of government to its normal sphere and regular action4 ,either the advantages of ,union are fallacious1 or the continuous exclusion of the ,south from it will breed disorder1 make the future reunion more difficult1 and especially subject the freedmen to the very worst conditions of society that can well exist4 ,no army1 no government1 and no earthly power can compel the ,south to treat four million men justly1 if the inhabitants 7whether rightly or wrongly7 regard these men as the cause1 or even the occasion1 of their unhappiness and disfranchisement4 ,but no army1 or government1 or power will be required when ,southern society is restored1 occupied1 and prospering in the renewed ,union4 ,then the negro will be felt to be a necessity to ,southern industry1 and interest will join with conscience and kindness in securing for him favorable treatment from his fellow-citizens4444 8,neither am ,i a #8,johnson man' in any received meaning of that term4 ,i accept that part of the policy which he favors1 but with modification4 ,i have never thought that it would be wise to bring back all the ,states in a body1 and at once1 any more than it would be to keep them all out together4 ,one by one1 in due succession1 under a special judgment rather than by a wholesale theoretic rule1 ,i would have them readmitted4 ,i still think a middle course between the ,president's and that of ,congress would be wiser than either4 ,but with this my agreement with the ,president ends4 8,and now allow me to express some surprise at the turn which the public mind has taken on my letter4 ,if ,i had never before spoken my sentiments1 ,i could see how friends might now misapprehend my position4 ,but for a year past ,i have been advocating the very principles of the ,cleveland letter in all the chief ,eastern cities--in ,boston1 ,portland1 ,springfield1 ,albany1 ,utica1 ,rochester1 ,buffalo1 ,philadelphia1 ,harrisburg1 ,pittsburgh1 and ,brooklyn 7at the ,academy of ,music last winter74 ,these views were reported1 discussed1 agreed to or differed from1 praised and blamed abundantly4 ,but no one thought1 or at least said1 that ,i remember1 that ,i had forsaken the ,republican party or had turned my back upon the freedman4 ,my recent letter but condenses those views which for twelve months ,i have been earnestly engaged in urging upon the attention of the community4 ,i am not surprised that men dissent4 ,but this sudden consternation and this late discovery of the nature of my opinions seem sufficiently surprising4 ,i could not ask a better service than the reprinting of that sermon of last ,october1 which first brought upon me the criticisms of the ,tribune and ,independent4 8,i foresaw that1 in the probable condition of parties and the country1 we could not carry suffrage for the freedman by immediate political action4 ,when the ablest and most radical ,congress of our history came together they refused to give suffrage to negroes1 even in the ,district of ,columbia2 and only in an indirect way1 not as a political right but as the hoped-for result of political selfishness1 did they provide for it by an amendment of the ,constitution4 ,what was prophecy with me1 ,congress has made history4 ,relinquishing political instruments for gaining the full enfranchisement of men1 ,i instantly turned to moral means2 and enunciating the broadest doctrine of manhood suffrage1 ,i gave the widest latitude to that1 advocating the rights of black and white1 of men and women1 to the vote4 ,if any man has labored more openly1 on a broader principle1 and with more assiduity1 ,i do not know him4 ,more ability may have been shown1 but not more directness of purpose or undeviating consistency4444 8,deeming the speedy admission of the ,southern ,states as necessary to their own health1 as indirectly the best policy for the freedmen1 as peculiarly needful to the safety of our government1 which1 for the sake of accomplishing a good end1 incautious men are in danger of perverting1 ,i favored1 and do still favor1 the election to ,congress of ,republicans who will seek the early admission of the recusant ,states4 ,having urged it for a year past1 ,i was more than ready to urge it again upon the representatives to ,congress this fall4 ,in this spirit and for this end ,i drew up my ,cleveland letter4 ,i deem its views sound2 ,i am not sorry that ,i wrote it4 ,i regret the misapprehension which it has caused1 and yet more any sorrow which it may have needlessly imposed upon dear friends4 ,as ,i look back upon my course1 ,i see no deviation from the straight line which ,i have made1 without wavering1 for now thirty years in public life1 in favor of justice1 liberty1 and the elevation of the poor and ignorant4 8,the attempt to class me with men whose course ,i have opposed all my life long will utterly fail4 ,i shall choose my own place1 and shall not be moved from it4 ,i have been from my youth a firm1 unwavering1 avowed1 and active friend of all that were oppressed4 ,i have done nothing to forfeit that good name which ,i have earned4 ,i am not going weakly to turn away from my settled convictions of the public weal for fear that bad men may praise me or good men blame4 ,there is a serious difference of judgment between men as to the best policy4 ,we must all remit to the future the decision of the question4 ,facts will soon judge us4 8,i feel now profoundly how imperfect my services have been to my country1 compared with its desert of noble services4 ,but ,i am conscious that ,i have given all that ,i had to give1 without fear or favor4 ,above all earthly things is my country dear to me4 ,the lips that taught me to say #8,our ,father' taught me to say #8,fatherland4' ,i have aimed to conceive of that land in the light of ,christianity4 ,god is my witness that with singleness of heart ,i have given all my time1 strength1 and service to that which shall make our whole nation truly prosperous and glorious4 ,not by the lustre of arms1 even in a just cause1 would ,i seek her glory1 but by a civilization that should carry its blessings down to the lowest classes1 and nourish the very roots of society by her moral power and purity1 by her public conscience1 her political justice1 and by her intelligent homes1 filling up a continent and rearing a virtuous and noble citizenship4 8,by night and by day this is the vision and dream of my life1 and inspires me as no personal ambition ever could4 ,i am not discouraged at the failure to do the good ,i meant1 at the misapprehension of my course by my church1 nor the severity of former friends4 ,just now those angry voices come to me as rude winds roar through the trees4 ,the winds will die1 the trees will live4 ,as soon as my health is again restored ,i shall go right on in the very course ,i have hitherto pursued4 ,who will follow or accompany it is for others to decide4 ,i shall labor for the education of the whole people2 for the enfranchisement of men without regard to class1 caste1 or color2 for full development1 among all nations1 of the liberty wherewith ,christ makes men free4 ,in doing this ,i will cheerfully work with others1 with parties--any and all men that seek the same glorious ends4 ,but ,i will not become a partisan4 ,i will reserve my right to differ and dissent1 and respect the same right in others4 ,seeking others' full manhood and true personal liberty1 ,i do not mean to forfeit my own4 8,better days are coming4 ,these throes of our day are labor-pains4 ,god will bring forth ere long great blessings4 ,in some moments which it pleases ,god to give me ,i think ,i discern beyond the present troubles1 and over the other side of the abyss in which the nation wallows1 that fair form of ,liberty--,god's dear child--whose whole beauty was never yet disclosed4 ,i know her solemn face4 ,that she is divine ,i know by her purity1 by her sceptre of justice1 and by that atmosphere of ,love that1 issuing from her1 as light from a star1 moves with her as a royal atmosphere4 ,in this1 too1 ,i know her divinity1 that she shall bless both friends and enemies1 and yield the fullest fruition of liberty to those who would have slain her1 as once her ,master gave ,his life for the salvation of those who slew ,him4 8,i am1 your true friend and pastor1 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher40 ,at the conclusion of his ,thanksgiving sermon from which we have already quoted1 after reviewing these letters1 he summed up the subject3 8,my dear friends1 if ,i had written that for to-day ,i could not have written it better1 and ,i do not think it needs to be written any better4 ,i stand on that1 and ,i have read it this morning not only because inspired by the parallelism1 but because it has been represented that my ,cleveland letter was the greatest blunder of the day2 and then1 worse than that1 that ,i backed down from it and retracted it4 ,and ,i have read1 therefore1 both of them1 in parts1 so far as bears more immediately on questions of to-day1 that you may know that ,god gave me the light to do one of the best things ,i ever did when ,i wrote that letter2 and that ,he gave me the grace to stand on it without turning back for one single moment2 and that ,he has given me grace to lay my path1 by sight1 along those two letters--hindsight and foresight--from that day down to this2 and that ,he has given me grace to withstand the impleadings of those that ,i love dearly1 not only of my immediate household but of my blood and kindred2 of those that are in the church1 that are to me as my own life1 and those that are of the political party with which ,i have labored thus far4 8,still seeing that luminous light1 as ,god reveals it to me1 ,i have walked in it and toward it1 and abide in that same direction to-day2 and1 ,god helping me1 so will ,i live to the end40 ,to most of his friends the second letter gave great relief4 ,the excitement in the church was quickly allayed1 and1 as it abated1 the calm second-sight of his people began to see more and more in the letters in which they could agree4 ,after the second letter ,dr4 ,storrs wrote again3 8,,brooklyn1 ,sept4 #aj1 #ahff4 0,,dear ,,beecher3 8,your letter is admirable in all respects1 and must make precisely the right impression of your position and views on every one who reads it4 ,now let the winds #8crack their cheeks4' ,all my solicitude is over1 and ,andy ,j4 and ,seward fully deserve what things they are going to get4 8,most affectionately1 8,r4 ,s4 ,,storrs1 ,,jr40 ,in letters to prominent public men and journalists ,mr4 ,beecher urged that the conservative ,republicans should express themselves plainly and clearly for the speedy reunion of the loyal ,southern ,states and restoration of a more kindly feeling1 but that this should be done1 not in opposition to the ,republican party1 but within it4 ,he was emphatic that the work of reconstruction could not then be safely left to the ,democratic party4 ,as soon as the public began to understand1 what one would think had been plainly apparent at the start1 that it was not1 and had not been1 his intention to leave the ,republican party1 but to urge the party to take up speedy reconstruction as its line of policy1 and that he was laboring to create a sentiment within the party in its favor1 the general excitement began to abate1 and soon the bitterness1 except with a few extremists1 passed away4 ,a few sparks which took their heat from this fierce excitement remained1 however1 smouldering unnoticed and unsuspected1 to aid1 a few years later1 in creating the most terrible and fiery ordeal that ever a good man was called to undergo1 since the time of ,him who came on earth to give ,himself a voluntary sacrifice1 that through ,his death the world might live2 whose tender kindness1 patient forgiveness1 and generous self-sacrifice were made the guide and rule of life1 so far as human nature could1 by him whose life we seek to portray4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,the 8,silver ,wedding0 of ,plymouth ,church--,children's ,day--,services in the ,church--,reunion of old ,members--,historical ,reminiscences--,dr4 ,storrs's ,tribute4 ,as in nature violent storms are often succeeded by peaceful calms1 and as the sun shines brightest and the air seems clearest and most purified after the thunder-storm has broken and passed away1 so in ,mr4 ,beecher's life we find that the stormy trials that beset him1 at different periods1 were followed by calms1 in which the sun of popular favor shone the brightest2 by periods of peace1 during which he seemed endowed with increased power for useful work4 ,it was his lot to be generally a few years ahead of the times1 but it was his good fortune to live to see his views accepted1 and to find his hottest critics standing on the very ground1 that they had so fiercely assailed him for occupying1 but just a short time before4 ,so1 for some years after #ahff1 we find him working with increased power and usefulness in his church1 from the lecture platform1 and through the columns of the press4 ,his church had never been more prosperous1 his people never more active in all departments of good work2 never had he had so wide a field in which to labor4 ,his sermons1 which at first had only been printed in certain papers1 were now issued in book-form1 and were read wherever the ,english tongue prevailed4 ,from his pulpit went forth words of cheer1 of hope and love1 that lifted up weary hearts1 that infused new life in desponding souls1 that shed a new light in upon spirits that had lived in the darkness of sin1 throughout the civilized globe4 ,his sermons were translated into ,german1 ,french1 ,spanish1 and ,italian4 ,no four walls1 no ,state boundaries1 nor the limits of any one nation1 held his congregation4 ,in this period he undertook1 in addition to his ordinary duties and labors1 the principal literary work of his life1 writing 8,norwood10 completing the first volume of 8,the ,life of ,christ10 organizing and carrying on the ,christian ,union as its editor-in-chief4 ,though the shadows of the coming trouble began1 during the later part of this period1 to fall across his path1 at times darkening and oppressing his inner life1 yet to the world1 to the church1 and to his friends it seemed as if a lasting season of peace and prosperity had settled down upon ,plymouth ,church1 and its pastor1 promising many years of uninterrupted and blessed usefulness4 ,october #aj1 #ahgb1 completed the full quarter-century of ,mr4 ,beecher's pastorate at ,plymouth ,church4 ,his people determined to celebrate in fitting manner this 8,silver ,wedding10 as it was called4 ,it was decided to devote the week in which the anniversary occurred to the celebration of this jubilee4 ,in the minds of his people there might well have been some little feeling of pride and triumphant jubilation4 ,they had seen ,plymouth1 from the little handful1 twenty-one in all1 whose organization had awakened prophecies of a speedy death1 grow to the great church of over twenty-seven hundred1 with its three large ,sunday-schools--,plymouth1 ,bethel1 and ,mayflower--the nurseries of the church1 where nearly three thousand scholars gathered every ,sunday to learn the way of life4 ,they had seen its influence extended throughout the entire nation1 throughout the civilized globe1 a power for good4 ,they had seen churches by the score spring from its loins1 and not a few had they seen1 in periods of weakness when liable to fail1 kept alive1 nourished1 and sustained by its strong hand until strong enough to stand alone4 ,its history formed a part of the nation's history in the dark days of slavery1 in the struggle for national existence1 and the exciting period of reconstruction1 as has been well said3 8,for the better part of a generation ,plymouth ,church1 under the influence of ,mr4 ,beecher1 has been a conspicuous light among the churches of the land4 ,it has been the birthplace of countless good works which have blessed the whole community4 ,it has been the nursery of noble impulses1 of free thought1 of patriotism1 of generous and inspiriting actions4 ,its pupils have gone out into all parts of the country1 carrying its fresh spirit with them1 to infect other communities4 ,its influence is felt from ,maine to the ,pacific1 and its memory is to-day affectionately cherished by thousands who were never within its walls and never saw its preacher40 ,but in ,mr4 ,beecher's heart1 while not forgetful of the glorious record of his church1 the predominating feeling was one of profound gratitude to ,god4 ,in his ,friday night prayer-meeting preceding the jubilee he expressed his feelings to his people3 8,if ,i thought next week was to be a kind of historical glorification of this church2 still worse1 if ,i thought it was to be a sort of personal glorification1 ,i should shrink from it with more than dislike--with positive loathing4 ,it has pleased ,god to recognize the instrumentality of this church in the work it has done for the last quarter of a century2 but1 after all1 the reason of its success1 the absolute cause of its moral power1 has been the presence of ,god1 and the preaching of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 here during the last quarter of a century2 and if we have a celebration1 it ought to be a celebration of what the ,lord has done among us4 ,the feeling ought to be that of gratitude1 and of the most profound recognition of the goodness and mercy and loving-kindness of our ,lord and ,saviour1 who has walked in our households and in the midst of this artificial ,christian family1 and has not ceased to do us good1 for the past twenty five years4 8,so1 that all the services of the week may be infused with a more reverent and loving sense of the ,lord's mercy to us1 ,i hope you will give yourselves to prayer in your closets and in your homes4 ,may it be a week1 not for the laudation of men or of churches1 but for a grateful recognition of ,god's way with us1 and of that dear name which should be dearer to us every day that we live1 until we shall see ,him in ,his glory for ever40 ,monday1 ,october #gth1 was the first day of the jubilee4 ,this was 8,children's day10 the exercises being devoted principally to the ,sunday-schools4 ,in the afternoon the three schools united in one column and marched past ,mr4 ,beecher's house2 as they filed by1 the schools gave their pastor1 as he stood upon his doorstep1 a marching salute4 ,each child as it passed cast a flower at his feet1 until he stood literally embanked in flowers4 ,the day was wondrously beautiful1 sunny1 clear1 and crisp--as though glorious ,october1 nature's painter1 catching the prevailing enthusiasm1 was consciously contributing its share to make the occasion a success4 ,mr4 ,beecher was deeply touched4 8,we gave ,monday to the children--and a beautiful day it was--and a sight brighter than which ,i shall not see until ,i look in the ,new ,jerusalem1 and see all the children who have left us for that better land40 ,tuesday1 as 8,teachers' day10 was devoted to a reunion of the teachers and officers then serving or who had done duty in either of the three ,sunday-schools4 ,wednesday1 as 8,members' day10 was like a great family reunion3 it was the home day4 ,the church auditorium1 the lecture-room and ,sunday-school rooms1 decorated with flowers1 were thrown open to the members4 ,we quote a description of the decorations3 8,what with the warbling of sweet-voiced birds1 the profusion of leafy and floral decorations artistically arranged1 the many beautiful paintings1 the liquid1 melodious strains from a band of musicians with stringed instruments stationed in the gallery1 the picturesque though sober dresses of the lady-promenaders1 but1 above all1 the vocal sound of animated1 sparkling conversation1 a kaleidoscopic picture was presented which awakened and gratified all the senses1 and which1 however1 could only be appreciated by an eye-witness40 ,the exercises were eminently social1 a part of the evening being devoted to humorous reminiscences1 by the older members1 of the 8early days40 ,music and a lunch helped to increase the general enjoyment4 ,thursday1 8,historical day10 was1 more perhaps than any other1 a public day4 ,as the name indicates1 it was devoted to a review of the church1 its growth in size1 in works1 and its ever-extending influence for good4 ,from ,mr4 ,beecher's speech we give only the opening and closing paragraphs1 which briefly review the beginning of his pastorate in ,plymouth ,church1 his purpose in his work1 and its continuance to that time3 8,at my first coming ,i had no plans2 ,i had marked out no future2 ,i had no theories to establish1 no system to found1 no doctrines to demolish1 no oppugnation of any kind4 ,i remember distinctly that over and over again ,i held account with myself2 and ,i came into this field simply and only to work for the awakening of men1 for their conversion to ,christ1 and for their upbuilding in a ,christian life4 ,i had almost a species of indifference as to means and measures4 ,i cared little1 and perhaps too little1 whether ,i had or had not a church-building4 ,i thought of one thing--the love of ,christ to men4 ,this1 to me1 was a burning reality4 ,less clearly than now1 perhaps1 did ,i discern the whole circuit and orb of the nature of ,christ2 but with a burning intensity ,i realized the love of ,god in ,jesus ,christ4 ,i believed it to be the one transcendent influence in this world by which men should be roused to a higher manhood1 and should be translated into another and better kingdom4 ,my purpose was to preach ,christ to men for the sake of bringing them to a higher life4 ,and though ,i preferred the polity and economy of the ,congregational ,church1 yet ,i also felt that ,god was in all the other churches1 and that it was no part of my ministry to build up sectarian walls2 that it was no part of my ministry to bombard and pull down sectarian structures2 but that the work of my ministry was to find the way to the hearts of men1 and to labor with them for their awakening1 and conversion1 and sanctification4 8,i have said that ,i had no theory2 but ,i had a very strong impression on my mind that the first five years in the life of a church would determine the history of that church and give to it its position and genius2 that if the earliest years of a church were controversial or barren it would take scores of years to right it1 but that if a church were consecrated1 and active1 and energetic during the first five years of its life1 it would probably go on through generations developing the same features4 ,my supreme anxiety1 therefore1 in gathering a church1 was to have all of its members united in a fervent1 loving disposition2 to have them all in sympathy with men2 and to have all of them desirous of bringing to bear the glorious truths of the ,gospel upon the hearts and consciences of those about them44440 8,i bless ,god when ,i look back4 ,i have lived my life1 and no man can take it from me4 ,the mistakes that ,i have made--and they are many--none know so well as ,i4 ,my incapacity and insufficiency none can feel so profoundly as ,i4444 ,and yet ,i have this witness3 that for twenty-five years ,i have not withheld my strength1 and have labored in simplicity and with sincerity of motive for the honor of my ,god1 and for the love that ,i bear to you1 and for the ineradicable love that ,i have for my country and for the world4 8,my time is drawing near2 but if ,i should fall to-morrow1 ,i have lived4 ,i have seen this land rise up from its drunkenness and its shame4 ,i have seen the original principles of liberty1 which had well-nigh been buried1 come like ,lazarus forth from the grave4 ,what if1 for the first few steps of the new life--bound hand and foot in grave-clothes1 and with a napkin about his head1 staggering somewhat--it knew not how to find the rightful path8 ,our country is free2 and it has pleased ,god to give you and me some part in the work of enfranchisement and the settlement of this land on the old foundation of truth and justice and universal liberty4 8,i have lived through a quarter of a century1 and had a free platform2 and you have sustained me in speaking just what ,i thought to be true4 ,you have never servilely believed anything because ,i said it2 for you have maintained opinions different from mine from the beginning to the end4444 8,i am admonished that the best of my years are past and that my sun will soon go down4 ,let it go down to-day1 to-morrow1 whenever it may please ,god4 ,i will not ask for the lengthening out of one single day4 ,i have lived a happy life4 ,i have been a happy pastor4 ,i have loved you and been beloved by you4 ,i have seen your children come up and walk in the ways of life4 ,i have gone down with hundreds to see the framework laid in the dust1 believing that the spirit was above4 ,we have come down together1 without a quarrel1 without a break1 and without a shaking of confidence1 to this blessed hour4 ,and now1 in these closing words which ,i address to you and to all who are present1 join with me1 not in self-gratulation1 nor in the interchange of compliments1 but in thanksgiving to ,christ that has loved us1 to the ,spirit of ,god that has inspired us1 and to the dear ,father that has kept us together in the one household of faith1 beloved and loving1 thus far40 ,twenty-five years before ,dr4 ,storrs gave the right hand of fellowship to ,mr4 ,beecher at his installation1 then to encourage him to future labor4 ,again he gives him the hand of fellowship1 but now1 in words tender and eloquent1 to dwell on the work done1 to congratulate him on the rich and abundant harvest he had garnered1 and to testify his brotherly love and admiration4 ,the scene was a solemnly touching one1 as ,dr4 ,storrs1 in the words we quote1 closed his glowing tribute to the man who1 for twenty-five years1 had stood by his side laboring for a common cause1 and who had loved him as a brother3 8,at any rate1 we have stood side by side in all these years2 and they have been wonderful and eventful years4 8#8,our eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the ,lord1 ,when ,he loosed the fateful lightnings of ,his terrible swift sword1 ,and ,his truth went marching on6' 8,we have differed many times1 but two men so unlike never stood side by side with each other1 for so long a time1 in more perfect harmony1 without a jealousy or a jar6 ,though we have differed in opinion1 we have never differed in feeling4 ,we have walked to the graves of friends in company4 ,we have sat at the table of the ,lord in company4 ,he knows1 as he has said1 that when other voices were loud and fierce in hostility to him mine never joined them4 ,when other pens wrote his name1 dropping gall and venom as they wrote it1 my pen never touched the paper except in honor and admiration of him4 ,and ,i know that whenever ,i have wanted counsel or courage given me from others1 he has always been ready1 from the overflowing surplus of his surcharged mind1 to give them to me4 8,so we have stood side by side--blessed be ,god6--in no spirit but of fraternal love1 for that long space of twenty-five years which began with the ,right ,hand of ,fellowship then1 and closes before you here to-night4 8,i am not here1 my friends1 to repeat the service which then ,i performed4 ,it would be superfluous4 ,when ,i think of the great assemblies that have surged and thronged around this platform1 when ,i think of the influences that have gone out from this pulpit into all the earth1 ,i feel that less than almost any other man on earth does he need the assurance of fellowship from any but the ,son of ,god6 ,but ,i am here to-night for another and a different service6 ,on behalf of you who tarry1 and of those who have ascended from this congregation2 on behalf of ,christians of every name throughout our city1 who have had such joy and pride in him1 and the name of whose town has1 by him1 been made famous in the earth2 on behalf of all our churches1 now growing to be an army2 on behalf of those in every part of our land who have never seen his face or heard his voice1 but who have read and loved his sermons1 and been quickened and blessed by them2 on behalf of the great multitudes who have gone up from every land which his sermons have reached--never having touched his hand on earth1 but waiting to greet him by and by--,i am here to-night taking ,mr4 ,beecher by the hand to give him the ,right ,hand of ,congratulation1 on the closing of this twenty-fifth year of his ministry1 and to say3 ,god be praised for all the work that you have done here6 ,god be praised for the generous gifts which ,he has showered upon you1 and the generous use which you have made of them1 here and elsewhere1 and everywhere in the land6 ,god give you many happy and glorious years of work and joy still to come in your ministry on earth6 ,may your soul1 as the years go on1 be whitened more and more in the radiance of ,god's light1 and in the sunshine of ,his love6 ,and1 when the end comes--as it will--may the gates of pearl swing inward for your entrance1 before the hands of those who have gone up before you1 and who now wait to welcome you thither2 and then may there open to you that vast and bright ,eternity--all vivid with ,god's love--in which an instant vision shall be perfect joy1 and an immortal labor shall be to you immortal rest60 8,this magnificent concluding passage10 said the ,brooklyn ,union of the next day1 8was uttered with an eloquence that defies description4 ,at its conclusion ,mr4 ,beecher1 with tears1 and trembling from head to foot1 arose1 and1 placing his hand on ,dr4 ,storrs's shoulder1 kissed him upon the cheek4 ,the congregation sat for a moment breathless and enraptured with this simple and beautiful action4 ,then there broke from them such a burst of applause as never before was heard in an ecclesiastical edifice4 ,there was not a dry eye in the house40 ,friday1 8,communion day10 ended the jubilee4 ,after a brief season of prayer and remarks1 the solemn service of the ,lord's ,supper closed the meeting1 over two thousand persons participating in the communion4 ,the week was a blessed one for pastor and people1 making stronger the bonds of love1 confidence1 and mutual trust that united them into a single church1 and1 no doubt1 helped and strengthened both in the crossing of that stormy sea of trouble1 at the very shore of which they were then standing4 ,little could the people of ,plymouth ,church foresee as they crowded around their pastor1 striving1 in loving emulation1 to out-do each other in marks of affection and confidence1 that the most infamous conspiracy of modern times was rapidly involving pastor and church in a network of wicked lies4 ,none would have believed in those happy days that the very men who owed most to their pastor1 who had received at his hands aid and comfort when most needed1 whom he had nurtured and strengthened by his love1 were using the very power they had derived through him1 to destroy their benefactor2 with the malignant ingenuity of the fallen angel1 were weaving webs of falsehood and misrepresentation about his feet1 working on his feelings1 ever sensitive to any neglect of duty upon his part1 by false statements of injury done by his thoughtlessness or neglect2 cunningly interweaving his exaggerated outbursts of self-accusing grief with their falsehoods1 prepared by them1 with cool deliberation1 to fit his words4 ,they sought by his very horror of evil to give the appearance of evil4 ,closing his mouth by a pledge they well knew his honor would observe1 they1 disregarding their pledges1 by busy whisperings strove to fasten suspicion on him1 who1 they knew1 would not speak in self-defence4 ,the warmth of that heart that loved all mankind1 that bore malice to none1 but sought by greater loving-kindness to overcome enmity1 returning good for evil1 fell upon a serpent's nest1 warming into life the malignant1 venomous brood1 the intensity of whose desire to injure seemed in the proportion that each had been benefited4 ,the eggs had hatched1 and the serpents were daily growing stronger and more dangerous4 ,but least of all did ,plymouth ,church suspect that those whose hands they had just grasped in fraternal love1 who1 by their own teachings and their calling1 should have been slow to believe evil of their brethren1 would in a few short weeks join hands with her bitterest enemies1 lending to them the moral support of their own blameless lives and high reputations1 giving them advice1 aid1 and comfort1 opening their churches as an asylum to the discontented and treacherous in ,plymouth ,church2 and1 even while the words of brotherly love and deep1 abiding confidence1 just flown from their lips1 were ringing with joy and comfort in the heart of their brother1 would lend the ears of ready listeners1 to the base tales of baser men--men whom they themselves knew to be tainted in honor and morals--holding their cloaks to screen the would-be assassins4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,the ,conspiracy--,relations with ,mr4 ,bowen--,disputes and ,arbitration--,theodore ,tilton's ,early ,promise and ,intimacy with ,mr4 ,beecher--,bowen's ,ill-,will and ,tilton's ,malice--,tilton discharged from ,independent and ,brooklyn ,union--,tripartite ,agreement--,moulton and ,tilton conspire to ,blackmail ,mr4 ,beecher--,tilton consults ,dr4 ,storrs4 ,while it will not be possible in the space of a volume such as this1 nor at all desirable if it were possible1 to go to any considerable extent into the details of that experience in ,mr4 ,beecher's life1 commonly called 8the ,scandal10 yet no biography would be complete or truthful which ignored this period4 ,therefore1 while we avoid all those details likely to offend against a rational public sentiment1 we shall try to give such an outline of the general facts as may be necessary for a clear understanding of this monstrous conspiracy4 ,to do this we must necessarily go back to the beginnings1 some of which exerted a powerful influence on subsequent events4 ,in #ahef ,mr4 ,beecher was invited to become a contributor to the ,independent1 then published and controlled by ,henry ,c4 ,bowen and his partner1 ,mr4 ,mc,namee4 ,this was accepted1 and in ,november of that year a contract was made between them to that effect4 ,this contract1 with a few subsequent modifications1 remained in force until the year #ahfj1 when a new one was made by which ,mr4 ,beecher became the editor-in-chief1 ,theodore ,tilton1 his assistant1 relieving him wholly of the office routine work4 ,mr4 ,tilton was at this time a young man with the promise of a brilliant future before him4 ,determining upon journalism and public speaking as his profession1 he sought to familiarize himself with the speeches and writings of those most prominent in his chosen field4 ,early in the 8,fifties0 he began reporting ,mr4 ,beecher's sermons for the ,observer4 ,this led to an acquaintance between them4 ,tilton1 though scarcely more than a boy1 was even then very clever4 ,his bright speeches1 his boyish enthusiasm in following out the high purposes he had formed1 the really manly aspirations he then felt1 and1 above all1 his sunny disposition1 soon won for him a very warm place in ,mr4 ,beecher's heart1 which he only lost years later1 when his uncontrollable egotism and vanity--the mildew of precocity--worked his destruction1 wrecking his reputation1 his morals1 and his life4 ,mr4 ,beecher delighted in aiding and promoting him1 seeking by wise counsels to strengthen every good quality and to hold in check every malign tendency1 advancing him as rapidly as possible in his profession4 ,all this ,mr4 ,tilton fully recognized1 writing ,mr4 ,beecher1 a short time before he began his plotting3 8,,my ,,friend3 ,from my boyhood up you have been to me what no other man has been1 what no other man can be4 ,while ,i was a student the influence of your mind on mine was greater than all books and all teachers4 ,the intimacy with which you honored me for twelve years has been1 next to my wife and family1 the chief affection of my life4 ,by you ,i was baptized2 by you married2 you are my minister1 teacher1 father1 brother1 friend1 companion4 ,the debt ,i owe you ,i can never pay4 ,my religious life1 my intellectual development1 my open door of opportunity for labor1 my public reputation--all these1 my dear friend1 ,i owe in so great a degree to your own kindness that my gratitude cannot be written in words1 but must be expressed only in love40 ,early in their intimacy ,tilton left the ,observer and joined his fortunes to the ,independent4 ,through the affection and influence of his friend he was advanced steadily1 until1 in the fall of #ahfj or early #ahfa1 he was made assistant editor4 ,in the spring of #ahfa occurred an incident that was to produce ultimately no little trouble4 ,mr4 ,beecher had from time to time bought1 from ,mr4 ,bowen's dry-goods store1 various articles to be sent to the ,brooklyn ,phalanx1 a regiment largely enrolled from the youths and friends of ,plymouth ,church1 and in which ,mr4 ,beecher's eldest son was an officer4 ,these purchases were charged against ,mr4 ,beecher's salary account4 ,in ,may1 #ahfa1 ,mr4 ,bowen claimed that ,mr4 ,beecher's account had been very greatly overdrawn1 by goods purchased and money drawn out4 ,the matter was finally arbitrated1 the arbitrator awarding ,mr4 ,bowen #a1jjj1 which was paid4 ,whether it was the failure to receive all that he expected1 or some other and unknown grievance1 we cannot say1 but from about this time began a feeling of hostility on the part of ,mr4 ,bowen1 which a few years later1 after ,mr4 ,beecher had finally left the ,independent1 took shape in scandalous whisperings behind ,mr4 ,beecher's back1 but always so carefully guarded as not1 at that time1 to reach his ears4 ,in #ahfc ,mr4 ,beecher made his memorable visit to ,england4 ,during his absence he arranged to have ,mr4 ,tilton take the entire editorial charge of the ,independent4 ,in this the latter did so well1 that in ,february1 #ahfd1 ,mr4 ,beecher1 being then in need of relief from the care and responsibility of his position1 made a new arrangement with ,mr4 ,bowen1 whereby ,mr4 ,tilton was to be retained as editor-in-chief1 ,mr4 ,beecher contributing editorially and by 8,star articles0 7his articles were unsigned1 but marked with 99 at the foot1 hence the name72 the publication of his sermons and lecture-room talks being continued1 his name remaining for a year as one of the editors4 ,after one year ,tilton was to be announced as the actual editor-in-chief4 ,in #ahfe1 then1 ,theodore ,tilton found himself at the head of one of the most influential papers in the land2 for the ,independent1 though a religious paper1 had1 largely through the controversies on slavery1 war1 and other important topics carried on by ,mr4 ,beecher in its columns1 acquired a reputation and influence1 in general public affairs1 that was equalled by no other journal of its kind4 ,soon ,mr4 ,tilton's inordinate conceit began to manifest itself4 ,he was to supersede1 in influence1 his patron4 ,from his lofty pedestal he could look down upon his old friend and adviser1 dwarfed by comparison4 ,already he had begun to entertain 8advanced0 ideas1 repudiating as old-fogy and behind the times the principles and beliefs which he had received from his former instructor4 ,not content with his fancied overshadowing of ,mr4 ,beecher1 he began about this time to take part in ,bowen's campaign of scandalous whisperings2 but when one of his tales came to ,mr4 ,beecher's ears he promptly denied it and assured ,mr4 ,beecher that he had never said anything of the kind1 that it was wholly false4 ,this denial satisfied ,mr4 ,beecher1 who thought no more of the tale4 ,when in #ahff ,mr4 ,beecher wrote his 8,cleveland letters10 the ,independent assailed him so virulently1 through its editorial columns1 that he felt he could no longer be connected with it1 even as a contributor1 and thereupon terminated his contract and all further connection with the paper4 ,this was a further aggravation in ,mr4 ,bowen's eyes1 as it was likely to be a pecuniary loss to the paper1 and so to him4 ,shortly after this ,mr4 ,tilton began in the editorial columns of the ,independent to take a decidedly 8advanced0 stand upon religious and ethical subjects4 ,his views began to savor very strongly of the atheistic1 and he more than intimated a belief in theories1 on the subject of marriage1 that seemed hardly appropriate in the columns of a religious newspaper2 so that when he published his 8,editorial ,soliloquy0 in #ahfg1 there broke out an indignant protest both from the ,east and ,west against such a use of the columns of the ,independent4 ,tilton's course1 together with ,bowen's retention of certain objectionable advertisements1 threatened serious injury to the paper4 ,steps were taken to start a new religious paper in ,chicago1 to supersede the ,independent in the ,west2 at about the same time overtures were made to ,mr4 ,beecher1 to accept the control of a new paper to be started in ,new ,york4 ,this alarmed ,mr4 ,bowen1 who at once promised to muzzle ,tilton and prevent the publication of any more objectionable 8views40 ,on this assurance the opposition to the ,independent was suspended4 ,the contract was a larger one1 however1 than ,bowen had anticipated4 ,tilton soon began anew ventilating his theories1 and in ,december1 #ahgj1 wrote an editorial so pronounced in its advocacy of his peculiar views1 that the public patience was exhausted4 ,the ,advance was at once established in ,chicago and became a formidable rival to the ,independent1 ,dr4 ,edward ,beecher1 the elder brother of ,henry ,ward1 being one of its promoters4 ,in the fall of #ahfi the ,christian ,union was organized in ,new ,york ,city1 and in ,january1 #ahgj1 ,mr4 ,beecher took control of it4 ,bowen was in despair4 ,here were two dangerous rivals to his paper4 ,he was afraid to discharge ,tilton2 he had said too much in his presence to care to offend him4 ,he must in some way1 however1 get ,tilton out of the editorial chair of the ,independent4 ,after some negotiation he arranged with ,tilton that he should resign the editorship of the ,independent1 and a new contract was made by which he should take the editorship of the ,brooklyn ,union for five years1 at five thousand dollars a year1 and should be the chief contributor to the ,independent1 receiving a further five thousand dollars therefor4 ,this change was effected on the #bjth of ,december1 #ahgj1 and on the #bb;d his valedictory was published in the ,independent4 ,up to the year #ahgj ,tilton could hardly be said to have been hostile to ,mr4 ,beecher1 certainly in no such sense as he was during the following year4 ,at this time he looked upon him as his mental and social inferior1 and not infrequently spoke of him patronizingly1 as one whom he had outgrown1 bestowing upon him a sort of affectionate pity because he had been cast in a mould so much smaller than his own4 ,it is true that1 in that kind of 8strictest confidence0 which always insures a quiet circulation1 he whispered stories1 from time to time1 derogatory to ,mr4 ,beecher's reputation1 but these were born of his vanity1 rather than of malice4 ,he was still able to see that his own vagaries did not meet with public favor4 ,he felt that he was a little ahead of his times1 and it might benefit him to saddle similar theories upon ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,he probably had no intention of doing an injury1 at least at that time4 ,with ,mr4 ,bowen1 however1 it was different4 ,mr4 ,beecher's resignation first from the editorship1 and then as contributor1 and withdrawing his sermons from the ,independent1 was an injury in his eyes for which ,tilton's appointment did not compensate1 and seemed to intensify that ill-will which had its origin at the time of the pecuniary misunderstanding1 already referred to4 ,and now1 to have ,mr4 ,beecher's brother participate in starting the ,advance in ,chicago1 while he himself accepted the management of the ,christian ,union in ,new ,york--a paper that sprang at once into a very large circulation1 threatening to crowd the ,independent in the ,east as the ,advance promised to do in the ,west--this capped the climax4 ,bowen's dislike was the more intense since there seemed no way in which he could assail ,mr4 ,beecher with any hope of success4 ,his whisperings necessarily had to be guarded1 and his confidants did not seem inclined1 or able1 to give him much comfort4 ,this hostility ,mr4 ,beecher was aware of1 though little suspecting at the time its extent1 attributing it to the fact that he had been obliged to withdraw from the ,independent1 and take a stand squarely opposed to its apparent policy4 ,for he wrote to a friend3 8,it is well known that ,i am in a positive antagonism with the whole general drift of the paper4 ,mr4 ,bowen will scarcely recognize me on the street1 and feels bitterly my withdrawal from all part or lot in the paper40 ,by ,december1 #ahgj1 ,tilton's attitude had become decidedly hostile4 ,his patronizing had now begun to change into fear4 ,for he thought that ,mr4 ,beecher might become a dangerous rival2 and when finally he was retired from the editorship of the ,independent he felt sure that it was through some intentional and malign influence of ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,that his own conduct and expressed opinions were responsible for the change1 his vanity would not permit him to think4 ,as soon as it was publicly known that ,tilton had been deposed from the editorial chair of the ,independent1 the stories of his past life began to pour in on ,mr4 ,bowen like a flood4 ,the latter was alarmed and began to doubt the possibility of retaining him in any capacity4 ,the expression of this fear to mutual friends led to an interview between the two4 ,tilton characteristically mounted his high horse1 and imperiously demanded an investigation and that he be confronted with his accusers4 ,in a very few moments ,mr4 ,bowen satisfied him that he was quite fully posted1 and that an investigation was the last thing that he would desire4 ,tilton then struck out on a new line of operations4 ,knowing ,mr4 ,bowen's fear and dislike of ,mr4 ,beecher1 intensified daily by the steadily increasing circulation of the ,christian ,union1 ,tilton cunningly began to suggest the great danger that threatened the ,independent from the ,christian ,union4 ,he struck the keynote to ,bowen's animosity1 and1 skilfully working on his feelings1 he suggested that their mutual welfare demanded the overthrow of ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,bowen was all attention4 ,to destroy ,mr4 ,beecher1 and cripple the ,christian ,union1 would be a wonderful stroke of good-fortune4 ,after referring to the injuries that ,bowen had suffered at the hands of ,mr4 ,beecher1 he suggested that he1 too1 had a grievance against him4 ,this was news to ,bowen1 who eagerly besought ,tilton to tell him what it was4 ,he then stated that ,beecher had been guilty of 8improper proposals0 to his wife4 ,bowen was quick to discover the situation4 ,this was the first tangible bit of evidence which had ever come to him against ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,he had never dared publicly father any of his own stories4 ,now1 if ,tilton would attack ,mr4 ,beecher on such a charge1 he could stand by and watch the fight without becoming involved himself1 but would be ready1 from his safe point of vantage1 to take profit by the result1 whichever way it ended4 ,if ,tilton succeeded1 so much the better4 ,if he failed1 he would be rid of him2 and would not be responsible for the attack1 which ,tilton would both originate and carry on4 ,mr4 ,bowen suggested to ,tilton the writing of a letter to ,mr4 ,beecher1 which was written1 calling on him to resign his pastorate1 and leave ,brooklyn4 ,this ,bowen was to carry to ,mr4 ,beecher1 which he did4#h ----- ,footnote #h3 ,we take the details of this interview from ,tilton's sworn testimony--very poor evidence by itself1 but1 as it has never been contradicted by ,mr4 ,bowen1 is consistent with many known facts2 and as the fact of the interview was admitted by ,mr4 ,bowen1 we have given it place4 ----- ,mr4 ,tilton1 returning home1 reported to his friend ,francis ,d4 ,moulton what he had done1 and was informed that he had made 8a ------ fool0 of himself1 that he had put himself in ,bowen's hands4 ,at this point the conspiracy may be said to have been born4 ,with the conspiracy proper1 from this time out1 ,mr4 ,bowen seems to have had nothing to do4 ,both ,tilton and ,moulton distrusted him4 ,while his hostility towards ,mr4 ,beecher did not abate1 and he was soon afterwards clearly recognized as a bitter enemy1 yet we do not learn that he ever thereafter actively co-operated with the two arch-conspirators2 for a short time after ,tilton's letter he professed to be friendly to ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,the carrying of ,tilton's letter to ,mr4 ,beecher1 and the calling in of ,moulton1 were the starting-point of this conspiracy4 ,bowen1 as we shall see later1 discharged ,tilton from both the ,independent and the ,union4 ,the latter was in desperate straits1 and then it was that he and ,moulton seemed to have come to the determination to try through ,mr4 ,beecher to better ,tilton's fortunes4 ,at the first it is highly improbable that either had any very definite plan of operations against ,mr4 ,beecher1 and certainly not the faintest idea of the desperate step they would finally be driven to by the logic of their own falsehoods4 ,little by little1 deeper and deeper1 they worked themselves into the mud and mire1 until1 as a last desperate venture1 they were compelled to make the final plunge in the hope of forcing through to a solid footing4 ,with this introduction we give ,mr4 ,beecher's account of this trouble in his own words1 as written in #ahgd1 when the facts were all fresh in his mind2 condensing it somewhat to meet the requirements of our space1 and omitting details which1 though necessary then1 need not now be gone into4 ,this presents the history as he saw it1 and shows how ,moulton by cunning treachery wormed himself into ,mr4 ,beecher's confidence for the purpose of destroying him3 8,four years ago ,theodore ,tilton fell from one of the proudest editorial chairs in ,america1 where he represented the cause of religion1 humanity1 and patriotism1 and in a few months thereafter became the associate and representative of ,victoria ,woodhull and the priest of her strange cause4 ,by his follies he was bankrupt in reputation1 in occupation1 and in resources4 ,the interior history1 of which ,i now give a brief outline1 is the history of his attempts to so employ me as to reinstate himself in business1 restore his reputation1 and place him again upon the eminence from which he had fallen4 ,it is a sad history1 to the full meaning of which ,i have but recently awaked4 ,entangled in a wilderness of complications1 ,i followed until lately a false theory and a delusive hope1 believing that the friend who assured me of his determination and ability to control the vagaries of ,mr4 ,tilton1 to restore his household1 to rebuild his fortunes1 and to vindicate me1 would be equal to that promise4 ,this self-confessed failure has made clear to me what for a long time ,i did not suspect--the real motive of ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,my narrative does not represent a single standpoint only as regards my opinion of ,theodore ,tilton4 ,it begins at my cordial intimacy with him in his earlier career1 and shows my lamentation and sorrowful but hopeful affection for him during the period of his initial wanderings from truth and virtue4 ,it describes my repentance over evils befalling him of which ,i was made to believe myself the cause2 my persevering and finally despairing efforts to save him and his family by any sacrifice of myself not absolutely dishonorable2 and my growing conviction that his perpetual follies and blunders rendered his recovery impossible4 ,i can now see that he is and has been from the beginning of this difficulty a selfish and reckless schemer1 pursuing a plan of mingled greed and hatred1 and weaving about me a network of suspicions1 misunderstandings1 plots1 and lies1 to which my own innocent words and acts1 nay1 even my thoughts of kindness toward him1 have been made to contribute4 8,that ,i was blind so long to the real nature of the intrigue going on around me was due partly to my own overwhelming public engagements1 partly to my complete surrender of this affair and all papers and questions connected with it into the hands of ,mr4 ,moulton1 who was intensely confident that he could manage it successfully4 ,i suffered much1 but ,i inquired little4 ,mr4 ,moulton was chary to me of ,mr4 ,tilton's confidences to him1 reporting to me occasionally in a general way ,mr4 ,tilton's moods and outbreaks of passion only as elements of trouble which he was able to control1 and as additional proofs of the wisdom of leaving it to him4 ,his comment of the situation seemed to me1 at the time1 complete1 immersed as ,i was in incessant cares and duties1 and only too glad to be relieved from considering the details of such wretched complications1 the origin and the fact of which remain1 in spite of all friendly intervention1 a perpetual burden to my soul4 ,i would not read in the papers about it2 ,i would not talk about it4 ,i made ,moulton for a long period my confidant and my only channel of information4 8,from time to time suspicions were aroused in me by indications that ,mr4 ,tilton was acting the part of an enemy2 but these suspicions were repeatedly allayed by his own behavior towards me in other moods1 and by the assurances of ,mr4 ,moulton1 who ascribed the circumstances to misunderstanding or to malice on the part of others4 ,it is plain to me now that it was not until ,mr4 ,tilton had fallen into disgrace and lost his salary that he thought it necessary to assail me with charges which he pretended to have had in mind for six months4 ,the domestic offence which he alleged was very quickly and easily put aside1 but yet in such a way as to keep my feelings stirred up1 in order that ,i might1 through my friends1 be used to extract from ,mr4 ,bowen #g1jjj1 the amount of a claim in dispute between them4 ,the check for that sum in hand1 ,mr4 ,tilton signed an agreement of peace and concord--not made by me1 but accepted by me as sincere4 ,the ,golden ,age had been started4 ,he had the capital to carry it on for a while4 ,he was sure that he was to lead a great social revolution4 ,with returning prosperity he had apparently no griefs which could not be covered by his signature to the articles of peace4#i ,yet the changes in that covenant1 made by him before signing it1 and represented to me as necessary merely to relieve him from the imputation of having originated and circulated certain old and shameless slanders about me1 were really made1 as now appears1 to leave him free for future operations upon me and against me4 ----- ,footnote #i3 ,tripartite agreement4 ----- 8,so long as he was1 or thought he was1 on the road to a new success1 his conduct toward me was as friendly as he knew how to make it4 ,his assumption of superiority and magnanimity1 and his patronizing manner1 were trifles at which ,i could afford to smile1 and which ,i bore with the greater humility since ,i still retained the profound impression made upon me as explained in the following narrative--that ,i had been a cause of overwhelming disaster to him1 and that his complete restoration to public standing and household happiness was a reparation justly required of me1 and the only one which ,i could make4 8,but1 with a peculiar genius for blunders1 he fell almost at every step into new complications and difficulties1 and in every such instance it was his policy to bring coercion to bear upon my honor1 my conscience1 and my affections1 for the purpose of procuring his extrication at my expense4 ,theodore ,tilton knew me well4 ,he has said again and again to his friends that if they wished to gain influence over me they must work upon the sympathetic side of my nature4 ,to this he has addressed himself steadily for four years1 using as a lever1 without scruple1 my attachment to my friends1 to my family1 to his own household1 and even my old affection for himself4 8,not blind to his faults1 but resolved to look on him as favorably and hopefully as possible1 and ignorant of his deeper malice1 ,i labored earnestly1 even desperately1 for his salvation4 ,for four years ,i have been trying to feed his insatiable egotism1 to make the man as great as he conceived himself to be1 to restore to popularity and public confidence one who1 in the midst of my efforts in his behalf1 patronized disreputable people and doctrines1 refused when ,i besought him to separate himself from them1 and ascribed to my agency the increasing ruin which he was persistently bringing upon himself1 and which ,i was doing my utmost to avert4 ,it was hard to do anything for such a man4 ,i might as well have tried to fill a sieve with water4 ,in the latter part of the history he actually incited and created difficulties1 apparently for no other purpose than to drive me to fresh exertions4 ,i refused to endorse his wild views and associates4 ,the best ,i could do was to speak well of him1 mention those good qualities and abilities which ,i believed him to possess in his higher moods1 and keeping silent concerning the evil things which1 ,i was assured and believed1 had been greatly exaggerated by public report4 ,i could not think him so bad as my friends did4 ,i trusted to the germs of good which ,i thought still lived in him1 to ,mr4 ,moulton's apparent power over him1 and to the power of my persistent self-sacrifice4 8,mr4 ,moulton came to me at first as the schoolmate and friend of ,mr4 ,tilton1 determined to reinstate him1 ,i at first suspected1 without regard to my interests1 but on further acquaintance with me he undertook and promised to serve his friend without doing wrong to me4 ,he said he saw clearly how this was to be done1 so as to restore peace and harmony to ,mr4 ,tilton's home1 and bring a happy end to all misunderstandings4 ,many things which he counselled ,i absolutely refused1 but ,i never doubted his professed friendship for me1 after friendship had grown up between us2 and whatever he wished me to do ,i did1 unless it seemed to me wrong4 8,my confidence in him was the only element that seemed secure in that confusion of tormenting perplexities4 ,to him ,i wrote freely in that troublous time1 when ,i felt that secret machinations were going on around me1 and echoes of the vilest slander concerning me were heard of in unexpected quarters2 when some of my near relatives were set against me1 and the tattle of a crowd of malicious women1 hostile to me on other grounds1 was borne to my ears2 when ,i had lost the last remnant of faith in ,mr4 ,tilton or hope for him2 when ,i heard with unspeakable remorse that everything ,i had done to stay his destruction had made matters worse and worse2 that my attempt to keep him from a public trial 7involving such a flood of scandal as has now been let loose7 had been used by him to bring up new troubles2 that his unhappy wife was1 under his dictation1 signing papers and recantations1 and ,i knew not what2 that1 in short1 everything was breaking up1 and the destruction from which ,i had sought to save the family was likely to be emptied on other families1 the church1 the community1 with infinite horrors of woe for me2 that my own innocence was buried under heaps and heaps of rubbish1 and nobody but my professed friend 7if even he7 could save us4 ,to his assurances that he could still do so ,i gave at least so much faith as to maintain under these terrible trials the silence which he enjoined4 ,not until ,mr4 ,tilton1 having attempted1 through ,frank ,carpenter1 to raise money from my friends1 openly assailed me in his letter to ,dr4 ,bacon1 did ,i break that silence1 save my simple denial of the slanderous rumors against me a year before4 8,on the appearance of the first open attack from ,mr4 ,tilton ,i immediately1 without consulting ,mr4 ,moulton1 called for a thorough investigation with a committee of my church4 ,i am not responsible for the delay1 the publicity1 or the details of that investigation4 ,all the harm which ,i have so long dreaded and have so earnestly striven to avoid has come to pass4 ,i could not have further prevented it without a full surrender of honor and truth4 ,the time has arrived when ,i can freely speak in vindication of myself4 ,i labor under great disadvantages in making a statement4 ,my memory of states of the mind is clear and tenacious1 better than my memory of dates and details4 ,during four troubled years1 in all of which ,i have been singularly burdened with public labor1 having established and conducted the ,christian ,union1 delivered courses of lectures1 preaching before the ,theological ,seminary of ,yale ,college1 written the first volume of the #8,life of ,christ1' delivered each winter ,lyceum lectures in all the ,north and ,west--all these duties1 with the care of the great church and its outlying schools and chapels1 and the miscellaneous business which falls upon a clergyman more than upon any other public man1 ,i have kept in regard1 and now1 with the necessity of explaining actions and letters resulting from complex influences apparent at the time1 ,i find myself in a position where ,i know my innocence without being able to prove it with detailed explanation4 ,i am one upon whom trouble works inwardly1 making me outwardly silent but reverberating in the chambers of my soul2 and when at length ,i do speak it is a pent-up flood and pours without measure or moderation4 ,i inherit a tendency to sadness1 the remains in me of positive hypochondria in my father and grandfather1 and in certain moods of reaction the world becomes black and ,i see very despairingly4 8,if ,i were1 in such moods1 to speak as ,i feel1 ,i should give false colors and exaggerated proportions of everything4 ,this manifestation is in such contrast to the hopefulness and courage which ,i experience in ordinary times that none but those intimate with me would suspect one so full of overflowing spirit and eager gladsomeness to have within him a cave of gloom and despondency4 ,some of my letters to ,mr4 ,moulton reflect this morbid feeling4 ,he understood it1 and at times reproved me for indulging in it4 ,with this preliminary review ,i proceed to my narrative4 8,mr4 ,tilton was first known to me as a reporter of my sermons4 ,he was then a youth just from school and working on the ,new ,york ,observer4 ,from this paper he passed to the ,independent1 and became a great favorite with ,mr4 ,bowen4 ,when1 about #ahfa1 ,drs4 ,bacon1 ,storrs1 and ,thompson resigned their places1 ,i became editor of the ,independent1 to which ,i had been from its start a contributor4 ,one of the inducements held out to me was that ,mr4 ,tilton should be my assistant and relieve me wholly from routine office work4 ,in this relation ,i became very much attached to him4 ,we used to stroll the galleries and print-shops and dine often together4 ,his mind was opening freshly and with enthusiasm upon all questions4 ,i used to pour out my ideas of civil affairs1 public policy1 religion1 and philanthropy4 ,of this he often spoke with grateful appreciation1 and mourned at a later day over its cessation4 8,august was my vacation month1 but my family repaired to my farm in ,june and ,july1 and remained there during ,september and ,october4 ,my labors confining me to the city1 ,i took my meals in the families of friends1 and from year to year ,i became so familiar with their children and homes that ,i went in and out daily almost as in my own house4 ,mr4 ,tilton often alluded to this habit1 and urged me to do the same by his house4 ,he used to often speak in extravagant terms of his wife's esteem and affection for me4 ,after ,i began to visit his house he sought to make it attractive4 ,he urged me to bring my papers down there and use his study to do my writing in1 as it was not pleasant to write in the office of the ,independent4 ,when ,i went to ,england in #ahfc ,mr4 ,tilton took temporary charge of the ,independent4 ,on my return ,i paved the way for him to take sole charge of it1 my name remaining for a year1 and then he becoming the responsible editor4 ,friendly relations continued until #ahff1 when the violent assaults made upon me by ,mr4 ,tilton in the ,independent1 on account of my ,cleveland letter1 and the temporary discontinuation of the publication of my sermons in that paper1 broke off my connection with it4 ,although ,mr4 ,tilton and ,i remained personally on good terms1 yet there was a coolness between us in all matters of politics4 ,during this whole period ,i never received from ,mr4 ,tilton or any member of his family the slightest hint that there was any dissatisfaction with my familiar relations to his household4 ,as late1 ,i think1 as the winter of #ahfi1 when going upon an extended lecturing tour1 he said3 #8,i wish you would look in after1 and see that ,libby is not lonesome or does not want anything1' or words to that effect4 ,never by sign or word did ,mr4 ,tilton complain of my visits to his family until he began to fear that the ,independent would be taken from him1 nor did he break out into violence until on the eve of dispossession from both the papers--the ,independent and the ,brooklyn ,union--owned by ,mr4 ,bowen4 8,in the latter part of ,july1 #ahgj1 ,mrs4 ,tilton was sick1 and at her request ,i visited her4 ,she seemed much depressed1 but gave me no hint of any trouble having reference to me4 ,i cheered her as best ,i could1 and prayed with her just before leaving4 ,this was our last interview before trouble broke out in the family4 ,i describe it because it was the last1 and its character has a bearing upon a later part of my story4 ,concerning all my visits it is sufficient to say that at no interview which ever took place between ,mrs4 ,tilton and myself did anything occur which might not have occurred with perfect propriety between a brother and sister1 between a father and child1 or between a man of honor and the wife of his dearest friend2 nor did anything ever happen which she or ,i sought to conceal from her husband4 8,some years before any open trouble between ,mr4 ,tilton and myself1 his doctrines1 as set forth in the leaders of the ,independent1 aroused a storm of indignation among the representative ,congregationalists in the ,west2 and as the paper was still very largely supposed to be my organ1 ,i was written to on the subject4 ,in reply ,i indignantly disclaimed all responsibility for the views expressed by ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,it was understood that ,mr4 ,bowen agreed1 in consequence of proceedings arising out of this remonstrance1 to remove ,mr4 ,tilton or suppress his peculiar views1 but instead of that he seemed firmer in the saddle than before1 and his loose notions of marriage and divorce began to be shadowed editorially4 ,this led to the starting of the ,advance in ,chicago1 to supersede the ,independent in the ,northwest1 and ,mr4 ,bowen was made to feel that ,mr4 ,tilton's management was seriously injuring the business1 and ,mr4 ,tilton may have felt that his position was being undermined by opponents of his views with whom he subsequently pretended to believe ,i was in league4 ,vague intimations of his #8feeling hard' toward me ,i ascribed to this misconception4 ,i had in reality taken no step to harm him4 8,after ,mr4 ,tilton's return from the ,west in ,december1 #ahgj1 a young girl whom ,mrs4 ,tilton had taken into the family1 educated1 and treated like an own child was sent to me with an urgent request that ,i would visit ,mrs4 ,tilton at her mother's4 ,she said that ,mrs4 ,tilton had left her home and gone to her mother's in consequence of ill-treatment of her husband4 ,she then gave an account of what she had seen of cruelty and abuse on the part of the husband that shocked me2 ,i immediately visited ,mrs4 ,tilton at her mother's1 and received an account of her home life1 and of the despotism of her husband1 and of the management of a woman whom he had made housekeeper1 which seemed like a nightmare dream4 ,the question was whether she should go back or separate for ever from her husband4 ,i asked permission to bring my wife to see them1 whose judgment in all domestic relations ,i thought better than my own2 and accordingly a second visit was made4 ,the result of the interview was that my wife was extremely indignant toward ,mr4 ,tilton1 and declared that no consideration on earth would induce her to remain an hour with a man who had treated her with a hundredth part of such insult and cruelty4 ,i felt as strongly as she did1 but hesitated1 as ,i always do1 at giving advice in favor of a separation4 ,it was agreed that my wife should give her final advice at another visit4 ,the next day1 when ready to go1 she wished a final word2 but there was company1 and the children were present1 and so ,i wrote on a scrap of paper1 #8,i incline to think that your view is right1 and that a separation and a settlement of support will be wisest1 and that in his present desperate state her presence near him is far more likely to produce hatred than her absence4' 8,mrs4 ,tilton did not tell me that my presence had anything to do with this trouble1 nor did she let me know that on the ,july previous he had extorted from her a confession of excessive affection for me4 8,on the evening of ,december #bg1 #ahgj1 ,mr4 ,bowen1 on his way home1 called at my house and handed me a letter from ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,it was1 as nearly as ,i can remember1 in the following terms3 8#8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher3 ,for reasons which you explicitly know1 and which ,i forbear to state1 ,i demand that you withdraw from the pulpit and quit ,brooklyn as a residence4 8#8,,theodore ,,tilton4' 8,i read it over twice1 and turned to ,bowen and said3 #8,this man is crazy2 this is sheer insanity1' and other like words4 ,mr4 ,bowen professed to be ignorant of the contents1 and ,i handed him the letter to read4 ,we at once fell into a conversation about ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,he gave me some account of the reasons why he had reduced him from the editorship of the ,independent to the subordinate position of contributor--namely1 that ,mr4 ,tilton's religious and social views were ruining the paper4 ,but he said as soon as it was known that he had so far broken with ,mr4 ,tilton1 there came pouring in upon him so many stories of ,mr4 ,tilton's private life and habits that he was overwhelmed1 and that he was now considering whether he could consistently retain him on the ,brooklyn ,union or as chief contributor to the ,independent4 ,we conversed for some time1 ,mr4 ,bowen wishing my opinion4 ,it was frankly given4 ,i did not see how he could maintain his relations with ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,the substance of the conversation was that ,tilton's inordinate vanity1 his fatal facility for blundering 7for which he had a genius71 and ostentatious independence in his own opinions1 and general impracticableness1 would keep the ,union at disagreement with the political party for whose service it was published2 and now1 added to all this1 these revelations of these promiscuous immoralities would make his connection with either paper fatal to its interests4 ,i spoke strongly and emphatically under the great provocation of his threatening letter to me and the revelation ,i had just had concerning his domestic affairs4 8,mr4 ,bowen derided this letter of ,tilton's which he had brought to me1 and said earnestly that if trouble came out of it ,i might rely upon his friendship4 ,i learned afterwards that in the further quarrel1 ending in ,tilton's peremptory expulsion from ,bowen's service1 this conversation was repeated to ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,although ,i have no doubt that ,mr4 ,tilton would have lost his place at any rate1 ,i have also no doubt that my influence was decisive and precipitated his final overthrow4 ,when ,i came to think it all over1 ,i felt very unhappy at the contemplation of ,mr4 ,tilton's impending disaster4 ,i had loved him much1 and at one time he had seemed like a son to me4 8,but now all looked dark2 he was to be cast forth from his eminent position1 and his affairs at home did not promise that sympathy and strength which make one's house1 as mine has been1 in times of adversity1 a refuge from the storm and a tower of defence4 8,it now appears that on the #bith of ,december1 #ahgj1 ,mr4 ,tilton1 having learned that ,i had replied to his threatening letter1 by expressing such an opinion of him as to set ,mr4 ,bowen finally against him1 and bring him face to face with immediate ruin1 extorted from his wife1 then suffering under a severe illness1 a document incriminating me1 and prepared an elaborate attack upon me4 8,in my then morbid condition of mind ,i thought that this charge1 although entirely untrue1 might result in great disaster1 if not absolute ruin4 ,the great interests which were entirely dependent on me1 the church which ,i had built up1 the book which ,i was writing1 my own immediate family1 my brother's name1 now engaged in the ministry1 my sisters1 the name which ,i had hoped might live after me and be in some slight degree a source of strength and encouragement to those who should succeed me1 and1 above all1 the cause for which ,i had devoted my life1 seemed imperilled4 ,it seemed to me that my life-work was to end abruptly and in disaster4 ,my earnest desire to avoid a public accusation1 and the evils which must necessarily flow from it1 and which now have resulted from it1 has been one of the leading motives that must explain my action during these four years with reference to this matter4 8,it was in such a sore and distressing condition that ,mr4 ,moulton found me4 ,his manner was kind and conciliatory2 he seemed1 however1 to be convinced that ,i had been seeking ,tilton's downfall1 that ,i had leagued with ,mr4 ,bowen against him1 and that ,i had by my advice come near destroying his family4 ,i did not need any argument or persuasion to induce me to do1 and say1 anything which would remedy the injury1 of which ,i then believed1 ,i had certainly been the occasion if not the active cause4 ,but ,mr4 ,moulton urged that1 having wronged so1 the wrong meant his means of support taken away1 his reputation gone1 his family destroyed1 and that ,i had done it4 ,he assured me of his own knowledge that the stories which ,i had heard against ,mr4 ,tilton1 and which ,i had believed and repeated to ,mr4 ,bowen1 were all false4 ,i was persuaded into the belief of what he had said1 and felt convicted of slander in its meanest form4 ,he drew the picture of ,mr4 ,tilton wronged in reputation1 in position1 wronged in purse1 shattered in his family where he would otherwise have found a refuge1 and at the same time looking upon me out of his deep distress1 while ,i was abounding in friends1 most popular1 and with ample means2 he drew that picture--my prosperity overflowing and abounding1 and ,tilton's utter degradation4 ,i was most intensely excited4 ,indeed1 ,i felt that my mind was in danger of giving way4 ,i walked up and down the room1 pouring forth my heart in the most unrestrained grief and bitterness of self-accusation1 telling what my ideas were of the obligation of friendship and of the sacredness of the household2 denying1 however1 an intentional wrong1 saying that if ,i had been the cause1 however remotely1 of that which ,i then beheld1 ,i never could forgive myself1 and heaping all the blame on my own head4 ,the case1 as it then appeared to my eyes1 was strongly against me4 ,my old fellow-worker had been dispossessed of his eminent place and influence1 and ,i had counselled it4 ,his family had well-nigh been broken up1 and ,i had advised it2 his wife had been long sick and broken in health and body1 and ,i1 as ,i fully believed it1 had been the cause of all this wreck by continuing that blind heedlessness and friendship which had beguiled her heart and had roused her husband into a fury of jealousy1 although not caused by any intentional act of mine4 ,and should ,i coldly defend myself8 ,should ,i pour indignation upon this lady8 ,should ,i hold her up to contempt as having thrust her affections upon me unsought8 ,should ,i tread upon the man and his household in their great adversity8 ,i gave vent to my feelings without measure4 ,i disclaimed with the greatest earnestness all intent to harm ,theodore in his home or his business1 and with inexplicable sorrow ,i both blamed and defended ,mrs4 ,tilton in one breath4 8,i had not then the light that ,i now have4 ,there was much then that weighed heavily upon my heart and conscience which now weighs only on my heart4 ,i had not the light which analyzes and discriminates things4 ,by one blow there opened before me a revelation full of anguish3 an agonized family1 whose inmates had been my friends1 greatly beloved2 the husband ruined in worldly prospects1 the household crumbling to pieces1 the woman1 by long sickness and suffering1 either corrupted to deceit1 as her husband alleged1 or so broken in mind as to be irresponsible2 and either way it was her enthusiasm for her pastor1 as ,i was made to believe1 that was the germ and beginning of the trouble4 ,it was for me to have forestalled and prevented that mischief4 ,my age and experience in the world should have put me more on my guard4 ,i could not at that time tell what was true1 and what was not true1 of all the considerations urged upon me by ,mr4 ,tilton and ,moulton4 ,there was a gulf before me in which lay those who had been warm friends1 and they alleged that ,i had helped to plunge them therein4 ,that seemed enough to fill my soul with sorrow and anguish4 ,no mother who has lost a child but will understand the wild self-accusation that grief produced1 against all reason1 blaming herself for what things she did do1 and for what she neglected to do1 and charging upon herself1 her neglect or heedlessness1 the death of her child1 while ordinarily every one knows that she had worn herself out with her assiduities4 8,mr4 ,moulton and ,mr4 ,tilton both strove to obliterate from my mind all belief in the rumors that had been circulated about ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,there was much going on in silencing1 explaining1 arranging1 etc41 that ,i did not understand as well then as now4 ,but of one thing ,i was then convinced1 viz41 that ,mr4 ,tilton had never strayed from the path of virtue4 ,i was glad to believe it true1 and felt how hard it was that he should be made to suffer by evil and slanderous foes4 ,i could not explain some testimony which had been laid before me2 but1 ,i said1 there is undoubtedly some misunderstanding1 and if ,i knew the whole ,i should find ,theodore1 though with obvious faults1 at heart sound and good4 ,these views ,i often expressed to intimate friends in spite of their manifest incredulity1 and what1 in the light of the facts1 ,i must now call their well-deserved ridicule4 ,mr4 ,moulton lost no occasion of presenting to me the kindest view of ,mr4 ,tilton's character and conduct4 ,on the other hand1 he complained that ,mrs4 ,tilton did not trust her husband or him1 and did not assist him in his effort to help ,theodore4 ,i knew that she distrusted ,mr4 ,moulton1 and felt bitterly hurt by the treatment of her husband4 ,i was urged to use my influence with her to inspire confidence in ,moulton and to lead her to take a kinder view of ,theodore4 ,accordingly1 at the instance of ,mr4 ,moulton1 on ,february #g1 #ahga1 ,i wrote a letter to her of that date1 designed for the purpose of giving her confidence in ,mr4 ,moulton4 8,in my letter to ,mrs4 ,tilton ,i alluded to the fact that ,i did not expect1 when ,i saw her last1 to be alive many days4 ,that statement stands connected with a series of symptoms which ,i first experienced in #ahef4 ,i went through the ,fremont campaign1 speaking in the open air three hours at a time1 three days in the week4 ,on renewing my literary labors ,i felt ,i must have given way2 ,i very seriously thought that ,i was going to have apoplexy or paralysis1 or something of the kind4 ,on two or three occasions1 while preaching1 ,i should have fallen in the pulpit if ,i had not held on to the table4 ,very often ,i came near falling in the streets4 ,during the last fifteen years ,i have gone into the pulpit1 ,i suppose a hundred times1 with a very strong impression that ,i should never come out of it alive4 ,i have preached more sermons than any human being would believe1 when ,i felt all the while1 that whatever ,i had got to say to my people ,i must say then1 or ,i never would have another chance to say it4 ,if ,i had consulted a physician1 his first advice would have been1 #8,you must stop work4' ,but ,i was in such a situation that ,i could not stop work4 ,i read the best medical books on symptoms of nervous prostration1 and overwork1 and paralysis1 and formed my own judgment of my case4 ,the three points ,i marked were3 ,i must have good digestion1 good sleep1 and ,i must go on working4 ,these three things were to be reconciled2 and in regard to my diet1 stimulants1 and medicines ,i made the most thorough and searching trial1 and1 as the result1 managed my body so that ,i could get the most work out of it without essentially impairing it4 ,if ,i had said a word about this to my family1 it would have brought such distress and anxiety on the part of my wife1 as ,i could not have borne4 ,i have for many years so steadily taxed my mind to the utmost that there have been periods when ,i could not afford to have people express even sympathy with me4 ,to have my wife or friends anxious about my health1 and showing it to me1 would be just the drop too much4 8,in #ahfc ,i came again into the same condition just before going to ,england1 and that was one of the reasons why ,i wished to go4 ,the war was at its height4 ,i carried my country in my heart4 ,i had the ,independent in charge1 and was working1 preaching1 and lecturing continually4 ,i knew ,i was likely to be prostrated again4 8,in ,december1 #ahgj1 the sudden shock of these troubles brought on again these symptoms in a more violent form4 ,i was very much depressed in mind1 and all the more1 because it was one of those things that ,i could not say anything about2 ,i was silent with everybody4 ,during the last four years these symptoms had been repeatedly brought on by my intense work1 carried forward on the underlying basis of so much sorrow and trouble4 8,my friends will bear witness1 that in the pulpit1 ,i have very frequently alluded to my expectation of sudden death4 ,i feel that ,i have more than once1 already1 been near a stroke that would have killed or paralyzed me1 and ,i carry with me now1 as ,i have so often carried1 in years before this trouble began1 the daily thought of death1 as a door which might open for me1 at any moment1 out of all cares and labors into most welcome rest4#aj ----- ,footnote #aj3 ,these impressions of impending death he carried with him constantly during the year or two just preceding the final outbreak of this plot4 ,in the spring of #ahgc he wrote to his wife3 8,,my ,,dear ,,wife3 ,thanks for your letter from ,jacksonville4 ,it cheered me4 ,god knows that ,i do not need any more loads2 and a comforting letter never could come to a better market4 8,my life is almost over4 ,i am like one waiting for the stage1 his things all packed4 ,the world is bright enough and good enough1 and ,i enjoy a hundred things in it1 and am neither moody nor morbid4 ,yet ,i have an abiding sense that my work is almost done4 ,every new thing done1 lecture1 sermon1 or course of lectures1 ,i count as clear gain--so much more than ,i expected1 ,what the other life is ,i do not know1 and none know so little as those who pretend to know best4 ,that it will be bright and gladdening ,i am sure2 that is all4 ,that ,i have had success and achieved something gives me pleasure1 chiefly because my life has been used for those who were weak and helpless4 ,my lot has been cast in a time when the rights of the under-classes were to be considered4 ,that ,i have been identified with that great movement of humanity is reward enough1 and is the chief satisfaction which ,i take in the retrospect4 ,but enough1 enough40 ,in another letter3 8,i wish ,i were with you4 ,when you are gone ,i feel how much you are to me4 ,may ,god keep you for me for many years to come1 if many years are in store for me4 8,your loving but heavy-hearted husband1 8,h4 ,w4 ,b40 ,in his private diary he wrote3 8,i have not lived for myself2 all my force has been devoted to the promotion of men's happiness--happiness through justice1 truth1 goodness4 ,whatever prosperity ,i have had came to me almost unconsciously1 certainly not by any wit or wisdom of my own4 ,i am grateful for having lived4 ,i shall go without murmur or discontent4 8,i hope that there will be those who will be sorry when ,i leave1 and those beyond who will be glad when ,i arrive40 ,this same feeling remained with him1 more or less1 though not in so pronounced a form1 through the remainder of his life4 ----- 8,during the whole of the year #ahga ,i was kept in a state of suspense and doubt1 not only as to the future of the family1 for the reunion and happiness of which ,i had striven so earnestly1 but as to the degree to which ,i might be personally subject to attack and misconstruction1 and the trouble be brought into the church and magnified by publicity4 ,the officers of the church sought to investigate ,mr4 ,tilton's religious views and moral conduct4 ,on the latter point ,i had been deceived into the belief that he was not in fault4 ,as to the religious views1 ,i still hoped for a change for the better4 ,it was proposed to drop him from the list of members for non-attendance2 and as he asserted to me his withdrawal1 this might have been done1 but his wife still attended the church and hoped for his restoration4 ,i recollect having with him a conversation in which he dimly hinted to me that he thought it not unlikely that he might go back into his old position4 ,he seemed to be in a mood to regret the past4 ,and so1 when ,i was urged by the ,examining ,committee to take some steps1 ,i said ,i was not without hopes that by patience and kindness ,tilton might come back again into his old church works and be one of us once more4 ,i therefore delayed a decision upon this point for a long time4 ,many of our members were anxious and impatient1 and there were many tokens of trouble from this quarter4 ,meanwhile one wing of the female-suffrage party1 had got hold of his story in a distorted and exaggerated form1 such as had never been intimated to me by ,mr4 ,tilton or his friends4 ,i did not then suspect what ,i now know1 that these atrociously false rumors originated with ,mr4 ,tilton himself4 ,i only saw the evil growing instead of diminishing1 and perceived that while ,i was pledged to silence1 and therefore could not speak in my own defence1 some one was for ever persevering in falsehood1 growing continually in dimensions1 and these difficulties were immensely increased by the affiliation of ,mr4 ,tilton with the extremists in the female-suffrage party4 8,the winter following 7#ahga-gb7 ,mr4 ,tilton returned from the lecture-field in despair4 ,engagements had been cancelled1 invitations withdrawn1 and he spoke of the prejudice and repugnance with which he was everywhere met as indescribable4 ,i urged him to make a prompt repudiation of these women and their doctrines4 ,i told him that no man could rise against the public sentiment with such a load4 ,mr4 ,tilton's vanity seldom allowed him to regard himself as in the wrong or his actions faulty4 ,he could never be made to believe that his failure to rise again was caused by his partnership with these women1 and by his want of sensible work1 which work should make the public feel that he had in him power for good4 ,instead of this he preferred1 or professed1 to think that ,i was using my influence against him1 that ,i was allowing him to be traduced without coming generously to the front to defend him1 and that my friends were working against him2 to which ,i replied that1 unless the laws of mind were changed1 not ,almighty ,god ,himself could lift him into favor if these women must be lifted with him4 ,nevertheless ,i sought in every way to restore peace and concord to the family which ,i was made to feel had been injured by me and was dependent on my influence for recovery4 8,but one thing was constant and apparent--when ,tilton1 by lecturing or otherwise1 was prosperous1 he was very genial and affectionate to me4 ,whenever he met rebuffs and was in pecuniary trouble1 he scowled threateningly upon me as the author of his troubles1 and ,moulton himself seemed at times to accuse me of indifference to ,tilton's misfortunes4 8,i now come in my narrative to give an account of the origin of the somewhat famous tripartite agreement4 ,early in ,february1 #ahgb1 ,mr4 ,tilton returned to the city thoroughly discouraged with the result of his lecturing tour4 ,the ,golden ,age 7a paper organized for ,tilton by his friends71 which had then been established for about twelve months1 had not succeeded1 and was understood to be losing money4 ,his pecuniary obligations were pressing1 and although his claim against ,bowen for the violation of his two contracts had a year previously been put under the exclusive control of ,moulton with a view of settlement1 it had not as yet been effected4 ,about this time ,mr4 ,moulton1 who was sick1 sent for me and showed me a galley-proof of an article1 prepared by ,mr4 ,tilton for the ,golden ,age1 in which he embodied a copy of a letter written by him to ,mr4 ,bowen1 dated ,january #a1 #ahga1 in which he charged ,mr4 ,bowen with making scandalous accusations against my character4 ,this was the first time that ,i had ever seen these charges1 and ,i had never heard of them except by mere rumor1 ,mr4 ,bowen never having1 at any time1 said a word to me on the subject4 ,i was amazed at the proposed publication4 ,i did not then understand the real object of giving circulation to such slanders4 ,my first impression was that ,mr4 ,tilton designed1 under cover of an attack upon me in the name of another1 to open the way for the publication of his own pretended personal grievances4 ,i protested against the publication in the strongest terms1 but was informed that it was not intended as an hostile act to myself1 but to ,mr4 ,bowen4 ,i did not any the less insist upon my protest against this publication4 ,on its being shown to ,mr4 ,bowen he was thoroughly alarmed1 and speedily consented to the appointment of arbitrators to bring about an amicable settlement4 ,the result of this proceeding was that ,mr4 ,bowen paid ,mr4 ,tilton over #g1jjj1 and that a written agreement was entered into by ,bowen1 ,tilton1 and myself of amnesty1 concord1 and future peace4#aa ,it was agreed that the offensive article1 the publication of which had produced such an effect upon ,mr4 ,bowen and secured a settlement1 should be destroyed without seeing the light4 ,it was an act of treachery peculiarly base that this article was permitted to get into hands which would insure its publication1 and that it was published4 ,i was assured that every vestige of it had been destroyed1 nor until a comparatively recent period did ,i understand how ,mr4 ,tilton secured its publication without seeming to be himself responsible for the deed4 ----- ,footnote #aa3 8,we three men1 earnestly desiring to remove all causes of offence existing between us1 real or fancied1 and to make ,christian reparation for injuries done1 or supposed to have been done1 and to efface the disturbed past1 and to provide concord1 good-will1 and love for the future1 do declare and covenant each to the others as follows3 8,i4 ,i1 ,henry ,c4 ,bowen1 having given credit1 perhaps without due consideration1 to tales and innuendoes affecting ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 and being influenced by them1 as was natural to a man who receives impressions suddenly1 to the extent of repeating them 7guardedly1 however1 and within limitations1 and not for the purpose of injuring him1 but strictly in the confidence of consultation71 now feel therein that ,i did him wrong4 8,therefore ,i disavow all the charges and imputations that have been attributed to me1 as having been by me made against ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 and ,i declare fully and without reserve that ,i know nothing which should prevent me from extending to him my most cordial friendship1 confidence1 and ,christian fellowship2 and ,i expressly withdraw all the charges1 imputations1 and innuendoes imputed as having been made and uttered by me1 and set forth in a letter written to me by ,theodore ,tilton on the #ast day of ,january1 #ahga2 and ,i sincerely regret having made any imputations1 charges1 or innuendoes unfavorable to the ,christian character of ,mr4 ,beecher1 and ,i covenant and promise that for all future time ,i will never by word or deed recur to1 repeat1 or allude to any or either of said charges1 imputations1 and innuendoes4 8,,ii4 ,and ,i1 ,theodore ,tilton1 do1 of my own free will and friendly spirit toward ,henry ,c4 ,bowen and ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 hereby covenant and agree that ,i will never again repeat1 by word of mouth or otherwise1 any of the allegations1 or imputations1 or innuendoes contained in my letter hereunto annexed1 or any other injurious imputations or allegations suggested by or growing out of these2 and that ,i will never again bring up or hint at any cause of difference or ground of complaint heretofore existing between the said ,henry ,c4 ,bowen and myself or the said ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 8,,iii4 ,and ,i1 ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 put the past for ever out of sight and out of memory4 ,i deeply regret the causes of suspicion1 jealousy1 and estrangement which have come between us4 ,it is a joy to me to have my old regard for ,henry ,c4 ,bowen and ,theodore ,tilton restored1 and a happiness to me to resume the old relations of love1 respect1 and reliance to each and both of them4 ,if ,i have said anything injurious to the reputation of either1 or have detracted from their standing and fame as ,christian gentlemen and members of my church1 ,i revoke it all1 and heartily covenant to repair and reinstate them to the extent of my power4 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 8,,theodore ,,tilton4 8,,henry ,c4 ,,bowen40 ----- 8,after vainly attempting to obtain money both from myself and my wife as the price of its suppression1 the ,woodhull women published their version of the ,tilton scandal in the ,november of #ahgb4 ,the details given by them were so minute1 though so distorted1 that suspicion was universally directed toward ,mr4 ,tilton as the real author of this1 which he so justly calls #8a wicked and horrible scandal1' though it is not a whit more horrible than that which he has now fathered1 and not half so wicked1 because they did not have personal knowledge of the falsity of their story1 as ,mr4 ,tilton has of his4 8,to rid himself of this incubus ,mr4 ,tilton drew up a voluminous paper called #8,a true statement1' but which was familiarly called #8,tilton's case4' ,tilton's furor for compiling statements was one of my familiar annoyances4 ,moulton used to tell me that the only way to manage him was to let him work off his periodical passion on some such document1 and then to pounce on the document and suppress it4 ,this particular #8true statement' was a special plea in abatement of the prejudices excited by his ,woodhull partnership4 ,it was a muddle of garbled statements1 manufactured documents1 and downright falsehoods4 ,this paper ,i knew he read to many1 and ,i am told that he read it to not less than fifty persons1 in which he did not pretend to charge immorality upon his wife2 on the contrary1 he explicitly denied it and asserted her purity1 but charged me with improper overtures to her4 ,it was this paper which he read to ,dr4 ,storrs1 and poisoned therewith his mind1 thus leading to the attempt to prosecute ,tilton in ,plymouth ,church1 the interference of neighboring churches1 and the calling of the ,congregational ,council4 ,after the ,woodhull story was published1 and while ,mr4 ,tilton seemed really desirous for a short time of protecting his wife1 ,i sent through him the following letter to her3 8#8,,my ,,dear ,,mrs4 ,,tilton3 ,i hoped that you would be shielded from the knowledge of the great wrong that has been done to you1 and through you to universal womanhood4 ,i can hardly bear to speak of it or allude to a matter than which nothing can be imagined more painful to a pure and womanly nature4 ,i pray daily for you 8that your faith fail not40 ,you yourself know the way and the power of prayer4 ,god has been your refuge in many sorrows before4 ,he will now hide you in ,his pavilion until the storm be overpast4 ,the rain that beats down the flower to the earth shall pass at length1 and the stem bent but not broken will rise again and blossom as before4 ,every pure woman on earth will feel that this wanton and unprovoked assault is aimed at you1 but reaches to universal womanhood4 ,meantime your dear children will love you with double tenderness1 and ,theodore1 at whom the shafts are hurled1 will hide you in his heart of hearts4 ,i am glad that revelation from the pit has given him a sight of the danger that was before hidden by spurious appearances and promises of usefulness4 ,may ,god keep him in courage in this arduous struggle which he wages against adversity1 and bring him out through much trial1 like gold seven times fined6 ,i have not spoken of myself4 ,no words could express the sharpness and depth of my sorrow in your behalf1 my dear and honored friend4 ,god walks in the fire by the side of those ,he loves1 and in heaven neither you nor ,theodore nor ,i shall regret the discipline1 how hard soever it may seem now4 ,may ,he restrain and turn those poor creatures who have been given over to do all this sorrowful harm to those who have deserved no such treatment at their hands6 ,i commend you to my mother's ,god1 my dear friend6 ,may ,his smile bring light in darkness1 and ,his love be a perpetual summer to you6 8,very truly yours1 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher40 8,the whole series of events1 beginning with the outbreak of the ,woodhull story1 brought upon me a terrible accumulation of anxieties4 ,everything that had threatened before now started up again with new violence4 ,tilton's behavior was at once inexplicable and uncontrollable4 ,his card #8to a complaining friend' did not produce the effect he pretended to expect from it1 of convincing the public of his great magnanimity4 ,then his infamous article and letter to ,mr4 ,bowen made its appearance in the ,eagle4 ,it had been suggested that the publication of the #8tripartite covenant' would have a good effect in counteracting the slanderous stories about ,mrs4 ,tilton and myself1 which ,tilton professed to regard1 but which his foolish card and the publication of that article had done so much to revive and render mischievous4 ,mr4 ,moulton urged me to get from the gentleman who held the #8tripartite covenant' a copy of it for us1 when suddenly ,mr4 ,wilkeson came out with it on his own responsibility4 ,its publication in this manner ,i made strenuous but unavailing efforts to prevent4 ,he had originally kept a copy of it4 7,everybody in this business seems to have copies of everything except myself47 ,on the appearance of that paper ,tilton went into a rage4 ,it put him1 he said1 in a #8false position' before the public1 and he said he would publish another card giving a statement something like what he afterward wrote to ,dr4 ,bacon--that is1 as ,i recollect the matter1 declaring that ,i had committed an offence1 and that he had been the magnanimous party in the business4 ,it was necessary to decide what to do with him4 ,moulton strongly urged a card from me exonerating ,tilton 7as ,i could honestly do7 from the authorship of the particular scandals detailed in his article to ,mr4 ,bowen and alluded to in the covenant4 8,i said ,i would think it over1 and perhaps write something4 ,this was ,friday or ,saturday4 ,the covenant appeared on ,friday morning1 and the alarm was sounded on me immediately that ,tilton would do something dreadful if not restrained4 ,on ,sunday ,i had made up my mind to write to ,mr4 ,moulton the following letter1 garbled extracts of which are given in ,mr4 ,tilton's statement3 8#8,,sunday ,,morning1 ,june #a1 #ahgc4 8#8,,my ,,dear ,,frank3 ,the whole earth is tranquil and the heaven is serener1 as befits one who has about finished this world-life4 8#8,i could do nothing on ,saturday4 ,my head was confused4 8#8,but a good sleep has made it like crystal4 ,i have determined to make no more resistance4 ,theodore's temperament is such that the future1 even if temporarily earned1 would be absolutely worthless1 filled with abrupt changes1 and rendering me liable at any hour or day to be obliged to stultify all the devices by which we saved ourselves4 8#8,it is only fair that he should know that the publication of the card which he proposes would leave him far worse off than before4 ,the agreement was made after my letter through you was written4 ,he had had it a year4 ,he had condoned his wife's fault4 ,he had enjoined upon me with the utmost earnestness and solemnity not to betray his wife nor leave his children to a blight4 ,i had honestly and earnestly joined in the purpose4 8#8,then this settlement was made and signed by him ,tripartite4 ,it was not my making4 ,he revised his part so that it should wholly suit him1 and signed it4 ,it stood unquestioned and unblamed for more than a year4 ,then it was published4 ,nothing but that4 ,that which he did in private1 when made public excited him to fury1 and he charges me with making him appear as one graciously pardoned by me6 ,it was his own deliberate act1 with which he was perfectly content till others saw it1 and then he charges a grievous wrong home on me6 8#8,my mind is clear2 ,i am not in haste4 ,i shall write for the public a statement that will bear the light of the judgment day4 ,god will take care of me and mine4 ,when ,i look on earth it is deep night4 ,when ,i look to the heavens above ,i see the morning breaking4 ,but1 oh6 that ,i could put in golden letters my deep sense of your faithful1 earnest1 undying fidelity1 your disinterested friendship6 ,your noble wife1 too1 has been one of ,god's comforters4 ,it is such as she that renews a waning faith in womanhood4 8#8,now1 ,frank1 ,i would not have you waste any more energy on a hopeless task4 ,with such a man as ,t4 ,t4 there is no possible salvation for any that depend on him4 ,with a strong nature1 he does not know how to govern it4 ,with generous impulses1 the undercurrent that rules him is self4 ,with ardent affections1 he cannot love long that which does not repay but with admiration and praise4 ,with a strong theatric nature1 he is constantly imposed upon with the idea that a position1 a great stroke--a coup d'tat--is the way to success4 ,besides these he has a hundred good things about him1 but these named traits make him absolutely unreliable4 ,therefore there is no use in further trying4 ,i have a strong feeling upon me1 and it brings great peace with it1 that ,i am spending my last ,sunday and preaching my last sermon4 ,dear1 good ,god1 ,i thank ,thee6 ,i am indeed beginning to see rest and triumph4 ,the pain of life is but a moment2 the glory of the everlasting emancipation is wordless1 inconceivable1 full of breaking glory4 ,o my beloved ,frank6 ,i shall know you then1 and for ever hold fellowship with you1 and look back and smile at the past4 ,your loving ,h4 ,w4 ,b4' 8,there are intimations at the beginning and end of this letter that ,i felt the approach of death4 ,with regard to that ,i merely refer to my previous statement concerning my bodily symptoms1 and add that on this day ,i felt symptoms upon me4 ,the main point is that ,i was worried out with the whole business1 and would have been glad to escape by death1 of which ,i long had little dread4 ,i could see no end but death to the accumulation of torture1 but ,i resolved to stop short and waste no more time in making matters worse4 ,i felt that ,mr4 ,moulton had better stop1 too1 and let the whole thing come out4 ,i determined1 then1 to make a full and true statement1 which ,i now make1 and to leave the result with ,god4 ,mr4 ,tilton had repeatedly urged me1 as stated in my letter1 not to betray his wife1 and ,i felt bound by every sense of honor1 in case ,i should be pressed by inquiries from my church or family as to the foundations of rumors which might reach them1 to keep this promise4 ,by this promise ,i meant only that ,i would not betray the excessive affection which his wife1 as ,i had been told1 had conceived for me and had confessed to him4 ,in reply to this note1 which was calm and reserved rather than gloomy1 ,mr4 ,moulton wrote that same day a letter of three and a half sheets of copy-paper4 ,he began as follows3 8#8,,my ,,dear ,,friend3 ,you know ,i have never been in sympathy with the mood out of which you have often spoken as you have written this morning4 ,if the truth must be spoken let it be4 ,i know you can stand if the whole case was published to-morrow1 and in my opinion it shows a selfish faith in ,god4' 8,having proceeded thus far1 ,mr4 ,moulton seems to have perceived that the tone of this letter was rather likely to encourage me in my determination to publish the whole case than otherwise2 and as this was opposed to the whole line of his policy1 he crossed out with one dash of the pencil the whole of this and commenced anew1 writing the following letter3 8#8,,sunday1 ,june #a1 #ahgc4 8#8,,my ,,dear ,,friend3 ,your letter makes this first ,sabbath of summer dark and cold like a vault4 ,you have never inspired me with courage or hope1 and if ,i had listened to you alone my hands would have dropped helpless long ago4 ,you don't begin to be in the danger to-day that has faced you many times before4 ,if you now look at it square in the eyes it will cower and slink away again4 ,you know that ,i have never been in sympathy with1 but that ,i absolutely abhor1 the unmanly mood out of which your letter of this morning came4 ,this mood is a reservoir of mildew4 ,you can stand it if the whole case were published to-morrow4 ,in my opinion it shows only a selfish faith in ,god to go whining into heaven1 if you could1 with a truth that you are not courageous enough1 with ,god's help and faith in ,god1 to try to live on earth4 ,you know that ,i love you1 and because ,i do ,i shall try and try and try as in the past4 ,you are mistaken when you say that #8,theodore charges you with making him appear as one graciously pardoned by you4' ,he said the form in which it was published in some of the papers made it so appear1 and it was from this that he asked relief4 ,i do not think it impossible to frame a letter which will cover the case4 ,may ,god bless you6 ,i know ,he will protect you4 ,,frank4' 8,in the haste of writing ,mr4 ,moulton apparently failed to perceive what he had already written4 ,in the first instance1 he wrote on one side of a half-sheet of paper1 then1 turning it over1 inadvertently used the clean side of that half-sheet for the purpose of the letter1 which he sent in the final shape above given4 ,but it will be seen that he deliberately1 and twice in succession1 reaffirmed his main statement that there was nothing in the whole case on which ,i could not safely stand4 ,he treats my resolution as born of such morbid despair1 as he had often reproached me for1 and urged me strongly to maintain my faith in him4 ,tilton yielded to his persuasion1 and graciously allowed himself to be soothed by the publication of a card exonerating him from the authorship of the base lies to which the tripartite covenant referred4 ,so once more1 and this time against my calmer judgment1 ,i patched up a hollow peace with him4 8,that ,i have grievously erred in judgment with this perplexed case no one is more conscious than ,i am4 ,i chose the wrong path1 and accepted a disastrous guidance in the beginning1 and have indeed travelled on a #8rough and ragged edge' in my prolonged efforts to suppress this scandal1 which has at last spread so much desolation through the land4 ,but ,i cannot admit that ,i erred in desiring to keep these matters out of sight4 ,in this respect ,i appeal to all ,christian men1 to judge whether almost any personal sacrifice ought not to have been made1 rather than to suffer the morals of an entire community1 and especially of the young1 to be corrupted by the filthy details of scandalous falsehoods1 daily iterated and amplified1 for the gratification of impure curiosity1 and the demoralization of every child that is old enough to read4 8,the full truth of this history requires that one more fact should be told1 especially as ,mr4 ,tilton has invited it4 ,money has been obtained from me in the course of these affairs1 in considerable sums2 but ,i did not1 at first1 look upon the suggestions that ,i should contribute to ,mr4 ,tilton's pecuniary wants1 as savoring of blackmail4 ,afterward ,i contributed at one time #e1jjj1 which ,i came to do in this way3 ,there was a discussion about the ,golden ,age4 ,moulton was constantly advancing money1 as he said to me1 to help ,tilton4 ,the paper was needy4 ,one evening ,i was at his house4 ,we were alone together in the back parlor1 and ,moulton took out of his pocket a letter from ------4 ,it was read to me1 in which the writer mentioned contributions which he had made to ,theodore4 ,i understood from him1 that the writer of this letter had given him some thousands of dollars down in cash1 and then taking out two time-checks or drafts1 which1 as ,i recollected1 were on bluish paper--although ,i am not sure of that4 ,there were two checks1 each of them amounting to one or two thousand dollars more1 and ,i should think it amounted in all to about six thousand dollars1 although my memory about quantities and figures is to be taken with great allowance2 but it produced the impression in me1 that the writer had given him one or two thousand dollars in cash down1 and1 as the writer explained in the letter1 it was not convenient to give the balance in money at that time1 but had drawn time-drafts1 which would be just as useful as money2 and ,moulton slapped the table and said1 #8,that is what ,i call friendship1' and ,i was stupid1 and said1 #8,yes1 it was4' ,afterward1 when ,i got home1 ,i got to thinking about it4 #8,why1' said ,i1 #8what a fool6 ,i never dreamed what he meant4' ,then ,i went to him and said to him1 #8,i am willing to make a contribution and put the thing beyond a controversy4' ,well1 he said something like this3 #8,that he thought it would be the best investment that ever ,i made in my life4' ,i then went to the savings-bank and put a mortgage of five thousand dollars on my house4 ,i took a check which was given me by the bank's lawyer1 and put it into the bank1 and1 on ,moulton's suggestion that it would be better than to have a check drawn to his order1 ,i drew the money in five-hundred-dollar or one-thousand-dollar bills--,i have forgotten which1 but ,i know that they were large1 for ,i carried the roll in my hand--and these ,i gave into his hands4 ,after the money had been given to ,mr4 ,moulton1 ,i felt very much dissatisfied4 ,finally a square demand and a threat was made to one of my confidential friends1 that if #e1jjj more were not paid1 ,tilton's charges would be laid before the public4 ,this ,i saw at once was blackmail in its boldest form1 and ,i never paid a cent of it1 but challenged and requested the fullest exposure40 ,as we have seen1 the 8,woodhull scandal10 at the secret instigation of ,tilton1 was published late in ,october1 #ahgb4 ,on the #b;d of ,november ,dr4 ,storrs wrote to ,mr4 ,beecher3 8,,my ,,dear ,,beecher3 ,i hear from different quarters that scandalous and annoying publications have been made about you4 8,if they are such as to trouble you1 and if ,i can at any time be of any service to you1 you know1 of course1 that you have only to intimate the wish to get all the help that ,i can give1 on any occasion or in any way4 ,ever affectionately yours1 8,r4 ,s4 ,,storrs1 ,,jr40 ,at this time ,mr4 ,beecher felt that he was bound in honor to be silent4 ,it was not until the spring of #ahgc1 when realizing that ,tilton was industriously1 in person1 and through his friends1 whispering tales against his character1 and stimulating the publication of the scandal1 that he felt himself relieved from this obligation4 ,then he published a card in the ,brooklyn ,eagle1 emphatically branding the stories as false and challenging the production of any evidence against him4 ,but1 at the time of ,dr4 ,storrs's letter1 to say a little and not say all1 would be worse than silence1 while to confide the whole matter to ,dr4 ,storrs would necessitate repeating the statements against ,tilton and ,bowen1 which would be a breach of the tripartite agreement 7a pledge which he alone had observed74 ,he did not call on the doctor or answer the letter4 ,he kept silent4 ,a short time later 7,december #af7 ,tilton called upon ,dr4 ,storrs with a friend1 and read to him his so-called 8true statement10 which1 as we have seen1 he had drawn up to counteract1 as he pretended1 the ,woodhull scandal4 ,in this he asserted most positively his wife's innocence1 and charged ,mr4 ,beecher with 8improper proposals40 ,the effect of this interview played an important part in the subsequent events4 ,we are not aware that ,dr4 ,storrs ever went directly to his old friend and laid what he had heard before him1 or indignantly denied the charges as a slander2 but1 on the contrary1 almost in the face of his letter of ,november #b;d proffering aid1 he lent his ear to tales1 carried by such a man as he knew ,tilton to be2 and we very soon find him acting1 in conjunction with ,dr4 ,budington1 as the recognized champion and adviser of ,mr4 ,beecher's enemies2 his hostility1 later on1 ripening into the most intense personal bitterness1 the fierce heat of which seemed to grow stronger rather than weaker as years rolled by1 and did not seem to abate even when the cold hand of death fell upon his former friend4 ,we have searched in vain for any reasonable justification for this sudden change1 from the most glowing friendship1 to the most scorching enmity4 ,we feel unwilling to believe the commonly accepted theory of jealousy1 while the doctor's own suggestion that his feelings were hurt by ,mr4 ,beecher's neglect of his friendly overtures1 seems belittling to a man so gifted and refined1 and one cast in so large an intellectual mould4 ,we say that injured feelings were the reason suggested2 for when1 about a year later1 he appeared in open hostility to ,mr4 ,beecher1 and wondering friends inquired the reason1 he stated in effect that he felt hurt by ,mr4 ,beecher's neglect to even answer his friendly letter 7of ,november #b1 #ahgb71 though admitting that it did not necessarily call for an answer4 ,later1 after the publication of the scandal1 ,mr4 ,beecher explained to both ,drs4 ,storrs and ,budington the reason for his silence1 which explanation they then professed to accept as satisfactory4#ab ,on ,november #g1 #ahgc1 a friend of both ,dr4 ,storrs and ,mr4 ,beecher called on the doctor1 to whom he stated that while ,mr4 ,beecher's enemies had come to him1 and he had not felt it right to refuse to hear what any one had to say1 ,mr4 ,beecher's friends had not come near him2 that he himself 7,dr4 ,s47 had never once commenced a conversation with any one on this subject1 and that he was sorry that he could not see this affair as ,mr4 ,beecher's friends did1 and wished he could believe that he was suffering for the sins of others4 ----- ,footnote #ab3 ,this occurred early in #ahgd1 when ,drs4 ,storrs and ,budington were in conference with ,mr4 ,beecher1 seeking for some way of avoiding the complications between the three churches1 which ultimately led to the ,advisory ,council of #ahgd4 ,during this period they addressed ,mr4 ,beecher in their letters as 8,my dear ,brother10 joined with him in prayer asking for divine guidance out of the existing complications4 ,neither of them intimated any belief in the scandalous stories then afloat1 but put the whole burden of their complaint on the ground of discourtesy1 and1 when ,mr4 ,beecher explained his reasons for silence and the pledge he felt himself to be under1 expressed themselves as fully satisfied1 and as late as #ahgf their clerical friends understood that their hostility grew out of feelings hurt by fancied neglect1 and not from a belief in any guilt on the part of ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,see ,dr4 ,bacon's letter of ,february #bg1 #ahgf1 page #eei4 ----- ,from his own statement1 then1 it would seem that he gave his ear to the tale-bearer1 listening to all that was brought to him by ,mr4 ,beecher's enemies1 but he himself never once sought for information from ,mr4 ,beecher's friends4 ,about the first of ,june1 #ahgc1 ,mr4 ,beecher had become satisfied that there was no longer any use of trying to help ,mr4 ,tilton1 his eyes being at last opened to the fact1 that ,tilton had been deceiving him right along1 and little by little had been dealing scandalous stories out to the public4 ,he declared that he would stand it no longer1 and when it was stated that ,mrs4 ,woodhull had implicating letters from him he published the following card in the ,brooklyn ,eagle3 8,i have just returned to the city to learn that application has been made to ,mrs4 ,victoria ,woodhull for letters of mine supposed to contain information respecting certain infamous stories against me4 ,i have no objection to have the ,eagle state1 in any way it deems fit1 that ,mrs4 ,woodhull1 or any other person or persons who may have letters of mine in their possession1 have my cordial consent to publish them4 ,in this connection1 and at this time1 ,i will only add that the stories and rumors which for some time past have been circulated about me are grossly untrue1 and ,i stamp them1 in general and in particular1 as utterly false4 8,respectfully1 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 8,,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 ,june #cj1 #ahgc40 ,at this time the stories afloat were vague and general4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,after-,effects--,charges against ,tilton--,advisory ,council--,investigating ,committee called by ,mr4 ,beecher--,its ,report--,dropping ,mr4 ,moulton--,council called by ,plymouth ,church4 ,in ,october1 #ahgc1 formal charges were preferred against ,theodore ,tilton1 by ,plymouth ,church1 for slandering his pastor4 ,he replied to the clerk of the church1 that he was not1 and for four or more years had not been1 a member of the church4 ,the church then voted to drop his name from the rolls1 agreeably to the provisions of its manual1 relating to such cases4 ,most of the sister churches were content that ,plymouth ,church should attend to her own affairs in her own way4 ,not so the ,church of the ,pilgrims 7,dr4 ,storrs7 and the ,clinton ,avenue ,church 7,dr4 ,budington74 ,they felt themselves outraged by this action of ,plymouth1 in omitting to try the charges preferred against ,tilton4 ,special meetings were called in these churches1 and a committee of seven appointed in each1 to formulate1 and send1 a letter of remonstrance to ,plymouth ,church4 ,after a considerable1 but ineffectual correspondence between the churches1 and consultations between the pastors1 looking to an amicable adjustment of their differences1 the two dissatisfied churches called the 8,advisory ,council0 of #ahgd1 to advise them as to their course toward ,plymouth ,church4 ,while the correspondence and conferences referred to were going on1 a very serious difficulty broke out in ,dr4 ,budington's church1 which at one time threatened to split it asunder4 ,a large number of influential members denounced the manner of calling the special meeting1 at which the committee of seven was appointed1 and by which the church was committed to its position of hostility to ,plymouth1 as being irregular1 and in violation of their own rules4#ac ,this led to a number of stormy meetings1 in which great bitterness was felt and expressed on both sides4 ----- ,footnote #ac3 ,they presented a formal protest1 which1 after rehearsing the action of their pastor in calling the special meeting1 concluded3 8,,we ,,protest1 8,because the committee was not appointed by the church2 8,because its action has never been approved by the church2 8,because the substance and form of the documents it has prepared have not been authorized even by the instructions given at irregular and invalid gatherings1 until it was too late to offer criticism or objection2 8,because these documents1 neither authorized in advance nor subsequently approved by this church1 have apparently committed it to an attitude1 and pledged it in advance to acts of antagonism and censure towards a near and beloved sister church1 never contemplated or desired1 still less resolved upon1 by this church2 8,because the question of discipline1 originally raised as a matter of controversy1 is one upon which the record of this church is such as to make it especially necessary that we should proceed with great circumspection when seeking to advise or censure other churches--it being our own practice to drop members for absence1 without censure1 at every annual meeting 7,manual1 sec4 #f1 art4 #b71 and the practice having extended in the past1 as we are informed1 to members at the time currently reported to be under grave charges4 8,the whole management of this case has misrepresented the spirit of this church1 defeated its just right of self-government1 suppressed the honest and free expression of individual opinion1 and tended to subject the church to the control of a few members1 without regard to the convictions of the remainder4 8,we1 therefore1 denounce the action of the committee as a dangerous attack upon ,christian liberty and ,congregational polity2 and we declare it to be1 and to have been from the beginning1 null and void40 ----- ,mr4 ,beecher1 instead of fomenting this difficulty--which might easily have been made the means of turning the tables upon his clerical critics1 and forcing them from the attack to the defensive--or even sitting still1 to await any advantages that might accrue to him or his church1 came at once to ,dr4 ,budington's relief4 ,on ,january #abth he wrote to a prominent member of the latter's church1 urging in the strongest terms that both the doctor1 and the protestants1 should seek for some intermediate ground on which they could meet in peace1 and that the best men of the church should join to avert the catastrophe which seemed impending4 ,he also wrote an earnest letter to ,dr4 ,storrs1 that he should join with him in seeking the peace and unity of ,dr4 ,budington's church4 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,beecher and his ,sister1 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,e4 ,b4 ,stowe4 ,at the same time he wrote a long letter directly to ,dr4 ,budington1 in which1 among other things1 he said3 8 444 ,i pray you not to think that ,i am intruding on your affairs1 or that ,i am indelicate in offering to do anything ,i can4 444 ,now let me assure you1 my dear friend1 that my first and last desire1 as ,god sees my heart1 is to see your church harmonious1 and to see you more honored and firmly seated in the affection of your people than ever4 ,i suppose ,i do not exaggerate in saying that there is a large number of your people who are aggrieved1 and that they1 like yourself1 stand upon a sincere conscience4 ,ought there not to be a way among those who have the humility of ,christ to conciliate and to reconcile difficulties8 ,and1 my dear brother1 ought not you1 as teacher and leader of this flock1 to be a leader in self-abnegation1 in tender regard for those who differ with you1 in overcoming evil with good1 in subduing opposition by love8 8,pardon me1 ,i pray you4 ,i long to see your power augmented and your name1 now honorable1 still more honored4444 ,i count the integrity of your church and your continued usefulness in it as a blessing1 which cannot be lost without great blame somewhere1 and if ,i can help you ,i will do it with all the earnestness of my nature6 ,i long for restored peace in our churches4 8,the peace which love brings is full of the fruits of the ,spirit4 ,i think much of you2 ,i pray for you in the watches of the night6 ,if ,i could help you effectually ,i should count it worth all that ,i have suffered6 ,i pray you do not put me from you1 but let my heart be strengthened and comforted by the reciprocal love of yours4 8,i am1 dear brother1 8,truly yours1 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher40 ,he also advised such of his friends in ,dr4 ,budington's church as he met1 to the same effect4 ,ultimately the storm blew over1 though a feeling of soreness remained in the ,clinton ,avenue ,church for a long time4 ,on ,march #bd1 #ahgd1 the ,advisory ,council convened in ,dr4 ,budington's church4 ,plymouth ,church had been invited to be present at the council by pastor and committee1 8to correct any statement of fact that may seem to them erroneous1 and to furnish any further and special information the council may request40 ,to this ,plymouth ,church replied 8that the calling of this ex-parte council to consider the affairs of a church which has not declined a mutual council is the consummation of a course of proceedings against which1 as irregular and unwarrantable1 we have felt bound to protest from the beginning4 ,that we recognize in the statement1 the letter-missive1 and the invitation as in former communications addressed to us1 a persistent attempt to put this church under accusation and on trial1 and that we cannot accept the invitation of these two churches to appear before a council in the calling of which we have been permitted to take no part1 in which we have not been offered the right of equal members1 and in which we are not even allowed to be ordinary defendants1 but only to be witnesses to correct errors and answer questions propounded to us40 ,on the #bhth the council made its 8deliverance10 but so like a ,delphic oracle that neither its friends nor its foes seemed able to agree upon its exact meaning4 ,as nearly as we can make out from the 8deliverance0 itself1 and the comments made upon it by members of the council1 it was to the effect3 #a4 ,that ,plymouth ,church was not en regle in its disposal of ,mr4 ,tilton's case2 #b4 ,that the two sister-churches were unwise and hasty2 and #c4 ,that ,plymouth ,church should not be read out of fellowship4 ,very shortly after the adjournment of the council a series of letters were written by ,dr4 ,bacon1 of ,new ,haven1 and published in the ,independent1 which reflected very strongly upon ,mr4 ,tilton1 who1 in the latter part of ,june1 published a statement in which he made an open charge2 in this he declared that ,mr4 ,beecher had committed an offence against him which he forbore to name4 ,this was the first public charge made by ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,up to this time the stories afloat were vague and indefinite1 impossible of tracing to their source4 ,mr4 ,beecher was absent from the city when ,tilton's statement was published1 but1 returning the next day1 at once sent the following to the gentlemen named therein3 8,,brooklyn1 ,june #bg1 #ahgd4 0,,gentlemen3 ,in the present state of public feeling ,i owe it4 to my friends1 and to the church and the society over which ,i am pastor1 to have some proper investigation made of the rumors1 insinuations1 or charges made respecting my conduct1 as compromised by the late publications made by ,mr4 ,tilton4 ,i have thought that both the church and the society should be represented1 and ,i take the liberty of asking the following gentlemen to serve in this inquiry1 and to do that which truth and justice may require4 ,i beg that each of the gentlemen named will consider this as if it had been separately and personally sent to him1 namely3 8,from the ,church--,henry ,w4 ,sage1 ,augustus ,storrs1 ,henry ,m4 ,cleveland4 8,from the ,society--,horace ,b4 ,claflin1 ,john ,winslow1 ,s4 ,v4 ,white4 8,i desire you1 when you have satisfied yourselves by an impartial and thorough examination of all sources of evidence1 to communicate to the ,examining ,committee1 or to the church1 such action as then may seem to you right and wise4 0,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher48 ,these names were selected after conference with the ,examining ,committee of the church1 most of them being suggested by that committee4 ,two of the gentlemen named were members of the ,examining ,committee1 which immediately ratified the selection1 and by formal vote made them a sub-committee of its own4 ,after the committee had been organized and begun its examination ,mr4 ,beecher wrote and sent the following letter3 0,,gentlemen ,,of ,,the ,,committee3 ,in the note requesting your appointment ,i asked that you should make full investigation of all sources of information4 ,you are witnesses that ,i have in no way influenced or interfered with your proceedings or duties4 ,i have wished the investigation to be so searching that nothing could unsettle its results4 ,i have nothing to gain by any policy of suppression or compromise4 8,for four years ,i have borne and suffered enough1 and ,i will not go a step further4 ,i will be free4 ,i will not walk under a rod or yoke4 ,if any man would do me a favor1 let him tell all he knows now4 ,it is not mine to lay down the law of honor in regard to the use of other persons' confidential communications2 but1 in so far as my own writings are concerned1 there is not a letter nor document which ,i am afraid to have exhibited1 and ,i authorize any and call upon any living person to produce and print forthwith1 whatever writings they have from any source whatsoever4 8,it is time1 for the sake of decency and of public morals1 that this matter should be brought to an end4 ,it is an open pool of corruption1 exhaling deadly vapors4 8,for six weeks the nation has risen up and sat down upon scandal4 ,not a great war nor a revolution could more have filled the newspapers than this question of domestic trouble2 magnified a thousandfold1 and1 like a sore spot in the human body1 drawing to itself every morbid humor in the blood4 ,whoever is buried with it1 it is time that this abomination be buried below all touch or power of resurrection40 ,the committee commenced their sittings on the #bhth of ,june and did not complete their report until the #bhth day of ,august4 ,the committee requested the attendance of thirty-six witnesses1 and endeavored to obtain such facts as were relevant to the inquiry from all attainable sources of evidence4 ,in their report they stated that 8most of the persons named have attended as requested before the committee4 ,one notable exception is ,francis ,b4 ,carpenter4 ,francis ,d4 ,moulton promised to testify fully1 but has failed to do so4 ,he has submitted three short statements in writing to the committee1 consisting chiefly of reasons why he declined to testify1 and of promises to testify at the call of the committee4 ,the committee have called him three times1 with the results stated4 ,in addition to the evidence of the persons named1 we have examined a considerable number of letters and other documentary evidence which1 in some way1 were supposed to relate to the subject-matter of inquiry4 ,we have held in the prosecution of our investigations twenty-eight sessions40 ,mr4 ,tilton appeared and presented a partial statement1 finally refusing any further examination4 ,mrs4 ,tilton was examined1 and most emphatically and solemnly denied the charge which her husband had made4 ,mr4 ,beecher was also examined2 the substance of his statement we have already presented4 ,while the committee was in session1 and on the #bast of ,july1 ,mr4 ,tilton published a statement in the ,brooklyn ,argus1 in which for the first time he made the specific charge of adultery4 ,up to this time1 in his private statements1 he had charged 8improper proposals02 this statement he had made repeatedly1 in confidence1 to many different persons1 and had incorporated in his so-called 8true statement10 which he had shown to several2 in this1 in the most positive manner1 he had denied that his wife had been guilty4 ,the reason for this change of position will be made apparent later4 ,the committee in their report1 after exhaustively reviewing the evidence1 concluded3 ,we find from the evidence that ,mr4 ,beecher has never committed any unchaste or improper act with ,mrs4 ,tilton1 nor made any unchaste or improper remark1 proffer1 or solicitation to her of any kind or description whatever4 8,if this were a question of errors of judgment on the part of ,mr4 ,beecher1 it would be easy to criticise1 especially in the light of recent events4 ,in such criticism1 even to the extent of regrets and censure1 we are sure no man would join more sincerely than ,mr4 ,beecher himself4 8,we find nothing whatever in the evidence that should impair the perfect confidence of ,plymouth ,church or the world in the ,christian character and integrity of ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 8,and now let the peace of ,god1 that passeth all understanding1 rest and abide with ,plymouth ,church and her beloved and eminent pastor1 so much and so long afflicted4 8,,henry ,w4 ,,sage1 8,,augustus ,,storrs1 8,,henry ,m4 ,,cleveland1 ,committee of 8,,horace ,b4 ,,claflin1 ,investigation4 8,,john ,,winslow1 8,s4 ,v4 ,,white1 8,dated ,,brooklyn1 ,aug4 #bg1 #ahgd40 ,this report1 with its conclusions1 was presented to the church on ,friday evening1 the #bhth1 and accepted with great enthusiasm by a unanimous vote1 the immense throng1 nearly three thousand in number1 rising en masse when the vote was put4 ,the terrible struggle in silence had passed1 and to ,mr4 ,beecher the relief at feeling that he could speak out in his own defence was unutterable4 ,he spoke of it often and strongly3 8,and what was most singular was that when the church came into the eclipse ,i came out of it4 ,i had had my time when ,i was dumb and opened not my mouth1 and was led as a sheep to the slaughter2 but when the trouble came upon the whole church1 with its intense suffering1 there came to me emancipation4 ,god was pleased to uphold me as ,i walked alone and in silence1 and afterwards ,he gave me such relief that during the two or three years in which the church was shrouded in great anxiety ,i was filled with trust and courage1 and was enabled all the time to lift up the church and carry it hopefully along from ,sabbath to ,sabbath40 8 444 ,i have rolled off my burden2 ,i am in the hands of ,god2 ,i am certain of salvation and safety in ,god1 and ,i do not give it any lower application2 but ,i am hidden in ,his pavilion1 ,i am surrounded by ,his peace1 and ,i have got back1 through storms and troubles1 to the simplicity and the quiet enjoyment which belonged to me many years ago4 ,my thought1 my feeling1 and my soul run very quiet2 and it is the result1 not so much of any visible and external thing1 as that ,i am sure ,i am surrounded by the hand of my ,god4 ,i live in ,him1 and ,he lives in me1 and ,he gives me the promised peace40 ,the publication of ,mr4 ,beecher's statement 7a short time prior to the committee's report7 was as great a relief to ,mr4 ,beecher's friends1 as the opportunity to make it had been to him4 ,many who trusted him implicitly1 believing that there was some reason for his silence1 could not but wonder what it might be2 and when they learned that he had suffered reproach in silence1 rather than open the doors to the vile flood which would deluge the land1 bringing sorrow to hundreds of homes1 unwilling to violate the pledge he had given to ,tilton and ,bowen until the former's treachery at last compelled him1 their loving confidence and sympathy were only intensified4 ,the clouds of mystery had been cleared away1 and all was plain as noonday4 ,we have room to quote but one of the many letters received1 as an apt expression of the feelings produced by the statement4 ,we give entire the letter of ,president ,porter1 of ,yale ,college3 8,,lake ,,placid1 ,,new ,,york4 0,,my ,,dear ,,mr4 ,,beecher3 ,i have been on the point of writing to you for the last few weeks1 from time to time1 to express my unabated confidence and my increasing sympathy for you in your great trial2 but ,i have refrained1 knowing that you were too much occupied to listen to anything except necessary advice4 ,but ,i have just read your statement1 and am more than satisfied with it4 ,it would be a slight thing to say that ,i believe it to be true4 ,i do not read for myself1 but for the world at large4 ,i believe it will be accepted as true by all1 except sons of ,belial1 and those who have been committed against you in decided partisanship4 ,more than this3 ,i think that it will secure you the warm sympathy of multitudes whom you have not reached1 or only slightly1 before this1 and that you will be held in higher honor than ever for integrity of purpose and generosity of self-sacrifice1 and that your example1 while it will teach discretion from your weakness1 will enforce1 in a manifestly more impressive way1 the dignity and strength of a willingness to suffer in silence1 that others might be spared4 ,i believe the ,lord will make your latter days better than in the beginning 7as is said of ,job71 and if you are willing to stop doing twice as much as any mortal should attempt1 your pulpit and pastoral influence will be more blessed than ever4 8,most affectionately1 your friend1 8,,noah ,,porter40 ,early in the sessions of the committee ,mr4 ,tilton withdrew--as we understand1 not liking to be followed up on cross-examination--threatening to institute legal proceedings against ,mr4 ,beecher1 and1 as preliminary thereto1 published his statement of ,july #ba4 ,we have alluded to the fact that at this stage ,tilton wholly changed the nature of his charge4 ,in all the stories which he and ,moulton had told to various friends at different times1 and in the statements which he had prepared and shown in confidence1 the charge was always 8improper proposals0 and an emphatic assertion of his wife's innocence4 ,now he proposed to stake all on one cast of the dice4 ,he would bring a suit1 and1 if he could get no more help1 he would at least1 so his vanity and ,mr4 ,beecher's evil-wishers assured him1 crush ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,indeed1 he and ,moulton were cornered1 and must resort to some desperate measures or surrender themselves to everlasting infamy4 ,had they been left to themselves1 it is perhaps doubtful if they would have attempted so desperate a remedy1 even in self-defence2 but there were those1 not a few1 who egged them on1 contributing to the expense of the suit1 glad to keep up the attack on ,mr4 ,beecher1 provided only their names were not brought out4 ,but an action at law would not lie for merely 8improper proposals02 it must go further than that4 ,the case must be reconstructed4 ,in no published statement1 up to this time1 had ,tilton made any definite charge4 ,now he would put his charge in such shape as would serve the purposes of a suit2 hence the statement of ,july #ba1 followed by a similar statement from ,moulton published in the ,graphic on ,august #ba4 ,the same day ,tilton began his action against ,mr4 ,beecher1 placing his damages at #ajj1jjj4 ,on the #c;d of ,october both ,tilton and ,moulton were indicted for criminal libel by the ,grand ,jury of ,kings ,county1 on ,mr4 ,beecher's complaint4 7,after the failure of the jury to agree in the civil suit1 this was nolle-prossed47 ,tilton's suit came on for trial the #fth of ,january1 #ahge1 before ,judge ,joseph ,neilson1 of the ,brooklyn ,city ,court4 ,it is not necessary to go into the details of this trial4 ,the same evidence1 substantially1 was presented as was received by the investigating committee1 and as appeared in the published statements4 ,for six months the case occupied the time of the court and jury1 the testimony covering several thousand pages of printed matter4 ,the case was submitted to the jury the #bdth day of ,june4 ,for nine days the jury strove to reach an agreement1 finally being discharged the #b;d day of ,july1 standing three for plaintiff and nine for defendant4 ,we are informed1 on the authority of one of the jurors1 that several times they stood eleven to one in defendant's favor1 and once all agreed on a verdict for defendant1 when a juror unfortunately remarked that his son had wagered a large sum on a verdict for the defendant2 this statement split the jury at once1 and from thence on they remained three to nine1 until they were discharged4 ,the case was never brought to trial again1 the plaintiff wholly abandoning it4 ,it is well known that after plaintiff had abandoned his case1 his leading counsel1 ,hon4 ,william ,a4 ,beach1 frequently and publicly declared that the trial of the cause had convinced him of ,mr4 ,beecher's innocence1 and that he felt as though they had been a pack of hounds trying to pull down a noble lion4 ,five years later he expressed similar views to the writer4 ,in the course of the trial ,mrs4 ,moulton took the stand against ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,with downcast eye1 and hesitating voice1 she corroborated her husband4 ,before the trial she withdrew from the public service of ,plymouth ,church1 and became a constant attendant at the ,church of the ,pilgrims 7,dr4 ,storrs74 ,plymouth ,church could no longer tolerate her within its membership4 ,it was fully believed that1 under the coercion of her husband1 she had committed perjury during the trial1 and had grossly slandered her pastor4 ,this would have been the ground of charges against her1 but the church was advised that to try her on any charge based upon her testimony in court1 while the suit was still pending 7plaintiff's attorneys had renoticed the cause for a new trial1 shortly after the disagreement71 might involve them in a contempt of court1 and1 in any event1 would be construed as an attempt to intimidate one of plaintiff's most important witnesses4 ,but1 since she had persistently absented herself from the services of the church1 she could be dropped under the seventh rule of the church manual4 ,she was accordingly notified of the proposed action of the church and invited to be present on the #dth of ,november4 ,after hearing her defence through her legal counsel1 her name was dropped from the rolls by a vote of the church4 ,she at once demanded a mutual council1 to be called by ,plymouth ,church and herself4 ,plymouth ,church protested against ,drs4 ,storrs's and ,budington's churches participating therein1 both of whom she had named1 on the ground that they were obviously committed to her side and could not be impartial1 but at the same time stated that they would go on with the council4 ,mrs4 ,moulton declined unless the protest were withdrawn4 ,this being refused1 she withdrew4 ,about this time it was being rumored in certain circles1 and notably in ,boston1 that ,mr4 ,beecher and his church had some great secret that they were concealing from the world1 and for this reason had declined the mutual council which ,mrs4 ,moulton had proposed--forgetting that ,mrs4 ,moulton was the one who had abandoned the council1 and further forgetting that an opportunity had been offered to any who knew anything detrimental to ,mr4 ,beecher1 to testify against him1 first before the committee1 that sat for two months1 and then in the trial1 that lasted over six months4 ,friends of ,mr4 ,beecher wrote to him from ,boston of this feeling4 ,he sent word at once to a friend to get the doubters together1 and that his brother1 ,dr4 ,edward ,beecher1 would meet them and answer all questions4 ,from this friend we received the following account of the meeting3 8,immediately ,i set about the work of collecting those who1 ,i thought1 were honorable men1 but misinformed into believing many things in the case which ,i knew to be false4444 ,i did not invite a man who had given signs of being a friend of your father1 but ,i asked every man of weight in the community whom ,i had reason to believe was prejudiced against him1 and every man1 to whom ,i had access1 who had expressed to my knowledge a judgment hostile to him4 8,the majority accepted4444 ,my parlors were filled4444 ,at the appointed hour a hack arrived from the depot1 and out stepped your father1 followed by his brother4 ,he entered the parlors1 and said in substance3 8#8,gentlemen1 ,i have been told that some of you feel that there is a lack of frankness on my part with reference to the painful matter in controversy1 and that there is a desire1 either on my part or on the part of my friends1 to cover up and conceal facts4 ,if you think so you are in error4 ,our first desire is to make everything known4 ,but it is1 we find1 impossible to do so1 because so many false rumors are flying about1 and everything we say gets into the papers twisted awry4 ,i have come here to beg you to ask any questions you desire4 ,do not spare my feelings4 ,do not be restrained by any consideration of delicacy4 ,the more searching1 the more crucial your questions are1 the kinder you will be4 ,i will answer any question you can ask pertaining to this affair4' 8,hour after hour questions were asked4 ,they were put one at a time1 slowly4 ,some seemed but slightly relevant4 ,some made my blood boil to hear4 ,some seemed such as a judge might ask of a convicted criminal before pronouncing sentence4 ,but every question was answered categorically1 when that was possible1 but always fully and exhaustively1 so that the questioner pronounced himself entirely answered by the reply4 8,during the entire session there did not fall from your father's lips one impatient word1 one harsh rejoinder4 ,not by a gesture did he give evidence that he suffered4 ,only the quick flush that came at times upon his cheek1 showed the keenness of the torture caused him by this inquisition4 8,before he left ,i asked each one present1 privately1 if there was any question he could think of1 an answer to which would1 in his opinion1 throw light upon the matter1 which had not been asked4 ,in every case ,i received a negative reply40 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,after-,effects of the ,conspiracy--,calling ,council of #ahgf--,principle of ,selection--,mr4 ,beecher ,cautions his ,church--,bowen ,reappears2 ,proposes a ,secret ,tribunal--,mr4 ,beecher's ,reply--,bowen ,dropped by ,plymouth ,church--,deliverance of ,council sustaining ,plymouth--,mr4 ,beecher's ,persecutors ,denounced--,special ,tribunal4 ,but now the organized determination to break down ,mr4 ,beecher's ministry and overthrow his church manifested itself by a new line of tactics4 ,there were at this time a few members whose relation to the church was very peculiar1 who were neither in it nor out of it1 apparently1 who did not ask1 or who refused positively1 to take letters to other churches1 who were not amenable to the discipline of the church1 but who stood off1 would not attend its meetings nor observe its ordinances1 and who1 when dealt with fraternally1 in every way the church knew how1 to procure them peaceably to sever their connection and relieve the church from responsibility1 refused to do it or neglected to do it2 and then1 when it was proposed to drop them1 without any reflection more than belonged to the nature of the case1 they threatened1 8,if you drop us we will call a council40 ,there were at one time four councils threatened1 by four different members on these grounds4 ,it soon became very clearly understood1 that the tactics of the adversary were now1 to wear out the patience of the people1 by a continuous series of councils1 which would at last weary men from coming to a church where there was such incessant trouble4 ,it was in consequence of these tactics1 that ,plymouth ,church determined to end all such annoyances1 by calling a ,national ,advisory ,council1 that should look through its rules and principles1 and its entire administration under them2 to have it of such magnitude1 and made up of such churches and men1 as that its deliverances would be final1 making an end of all these controversies and giving the church solid ground to go on4 ,invitations were sent to one hundred and seventy-two churches1 to be represented by pastor and delegate1 and twenty ministers without charges1 principally theological writers and professors in theological colleges4 ,none were invited from ,new ,york ,city or ,brooklyn1 because of the general local feeling4 ,the principal questions submitted were1 substantially1 whether ,plymouth ,church had acted contrary to the word of ,god or the principles of ,christian justice in allowing to itself in any case any other mode of terminating membership than death1 letters of dismission1 and excommunication8 #b4 ,what course ought it to pursue towards those who persistently absented themselves from its services for various personal reasons8 #c4 ,and towards those who were reported as having made insinuations affecting the character of other members1 but who neither admit nor deny such reports8 #d4 ,whether the church should have called a mutual council to investigate the charges against its pastor when so required by a member who submits no charges1 and more than a year after a full investigation by the church1 in which the pastor had been sustained by a unanimous vote8 #e4 ,whether its course in the case of ,mrs4 ,moulton had been wise and just8 #f4 ,whether1 in its maintenance of order1 it had gone beyond its rights1 so as to justly forfeit its claim to the confidence and fellowship of ,congregational churches8 ,the letter-missive was dated ,february #a1 #ahgf1 and the council was called for the #aeth4 ,the principle upon which the council was made up1 we can learn from a letter written ,january #bh1 #ahgf1 by ,mr4 ,beecher to an eminent doctor of divinity whose advice he wished respecting certain churches in his vicinity3 8,allow me to say a word as to the principles of selection in this council4 ,it will be gathered from the whole land1 as far ,west as the ,mississippi4 ,it leaves out men committed to a policy1 or who are known to be working in league with adversary churches4 ,but ,i wish to have honest men1 capable of judging upon facts and evidence1 who are not so obstinate that they will not yield to conviction1 or so tied to theories that they will look at everything under a bias4 ,i don't care whether they like me or not1 whether they agree with my views1 whether they approve or disapprove of all the policy of ,plymouth ,church4 ,i only want men who will be candid and who will act impartially40 ,quite a number attended who had been members of the prior council of #ahgd2 and when the council met1 a considerable majority--their views having been acquired from newspaper reports--entertained grave doubts as to the regularity of ,plymouth ,church in its previous conduct4 ,the effect which the evidence presented had upon their minds will appear later on4 ,at the ,friday night prayer-meeting just preceding the sitting of council1 ,mr4 ,beecher cautioned his people respecting their conduct during the council4 8,this church has for years been called to go through deep waters4 ,for more than twenty years we had well-nigh unabated prosperity1 and we were almost ready to boast that we had such wise methods of government and such signal presentations of truth as made our church life easy2 that we had not the vexations which belonged to other churches2 and it is not unlikely that we may have become proud and self-sufficient4 ,but certainly for the last few years ,god has been dealing with us as with sons1 and has chastened us2 and it becomes us to bear in mind that the best gift of ,god to an individual or to a church is that kind of chastisement which works out trust1 patience1 long-suffering1 kindness1 and fruitfulness in labor4 8,with these thoughts in mind1 ,i wish to-night to speak a few words to you1 and exhort you1 even more signally in days that are to come1 than you have in days that are past 7for from my heart ,i can commend you in this respect71 to carry out and ennoble that patience1 that fidelity1 and that churchly love1 which1 under great difficulties you have shown4 8,my beloved1 beware lest your intelligent judgment and conscientiousness in the cause of ,christ1 be absorbed in the feeling of personal love and sympathy for your elder brother4 ,beware lest you be drawn into a kind of clannish feeling of anxiety for him4 ,i know that ,i have your love and sympathy1 and ,i know that ,i am prayed for by you4 ,that suffices me2 but on your part it will be very bad for you to suffer this mere human feeling toward an individual to fill so large a place in your heart as that it may be said to fill your experience4 ,you are a church of ,christ set on a hill1 and you cannot be hid2 and your business here is to manifest ,jesus ,christ to the world in such a way as to win them to a nobler life2 and you ought not to forget for what you are ordained4 ,i have tried to set you an example4 ,i have endeavored to keep free from such states of mind1 and from such personality1 either as regards you or myself1 as should interfere with the teaching and the reception here of the fullest and most edifying truths of our common faith2 and by the grace of ,god ,i have been enabled mainly to succeed in doing it4 ,i doubt if any one hearing the sermons that have been preached here1 with one or two exceptions1 for the last five years1 would from them suspect anything of that history through which this church has gone4 8,so far as you are concerned1 ,i do not say that it is possible for you not to converse about our difficulties in your families1 and with each other2 but you may do it too much2 and1 therefore1 ,i wish to emphasize that your business as a church is not to take care of me1 but to take care of and forward the work of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 your ,head and ,master4 ,do not1 therefore1 under the influence of amiable feelings1 and warm sympathies1 make the mistake of supposing that you are in a campaign of any sort1 except that of rallying around about our appointed ,leader4 ,in the church1 in your families1 and in our mission schools1 your business is to promote the teaching of ,christ1 for the awakening of men1 and for the building up of all those who have undertaken the ,christian life4 8,in pursuing this course1 it behooves you to remember that under such severe and prolonged trouble1 ,god expects of you1 not only that you will be constant and faithful in ,his service1 but that you will grow richer1 more spiritual1 and in every way more like ,christ4 ,you have had1 and are having1 a better opportunity for fulfilling the disposition set forth in the ,gospel1 than is given to one church in a hundred4 ,god has been and is dealing with you as with sons4 8,we are on the eve of a memorable week4 ,in #ahgd a great council was called in ,brooklyn to sit on our affairs1 in which we were not to participate2 now we have called a council to act upon our own affairs1 and in this we must needs participate2 and there are one or two things that ,i wish to say to you4 8,first1 you that receive the brethren into your households1 ought to set up in your hearts a sentiment of honor that shall have no downfall nor intermission4 ,those gentlemen that come to take part in this council come impartially4 ,their office is to hear1 and to give such advice as the ,lord may inspire in them1 upon the facts that shall be presented4 ,in some sense--not technically--they are as judges2 and you must not attempt in your homes to influence them1 nor by your sympathy and kindness in the least degree to beguile them from the fullest and fairest discharge of their duty4 ,even if their judgment should be adverse to your convictions and mine1 nevertheless it is very plainly a matter of ,christian honor that they should be in your families1 without in the least being biassed by social influences4 8,secondly1 when you shall attend the open meetings of the council 7for it must needs be that largely the audience will be composed of members of this church and society71 ,i beseech of you1 by all that is honorable and by all that is gentlemanly1 that there be1 neither from the gallery nor from any other part of the house1 first or last1 the slightest exhibition either of approval or disapproval4 ,i could wish that you might sit in your pews as if you were marble1 though ,i know that your hearts are hot within you4 ,that council ought to be able to sit in the midst of the congregation of this church and never hear a whisper nor feel a wave of influence exerted upon them4 ,we called them that they might do their duty faithfully2 and ,i trust that you will commend yourselves in their sight by the most absolute abstention from any expression of thought or feeling in their presence4 8,in the third place1 ,i beg of you1 both now and when they shall have assembled1 to bear them in your hearts in prayer1 morning and night1 before ,god4 8,if you will pray more for men you will have less occasion to do anything else2 and1 in regard to this council1 praying for them is a mode of exerting an influence upon them1 which you may indulge in4 ,do you believe in ,god8 ,do you believe in the ,holy ,spirit8 ,do you believe in prayer8 ,do you not believe that it is in the power of ,god to descend into such a council1 to bring a summer atmosphere into them and around them1 and to lead them by the invisible hand of truth1 of love1 and of justice8 ,pray much for them4 8,and in one last word let me say that while all this agitation is going on1 while the papers are full of bickerings1 full of fiery darts that fall like sparks from the smith's forge1 remember that your duty is in church work and in church life4 ,so far as possible1 throw these unpleasant things off from your mind2 take care of your classes and schools2 attend faithfully to your mission work2 live sweeter and holier lives in the family2 be better men and better ,christians in the household2 do not let too much of the storm whistle through the cracks and crevices of your experience--keep it out2 live individually and collectively near to ,christ1 and ,he will take care of me and of you4 ,as ,he has done in times past1 so will ,he do1 and more abundantly1 in the future1 to the joy of our hearts and to the honor of ,his own great name40 ,in the interim between the calling of the council and its convening1 the case of ,mr4 ,bowen came up before the church4 ,for several years past1 the old stories1 which were supposed to have originated with him1 had been set in circulation again1 and quite recently a card appeared in a ,brooklyn paper1 over the signature of ,mr4 ,bowen's son1 in effect repeating these slanders4 ,a committee of ,plymouth ,church waited upon ,mr4 ,bowen1 but he refused to admit or deny that he was the originator of the stories--refused to make any statement or do anything4 ,ultimately he sent a letter to the committee 7at the same time publishing it in the newspapers7 making charges against ,mr4 ,beecher1 but in effect refusing to substantiate them1 because he had not time to look up his evidence2 but offering to submit his charges to a confidential committee of three1 provided he should not be called on to give names1 and that the committee should report only their conclusions4 ,when this letter was read at a church meeting ,mr4 ,beecher arose and said3 8,i do not propose to argue this question to-night--it is not fit that ,i should do it4 ,i only propose to say one or two words on the matter2 and one is3 if for the last fifteen years and more1 ,mr4 ,bowen has been in possession of such facts as he now alleges in his letter1 that he has1 and never has mentioned them to me1 nor communicated them to any officer of this church1 nor in anywise brought them to the knowledge of the church itself1 he deserves to be expelled from the church for a violation of his covenant4 ,if ,i am what he alleges me to be1 and have been what he alleges ,i have been1 and he knew it1 and permitted it1 without a word of warning to me or to this church1 he has committed a crime against the church1 and against morality2 and if his allegation is not true1 but is a lie1 then he is guilty of one of the blackest crimes that ever emanated from the bottomless pit--and1 before ,god1 ,i pronounce the allegations that he has1 made to be utterly false4 8,further let me say that when ,mr4 ,bowen1 being called upon to state what these facts are1 and what are the proofs of them which he has in his possession1 pleads that he is upon trial1 and that he has not time to look them up1 what are we to think of such a plea8 ,he had time to write that letter1 and to charge me with being a criminal before the public of this continent1 and1 having had time to represent me as a monster1 and to publish that representation in the newspapers1 now1 when he is asked1 #8,what is your evidence8' he has not time to produce it6 ,ought not that to have been thought of before he made the charge public8 8,i have another word to say1 and that is in regard to the tribunal which he proposes--a tripartite committee1 a committee composed of three persons--on condition that in their presence he may hide names1 and that then their judgment be given out in adjudication of the question4 ,now1 ,i say that no secrecy shall rest on this matter4 ,i do not say that ,i would not in some respects be willing to go before such a committee1 but this ,i say3 ,nothing on this subject shall be kept secret4 ,if this matter is not explored to the bottom it shall be because my will is set aside4 ,i do not propose that ,mr4 ,bowen shall hide himself1 nor will ,i permit anything to be hidden about me1 by having the matter referred to any three gentlemen who shall only let out what they think4 ,what they think will not satisfy you2 what they think will not satisfy me2 and since the allegations have been made public through the newspapers1 and ,mr4 ,bowen's name is attached to them1 he has got to face the facts1 he has got to produce the evidence4 ,and as for myself1 ,i have only this to say3 ,i pronounce all the insinuations and allegations he has made as false1 and1 with ,almighty ,god and the judgment day before me1 ,i arraign him as a slanderer and a liar40 ,mr4 ,bowen produced no evidence to sustain his charges1 and the church subsequently voted that they could dispense with him4 ,on the #aeth of ,february the council1 the largest of its kind that had ever been convened in this country1 met4 ,dr4 ,bacon was chosen moderator2 ex-,governor ,dingley1 of ,maine1 and ,general ,erastus ,n4 ,bates1 assistant moderators4 ,while the questions presented to the council were principally as to church regularity1 the sixth also opened up the question of the action and result of the ,investigating ,committee referred to1 and1 generally1 the whole conduct of the church with reference to its pastor2 this naturally led to questions being put to ,mr4 ,beecher personally as to the policy he had followed respecting the scandal4 ,both ,mr4 ,beecher and the committee of the church invited the fullest questioning on any point that could be suggested2 urged the council to invite ,drs4 ,storrs and ,budington to be present1 to call ,mrs4 ,moulton's counsel1 and to examine ,mr4 ,bowen--all of which the council did1 ,drs4 ,storrs and ,budington declining to attend4 ,for eight days--three sessions each day1 morning1 afternoon1 and evening--,mr4 ,beecher and the committee stood as targets for the questions of the council4 ,we present some of ,mr4 ,beecher's replies1 as throwing light upon himself1 and his actions1 during the origin and growth of the scandal4 ,to the question why he had remained silent during the earlier rumors set afloat by ,bowen and ,tilton1 and did not demand an investigation1 he said3 8,this was the reason4 ,the relations which subsisted between me and my people were those of very strong personal affection4 ,i know all of you must be very much beloved by those whom you attend in sickness1 to whom you preach1 and whose troubles and sorrows you console4 ,my ,god has given me a sympathetic nature1 ardent and loving4 ,i attract friends to me1 and usually ,i hold them4 ,i was dear to very many2 and it has been the honor1 as it has been the glory1 of my recollection1 that ,i have been beloved by those1 to be beloved by whom is itself enough witness and enough honor4 ,and it was because1 from various reasons1 intimations were made pointing to one1 and another1 and another1 that ,i saw that1 if ,i were to rush recklessly out after every rumor of this kind1 which came insidiously and circuitously1 ,i should bring a torrent of publicity and reproach upon one1 two1 three1 many persons2 and the question with me was1 not simply what ,i ought to do1 but1 #8,will you1 for your own vindication1 bring on an investigation1 and project into publicity those persons who have the rights1 the sanctities1 and the delicacies of the domestic circle around about them8' ,and now you see1 when the first of these rumors has been brought into public notice1 how it has spread and gone1 like a fire on a prairie1 all over the ,united ,states2 and you see just what ,i apprehended would be the case4 ,having connected with me1 in my relations to public affairs1 parties and discussions of many sorts1 ,i knew that the connection with my name in one of these various matters1 under the circumstances1 would proclaim it throughout ,christendom2 and the question with me was3 #8,will you stand patiently for ,god to vindicate you from these suggestions1 putting to shame those that accuse you falsely2 or will you vindicate yourself by bringing sheeted publicity1 and lurid investigation1 on one1 on two1 or on scores8' ,i chose the course of silence40 ,in reply to another question3 8,now1 ,i wish to hear the other part of the question1 sir--whether ,i am willing that ,dr4 ,storrs and ,dr4 ,budington should state anything that they know--any facts8 ,i should like to know how much longer a man need be at the focus of a solar microscope1 with all the sun in the heavens concentrated upon him for six months1 and everything that could be raked1 from the ,north ,pole to the ,south ,pole1 and round the earth forty times circuited1 raked up and brought in1 and be willing to have it raked up and brought in again8 ,how much longer does a man want to have his willingness to have the truth come out1 vindicated8 ,if there is any man on earth that has anything to say--that he wants to say--if there is any man on earth that has anything to say to my detriment1 ,i here and now challenge him to say it6 ,i go further than that4 ,if there be any angel of ,god1 semi-prescient and omniscient1 ,i challenge him to say aught4 ,i go beyond that1 and1 in the name of our common ,redeemer1 and before ,him who shall judge you and me1 ,i challenge the truth from ,god ,himself6 ,and what is all this going to do8 ,to-morrow morning it will be said in the local journals3 #8,well1 ,mr4 ,beecher--how rhetorically he managed the matter6' ,and it will be put in the religious papers3 #8,oh6 yes2 that was a very plausible statement at the time1 but--but--' ,and ,i am in judgment between two devils1 #8,but' and #8,if4' ,nothing that ,i say is taken to be true1 and ,i am put upon a perpetual trial of my veracity2 although ,i am willing to be tried1 ,i don't disguise from myself1 suppressing every sentiment of natural honor that pertains to a gentleman--,i know perfectly well this whole process is a continuous trial and crucifixion of every sentiment of honor and every sensibility of my soul1 and that ,i am questioned1 and questioned1 and questioned1 and questioned1 as ,i have been1 through months and years1 on the supposition that the truth has not been got out4 ,and ,i suppose it will be so to the end of my life4 ,i don't look with any great hope for the result of this council4 ,i don't look for any hope from the result of any council or tribunal4 ,i think there is hope in the grave1 and beyond2 but for me1 ,i expect to walk with a clouded head1 not understood1 until ,i go to heaven1 and that is not far off--that is not far away4 ,and ,i am content to bear just that lot that my dear ,lord puts on me4 ,he knows what is best4 ,i have accepted it4 ,though the natural man rebels once in a while and bubbles out1 yet grace in the end puts it down4 ,but ,i am content to walk so4 ,all my sorrow is that the preciousness of the ,gospel1 which it is given to me to preach1 is hindered somewhat by this trouble2 but to work for ,christ1 and to save men1 is my calling1 and not to vindicate myself40 ,again1 referring to the perverse malignity that had characterized his enemies3 8,i said1 and now ,i repeat it1 that this church and its pastor have been systematically1 studiously pursued with perversions and what cannot be considered other than deliberate falsehoods4 ,in some quarters1 whatever has happened has been so uniformly twisted1 as to indicate what ,i supposed to be the truth--namely1 an organized movement to pervert everything and destroy that influence which ,i formerly had with the common people of ,america1 and then to bring vexations1 so many and so frequent1 upon the church as to disintegrate its patience1 and thus to leave me alone without anything4 ,and ,i will say that the backbitings1 the whisperings1 the innuendoes1 the studious shutting of the understanding to all fairness1 when ,i make statements1 and the opening it wide to all partisan misrepresentations1 when those statements were reported otherwise1 have been such as to open a new chapter in my mind of human experience1 and to carry me far back towards the old doctrine of total depravity40 ,in the course of one of the sessions the pastor of a ,boston church1 referring to the unjust rumor1 current in certain quarters1 that since the scandal had come out the church and its pastor had not brought out all the facts1 that there were rumors of something yet unpublished1 and that they were now unreasonably refusing to submit the matter before some new tribunal1 expressed his surprise at hearing the statement of the committee1 and wondered that ,mr4 ,beecher and his church had not been better understood by the public4 ,to this ,mr4 ,beecher replied3 8,gentlemen1 you won't suspect me of any disrespect to you1 but ,i want to put a home question to you4 ,this church has been occupied in publishing to the world for the last three years1 a statement of those facts that have set you perfectly aghast1 as novel and wonderful4 ,what are you going to do when the representatives of the morality and the intelligence of this nation won't read a word that is published1 of the results of the church investigation1 and the court investigation1 but1 coming up after they have been published for months1 yet are amazed at the simple statement of that1 which has been in the newspapers and the court records1 during all this time8 ,are we forced not only to forge wedges of intelligence1 but use clubs to drive them into your heads8 ,we have been doing everything that man could do1 in opening1 in publishing1 and1 as far as it took any definite shape1 in meeting4 ,but you cannot hunt a stench2 you can an arrow1 but a smell you can't4 ,and therefore these odorous beasts are going up and down the streets1 casting some venom and some odor2 we can't spend the time of a ,christian church for ever hunting these things4 ,am ,i to run after every rat in creation8 ,am ,i to run after every leech1 and worm1 and every venomous insect8 8,you have a right to demand of us that we shall meet accusations when they come up responsibly stated4 ,did we not meet them the moment the #8,bacon letter' appeared8 ,within the time that was necessary to bring me back from the country and back to the city1 did we not instantly meet them with a call for investigation in the church8 ,was not that investigation made with a proclamation to the world to bring in everything known8 ,it was not zeal covering me1 it was dissection1 and when the investigation had been made it was published to the world4 ,no sooner had it been completed than we all distributed ourselves in the country for rest4 ,when we came back ,i went instantly to a civil court4 ,that trial was noticed for action immediately on my return1 and ,i continued for six months in that court-room1 and every paper in the ,united ,states helped distribute the information of the facts that were then disclosed4 ,in ,july or ,august the court adjourned and we went back into the country4 ,we had scarcely come back again from the summer vacation1 before we took the matter up again in regard to members of this church1 and issued process upon them1 and this process has been that which has filled1 the whole time since1 the newspapers and the clerical mind of the country4 ,where has been the time and space in which we could institute anything else8 ,have we not been busy8 ,or shall we stay up all night1 and turn ,sunday into a judicial day1 and investigate somewhat more8 8,i don't know--as long as ,god knows1 and my mother1 how it is1 ,i have come to about the state of mind that ,i don't care for you or anybody else4 ,well1 you know that is not so3 ,i do care and ,i don't1 and ,i do again and then ,i don't--just as ,i happen to feel4 ,i am tired of you2 ,i am tired of the world2 ,i am tired of men that make newspapers1 and men that read them2 ,i am tired of a community that has not a particle of moral reaction4 ,i am tired of an age which will permit the newspapers to be flooded1 and to make themselves the common sewers of filth and scandal2 ,i am tired of a community that can read them1 and read them1 and read them without revolting4 ,i am tired of waiting for an honorable man that shall stand up at last1 and say1 in the name of honor and manhood1 #8,this is outrageous6' 8,and yet ,i am going to bear it1 and ,i am going on preaching1 and ,i am going to preach here1 and when ,i am shut up here ,i don't know where ,i shall preach2 but ,i don't believe that ,i shall live long after ,i have stopped preaching4 ,but what ,i want is to do ,god's work1 and if it is necessary to have a reputation in ,andover1 or a reputation in ,chicago1 before ,i am to preach1 ,i may as well stop at once4 ,but my own feeling about it is this3 ,i am entrusted with the tidings of salvation to dying men1 and the first wish of my heart1 is not my good name nor my reputation4 ,dear as they are to me for my children's sake1 and for the sake of my family1 after all there is a ,name that is better to me than mine1 there is a ,name above every other name--for my trouble has brought me very near to it1 and the glory of ,christ4 ,god's glory and ,god's delicacy1 and sweetness and love were never made so apparent to me1 as since ,i have felt the need of them in other folks4 0444 ,i will answer as regards any paper that is in the possession of any man1 woman1 or child on this continent1 or on the sea1 or on the land1 and beyond the sea2 anybody in heaven and anybody in hell1 that has any document that ,i have ever written1 or any information that touches me in any manner1 ,i hereby give my permission to them to produce it1 and ,i challenge them to produce it1 and if it is anything that will throw light on me and inculpate me1 ,i demand1 by every consideration of honor1 truth1 and justice1 that it be delivered now and here1 or that for ever after they and everybody shall hold their peace40 ,at another time1 referring to the burden of expense in the civil trial alone3 8,i think people look upon my being tried as if it was a game of battledore and shuttlecock1 and as if being tried was nothing but being tossed through the air by two clever fellows1 and as if ,i ought to like it4 ,and any expression of preference of one tribunal over another1 or any arithmetical expression of how many times ,i would like to be tried1 is said to be covering up something or other4 ,i would like to state to the brethren here that my expenses for the trial of six months1 and expenses of living for the year1 amounted to #aah1jjj4 ,i do not feel disposed to go through a great many more such trials1 but ,i trust you won't think it is because ,i want to cover anything up1 unless it is my pockets4 ,and if there is anybody who wishes to take my place in the matter1 and will pay the expenses1 ,i will give up most cheerfully and let them represent me4 ,i ought to state further in regard to these expenses--,i state it in love and honor to my dear friend ,shearman--that he would not take one penny for the whole year's service1 and that1 aside from serving freely without money and without price1 he so absolutely abandoned his business1 that his income was cut down nine-tenths or more of what he was accustomed to receive1 and that1 great as my expenses were1 relatively1 his were double mine1 for the love-service which he performed during this time40 ,on the #bdth of ,february the 8result of council was announced40 ,in this the council sustained ,plymouth ,church on every point1 at the same time recommending a few changes in its manual which it was thought might save complication in the future4#ad ----- ,footnote #ad3 ,most of them had at the time been proposed by the church1 and all were promptly adopted4 ----- ,the council further advised in its 8result03 8,in view of the fact that the pastor of this church has demanded that his accusers be brought to face him1 and has invited such investigation as this council may think desirable1 for the peace and prosperity of the churches1 and in order to protect ,plymouth ,church from further vexatious proceedings1 this council advises this church to accept and empower a commission of five members1 to be created by a committee of three1 hereinafter specified1 out of the twenty men hereinafter named2 the duty of which commission shall be to receive and examine all charges against the pastor which they may regard as not already tried4444 8,we hold the pastor of this church1 as we and all others are bound to hold him1 innocent of the charges reported against him until substantiated by proof40 ,the time within which such charges should be preferred was limited to sixty days4 ,this tribunal was thereafter appointed1 and waited a year4 ,it is perhaps needless to say that no charges were preferred4 ,in the closing addresses of the council to the church the speakers expressed more freely the prevailing personal feeling4 ,we quote ,dr4 ,wellman1 the first speaker3 8,i would not depreciate at all the intense interest with which many of us1 strangers to the pastor1 have looked upon him1 and watched him1 and heard him as he has appeared before us and addressed us4 ,but while ,i say that1 ,i must say1 for one1 that ,i watched with still keener interest the men associated with him1 and who came upon this platform to present this case--the members of the ,plymouth ,church ,investigating ,committee4 ,and why have ,i watched these men with such intense interest8 ,now1 all men know the power of this man of ,god to persuade men2 and some of us1 who live far away1 have been told again and again1 that this pastor had such persuasive power1 that he could manage all his men here1 and make them believe anything and do anything1 and therefore it did not follow that1 because this great church and people were so loyal to their pastor1 that he was an innocent and pure man4 ,now1 your loyal and magnificent devotion to your pastor1 is your praise all over this land and all over this world4 ,we had not seen you2 we did not know what kind of men were associated with this man of ,god2 and it was possible1 we thought1 that they were weak men1 who could be blinded and could be made to believe anything4 ,i have watched these men1 and ,i aver to-night that they are not men of feeble mind1 and not men who would have an impure pastor here if they knew it1 and not men to be managed by any pastor2 and it has been the joy of my heart to find that such men have been associated1 during these years of your darkness and sorrow1 with this man of ,god4 8,it has been said that this pastor is managing this council4 ,somehow people all over the world have great confidence in the managing power of this man4 ,so far as ,i can see1 he is the very last man to manage anybody2 and as to his managing this council1 ,i wish to say here and now1 once for all1 and ,i wish it to go through you to all the world1 that he has managed us--just as that man going down from ,jerusalem to ,jericho1 and robbed1 and stripped1 and wounded and thrown aside and left half-dead1 managed that other man who came to his distress and bent over him and poured oil upon his wounds and dressed them1 and took him up and brought him to the inn and cared for him4 ,so this man has managed us1 and in no other way4 ,i had no acquaintance with him2 ,i never spoke to him until the last week2 but1 coming here1 ,i have been greatly touched--indeed1 nothing has touched me more than the manner in which this pastor has laid bare his heart to us1 and asked us to search him through and through1 his heart and his life1 and tell him if there be anything wrong in him or in what he has done4 ,he has done this again and again1 before the council1 and it has made me feel1 for one1 that there was no need of searching such a man4 ,i have noticed repeatedly1 during the presentation of this case1 that the pastor of this church seemed to be living two kinds of lives1 one a sad one1 and the other a life of earnest duty4 ,underneath his work and his addresses to us1 there came out every now and then a sad undertone1 as if he felt that he must live and toil for all the rest of his life1 under this dark cloud of suspicion and constant misrepresentation1 and with these constant dagger-rents in his heart4 ,now1 ,i do not believe that he is to live the rest of his life under this cloud and this burden of trouble4 ,ever since this council was by itself1 ,i have seen out of all this darkness a bright morning coming1 and never has that morning seemed so near and so close as it does to-night40 ,and from the address of ,dr4 ,sturtevant1 president of ,illinois ,college3 8,what now are we to expect8 ,what is to be the result of this8 ,this3 ,brother ,beecher and his church are to be assured from this hour that they have our confidence4 ,he is to be regarded as innocent until charges of guilt have been tabled and substantiated--not floating rumors1 not the slime of the crawling serpent1 but charges clear1 definite1 with all needed specifications of names and dates and witnesses1 charges behind which there stands a responsible endorser2 and while he stands thus1 we extend to him the hand of our hearty fellowship1 and entire confidence1 until those charges are tabled and established4 ,that confidence begins here and now2 and it enables him to say1 and his people to say3 #8,all these rumors1 these innuendoes1 these floating stories that circulate through the press1 and through the ten thousand channels in which rumor flows1 are worthy of no account until they are backed by responsible men1 who are willing to face that commission1 and to attempt to prove those charges before that commission2 and if men continue to rail and continue to tell horrible stories of what they know1 how it was ten years ago1 and seven years ago1 and five years ago1 etc41 and what this man said and what that woman said--if they continue to say such things1 believe them not4 ,they are just as respectable as ,shimei was1 when he went along the hill and cursed ,david4'0 ,from parts of ,mr4 ,beecher's address to the council at the close1 after the 8result0 had been announced1 we get a clearer insight of his feelings1 and of his life during these troublesome times1 than from most anything else that he has uttered3 8,it has come to pass that for so many years ,i have read of myself and heard of myself1 that ,i have ceased in some moods to have any actual self1 and am projected as an idea before my own mind4 ,and if ,i shall therefore speak somewhat freely1 after the manner of men1 about myself1 ,i wish you to consider it a part of those metaphysics which ,dr4 ,porter says are very bad4 ,i have often read as if ,i were reading in a novel about the bad hero1 and waked up from the dream and grimly laughed as ,i asked myself3 #8,is it me that they mean8 ,is it possible for a man to live as long as ,i have1 and as openly1 and to have acted upon so large a theatre1 and been agitated by such world-shaking events1 and be so utterly misconceived8' ,i have had the reputation of being a frank man4 ,but it may be true that ,i am a man of very cautious speech1 and may therefore sometimes not have expressed myself intelligently1 though at other times ,i have had the reputation of being able to make myself understood6 ,nevertheless it has come to pass that ,i supposed myself to have been more thoroughly canvassed1 and construed in no very enviable light1 than it has befallen to any of my contemporaries4 ,i am very sorry that it should be so4 ,i have no love of being a hero1 and ,i have still less of being such a hero as ,i have been made to be4 ,i tell you that to hear men talking whether ,i am or am not guilty makes the very mother-thought shiver within me4 ,for ,i have sensibility--,i am open to the keenest sense of truth and purity1 and honor and right2 and to be held before a jury1 and to sit six long months1 and to have rained upon me perjury and professional abuse1 and to feel that over the whole broad extent of this land1 ,i was the focal point on which journalism was expending itself1 and that1 too1 not as to whether ,i was ,republican or ,democrat1 not whether ,i was orthodox or heterodox1 not whether this or that system expounded was rightly held1 but whether ,i was an ineffable culprit6 ,i have not been hunted as an eagle is hunted2 ,i have not been pursued as a lion is pursued2 ,i have not been pursued even as wolves and foxes4 ,i have been pursued as if ,i were a maggot in a rotten corpse4 ,and do you suppose that it is in human nature to go through that1 through months and through years1 and not feel it8 ,and yet1 if it please ,god1 who has enabled me to go through the desert and the ,red ,sea1 that ,i should go on1 ,god is my judge1 that ,i am both willing and ,i am able to go on again another five years2 for ,i can do all things1 ,christ strengthening me1 and the life that ,i now live in the flesh1 ,i live by faith in the ,son of ,god1 who loved me never so much as now4 8,at some time it may be in my power to defend myself on every count and charge4 ,it may be in my power1 at some time1 with dates and circumstances to expound the reason of my conduct4 ,i am the child of a noble mother and of a noble father1 and ,i was brought up in an austere morality and in a pure and unblemished household1 with a most reverent honor for truth1 for duty1 for love4 ,and to me has been given a nature for which1 whether it be prudent or whether it be not1 ,i am not questionable4 ,when they rebuke the vine for throwing out tendrils and holding on to anything that is next to it1 whether it be homely or handsome1 whether it be dry or full of sap1 then they may rebuke me4 ,when you shall find a heart to rebuke the twining morning-glory1 or any other plant that holds on to that which is next to it1 you may rebuke me for misplaced confidence2 you may rebuke me for loving where ,i should not love4 ,it is not my choice2 it is my necessity4 ,and ,i have loved on the right and on the left1 here and there1 and it is my joy1 that to-day ,i am not ashamed of it4 ,i am glad of it1 and if ,i had my life to live over again1 and were to choose between a cold caution1 calculating every step1 without trust and confidence in man1 ,i would1 with all its liabilities1 choose to be generous1 to be magnanimous1 and to be trustful1 and to lean though some should step aside and let me fall to the ground4 ,and let me say further that ,i was brought up in a household where the name of woman was only next to the name of saint1 and with good reason ,i always thought it should stand there4 ,the memory of my mother has been to me1 what the ,virgin ,mary has been to a devotee of the ,roman ,church4 ,she has been part and parcel of my upper life--a star whose parallax ,i could not take1 but nevertheless1 shining from afar1 she has been the light that lit me easier into the thought of the invisible and the presence of the ,divine4 ,my sisters ,i need not speak of4 ,my associations have been with women who have left upon my mind an indelible impression of honor1 of reverence1 and of affection2 and all that ,i have gone through1 and all that ,i have suffered at the hands of those that are of another school1 has not changed1 nor in the slightest degree blurred1 the sense that ,i have of the dignity and the sacredness and the beauty of womanhood4 ,and when ,i have stood upon the threshold of what seemed to me--knowing the secret elements that were in it1 and how a cloud no bigger than a man's hand might roll up and cover the whole heaven--when ,i have stood and looked out upon what might come1 what misery might be1 ,i have said1 and ,god knows the sincerity and the depth of it1 #8,it is better for me--if it be possible--it is better for me to stand1 and be misunderstood than that there should be suffering over so wide a circle1' as ,i believed there would be4 ,and that there have been so many heart-aches1 that there have been so many1 whose faces ,i never saw1 that have been bathed in tears1 that there has been even the eclipse of faith that has been mentioned in many1 only shows how much would have been saved to humanity1 if it had been possible that that policy of suffocating a domestic trouble1 and keeping it in the origin of it1 had been followed out and honorably observed4 ,the fire1 that at the first is only so much that you can stamp it out1 may1 by fanning winds or reckless hands1 be spread beyond your reach1 and the whole city deluged with flame1 the whole prairie be sheeted with fire4 ,that which1 in its beginning1 seems quite manageable1 it seems to me policy not only1 but duty1 to suppress and maintain in its seclusion2 for if it bursts out it will know no bounds and no termination4 ,the endeavor ,i do not regret2 the ill success of it ,i do4 8,but having gone through it all1 my only question--that is1 my only deepest question--is1 ,has it wrenched you from the foundations of a true manhood8 ,do you believe in ,god8 ,do you trust in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,do you live by the communications of the ,holy ,ghost8 ,is the higher part of your nature in commerce with ,god8 ,i look around among men and ,i say1 ,has it made you hating8 ,has it made you jealous8 ,has it made you a misanthropist or a misogynist8 ,are you sound--sound in your chest1 sound in your heart8 ,are you a man8 ,do you love men8 ,do you trust men8 ,do you honor women8 ,do you trust them8 ,are you willing to labor for them8 ,are you willing to suffer for them8 ,i think ,i may say1 without any fear1 ,i do believe that ,i live in the ,spirit of ,god and very near to ,him1 and in regard to my feelings toward mankind there does not live the man on the face of this earth that ,i would harm if ,i had him in my power4 ,there is not that human creature--,i know it--there is not that human creature that lives1 that ,i would not rather help than hurt4 ,there is not that creature that lives for whom ,i would not bear suffering1 if ,i could save him from greater suffering4 ,i have tried to live in the spirit of ,christ1 who wrought our joy by ,his sorrow1 who saved us by sacrificing ,himself4 ,i have endeavored to so live4 ,and now let me say further than this1 that while ,i make these asseverations of the honesty of my intent1 and while ,i mean to convey1 in the strongest language1 my consciousness of innocence and rectitude1 and honor and purity1 ,i do not mean to say that ,i have always been wise1 and still less that ,i should advise another to attempt to walk the path that ,i have walked1 or that ,i have always kept my temper1 or that ,i have always restrained my tongue4 ,these1 which ,i will not call infirmities1 if you please to call them wrongs or sins--name them yourselves1 and ,i will still excel you in condemning1 in myself1 anything that has been less than the straight line of sweetness1 and of meekness1 and of gentleness4 ,i do condemn myself often that ,i am rash1 that in an over-heat ,i said things ,i ought not to have said1 and ,i am the more concerned1 when ,i learn that these words are not merely a rhetorical fault1 nor regarded simply as a blur upon me1 but that they go like poisoned arrows and afflict other hearts2 and if there is any word that ,i have said1 that has hurt the pastors of near churches1 or churches afar off1 ,i would to ,god that ,i could so utterly recall it1 that they should never think of it again2 and ,i would be the first of all to humble myself before them1 and crave that pardon of them1 which ,i have asked before of ,god4 ,and if that which ,i have said or done is a hindrance to a full reconciliation1 ,i would to ,god that all the waters of the ,jordan might wash it out from every memory4 ,i disown it and take it all back1 and beseech of you1 as ,i beseech of every other one1 to remember of me1 only those things that are like the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and that by ,his grace ,i have been enabled to do rightly4 ,i am discharged of all jealousy4 ,i have no pride that hinders me from saying these things to you1 and giving you leave to give to them the utmost latitude in their application4 8,allusion has been made to sadness on my part1 of which no man may know4 ,for whatever may be the range of a man's outward life1 there is a world within1 unknown to any but ,god1 and the most vital part of every man's life1 is that which is within the crystal cave of his own silence and secrecy2 and of that ,i do not propose to speak any further than this--that ,i have often felt that my life had come very near to its end4 ,i live in the shadow of that feeling every day4 ,at some hour or other of every day1 it seems to me as though but a hand's breadth was between me and the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,it is not either1 necessarily a desire for dying nor an expectation of dying2 it is a sentiment4 ,and ,i live very much in that habit2 not altogether a painful one--often far from it4 ,but this ,i have felt in looking back in those moments upon my past life--,i have felt a great joy that no man can take it from me4 ,i lived when the reformation of intemperance first began1 and ,i gave great time and strength to recover my countrymen from the vice4 ,i began early my career1 when there were few to plead for the liberty of the slave4 ,i have lived in a minority all my days1 contesting for the right and for liberty4 ,i had the privilege of living through that glorious revolutionary epoch of our time1 when the political economy1 and the politics1 and the constitutional elements of our land were regenerated4 ,few men have ever had such a chance1 or the health1 or the opportunity to put in labor1 in a field so rich in future results4 ,no man can take it from me that ,i have loved my country and that ,i have labored for her4 ,no man can take it from me that ,i have loved the ,church of ,jesus ,christ and that ,i have labored for it4 ,no man can take it from me that ,i have loved my kind without caste or distinction4 ,no man can take it from me6 ,now1 ,i do not care for my reputation after ,i am dead and gone4 ,that kind of love of reputation ,i never had1 but there is something that is to me as sweet as the bells of heaven4 ,if ,i have been able to inject into the literature of my time a truly sweet and ,christian spirit2 if ,i have been able to clothe nature so that children and women and grown people will have associations with trees and clouds1 with the ground1 with all the processes of annual resuscitation2 if ,i have been able to clothe them with religious associations1 so that the heavens declare again the glory of ,god and the earth ,his handiwork2 if ,i have put into words that which will cheer the sick and the poor1 that will inspire the young1 and that will go on working after ,i am dead--this has been a very sustaining and a very comforting thought to me4 ,there is my joy for posterity--that when by and by the clouds are all gone1 when by and by the truth is as much known as the earth will ever know truth1 that which ,i have done will stand1 that which ,i am ,god will know1 and cause it to stand for ever and ever40 ,we give some extracts from his diary1 and from letters written near this time1 which show how he looked upon the past few years3 8,i have never read or heard of an instance where a pastor was called to carry forward a great church under such a pressure as ,i have4 ,whatever is deepest1 tenderest1 and best in manhood has been crucified with a prolonged crucifixion4 ,i have seen the poisonous malaria1 affecting my reputation in the whole community where ,i have dwelt for so many years with an unblemished character4 ,i have seen false brethren silently bringing to bear upon me the odium of the most damaging suspicions4 ,i have seen them secretly taking counsel together1 tampering with the fidelity of the members of ,plymouth ,church1 and seducing my personal friends1 violating1 under false pretences1 ecclesiastical good neighborhood1 calling councils to interfere with the peace and harmony of ,plymouth ,church1 and thus spreading a local scandal and a ruinous suspicion over1 literally1 the wide world4 ,from this persecution among false brethren the trouble broke out into public and prolonged trial by the newspapers of the country4 8,with a few honorable exceptions1 the religious press was quick to believe evil and to confirm suspicion1 and1 with a few equally honorable exceptions1 the secular press joined my adversaries4 8,i was next tried by my own church1 and after a minute research1 and upon grounds never controverted or undermined1 ,i was acquitted and justified4 ,for six months thereafter ,i was subjected to the disgrace of sitting before a court of justice and having every atom of evidence admitted that money and malice could bring together4 ,and after this long and weary trial the jury refused to grant to my enemy the verdict which he sought2 whereupon my ministerial neighbors1 reversing the fact that the jury refused him damages1 reported that ,i was not cleared--as if ,i had gone into court voluntarily1 sought a verdict1 and lost my suit4 8,following the civil trial1 these insidious enemies commenced a course of vexatious attempts to call councils1 and so to weary the patience of the ,plymouth people4 8,to meet this vexatious proceeding the church called the largest council ever convened upon this continent4 ,its members came almost to a man1 with doubting hearts1 but went away with enthusiastic joy1 having justified the church and justified its pastor4 ,but1 perceiving the venomous spirit that disguised itself under pretence of anxiety for ecclesiastical regularity1 the ,great ,council provided a court to sit and act when the council should be dissolved--a court composed of legal men1 than whom none more impartial1 just1 and pure were ever called to sit upon the bench4 ,no one dared to bring charges1 though the court waited for years4 8,in this long and dreadful season it would be difficult to say which suffered most intensely1 the church or its pastor4 8,no one will ever know the nervous strain required to bear this terrible pressure1 to maintain a ,christian spirit1 to carry on my pulpit duties1 and to encourage and sustain the spirit of the church40 ,,november1 #ahge4 8,nov4 #ab1 ,friday morning4--,for several years ,i have been passing through severe trials on account of the troubles in the ,tilton family4 ,this has taken hold upon the church1 personal friends1 family1 newspapers1 civil courts1 ecclesiastical bodies1 etc4 ,i have thus been like a lamb1 not before her shearers1 but before a fire1 every stick of which has had enough heat in it to consume one's peace and comfort4 ,in all this six years ,i have laid down for myself the strictest adherence to ,christian principles1 in all my feelings toward each person or party concerned1 and upon my conduct in every part of the perplexing and exhausting struggle for life--for my life is aimed at1 and the struggle is for life1 in every sense in which life is a blessing40 8,tuesday1 ,nov4 #bc1 #ahge4--;,h------ called from ,missionary ,association to inquire what ,i thought of their asking ,dr4 ,storrs to speak at opening of ,fisk ,university at ,nashville4 ,replied1 ,no reason against1 unless they thought that just at this time1 when he heads and inspires a movement against ,plymouth ,church and me4 ,but that they1 and not ,i1 should determine4 8,in myself there are two thoughts3 7#a7 ,should ,i give help to an enemy who will use it for my harm8 and 7#b71 and a better one1 ,ought ,i to take any care or notice of the ascent or descent in influence of one not friendly8 ,is it not better to go on doing duty and leave wholly to the ,over-ruler the disposition of affairs8 8#8,fret not thyself because of evil-doers4'0 ,shortly after the council had adjourned1 and on the #bgth of ,february1 #ahgf1 ,dr4 ,leonard ,bacon1 in that spirit of brotherly love that filled the council at its close1 wrote to ,mr4 ,beecher3 8444 #8,a brother offended1' whether ,storrs 7,r4 ,s47 or ,budington1 #8is harder to be won than a strong city4' ,but is it not possible for you 7,god helping you7 to win ,brother ,storrs1 and then to win ,budington also8 8,of course you are an innocent man1 grievously calumniated1 pierced through and through with arrows1 like ,st4 ,sebastian4 ,you feel that the position of those two brethren in relation to you is unbrotherly and unkind4 ,you complain 7and1 ,i will say1 reasonably7 that neither of them came to you in the beginning of these troubles1 or has come to you at any later time1 with a request for explanation or with offers of sympathy and assistance4 ,they1 on the other hand1 think that you have withheld your confidence and have stood aloof from them4444 ,is it not possible for you to win ,storrs8444 ,you will not win him by waiting till he shall come to you4444 ,what1 then1 would be the effect on ,brooklyn1 on our country1 on #8,english-speaking ,christianity1' if it should be announced that you three are #8brothers reconciled'8 ,have ,i proposed an impracticable thing8 ,am ,i imagining an impossible result8 ,if so1 alas64440 ,to this ,mr4 ,beecher replied3 8,,brooklyn1 ,march #a1 #ahgf4 0,,my ,,dear ,,doctor ,,bacon3 8,i heartily thank you for your letter and its kind and ,christian suggestions4 ,they are such as a father might give to a son1 and ,i am emboldened to hope that for my father's sake you will allow me to hold1 in some degree1 such a relation to you4 8,there is nothing in my heart to prevent a reconciliation with my offended brethren4 8,if it required only that ,i should express my regret for unanswered letters1 and my sorrow for harsh words forced from me in the height of distress1 the whole matter might be settled in an hour4 ,but it has largely ceased to be a personal affair1 and has assumed the complex character of two parties with strong party feeling4 8,so that ,dr4 ,storrs1 for instance1 is not at liberty to act from personal considerations alone4 8,pass by his long and repeated interviews with ,mr4 ,tilton as late as last ,new ,year's1 and take the most recent case1 that of ,mrs4 ,moulton4 8,mrs4 ,m4 and ,i are in such opposition as admits of no middle ground4 ,to take her up is to take sides against me4 ,our testimony in court is in deadly opposition4 8,but ,dr4 ,storrs has assumed her cause to the extent1 that1 7aside from all counsel during her negotiations with ,plymouth ,church7 he sends her to ,mr4 ,bell 7who has just taken charge of the ,mission ,sabbath-school of his church71 with a letter requesting him to give her a class4 ,such an act1 at such a time1 produced profound impressions1 even more within his own church than out of it4 ,after two ,sundays' attendance ,mrs4 ,moulton retired from the school under plea of ill health1 a great excitement having arisen within the school4 8,dr4 ,storrs is surrounded by such men as ------1 ------1 ------1 and ------1 whose animosity reaches bitterness4 8,i have very little hope1 therefore1 of favorable results4 8,you should be aware that from time to time during the two years past1 ,i have conveyed to these brethren my desire of reconciliation4 8,after the civil suit of last summer ,i drew up a letter to ,dr4 ,storrs at the request of several members of his church 7warm friends of mine71 in which ,i expressed everything which one ,christian gentleman could to another4 ,but my advisers said that such a letter should not be sent until it was distinctly ascertained that ,dr4 ,s4 would take it kindly2 for1 if disposed to do so1 it might lay the foundations for a refusal with reasons1 which would leave the case far worse than it was before4 ,as the summer vacation was at hand1 the matter was dropped4 8,i fear that ,dr4 ,storrs is so fully committed that it is too late4 ,he could not have made a declaration of war more effectually than by taking up ,mrs4 ,moulton1 considering her deadly antagonism to me and her peculiar relations to ,plymouth ,church4 8,but if the ,lord will open a way1 you may be sure that ,i shall not hold back nor hesitate4 ,i do not regard my own personal feelings or interests as comparable to the welfare of these neighboring churches1 and the cause of religion in all churches4 ,i would go to the very verge of truth and honor in my expressions of regret and retraction4 ,yet1 with all this1 ,i fear1 alas6 there is no hope4 8,but ,i leave all to ,god4 ,the effect of a reconciliation would be pentecostal4 8,i am the man going to ,jericho1 stripped1 wounded1 and left for dead4 ,nevertheless ,i am writing to apologize both to the priest and ,levite1 for not considering the proprieties and respect due them as they passed by4 8,gratefully yours1 8,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher40 8,p4,s4 ,i have thought long and anxiously upon this matter4 ,i have sent friends to ,dr4 ,storrs1 who could get no word of encouragement4 ,he eschews even my personal friends who were his warm friends4 8,i have thought that any movement with hope of success must come from within his own church4 ,but there is an undeveloped party on each side4 8,on the whole1 ,i have come to about this3 8,that the families of the two churches should hold on to each other more firmly than ever before1 and on both sides refuse to be separated4 8,then1 as time goes on and the scandal gives place to other things in the public mind1 occasions or influences which we do not now command may arise in ,god's good providence1 and a way be opened4 8,i have often and often thought that if it were ,god's will that ,i might die1 a great stumbling-block would be taken away1 and health would come out of my grave to the ailing hearts about me4 8,and why not8 8,i have lived long1 and no one ever had leave to live in an age of such opportunities1 as those who have had their prime in the past thirty years4 ,one ought not to be greedy of years40 ,the hope in which the ,great ,council was called was realized4 ,the pastors and delegates1 called from twenty-one ,states1 returning to their homes1 became centres of a noble1 generous influence1 correcting false impressions1 setting doubts at rest1 renewing again the old love and confidence4 ,it is true that here and there1 especially in certain theological centres1 there were those whose partisan zeal1 jealous malice1 or even personal hatred would not let them rest content with the deliverance2 who would rather have kept ,christendom deluged with the vile mess than that ,mr4 ,beecher should stand cleared and justified4 ,but the great serpent was dead2 only its tail wiggled and stirred a little dust for a short time4 ,after a little even that lay quiet4 ,the clouds were dissipating1 the sky was clearing1 and soon the sun shone with its former brightness1 giving comfort1 light1 and life to many thousands4 ,the conspiracy had failed4 ,where to-day are the conspirators8#ae ----- ,footnote #ae3 ,a friend has aptly put the story in a few short lines3 ----- ,,the ,,false ,,secret4 8',twas the thistle that told the yellow-bird1 ,and the yellow-bird told the bee1 ,and the gossip winds that overheard ,went telling the willow-tree2 ,and that is the way the little tree-frog ,is supposed to know it all2 ,he told his cousins that lived in a bog1 ,and they croaked to the rushes tall2 ,they whispered the reptiles that live in the mud1 ,and wiggle and creep and crawl1 ,to tell the mosquitoes that feast on blood ,that a star was seen to fall4 8,but the lilies knew that it could not be true1 ,the lilies that looked on high2 ,and the waters blue1 where the lilies grew4 ,not so the little fire fly3 ,he met his friends where the garden ends ,and the low marsh meadows lie2 ,they said it was sad as sad could be ,that a star must fall and die1 ,and the goblin meteors danced with glee-- ,but the star is still in the sky40 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,rest and renewed ,activity--,lecturing ,tours--,resignation from the ,congregational ,association--,boston ,criticisms4 ,very shortly after ,mr4 ,beecher settled in ,brooklyn he began working in a somewhat different and larger parish than the one included in his church4 ,at first in the more immediate vicinity of ,new ,york1 then gradually widening and enlarging his circuit1 he spent no small portion of the week1 during the winter months1 in lecturing4 ,he sought to elevate the public morals1 to educate public sentiment along the line of integrity and morality4 ,while his lectures were full of the humorous1 alive with bright poetic thoughts1 there was always a purpose sought in each and this always seemed essential to the development of his best efforts4 ,no lecture was ever delivered by him that some of his audience did not go home strengthened and encouraged in their purposes of right living1 or awakened to begin a better life4 ,they were week-day sermons on practical morals4 ,his field had gradually broadened1 until by #ahgj it included all of the ,northern ,states east of the ,mississippi ,river4 ,from these lectures he derived no inconsiderable income1 which was expended with no mean hand for charity1 on friends1 and the gratification of his artistic and literary tastes4 ,with the outbreak of the ,tilton conspiracy1 and the various vexatious proceedings incidental to and in aid thereof1 he naturally found too much employment at home1 and too great a strain on mind and body1 to leave either strength1 leisure1 or inclination for lecturing4 ,with the close of the ,great ,council came comparative peace1 and in the winter following he resumed his regular lecturing4 ,for this there were several reasons4 ,the mental and nervous wear and tear of the past five or six years had been terrible4 ,as we have seen1 he had many times been brought to the verge of complete prostration1 which he feared might end in death or paralysis4 ,it was imperative that he should get some relief from this strain4 ,with him rest did not mean idleness1 but rather activity in a different direction1 often greater than the work which had fatigued him4 ,such a remedy he found in lecturing4 ,then it was necessary to make good the great expenditure of money entailed upon him4 ,the 8trial year0 alone had cost him over #aah1jjj1 and1 notwithstanding the loving generosity of his people had raised his salary for that year to #ajj1jjj1 he found himself heavily in debt4 ,lecturing afforded the means of remedying this difficulty4 ,another reason strenuously urged by friends1 was that1 to meet and talk with the many thousands scattered over the land1 who had so long loved and trusted him1 would greatly aid in scattering the clouds that had been so long lowering2 that it would be a source of strength and comfort to them1 and greatly benefit him4 ,a series of lecture-tours followed during the next two or three years1 extending through the ,new ,england ,states1 ,west1 ,southwest1 and ,south1 the results of which fully justified every reason for this undertaking4 ,then for the first time he realized how many friends he had4 ,it is true that when the sky was darkest he received many hundreds of letters from friends and strangers expressing unabated confidence and sympathy4 ,grateful and comforting as these were to him1 they did not so fully reveal to him the hold that he had on the hearts of the ,american people as the demonstrations that greeted him on these lecture-trips4 ,what these demonstrations were we can gain some idea from his letters home1 brief and hasty sketches1 written at odd intervals3 8,next ,boston4 ,temple full4 ,received me with prolonged clapping4444 ,preached ,sunday ,a4,m4 for ------4 ,had great liberty1 and1 as he says1 swept everything4444 ,at night in ,boston for ------4 ,ten thousand people couldn't get in4 ,shook hands with whole audiences4 ,papers next morning with kind notices4 ,went to ,congregational ministers' meeting on ,monday morning4 ,cheered and clapped when ,i entered4 ,after paper for day was finished it was moved that ,i address the meeting4 ,i did so1 and closed with prayer4 ,all wept1 and it broke up like a revival meeting4 ,d------1 ,s------1 ,a------1#af etc41 present2 did not shake hands1 but scores of others did4444 ,i learn that the ,andover students have come back three to one against ,s------4 ,they intend asking me over to-morrow morning to talk to them44440 ----- ,footnote #af3 ,leaders among the opposition clergy4 ----- 8,i preached yesterday in ,st4 ,paul 7,minn47 ,i returned early this morning to meet the clergy of this city in ,stimpson's study1 about twenty-five1 of all churches1 ,episcopal1 ,presbyterian1 ,congregational1 ,baptist1 ,lutheran1 ,free-,will ,baptist1 etc4 ,two hours1 in which they questioned me about my views on doctrines1 sermon-making1 preaching1 etc41 etc41 and at close ,i prayed with them4 ,royal time4 ,they were more than cordial4 ,excitement for to-night's lecture even greater than for that of ,friday4 ,dr4 ,post1 of ,st4 ,louis1 writes to me to fill his pulpit1 also the other ,congregational minister2 while the very papers that used1 a year or two ago1 to abuse me1 are demanding that the largest hall or theatre shall be taken1 so that the common people can get in40 8,the sense of spring has accompanied me all the way4 ,i am now in the middle of my third week--nearly half through4 ,laus ,deo4 ,everywhere the same kindness1 affection1 and enthusiasm4 ,madison is the capital of this ,state1 and the ,speaker and members of the ,legislature have just sent a committee requesting me to open the house with prayer4444 ,in short1 the whole slander is burned over out here1 like a prairie or an old corn-field1 and will never lift itself again40 8,i had not expected a large audience1 but ,i had it4 ,i expected but few of the upper class of people1 but ,i had the best of the city2 even ,watterson1 of the ,courier-,journal1 that had always vilely blackguarded me1 sent for tickets for himself1 family1 and his father4 ,i was in good trim1 and for nearly two hours ,i avenged myself upon that audience4 ,the enthusiasm was complete4 ,every one said that ,i had conquered ,louisville1 and so ,i am enjoying the fruits of revenge6 ,i had an uncommonly successful trip4 ,in ,pittsburgh there was a grand audience--all the ministers from far and near4 ,it was said that there were a hundred in the audience40 8,all my life long ,i have had good1 warm friends1 but ,i never knew until recently what friendship was outside of those of my own immediate circle4 ,the unmistakable enthusiasm1 the love and eagerness1 the lingering and the longing1 have been such as to fill my cup full4 8,i have felt1 time and again1 that that which ,i have had of trouble ,i have bought at a cheap rate2 the trouble has been but a small price to pay for a lodgment in the hearts of the best men1 the best women1 and the children4 ,i have found that those whose love is deepest and warmest represent families who look at everything in the world from the standpoint of the household--who judge of preaching1 of ethics1 and of methods by the relation which they bear to the bringing up of the young1 and to the founding and maintaining of ,christian homes4 ,that part of the community who live in the household1 and honor it1 ,i had almost said1 were universally my most dear and cordial friends40 ,from this time on until his death he was more or less in the lecture-field every year4 ,another period of restful calm sets in1 during which he devoted himself1 comparatively undisturbed1 to his duties in the pulpit1 the editorial chair of the ,christian ,union1 and the lecture-field4 ,during this period of quiet he made those definite announcements of his beliefs that so much disturbed many of his theological brethren1 notably his sermon on the 8,background of ,mystery10 in which he discussed that mysterious question of future punishment2 and a little later the series since published under the title of 8,evolution and ,religion10 discussing the application of the theory of evolution to religious beliefs4#ag ,notwithstanding many of the most eminent of the ,american and ,english clergy had both entertained and expressed similar views1 their exposition by ,mr4 ,beecher1 as usual1 called forth much criticism1 more or less severe according to the theological bent of the critic1 but also much friendly comment4 ----- ,footnote #ag3 ,we present ,mr4 ,beecher's theological beliefs more fully in another chapter4 ----- ,he was at this time a member of 8,the ,congregational ,association10 composed of ,congregational clergymen of ,new ,york and ,brooklyn4 ,feeling that many of his brethren did not agree with his views1 and that yet they might be held to some extent responsible for his beliefs1 he determined to resign from the ,association4 ,at the meeting ,october #ac1 #ahhb1 he had been assigned for discussion the topic of 8,spiritual ,barbarism40 ,after discussing the theological beliefs which he regarded as appropriately coming under that expression1 he went on to give a full declaration of his personal beliefs1 and then at the close stated3 8,i have reason to believe that a great many of the brethren of the ,congregational faith would speak more than disapproval1 and that many even in the ,association to which ,i belong feel as though they could not bear the burden of responsibility of being supposed to tolerate the views ,i have held and taught2 and it is on this account that ,i1 as a man of honor and a ,christian gentleman1 cannot afford to lay on anybody the responsibility of my views4 ,i cannot afford especially to put them in such a position that they are obliged to defend me4 ,i cannot make them responsible in any way1 and therefore ,i now here1 and in the greatest love and sympathy1 lay down my membership of this ,association and go forth--not to be separated from you4 ,i shall be nearer to you than if ,i should be in ecclesiastical relation4 ,i will work for you1 ,i will lecture for you1 ,i will personally do everything ,i can for you4 ,i will even attend these meetings as a spectator with you4 ,i will devote my whole life to the ,congregational churches and their interests1 as well as to all other churches of ,christ ,jesus4 ,i am not going out into the cold4 ,i am not going out into another sect4 ,i am not going away from you in any spirit of disgust4 ,i never was in warmer personal sympathy with every one of you than ,i am now2 but ,i lay down the responsibility that you have borne for me--,i take it off from you and put it on myself4 ,and now you can say1 #8,he is a member of the ,congregational ,church1 but he has relieved his brethren of all responsibility whatever for his teachings4' ,that you are perfectly free to do4 ,with thanks for your great kindness1 and with thanks to ,god for the life which we have had here together1 ,i am now no longer a member of the ,congregational ,association of ,new ,york and ,brooklyn1 but with you a member of the body of ,christ ,jesus1 in full fellowship with you in the matter of faith and love and hope40 ,he was earnestly urged to reconsider his resignation4 ,he felt it to be his duty to adhere to the determination expressed4 ,the ,association unanimously passed the following resolution expressive of their feelings3 8,resolved1 ,that the members of the ,new ,york and ,brooklyn ,association receive the ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher's resignation of his membership in this body with very deep pain and regret4 ,we cannot fail to recognize the generous magnanimity which has led him to volunteer this action1 lest he should seem even indirectly to make his brethren responsible before the public for the support of philosophical and theological doctrines wherein he is popularly supposed to differ essentially with those who hold the established and current evangelical faith4 ,his full and proffered exposition of doctrinal views that he has made at this meeting indicates the propriety of his continued membership in this or any other ,congregational ,association4 ,we hereby declare our desire that he may see his way clear to reconsider and withdraw it4 ,we desire to place on record as the result of a long and intimate acquaintance with ,mr4 ,beecher1 and a familiar observation of the results of his life1 as well as his preaching and pastoral work1 that we cherish for him an ever-growing personal attachment as a brother beloved1 and a deepening sense of his worth as a ,christian minister4 ,we cannot now contemplate the possibility of his future absence from our meetings without a depressing sense of the loss we are to suffer1 and unitedly pledge the hearts of the ,association to him1 and express the hope that the day for his return may soon come40 ,of course much comment followed this step--perhaps more marked among some of the ,boston clergy than elsewhere--and in its turn drew from ,mr4 ,beecher several characteristic letters4 ,one to a near friend3 8,don't be scared because ,boston has boiled over2 it has not put the fire out4 8,it is amusing to see the pains taken to prove that ,i am of no account1 dead1 useless1 a castaway4 ,i know that ,i am dead4 ,i knew it twenty years ago2 ,i have been certified of the fact every year since4 ,i have no influence--,i never had1 cannot have2 a hundred fluttering ministers are eager to say so before the world6 ,well1 what of it8 ,the wild-fowl return from the north as usual1 winter comes on1 the spring will come in its season1 birds and flowers--indeed1 it does seem to me that ,nature cares nothing at all for all this squabbling of men6 ,i am astonished at ,nature64440 ,another in reply to an invitation to answer his critics through the columns of the ,boston ,traveller3 8,i thank you for the letter and paper4 ,i have read the somewhat large expressions of these many and excellent men in regard to my orthodoxy1 consistency1 influence1 and general merit1 without wishing for a moment to reply1 as you kindly request me4 8,when a dead man is lying on the dissecting-table under the hands of experts1 it would be unbecoming in him to rise up suddenly and discuss with his surgeons the propriety of their methods and the truth of results4 ,it is not often that one can see himself as others see him1 and especially as ,boston sees him1 and1 more than all1 as ,boston clergymen see him4 ,i am reduced to pulp1 but1 thank ,heaven6 not to ashes4 ,when you suggest a reply to these1 ,i am sure you can have no conception of the subdued and enlightened state of my mind4 ,i am bent on improvement4 ,laying aside all my old notions of my beliefs and of my standing1 ,i am carefully putting together the real man that ,i now am taught that ,i am4 ,when ,i get my new personal identity together and in working shape1 ,i intend to study theology somewhere1 though in my present confusion ,i cannot yet say whether ,i shall study at ,andover or ,boston2 ,new ,haven is nearer1 but ,dr4 ,smythe has been settled there1 and ,i fear laxity of doctrine in his neighborhood4 ,princeton is not far to the south of me1 but ,dr4 ,mc,cosh is a ,christian evolutionist1 and it would be folly1 after what ,i have suffered1 to come under the malarial influence of that philosophy4 ,on the whole1 ,i incline to study at ,park ,street4 ,but wherever ,i may go ,i am determined before ,i die to find a theology which will pass muster at ,bangor1 at ,andover1 at ,cambridge1 at ,new ,haven1 at ,princeton1 at ,alleghany1 at ,oberlin1 at ,chicago1 and at ,park ,street4 8,then ,i shall willingly die40 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,attacking ,corrupt ,judges--,interest in ,political ,questions--,advocating ,arthur's ,renomination--,opposing ,blaine--,supporting ,cleveland--,campaign of #ahhd--;,after the ,battle4 ,it had always been ,mr4 ,beecher's belief that a ,christian gentleman should be a good citizen1 and that being a good citizen involved some responsibility in securing and enforcing righteous laws1 in electing honest men1 and defeating the corrupt and unworthy4 ,with this belief his whole life was consistent4 ,in his early ministry we find him fighting corruption1 intoxication1 and slavery1 the then three great public evils4 ,later he stood as one of the sponsors to the ,republican party4 ,in #ahef he entered with all his force in the ,fremont campaign1 and in #ahfj stumped the ,middle and ,new ,england ,states for ,lincoln4 ,the overthrow of slavery was his objective point--the one great public evil which at that time overtopped all others4 ,when1 in #ahfd1 ,lincoln ran for re-election1 he spared no effort to secure it4 ,and as he thought that whatever pertained to the duties of a ,christian man might properly be discussed in the pulpit1 he did not hesitate1 during those war times1 when the national existence was threatened1 to advocate the cause of the nation and the cause of liberty from his pulpit2 at one time1 just before the election of #ahfd1 devoting his evening sermon for the six preceding weeks exclusively to the nation's cause4 ,we remember vividly the great throngs that packed the church for two hours before the sermon1 many getting entrance through the side windows1 while the street contained as many more trying in vain to even reach the open doors4 ,we shall never forget the thrills of excitement that ran through the audience under the influence of ,mr4 ,beecher's impassioned eloquence4 ,he was thoroughly aroused1 and seemed to impart much of the intensity of his own feelings to his audience4 ,he felt that to defeat ,lincoln then meant to throw away all that had been obtained by such a sacrifice of men and money4 ,we are not surprised1 then1 in #ahfh-fi--;at the time when the flood of corruption had deluged ,new ,york city1 reaching even to the judges on the bench--that his voice was raised in continuous protest against that disgraceful state of affairs1 calling on all good men to unite and purge the city of its corruption4 ,the attack from ,plymouth pulpit upon the corrupt judiciary1 especially1 was unsparing and continuous1 sometimes through whole sermons and sometimes incidentally4 ,the times were in desperate need of some bold moral surgery1 for it would be hard to imagine a worse condition in the public administration--in well nigh every department and branch--than that which existed from #ahfg to #ahga4 ,the infamous ,tweed had assumed virtually the dictatorship1 and impudently wanted to know of the people1 8,what are you going to do about it80 ,a query which was fully answered a few years later4 ,but the climax was reached in the almost utter corruption of the bench4 ,there were some honest judges in ,new ,york then1 but they suffered from the same imputation that1 in more modern times1 falls upon any man who has had the misfortune to have been elected an alderman of the same city4 ,friends of some of the judges were rash enough to attempt an answer through the public press to ,mr4 ,beecher's attack4 ,but this only furnished the text for a series of more terrible denunciations in reply1 which led to a very hasty muzzling of the rash defenders of the bench4 ,a public discussion1 even in those days of public apathy and demoralization1 was the last thing that was wished by the corruptionists whom he was attacking4 ,to a member of the federal bench who wrote him1 protesting that there were some honest judges who would be injured by ,mr4 ,beecher's strictures1 he replied3 8444 ,of the fourteen 7elective7 judges of ,new ,york there are not over five who are not known to be corrupt--i4 e41 who do not employ their office for the promotion of their private interests at the expense of the public good--and hardly one of the whole fourteen who is not guilty of flagrant nepotism4 8,now1 if clergymen were violating the vows of their calling in half that proportion they would have no right to complain1 if some judge declared #8the clergy were corrupt1' and the judges have no just reason of complaint1 when a clergymen declares the courts of ,new ,york to be corrupt1 and that their judges #8stink' 7asking pardon of your sensibility74 8,if this allegation in so broad a form involves the innocent along with the guilty1 it is because such is the law of social liability4444 8,if the honorable men who are alive to the purity of the judicial reputation can find no way of making a public and recognized distinction between themselves and their unworthy companions1 they should not be surprised if their own names are clouded1 too4 8,in regard to yourself1 personally1 ,i have never heard a whisper of dishonor1 444 and if you do not receive the full meed of your desert1 is it not because you belong to a profession which1 in ,new ,york ,city1 is earning itself an odious reputation8 8,i wish to arouse a conscience in the community1 outside of courts1 which will compel those judges who are pure1 and who value their reputation1 to manifest their repugnance at corruption4 ,i do not mean to pause4444 8,i am obliged to you for the frankness of your letter1 and none the less because ,i entirely disagree with your judgment4 8,you fear that such indiscriminate censure will ruin the influence of law and courts1 and demoralize society4 8,bad laws and bad judges demoralize society1 and not the exposure of them4 ,religion was in no danger when our ,master denounced the priesthood of the temple1 among whom1 as with judges1 there were many devout and pure men4 ,he expressed1 as ,i do1 the opinion of society outside of the profession4 ,the exposure was a step toward reformation40 ,how far his persistent denunciation stimulated and awakened the public conscience and hastened the final overthrow of that colossal reign of corruption1 of course no man can say4 ,but the attention and excitement aroused thereby indicated that his part in that strife was no insignificant one4 ,in his own city he took an active part in the local elections1 working earnestly for the public welfare1 striving to secure the election of those men who would best administer the local government4 ,in the earlier years of the ,republican party questions vitally affecting the welfare of the nation1 and even its very existence1 were before the people4 ,and on these the ,republican party maintained those principles1 which he believed were essential to the maintenance of the nation4 ,he threw his entire strength and influence with that party1 sparing nothing4 ,after the war had determined the questions of secession and slavery1 and the reconstruction period had past and a sound financial policy been established1 he noticed with no little disturbance the insidious growth of corrupting influences in various branches of the government1 and the gradually increasing prominence and influence in the party's councils of men who did not1 in his opinion1 stand for the highest principles of personal and political honesty4 ,so far as he could he sought to counteract this tendency downward4 ,he earnestly supported the better men in the party1 and tried to prevent the dangerous ones from obtaining power4 ,so long as the high national principles for which the party stood were in the least in danger1 and were acquiring a settled permanence1 he viewed these disquieting signs as morbid growths upon a body healthy in the main1 and which the general strength of the body could throw off1 like boils or skin eruptions on a strong man--painful and unsightly1 but not dangerous to life nor difficult to cure4 ,but as the government became more and more settled1 and as the questions which called the ,republican party into existence and which followed in the reconstructive period became more and more fixed facts1 he noticed with increasing disquietude that the struggles at the national election were becoming more a contest for party supremacy than for national security1 where personal benefit was rapidly outstripping the country's welfare4 ,at each election the politicians on either side found an increasingly greater difficulty in framing a platform that should differ in any important particular from its opponent's1 save on the tariff question1 regarding which ,mr4 ,beecher was not in accord with his party4 ,the party platforms were rapidly becoming noticeable only for the ingenuity with which the same ideas were expressed in high-sounding phrases1 differing only in words4 ,even as far back as #ahgg1 in a sermon published under the title of 8,past ,perils and ,perils of ,to-day10 he gave an intimation of his growing feeling1 almost prophetic3 8,the perils of the hour are the last that ,i shall mention1 and they are the least4 ,whatever may betide the questions that are now at issue1 they will result in nothing worse than simple transient mischief1 moral1 political1 and civil4 ,the foundations are settled4 ,the future policy of this nation1 whichever hands undertake to hold the helm1 is assured4 ,i would rather that the nation1 which has been rescued by the great ,republican party1 and borne through all the shoals and whirls and troubles of the reconstructive period1 for which they are now receiving more curses than kindnesses1 and whose mistakes are multiplied before the eyes of men1 while their wisdom is little thought of--,i would rather that this nation should remain in their hands1 if they are worthy to hold the helm2 but if not1 give me a hand that can hold the helm1 whosesoever it is4 ,if their light is extinguished along the coast1 and they have no longer power to guide the ship of state to a safe harbor1 let other lights be kindled4 ,we cannot afford to wait for any party4 ,the nation is more important than any party4 ,it is not1 then1 any particular peril of a change of administration that is to be feared4 ,i look upon that with interest1 but still with equanimity40 ,he noticed with jealous interest the men who were growing up and pushing to the front in the ,republican party1 studying their characters1 watching their actions1 noting their words to see toward what they were tending1 whether good or evil1 whether they would be safe leaders and wise administrators4 ,so that when the notable campaign of #ahhd began1 and the conventions were called to select the candidates for the ,presidency1 he had very clearly defined opinions as to the fitness of the various aspirants in both parties1 the result of long and careful observation4 ,of course his first concern was as to the action of the ,republican party4 ,he earnestly hoped that the party would have the wisdom to renominate ,president ,arthur4 ,when ,general ,arthur was called to the ,presidential chair by the sad death of ,general ,garfield1 ,mr4 ,beecher1 in common with many others1 had grave misgivings as to his wisdom and ability to administer so important an office4 ,but he developed such unexpected administrative ability1 showed so much wisdom and such rare fortitude in resisting his party's leaders1 in any unwise or hurtful action1 and so much discrimination in the exercise of his veto power1 that he won the admiration and esteem of those who had1 with doubt and solicitude1 seen him enter upon his untried duties4 ,every instinct of good sense1 every argument of wisdom1 urged his renomination2 the precedents of the party gave him a second term4 ,with this feeling ,mr4 ,beecher was fully in accord4 ,so when a meeting of merchants and business men was called at the ,cooper ,institute1 early in the summer of #ahhd1 to give expression to this sentiment1 ,mr4 ,beecher very gladly accepted an invitation to address it4 ,he had a double reason in advocating ,general ,arthur's renomination1 or rather two reasons1 one positive and the other negative4 ,he had acquired great confidence in ,general ,arthur1 and admiration for his past administration4 ,he believed that he was by all odds the best man in his party for the place4 ,he also felt sure that if ,general ,arthur was not nominated1 ,mr4 ,blaine would be1 and in ,mr4 ,blaine he saw1 as he believed1 a very serious threatening danger4 ,he was one of the men whose career he had carefully watched1 and for whom he had a very pronounced distrust4 ,of him he said3 8,for twelve years ,i have watched him1 anxious that he should be the right man--that he is not4 ,for more than ten years ,i have been afraid of him40 ,behind ,mr4 ,blaine1 as his earnest advocates1 he saw the men who had been most prominent in the jobbery and corruption that had1 from time to time1 broken out like plague-spots in different parts of the country4 ,he strongly felt that his election would be regarded by the world at large as an endorsement of the idea1 painfully prevalent1 that all a man should aim at in politics is success1 no matter how4 ,he deeply regretted the unwisdom of not renominating ,general ,arthur4 ,when the ,national ,convention put ,mr4 ,blaine in nomination ,mr4 ,beecher had three courses left open to him3 either 7#a7 support ,mr4 ,blaine1 as his party's nominee regularly presented by the ,national ,convention2 or 7#b7 stay at home and not vote2 or 7#c7 support the opposing candidate4 ,to the first his answer was3 8,it is almost the one argument ,i hear on every hand3 #8,i don't like ,blaine4 ,he was not my choice1 but then he is the regular nominee of our party4' 8,why1 according to your logic1 you must vote for whomsoever the convention gives you4 ,if the convention had given you ,tweed1 every mother's son of you would have dropped your tail between your legs and voted for ,tweed4 ,the logic of this is infamous4444 ,you would not do it anywhere else1 ,i tell you1 except where the murrain of a blighted politics had fallen upon you40 ,the second course had too much of prudential shirking to suit ,mr4 ,beecher's temperament4 ,if the ,republican nominee was an unfit man to vote for1 he was an unfit man to be elected2 and1 unless his opponent should be as conspicuously unfit1 every vote should be so cast as to affect the greatest result4 ,the third course alone seemed open1 and when the ,democratic ,convention1 in a sudden spasm of good sense and wisdom1 nominated ,governor ,cleveland1 ,mr4 ,beecher's mind was speedily made up4 ,with the first outbreak of that campaign of slanders ,mr4 ,beecher was greatly disturbed4 ,he at once requested some personal friends residing in ,buffalo1 and well acquainted with ,governor ,cleveland's life and reputation1 themselves ,republicans1 to make a thorough investigation of the scandalous stories in circulation1 and was satisfied from their report that with the one exception1 admitted1 repented of1 and lived down by a life of honesty and integrity1 the stories were false4 ,once satisfied of their falsity1 he entered into the campaign with all his old-time fire and zeal4 ,his indignation was intensely roused at their circulation1 and it only needed the timid caution of friends1 that he would injure himself1 by advocating the cause of a man about whom such stories were told1 to arouse him to an outburst of indignant scorn4 8,in all the history of politics we do not believe that lies so cruel1 so base1 so atrocious have ever been set in motion4 ,the air is murky with the shameless stories of ,mr4 ,cleveland's private life4 ,to our sorrow and shame we find these cockatrice's eggs brooded and hatched by rash and credulous clergymen4 ,they could not go to ,mr4 ,cleveland with honest inquiry1 so they opened their ears to the harlot and the drunkard4 ,they have sought by hint1 innuendo1 irresponsible slander1 to poison the faith of holy men1 of innocent women1 and they have sought to make back-biting a copt virtue1 and to change the sanctuary into a salacious whispering-gallery4 ,is it for our sins1 or for a trial of our faith1 that ,god has permitted the plagues of ,egypt to revisit us8 ,the land swarms with vermin1 frogs slime our bread-troughs1 and lice crawl about our chambers4 8,do timid ministers ever reflect that the guilt of a vice or a crime measures the guilt of him who charges them falsely8 ,slander takes on the guilt of crime alleged4 ,true religion does not creep through twilight passages1 but is open1 frank1 rejoicing not in iniquity1 but rejoicing in the truth1 hoping all things4 ,these vespertilian saints1 whose soft bat's wings bear them from house to house1 and from town to town1 in the service of ,baal1 the ,god of flies and lies1 will one day creep into the holes and clefts of rocks and hide themselves4444 8,when in the gloomy night of my own suffering ,i sounded every depth of sorrow1 ,i vowed that if ,god would bring the day star of hope ,i would never suffer brother1 friend1 or neighbor to go unfriended should a like serpent seek to crush him4 ,that oath ,i will regard now4 ,because ,i know the bitterness of venomous lies1 ,i will stand against infamous lies that seek to sting to death an upright man and magistrate4 ,men counsel me to prudence lest ,i stir again my own griefs4 ,no6 ,i will not be prudent4 ,if ,i refuse to interpose a shield of well-placed confidence between ,governor ,cleveland and the swarm of liars that nuzzle in the mud1 or sling arrows from ambush1 may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth and my right hand forget its cunning6 ,i will imitate the noble example set me by ,plymouth ,church in the day of my calamity4 ,they were not ashamed of my bonds4 ,they stood by me with ,god-sent loyalty4 ,it was a heroic deed4 ,they have set my duty before me1 and ,i will imitate their example40 ,of course many of ,mr4 ,beecher's friends were greatly exercised1 and lamented what they feared would be a suicidal course4 ,again1 for the twentieth time or more1 he was rushing upon self-destruction--his prestige would be destroyed1 his influence lost1 and untold woes would follow4 ,as we look back1 scarce three years1 we cannot but smile1 in the light of subsequent events1 at the great excitement and grief that existed then4 ,but then it was real4 ,every effort was made at first to win ,mr4 ,beecher to support ,mr4 ,blaine1 and then that he should not support ,governor ,cleveland1 and this was carried even to the extent of threats4 ,the excitement threatened a serious division in his church1 and the danger seemed more real than on any previous occasion4 ,party zeal ran high4 ,but ,mr4 ,beecher had acted only after careful deliberation2 being satisfied as to what his duty was1 no argument could sway him in the least that appealed to his fears or personal benefit4 ,to a clerical friend who wrote in early autumn1 just before the real campaign began1 he replied3 8444 ,but1 now1 hear me4 ,if ,i thought it my duty to speak for ,cleveland and against ,blaine1 ,i would do it1 though ,i lost all my influence1 all my friends1 my church1 and even my own family4 ,all considerations urged upon me which touch my feelings1 hopes1 interests1 are repelled by me with the whole force of my nature1 and ,i cannot treat my friends better than ,i do my innermost self4 ,i will not be bribed even by love4 ,i have but a few years left4 ,they shall not put to shame all my anti-slavery days4 ,i do not doubt that you love me1 but if you loved me yet more you would urge me to stand firmly to my conscientious convictions and not heed #8what men can do unto me4' ,the election of ,blaine will be a sign of such demoralized moral sense as ,i never dreamed could befall ,christian men and ministers2 or ,i should feel so1 if ,i had not seen good men and ministers in the great anti-slavery struggle4444 8,i wish you would say to all my honest-hearted brethren1 please let me alone6 ,i am as old as you are1 as diligent in seeking the truth1 and as conscientious in deciding and acting40 ,to a letter of remonstrance and advice from a dear friend1 a member of his church1 he wrote3 8,i am sure that ,i receive with consideration any advice which grown-up men desire to lay before me1 especially those of my church4 ,but1 on the other hand1 ,i hope the brethren will take into consideration that ,i am as much interested in being right as they can possibly be1 and that ,i have had some experience in public life1 and that all that is said in the newspapers1 and constituting the knowledge in which the brethren act1 is also before me1 and that ,i have a profound interest in the welfare of the nation and of the young men in it4 8,that1 after forty years' hot experience of stormy times1 ,i have been led1 hitherto by ,god's providence1 to the right conclusion4 8,i am still in ,god's hands1 and daily ask ,his guiding providence4 ,what more8 8,the alarm of friends1 the party excitement of others1 has no effect upon me whatever4 ,any new and real information ,i shall be grateful for1 but to tell me nothing1 and only to express amazement1 wonder1 concern1 etc41 and let me know how damaging to my reputation and interests it will be if ,i follow my judgment1 and not theirs1 who love me as ,i am sure these brethren do1 indicates how far gone in political excitement they are1 and how little they understand the man whom they love4 8,i shall do my duty as ,god reveals it to me1 without a moment's consideration of its effect on me4 ,i am ready to resign my pastorate at an hour's notice1 when ,i no longer have freedom to follow my convictions1 or when doing so divides the church and scatters the congregation4 8,i am thankful to the brethren who have written2 even more so to those who have not4 8,i receive ten to forty letters a day from all over the land1 clean and unclean1 and merely glance at them and burn them40 ,to one who went to the extent of threats he replied3 8,your remarkable note of ,august #hth is received4 ,i have nothing to say to the general views1 except that every man should determine his duty for himself and respect the same liberty in other people4 8,to your closing sentence1 which contains the threat that1 if ,i vote for ,cleveland1 you #87,i7 shall feel compelled to withdraw from your ,church and your teachings1' ,i would only say that1 having profited so little by my teachings1 as this arrogant sentence indicates1 ,i should certainly advise you to change your church relations in the hope of better results40 ,it was not until the campaign had gotten under full headway1 and within three or four weeks of the election1 that ,mr4 ,beecher began to take any very active part in it4 ,at first he intended to speak only in ,new ,york and ,brooklyn2 but as the campaign progressed he realized the importance of devoting every energy to securing the ,states of ,new ,york1 ,new ,jersey1 and ,connecticut4 ,accordingly1 during the last two weeks he spoke every day save ,sunday1 and on some days twice1 visiting the more important cities of those three ,states4 ,he was very earnest that the 8,independents0 should not enter the ,democratic party1 but should organize as 8,independent ,republicans40 ,he thought that it was time that the political managers should understand1 that there was a moral sense in the community that would not submit to bad nominations2 that the best way to redeem his party was by defeating unworthy nominees1 and that1 if this was persisted in1 the politicians would soon see the necessity of deferring to an enlightened public sentiment1 and putting in nomination only its best men4 ,he felt that the ,republican party was being misled1 by the same influences that had secured unwise or improper nominations1 into a very dangerous path1 that would ultimately lead to the utter destruction of the party itself4 ,in one of his earlier speeches in the campaign of #ahhd1 he voiced that feeling when he spoke of his appearing in opposition to the organized action of the party3 8,i confess1 at the risk of the imputation of some immodesty1 that my appearance here to-night1 to antagonize the organized action of the ,republican party1 is itself a fact of the most significant character4 ,before many of you were born ,i was rocking the cradle of the ,republican party4 ,i fought its early battles when it was in an apparently hopeless minority4 ,i advocated its cause1 speaking day and night1 at the risk of my health and of my life itself1 which ,i counted as nothing compared with the interests of my country1 when ,fremont was our first notable candidate4 ,when ,mr4 ,lincoln became our candidate ,i gave all ,i had of time1 strength1 influence1 and persuasion1 and when his election was ascertained and efforts were made to intimidate the ,north1 and to prevent his being inaugurated1 ,i went up and down through this country stiffening the backs of willow-backed patriots4 ,i faced mobs1 ,i preached day and night in my own church1 to hold the ,north up to its own rights and interests4 ,when the war broke out1 ,i sent to it the only boy ,i had big enough to hold a musket4 ,and as the war went on my contribution could not be much1 but such as it was ,i gave it--,i gave it as a mother gives her breast to her child4 8,and when1 seeking some rest from exhausting cares and labors1 ,i went abroad1 ,i did not suffer the grass to grow under my feet1 but1 in the face of royalty and aristocracy and of great wealth in ,england1 ,i upheld the justice and the rectitude of the cause for which we were all striving4 ,and at every canvass from that day to this ,i have not held back health1 strength1 or influence4 ,why1 then1 is it that ,i am now opposed to the organized movement of the ,republican party8 ,that is a significant question4 8,i am now opposing the party whose cradle ,i rocked1 because ,i do not mean to be a pall-bearer to carry the coffin of that party to the grave4 ,the ,republican party is on its way to destruction1 unless you turn the switch and run it on a side track4 ,and by all my love of my country--and it is next to my love of my ,god--by all my pride in the past1 ,i feel bound to do whatever ,god will inspire me to do1 to stop the ruinous progress of the ,republican party and to save it4 8,it behooves you1 therefore1 not to make mere amusement of the work of this evening4 ,i speak to you as to a jury4 ,the case before you is not that of some trembling culprit1 or some wronged citizen seeking redress4 ,it is your whole country that is before you to-night1 whose cause ,i am to plead--to plead as if life or death hung on the issues4 ,i am in dead earnest4 ,it is very natural that men working through a political party1 should1 by and by1 come to look upon all events in the community in their relation to party welfare and party success4 ,but ,i1 who have had nothing to do with parties1 except as moral instruments1 naturally look upon their movements and purposes from the moral standpoint4 ,what are they attempting to do for this great people8 ,what does their success mean8 ,how does it stand alongside the intelligence1 the morality1 the true religion of this people1 alongside that patriotism which rests its feet on morality1 but whose head stands in the spirituality which connects man with ,god8 ,i study public affairs from the moral and religious standpoint1 and that which is offensive to ,god may ,i never live to see the day when it may be acceptable to me and to my countrymen4 8,looking forward1 as the pilot looks1 what are our perils8 ,the war is over4 ,the great questions that agitated the community are past4 ,you can't bring them back4 ,there are1 however1 two great dangers that betide our government4 ,one is the danger that comes from the corrupt use of wealth2 the other1 that which comes from the corruption of too-long-held power4 ,it is a common proverb1 #8,an honest man can bear watching2 a dishonest man needs it4' ,this is just as true of politics as of common procedure4 ,this is the age of enterprise1 of production1 of commerce--of money4 ,russia1 ,austria1 and ,france failed in their greatest recent wars and enterprises because those countries were honeycombed with official corruption4 ,we are in danger from the same cause40 ,he regarded the introduction of the moral element into politics as an event of the greatest importance4 ,politics had become so eminently 8practical0 that any one who should suggest the wisdom1 or even propriety1 of basing political action on any moral principle1 was in danger of being laughed at as a 8crank10 8dude10 or 8political pharisee40 ,and when in the birth of the ,prohibition party1 and the sudden uprising of the ,independent ,republicans1 he saw the attempt to found practical politics upon a purely moral foundation1 he hailed them both as among the most hopeful signs of the times4 ,writing of these two movements1 he said3 8,men of moral aims have been ruled out as impracticables1 as ignorant of real politics1 as enthusiasts and sentimentalists1 as idealists and doctrinaires4 ,this has been very true1 and they have hitherto hung on the border of parties like a fringe of no substance or use4 ,but the development of the party of ,prohibitionists and of ,independent ,republicans is a disclosure1 it seems to me1 of a great providential development in politics1 and that there is to be hereafter a place found for the moral elements in the politics of our country6 8,i have spoken of the two formative elements as likely to coalesce4 ,for1 though there be thousands who cannot become technical prohibitionists1 yet they will help them to create a higher moral sentiment on the subject of temperance40 ,the results of the election and the part that ,mr4 ,beecher took therein have become history1 and need not be further detailed4 ,mr4 ,beecher's action was not1 as has been erroneously suggested1 caused by any sudden impulse4 ,on the contrary1 it was the result of careful and earnest deliberation1 and was not taken until his mind was fully made up1 and it retained the approval of his later judgment1 after the heat and excitement of the contest had died out4 ,in his ,thanksgiving sermons1 it was his custom to review to some extent the political as well as material growth of the country1 to find in both whatever there might be fit for thanksgiving4 ,on ,thanksgiving1 #ahhd1 he1 at first1 intended to review the course of the events of the campaign just completed1 and commenced a sermon for that purpose4 ,after writing a part1 he changed his plans and prepared another1 in which he reviewed the reconstruction of the country since the war4 ,from this we have quoted in a previous chapter4 ,the manuscript of his unfinished sermon we have1 and1 though it is a fragment only1 it will be of value as showing his more sober judgment1 reviewing in retrospect the campaign just past and his part therein4 8,during the great political campaign which has just terminated1 ,i have scrupulously refrained from introducing into the pulpit1 or into the social meetings of this church1 a word that1 directly or indirectly1 had any bearing upon politics4 8,not that ,i had not the right1 but because it was not expedient4 ,out of the bounds of the church ,i felt called to take an active part4 8,i am not willing that you should be ignorant of my inmost motives1 and that you should have spread out before you the whole map of affairs as looked at from my standpoint4 ,many of you1 steadfast friends1 will not agree with my theory and judgment of my duty2 but you will acquit me of apostasy1 or of inconsistency1 and perhaps will even admit that1 if my view of the whole condition of national affairs was correct1 my action and career have been in one direction for forty years1 and that the very influences which led me to help in the formation of the ,republican party1 to accept its hardships1 its perils1 its reproaches1 in all the successive periods of its development1 have at this late day led me to dissent from its aims and policy4 ,i have not left the party4 ,i am standing on the very ground over which the battles have raged1 when ,i have lost good repute and suffered endless revilings4 8,no1 ,i have left nothing4 ,if there has been any change1 it is not in me4 ,i would not take one step away from those great moral principles which have been the strength of this great historic party4 8,others may think that ,i have mistaken the reality of affairs1 and been misled by will-o'-wisp lights4 8,but1 taking all counsel of all sobriety and deliberation1 every true man must follow his own ripe judgment4 ,i have followed mine1 and1 looking back over the canvass1 ,i should be conceited indeed if ,i said that ,i had been perfect1 had carried a cool intensity always1 said nothing too severely4 ,accepting my own limitations1 ,i nevertheless look back upon the past few months as worthy to be associated with the months and years of half a century of public labor1 and indeed1 if you will forgive the conceit1 ,i regard this service as the very blossom of my life4 8,these words ,i speak to my friends and to my church4 ,i owe no apology or explanation to the public4 ,but to the great multitude of members of the ,church and society1 with whom so much of my life has been spent1 whose friendship and love ,i have had1 whose unity of heart and soul around me has been the source of so much gladness and strength2 to you1 fathers1 mothers1 and friends of every name--to you1 laying aside my too sensitive pride and my somewhat fierce sense of personal independence1 ,i shall to-day unbosom myself1 and shall try to give you a bird's-eye view of the condition of the ,united ,states at this hour1 and my understanding of what it is that ,god's providence is calling us to4 8,i shall enumerate1 point by point1 the themes for thanksgiving to-day3 8,to-day is waging a great battle between ,optimism and ,pessimism4 ,what is ,optimism8 ,that happy temperament which leads one to see all things in a hopeful light and in a joyful courage4 8,what is ,pessimism8 ,it is that structure of mind which inclines one to see all events in a sad and discouraging way4 ,either disposition carried to its farthest limit is unphilosophical4 ,good is not all good2 bad is not all bad4 ,good and evil are combined1 like lights and shadows in art--sometimes1 as in ,rembrandt1 voluminous darkness nursing a small spot of light2 sometimes all light and hardly enough dark to cast a shadow4 8,in looking at our own day and our own country there is both light and shadow4 ,there are reasons for criticism and regret1 but more for gladness and thanksgiving4 8,great excitements in monarchical governments are great dangers4 ,when the government takes care of the people1 the people feel little need of caring for themselves4 ,when the people1 by the genius of their institutions1 are to look out for themselves1 they learn how1 like lofty trees1 to let violent winds sway all their branches without disturbing the root4 ,that is anchored fast4 8,the roaring anger of the wind and the sharp cry of anguish in the resisting branches soon pass and die away1 and the tree1 unclasped by the demon ,storm1 comes back to peace1 only a few leaves lost1 a few branches twisted4 8,three weeks ago a foreigner1 beholding the superlative excitement of the whole community1 ,east1 ,north1 ,west1 and ,south1 would have thought that there could never be peace more4 ,newspapers flew like unquenchable arrows every whither1 business was almost forgotten1 the streets were crowded processions1 meetings were convoked1 and men of every profession1 arguing1 appealing1 inflamed the people4 ,friends let go each other's hands1 families were divided for a time4 ,words ran high1 every truth was carried to the utmost limit of violence4 ,a wordy prophesy filled the land1 of good or of evil4 ,the lawyer forgot his brief1 the artist his sthetic dream1 the merchant his bargains1 the judge the plushy decorum of the bench4 ,refined ministers of the ,gospel1 loving elegant retiracy1 burst forth in interviews4 ,venerable pastors presided at wild political demonstrations1 and some even went forth speaking up and down the land1 like ,saul of old1 in prophesying fury4 ,hundreds of honored and beloved ministers marched in full panoply of zeal1 like ,balaam of old1 to curse4444 8,three weeks have passed6 ,it is all gone4 ,no more banners1 lanterns1 transparencies1 or shouts of men4 ,the lamps are out1 the men gone home to work1 trades resumed1 the lawyer to the courts1 the clergyman to his pulpit4 ,the anger1 the scare1 the grief of surprise that everybody had1 that everybody should have said or done what everybody did1 is dying out1 the sore places are healing1 friends are reaching out kindly hands again4 8,the storm that darkened the heavens1 the turbulent sea that thundered on the shore1 have resumed their peaceful mien4 ,the only mourners are they who sought and found not1 who knocked and unto whom it was not opened4 ,even they will ere long cool their anger1 shorten their sighs1 and1 like a weary child in its mother's lap1 hide all its grief in sleep40 ,mr4 ,beecher was very much gratified1 not only at the election of ,mr4 ,cleveland1 for whom he had grown to feel a strong personal friendship1 and in whose administration1 despite the occasional mistakes that proved even the ,president to be subject to the fallibilities of mankind1 he found so much of moral courage1 firmness1 and honest good sense to admire and approve1 but in addition to these reasons1 he felt that an administration in which the ,south should be permitted to have a part1 meant the reuniting of the country in fact as well as in name1 and a fitting sequel to that reconstruction which he had so earnestly advocated nearly twenty years before4 ,he had earnestly prayed that he might see the day when our country should be one nation1 without the lines of a bitter sectionalism1 dividing ,north from ,south or ,east from ,west2 and in his last year expressed the great satisfaction he felt in the part he had been permitted to play in bringing about such a result4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,a ,preacher--,his ,place--,his ,training--,his ,estimate of the ,work--,defects--,effectual ,call--,upon ,drawing an ,audience--,his ,theory--,preparation--,results--,a ,theologian--,his ,orthodoxy--,evolution--,ordinances--,ch ristian ,unity--,sectarianism--,peacemaker4 ,it now belongs to us1 among the closing chapters of this biography1 to speak of ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 or rather to allow him1 for the most part1 to speak for himself1 as a preacher1 a theologian1 and an administrator of ordinances--three spheres of activity so blended that it is of advantage to treat them together4 ,his doctrines necessarily shaped his preaching1 his preaching colored and emphasized his theology1 and both together determined his estimate of the ,church as an organized body1 and the value of its rites and ceremonies4 ,among them1 the preacher stood pre-eminent4 ,he himself regarded preaching as especially his vocation1 and in his judgment it ranked highest of all earthly pursuits4 ,nowhere else was he so happy as in this his chosen work4 ,as a preacher he was most widely known1 and for his labors in this sphere1 we doubt not1 he will be the longest remembered4 ,his field was broader than was ever before given to any preacher1 and no man that ever lived preached continuously to so large and influential audiences4 ,during his forty years in ,plymouth pulpit men from every part of the civilized world came to hear him1 and to every part of the civilized world did his published sermons find their way1 bringing instruction1 inspiration1 and comfort to multitudes4 ,of his rank as a preacher1 it is not for us to speak dogmatically4 ,we stood too near him--perhaps all men of the present time stand too near him--to be impartial judges4 ,many letters and reports of sermons have come to us in which he is given the first place among the preachers of this age1 and a few1 among them some from men who themselves hold the first rank1 place him before all preachers since the ,apostle ,paul4 ,which of these1 or whether either1 is the true estimate or not1 it does not belong to us nor to any man living to decide2 but we believe that the latter judgment will in time largely prevail4 ,the open heart that receives inspiration of ,god2 the prophetic insight of the true preacher that sees into the heart of things1 and sees ,god there1 and believes1 with an intense conviction born of experience1 that ,god's nature is love2 that this love is not for the ,jew only1 for those of favored lineage1 of excellent position1 of high moral standard and attainment1 or of right belief1 but is for the ,gentile1 for the wandering1 the erring1 the lost1 outside the ,church1 outside even the sympathies and hope of religious men1 the only power that can save1 but able to save to the uttermost2 the ability to see this love incarnated in ,jesus ,christ and feel it as sunshine upon the soul1 continually dispelling the darkness2 to love ,him1 as ,he is so manifested1 with an all-absorbing passion of personal affection1 before which all things pass away from their old adjustments and become new2 to see ,him not only head of the ,church1 but head over all things2 to find in ,him the centre of unity which the world needs1 middle walls of partition between ,jew and ,gentile1 between learned and unlearned1 between ranks and classes1 between science and religion1 broken down2 the power to rejoice in sufferings for ,his sake1 to bear without faltering1 to love without failing1 although 8the more we love the less we be loved02 the ability to open this ,gospel to others1 in speech that moved all hearts1 as the winds move the tree-tops1 that never touched an object1 however common1 but to leave it exalted1 set in some new and higher relation2 the ability to move men to think1 to act1 to love--all this1 we believe1 has never been possessed to an equal degree with ,mr4 ,beecher by any preacher since ,saint ,paul preached to the ,athenians1 taking the altar of the unknown god for his text2 since he described charity to the ,corinthians1 told the ,colossians that all the creation consists1 stands in harmony1 in ,jesus ,christ1 and wrote the ,epistle to the ,ephesians4 ,nor do we believe that to any one but to him has there been given a work that so nearly resembled that of the great ,apostle to the ,gentiles1 whose part it was to bridge over by a living faith1 or rather by faith in a living ,one1 the vast differences that kept classes and orders and nationalities separate2 to give expression to the new and broader hope2 to reconcile the old to the new and more vital faith1 and show the relation of a risen ,lord to a material universe4 ,but in this we may be unduly prejudiced by our affection4 ,we will let the sifting processes of the years decide4 ,that he became a minister1 as did his brothers1 by reason of the unswerving faith and prayer of the parents1 is already well known4 8,out of six sons not one escaped from the pulpit40 8,my mother dedicated me to the work of the foreign missionary2 she laid her hands upon me1 wept over me1 and set me apart to preach the ,gospel among the heathen1 and ,i have been doing it all my life long1 for it so happens one does not need to go far from his own country to find his audience before him40 ,ushered into the preparation for the ministry by the parental faith1 stumbling and discouraged and ready to give up the work1 another hand was not wanting to open still more clearly the way1 draw back the curtains1 and let in the light3 8,i beheld ,him as a helper1 as the soul's midwife1 as the soul's physician1 and ,i felt because ,i was weak ,i could come to ,him2 because ,i did not know how1 and1 if ,i did know1 ,i had not the strength1 to do the things that were right--that was the invitation that ,he gave to me out of my conscious weakness and want4 ,i will not repeat the scene of that morning when light broke fairly on my mind2 how one might have thought that ,i was a lunatic escaped from confinement2 how ,i ran up and down through the primeval forest of ,ohio1 shouting1 #8,glory1 glory6' sometimes in loud tones and at other times whispered in an ecstasy of joy and surprise4 ,all the old troubles gone1 and light breaking in on my mind1 ,i cried3 #8,i have found my ,god2 ,i have found my ,god6' ,from that hour ,i consecrated myself to the work of the ministry anew1 for before that ,i had about made up my mind to go into some other profession40 ,his early training-school for effective preaching was well selected4 ,it was1 as is well known1 one of the little villages on the banks of the ,ohio ,river1 where the wants of river barge-men and frontiermen demanded his attention4 ,it was there he decided what his life-work should be4 8#8,my business shall be to save men1 and to bring to bear upon them those views that are my comfort1 that are the bread of life to me'2 and ,i went out among them almost entirely cut loose from the ordinary church institutions and agencies1 knowing nothing but #8,christ1 and ,him crucified1' the sufferer for mankind4 ,did not the men round me need such a ,saviour8 ,was there ever such a field as ,i found8 ,every sympathy of my being was continually solicited for the ignorance1 for the rudeness1 for the aberrations1 for the avarice1 for the quarrelsomeness of the men among whom ,i was1 and ,i was trying every form and presenting ,christ as a medicine to men4 ,i went through the woods and through camp-meetings and over prairies4 ,everywhere my vacations were all missionary tours1 preaching ,christ for the hope of salvation4 ,i am not saying this to show you how ,i came to the knowledge of ,christ1 but to show you how ,i came to the habit and forms of my ministry4 ,i tried everything on to folks40 ,added to the forces of experience and surroundings was always that of his own personal1 natural endowment4 ,this he found fault with and tried to change1 as most people do at some period of their lives1 but finally accepted and concluded to use as best he could1 without murmuring1 but always conscious of its limitations4 8,i have my own peculiar temperament1 ,i have my own method of preaching1 and my method and temperament necessitate errors4 ,i am not worthy to be related in the hundred-thousandth degree to those more happy men who never make a mistake in the pulpit4 ,i make a great many4 ,i am impetuous4 ,i am intense at times on subjects that deeply move me4 ,i feel as though all the ocean were not strong enough to be the power behind my words1 nor all the thunders that were in the heavens1 and it is of necessity that such a nature as that should give such intensity at times to parts of doctrine as to exaggerate them when you come to bring them into connection with a more rounded-out and balanced view4 ,i know it--,i know it as well as you do4 ,i would not do it if ,i could help it2 but there are times when it is not ,i that is talking1 when ,i am caught up and carried away so that ,i know not whether ,i am in the body or out of the body1 when ,i think things in the pulpit that ,i never could think in the study1 and when ,i have feelings that are so far different from any that belong to the lower or normal condition that ,i neither can regulate them nor understand them4 ,i see things and ,i hear sounds1 and seem1 if not in the seventh heaven1 yet in a condition that leads me to understand what ,paul said--that he heard things which it was not possible for a man to utter4 ,i am acting under such a temperament as that4 ,i have got to use it1 or not preach at all4 ,i know very well ,i do not give crystalline views nor thoroughly guarded views2 there is often an error on this side and an error on that1 and ,i cannot stop to correct them4 ,a man might run around1 like a kitten after its tail1 all his life1 if he were going around explaining all his expressions and all the things he had written4 ,let them go4 ,they will correct themselves4 ,the average and general influence of a man's teaching will be more mighty than any single misconception1 or misapprehension through misconception40 ,successful as he was1 he yet had none of the self-conceit that would lead him to believe that he had reached perfection2 on the contrary1 his language was always that of one who had not yet attained1 but was continually reaching out unto it4 8,young gentlemen1 ,i want to tell you true preaching is yet to come4 ,of all professions for young men to look forward to1 ,i do not know another one that seems to me to have such scope before it1 in the future1 as preaching4 8,and as my years increase ,i want to bear a testimony4 ,i suppose ,i have had as many opportunities as any man here1 or any living man1 of what are called honors and influence and wealth4 ,the doors have been opened1 the golden doors1 for years4 ,i want to bear witness that the humblest labor which a minister of ,god can do for a soul for ,christ's sake is grander and nobler than all learning1 than all influence and power1 than all riches4 ,and1 knowing so much as ,i do of society1 ,i have this declaration to make3 that if ,i were called to live my life over again1 and ,i were to have a chance of the vocations which men seek1 ,i would again choose1 and with an impetus arising from the experience of this long life1 the ministry of the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 for honor1 for cleanliness1 for work that never ends1 having the promise of the life that now is as well as of that which is to come--,i would choose the preaching of the ,gospel3 to them that perish1 foolishness2 to them that believe and accept it1 life everlasting40 ,and that not because of great success3 8,there is a deep enjoyment in having devoted yourself1 soul and body1 to the welfare of your fellow-men1 so that you have no thought and no care but for them4 ,there is a pleasure in that which is never touched by any ordinary experiences in human life4 ,it is the highest4 ,i look back to my missionary days as being transcendently the happiest period of my life4 ,the sweetest pleasures ,i have ever known are not those that ,i have now1 but those that ,i remember1 when ,i was unknown1 in an unknown land1 among a scattered people1 mostly poor1 and to whom ,i had to go and preach the ,gospel1 man by man1 house by house1 gathering them on ,sundays1 a few--twenty1 fifty1 or a hundred1 as the case might be--and preaching the ,gospel more formally to them as they were able to bear it40 ,in his whole course we believe that he was as little moved by personal ambition as any man could possibly be4 ,upon his graduation he took the first church that asked for his services--as undesirable a church at that time probably1 in position1 character1 and strength1 as could well have been found4 ,and the two removes he made were the result of necessity rather than of choice4 ,he had no large and stock sermons with which to awaken the admiration of men4 ,large subjects he had in plenty1 but the sermon was such as grew at the time4 ,from our knowledge of him we believe he spoke with absolute truthfulness when he says3 8,i have had no ambitions2 ,i have sought no laurels2 ,i have deliberately rejected many things that would have been consonant to my taste4 ,it would have been for me a great delight to be a scholar2 ,i should have relished exceedingly to have perfected my thought in the study1 and to have given it such qualities as that it should stand as classics stand4 ,but when the work was pressed upon me1 and my relations to my own country and to mankind became urgent1 ,i remember1 as if it were but yesterday1 when ,i laid my literary ambition and my scholarly desires upon the altar and said3 #8,if ,i can do more for my ,master and for men by my style of thinking and working1 ,i am willing to work in a second-rate way2 ,i am willing to leave writing behind my back2 ,i am willing not to carve statues of beauty1 but simply to do the things that would please ,god in the salvation of men4'0 ,he had not only no ambitions for himself1 but he had no patience in that seeking for place which1 sometimes with the best of intentions1 ministers adopt4 ,we well remember how1 early in our ministry1 hearing that a larger church was offered to us1 and fearing lest1 in our inexperienced zeal1 we might accept1 he telegraphed us not to decide until we had seen him1 but to come on to ,brooklyn1 that he might urge upon us the importance of a young man's staying in his first parish until 8he had done something10 by which he meant doing the work he had gone there to undertake4 ,two things he considered essential to an effectual call to the minister to change his parish3 one was 8an open door in front1 and the other was a kick from behind40 ,it was not enough that there was an open door2 some pressure of health or dissatisfaction was needed to make a perfect call4 ,what a man was to do when he got the kick1 and there was no open door in front1 we do not remember4 ,again he writes me3 8,,my ,,dear ,,sam3 8,it is not needful that a ,christian should be a ,stoic1 and indifferent to all experiences of success and popularity among others2 yet1 if a straightforward working man finds that he does not produce popular results1 it is not for him to worry about it4 ,if a man reaches the true spirit1 he will find a certain high and solemn satisfaction1 down deep in himself1 that he is thoroughly and earnestly faithful without the outward signs and remunerations4 8,this is working #8as unto the ,lord1' and not unto men4 ,you will find much of this in ,paul1 who was not popular1 as ,apollos was1 and who dug out his results by the hardest--and saw but little at that--of all his real usefulness4 ,read #b ,cor4 xii4 #ab-ae4 ,that last verse is deeply affecting4 ,it goes far beyond and below any experience that you or ,i ever had4 ,as to the not drawing large audiences1 my own experience is probably1 in my early ministry1 far less encouraging than yours4 ,my ,lawrenceburg church held about one hundred and fifty to two hundred1 and was never crowded4 ,at ,indianapolis ,i never saw my church really full but three or four times in eight years4 ,i think that my audience for the first ten years of my preaching life did not average two hundred and fifty4 8,i never regarded myself as particularly popular1 nor destined to any considerable success more than belongs to any hard-working and sensible minister4 ,the fact is1 when ,i came ,east ,i came with a real but unexpressed determination to work hard for common folks1 and not to expect much2 and ,i have become thoroughly seasoned to the feeling that large1 hard1 and painful work1 heartily performed for ,christ1 is dearer to ,him when it pays nothing outwardly to the doer1 than when1 by overt success1 it gratifies the natural feelings4 8,in this1 too1 we must learn #8to walk by faith and not by sight1' by the inside eyes and not by the outside vision4 8,i think a minister who is discouraged should read the eleventh and twelfth chapters of ,second ,corinthians every week4 ,it is the most wonderful record of experience ever penned1 if you consider how uncomplaining--without acrimony--how cheerful1 how wholesome and victorious is the whole spirit in which his career is recited4 ,it is not the language of a discouraged and baffled man4 ,it is the calm retrospect of a great nature1 superior in one part of his soul to experiences which he acutely feels in another part4 8,yours lovingly1 8,h4 ,w4 ,,beecher40 ,his theory of preaching1 which came to be formed out of his experience of the grace of ,god and his labors for men1 he himself has given3 8,to preach the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ2 to have ,christ so melted and dissolved in you that when you preach your own self you preach ,him as ,paul did2 to have every part of you living and luminous with ,christ1 and then to make use of everything that is in you1 your analogical reasoning1 your logical reasoning1 your imagination1 your mirthfulness1 your humor1 your indignation1 your wrath2 to take everything that is in you all steeped in ,jesus ,christ1 and to throw yourself with all your power upon a congregation--that has been my theory of preaching the ,gospel4 ,a good many folks have laughed at the idea of my being a fit preacher because ,i laughed1 and because ,i made somebody else laugh4 ,i never went out of my way to do it in my life2 but if some sudden turn of a sentence1 like the crack of a whip1 sets men off1 ,i do not think any worse of it for that--not a bit4 ,i have felt that man should consecrate every gift that he has got in him that has any relation to the persuasion of men and to the melting of men--that he should put them all on the altar1 kindle them all1 and let them burn for ,christ's sake4 ,i have never sought singularity1 and ,i have never avoided singularity4 ,when they wanted some other sort of teaching ,i have always said1 #8,get it4 ,if you want my kind1 here ,i am ready to serve you2 if you do not1 serve yourself better4'0 ,for this preaching there was always going on a certain preparation1 almost involuntarily4 ,it consisted in a constant study of the processes of nature around him1 examining them and digesting them1 until he saw the relations in which they stood to other facts1 and a principle was discovered or an illustration of some deeper moral and spiritual truth was gained4 ,this action of his mind1 we believe1 became almost automatic4 ,he had an insatiable curiosity to learn facts4 ,but he wanted them for the same reason that a miller wants grain1 to grind and make bread4 ,so he worked them over until he had got something from them that fed his mind or heart1 and this was the only way he could remember them4 ,for this preaching there had been carried on for years a study of the ,bible4 ,the evidences1 found in note-books and books of analysis1 of his broad and painstaking study of the ,gospels have astonished us4 ,people seeing him always on the wing1 finding him never in his study--in fact1 having in his house no study-room1 as such--got the impression that he worked but little2 but they made a great mistake4 ,he worked1 but it was in his own way4 ,the winter that ,i saw him most he had ,stanley's 8,commentary upon the ,epistles to the ,corinthians10 which he carried for weeks in his carpet-bag1 studied1 and annotated from beginning to end4 ,mr4 ,pond1 who has travelled with him thousands of miles1 says that ,bible reading and study was a part of his daily work while on the train4 ,the results of such reading and study appear in scores of little note-books that he used1 some of which lie before us1 containing subjects1 heads of sermons jotted down at moments of inspiration1 in the family circle1 on the railroad1 in the street-car1 after a talk with some friend1 written for the most part in that strong1 full hand that is so well known1 sometimes plainly1 at other times so obscurely as to make it doubtful if he himself could read it after it had become cold4 ,this was his method of getting subjects4 ,these were the acorn thoughts1 out of which grew up in time strong1 wide-spreading oak-tree sermons4 ,with eyes wide open to see things1 he kept his active sympathy and hearty fellow-feeling for men in exercise by constant intercourse with those about him4 ,some have a regard for mankind in general1 but only criticism and coldness for the concrete specimen before them4 ,this was not the case with him2 he liked the common men of the present1 and made it an object to get acquainted with them and to be with them4 ,very seldom did he cross the river on the ferry-boat but he made his way up into the pilot-house1 to which a key had been given him1 to have a talk with the pilot4 ,we have been often asked1 8,how does ,mr4 ,beecher prepare his sermons80 ,his general preparation we have already given4 ,the more special preparation for preaching on the ,sabbath began on ,saturday and consisted in doing as little work as possible--doing what pleased him1 making it a kind of active rest-day4 ,perhaps1 if the weather permitted1 he ran up to ,peekskill to look over the place1 and get rid of all friction and rasp by giving attention to its common and homely details1 or to feed his imagination by looking out upon its beautiful landscape4 ,perhaps he spent it in the city4 ,if so1 he has probably been over to ,new ,york1 looking into shop-windows1 dropping into ,appleton's to look at books1 or into ,tiffany's to look at gems1 having a little chat in each place with some of the clerks4 ,you may be sure he did not forget his afternoon nap of from one to two hours2 wherever he was he aimed to secure that4 ,he has fed well to-day1 but has been careful not to eat anything that does not agree with him4 ,he will have the body in perfect order for the great work of the morrow4 ,the evening he spent quietly at home1 or1 possibly1 ran into one or two of the homes where he was most familiar1 where he could have his own way and be not bored by anybody's trying to draw him out into some excited discussion4 ,if you had followed him there you would very likely have found him taking his ease upon the sofa1 while the family life went on around him1 in which he took part by humorous sallies or quiet suggestions1 as the fancy prompted him2 home and a few games of backgammon with ,mrs4 ,beecher1 and to bed by eleven o'clock4 ,up to this time he has not decided upon the subject or text that he will handle on the morrow2 to have chosen it so early as this1 especially to have written any part of it down1 would have killed his sermon the next day4 ,he could not have kindled up to it and made it a living thing1 if it had been for so long a time buried on parchment4 ,even upon so important a matter as his first lecture of the ,lyman ,beecher lectureship in ,yale ,college--a new enterprise1 with the faculty of the college as well as the clergymen of the city present1 and his lecture to be reported in the religious press--he did not touch pen to paper until after he had reached ,new ,haven1 taken dinner1 had his nap1 and was within an hour of its delivery1 although of course the subject-matter had been for a long time a-brewing4 ,then while shaving the outline came clear to his mind1 and he slashed his face with his razor in his eagerness1 but his lecture secured the hearty and grateful commendation of ,dr4 ,leonard ,bacon1 who said3 8,if ,i had heard such talk as that before ,i began to preach1 it would have made a better preacher of me40 ,the decision was made in a general way when he awoke in the morning--that is1 the kind of sermon he would preach that day4 ,if he was heavy and a little cloudy in the higher faculties1 he would select a subject that was in harmony with that state of mind4 ,if he was stirred in spirit and imagination1 a subject that drew upon those higher elements1 and that ministered to the same in others1 would be decided upon4 ,there was no approach to a sanctimonious expression on his face as he came down to the breakfast-table1 and he did not refuse to take part in the conversation1 whatever it might be2 and very likely there would some humorous remark drop from his lips1 or he would steal the bread from the plate of one of the children as usual4 ,yet it was all done with the air of a man that had something that engaged his attention apart from us4 ,family prayers were likely to be short that morning1 and if there were any of those delays that sometimes occur in the best-regulated families1 he would depute some one else to conduct them4 ,and then he locked himself in his own room1 and for an hour and a half must be left undisturbed1 except in the case of some imperative necessity1 and then to be approached by no one but his wife4 ,no noise in the halls4 ,the hour of the whole week had come to him1 and he must have it without interruption4 ,of course none of us1 and no one but ,god1 ever saw him in that hour1 but we know that then he made his final and definite selection of a subject1 perhaps taking it from one of those little note-books2 that he wrote with his goose-quill pen1 upon large sheets of paper1 his introduction2 that he put down head after head1 with such opening as the time permitted1 and gave a word of illustration here and there4 ,the vision stood before him1 and as hastily as possible he sketched the outline4 ,as the bell began to ring for the last time1 some fifteen minutes before the opening of the service1 he would come out with his papers hastily thrown together and held in his hand1 or thrust into his coat-pocket1 and1 with scarcely a word to any one1 put on his hat1 take ,mrs4 ,beecher on his arm1 and start for the church4 ,this hour may be shortened4 ,it may be spent in some other place than in his study1 but as a rule it was had1 this time of supreme choice and arrangement1 and jotting down the heads of his sermon4 ,as an extreme illustration of his powers of making all places available1 and to seize the most outwardly unpropitious surroundings for this final preparation1 ,i can say from personal knowledge that the notes of the sermon which he preached in ,charleston in #ahfe to the thousands in ,zion ,church1 and which was one of great scope and power1 was outlined in the outhouse of the home where we were stopping1 on scraps of envelopes which he happened to have with him4 ,from thence we went directly to the church and to the delivery of that grand sermon4 ,when ,i spoke to him afterwards about the sermon and its power1 he said3 8,the vision came to me there1 and if ,i could only have brought it out as ,i saw it1 it would have been worth hearing2 but ,i could not40 ,when he preached upon the occasion of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the ,congregational ,church in ,stamford1 he came into my house hastily1 stopping only long enough to kiss his daughter as he hurried upstairs4 ,in about fifteen minutes he came down1 putting away some notes in his side-pocket1 and said to her3 8,well1 ,i have got my sermon ready for the evening40 ,this was in the forenoon4 ,being prepared so long beforehand1 it got cold before the time for its delivery1 and when he went into the pulpit he felt barren and dry4 ,neither the singing by the choir nor the prayer by a brother minister1 of which he spoke afterwards very highly1 gave him the desired relief1 and he sat with the fixed1 settled expression of a man who is bound to do his duty as well as he can2 but to those who knew him well there was a lack of the light in the eye and the deep1 full1 restful look of countenance which was marked in him when he was all prepared4 ,it happened that we had at that time a solo-singer of great richness and sweetness of voice1 and she sang for an offertory just before preaching4 8,the ,three ,kings of the ,orient40 ,the sympathetic rendering of the words of that beautiful solo smote the rock2 the waters gushed out and suffused soul and intellect1 and the sermon was one of great power and beauty4 ,because of its adaptation to awaken devotion in his own heart and in the hearts of his audience he valued organ music1 but it must be rendered by one who himself felt its power and could express this feeling through the instrument4 ,if the organist failed in this1 no brilliancy of execution nor facility in rendering popular tunes could atone for the fundamental lack4 ,by reason of ,john ,zundel's ability to express and interpret religious emotion he valued him above all players that ever officiated at the organ in ,plymouth ,church4 ,as with the organ1 so with the choir4 ,no efficiency in the leader of the choir1 in the machinery1 could atone for the lack of appreciation of the devotional element in the music4 ,in the ,scripture-reading he was himself1 feeding upon the word which he read1 drinking in and appropriating its truths2 and in the prayer he came to the fountain-head1 to ,christ ,himself1 for refreshing and life power4 ,and now for the sermon itself4 ,for the first few moments his eyes followed the manuscript closely4 ,he seemed to be reading2 perhaps he was1 and perhaps there were only catch sentences upon the page which he was scanning so carefully4 ,he was gathering his forces1 getting under headway1 making preparatory explanations1 divisions1 and definitions4 ,he will get into the full1 rushing current of thought and feeling and speech presently4 ,we can liken the whole process to nothing better than the descent of some of our ,western rivers under the care of a skilful guide4 ,you get into the boat in some sheltered cove4 ,he takes the oar and pushes out gently but strongly1 points out the rocks on either side and avoids them1 and makes his way around some tree-top that has fallen in from the shore4 ,like to this was often ,mr4 ,beecher's opening4 ,the current now is felt and begins to bear you along on its bosom1 and in that hour all your life-experiences are gone over or pointed out to you4 ,you are in the shallows where life seems poor and worthless1 and he shows you how to find the deeper channels4 ,he points out the pleasant places on the shore1 and shows you where living springs burst out2 takes you under the shadow of the lofty trees whose branches sweep down within your reach1 and anon out under the clear1 sun-lighted heaven4 ,swirls of temptation are before you1 and he shows you how to steer straight through or how to avoid them4 ,you are now in the very rapids1 in the rush of the life that for six days in the week is roaring around you1 and all things seem to be rushing to destruction2 but this man is not disturbed4 ,he is no still-water pilot4 ,he has thoroughly studied that river and knows all its dangers4 ,through the fiercest rapids that ever boat was called upon to pass he will guide you safely2 over the deepest fall that ever boats must venture he will stand by you4 ,he goes with you until he has brought you into some quiet spot of ,god's great and present mercy1 or perhaps to the mouth of the river and in sight of the islands of the blest4 ,what a hand was that1 so gentle1 skilful1 strong6 ,what a voice1 so clear1 tender1 inspiring1 confident6 ,what a heart1 that knew all the ways of sorrow6 ,what a guide and helper he was6 8,o my father6 my father6 the chariot of ,israel and the horsemen thereof60 ,in the largeness of his audience1 in his power over them for the time being1 there can be no question2 but how about the permanent results in growth and strength of ,christian character1 in making men and women ,christlike8--for this1 as he would be first to claim1 is the only true success4 ,our first witness here1 of course1 must be ,plymouth ,church1 the body that received most impress from the word he preached and the life he lived4 ,one of the largest churches in the land1 it has been called a drag-net 8which has been cast into the sea and has gathered of every kind40 ,and undoubtedly it has its proportion of human weakness and imperfections1 but1 after making all deductions of this nature1 it nevertheless remains true that1 tried by all the tests that can apply to a church1 it will answer as well as any that can be found4 ,it has been singularly harmonious and free from quarrels and contention1 and that under trials the like of which few churches have ever been called to endure4 ,its failures in ,christian character have been as few2 its works have been as broad and beneficent2 its weekly care to provide for strangers that visited it as hospitable2 its benevolent contributions as generous1 we believe1 as those of any other church4 ,but1 deeper than all this1 and better than all1 the spirit that has pervaded the church has been unusually kind1 helpful1 ,christlike4 ,it was said that it had no life separate from ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,but the bearing of that body since the death of its pastor has given an emphatic denial to that statement4 ,from the day that his body lay in state1 and its members gathered like a stricken household around the coffin1 the church1 to all outward appearances1 has been growing more earnest in developing its powers1 more loving in its spirit4 ,the seed so long planted is bearing fruit1 the benediction so long resting upon it is showing its beauty1 and is proving that indeed it is the fruit of but one thing1 and that is the ,gospel of ,god's dear ,son1 of ,jesus the ,christ4 ,but other witnesses rise up to testify--troubled1 weary1 heartbroken souls the world over1 who have read the sermons as they have come to them from ,plymouth pulpit2 and they bear witness that this one spake as he was moved of the ,holy ,ghost1 that his message was of ,him who came to heal the sick1 to raise the dead1 to set at liberty the captive4 ,we call to the witness-stand all ministers and all denominations of every name who have ever read his sermons or heard him preach1 and they will testify that his message was of ,god4 ,yea1 we will go beyond this circle and ask those of other pursuits--laborers1 workers1 soldiers1 actors--if there has not shone upon them something of the light that our ,saviour shed upon all classes and conditions of men1 and their answer will be unanimously in the affirmative4 ,we go beyond the personality of men and come into the realm of beliefs and relationships1 and affirm1 without fear of denial1 that theology is to-day more truthful1 science more devout1 religion more attractive1 sectarianism less bitter1 churches more loving1 politics purer1 property more humane1 labor more faithful1 social ranks more tolerant1 and nations brought nearer together1 by reason of the preaching of the ,gospel by ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,to speak of ,mr4 ,beecher as a theologian will awaken1 we are well aware1 a smile of incredulity with many4 ,it will be said that theology was not his forte2 that he seldom made use of the term except to make fun of it1 or of those who were its exponents and teachers4 ,now1 we acknowledge that we might give a definition of this science in which he would appear to very poor advantage4 ,but if theology can be considered as the knowledge of ,god in ,his relations to living men and to this present world1 then was ,mr4 ,beecher a theologian excelled by few now living or that ever have lived4 ,he had this knowledge of ,god4 ,it was as real to him as his own existence4 ,he had the nature and order of ,god's attributes very clearly settled in his own mind4 ,he had ,his relations with the whole universe in which ,he dwelt very thoroughly outlined in his thought4 ,he had his own system1 upon which he worked from day to day1 which included all existences and orders1 and all times1 and all worlds2 that1 as he believed1 had a place for all truth that had ever been lived or revealed1 and for all that ever should be lived or revealed1 here1 or in ,saturn1 or ,sirius1 in this present time or in the ages of ages4 ,he made a great deal of fun of theologians1 sometimes because of the one-sidedness of their views1 sometimes because of their dryness1 at others because of their pretensions1 and partly because all classes of men were1 in his view1 at times objects of legitimate mirth-making4 ,yet nevertheless he greatly valued them and their work4 8,now1 young gentlemen10 he said in his 8,lectures to ,yale ,students10 8,i have often indulged myself in words that would seem to undervalue theologians2 but you know ,i do not mean it4 ,i profess to be a theologian myself2 my father was a theologian2 my brothers are all theologians1 and so are many men whom ,i revere1 and who are the brightest lights of genius1 ,i think1 that have ever shone in the world4 ,i believe in theologians1 and yet ,i think it is perfectly fair to make game of them6 ,i do not think there is anything in this world1 whether it be man or that which is beneath a man1 that is not legitimate food for innocent1 innocuous fun2 and if it should cast a ray of light on the truth and alleviate the tediousness of a lecture now and then to have a slant at theologians1 why1 ,i think they can stand it6 ,it will not hurt them and it may amuse us4 ,so let me speak freely--the more so because ,i affirm that it is indispensable for every man who is to do a considerable religious work during a long period1 or with any degree of self-consistency1 to be a theologian4 ,he must have method2 there must be a sequence of ideas in his thoughts4 ,and if the work runs long enough and far enough1 and embraces many things1 there must be a system of applying means to ends1 there must be a knowledge of instruments4 ,these things are theology in a sense--a part of it1 at any rate40 ,equally indispensable1 in his view1 was it that a man have a theology that would change by growth3 8,as summer makes the tree so much larger that the bark has to let out a seam1 because the old bark will not do for the new growth1 and as the same thing takes place from season to season1 so mental philosophy--for all theology is mental philosophy--changes from age to age through both obvious and latent causes40 ,his bearing towards theological questions was largely decided1 as he tells us1 by his own religious experience1 and by the controversies which in his early life were raging around him3 8,in the first place1 let me say that my early religious experience has colored all my life4 ,i was sympathetic by nature1 ,i was loving1 ,i was mercurial1 ,i was versatile1 ,i was imaginative4 ,i was not a poet executively1 but sympathetically ,i was in union with the whole universal life and beauty of ,god's world and with all human life4 ,my earliest religious training was at home4 ,my father's public teaching may be called alleviated ,calvinism4 ,even under that the iron entered my soul4 ,there were days and weeks in which the pall of death over the universe could not have made it darker to my eyes than those in which ,i thought3 #8,if you are elected you will be saved1 and if you are not elected you will be damned1 and there is no hope for you4' ,i wanted to be a ,christian4 ,i went about longing for ,god as a lamb bleating longs for its mother's udder1 and ,i stood imprisoned behind those iron bars3 #8,it is all decreed4 ,it is all fixed4 ,if you are elected you will be saved anyhow2 if you are not elected you will perish4' ,while in that state1 and growing constantly and warmly in sympathy with my father1 in taking sides with orthodoxy that was in battle in ,boston with ,unitarianism1 ,i learned of him all the theology that was current at that time4 ,in the quarrels also between ,andover and ,east ,windsor and ,new ,haven and ,princeton--,i was at home in all these distinctions4 ,i got the doctrines just like a row of pins on a paper of pins4 ,i knew them as a soldier knows his weapons4 ,i could get them in battle array4 ,i went from my college life immediately to the ,west1 and there ,i fell into another fuliginous ,christian atmosphere when the ,old ,school and the ,new ,school ,presbyterians were wrangling1 and the ,church was split1 and split on the rock of slavery1 and my father was tried for believing that a man could obey the commandments of ,god1 and ,dr4 ,wilson was contending against him in church courts that men had no ability1 either moral or physical1 to obey ,god2 and the line of division ran all through the ,state1 and there was that tremendous whirl of ,old ,school theology1 old ,calvinism and new ,calvinism1 and by the time ,i got away from the theological seminary ,i was so sick--no tongue can tell how sick ,i was of the whole medley4 ,how ,i despised and hated this abyss of whirling controversies that seemed to me to be filled with all manner of evil things1 of everything1 indeed1 but ,christ6 ,and then on one memorable day1 whose almost every cloud ,i remember1 whose high sun and glowing firmament and waving trees are vivid yet1 there arose before me1 as if an angel had descended1 a revelation of ,christ as being ,god1 because ,he knew how to love a sinner2 not that ,he would love me when ,i was true and perfect1 but because ,i was so wicked that ,i should die if ,he did not give ,himself to me1 and so inconstant that ,i never should be steadfast--as if ,he were saying to me3 #8,because you are sinful ,i am yours4' ,before that thought of a ,god who sat in the centre and seat of power1 that ,he might bring glory and restoration to everything that needed ,him1 ,i bowed down in my soul1 and from that hour to this it has been my very life to love and to serve the all-helping and pitiful ,god40 ,this was addressed to the association of which he was a member4 ,one who was present wrote that while he was saying this 8he seemed to lose consciousness of his audience2 his voice1 although clear and distinct1 became low and gentle2 he was carried away by one of those very inspirations which he was describing2 and when he spoke of the revelation of ,christ to himself1 as one who loved men because they needed love1 his face underwent a marvellous change3 it seemed transparent with a radiant light1 like a sunset glow on the ,alps1 while rapid and instantaneous changes of expression passed over it1 such as can only be compared to heat-lightning silently playing over the golden clouds of a summer evening40 ,from this living experience there came into existence an order of truths4 8,as ,i went on1 and more and more tried to preach ,christ1 the clouds broke away and ,i began to have a distinct system in my own mind40 ,there grew up also a very decided dislike and oppugnance to much of the theology that was then in vogue1 for it seemed to stand in the way of men instead of helping them3 8,i dedicated myself1 not to be a fisher of ideas1 nor of books1 nor of sermons1 but a fisher of men1 and in this work ,i very soon came to the point in which ,i felt dissatisfied with the views of ,god that had been before given4 ,i felt dissatisfied with that whole realm of theology which ,i now call the machinery of religion1 which has in it some truth1 and ,i would it had more4 ,but ,i came to have this feeling1 that it stood in the way of sinful men4 ,i found men in distress1 in peril of soul1 on account of views which ,i did not believe were true1 or1 if true1 not in any such proportion4 ,if you want to know why ,i have been fierce against theology1 that is it3 because ,i thought with ,mary1 and ,i said time and again1 #8,they have taken away my ,lord1 and ,i know not where they have laid ,him4' ,it seemed to me that men could not believe in such a ,god as ,i heard preached about1 that men could not believe such a schedule of truth as ,i had seen crystallized and promoted among men4 ,i do not care the turn of my hand about a man's philosophy2 ,i do not care about one system or another2 any system that will bring a man from darkness to faith and love ,i will tolerate2 and any system that lets down the curtain between ,god and men1 whether it is canonical priest or church service or church methods1 whether it is the philosophical or theological--anything that blurs the presence of ,god1 anything that makes the heavens black and the heart hopeless1 ,i will fight it to the death40 ,but how about his orthodoxy8 ,he says3 8,i hold there is but one orthodoxy1 and that all others are bastard orthodoxies4 ,the orthodoxy of the heart1 that loves ,god1 and loves man to such an extent that it is willing to suffer for him1 and to endure hardship for the sake of the love it bears to men--that is the true orthodoxy1 and there is none other40 ,he said in an address given at a meeting of ,congregational ministers in ,london in ,september1 #ahhf3 8,i think ,i am as orthodox a man as there is in this world4 ,well1 what are the tests of orthodoxy8 ,man universally is a sinner2 man universally needs to be born again2 there is in the nature of ,god that power and influence that can convert a man and redeem him from his animal life2 and it is possible for man so to bring to bear this divine influence in the ministration of the ,gospel as that men shall be awakened1 and convicted1 and converted1 and built up in the faith of ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is my orthodoxy4 ,but how about the ,trinity8 ,i do not understand it1 but ,i accept it4 ,if anybody else understands it ,i have not met him yet2 but it seems to me that that is the easiest way of rendering the different testimonies or words of truth in the ,new ,testament1 neither do ,i see any philosophical objection to it at all1 and ,i accept it without questioning4 ,what about original sin8 ,there has been so much actual transgression that ,i have not had time to go back on to that4 ,on what grounds may a man hope8 ,on the atonement of ,christ8 ,yes1 if you want to interpose that word1 atonement1 on that ground1 unquestionably1 ,i am accustomed to say ,christ saves men4 ,but how8 ,that is ,his look-out1 not mine4 ,i think that because the nature of ,god is sanative1 ,god is love4 #8,if ye1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts to your children1 how much more shall your ,father which is in heaven give good gifts to them which ask ,him8' ,if you choose to fix it in this way1 and say that ,christ saw it possible to do thus and so1 and that was the atonement ,he made--if you take any comfort in it1 ,i shall not quarrel with you4 ,but it is enough for me to know this1 that ,jesus ,christ1 ,god in the flesh1 has proclaimed1 to whosoever will1 health1 life1 new life--#8born again4' ,he has offered these1 and therefore ,i no more want to question how he does it than a sick man questions the doctor before he takes a pill4 ,if he says1 #8,doctor1 what is in it8' the doctor says1 #8,take it and you will find out what is in it4' ,if men think ,i am heterodox because ,i do not believe this1 that1 and the other explanation of the atonement of ,jesus ,christ1 it is enough for me to say ,i believe in ,christ1 and ,i believe ,christ is atonement4 ,now1 if you ask me whether ,i believe in the divinity of ,christ1 ,i do not believe in anything else4 ,let a man stand and look at the sun1 then ask him what he sees beside4 ,nothing3 it blinds him4 ,there is nothing else to me when ,i am thinking of ,god3 it fills the whole sphere1 the heaven of heavens1 and the whole earth and all time2 and out of that boundlessness of love and that infiniteness of divine faculty and capacity it seems to me that ,he is1 to my thought1 what summer is when ,i see it marching on after the cold winter is over4 ,i know where the light comes from and where the warmth comes from4 ,when ,i see anything going on for good and for the staying of evil ,i know it is the ,sun of ,righteousness1 and the name to me is ,jesus--every time ,jesus4 ,for ,him ,i live1 for ,him ,i love1 for ,him ,i labor1 for ,him ,i rejoice in my remaining strength1 for ,him ,i thank ,god that ,i have yet so much in me that can spend and be spent for the only one great cause1 which should lift itself above every other cause in this whole world40 ,concerning one other doctrine1 future punishment1 he states his belief as follows3 8,i have my own philosophical theories about the future life2 but what is revealed to my mind is simply this3 ,the results of a man's conduct reach over into the other world on those that are persistently and inexcusably wicked1 and man's punishment in the life to come is of such a nature and of such dimensions as ought to alarm any man and put him off from the dangerous ground and turn him toward safety4 ,i do not think we are authorized by the ,scriptures to say that it is endless in the sense in which we ordinarily employ that term4 ,so much for that1 and that is the extent of my authoritative teaching on that subject40 ,from his life-long interest in material science it may well be supposed that he watched the development of the theory of evolution with the greatest eagerness4 ,it was not1 in substance1 unknown to him3 8,slowly1 and through a whole fifty years1 ,i have been under the influence1 first obscurely1 imperfectly1 of the great doctrine of evolution4 ,in my earliest preaching ,i discerned that the kingdom of heaven is a leaven1 not only in the individual soul but in the world2 the kingdom is as a grain of mustard-seed4 ,i was accustomed to call my crude notion a seminal theory of the kingdom of ,god in this world4 ,later ,i began to feel that science had struck a larger view1 and that this unfolding of seed and blade and ear in spiritual things was but one application of a great cosmic doctrine which underlay ,god's methods in universal creation1 and was notably to be seen in the whole development of human society and human thought4 ,that great truth--through patient accumulations of fact1 and marvellous intuitions of reason1 and luminous expositions of philosophic relation1 by men trained in observation1 in thinking1 and in expression--has now become accepted throughout the scientific world4 ,certain parts of it yet are in dispute1 but substantially it is the doctrine of the scientific world4 ,and that it will furnish--nay1 is already bringing--to the aid of religious truth as set forth in the life and teachings of ,jesus ,christ a new and powerful aid1 fully in line with other marked developments of ,god's providence in this ,his world1 ,i fervently believe40 ,he had great hope from the influence he felt certain it would exert3 8,the theology that is rising upon the horizon will still rise4 ,i cannot hope that it will be the perfect theology1 but it will be a regenerated one1 and ,i think far more powerful than the old--a theology of hope1 and of love1 which shall cast out fear4 ,nay1 more1 it is to be a theology that will run nearer to the spirit and form of ,christ's own teachings1 ,he who found the tenderness of ,divine ,providence in the opening lilies of the field1 and the mighty power of ,god's kingdom in the unfolding of germ and leaf and fruit40 ,mr4 ,beecher's view of ordinances was in harmony with his practical view of preaching and of theology4 ,to his mind the ordinance was appointed by ,god because it helped men1 and was to be continued on that same ground1 and the form best suited to that end was the one he adopted4 ,the form of church government and of administration of ordinances was left uncertain1 because it was to be adapted to the peculiar conditions of the times or the circumstances of people4 ,it was of principle rather than of rule4 ,it was the expression of the new life rather than of any artificial arrangement4 ,hence he believed that different forms of church government and different methods of administering ordinances were equally ,scriptural1 and to be adopted without controversy if they secured the end in view--the bringing into and training up of men in ,christ ,jesus--and equally antagonistic to the ,new ,testament view when they were a mere form4 ,but of this he himself has spoken somewhat at length3 8,now1 there is one more thing that ,i want to say something about--that is1 church economy1 ordination1 and ordinance4 ,i regard it as true that there is laid down in the ,new ,testament no form of church government whatever nor of church ordinance--none4 ,paul did not see the outlines of the ,church2 they grew1 they developed out of the nature of things4 ,and so ,i say1 in regard to all church worship1 that is the best form of church economy that in the long run helps men to be the best ,christians4 ,whatever thing is found when applied to human nature to do good1 that is ,god's ordinance4 ,if there are any men that worship ,god through the ,roman ,catholic ,church--and there are--,i say this in regard to them3 #8,i cannot1 but you can2 ,god bless you6' ,in that great1 venerable church there is ,gospel enough to save any man1 no man need perish for want of light and truth in that system2 and yet what an economy it is1 what an organization1 what burdens1 and how many lurking mischiefs that temptation will bring out6 ,i could never be a ,roman ,catholic1 but ,i could be a ,christian in a ,roman ,catholic ,church2 ,i could serve ,god there4 ,i believe in the ,episcopacy--for those that want it4 ,let my tongue forget its cunning if ,i ever speak a word adverse to that church that brooded my mother1 and now broods some of the nearest blood kindred ,i have on earth4 ,it is a man's own fault if he do not find salvation in the teachings and worship of the great ,episcopal body of the world4 ,i was for ten years a member of the ,presbyterian ,church1 for ,i swore to the ,confession of ,faith2 but at that time my beard had not grown4 ,the rest of the ,book of ,worship has great wisdom in it1 and1 rather than not have any brotherhood1 ,i would be a ,presbyterian again if they would not oblige me to swear to the ,confession of ,faith4 ,on the other hand1 my birthright is in the ,congregational ,church4 ,i was born in it1 it exactly agreed with my temperament and my ideas2 and it does yet1 for although it is in many respects slow-moulded1 although in many respects it has not the fascinations in its worship that belong to the high ecclesiastical organizations1 though it makes less for the eye and less for the ear1 and more for the reason and the emotions1 though it has therefore slender advantages1 it has this3 that it does not take men because they are weak and crutch them up upon its worship1 and then just leave them as weak after forty years as they were when it found them4 ,a part of its very idea is so to meet the weakness of men as that they shall grow stronger2 to preach the truth and then wait till they are able to seize that truth and live by it4 ,it works slowly1 but ,i tell you that when it has finished its work it makes men in the community40 8,i immerse1 ,i sprinkle1 and ,i have in some instances poured1 and ,i never saw there was any difference in the ,christianity that was made4 ,they have all1 for that matter1 come out so that ,i should not know which was immersed or which was sprinkled4 8,the unity of ,christians does not depend upon similarity of ordinance or methods of worship4 ,it is a hard business4 ,i do not believe the millennium will see one sect1 one denomination1 any more than the perfection of civilization will see only one great phalanstery1 one family4 ,the man on this side of the street keeps house in one way1 and the man over on the other side keeps house in another4 ,they do not quarrel2 each lets the other alone4 ,so ,i hold about churches4 ,the unity of the ,church is to be the unity of the hearts of men--spiritual unity in the love of ,christ and in the love of each other4 ,do not1 then1 meddle with the details of the way in which different persons choose to conduct their service4 ,let them alone2 behave at least as decently in the church of ,christ as you would do in your neighborhood and in each other's families4 ,i do not know why they should not concurrently work in all the great causes of ,god among mankind4 ,i am not1 therefore1 to teach ,congregationalism1 ,i am not to teach the ,baptist doctrine1 ,i am not to teach ,presbyterianism2 ,i am to preach #8,o ye that are lost by reason of your sins1 ,jesus ,christ has found a ransom for you2 come1 come1 and ye shall live4' ,that is my message1 and in that ,i have enthusiasm4 ,it is not to build up one church or another church1 or to cry down one church or another4 ,brethren1 we have been trying conscience for a great while2 what have we got by it8 ,about one hundred and fifty denominations4 ,there is nothing so unmanageable as a conceited conscience4 ,now1 suppose we should try another thing2 suppose we should try love a little while2 suppose we should try sympathy1 trust1 fellowship1 brotherhood1 without inquisitorial power2 suppose we should let men's theologies take care of themselves1 and bring this test to bear upon them3 ,what is the fruit of their personal living1 and what is the fruit of their personal teaching8 #8,by their fruits shall ye know them' did not exhaust itself in personal thought alone4 ,it is a good test for denominationalism1 and whenever ,i find a denomination that puts emphasis upon holiness1 where there is no envy1 nor detraction1 nor backbiting1 nor suspicion1 nor holding each man to philosophical schedules1 when ,i find a denomination in which they are full of love and gentleness and kindness1 ,i am going to join that denomination4 ,but ,i do not expect to change for some time40 ,his estimate of sectarianism was very low3 8,the selfishness that inheres in the very elements of sectarianism is radically opposed to the spirit of the ,gospel4 ,love works from within outward4 ,selfishness or sectarianism works from without inward4 ,one is centrifugal1 the other is centripetal4 ,the only difference between a pious denominational spirit and sectarianism is the difference between a cub and a full-grown wolf4 ,you may baptize your wolf every year with what soft names you please2 it is a wolf still1 that will never cease to make havoc on the flock4 ,as for ourselves1 in all this tumult of men running up and down throughout the vast and misty realm of ecclesiasticism1 we will none of it4 ,there is a fairer realm1 there are brighter skies1 distilling selecter influences4 ,we are well satisfied that this world will never behold any earthly force so great as the heart of man irradiated by the fire of ,christ1 and turned in all its warmth upon men2 hence our prayer for our brethren shall not be for esprit de corps but for esprit de ,christ40 ,and so1 wherever he was1 we find him bearing one character4 ,in the matter of rituals he grasped the reality1 as he thought1 and1 looking at men on either side of him1 asking1 not surrender of principle1 but charity4 ,and all sects found that they had something in common with him4 ,in doctrines1 while accused of heresy1 yet1 when making a full statement of his belief before the ,new ,york and ,brooklyn ,association1 or the meeting of ,congregational ministers in ,england1 his views received the heartiest commendation from men of all shades of opinion2 while as a preacher what multitudes of every class and of all sects have been brought together in ,plymouth ,church6 ,among parties1 except when in the very onset1 it was the same4 ,when the battle had been fought1 not a blow more than was necessary to secure the victory1 not an act for revenge4 ,in the very midst of the war of the ,rebellion1 in #ahfb1 as we have already mentioned1 he said1 8,i think ,i never pray for the loyal ,states without praying1 at least in thought1 if not in utterance1 for those misguided men in the ,south that wage this rebellion2 and1 let me tell you1 ,i have a tender place in my heart for them40 ,and when the war had ceased he stood up for what he deemed best for their prosperity1 at the loss1 for the moment1 of a great deal of his popularity at the ,north4 ,in ,england he plead1 with no tones of fear but with manly words1 for peace between the mother and daughter4 ,in this age of spiritual growth on one side and materialistic tendencies on the other1 ,mr4 ,beecher1 born with an intense love for nature1 given a surpassingly deep and rich ,christian experience1 and reconciling them both in himself1 and feeling that each interprets and enriches the other1 and both are unified in ,him who is the head over all1 became--he was raised up for that purpose--a mediator between the deepest spiritual experience and the most advanced stage of real science4 ,one scene illustrates his true position--the place he has held between many diversities1 and the one that we are sure will be more and more recognized as his as the years go by4 ,it was when the delegates from ,england were presenting their credentials to the ,national ,council of ,congregationalists in ,boston1 at about the close of the war4 ,there was a very sore feeling in the hearts of many of the loyal people of the ,north at the position of antagonism that their brethren in ,england and ,wales had taken in the great ,rebellion1 and it happened that the delegates present had belonged very decidedly to the obnoxious side4 ,the question was upon receiving them1 and several speeches had been made1 and it seemed that a very unpleasant result would be reached4 ,at last ,mr4 ,beecher was recognized and called to the platform4 ,in a few words he described the situation1 represented the failure of each side in the great matter of ,christian charity1 showed how grand an opportunity was given to illustrate this highest of ,christian virtues1 and closed by reaching down and clasping a hand of each delegate1 while the whole audience of venerable ministers and delegates arose and showed their delight by cheers and waving of handkerchiefs4 ,it was his rightful place1 won by years of patient charity4 ,other names have been given him4 ,he has been called ,reformer1 ,war ,trumpet1 ,popular ,lecturer1 ,preacher4 ,they are all good1 but we lift a name that we never remember to have seen applied to him1 but which is his by right1 which represents the resultant of all his life of toil and battle--the name which belongs to him as to but few men that ever lived--and place it lovingly upon his brow1 while our eyes long for the look which he used to give3 the name 8,,peacemaker02 and the familiar words come with a new significance as if spoken for him1 8,blessed are the peacemakers1 for they shall be called the children of ,god40 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,love of the ,country--,communion with ,nature--,farming at ,salisbury--,lenox--,matteawan--,the ,peekskill ,farm4 ,like the fabled ,antus of old1 ,mr4 ,beecher found strength by contact with old ,mother ,earth2 not only that1 but rest1 health1 and inspiration2 while from the study of natural processes1 in which he delighted1 he gained a deep insight into the beautiful and1 to so many eyes1 hidden mysteries of nature1 which was a never-failing source of comfort and pleasure to him through all his life--a rich treasury1 from which he drew so much of that illustrative imagery which illuminated and beautified his writings and speeches4 ,if ,earth was the mother1 ,nature was the grandmother1 equally beloved and loving4 ,nothing that came from her hands was uninteresting2 each and every of her children found a true and faithful brother in ,mr4 ,beecher1 to whom in turn they showed that trust and confidence that opened up to him such glorious visions1 such secrets1 full of exquisite beauty1 vouchsafed to but few among mankind4 ,of course he was fond of fishing and hunting4 ,not that he ever shot or caught anything3 he was generally innocent of any such charge4 ,he loved to tramp the woods1 and stroll along the brookside1 ostensibly hunting or fishing1 but really communing with nature4 ,the gun and rod were only for pretext4 ,we take his own confessions3 8,but1 aside from the pleasure which arises in connection with seeking or taking one's prey1 we suspect that the collateral enjoyments amount1 often1 to a greater sum than all the rest3 the early rising1 the freshness of those morning hours preceding the sun1 which few anti-piscatory critics know anything about2 that wondrous early-morning singing of birds1 compared to which all after-day songs are mere ejaculations--for such is the tumult and superabundance of sweet noise1 soon after four o'clock in summer1 that one would think that if every dewdrop were a musical note1 and the bird shad drank them all1 they could not have been more multitudinous or delicious4 ,then there is that incomparable sense of freedom which one has in remote fields1 in forests1 and along the streams4 ,his heart1 trained in life to play with jets1 like an artificial fountain1 seems1 as he wanders along the streams1 to resume its own liberty1 and1 like a meadow-brook1 to wind and turn1 amid flowers and fringing shrubs1 at its own unmolested pleasure4 8,care and trouble1 in ordinary life1 and especially in cities1 disturb the fountains of feeling1 as rubbish fallen into the fountains of ruined cities in the ,east chokes them1 or splits and scatters their streams through all secret channels4 8,one who believes ,god to have made the world1 and to have expressed ,his own tastes and thoughts in the making1 cannot express what feelings those are which speak music through his heart4 ,a little plant growing in silent simplicity in some covert spot1 or looking down upon him from out of a rift in some rock uplifted high above his reach or climbing--what has it said to him1 that he stops and gazes as if he saw more than material forms8 ,what is that rush of feeling in his heart1 and that strange opening up of thoughts1 as if a revelation had been made to him8 ,who that has a literal eye could see anything but that solitary flower casting a linear shadow on the side of the gray rock--a shadow that loves to quiver1 and nod1 and dance to every step which the wind-blown flower takes8 ,but this floral preacher up in that pulpit has many a time preached tears into my eyes1 and told me more than ,i was ever able to tell again4 8,indeed1 in many and many a tramp the best sporting was done on my back4 ,flat under a tree we lay1 a vast ,brobdingnag1 upon whom grasshoppers mounted1 and glossy crickets crept1 harmless1 with evident speculation of what such a phenomenon could portend4 ,along the stems creep aspiring ants1 searching with fiery zeal for no one can even tell what4 ,the bluejay is in the tree above you4 ,the woodpecker screws round and round the trunk1 hammering at every place like an auscult doctor sounding a patient's lungs4 ,little birds fly in and about1 gibbering to each other in sweet little detached sentences1 confidentially talking over their family secrets1 and expressing those delicate sentiments which one never speaks above a whisper in twilight4 ,when you rise1 the birds flutter and fly1 and clouds of insects fly off from you like sparks from a fire when a log rolls over4 ,the brook that gurgled past the tree1 feeding its roots1 and taking its pay in summer shadows1 varied every hour1 receives a portion of out-jumping fry4 ,far off their coming shines4 ,but before they had even touched the water1 that bold trout sprung sparkling from the surface and sunk as soon1 leaving only a few bubbles to float down4 ,there6 if the trout has a right to his grasshopper1 have ,i not a right to the trout8 ,i'll have him6 ,after several throws ,i find that it takes two to make a bargain4 8,at length one must go home4 ,i never turn from the silence of the underbrush1 or the solitude of the fields1 or the rustlings of the forest1 without a certain sadness as if ,i were going away from friends40 ,flowers and birds were his delight4 ,every spring he watched almost impatiently for the first arbutus1 anemone1 bloodroot1 and violet1 and enjoyed their short stay with an intensity that years increased rather than abated4 ,the first song of the robin1 the first plaintive note of the bluebird1 and the sweet lay of the song-sparrow were each year listened for1 and eagerly announced to the family with all the enthusiasm of early boyhood4 ,through the summer he watched and cared1 with tender solicitude1 for the roses1 lilies1 dahlias1 and chrysanthemum1 with the many1 many other of the flower-world which he always had about him4 ,and as each in its turn lived out its short span1 faded1 and fell1 he watched the scattering petals almost mournfully1 finding consolation only in the certainty of their return another year4 ,each season with its many changing moods was a living allegory to him4 ,spring was the young child just born1 full of smiles1 of tears1 and winsome ways--the beginnings of life4 ,summer was early maturity1 in which the first promises of fruitage were beginning to be fulfilled4 ,steadier and more sober1 with increasing responsibilities4 ,fall perfected maturity with its full fruitage4 ,early winter1 extreme old age1 lingering at the threshold of the grave4 ,midwinter1 nature's death1 which1 like the soul's1 ends not in destruction1 but only rests awhile to awaken into a more glorious resurrection4 ,nature was to him ,god's book wide open1 each leaf free and unbound1 filled with that which comforted his soul and confirmed his faith4 ,not even in evolution1 that bugbear of so many of his clerical brethren1 did he find anything to disturb his trust in ,god1 his faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 or his confidence in the ,bible1 as life's guide-book2 but quite the contrary4 ,he found his trust1 his faith and confidence1 strengthened and enlightened thereby4 ,many rough places were smoothed1 many dark spots enlightened4 ,in it he saw the highest proof of ,god's wonderful wisdom4 ,a mind that could conceive1 perfect1 and put into operation so wonderful1 so simple and yet effective a natural law1 could only be divine4 ,it is not strange that1 with his tastes and feelings1 a plot of land to cultivate became early a necessity4 ,while not exactly 8brought up0 on a farm1 he was brought into intimate relation with most forms of farm-labor4 ,the small plot of land around his father's house furnished the field for quite a little practical farming4 ,for in ,new ,england every one was expected to raise the greater part of his own vegetables1 and the boys1 as soon as they were big enough to run around1 were expected to contribute their little quota towards the common good4 ,it was not until he was settled in ,indianapolis that ,mr4 ,beecher owned a plot of his own large enough for flowers1 fruit1 and vegetables4 ,there he worked daily1 finding rest from his head-work1 fresh air1 and healthful exercise1 which would alone have more than repaid him for all expense or trouble4 ,rising before five in the summer1 he was out in his garden when most of his neighbors were enjoying the sweet unconsciousness of their morning naps4 ,aside from the big dividend of increased health and vigor1 he was further rewarded by unusual success in raising small fruits and flowers4 ,his roses were a revelation to the community1 and lent their fragrance to many an humble home or sick room4 ,for fruit and flowers did pastoral duty1 cheering the sick1 brightening the dark side of life in many a poverty-cramped family2 while the impulse along the line of taste and love for the beautiful1 and the feeling of the dignity of honest labor1 which he gave to the whole community1 we are told is still felt1 and will long be remembered as a souvenir of his pastorate in ,indianapolis4 ,his contributions to the theory of gardening and farming in the ,indiana ,farmer and ,gardener we have already referred to in an earlier chapter4 ,during the first few years of his ,brooklyn pastorate he does not seem to have had the time to look about for any place in which to practise his favorite avocation4 ,of course the crowded condition of city life precluded the possibility of having either farm or garden near his home4 ,he was accustomed then to visit among friends a part of the time1 spending the bulk of the summer in some picturesque place4 ,the earliest bit of country that lies within our memory was ,salisbury1 in ,connecticut1 where ,mr4 ,beecher spent the summers of #aheb and #ahec4 ,we remember well how1 with the semi-savagery of early boyhood1 we1 with our misguided playmates1 lay in wait for some frisky guinea-pigs1 playing harmlessly in their little pen1 and1 after capturing a number1 transported them to an upper veranda1 and1 in imitation of the ancient heathen's treatment of captives1 dashed them upon the stones below2 and how retribution1 in the form of a very indignant father1 seized upon our youthful person1 and1 with the dexterity born of some little practice1 gave us a long-abiding illustration of how dreadful a thing was cruelty4 ,there also we obtained our first practical insight into a hornet's disposition and activity4 ,salisbury1 doubtless1 was a lovely spot1 but its memories to us are not cheering1 and we pass on4 ,in #ahec ,mr4 ,beecher purchased his first farm in the ,east1 a plot of ninety-six acres1 situated in the town of ,lenox1 up among the ,berkshire hills of ,massachusetts4 ,this was known as the 8,blossom ,farm40 ,it was justly celebrated for its fine fruit1 especially apples4 ,but it did not altogether suit ,mr4 ,beecher1 nor tempt him into any great agricultural outlay4 ,it was too far from the city4 ,he could not run up for a day1 and back again4 ,he could not be there in spring and seed time1 owing to his pastoral duties4 ,six weeks' vacation time in midsummer1 with an occasional visit of two or three days1 was about the limit of his time there4 ,he had to run the farm by proxy1 which was about as enjoyable1 to him1 as employing some one to eat his meals4 ,having a chance1 in #aheg1 to sell the place1 he did so1 and then hired another farm at ,matteawan1 just back of ,fishkill ,landing1 on the ,hudson ,river4 ,this promised to be a more satisfactory place2 but a little over two hours from ,new ,york1 he could run up and back the same day1 and spend many a halfday at work in his garden1 from which he was debarred by distance at ,lenox4 ,this1 doubtless1 would have been his country-place1 had not some happy chance led him a little further down the river1 to ,peekskill-on-the-,hudson1 just at the entrance to the ,highlands4 ,there he found his ideal summer home1 on the east side of the river1 facing the sunset1 but about forty miles from ,new ,york2 the land rising by a succession of easy hills1 terrace-like1 six hundred feet above the river level1 until one reached the farm a little over a mile and a half from the depot4 ,although when he first saw it the place was rough1 but little cultivated1 with gnarled and half-dead apple-trees scattered here and there over it1 yet the possibilities were such that on the first inspection he decided to buy4 ,so it came about that in the fall of #ahei he gave up his ,matteawan place and bought the hillside at ,peekskill1 which he named 8,boscobel40 ,illustration3 ,the ,cottage at ,peekskill4 ,at the foot of his lawn the turnpike runs along a level stretch for nearly a quarter of a mile2 from the road the land rises on the north by a gradual1 easy grade in graceful lines up to a comparatively level plateau1 on which the cottage and the old barns were located1 in true old-fashioned style1 in happy disregard of either convenience or scenic effect4 ,taking a fresh start1 the grade rose upward again for three or four hundred yards1 forming a third level space on top1 and then plunged steeply down into the valley of ,peeks-kill4 ,from the turnpike the private approach ran up between a double row of stately maples to the very doorstep4 ,this hill was one of the spurs that ran back from the river at right angles to its course--a detached foot-hill of the ,highlands4 ,with the exception of a few acres on the crest of the hill1 the farm lay along the south slope1 sheltered by its own crest from the north winds1 its face to the southern sun4 ,in this ,mr4 ,beecher saw peculiar advantages for early fruit and vegetables1 while the view in every direction delighted his eye4 ,from the house1 looking west1 lay the river1 visible only for a mile or so1 and lying like a beautiful ,swiss lake encircled by protecting mountains4 ,to the south and southeast the landscape was varied and charming--low hills1 woodland and green fields1 making up a beautiful picture4 ,whilst from the hill-top1 reputed to be the highest point in ,westchester ,county1 the country lay out like one great panorama on all sides1 the view to the north and west being especially grand2 another glimpse of the ,hudson being visible just before it is swallowed up by the grim mountains of the ,highlands4 ,over all in the distance rise1 blue and faint1 the ,catskills1 whilst to the east the country rolls in graceful1 broken stretches for miles4 ,such were the general features of the farm when ,mr4 ,beecher bought it4 ,the house was a low1 two-story1 wooden farm-house of pre-,revolutionary origin1 where1 as the legend goes1 that sturdy old warrior1 ,israel ,putnam1 had his headquarters at one time--a legend strongly corroborated by the silent testimony of cannon-balls1 bayonets1 and various military trappings from time to time unearthed by the inquisitive and grubbing plough4 ,in the spring of #ahfj ,mr4 ,beecher took possession of his new farm of thirty-six acres1 and began at once the work of reformation and improvement4 ,at first the low1 scrubby bushes that1 under the pretence of bearing edible fruit1 had long been allowed to outlive their usefulness1 were grubbed up and made into fagots for kindling4 ,then one by one the trees in the ancient apple-orchard1 which ,putnam's patriots had1 doubtless1 many a time assaulted and carried by storm well-nigh a hundred years before1 and which in turn took a sharp and colicky revenge upon their assailants--unless the quality of their fruit had greatly deteriorated in modern times--yielded to the axe1 and in the generous open fireplace1 the glory of the old-fashioned farm-house1 paid their last tribute to their master1 man4 ,illustration3 ,the ,old ,apple-,tree4 ,the last to fall a victim to axe and fire1 and then only when extreme old age and decay had ended its apple-bearing life1 and made it a standing menace of danger to all who passed under its rotted branches1 was one entitled to special notice4 ,mr4 ,beecher wrote of it3 8,i have a tree on my place at ,peekskill that cannot be less than two hundred years old4 ,two ladies1 one about eighty years old1 called upon us several years ago1 saying that they had been brought up on the farm1 and inquiring if the old apple-tree yet lived4 ,they said that in their childhood it was called #8the old apple-tree1' and was then a patriarch4 ,it must now be a ,methuselah1 and is probably the largest recorded apple-tree in the world4 ,i read in no work of any apple-tree whose circumference exceeds twelve or thirteen feet4 ,this morning ,i measured the ,peekskill apple-tree1 and found that1 at four feet from the ground1 where the limbs begin to spring1 it was fourteen feet and ten inches in circumference1 and at six feet from the ground fourteen feet and six inches4 ,i am sorry to add that the long-suffering old tree gives unmistakable signs of yielding to the infirmities of old age40 ,where the enormous limbs branched out1 so great was the space1 a summer-house was built1 in which the children played keeping house4 ,then the old ramshackle barns were taken in hand1 with their successive additions hitched on1 as more space might be required--architectural after-thoughts1 regardless of everything except capacity4 ,some were torn down1 others removed to more convenient and less obtrusive localities--the smaller buildings doing duty for carriages and chickens2 the larger ones1 with a little ingenuity and the aid of a carpenter or two1 being consolidated into one commodious building4 ,of course this was the work of several years1 and required no little planning and arranging1 furnishing that restful change of occupation1 from the continuous and intense mental strain1 which ,mr4 ,beecher so much needed4 ,the surface cleared1 then began the more serious work of subsoiling1 draining1 and clearing up of stones4 ,every inch of the thirty-six acres1 save only where trees and buildings stood1 was turned over to the subsoil4 ,the deep subsoil plough1 with four sturdy oxen to give it force1 drove its steel nose twenty inches down into the earth1 taking different parts of the farm in successive seasons1 each then being seeded down to grass1 grain1 or vegetables1 as the case might be4 ,the loose stones1 having first been carefully gathered from the upturned surface1 were then utilized in laying gutters by the roadside1 in building foundations for barns1 sheds1 etc41 or in making drains--for he found that the live springs that filled the hillside1 unless regulated1 might make his lawn too damp4 ,so deep drains were sunk across the lower half of the hill in different directions1 which carried off the surplus moisture2 while under house1 barn1 and cattle-sheds wells were sunk from eight to ten feet1 furnishing a supply of cool1 sparkling water1 never failing in the dryest summer4 ,with these later improvements began his real gardening and farming2 every form of flower1 fruit1 and vegetable that the latitude would permit was planted and raised4 ,pears1 apples1 and grapes1 among the fruit1 might be said to have been his specialty2 between two and three thousand trees and vines were planted1 carefully watched1 trimmed1 and pruned year by year until they came into full bearing1 while the smaller fruit1 vines1 and bushes became well-nigh innumerable4 ,though he kept the place always well stocked with what might be called the standard crops1 he was very fond of taking up1 for a year or two1 several specialties1 devoting his principal attention and study to these until he had pretty thoroughly mastered their habits1 peculiarities1 and capacities1 then for the next year or two take up something else1 and so on1 gradually in time making a special study of every flower1 fruit1 and vegetable that could be grown in that latitude4 ,when strawberries were in hand he tried every variety1 early and late1 large and small1 sweet and tart1 and in such numbers that several hundred quarts were often picked in one day4 ,the same was true of pears1 apples1 plums1 peaches1 cherries1 grapes1 raspberries1 blackberries1 as well as peas1 corn1 potatoes1 cabbages1 etc4 ,after one class of fruit or vegetable had had its turn1 it was not neglected1 but one or two of the varieties found best adapted to the locality were retained 7except in the large fruit-trees1 of which a large assortment was always kept71 and only sufficient planted to supply the family with about four times as much as could possibly be used2 for1 unless there was enough of everything1 so that each person in the family at the time might1 if so inclined1 make a meal of any one thing1 he would not touch it4 8,skimpy messes10 as he used to call them1 were his utter abomination4 ,but the thing that gave him the greatest pleasure was to beat his neighbors in early crops4 ,across the turnpike1 at the foot of the lane1 for many years lived a very dear friend1 ,mr4 ,george ,dayton1 a gentleman of means1 well skilled in every phase of scientific farming2 and between the two was carried on1 so long as ,mr4 ,dayton lived1 a most earnest rivalry on the subject of farming4 ,nothing delighted ,mr4 ,beecher more than to gather a basket of peas1 a large dish of strawberries1 or a dozen ears of corn1 the first of the season1 that had ripened just a day or two ahead of ,mr4 ,dayton's1 and bringing them down to his friend's1 deliver them to him1 as1 with an air of mock sympathy1 he condoled with him over his inability to raise early vegetables or fruit2 then1 with a hearty laugh1 invite him up on to the hillside to learn how a farm should be run4 ,the natural advantages of his location1 sheltered from the north and open to the first warm breezes from the south1 generally gave him these pleasant triumphs by two or three days2 though once in a while the tables would be turned1 and he had to take his turn at being bantered and receiving his friend's so-called charity4 ,we confess we used to prefer these infrequent reverses1 for our youthful eyes watched regretfully the dishful of great1 luscious strawberries going in triumphal procession to ,mr4 ,dayton's4 ,we used to think that the first fruits1 like charity1 should be tried at home1 and had to find such guilty consolation as we could in a surreptitious visit to the strawberry-bed4 ,this was not altogether satisfactory1 for aside from the attendant risks1 the remaining berries would only be half-ripe4 ,at the same time he bought the place it was his good fortune to meet an ,english gardener1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,j4 ,turner1 and to secure his services as superintendent1 or 8boss10 as he was known to the men--one of those simple-minded1 faithful1 hard-working men1 who never spared himself1 nor his subordinates4 ,his devoted attachment to the family and the place--8,our farm0 he used to call it--made him an invaluable helper4 ,for flowers and ornamental shrubs ,turner had at first but little taste2 his great ambition was to make the farm 8pay10 and the contest for supremacy between master and man caused much amusement to all parties4 ,turner was always trying to extend the borders of his pea and potato patches1 encroaching on the hollyhocks and dahlias1 while ,mr4 ,beecher would crowd the corn and lima beans to make more room for roses and pinks4 ,how ,mr4 ,beecher outwitted his opponent we will let him narrate3 8,i am as set and determined to have flowers as my farmer1 ,mr4 ,turner1 is to have vegetables2 and there is a friendly quarrel in hand all the season1 a kind of border warfare1 between flowers and vegetables--which shall have this spot1 and which shall secure that nook2 whether in this southern slope it shall be onions or gladioluses2 whether a row of lettuce shall edge that patch1 or of asters4 ,i think1 on a calm review1 that ,i have rather gained on ,mr4 ,turner4 ,the fact is1 ,i found that he had me at a disadvantage1 being always on the place and having the whole spring to himself4 ,so ,i shrewdly tampered with the man himself1 and before he knew what he was about1 ,i had infected him with the flower mania 7and this is a malady that ,i have never known cured71 so that ,i had an ally in the very enemy's camp4 ,indeed1 ,i begin to fear that my manager will get ahead of me yet in skill and love of flowers60 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,beecher on ,his ,farm4 ,in the years when corn1 cabbage1 or potatoes were being specialized ,turner was happy4 ,with a proud and beaming face he would drive down to the local market1 load after load of choice vegetables4 ,his cup of happiness would overflow when he returned and announced that 8our vegetables0 brought the best price of any in the market4 ,but1 alas6 like many a man before him1 his pride became1 figuratively speaking1 his ruin2 for after a while the fact was discovered that ,turner was selecting the largest and fairest for the market1 and that the home table had to be content with second and third rates1 too poor to sell with credit4 ,that ended all further farming for profit4 ,from that time on nothing further was raised for the market4 ,as full of interest as every process connected with farming and fruit culture was1 ,mr4 ,beecher's greatest pleasure was in the cultivation of flowers and ornamental shrubs4 ,their ever-varying form1 their delicate perfume1 and1 above all1 their abounding wealth of color1 furnished him a bouquet of which he never tired4 ,roses were perhaps his standard favorites1 and1 whatever other specialty he might be studying1 they were kept up always4 ,of these he wrote3 8,all rosedom is out in holiday attire1 and roses white and black1 green and pink1 scarlet1 crimson1 and yellow1 striped and mottled1 double and single1 in clusters and solitary1 moss-roses1 damask roses1 ,noisette1 ,perpetual1 ,bourbon1 ,china1 tea1 musk1 and all other tribes and names1 hang in exuberant beauty4 ,the air is full of their fragrance4 ,the eye can turn nowhere that it is not attracted to a glowing bush of roses4 ,what would not people shut up in cities give to see such luxuriance of beauty6444 ,the wonder is that every other man is not an enthusiast1 and in the month of ,june a gentle fanatic4 ,floral insanity is one of the most charming inflictions to which man is heir4 ,the garden is infectious4 ,flowers are #8catching1' or the love of them is4 ,men begin with one or two4 ,in a few years they are struck through with floral zeal4 ,and one finds1 after the heat1 and strife1 and toil of his ambitious life1 that there is more pure satisfaction in his garden than in all the other pursuits that promise so much of pleasure and yield so little40 ,in different years he tested every variety of form and color which could be found in the single and double hollyhocks1 single and double dahlias1 phlox1 geraniums1 pansies1 lilies1 fuchsias1 and chrysanthemum1 sometimes massed in great banks of color1 sometimes scattered in different beds and along borders1 or in little beds hidden amid the shrubbery4 ,from early ,may till frost came1 8,boscobel0 was always ablaze with the glories of flowers in their different seasons4 ,it is given to few to understand1 and fewer still to experience1 the wonderful effect which flowers had upon him4 ,fagged with hard work1 vexed with cares1 with nerves strained and irritated1 a few hours among his flowers rested his brain1 soothed his nerves1 and refitted him for days of hard work4 ,doubtless change of occupation1 open air1 and the slight physical exertion required in tending his pets1 did something towards rest and recreation2 but there was a subtle power in many colors that worked upon his nerves in a strangely mysterious way1 that gave him more relief from nerve excitement in an hour than any drug ever compounded4 ,flowers and colored gems--which he called unfading flowers--possessed this soothing power above everything else4 ,in his younger days his farming and gardening experiences were intimately associated with hard physical work4 ,but after he had settled at 8,boscobel0 the number and pressure of his regular engagements made farm labor1 except by proxy1 impossible4 ,he worked some1 it is true1 but principally for exercise2 the real use and benefit of the farm being its sweet and soothing restfulness4 ,his description of his 8work0 and the unalloyed pleasure he found in 8farming0 needs no enlarging3 8,the light is just coming4 ,i do not care for that1 as ,i do not propose to get up at such an hour4 ,but the birds do care4 ,they evidently wind up their singing apparatus over-night1 for when the first bird breaks the silence1 in an instant the rest go off as if a spring had been touched which moved them all4 ,there are robins without count1 wood-thrushes1 orioles1 sparrows1 bobolinks1 meadow-larks1 bluebirds1 yellowbirds1 wrens1 warblers1 catbirds 7as the ,northern mocking-bird is called71 martins1 twittering swallows4 ,think of the noise made by mixing all these bird-notes together2 add a rooster and a solemn old crow to carry the base2 then consider that of each kind there are scores1 and of some hundreds1 within ear-reach1 and you will have some faint conception of the opening chant of the day4 ,you may not think that ,i wake so early1 but ,i do2 or1 having awakened1 ,i again go to sleep1 but ,i solemnly do4 ,i don't think of getting up before six4 8,after breakfast there are so many things to be done first that ,i neglect them all4 ,the morning is so fine1 the young leaves are so beautiful1 the bloom on the orchard is so gorgeous1 the sounds and sights are so many and so winning1 that ,i am apt to sit down on the veranda for just a moment1 and for just another1 and for a series of them1 until an hour goes by4 ,do not blame me6 ,do not laugh at such farming and such a farmer4 8,the soil overhead bears larger and better crops1 for a sensible man1 than does the soil under-feet4 ,there are blossoms in the clouds4 ,there is fruit upon invisible trees1 to those who know how to pluck it4 8,but then sky-gazing and this dallying with the landscape will not do4 ,what crowds of things require the eye and hand6 ,flowers must be transplanted4 ,flower-seeds must be sown2 shrubs and trees pruned2 vines looked after2 a walk taken over the hill to see after some evergreens1 with many pauses to gaze upon the landscape1 and many birds watched as they are confidentially exhibiting their domestic traits before you4 ,the kittens1 too1 at the barn must be visited1 the calf1 and the new cow4 ,then every gardener knows how much time is consumed in watching the new plants4 ,for instance1 ,i have eight new kinds of strawberries that need looking after1 each one purporting to be a world's wonder4 ,i am quite anxious about eight or ten new kinds of clematis1 two new species of honeysuckle1 eight or ten new and rare evergreens1 and ever so many other things1 shrubs and flowers4 8,but what shall ,i say of the new peas1 new beans1 rare cucumbers1 early melons1 extraordinary potatoes8 ,do you not see that it is impossible for me1 amid such incessant and weighty cares1 to write8 ,the air is white with apple-blossoms2 the trees are all singing2 the steaming ground beseeches me to grant it a portion of flower-seeds2 by night the whippoorwill1 and by day the wood-thrush and mocking-bird1 fill my imagination with all sorts of fancies1 and how can ,i write80 ,after a number of years ,mr4 ,beecher began to think that he would like to build a house that should embody his ideal of what a home should be--a real homestead whose hospitable largeness could readily accommodate all the children and the children's children1 and which in design1 in finish and decoration1 should be an education for his children4 ,several years were spent in talking over plans and examining designs proposed by architects before the final plan was adopted4 ,then the ,tilton conspiracy broke out1 and for a short time deferred the proposed building4 ,but the need of some diverting occupation1 something that should change the entire current of his thoughts1 became so decided that in self-defence he began building the new house4 ,on that peaceful hillside1 amid the busy workmen1 he found a grateful asylum and refuge from the tempest with which his enemies had sought to destroy him4 ,it has never been doubted in his family1 that the relief which he found in the pure air1 the beautiful scenery1 the sweet communion with flowers and birds1 at ,peekskill1 with his engrossing interest in 8the house10 saved his life during those years when the burden was the heaviest4 ,he has often said that he never spent money more profitably than in building his new house and in laying out his grounds4 ,stone by stone and brick by brick he watched the foundations and the lower stories rise4 ,each floor-beam1 joist1 and girder received his zealous scrutiny4 ,the reasons for this1 and the causes for that1 he must know all about2 until1 long before the house was finished1 he was1 barring the manual dexterity1 as good a mason or carpenter as the best of those at work4 ,every day1 and often a dozen times a day1 he climbed from cellar to ridge-pole1 studying1 investigating1 making suggestions1 or proposing alterations--these latter the terror of his architect2 for1 though often decided improvements on the first plans1 they sometimes involved a serious modification of the work in hand4 ,every gentleman who visited him must make the tour clear to the ridge-pole1 for there the view was finest4 ,once1 when a young man was his visitor and victim1 he insisted that they should mount the lofty but unfinished chimney to get a little more extended outlook1 setting the example himself2 but his companion1 who was hugging a firmly-secured cross-tie1 in momentary fear of losing his balance and falling1 declared that he drew the line at the chimney1 and would aspire no higher4 ,when finally the house was up came the internal finishing and decoration4 ,nothing was omitted that1 in his opinion1 would increase comfort or convenience2 while1 in the decorative and ornamental finish1 he aimed at results which should educate the eye and tastes of his children4 8,boscobel0 was to be the family home1 and ultimately his permanent residence1 for then he used to say that when he reached seventy1 he proposed to retire from the public and devote his closing years to literary work4 ,here children and grandchildren were together each summer1 pilgrims to this domestic ,mecca4 ,the house must be large enough to hold them all1 and friends besides1 without crowding2 and it was1 twenty and twenty-five being no unusual number gathered within its walls4 ,and on one occasion1 when a clerical union was invited to meet at 8,boscobel10 thirty were1 with a little ingenious packing1 entertained over-night4 ,it was not until the summer of #ahgh that the workmen were finally dispossessed and the family entered into the new house4 ,what a sense of expansion we all experienced6 ,we looked back upon the humble little cottage1 hallowed by so many years full of enjoyment1 and wondered how it could ever have held us all--something as a butterfly1 with broad1 expanded wings1 might contemplate its empty chrysalis1 surprised that it had lived so long1 cramped within so small a compass4 ,the richness of the wall-paper and the delicacy of the frescoing would not permit the hanging of pictures1 while ,mr4 ,beecher's love of the beautiful would not permit him to rest quiet until he had found some way of further decoration appropriate to his walls4 ,this led him to the study of the various ornamental ceramics4 ,china1 ,japan1 ,england and ,france1 ,germany and ,america1 were each laid under contribution for its characteristic productions4 ,fortunately he had made his mantel-pieces broad and high1 with many little shelves and brackets1 convenient resting-places for vases1 cups1 and bowls4 ,once the house was complete came the final work of improvement--the landscape1 grading1 planting ornamental shrubs1 and laying out of his lawn1 whose ten acres spread out before the new house4 ,the trimming of trees and shrubs into fantastic or mathematical figures1 and strict regularity of path and plot1 he detested4 ,landscape-gardening should be only an assistant to nature1 not a remodeller4 ,on this theory he laid out his place4 ,in the changing of grades1 grouping of shrubs1 planting of tangled copses1 he sought to give to everything the appearance of natural growth and formation4 ,illustration3 ,the ,house at ,peekskill4 ,having taken up ornamental trees and plants1 with his usual thoroughness he exhausted the subject4 ,every tree and shrub that with reasonable care could be made to grow on that favored place was planted4 ,and so skilfully and naturally have they been grouped that1 though there are over sixteen hundred of the ornamental varieties growing within the limits of those thirty-six acres1 they are not crowded1 and nearly twenty acres are free for grass1 vegetables1 and fruit4 ,it was stated by an experienced landscape-gardener1 in #ahhd1 that1 with the exception of the ,smithsonian ,institute in ,washington1 no collection similar in extent and variety could then be found in ,america4 ,of course this building1 improving1 and planting called for a constant and heavy outlay of money4 ,it was in part to meet this that he projected and carried out the series of lecture-tours that ran through the last ten years of his life4 ,in the commercial sense of the word his farming was not profitable4 ,he spent upon his place many thousands of dollars that never came back to him in coin or currency4 ,his receipts were of the kind not to be found in the open market1 not affected by the flurries in 8,the ,street02 neither defaulting cashier nor stock-jobbing speculator could depreciate or lessen them4 ,if money be valued at the amount of comfort and happiness it affords1 then the thousands lavished on his beloved home were well spent1 for seldom has the same amount given so much of real1 healthful happiness1 and to so many4 ,none outside of the family will ever know to how many 8,boscobel0 was a veritable tower of refuge in dark days and troublous times2 how many found inspiration there for greater work1 and increased courage for burden-bearing2 whilst to ,mr4 ,beecher it was an investment that repaid him1 in dividends of life-lengthening rest1 reinvigoration1 and happiness1 many hundred per cent4 ,no wonder that he loved every spear of grass1 every budding leaf and perfumed flower1 upon that hillside4 ,they were his children1 at least by adoption4 ,no wonder that the birds1 and even the very insects1 his uninvited summer guests1 were dear to him2 and that each fall1 as he turned his back upon the summer and the hillside1 to enter again into the harassing turmoils of city life1 his thoughts ran back in gratitude to the many friends that had contributed so much to his happiness3 ,illustration3 ,hall in ,new ,house at ,peekskill4 8,neither can a sensitive nature forget his summer companions1 or stint them in their meed of praise and gratitude4 ,worms whose metamorphosis we have watched2 spiders whose webs glitter along the grass at morning and at evening1 or mark out geometric figures among the trees--spiders red1 brown1 black1 green1 gray1 yellow1 and speckled2 soft-winged moths2 gorgeous butterflies1 steel-colored and shining black crickets1 locusts and grasshoppers1 and all the rabble of creaking1 singing1 fiddling fellows besides1 which swarm in air and earth--we bid you all a hearty good-by4 ,sooth to say1 we part from some of you without regret4 ,but for the million we feel a true yearning1 so much have we watched your ways1 so many hours has our soul been fed by you through our eyes4 ,ye are a part of the great ,father's family4 8,oh6 how goodly a book is that which ,god has opened in this world6 ,every day is a separate leaf--nay1 not leaf1 but volume1 with text1 and note1 and picture1 with every dainty quip and quirk of graceful art1 with stores of knowledge illimitable1 if one will only humble himself to receive it6 ,one should not willingly be ungrateful1 even to the smallest creatures or to inanimate objects that have served his pleasure4 8,and so1 to reed and grass1 bush and tree1 stone and hill1 brook and lake1 all creeping things and all things that fly1 to early birds and late-chirping locusts1 we wave our hand in grateful thanks6 8,but to that ,providence over all1 source of their joy and mine1 what words can express what every manly heart must feel8 8,only the life itself can give thanks for life40 ,while house1 flowers1 and plants occupied the greater part of his farming time1 they by no means monopolized it4 ,he took a very deep interest in his chickens4 ,white ,leghorns1 ,buff ,cochins1 and ,brown ,brahmas1 out of the many kinds that he tried1 were the final favorites1 and repaid him well in eggs--the universal hen currency--for his pains and care4 ,of these he wrote3 8,it is a day for the country2 the city palls on the jaded nerve4 ,i long to hear the hens cackle4 ,there are lively times now in barn and barn-yard1 ,i'll warrant you4444 ,the ,leghorn1 of true blood1 leads the race of fowls for continuous eggs1 in season and out of season--eggs large enough1 of fine quality1 and sprung from hens that never think of chickens4 ,for a true ,leghorn seldom wants to sit4 ,they believe in division of labor4 ,if they provide the eggs1 others must hatch them4444 ,the ,brahmas and ,cochins have good qualities4 ,they are large1 even huge4 ,they are peaceable4 ,and the ,cochins do not scratch--an important fact to all who have gardens4444 ,but a more ungainly thing than ,buff ,cochins the eye never saw4 ,a flock of ,leghorns is a delight to the eye2 their forms are symmetrical1 and every motion graceful4 ,but the fat1 podgy ,cochins waddle before you like over-fat buffoons4 ,they are grotesque1 good-natured1 clumsy1 useful creatures1 with a great love of sitting4 ,we keep ,cochin hens to sit on ,leghorn eggs40 ,so long as he raised chickens in the good old-fashioned1 orthodox way he was very successful2 but when1 one unlucky day1 he fell into the hands of the agent of some patent chicken-breeding process1 his sorrows began4 ,the hatcher and brooder appeared in due time1 with trays1 tin pans1 heater1 self-regulating thermometer1 and enough other paraphernalia to hatch out an ostrich4 ,three hundred selected eggs were taken for the first experiment1 carefully stowed in the trays1 the heat turned on1 the regulating thermometer put in gear2 then we all stood back and gazed in wondering admiration upon the machine which was to grind out chickens like a mill4 ,our impatience could hardly be restrained to await the eventful day when the shells should crack1 and the downy occupants come tumbling out of the trays2 while visions of tender broiled chickens1 chickens roasted1 stewed1 and fricasseed without limit1 danced through our exultant minds4 ,three hundred spring chickens6 ,phew6 ,and the process could be repeated indefinitely4 ,at last the long-expected day arrived when1 according to the regulations1 all well-behaved eggs should hatch4 ,mons laboravit et--no1 not a mouse1 but one solitary little chicken came forth4 ,two hundred and ninety-nine good eggs had gone wrong6 ,the second trial resulted better3 one in every ten responded at the roll-call4 ,but even these found this cold world uncongenial1 and1 what with the pips1 gapes1 and other maladies incident to chicken babyhood1 their little band rapidly diminished to zero4 ,but these discouragements only stimulated ,mr4 ,beecher to greater effort1 determined that1 if the machine could be made to work1 he would make it4 ,it would be hard to say what the upshot might have been1 had not the machine1 one fine night1 started off on an original plan of its own1 with a view to forcing the eggs1 which resulted in burning the hatcher1 chicken-house1 part of a barn1 and nearly cleaning out the entire general establishment4 ,after that the hens had a monopoly of the hatching business4 ,with his cattle he was uniformly successful1 no one having invented any calf-hatching machine4 ,for many years he raised nothing but ,ayrshires--very handsome cows and very generous milkers--but finally he began to try the ,jerseys1 and never after changed from them4 ,their beautiful deer-like heads1 small1 graceful limbs1 and kindly dispositions made them universal favorites2 while their milk1 scant in quantity but wonderfully rich in cream1 made berry-time a marked season of the year4 ,as he never cared to keep more than six or eight cows1 he had each year to sell several heifers2 these1 thanks to the kindness of ,mr4 ,kittredge1 his next-door neighbor1 having been registered in the ,jersey stock-book1 sold for large prices4 ,no farm so well stocked with flowers should be without its bees2 so about eight years ago he purchased four hives of ,italian bees1 had a proper shed erected1 and the bees duly installed4 ,after a few preliminary experiments he delegated the care and culture of bees to our hands4 ,the necessity of appearing in his pulpit at regular stated times1 with a face reasonably free from distortion1 compelled him to forego the pleasure and exercise of caring for and dodging bees4 ,but if he found it prudent to turn the bees over to others1 he none the less enjoyed watching his proxy1 making humorous suggestions--from a convenient distance4 ,though he did not himself handle them1 he kept himself fully posted respecting their habits4 ,all that the text-books could teach he learned1 and then would question us as to our actual experience4 ,whenever a hive swarmed he was on hand1 if at the farm1 and none were more interested in capturing the swarm than he4 ,as we have intimated1 his bees sometimes showed a want of respect for 8the cloth10 and an inappreciation of his friendly interest4 ,at these times he joined as heartily as the less interested spectators in the laugh raised at his expense2 for there seems to be something irresistibly comical in the sight of a full-grown man waging a hopeless war with a mere mite of a bee4 ,his relish for the humorous could not be stayed even by the smart of a bee's sting1 while a little patience was sure to afford him a chance to return the laugh with interest4 ,on one occasion an enormous swarm had settled on the lower limbs of a cherry-tree1 just over the place where an unconscious calf was tethered and peacefully browsed4 ,by some strange freak the swarm dropped from the limb upon the unsuspecting calf4 ,fortunately1 while swarming1 bees are not apt to be aggressive4 ,the calf1 terrified at this crawling mass so suddenly enveloping it1 began to bleat and rush frantically around as far as its chain would permit4 ,the bees1 at last annoyed at the shaking up they received1 began to remonstrate in a very pointed manner4 ,matters were momentarily growing more and more serious for the calf1 when one of the farm-hands1 happening by1 rushed in1 with more zeal than discretion1 trying to free the calf2 before he could unfasten the chain the calf succeeded in entangling him1 finally tripping him up and falling with him to the ground1 a confused mass of calf1 bees1 and ,irishman4 ,fortunately another man ran in1 and1 pulling up the spike to which the chain was fastened1 released them all4 ,happily no one was seriously hurt1 but the final rescuer1 with face and hands still smarting1 meeting ,mr4 ,beecher1 burst out1 in somewhat incoherent excitement3 8,those domded bees have murthered the calf1 an' ,kelly's kilt and gone to h------ the other way40 ,mr4 ,beecher was never able to get any satisfactory explanation as to what the 8other way0 was4 ,between the ,jerseys and the bees1 ,boscobel soon became a land veritably flowing with milk and honey4 ,no account of the ,peekskill home would be complete without some mention of the dogs4 ,like all true lovers of nature1 ,mr4 ,beecher was very fond of dogs1 and generally had a fairly large family on hand4 ,from ,bruno and ,jack1 two canine giants--one a ,st4 ,bernard and the other half ,russian bloodhound and half mastiff--to the little1 wiggling mite of a diminutive black-and-tan1 all bark and wiggle1 through all the intervening grades of size and kind--mastiff1 colly1 ,esquimaux1 and terrier--one thing only was insisted upon invariably3 the dog must be kind and gentle to children4 ,he might be ever so homely1 ever so useless1 and he would be petted and loved2 but if he once snapped at the little ones who tumbled over him1 pulling tail and ears1 the fiat went forth1 as irrevocable as the laws of the ,medes and ,persians--banishment or death4 ,he loved to watch them frolicking among themselves or with the children1 chasing and being chased4 ,with them he would take long walks1 and often sit upon the bank and talk to the companion who1 with ears pricked up and wagging tail1 seemed almost to understand him4 ,of one he once wrote3 8,i have a four-legged heathen on my place--#8,tommy4' ,he is a most intelligent and a most discriminating little dog2 he is a gentleman in disguise1 and ,i am really sorry for him that he cannot talk4 ,if ever there was a dog that was distressed to think that he could not talk1 that dog is4 ,i sit by him on the bank1 of a summer evening1 and ,i say1 #8,tommy1 ,i am sorry for you'2 and he whines1 as much as to say1 #8,so am ,i4' ,i say1 #8,tommy1 ,i should like to tell you a great many things that you are worthy of knowing'2 and ,i do not know which is the most puzzled1 he or ,i--,i to get any idea into his head1 or he to get any out of mine2 but there it is3 ,i know what he thinks1 and he knows not what ,i think4 ,he knows that there is something above a dog1 and he manifests his canine uneasiness by whining1 and in other ways4 ,his aspiration shows itself from his ears to his tail4 ,he longs to be something more and better2 he yearns to occupy a larger sphere2 but1 after all1 he does not1 and he cannot40 ,to the children 8,boscobel0 was a beautiful home1 filled with everything that could educate the eye and taste1 and cultivate the love of the beautiful in nature2 made doubly dear by the daily association with our father in his happiest and brightest moods4 ,to the friends for whom its doors were ever open it was a delightful1 to its owner a veritable haven of rest4 ,from its commanding height he looked out upon the country lying below and beyond1 with the eye of ownership2 for he used to say3 8,i own all ,i can see4 ,i enjoy all that there is of beauty and peacefulness in my neighbor's lands as much as they1 without the responsibility or the taxes40 ,this1 he declared1 was the most profitable kind of land-owning4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,home ,life--,love of ,children--,his ,method of ,training and ,education--,formation of ,library and ,art ,collection--,personal ,traits4 ,to the public ,mr4 ,beecher was best known as the eloquent preacher and speaker1 the fearless advocate of right and foe to wrong1 the champion of the weak and oppressed1 a friend to all mankind4 ,but it was only to those who knew him in his home-life that the softer and sweeter sides of his nature were fully revealed4 ,for his home and family he had the deepest and most tender affection4 ,though brought up in ,new ,england1 where respectful reverence from child to parent was often carried to such an extreme that the father was almost unapproachable to his children1 he retained none of the puritanical austerity that largely filled the social atmosphere of ,connecticut seventy years ago1 partly because in his own home there was more of the feeling of fellowship between the father and children1 but more especially because his intense love for children swept away all barriers of cold formality4 ,to his own he was the companion and playfellow1 the partner in every joy1 the comforter in every sorrow4 ,patient in unravelling those mysteries of mind and matter that perplex the early life of every healthful child1 he never answered their childish wonderings with the impatient 8don't bother me10 which too often checks that curiosity which is nature's mode of self-education1 and which often makes childhood one long1 continuous 8why40 ,every little prattler was his by love's adoption4 ,in more than a score of households he was the 8,grandpa0 par excellence1 often sadly interfering1 we fear1 with the rules of government2 for1 by tacit consent between parents1 children1 and 8,grandpa10 he was superior to all nursery regulations4 ,his consent1 and often co-operation1 was a warrant of pardon for any and all pranks and escapades committed thereunder4 ,he was always very careful to exercise this power along the line of healthy sport1 in little pranks that gave amusement to all1 but at the same time leading the boys to be more manly and the girls to be more womanly4 ,many a young man and woman today looks back upon those bright days of their childhood with deep and tender affection1 and sees where1 in what seemed then mere sport and fun1 they had caught the inspiration for higher and nobler living4 ,in this childhood's ,utopia things were sometimes strangely transposed4 ,nothing would at first more surprise a stranger1 in whose memory still lingered pungent recollections of early discipline1 than to see a troop of children pounce down upon ,mr4 ,beecher1 clamoring with shouts and laughter for a whipping4 ,he remembered that shouts and clamor were constant concomitants in the execution of domestic penalties in his early days1 but nothing in his experience recalled laughter in that connection4 ,the mystery would soon be explained1 when1 with mock frowns and assumed violence1 the children were seized1 twirled and tumbled into a row along the wall2 and ordered to hold out each right hand2 one after another each hand was seized and several blows administered--with a stick of candy4 ,of course the sticks did not get away4 ,the rods were not spared1 and we don't think that any of the children were spoiled4 ,and the stranger1 as with quiet smile he looks upon them1 wonders1 after all1 if parents resorted to that kind of whipping more1 whether the increased feeling of good-fellowship would not render the need of the other kind less frequent4 ,in the training of his own children he seldom resorted to actual physical punishment1 and then only when the little culprit had been guilty of some especially aggravated offence4 ,but when he did resort to the laying on of hands1 he entered into it with great earnestness4 ,dishonesty1 falsehood1 cruelty1 and meanness of every kind were capital offences4 ,the sinner did not lose his head in such cases1 but some other parts of his person were so actively stimulated1 that standing became the most comfortable position for a long time thereafter4 ,these little rencounters naturally produced profound impressions4 ,we were not apt to invite another by repeating that particular offence4 ,we well remember some experiments in natural philosophy1 conducted by us when about six or seven years old1 in which a kitten and a tub of water figured prominently1 some features of which1 bordering on the barbarous1 we will omit4 ,just then our father came along1 and--well1 things were generally reversed1 including the youthful experimenter4 ,the kitten was fished out1 and we had it so thoroughly impressed upon our understanding that kittens won't swim under water1 that we do not remember to have experimented any further in that direction4 ,after these profoundly impressionable interviews he would talk earnestly and lovingly to the culprit1 declaring that it hurt him more to punish than it did the sinner to be punished--which we can well believe now1 from our knowledge of his deep and tender loving-kindness1 and from the similar duties time has brought to us4 ,then it used to seem strongly paradoxical1 measuring his pain by our still smarting skin we generously thought that we would willingly have foregone any benefits derived from the experience1 and have spared him so much suffering4 ,happily1 these graver cases were infrequent4 ,the minor misdemeanors from childhood's restless carelessness were generally met with quiet1 gentle talks1 the mischief fully explained with all its whys and wherefores2 the little penitent being finally dismissed with a kiss1 honestly and heartily determined to keep out of mischief1 and succeeding1 by great effort1 for an hour or two1 until he tumbled into something else4 ,with such cases the father's patience was infinite4 ,as the children grew older he was untiring in his care that they should form those habits of body1 mind1 and morals that should make them strong1 useful1 and moral men and women4 ,he stimulated their natural curiosity1 but at the same time taught them to be self-helpful4 ,if a question were asked that could be answered by any book that he had1 the questioner was sent for it1 and told1 8,now read that carefully1 and tell me what you learn2 ,i want to know it1 too20 adding3 8,information which you get when your attention is fully aroused1 and for which you have to stop and take some little trouble1 you will be pretty sure to remember40 8,never ask a question10 he used to say1 8if you can find the answer yourself1 but never hesitate to ask if you can't find it3 remember always you have a tongue in your head40 ,his letters to the absentees at school and college were full of well-considered advice1 and well illustrate what we have referred to3 8,i am more glad than ,i can express that you feel so much interest in religious meetings1 and ,i hope that ,god will lead you to embrace with your whole soul a religious life4 ,it is the only way to perfect honor and to the highest truth and duty4 ,religion is only the highest use and regulation of every faculty4 ,to love ,god and live in true benevolence toward men is the very way to make yourself wise1 happy1 and good4444 ,in all your own personal conduct act upon conscience1 and do not try to please yourself merely1 but to do what is right1 and because it is right4 ,towards your companions1 in all things1 seek to be unselfish1 kind in little things1 studying their good and not your own4444 ,one word as to reading your ,bible4 ,you must not regard the book with superstition1 and imagine that you will get good by merely reading it4 ,you must remember that it is a very large and widespread book2 many things will not be of service to you yet4 ,it has something in it for every age and all circumstances4444 ,every day try to put in practice something that you read in the ,bible4 ,remember that being a ,christian does not take away anything that is innocent and joyous1 but only adds to them higher and nobler joys40 8,,my ,,dear ------3 8,i am glad that you have found a pleasant friend in the minister4 ,it seems fit that the son of a minister1 whose father's father was a minister1 should have a liking for ministers4 ,i am glad1 too1 that you are fortunate in having a man who is sensible enough to understand that a ,christian is not less than a man4 ,whatever it is right for anybody to do1 it is right for a ,christian to do2 and what a ,christian gentleman may not do1 nobody has a right to do4 ,religion regulates our pursuits and pleasures1 but does not destroy them4444 8,you are fifteen years old2 that is close upon manhood4 ,i have no doubt that you begin to look at times quite seriously toward the future4 ,but fidelity to the present is the best preparation for the future4 ,do everything thoroughly4 ,do not be a superficial scholar4 ,go to the roots of everything you study4 8,as to profanity out of doors1 ,i should not1 in ordinary cases1 meddle much1 especially in a way that should seem as though you owned the boy1 or were responsible for his conduct4 ,nothing is more provoking to a young person than to have people assume authority over them in moral things4 ,but in your own room it is different2 profanity there is an intrusion on your rights1 and is not to be tolerated4 ,if kind measures will not check it1 then peremptory ones should4 ,i would say to such a one3 #8,you must take your choice1 to find some other room or to observe the decencies of life here6' 444 ,now as to your studies4 ,it is not mainly the time employed1 but the concentration of mind1 that induces rapid progress4 ,mere scholars study without great grasp and sharp and quick application of thought4 ,they take two hours to do what could better be done in one4 ,in part this capacity of rapid comprehension and accurate perception depends upon one's native endowments1 but it depends even more on habit and training4 ,while you seek primarily accuracy1 you should steadily aim with it to accelerate your process1 to see quicker1 think quicker1 decide quicker4 ,but if you study intensely you must take much air4 ,don't be tempted to give up a wholesome air-bath1 a good walk1 or skate1 or ride every day4 ,it will pay you back over your books1 by freshness1 elasticity1 and clearness of mind4 ,i have noticed that lessons which require acuteness and memory both1 are best gotten by studying them the last thing before going to bed1 and then taking hold again early in the morning4 ,that which we study just before sleeping seems to come out in strong relief the next day1 if we renew the impression by going over the work again4 ,for difficult tasks1 then1 take this hint3 go over just before sleeping1 and review in the morning4 ,but1 again1 take care of health2 learning in a broken body is like a sword without a handle1 like a load in a broken-wheeled cart1 like artillery with no gun-carriage40 8,but1 my dear fellow1 there is one thing that will be hard1 but that is to be the root of all success and enjoyment--viz41 the habit of boning down to things which you don't like4 ,in all your after-life1 your success will depend upon your ability to do things which you do not particularly like to do4 ,in other words1 duty must become your watchword1 and not pleasure or liking40 8,i wish1 at the beginning of your college course1 to say a few words which1 if you will read over once in a while1 may help you4 ,you are not in college for the sake of its pleasures1 or for form's sake1 but to have your whole intellectual nature roused up and brought into efficient drill4 ,no matter what powers one has by nature1 he requires thorough drill to know how to use them4 ,it is not wise for you to choose a profession1 long before you have any knowledge of yourself1 with such thoroughness as is needful4 ,you are not grown yet inwardly4 ,you do not know your own powers and adaptations4 ,the business of life is too serious to be settled upon before one knows anything about his fitness for one or another's course4444 ,bear in mind that life is given you not to be trifled with4 ,god will hold you to strict account for the use you make of your endowments4 8,you were sent into life to work and be useful1 not to frolic and enjoy yourself4 ,you are drawing near the time when you must begin life for yourself4 ,my dear boy1 your own soul1 your honor1 and your father's name are committed to your keeping4 ,guard them from dishonor4 ,may ,god have you in his holy keeping60 8,i want to say a word to you about your style4 ,in every energetic nature1 the style1 in its essential spirit1 will follow a man's disposition4 ,so it is somewhere said that #8style is the man4' ,but while this is true of its spirit1 yet its external form may be much modified and improved by attention and care4 ,now1 you have never apparently made this a matter of thought1 and still less of study4 8,i am not going to recommend1 in addition to your other studies1 that you should read on style1 but only this3 that in conversation and in your letters you should begin to consider ease1 fulness1 grace1 and scrupulous accuracy4 ,i wish you would get from the library a copy of ,cowper's letters and read them1 and some of them many times4 ,see what interest he throws around trivial things by an elegant way of narrating them4 ,he draws pictures1 he puts daily trifles in an artistic light4 ,he is as thorough and complete in each instance as if it were a great historical event1 instead of being a rabbit's play1 a bird's freak1 or a tea-table affair4 ,the simplicity of his style1 its purity and clearness1 its accuracy1 as clear cut as is the finest cut-glass goblet1 are worthy of notice and imitation4 ,now1 the first step towards improvement is a consciousness of its necessity1 then an instant attempt at it4 ,suppose you make your letters a means of practice2 see that nothing is stated in an awkward or slovenly way2 leave nothing merely hinted and left for the reader to make out as best he can2 and1 generally1 make it a rule never in letters1 nor even in the mere sketchy memoranda for the purpose of study1 nor in your note-book1 to do things carelessly4 ,form the habit of stating things clearly1 and in scrupulously accurate and grammatical language2 you have formed the habit of not letting your lips tell falsehoods2 now do not let your pen do so either1 nor let it tell half-truths1 nor grotesque truths1 but pure and simple truths1 as they are4 ,that is good style40 ,to a young friend who had much artistic ability1 but who was discouraged because it was not of the highest grade1 he wrote3 8,your note pained me for your sake1 as it indicated a bad state of ideality4 ,the sense of the beautiful and of the perfect was designed to stimulate and not to discourage effort4 ,we are not to aim at the highest1 but the highest attainable by us4 ,here1 however1 comes in that pride of which you speak1 and which is unwise1 inartistic1 unchristian4 8,now1 the province of art may be said to be to make homely things handsome1 and good things beautiful4 8,the power or the gift of the artist is not to glorify himself1 but to make the way of human life smoother to tender feet4 ,while1 then1 high art has an important function1 so has decorative art4 ,it is the democratic form of art--i4e41 the form which allies it to ,christianity4 8,washing the feet is not an agreeable but a most necessary act4 #8,if ,i1 your ,lord and ,master1 have washed your feet1 ye also ought to wash one another's1' etc4 ,it is the keynote of ,christianity that one should be willing to serve1 not rule4 ,christ #8emptied ,himself of reputation1' #8took upon ,him the form of a servant4' 0,you are not willing to do things which give pleasure to common people4 ,you are not willing to make plain people happy1 to make common homes more cheerful and beautiful4 ,you do not join ideality to benevolence1 but to self-adoring pride4 ,if you could perform great works1 you would be willing to toil1 and even suffer4 ,being unable to do that1 you are not willing to perform the gentler offices of art1 the sweetest and most womanly1 and give hues and colors to those homely implements that every-day life needs4 8,if ,i had your gifts and your calling1 ,i think that every day ,i should send thanks to ,god that1 though ,i could not do great things1 ,i could do that which would cheer daily human life1 that would cast a ray of beauty along the homely path where the poor must walk4 8,it seems to me that your eyes are holden1 and that you do not see ,god's angel sent to you1 saying1 #8,will you not be a worker together with ,god1 for all1 and for the lowly first8' ,you push him away and say1 with bitterness1 #8,let me help the strong1 the high1 the rich1 or let me die4' 8,it is a wicked pride1 and you must be born again1 and repeatedly1 until you can say to your ,lord1 #8,i will follow ,thee in ,thy poverty1 in ,thy humiliation1 and if need be ,i will die to the highest ambition1 that ,i may with my whole soul work for the lowly and in a lowly way6' 8,idealized pride4 8,idealized conscience4 8,these are your enemies4 ,they stand between you and your life's work--between you and ,him who died for you4 8,i would never have taken the trouble to write this1 if ,i did not love you so much1 and did not hope to see you yet one day1 #8clothed and in your right mind1 sitting at the feet of ,jesus4'0 ,it was his idea that home should be a training-school for his children1 by precept1 example1 and by object-teaching4 ,partly in gratification of his own love of learning and of the beautiful1 but more for the training of the family and development of correct tastes in all departments of literature and art1 he covered his walls with paintings1 etchings1 and engravings2 when wall-space gave out1 portfolios1 drawers1 and cabinets were filled with the choicest specimens of art that he could find--not with the zeal of a collector1 who seeks the rare merely for its rarity1 but because the thing itself was beautiful1 or illustrated some type or period of art4 ,as a result his collection of prints furnished a good illustration of etching and engraving1 from the earliest rude woodcuts of the fifteenth century1 through the various growths of improvement1 down to the parchment proofs of the modern etcher4 ,drer1 ,rembrandt1 ,ostade1 ,wille1 ,schngauer1 and many others1 exemplified the old school1 while through a multitude of the ,french1 ,german1 ,italian1 and ,english artists were traced the growths of modern art4 ,all the wall-space that could be spared from the paintings and framed engravings was devoted to book-cases well filled4 ,the ancient and the ,english classics were well-nigh complete1 and every modern writer of note1 in any department of learning1 could find upon ,mr4 ,beecher's shelves the best of his brain's offspring4 ,as in art1 so in literature1 he bought nothing because it was rare1 but only because it would gratify the higher tastes or could teach something4 ,the student in any department of art1 science1 manufacture1 agriculture1 medicine1 or theology would find in ,mr4 ,beecher's library the best authorities in his special branch of study1 and generally with the marks of careful reading apparent upon their pages2 while the professional man1 whose life had been devoted to the study and practice of his particular profession1 has often wondered how ,mr4 ,beecher could have found it possible1 with his many duties1 to acquire a theoretic knowledge1 in that branch of learning1 so accurate and comprehensive4 ,the solution of the mystery lay in the fact that he never had to learn a thing twice4 ,the knowledge he acquired he retained4 ,he was remarkably watchful and observant was deeply interested in everything that was going on about him2 and when he became interested in a subject1 would buy all the books he could find that would enlighten him1 and study them carefully4 ,he delighted in visiting workshops1 factories1 laboratories1 studios1 and all other places where men worked1 there watching attentively the worker1 and in a few probing questions reaching such facts as he had failed to find in his books--applying the precept he gave his children3 learning what he could by his own observation1 then filling the gaps by questioning4 ,while his memory of words1 dates1 and the like was very bad1 rendering it almost impossible for him to quote accurately1 or recall figures or dates1 yet his memory of facts was wonderfully accurate4 ,the language by which he learned a fact he could seldom repeat1 but the information he never forgot4 ,the former was only the shell2 it was the meat of the nut alone that he cared for4 ,of course in making up his library he bought many books which in fact he never used1 for he said3 8,a library is like a bountiful table1 on which each guest can find everything that he wants2 yet it don't follow that each guest must eat from every dish4 ,my library is the table for my mind1 from which ,i take what ,i want to-day1 and from which ,i can get what ,i may want at any time hereafter40 ,his library was eminently a working library4 ,most of his books were bought when he was still a young minister1 when economy and love of books waged constant warfare1 of which contest we give his humorous description3 8,alas6 where is human nature so weak as in a book-store8 ,speak of the appetite for drink1 or a bon-vivant's relish for dinner6 ,what are these mere animal throes and ragings to be compared with those fantasies of taste1 of imagination1 of intellect1 which bewilder a student in a great bookseller's temptation-hall8444 8,then1 too1 the subtle process by which the man satisfies himself that he can afford to buy4 ,talk of ,wall ,street and financiering6 ,no subtle manager or broker ever saw through a maze of financial embarrassments half so quick as a poor book-buyer sees his way clear to pay for what he must have4 ,why1 he will economize2 he will dispense with this and that2 he will retrench here and there2 he will save by various expedients hitherto untried2 he will put spurs on both heels of his industry2 and then1 besides all this1 he will somehow get along when the time for payment comes6 ,ah6 this ,,somehow6 ,that word is as big as a whole world1 and is stuffed with all the vagaries and fantasies that ,fancy ever bred on ,hope4444 8,moreover1 buying books before you can pay for them promotes caution4 ,you don't feel quite at liberty to take them home4 ,you are married4 ,your wife keeps an account-book4 ,she knows to a penny what you can and what you cannot afford4 ,she has no #8speculation' in her eyes4 ,plain figures make desperate work with airy #8somehows4' ,it is a matter of no small skill and experience to get your books home1 and in their places1 undiscovered4 ,perhaps the blundering express brings them to the door just at evening4 #8,what is it1 my dear8' she says to you4 #8,oh6 nothing--a few books that ,i cannot do without4' ,that smile6 ,a true housewife1 that loves her husband1 can smile a whole arithmetic at him in one look6 ,of course she insists1 in the kindest way1 in sympathizing with you in your literary acquisition4 ,she cuts the strings of the bundle 7and of your heart71 and out comes the whole story4 ,you have bought a whole set of costly ,english books1 full bound in calf1 extra gilt6 ,you are caught1 and feel very much as if bound in calf yourself1 extra gilt1 and admirably lettered4 8,now1 this must not happen frequently4 ,the books must be smuggled home4 ,let them be sent to some near place4 ,then1 when your wife has a headache1 or is out making a call1 or has lain down1 run the books across the frontier and threshold1 hastily undo them1 stop only for one loving glance as you put them away in the closet1 or behind other books on the shelf1 or on the topmost shelf4 ,clear away the twine and wrapping-paper1 and every suspicious circumstance4 ,be very careful not to be too kind4 ,that often brings on detection4 ,only the other day we heard it said somewhere3 #8,why1 how good you have been lately6 ,i am really afraid that you have been carrying on mischief secretly4' ,our heart smote us4 ,it was a fact4 ,that very day we had bought a few books which #8we could not do without4' ,after a while you can bring out one volume1 accidentally1 and leave it on the table4 #8,why1 my dear1 what a beautiful book6 ,where did you borrow it8' ,you glance over the newspaper1 with the quietest tone you can command3 #8,that8 ,oh6 that is mine4 ,have you not seen it before8 ,it has been in the house this two months4' ,and you rush on with anecdote and incident1 and point out the binding1 and that peculiar trick of gilding1 and everything else you can think of2 but it all will not do--you cannot rub out that roguish1 arithmetical smile4 ,people may talk about the equality of the sexes6 ,they are not equal4 ,the silent smile of a sensible1 loving woman will vanquish ten men4 ,of course you repent1 and in time form a habit of repenting40 ,when we consider how strongly developed was his love of the beautiful1 we are not surprised at his fondness for music and precious stones4 ,at first the two seem widely dissimilar1 but to his mind they were only different forms of the same thing1 and to both he was profoundly impressionable4 ,gems and precious stones were only valued for their color4 ,they were color crystallized1 and to color he was peculiarly and strangely susceptible4 ,music was color expressed in terms of sound4 ,the one was color to his eye1 the other to his ear4 ,the mere enjoyment of sweet sounds and beautiful colors we can readily understand2 it is common to all who can see or hear1 in greater or less degree4 ,but the marked peculiarity in ,mr4 ,beecher's case was what we might describe as their drug effect4 ,this is not1 perhaps1 unusual with others in the case of music1 for1 with many1 soft and gentle music will quiet the excited mind1 soothe the soul1 and bring peace where the tempest raged4 ,this was so with him1 but in a greater and more marked degree4 ,colors would produce the same effect4 ,when disturbed or nerve-tired1 or when1 after some marked effort in the pulpit or upon the platform1 he found his brain aflame and every nerve keyed to the highest tension1 he would sit down in his study1 take out from his pocket or table-drawer an opal1 garnet1 hyacinth1 or flashing diamond1 hold it lovingly in his open hand1 drinking in through his eyes the soft1 rich rays of color4 ,almost as if by magic1 the turgid veins on brow and temple grew less prominent1 the deep flush upon his face softened gradually into its natural color1 the muscular tension abated1 the nerve-strain relaxed1 and a soft and gentle peacefulness settled down upon him1 like the comforting shadow of an angel's wing4 ,casting himself upon his bed1 he would sleep as peacefully as a child upon its mother's bosom4 ,a notable illustration of this occurred while in ,england in #ahfc4 ,when he returned to his hotel1 after a three hours' struggle with the mob in the ,philharmonic ,hall at ,liverpool1 he found himself still under the excitement of the fierce strife1 every nerve still vibrating under the strain4 ,the waves of thought and imagination rolled through his brain1 like the billows of the ocean still tossing after the gale has passed4 ,he had been roused to the very centre of his being1 and it promised to be a night of restless1 sleepless tossings4 ,he had with him an opal of wonderful fire and color4 ,sitting down in his room1 he placed the stone in his hand1 and for half an hour sat watching the play of its changing colors4 ,as he watched1 the stormy brain grew quiet1 a gentle sense of physical fatigue and sleepiness stole over him1 yielding to which he went to bed1 dropping at once into a quiet1 unconscious sleep1 unbroken till1 late in the morning1 he awoke1 rested and refreshed4 ,these color-opiates he always carried with him2 a dozen of the finest stones were set in rings and strung upon a key-ring carried in his pocket2 while in the recesses of some inner vest-pocket were hidden a number of unset stones1 carefully wrapped in paper4 ,his love in that direction was well known to all the prominent jewellers1 who laid aside for his inspection the finest specimens of those stones for which he especially cared4 ,one of these gentlemen writes3 8,mr4 ,beecher's love for fine gems was neither on account of their value nor their rarity4 ,he loved them because they spoke to him of nature and the ,god who rules nature1 and this voice appealed to him most strongly in the specimens which possessed the richest colors4 ,he might admire a perfectly clear diamond if it was unusually brilliant1 but this admiration sank to insignificance by the side of that awakened by one possessing color4 #8,how grand1' he would say1 #8is that nature which can catch the hues of the rainbow and fasten them in imperishable stone6 ,the rainbow passes away1 the beautiful flowers fade1 but in the loveliness of these gems are held permanently the colors of both4' ,in one of my visits to ,europe ,i secured a magnificent diamond1 which ,i am confident has never been excelled4 ,its color is hard to describe1 but ,i likened it to molten gold4 ,i had no commission from ,mr4 ,beecher to purchase anything of this kind1 but nevertheless it was for him ,i bought it1 knowing his taste in these matters1 and consequently ,i resisted all temptations to sell it abroad1 and brought it home with me4 ,mr4 ,beecher was delighted1 as ,i thought he would be1 and compared its hue to the deep reddish gold of a setting sun4 ,this gem was set in a black enamelled ring1 and was often worn by him--the only jewel ,i ever knew him to wear4 ,he was as loyal to the gems of his cabinet as he was to his animate friends1 and indeed the stones were also his friends4 ,rubies1 sapphires1 amethysts1 topaz1 hyacinths1 aqua-marines1 all were objects of his deep love1 not alone because they gratified his keen enjoyment of color1 but also because he seemed to read in them a page of the great book of nature4 ,neither was there any superstition connected with or tainting this love4 ,the ill-omened opal was a part of his collection when the prejudice against it was strongest1 and1 in fact1 ,mrs4 ,beecher wore these stones frequently4 ,i have said that richly-colored gems were his friends1 and so they were1 and more4 ,from them he gathered inspiration1 rest1 peace1 and even truth itself4 ,he saw them1 but he also saw beyond them4 ,their colors seemed to him to be one of those mysteries through which ,god speaks to man--a mystery in which his spirit delighted to bathe1 and from which he seemed to inhale strength and much of that inspiration which all nature appeared to yield up to him ungrudgingly4 ,his gems gratified his sense of sight1 his sense of poetry1 his sense of a beautiful nature1 and1 more than all these1 his sense of an omnipotent divinity4 ,none of them1 that ,i know of1 had any special history4 ,he loved them for themselves alone and for what they might teach him40 ,he used to say half-jokingly1 but with a great deal of underlying earnestness1 that it was the duty of every one to be healthy and strong2 that weakness was the penalty which men had to pay for disobeying the laws of nature1 sins committed either by themselves or their parents4 ,preservation of health was a prime duty1 its waste a cardinal sin4 ,as he preached1 so he practised2 he handled his body as an intelligent engineer does his engine4 ,he made it a matter of careful study4 ,he knew just what he could do with impunity1 and just what he must avoid4 ,if he found that eating a certain thing harmed him1 that thing he left alone4 ,for the stomach was the furnace and must be kept free and clear2 if that broke down1 the whole engine came to a standstill4 ,he studied the effect upon himself of the various kinds of food and drink1 and used them at the times and in the manner which experience and study taught him would give the best results4 ,some things affected him very peculiarly1 and of this he took advantage in their use4 ,this was markedly so with tea and coffee4 ,he found that coffee produced a mild kind of mental stimulus that made all things look brighter and more joyous2 that its use before preaching stimulated the brighter and happier side of his nature1 adding a slightly roseate tinge to all he saw4 ,it was optimistic4 ,while with tea the effect was the reverse4 ,objects appeared in their more sober1 sombre colors4 ,the rosy faded into the blue1 and while it could not be said that he felt depressed exactly1 yet the tendency was downward4 ,life seemed somewhat sterner1 its responsibilities became more prominent1 its joys less conspicuous4 ,tea was slightly pessimistic4 ,but1 strangely1 when he drank both1 as he usually did1 they held each other in check2 he then saw both the lights and the shadows of life in their true relation to one another4 ,his mind pursued the even tenor of its way4 ,wines1 beer1 and their like he never used for pleasure or as beverages2 as medicines1 in certain conditions of stomach disorders1 he found them useful4 ,but then1 as his library attests1 he first carefully studied and investigated the peculiar properties of each that he used1 and confined their use to the condition in which he found them most useful4 ,for instance1 ,burgundy wine was used only to counteract certain tendencies toward hepatic trouble4 ,beer was used only as a substitute for the bromides to relieve insomnia4 ,writing to a friend1 who had inquired anxiously as to the truth of certain rumors respecting his use of stimulants1 he replied3 8,,brooklyn1 ,february #ba1 #ahgj4 0,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 8,in reply to your letter of ,february #adth1 ,i would say that ,i do keep intoxicating liquors of various kinds in my house1 and probably shall do so as long as ,i keep house4 ,but ,i am not #8in the habit of offering them to my friends when they call4' ,nothing can be more false or injurious than the impression conveyed by such language4 ,i keep them and use them strictly and always as ,i would medicine1 and ,i should as soon think of offering a well man a dose of rhubarb as a dose of brandy4 8,i am a total abstainer1 both in belief and in practice4 ,i hold that no man in health needs or is the better for alcoholic stimulants2 that great good will follow to the whole community from the total disuse of them as articles of diet or luxury2 and that so soon as the moral sense of society will sustain such laws1 it will be wise and right to enact prohibitory liquor laws4 ,my practice strictly conforms to my precepts4 ,when ,i was depressed in health1 at times1 ,i have made use of various kinds of stimulants1 precisely as ,i would have used drugs--indeed1 as a substitute for them4 ,this has been occasional1 exceptional1 and wholly medicinal44440 ,careful as he was himself1 he disliked exceedingly to have others looking after or inquiring about his health4 ,if unwell1 he would lie down1 and in careful dieting and sleep soon find relief4 ,on such occasions he preferred to be left to himself1 undisturbed by questioning or fussing4 ,if well1 he repelled solicitude by jokes or humorous bantering4 ,exposed so constantly in his lecture-tours 7in one season travelling twenty-seven thousand miles7 to the danger of accidents1 and to sickness through unavoidable exposures1 it was not strange that ,mrs4 ,beecher felt no little anxiety for his welfare1 and when rumors came back1 with the usual newspaper distortions and exaggerations1 her solicitude would naturally be greatly increased4 ,on one occasion1 when her anxiety1 in consequence of some rumor1 became too great to be restrained1 she wrote an anxious letter to him1 inquiring about his health and expressing her fears4 ,she received the following characteristic letter in reply3 8,,my ,,dear ,,wife3 8,i see that you are incorrigible4 ,o cruel woman6 will not forty years of incessant assault suffice8 8,how many heads have you crushed6 ,not a bone in my body that you have not broken2 not a method of mutilation that you have not tried4 ,you have plunged me down ravines1 pitched me over precipices1 drowned me1 burned me1 torn me asunder4 ,i have lost innumerable arms1 legs1 and feet4 ,i go limping1 handless1 toward ,i know not what dire future4 ,you have conspired with every element of earth1 air1 and water1 by day and by night1 and wrung out every terrible fate that ever poet sang or ,dante dreamed of4 ,i do not think that there is--well6 well6 ,just think of this latest4 ,i had some disturbance in my stomach--you turn me end for end and call it apoplexy4 ,i was faint--you changed it to paralysis4 ,i am getting to crouch and creep through life in fear that you have set some terrible disaster upon me4 ,i think ,i see leaves winking mischief at me4 ,every stone seems ready to fly at me4 ,cars and engines are traps1 and seem to say1 #8,will you walk into my parlor1 ,mister ,fly8' 444 ,i am fighting fine--my knees better1 head clear2 and if ,i only had a wife0 7,mrs4 ,beecher was then in ,florida7 8,i should be perfect40 ,what a careful observance of the rules of health did toward keeping his body in thorough working order1 sleep did for his brain4 ,every hour of sleep that he could get he counted clear gain2 but even that was regulated according to the drafts made upon his brain4 ,during vacation time1 or when he had but little work on hand--rare occasions--he found the night's rest sufficient4 ,but on ,sundays1 while lecturing1 or when pressed by mental work of any kind1 he would supplement the night with a long nap in the afternoon4 ,so long as he kept his health and had sleep enough1 no amount of work tired him4 ,under such circumstances it might almost be said that his brain worked spontaneously2 thinking came as easily and naturally to him as breathing4 ,he was spared the mental drudgery that oppresses so many men4 ,his own illustration was that 8some men are like live springs1 that bubble up and flow perpetually2 while others are like pumps--one must work the handle for all the water he gets40 ,his methods of preparation for the pulpit were peculiar4 ,in one sense his whole life was a constant preparation1 for he was always observing and studying1 laying up stores for future use1 seldom knowing just when he would utilize the material1 yet sooner or later employing it all4 ,his memory was a great magazine1 filled with ammunition1 on which he drew as the occasion required4 ,this might be called his general preparation4 ,just before preaching or speaking he would enter into his special preparation1 unlock the magazine1 and lay out the material he wished to use4 ,this he would do just in advance of speaking 7his ammunition was highly volatile1 and1 if left exposed too long1 was apt to evaporate and be lost74 ,his ,sunday-morning sermons were prepared after breakfast1 and the evening sermons after tea4 ,he would retire to his study and think out the result which he wished to reach1 making outline notes of the steps by which he proposed to reach it4 ,he could never preach a sermon on a given topic unless it was in his mind4 ,it sometimes happened that after wrestling with his subject in his study for an hour or two1 and finally preparing a very unsatisfactory outline of what he wanted to preach1 he would go to his church1 and1 while the choir were singing the opening hymn1 the whole subject would come up before his mind in the form he wanted4 ,hastily tearing a fly-leaf from his hymn-book1 or taking the back of his notes1 he would sketch out in a few lines the new-born sermon1 which would perhaps occupy an hour in its delivery4 ,these were very apt to be among his best sermons4 ,speaking on this subject1 he once said3 8,my whole life is a general preparation4 ,everything ,i read1 everything ,i think1 all the time1 whether it is secular1 philosophic1 metaphysic1 or scientific--it all of it goes into the atmosphere with me2 and then1 when the time comes for me to do anything--,i do not know why it should be so1 except that ,i am of that temperament--it crystallizes1 and very suddenly too1 and so much of it as ,i am going to use for that distinct time comes right up before my mind in full form1 and ,i sketch it down and rely upon my facility1 through long experience1 to give utterance and full development to it after ,i come before an audience4 ,there is nothing in this world that is such a stimulus to me as an audience4 ,it wakes up the power of thinking and wakes up the power of imagination in me40 ,after a speech or sermon had once been formed in his mind1 if not soon delivered1 it would evaporate and be lost4 ,while he might recall it1 it would be in different form4 ,when in the delivery1 and the thoughts were surging at full tide through his brain1 he became like one inspired1 but half-conscious of his external surroundings4 ,the sermon once preached1 and his mind quieted down to its normal condition1 it would be impossible for him to recall or repeat the words and expressions that had but just left his lips4 ,the general outline1 the result1 he could of course recall1 but the language was a part of the inspiration1 and left him with it4 ,his reply to one asking for a copy of a prayer illustrates this3 8,you request me to send you the prayer made on ,decoration ,day evening4 ,if you will send me the notes of the oriole that whistled from the top of my trees last ,june1 or the iridescent globes that came in by millions on the last waves that rolled in on the beach yesterday1 or a segment of the rainbow of last week1 or the perfume of the first violet that blossomed last ,may1 ,i will also send you the prayer that rose to my lips with the occasion1 and left me for ever4 ,i hope it went heavenward and was registered there1 in which case the only record of it will be found in heaven40 ,the thought and labor necessary to keep up with his duties as pastor1 editor1 and lecturer would seem to have been enough to tax to the uttermost his time and strength4 ,but1 by a kind of selfish blindness1 the general public seemed wholly unconscious of the value of his time4 ,by post or in person1 an unending stream poured in upon him1 seeking everything that human ingenuity or perversity could suggest4 ,begging for help in every conceivable form4 ,one wanted three thousand dollars to lift the mortgage from his farm4 ,a clergyman in distress asked for a thousand1 saying that the ,lord would repay it4 ,a young theologian asked that ,mr4 ,beecher would write him a lecture that he might deliver1 and from its proceeds pay his education for the ministry4 ,a school-girl requested that he write for her a composition1 suggesting the topic and briefly outlining the way she wished it treated4 ,another came in person from a distant ,state1 requesting that he adopt and educate her2 as she had exhausted her means coming on1 he had to pay her fare back4 ,one man1 who had discovered the locality of ,captain ,kidd's treasures1 wanted him to bear the expense of their exhumation1 the profits to be divided4 ,these are a few actual incidents in the line of begging letters4 ,he has described the callers3 8,it is six o'clock in the morning4 ,the day is begun4 ,the family are emerging4 ,breakfast will be ready in half an hour4 ,you look for the ,tribune4 ,the bell rings4 ,a man has called thus early for fear you might be out4 ,you despatch his business4 ,sitting down to breakfast1 the bell rings1 and the servant says the man will wait4 ,but what pleasure can one have at a meal with a man upstairs waiting for him1 and the consciousness of it hastening the coffee and the toast on their way8 ,you run up4 ,can you marry a couple at so-and-so8 ,that is settled4 ,prayers are had with the family4 ,the bell rings once1 twice1 three times4 ,when you rise there are five persons waiting for you in the front parlor4 ,a young man from the country wishes your name on his circular for a school4 ,a young woman1 in failing health by confinement to sewing1 does not know what to do2 behind in rent2 cannot get away to the country2 does not wish charity1 only wishes some one to enable her to break away from a state of things that will in six months kill her4 ,another calls to inquire after a friend of whom he has lost sight4 ,while you are attending to these the bell is active1 and other persons take the place of those who go4 ,a poor slave-mother wants to buy her son's wife out of slavery4 ,a kind woman calls in behalf of a boarder who is out of place1 desponding1 will throw himself away if he cannot get some means of livelihood4 ,another calls to know if ,i will not visit a poor family in great distress in ------ ,street4 ,a good and honest-looking man comes next2 is out of work1 has #8heard that your 8riverince0 is a kind man1' etc4 ,another man wants to get his family out from ,ireland2 can pay half1 if some one will intercede with ship-owners to trust him the balance4 ,a stranger has died1 and a sexton desires a clergyman's services4 ,several persons desire religious conversation4 ,it is after ten o'clock4 ,a moment's lull4 ,you catch your hat and run out4 ,perhaps you have forgotten some appointment4 ,you betake yourself to your study1 not a little flurried by the contrariety of things which you have been considering4 ,you return to dine4 ,there are five or six persons waiting for you4 ,at tea you find others also1 with their divers necessities4 8,this is not overdrawn1 and for months of the year it is far underdrawn4 ,there is no taxation compared to incessant various conversation with people for whom you must think1 devise1 and for whose help you feel yourself often utterly incompetent40 ,half of his life-work would have been left undone had he attempted to have given the letters and callers his personal attention4 ,all that related to his pastoral duties1 and much besides1 he attended to personally4 ,the rest he turned over to his wife4 ,if his life has been a benefit to mankind1 then the world owes a heavy debt of gratitude to her for the self-sacrificing protection she afforded him4 ,she was his helpmeet indeed2 nine-tenths of his correspondence she carried on4 ,few save his church-members and personal friends had access to him until she had first learned their errand1 and determined whether the case was one that should be brought to his attention4 ,yet1 with all this care1 he seldom saw less than ten or a dozen callers each day while he was at home4 ,the drain upon his purse was constant1 for he could hardly withstand a tale of suffering and want4 ,of course he was not infrequently imposed upon1 as every generous man is apt to be4 ,he used to say that the satisfaction of relieving one really deserving sufferer was compensation enough to make up for being swindled ten times4 ,nor was his generosity1 or its abuse1 confined to those who sought material aid4 ,among those who engaged his affection and confidence1 some there were who1 ,judas-like1 turned against him when it seemed for their interest to do so4 ,toward these he never felt resentment1 save momentarily under the smart of some sudden1 treacherous blow4 ,the love which he once gave to a friend he never forgot4 ,he would be very slow to believe any one1 once trusted1 to be unworthy1 and never lost a deep and tender feeling for such1 even after he felt that they were unworthy of confidence4 ,it was this feeling that led to no little criticism at the hands of those whose cynicism made trusting hard and hating easy4 ,by these his tender1 sympathetic trustfulness was called 8gush0 and 8slopping over40 ,to their criticisms he replied3 8,i suppose ,i do slop over sometimes4 ,well1 ,i never saw a pan just full of milk that did not slop over4 ,if you do not want any slopping-over1 take a pint of milk and put it in a big bucket4 ,there will be no slopping-over then4 ,and a man who has only a pint of feeling1 in an enormous bucket1 never slops over4 ,but if a man is full of feeling1 up to the very brim1 how is he going to carry himself without spilling over8 ,he cannot help it4 ,there will be dripping over the edges all the time4 ,and as every flower or blade of grass rejoices when the rain falls upon it1 so every recipient along the way in which a man with overflowing generous feeling walks1 is thankful for his bounty4 8,how to carry a nature full of feeling1 and administer it without making mistakes1 ,i do not know1 you do not1 nobody does1 nobody ever did1 and nobody ever will2 so we must take it and get along as best we can4 ,life is a kind of zigzag1 anyhow2 and we are obliged to resort to expedients1 and make experiments1 and learn from our blunders1 which are inevitable4 ,we find out a great deal more from men's mistakes than from their successes4 8,but1 after all1 ,i am not sorry that ,i have been imposed upon1 and that ,i have trusted men that were not worthy to be trusted4 ,i am not sorry that ,i have been duped4 ,it falls out from an abundance of generous feeling4 ,it is the mistake of a disposition that ,i think it is a great deal better to have1 with all the impositions which it suffers1 than that kind of cold caution which prevents your venturing anything on the side of kindness1 because you always want to be safe4 8,i was much impressed with what ,i once heard my father say4 ,his chance sayings have been like rudders to me all my lifelong4 ,a man whom he had befriended1 and done a great deal for1 turned against him and acted very meanly4 ,one day father came home very much exercised about it1 and ,i expected he was going to blow out--for he shook his head in a peculiar way that he had when his feelings were very much wrought up4 ,he said 7raising his hand1 and bringing it down slowly1 but with great emphasis71 #8,well1 when ,i have acted honorably toward a man1 and he goes away and acts meanly toward me1 ,i am never sorry that ,i acted honorably toward him6' 8,now1 ,i think that was a sign of nobility40 ,plymouth ,church1 although the principal field of his ministerial work1 was not by any means his only pastorate2 he had a number of other subsidiary pulpits4 ,most prominent among them was the ,white ,mountains4 ,such was his thirst for work in the fields of his ,master1 he made even his infirmities an instrumentality for good4 ,for nearly thirty years he had been afflicted with that but little understood ,american malady1 8hay fever10 which attacked him every year about the #afth of ,august1 almost to the day4 ,for nearly six weeks he suffered the torments of that distressing malady2 during which reading1 writing1 and almost all forms of mental work were impossible4 ,finally his attention was called to the exemption which the clear1 bracing air of the ,white ,mountains afforded1 and1 trying the experiment1 happily found complete relief4 ,the first year or two he merely rested1 but after that he began holding1 at first1 informal services ,sundays2 then the large hotel parlor became the church1 and every ,sunday morning he preached4 ,soon the demand for more room crowded them out1 and then one of the great tents used in the ,state fairs was secured1 filled with benches4 ,here1 during the last two or three years that he visited the ,twin ,mountain ,house1 he preached regularly every ,sunday during his six weeks' vacation4 ,from the neighboring hotels and all the adjacent towns the people came by hundreds1 filling the great tent4 ,each morning1 after breakfast1 fifty to a hundred of the guests would gather in one of the smaller rooms and join with ,mr4 ,beecher in family prayers4 ,to these he read a chapter from the ,bible1 briefly expounding its meaning1 and then made a short prayer4 ,another field in which he worked1 widely different from any other1 was the ,state militia4 ,in ,january1 #ahgh1 he was invited to take the chaplaincy of the 8,brooklyn ,thirteenth10 as it was called1 and accepted the invitation4 ,his reasons for this step we give in his own words3 8,it was not because ,i had nothing to do1 and wanted to fill up vacant time4 ,it was not1 certainly1 because ,i have any eminent military gifts1 or what might be called a military spirit1 by which ,i am led to delight in such things4 ,i was as much surprised as any one could be when the invitation came through ,colonel ,austen1 bearing the request of all the officers and all the privates in this regiment that ,i should act as their chaplain4 8,after the surprise had a little subsided1 of course my first impulse was to say1 #8,no1 ,i cannot4' ,my second thought was1 #8,is it a matter simply of your own convenience1 or is there a moral duty here8' ,the question came1 not exactly #8,should you8' but1 #8,why should you not8' ,is it not an eminently wise and proper thing for a body of citizen-soldiery to have a chaplain1 and ought we not to be grateful that they desire it8 ,made up1 as our regiments are1 of young men in the prime of life1 in this and in all associations of men1 unrestrained and uncivilized1 one might almost say1 in the absence of woman1 great mischiefs have often ensued from a relaxation of moral principle1 a sort of vortex being formed1 down which young men might slide to their destruction2 and therefore it is a matter of importance that they should have a moral influence thrown about them4 ,and when the request came from the ,thirteenth that ,i would act as their chaplain1 it seemed to me that somebody ought to answer their request2 and there were some reasons why ,i thought ,i should answer it4 ,i was forward in all those movements which brought on the war1 and during the whole period of the conflict ,i did as much as ,i possibly could to bear my part of the responsibility2 and with the end of the war1 to drop the whole matter of our citizen-soldiery and show no more interest in them1 to throw them aside as an instrument employed and worn out and no longer of use1 did not appear to me wise or proper4 8,moreover1 many of these young men belong to my congregation and to my parish2 they were therefore in some sense my own sheep1 after whom ,i ought to look2 and ,i reasoned that if it was desirable to have a citizen-soldiery as a kind of background on which civil authority could retreat in times of great peril1 it was eminently desirable that that soldiery should be moral1 manly1 expert1 and in every way fitted for the high task to which they were assigned4 8,under those circumstances1 because ,i am an old citizen here1 because ,i have a right in some sense to be a father to the young men in this neighborhood1 and because ,i very heartily believe in the formation of these centres of citizen-soldiery1 ,i did not feel at liberty to shrink from the duty that was laid upon me2 and ,i went with the hope and purpose1 not simply as a mere recipient of courtesy1 but with the feeling that ,i might be able to do them good--to do them good in the first instance as soldiers1 and in the second instance as men40 ,as their chaplain he preached to his 8boys0--as he was fond of calling them--at stated intervals1 and1 as far as his other engagements permitted1 attended at their reviews and public parades4 ,of course his inexperience in military matters led to many amusing incidents4 ,being a capital horseman1 he found no trouble in maintaining himself in his saddle2 but when it came to manipulating his sword1 his troubles began4 ,then the path to martial glory did not seem easy4 ,his first trouble was to get his sword drawn2 once drawn1 he was puzzled to know what on earth to do with it4 ,he almost invariably neglected to salute his reviewing officer1 to the great amusement of his fellow-members on the staff1 who enjoyed bantering him4 ,as one of his colonels remarked3 8,his temporal sword was a source of some anxiety to him1 and he always drew it with reluctance1 preferring1 as he said1 to wield the more familiar #8sword of the spirit4'0 ,next to his sword the receipt of military orders bothered him most1 leading often to humorous comments to those about him or to his commanding officer4 ,to one of these orders he replied3 8,,december #ai1 #ahhd4 0,,my ,,dear ,,colonel3 8,i enclose a circular with a humble request for its interpretation4 ,it is1 without doubt1 clear as crystal to the military mind1 but to my peaceful mind it is as dark as theology1 or a pocket1 or midnight1 or a wolf's mouth4 8,it orders1 first and beginning1 that we are to come in fatigue uniform1 without side-arms4 8,it ends by ordering us to bring our best coat1 knots1 and swords4 ,i humbly inquire whether one end of this letter does not seem to eat up the other4 8,shall ,i wear my resplendent chapeau or my ridiculous cap1 in which ,i look like a pumpkin with a ribbon around it8 ,shall ,i wear my coat and golden straps1 or my other military coat1 which ,i have not got1 and never had8 8,lastly1 may ,i go directly to ,historical ,hall1 and not to the armory8 8,i am1 your ignorant chaplain and captain1 0,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 8,are overcoats forbidden8 ,thermometer nearly down to zero60 ,on another occasion receiving a circular printed by one of the reduplicating processes then in vogue1 but which was nearly illegible from the paleness of the ink1 he wrote the colonel3 8,,february #ab1 #ahhe4 0,,my ,,dear ,,colonel3 8,i do admire black ink and legible writing4 ,i return you a model4 ,do help me4 87#a7 ,is this a spiritual communication--from some feeble spirit to some pale-ink medium8 ,how shall ,i reply8 ,do you keep a heavenly mail8 87#b7 ,or is it from ,wolseley1 asking me to come to the ,soudan8 ,i cannot go1 of course1 without your permission4 87#c7 ,or is it merely an advertisement of a writing-master1 showing how to increase piety by teaching men to live 7and read7 by faith1 and not by sight8 87#d7 ,in that case have you got any more clerks--who can write invisible messages8 ,i might want them for my ,sunday-schools4 87#e7 ,you ought to send out a reader 7if this is a military document7 to inform all who read it what it says4 87#f7 ,on the theory that it is a regimental order1 ,i shall soon commence studying the tactics1 and be ready for a parade--which1 if it resembles the writing1 ought to take place at midnight1 after the moon is gone1 by the light of oil street-lamps4 8,h4 ,w4 ,b40 ,as chaplain he enjoyed the 8rank and pay0 of captain1 and on all military occasions was addressed as 8,captain ,beecher40 ,a few years after his appointment1 being at the ,new ,england dinner with ,general ,grant1 the latter referred to him several times as 8major40 ,supposing it to be a slip of the tongue1 8,captain0 ,beecher said nothing about it4 ,a few nights later they met again at some other public dinner1 when the general persisted in calling him 8colonel02 then the captain protested1 but ,grant assured him laughingly that the next time he should promote him to be general1 8and if you don't keep on going higher it will be because the titles give out40 ,we believe he never got above 8general40 ,all of those who were familiar with ,mr4 ,beecher1 either in the pulpit1 on the platform1 or in social life1 are familiar with that moral courage which led him to face unhesitatingly an adverse public sentiment in defence of what he believed to be right4 ,the preceding pages are filled with many illustrations of this4 ,his physical courage1 though perhaps not so well known to the public1 was quite as pronounced as his moral courage4 ,athletic1 self-reliant1 and in his younger days wonderfully agile1 he faced the most threatening danger without a tremor of his nerve4 ,in his advocacy of the slave he daily carried his life in his hands4 ,at ,liverpool he faced undaunted an imminent danger1 no doubt largely averted by the utter fearlessness of his bearing4 ,but in more marked degree was his courage shown in an incident1 never made public1 that occurred soon after he settled in ,brooklyn4 ,a rabid dog1 with lolling tongue and dripping jaws1 threatening death in its most frightful form1 appeared suddenly in the street near his house1 and fortunately ran for a moment into the area under the front-door steps of a neighbor's house1 where he lay crouching in the corner1 with his glaring eyes turned to the doorway4 ,in the street children were playing2 at any moment1 the impulse to spring out might seize the beast4 ,seeing the danger1 ,mr4 ,beecher sprang instantly to the area-door1 within less than four feet of the crouching brute1 and closed the gate4 ,stepping back to his house1 he got his axe4 ,when he returned the dog was rushing furiously around in the confined space1 striving to get out4 ,raising the axe with one hand1 with the other ,mr4 ,beecher opened the area-door1 and as the dog sprang at him struck him dead with one blow4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 #ahhf--;,england ,revisited--,speaking in the ,city ,temple--,westminster ,abbey--,lecturing through ,great ,britain--,addressing the ,theological ,students at ,city ,temple--8,life of ,christ0--,sickness--,rest4 ,for several years before his death earnest efforts were made to induce ,mr4 ,beecher to revisit ,england4 ,his manly fight against such odds1 in #ahfc1 had quite captured the heart of the ,english people1 who always have a tender feeling for a good fighter4 ,what began as admiration steadily grew and deepened into affection4 ,his sermons1 his writings1 and even the meagre reports of lectures and speeches1 were eagerly read--quite as much so in ,england as in ,america4 ,and when the great cloud of scandal loomed up in #ahgc-f1 none were any more steadfast and loyal in love and confidence than the friends in old ,england4 ,among the many testimonials treasured by his family are the resolutions of sympathy and confidence received from clerical associations in ,england1 ,scotland1 ,wales1 and even from the distant provinces4 ,with each succeeding year the importunities that he should spend a summer in ,england increased1 until1 in the early spring of #ahhf1 he finally decided to brave the discomforts of an ocean voyage--to him no slight trial--and visit again his ,english friends4 ,this being a trip of peace and not of war1 he determined to take ,mrs4 ,beecher with him4 ,his decision was made the latter part of ,may4 ,the next ,sunday he made the announcement from the pulpit4 ,on the following ,sunday he preached his farewell4 ,the church was packed1 if possible1 fuller than usual1 the throng crowding around the pulpit-steps at the close of the service to say farewell4 ,he engaged passage on the ,etruria for ,saturday1 ,june #ai4 ,the ,friday night preceding the regular prayer-meeting night became a regular leave-taking4 ,the services were over by nine o'clock1 and from that hour until eleven ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher were the centre of a circle of friends that filled the lecture-room and overflowed into the church auditorium1 anxious to shake hands and say ,god-speed4 ,the ,etruria was to start early ,saturday morning1 so ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher went aboard ,friday night4 ,promptly at six o'clock the hawsers were cast off1 and the great steamer slowly drew out from the pier1 and1 gathering headway1 turned her prow eastward and slowly steamed down the bay4 ,almost simultaneously the excursion steamer ,grand ,republic1 with three thousand friends--whose enthusiastic affection had called them1 before the sun was up1 to pay their farewell tribute--left her wharf in ,brooklyn to intercept the ,etruria in the ,upper ,bay4 ,just off ,liberty ,island the ,etruria slowed down and the ,grand ,republic came alongside2 her passengers1 crowding to the nearer guards1 gave vent to their feelings in ringing cheers4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher1 standing on the upper deck1 responded with hat and handkerchief4 ,the band aboard the ,grand ,republic played 8,hail to the ,chief10 the whistles of the steamers saluted1 and as the ,etruria1 getting under way again1 forged rapidly ahead1 the choir of ,plymouth ,church sang the ,doxology1 the sweetly solemn notes growing fainter as the steamers drew apart4 ,going below1 they found their staterooms literally embanked in flowers4 ,one enthusiastic friend had left twenty homing pigeons1 with instructions to release them at stated intervals during the day4 ,to these short notes were attached1 and borne back by the swift1 home-seeking wings1 being the last words to many friends until the cable announced ,mr4 ,beecher's safe arrival at ,queenstown on the #bfth4 ,our space forbids an attempt to give more than a very general account of this visit2 a full account of the entire trip has already been published1 with verbatim reports of the sermons and lectures delivered by ,mr4 ,beecher in ,england4#ah ----- ,footnote #ah3 8,a ,summer in ,england with ,henry ,ward ,beecher40 ,by ,j4 ,b4 ,pond4 ,published by ,fords1 ,howard ,hulbert1 of ,new ,york ,city4 ----- ,illustration3 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher at ,time of ,visit to ,england in #ahhf4 ,it would be impossible in cold words to express the deep and tender feelings with which ,mr4 ,beecher put his foot again on ,english soil after an absence of nearly a quarter of a century4 ,memory1 swift-flying1 ran back through the twenty-three years past1 and like some grand panorama the impressive events1 both national and personal1 moved by his mind's eyes in silent procession4 ,slavery1 that blight upon ,america's fair name1 had been blotted out1 and the places that had known it1 knew it no more for ever4 ,the struggle for national existence1 which had been hanging almost on even balance when1 twenty-three years before1 he had raised his voice in this same land1 and pleaded the nation's cause1 had ended in complete victory and triumphant vindication of those principles for which he had contended4 ,it was with no little pride that he was able to stand again before an ,english audience and say 8that every single substantial sentiment that was set forth in those several popular addresses had now become history40 ,within that same period he had himself passed through the flood of a personal persecution which1 for persistent and malignant intensity and unchristian bitterness1 exceeded anything recorded in the annals of history4 ,he had seen his name1 his life-work1 all that he had lived and labored for1 threatened with black destruction4 ,through this he had passed1 emerging safely upon the firm shore of the continued love and confidence of his countrymen4 ,nor could he forget the assurances of fullest trust that came to him from public utterances and private letters of the many friends in ,england3 8,for no other nation except our own have ,i such strong affinities as for ,great ,britain4 ,my ancestors came from there4 ,i have been bred on its literature4 ,i have fed on the thought and feeling of its heroic men4 ,i am a child1 though born away from home1 of the ,english people2 and ,god forbid that ,i should be indifferent to those throes which are to bring forth the man-child yet6 ,i look with profound sympathy1 with the feeling of a child that venerates a parent in distress1 upon that people2 and ,i go there with a heart as warm for them as it was for its own country in the day of its division and trials4 ,twenty-three years--and what a space between6 ,twenty-three years6 ,darkness1 thunder1 tears1 blood1 and war--they have gone1 and the white mantle of peace is spread over our shores1 and the fields laugh and rejoice1 and the heavens are propitious1 and the earth is bountiful1 and men are growing more and more into manliness4 ,what hath ,god wrought60 ,after a short rest in ,queenstown1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher went direct to ,liverpool2 there on the #bhth he had an opportunity to hear ,mr4 ,gladstone1 meeting him after the address4 ,the next day they proceeded to ,london1 where1 on the following ,sunday1 ,mr4 ,beecher was to preach for ,dr4 ,parker at the ,city ,temple4 ,on ,thursday he attended the regular weekday services held in that church every ,thursday1 intending to enjoy the unusual pleasure of listening to somebody else's preaching4 ,but after the sermon ,dr4 ,parker insisted upon his addressing the meeting and closing it in prayer4 ,on calling ,mr4 ,beecher to the pulpit1 the doctor spoke a few words in tribute to his friend1 concluding with the much-quoted sentence3 8,my brethren1 ,i am sorry to break in upon a man's singularity1 so that the palm may1 even for a moment1 seem to be divided between two2 ,i am1 however1 constrained to violate the sanctity of a definite personality1 and to say that last week there was in ,england a ,grand ,old ,man3 to-day there are two of them60 ,on the #dth he preached for ,dr4 ,parker1 and on the #eth attended a dinner given to him by the lord mayor of ,london4 ,on the #aath he preached for ,dr4 ,henry ,allen in ,london1 and in the afternoon attended the service at ,westminster ,abbey1 calling afterwards1 by previous invitation1 upon ,dean ,bradley1 with whom were present a number of the clergymen of the ,church of ,england1 who had been invited to meet him4 ,after tea the dean invited him to visit the various historical private rooms of the ,abbey4 ,many of the rooms were quite as familiar to ,mr4 ,beecher1 through his reading1 though never seen before1 as they were to the clergy of the church itself4 ,these listened with intense interest to his familiar exposition and discussion1 of what must have seemed to them to be their own peculiar province of history4 ,the 8,jerusalem ,chamber0 greatly impressed him4 8,i am struck with awe4 ,no room has greater interest to me1 unless it be the #8,upper ,room4'0 ,he recalled with deep interest the many notable events that had there occurred intimately connected with religious history--the ,westminster ,assembly1 the ,confession of ,faith1 the two revisions of the ,bible1 etc4 ,this was to ,mr4 ,beecher a red-letter day1 fuller of quiet1 tender enjoyment1 probably1 than any other during his stay4 ,on the #aith1 as he said1 his play-day being over 7he had preached every ,sunday1 generally twice1 and delivered addresses every week71 his work began4 ,at ,exeter ,hall1 ,london1 where he delivered the last of the famous speeches in #ahfc1 he delivered the first of his lectures in #ahhf4 ,from that time on until the #bast of ,october he lectured1 on an average1 four nights a week1 preaching every ,sunday4 ,a letter home gives some humorous experiences3 8444 ,you would be amused at the way of public meetings in ,england and ,scotland4 ,after the lecture the chairman calls on some one1 previously agreed upon1 to move a vote of thanks1 which he does1 with a speech in which he pours out such a flood of compliments that before he is half through you lose all sense of personal identity1 and wonder what heroic personage he is talking about1 and then he moves the distinguished gentleman a vote of thanks4 ,thereupon the chairman informs the audience that ,reverend or ,professor ,so-and-so will second the motion4 ,he takes up the thread of eulogy where the other bit it off1 and winds you up with golden cords until you swing high in the heavens4 ,thereupon the vote is put by the chairman1 the audience raise their hands1 and then fall into a perfect tempest of clapping2 as this subsides1 you are expected to rise and1 with modest self-depreciation1 to explain how much you are elated and how grateful you are4444 ,but it is after the assembly is dismissed that the most serious business of the evening begins4 ,all on the platform shake hands2 women climb up and shake you2 at every step downward a host of hands--men1 women1 girls1 and boys are reaching2 the hallway is crowded with men that pull you1 shake you1 hustle you2 the outward passage is lined with scores and scores1 and finally1 on the sidewalk1 the rush to get your hand is fearful1 and the police have to crowd them back to get you into the carriage1 and then the windows bristle with more hands1 and as the carriage moves on the crowd run along by its side still fiercely pushing each other to get a chance to shake4 8,a ludicrous event happened at ,york4 ,just away from the hall is a bridge1 for which foot-passengers pay a cent and carriages two cents4 ,a woman or girl stands out on the sidewalk1 extending her hand for the fee4 ,after ,i had shaken hands at the hall1 along the street1 with scores1 we came to the bridge1 hardly yet shaking off the crowd4 ,a hand was thrust into the window1 which ,i shook2 the woman said something indistinctly1 which ,i afterwards learned was1 #8,a penny1 sir4' ,thinking it some affectionate blessing1 ,i took her hand again1 and gave it a more emphatic shake4 ,she put her face in the window and said1 #8,a penny1 sir'2 ,pond meanwhile sitting by and laughing heartily4 8,your mother1 too1 frequently comes in for her share1 and you can imagine how comical she looks as1 with a modest smile and some surprise1 she deals out her #8thank you's' to the host of admirers40 ,from ,july #d1 when he preached first for ,dr4 ,parker1 until his departure1 ,october #bd1 ,mr4 ,beecher preached seventeen times1 delivered nine public addresses and fifty-eight lectures4 ,this was his summer vacation4 ,from this period of restful recreation1 such was his peculiar capacity and enjoyment of mental activity1 he derived great benefit2 and on his return home1 after a few days' rest from the disturbing influences of the1 to him1 ever-unrestful ocean1 he declared that he never felt stronger1 or more vigorous1 or better equipped for work in his life4 ,in the course of his stay he visited and lectured in each of the cities1 and generally in the same hall where he had 8fought with the wild beasts of ,ephesus10 as he used to say1 in #ahfc4 ,just before his departure he addressed one meeting which1 on account of its peculiar significance1 we must mention more fully ere we pass on4 ,so much has been said of late in certain quarters respecting ,mr4 ,beecher's theology1 so many criticisms upon his orthodoxy1 that his standing among so conservative a body as the ,english clergy may not be uninteresting4 ,he had already addressed the ,london ,congregational ,board1 the ,congregational ,school 7for the sons of ,congregational clergymen71 and had preached nearly twenty times1 so that there had been a tolerably fair opportunity to learn something of his religious views1 when he was invited to address the theological students on the subject of preaching4 ,the meeting was held in the ,city ,temple1 ,october #ae4 ,six hundred students attended1 the remaining space in the body of the house being occupied by ministers1 who came from all parts of the country to attend this meeting4 ,it was understood that ,mr4 ,beecher would1 after the address1 answer such questions as any might want to ask4 ,as the hour fixed was eleven o'clock in the forenoon1 all of the theological schools had to rearrange their school-hours for that day1 in order to allow the scholars a chance to attend4 ,this was done with great readiness4 ,after an address of nearly an hour1 he offered to receive such questions1 pertinent to the topic discussed1 as might be put by the scholars or any of the clergy present1 and occupied the remainder of his time in answering them4 ,on the #bdth ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beecher boarded the ,etruria at ,queenstown for their return home1 reaching ,new ,york on the #cast4 ,in accordance with his expressed wishes no attempts were made to 8receive0 him1 but he was allowed to go quietly home and rest1 his people reserving their welcome until the following ,sunday4#ai ,on that day the church was decorated with flowers and evergreen vines1 the pulpit being literally a bank of flowers1 which ran up along the face of the great organ1 even to the ceiling4 ,after the service his people thronged around the pulpit-stairs for one shake of the hand and one word of welcome4 ----- ,footnote #ai3 ,the ,common ,council of ,brooklyn voted him a public reception1 which he declined4 ,the resolutions were as follows3 8,,in ,,common ,,council1 ,,stated ,,session1 ,monday1 ,nov4 #h1 #ahhf4 8,the following was presented3 0,whereas1 ,this ,common ,council has heard with pleasure of the return from abroad of that distinguished ,american1 our fellow-citizen1 the ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher2 and 8,whereas1 ,in recognition of the eminent services rendered to his country and mankind1 both here and on the other side of the ,atlantic1 of the broad and generous nature of his manhood and of his genius1 which has already shed its lustre for half a century2 therefore be it 0,resolved1 ,that his ,honor the ,mayor be1 and he is hereby requested to offer to the ,reverend ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 on behalf of the ,mayor1 ,aldermen1 and ,commonalty of the ,city of ,brooklyn1 a public reception at the ,academy of ,music1 at such time as may suit his convenience4 8,resolved1 ,that a committee of five members be appointed by the chair1 who1 together with his ,honor the ,mayor1 of which committee he shall be chairman1 shall make the necessary arrangements for such reception1 and to insure an adequate expression on that occasion of the honor and esteem in which the citizens of ,brooklyn1 without distinction of party or creed1 hold this their distinguished and beloved fellow-citizen4 8,the resolutions were unanimously adopted by the following vote30 7,signed by the ,mayor and ,common ,council74 ----- ,early in the winter he began to seriously think of completing the second volume of the 8,life of ,christ40 ,friends and members of his family had for some years been urging that the book should be completed4 ,a fatality seemed to have hung over that book4 ,at the time when the ,tilton conspiracy first broke out he had written a considerable part of ,volume ,,ii41 and undoubtedly would have soon finished it1 when that outbreak1 with the church persecutions that followed1 interrupted the work1 and for a number of years kept his mind so engrossed in other matters as to make writing an impossibility4 ,this was followed by the business embarrassments of his publishers1 and then the care of reorganizing the ,christian ,union4 ,at last1 peace and quiet having been restored1 he began again to arrange for the completion of the work1 when a vexatious suit was brought against him by ,samuel ,wilkeson1 who had bought the original contract for the book from the publishers at an assignee's sale1 and1 claiming that ,mr4 ,beecher had broken his contract1 sued for #fj1jjj4 ,the pendency of this suit stopped all further work on the book4 ,after some delay the cause was tried and the complaint promptly dismissed by the court4 ,twice1 after the suit1 an attempt was made by ,mr4 ,beecher to accomplish the long-deferred completion of the book1 but on each occasion something occurred to interrupt and further defer the work4 ,finally1 in ,january1 #ahhg1 he determined to complete the book1 and at the same time to write his ,autobiography4 ,no small part of the credit for this final determination is due to ,major ,j4 ,b4 ,pond1 who for many years past had been ,mr4 ,beecher's lecture manager1 and who joined with ,mr4 ,beecher's family in urging the undertaking of both works4 ,finally it was decided that he would deliver no more lectures during the year #ahhg1 but devote all of his time outside of his church duties to these literary labors4 ,in ,february a contract was made with ,charles ,l4 ,webster ,co41 of ,new ,york--our present publishers--to publish both books4 ,the 8,life of ,christ0 was to be completed before ,july #a1 #ahhg1 and the ,autobiography before ,july #a1 #ahhh4 ,with great zeal ,mr4 ,beecher began at once to re-read1 revise1 and complete the 8,life of ,christ10 sometimes resting his mind by changing his work and writing a little on his ,autobiography4 ,in this way1 by ,march #a1 he had revised all of his former manuscript of the 8,life of ,christ10 and had completed it down to chapter xxv4 ,eight chapters of ,volume ,,ii4 were completed in this manner1 and the outlines of the remaining three1 within which space he intended to complete the work1 were clearly blocked out in his own mind4 ,as he got more and more back into the long-interrupted current of thought1 his interest deepened1 and with increased interest came greater mental ease4 ,several times he remarked that he had never seen the subject so clearly and luminously in his mind before4 ,it seemed at times as though ,christ's life were revealed to him with a clearness and a nearness that had never before been given him4 ,in one of his exalted moods he burst out3 8,twenty men could not in a life-time write all ,i now see2 how can ,i put it into one book80 ,but a few days before his last sickness an ,english clergyman called to see him1 and after a pleasant chat1 as he rose to leave1 asked if there was any prospect of his completing the 8,life of ,christ40 ,mr4 ,beecher replied that he was at work on it then1 and would probably finish it in two or three months4 ,the clergyman was greatly delighted1 saying that he had been long waiting1 hoping for the second volume4 ,as the visitor left1 ,mr4 ,beecher1 kneeling in his great arm-chair1 as was often his wont when in a reverie1 with one elbow on the chair-back1 and chin resting in his open palm1 gazed in silent abstraction out of the window facing him4 ,suddenly1 his face lighting up1 he exclaimed1 as though thinking aloud3 8,finish the ,life of ,christ6 ,finish the ,life of ,christ6 ,who can finish the ,life of ,christ6 ,it cannot be finished40 ,prophetic words6 ,almost within the week he was called to that closer communion with his ,saviour1 and entered into that lasting peace for which he had so often longed4 ,during the day of ,thursday1 ,march #c1 he was in the best of spirits and apparently perfect health4 ,he had repeatedly stated since his return from ,england that he had never felt better1 or better able to work4 ,we had often during the past month jokingly called him the youngest boy in the house4 ,none of us dreamed that ,thursday was to end his long career of usefulness4 ,during the night he awoke1 complaining of nausea1 and was taken with vomiting1 but soon fell asleep again4 ,friday morning he did not get up2 though he roused when spoken to1 he would immediately after fall asleep again4 ,these symptoms disturbed no one1 as they were quite common whenever he had any bilious trouble4 ,the family thought that something he ate for supper had disagreed with him1 and that he was working it off in his usual way1 by sleeping and lying quiet4 ,friday afternoon the doctor was for the first time called in4 ,he thought1 with the family1 that the trouble was with the stomach1 though some symptoms made him think that perhaps there might be some other complicating causes than mere biliousness4 ,later in the evening1 when one of his sons called in1 he roused himself quite fully1 called for toast1 complained that his feet were cold1 and that his head ached some4 ,when asked what was the matter1 he replied1 jokingly1 in a sort of half-sleepy manner3 8,i had a dream last night4 ,i thought that ,i was a duke and your mother a duchess1 and ,i was trying to figure the interest on a hundred thousand pounds a year--you know ,i never was good at mathematics4 ,it gave me a headache2 but ,i'll have your mother boil a page of arithmetic and make a tea of it4 ,i'll cure it homopathically40 ,he was then helped to sit up in bed and eat his toast1 which he did with eyes still closed1 as though half-asleep4 ,when laid back upon his pillow he fell asleep at once4 ,saturday morning the dreadful truth first became apparent4 ,dr4 ,searle found that the left side showed unmistakable signs of paralysis1 and then1 recalling the previous symptoms1 which had been attributed to other causes1 said at once that it was apoplexy and that there was nothing to hope for4 ,at first none would believe the diagnosis4 ,up to that moment all had thought the illness nothing that need cause any apprehension1 when with the suddenness of a lightning-stroke came the announcement of utter hopelessness4 ,that no chance should be overlooked1 ,drs4 ,hammond and ,helmuth1 of ,new ,york1 were called in consultation during the day1 and confirmed the hopeless diagnosis4 ,nothing could be done--nothing but wait4 ,the patient did not suffer2 only those who stood about his bed1 watching the beloved face1 suffered4 ,several times during ,saturday afternoon1 in response to loud questions put by the doctors1 he roused enough to comprehend the questions and briefly answer them4 ,with each attempt his articulation became more difficult4 ,after the consultations were over he never spoke again4 ,his unconscious sleep became deeper and more profound through ,sunday and ,monday1 until ,tuesday morning1 at twenty minutes to ten1 his breath grew fainter--then stopped4 ,the end he had hoped for was his4 ,as warriors of old prayed that they might die in full armor1 not a piece wanting or rusted from disuse1 in the full activity of the fight1 so he prayed that he might be spared the slow wasting of disease or the impairment of his physical and mental powers4 ,no black1 no mourning drapery of any kind1 was permitted about the house or on his coffin4 ,at the door hung a beautiful wreath of delicate pink and white roses1 gathered at the top by a large white satin bow1 renewed afresh each morning by the hands of a beloved friend4 ,against every form of mourning he had always revolted2 to him death was but the gate to heaven1 and the black symbols of ancient paganism he could not endure3 8,the scholastic theology1 filled with gloomy ideas sifted through stern ,romish minds from teachings of pagan ,romans has come down to us1 until the representations of death that exist in the literature of ,rome are more abominable and cruel than all the vices of all the ,neros1 or any other of the corrupt emperors4 ,the scholastic conceptions of dying and of death are unworthy of reason1 unworthy of conscience1 and are blasphemous to ,god and to ,his government4 ,they have no foundation in the ,new ,testament1 none certainly in the ,old1 and they ought to be purged out of our imaginations4 ,yet it lingers with us1 and when death has come the household has not one note of triumph1 not one star shines through the grief1 nor one door of flashing light is opened4 ,we cover the pictures1 we shut up the instruments of music1 we close the windows and shut out the light2 we have a black hearse with plumes plucked from the wings of midnight1 and we send for our minister1 who doles out lugubrious1 mournful themes1 and we sing awful hymns4 ,and then because one's child has gained the coronation of glory1 and is in the arms of ,jesus1 and rests from all labor and trial and temptation1 we put on black--black over the head1 black around the neck1 black down to the feet1 black inside6 ,we carry the habiliments of woe and darkness and gloom1 and think that we can see death everywhere4 ,no other thing is as this4 ,the one thing that men carry everywhere with them1 and they are bound to share alike with brothers1 strangers1 friends1 is that one thing that is borrowed from the despotism and cruelty of heathenism4 ,not one joy1 not one thanksgiving1 not one gleam of faith and hope1 not one promise of ,jesus ,christ1 not one single second of immortality and glory1 is permitted to cheer the soul4 ,all is night1 black night1 hopeless night4 ,sinful1 the whole of it1 unchristian1 ungrateful6444 8,one of the most beautiful things ,i ever saw in my whole ,european tour was the burial place of a ,prussian queen who died during the great struggle against ,napoleon1 when the nation was ground almost to extinction1 leaving her kingly husband almost inconsolable4 ,at some distance from the capital1 and in the midst of the solemn wood1 he built a temple to her memory4 ,it was of marble4 ,as ,i entered1 the light shone down through blue glass1 casting a sad1 sorrowful tone on all that its rays shone upon4 ,but further on1 upon entering the inner chamber1 the cheerful light of ,god's sun streamed in through the numerous windows and illuminated the ceiling1 which was covered with glowing ,scripture passages of death and immortality4 ,and there in that blessed sunlight lay the sculptured form of the queen1 forming the most perfect embodiment of rest1 and peace1 and triumph that my eyes ever beheld4 ,there was nothing1 sad or sorrowful1 or painful to be seen2 only the light of the glory of ,god as set forth in the sun2 and the whole room glowed with cheer and brightness1 and the monument was not gloomy but peaceful4 ,i bless ,god with all my heart for that sight2 it has been a comfort to me in many a dark day and long struggle of suffering1 for already have ,i seen the triumph of death1 the sweetness and the peace of victory1 in that monumental marble40 ,on ,thursday a private funeral service was held at the house1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,charles ,h4 ,hall1 of the ,church of the ,holy ,trinity1 officiating1 in accordance with the expressed wish of ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,between the two a deep and lasting friendship had existed4 ,in the dark days1 when not a few of the clerical brethren of his own denomination in ,brooklyn doubted1 or1 hesitating1 held back awaiting the result1 ,dr4 ,hall1 in a manner characteristic of his brave and manly nature1 went out of his way to show1 in public1 his confidence and love for ,mr4 ,beecher4 ,the latter attending service one day1 during the time when the clouds hung heaviest1 at the ,church of the ,holy ,trinity1 the doctor1 seeing him in the congregation1 descended into the aisle1 and1 taking his friend by the hand1 led him to a seat within the chancel4 ,mr4 ,beecher1 always forgetful of injuries1 never forgot an act of friendship4 ,it was his oft-repeated wish that1 should he be called first1 the voice of this brave1 beloved friend might speak the words of cheer and comfort to those he left behind4 ,at the close of the service1 ,company ,g1 of the ,thirteenth ,regiment--which1 having been largely recruited from the young men of ,plymouth ,church1 was called the 8,plymouth ,company10 and affectionately styled by ,mr4 ,beecher 8,my boys0--with arms reversed1 banners furled1 and muffled drums1 marched to the house1 and1 as a guard of honor1 escorted the body of their pastor1 chaplain1 and friend to the church1 as he was borne for the last time within its doors1 and laid him1 silent for the first time1 at the foot of that pulpit from which his voice1 during well-nigh forty years1 had so often rung out to right the wrong1 to lift up the down-trodden1 to uphold the weak1 to elevate mankind2 that had so often preached comfort to the sorrowing1 light to those in great darkness1 pointing out the way of life to struggling sinners1 and revealing that boundless love of ,god which was the keynote of his theology4 ,till ,saturday morning an almost continuous stream passed through the church to look in a last farewell upon the face of a friend1 scarcely ending with midnight1 renewed again by daylight1 all day long4 ,old men and children1 rich and poor1 met to mourn a common loss4 ,he rested in a bed of flowers1 the coffin hidden from sight by twining smilax1 covered with white pinks and rosebuds2 pulpit and organ buried in flowering shrubs and graceful plants1 decorated with many floral designs4 ,illustration3 ,lying in ,state in ,plymouth ,church4 ,on ,friday morning the public funeral service was held1 ,dr4 ,hall preaching the sermon4 ,simultaneous with the services at ,plymouth1 funeral services were held in the three nearest adjoining churches4 ,on the proclamation of the mayor1 business was suspended during the day2 the ,legislature adjourned1 sending a special committee to attend as its representatives at the funeral4 ,on ,sunday a memorial service was held in ,plymouth ,church1 in which the representatives of every creed took part--,jew and ,gentile1 ,catholic and ,protestant--and nearly every denomination of ,protestantism vying each with another in paying tributes of respect1 gratitude1 and love to their common brother--a most fit1 practical example of that for which he had always preached1 the universal brotherhood in ,god4 ,on ,saturday1 the #abth1 the body was taken quietly to ,greenwood4 8,to-day ,henry ,ward ,beecher's body was buried in ,greenwood4 ,his hearse was followed in sympathy and honor by millions of his countrymen4 ,the mourners were of all kindred and of every language4 ,not in this generation1 at least1 has there been a funeral so nobly significant4 ,in the stately procession walked the viewless forms of principles1 of governments1 of nations1 and of races4 ,the guardian spirit of the slave whom he helped to liberate2 the fair1 sad genius of the ,green ,isle1 for which he so often and so eloquently pleaded2 the dusky representative of the ,chinese ,empire1 in behalf of whose sons he again and again demanded justice2 the fair form of modern science with the radiance of the morning sun on her queenly brow2 the benign angel of charity1 clothed in the whiteness of that purity which renders sin invisible2 democracy1 with her free step1 flowing hair1 and cap of many hues2 ,columbia1 full of matronly grace and benignant as the atmosphere of ,june2 and ,christianity1 calm1 motherly1 and forgiving--these are the pall-bearers by whom the body of our hero was borne to its resting-place44440#bj ----- ,footnote #bj3 ,from the ,brooklyn ,citizen of ,march #ab4 ----- ,on a sunny slope in that most beautiful of all cemeteries1 overlooking the ,bay of ,new ,york1 is the grave of ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,but it is only the grave3 8,when ,i fall1 and am buried in ,greenwood1 let no man dare to stand over the turf and say1 #8,here lies ,henry ,ward ,beecher1' for ,god knows that ,i will not lie there4 ,look up2 if you love me1 and if you feel that ,i have helped you on your way home1 stand with your feet on my turf and look up2 for ,i will not hear anybody that does not speak with his mouth toward heaven40 ,with all our sorrow we cannot begrudge him the rest and peace so well earned1 nor that for which he had so often prayed--a quiet1 painless departure while yet each faculty was unimpaired4 ,he remembered with deepest pain the failing years of his own father1 who lingered till all his faculties became impaired3 8,my venerable father1 who was a second ,david in his time--a man of war--and yet who had as sweet a heart as ever an angel woman had1 lived through many last years of weakness and obscuration1 and ,i had to remember a great way back to find my father4 ,it was very pitiful1 very painful4 8,that is one reason why ,i do not want to be an old man4 ,i hope ,god will have so much consideration for my weakness--if it be a weakness--as to let me drop down in my harness and in the full energy of work4 ,i have no fear whatever of dying3 it is only the fear of living that ,i have before my eyes4444 8,some persons talk about a man having passed through a stormy life1 and sitting now at the end of his life in quiet1 preparing himself for heaven4 ,heaven does not want any such preparation as that4 ,that is the best preparation which a man makes when he is using the whole force of his being in his day and time4 ,i would rather die with the harness on and be dragged out by the heels4 ,i would like to fall in the traces4 ,you cannot help scoring one year against yourself and growing old in one way2 but it is the outward man that is growing old4 ,the wine that is in you ought to be growing better and better every year4 ,time should mellow and ripen it4 ,true1 if a man's power is dried up1 he cannot do more than he has strength for2 but every man should do up to the measure of his strength1 and not forget the sudden appearing of ,god in his own day and in his own time4 8,i love those streams that run full1 clear to the ocean4 ,some men there are who are like mountain streams1 torrent-fed1 that boom in the spring1 with wondrous glory of fulness and power1 and go rushing through the earlier months1 but slacken their speed1 and by midsummer are only a trickling reminiscence of the river4 ,i like to think of streams like the old ,merrimac1 that begin work up near their head-waters1 and never run a league without turning some mighty wheel of industry1 and have no vacation to the end1 but go into the sea with the very foam on their surface40 ,for him death had no terrors2 it was the gate opening into eternal rest and peace--that peace for which he had so often yearned and longed in his later years4 ,death was the welcome friend1 not the dreaded foe4 8,is there anything sweeter to grief and sorrow than that passage where the ,new ,testament1 sweet book of the soul1 speaks of dying8 ,let ,tuscanized ,romans talk of death2 let heathen mythologies come to us with skulls1 and cross-bones1 and hideous images of dying1 of the monster ,death1 of the tyrant ,death1 of the scythe-armed ,death1 of a grim and terrible fate2 but what terror can any of these representations have for us when we have for our encouragement and hope the promises of the ,new ,testament8 8,on a summer's day the gentle western wind brings in all the sweets of the field and the garden2 and the child1 overtasked by joy1 comes back weary1 and climbs for sport into the mother's lap2 and before he can sport he feels the balm of rest stealing over him1 and lays his curly head back upon her arm2 and look6 he goes to sleep2 hush6 he has gone to sleep1 and all the children stand smiling4 ,how beautiful it is to see a child drop asleep on its mother's arm6 ,and it is said1 #8,he fell asleep in ,jesus4' ,is there anything so high1 so noble1 or divine1 as the way in which the ,new ,testament speaks of dying8 ,how near death is1 and how beautiful6 8,if you have lost companions1 children1 friends1 you have not lost them4 ,they followed the ,pilot4 ,they went through airy channels1 unknown and unsearchable1 and they are with the ,lord2 and you are going to be with ,him1 too4 ,i die to go1 not to ,jerusalem1 but to the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,i die1 not to wait in the rock-ribbed sepulchre1 which shall hold me sure2 ,i die1 that when this body is dropped ,i shall have a place1 in the inward fulness of my spiritual power1 with the ,lord4 8,then welcome gray hairs6 they come as white banners that wave from the other and higher life4 ,welcome infirmities6 they are but the loosening of the cords preparatory to taking down the tabernacle4 ,welcome troubles6 they are but the signs that we are crossing the sea1 and that not far away is our home--that house of our ,father in which are many mansions1 where dwells ,jesus1 the loved and all-loving4 ,and let us rejoice that ,he has gone from the body1 that ,he may be ever present in the spirit1 and that ere long we may be with ,him40 ,his life had been full and complete4 ,unconsciously1 in words of matchless beauty1 he painted his own picture when he said3 8,and the most beautiful thing that lives on this earth is not the child in the cradle1 sweet as it is4 ,it is not ample enough4 ,it has not had history enough4 ,it is all prophecy4 ,let me see one who has wrought through life2 let me see a great nature that has gone through sorrows1 through fire1 through the flood1 through the thunder of battle1 ripening1 sweetening1 enlarging1 and growing finer and finer1 and gentler and gentler1 that fineness and gentleness being the result of great strength and great knowledge accumulated through a long life--let me see such a one stand at the end of life1 as the sun stands on a summer afternoon just before it goes down4 ,is there anything on earth so beautiful as a rich1 ripe1 large1 glowing1 and glorious ,christian heart8 ,no1 nothing40 ,,appendix4 ,,appendix4 ---------- ,mr4 ,beecher's trial lecture was the first sermon which he preached as a clergyman4 ,it may be interesting1 both from that fact and because1 as ,mr4 ,beecher himself once remarked1 it shows how commonplace a sermon a man might write who subsequently attained to some eminence as a preacher4 ,,trial ,,lecture4 ,for as the rain cometh down1 and the snow from heaven1 and returneth not thither1 but watereth the earth1 and maketh it bring forth and bud1 that it may give seed to the sower1 and bread to the eater3 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth2 it shall not return unto me void1 but it shall accomplish that which ,i please1 and it shall prosper in the thing whereto ,i sent it4--,,isaiah lv4 #aj1 #aa4 ,no one can read the ,bible1 even superficially1 without observing how much it brings in the natural world to illustrate the truths of the moral4 ,of the truths of ,god's government or of his own ,being it may be said 8the invisible things of ,him from the creation of the world are clearly seen1 being understood by the things that are made40 ,the passage assigned as the subject of this lecture is remarkable in this respect1 since two departments are compared--the truth of ,god is compared with the elements4 ,it will be particularly noticed here that no formal analogy is set up between the effect of truth and the effect of natural causes4 ,nor are the two compared in all respects4 ,it is not intimated that truth acts as natural causes act--that truth produces effects on mind in the same way as rain does upon the earth and its vegetation4 ,nothing of this4 ,the comparison instituted respects one thing1 and only one thing1 and that is the equal certainty of two things4 ,the passage teaches simply and only that there is as much certainty that the truth of ,god will produce its appropriate results1 in its own way1 as there is that natural elements will1 in their own way1 produce their natural results4 ,those who attempt to draw a parallel between the operations of ,god's moral government and ,his natural one1 and call upon this passage for witness1 neither understand the import of this text nor the nature of the thing whereof they treat4 ,it is a comforting declaration1 and to none more so than to ,christians who love truth4 ,we often fear that it will be covered up1 its influence destroyed2 that through the weakness of men1 or the power of evil1 or some disastrous reverse of events1 its power will be lost4 ,and particularly are ministers1 whose chief duty it is to study truth1 to promulgate and confirm it throughout the community1 liable to despond when they find themselves coping with so many malign influences1 so much coldness1 and scepticism1 and worldliness1 and ignorance4 ,if they look only upon the narrow scale upon which they labor1 it often would seem as if there were indeed no power in truth1 no certainty that it would fructify4 ,it is an assurance1 then1 to our faith1 and a great comfort to us in our toil1 when we listen to ,him who sitteth in the heavens1 and before whom all things are open and naked--who sits serene above all the whirl which distracts and confuses us on this dusty earth1 and hear ,him say1 seeing the beginning from the end of all things3 8,for as the rain cometh down1 and the snow from heaven1 and returneth not thither1 but watereth the earth1 and maketh it bring forth and bud1 that it may give seed to the sower1 and bread to the eater3 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth2 it shall not return unto me void1 but it shall accomplish that which ,i please1 and it shall prosper in the thing whereto ,i sent it40 ,we design at this time to draw from our text a few obvious inferences1 to confirm and illustrate and apply them4 #a4 ,we may infer that truth is adapted to produce moral results in this world4 ,how it produces them we shall not examine4 ,it is a matter of philosophy1 of speculation1 and we concern ourselves with the practical bearing of our text4 ,this inference will appear the more plainly true if we consider-- #a4 ,that the ,bible is explicit upon this head4 ,paul says to ,timothy3 8,from a child thou hast known the holy ,scriptures1 which are able to make thee wise unto salvation1 through faith which is in ,christ ,jesus40 ,and not satisfied with specific assertion1 he generalizes and makes it a general principle3 8,all scripture is given by inspiration of ,god1 and is profitable for doctrine1 for reproof1 for correction1 for instruction in righteousness1 that the man of ,god may be perfect1 thoroughly furnished unto all good works0 7#b ,timothy iii4 #af-ag74 ,could anything be more untrue1 if truth has not an adaptation to produce what it is said to do8 ,throughout the ,bible ,god regards truth as sufficient to accomplish ,his purposes1 and nothing is so severely dealt with1 by rebuke and judgment1 as that deficiency and sin which comes of neglecting or refusing truth4 8,what more could ,i have done for my vineyard than ,i have done8 ,wherefore1 when ,i looked1 that it should bring forth grapes1 brought it forth wild grapes80 ,a constant visible ,providence1 mighty acts1 the record of wonderful deliverances and mercies1 and the institutes of a beneficent law--were not these adapted to produce the required obedience in the ,jews8 ,if truth have not adaptation to produce moral results1 the ,jew very pertinently might have replied to this severe rebuke3 ,what has been done to produce obedience8 ,nothing but a series of truths have been given which have no adaptation or tendency to produce holiness4 ,nothing has been done to make us other than we are4 ,and in exact accordance with the spirit of this was ,christ's teaching when ,he said3 8,if ,i had not come and spoken unto them1 they had not had sin2 but now they have no cloak for their sin0 7,john xv4 #bb74 #b4 ,the very object for which truth was revealed confirms the truth of our inference4 ,it was revealed either for something or for nothing4 ,if for nothing1 it was foolishness4 ,but if for something1 then either it was fitted to produce what it was created for1 or it was not4 ,if it was not adapted to produce that for which it was created1 then ,god attempted to bring to pass an end with means ill-adapted to that end4 ,he raised up an instrumentality without adaptation to do what he desired4 ,but what is meant by instrumentality1 which has nothing of an instrument in it8 ,what is instrumentality without any adaptation to do anything8 ,consequently if we would avoid imputing such weakness1 such double folly and failure to ,god1 we must admit with the ,bible the adaptation of truth to produce its appropriate moral results4 ,men travel across the express declarations of ,his word1 and cross reason1 to support a philosophical theory which1 after all1 destroys the very thing for which they framed it4 #c4 ,our inference becomes still more apparent in truth if for a moment we admit the opposite doctrine and watch its results4 7#a7 ,the law is composed of truths respecting ,god1 ,his relations to us1 and ours to ,him--the duties flowing thence1 the penalties and rewards respectively of disobedience or obedience1 our duties to one another1 etc42 and all this professedly is given to restrain from evil and produce good4 ,but if truth has no adaptation to produce moral effects1 the law was designed to do what it had no adaptation to do4 ,it could have no influence and no power1 and ,god is represented as framing a law to do what it had no relevancy to do4 7#b7 ,the character of ,god--why is it held forth to excite admiration and love1 if that has no adaptation to excite such feelings8 ,there is nothing in ,god1 nothing in ,his attributes1 which can awaken the least emotion1 unless truth can work out moral results4 7#c7 ,and precisely so of all the recorded doings of ,god since creation1 especially that stupendous spectacle--the ,atonement4 ,all is thrown away as respects influence upon intelligent moral beings1 they are utterly worthless1 if they have no power to do anything4 ,in short1 this theory1 so unfounded1 so monstrous either in philosophy or fact1 so repugnant to every declaration of ,god1 would destroy every influence which the ,bible was sent to produce4 ,it cuts off the mind from any influence except that by which a stick or stone might be moved from place to place4 ,the strong declaration of the ,bible that men resist the truth--how1 if nothing to resist8 ,we admit that truth1 as a matter of fact1 does not produce its legitimate results without the influence of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,but then the reason lies in the depravity of our hearts1 and not in any want of adaptation in the truth4 ,god made it ample1 it was enough to create infinite obligation1 and1 if unresisted1 to have kept us from sin and trained us up in holiness4 ,our depravity resisted its action1 and would always2 and this is the ground and necessity of the interference of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,not the want of light1 but men love darkness better2 not the want of adaptation in truth1 but men resist it1 and will do so for ever1 unless ,god shall send the ,holy ,spirit4 ,in ,his hands truth becomes omnipotent4 ,he pierces with it the darkest eye1 and sounds it upon the deafest ear1 and rouses up the deadest heart1 8enlightening by it their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of ,god1 and effectually drawing them to ,jesus ,christ1 being made willing by ,his grace40 ,we are not1 however1 to rest satisfied with this mere intellectual view of this point4 ,it has very deep1 practical importance1 which ,i shall briefly lay open to you4 #a4 ,it shows you the importance of knowing what the truth is exactly4 ,god has made truth to produce certain results of good1 and no substitute for it will4 ,the husbandman who would raise a harvest of wheat must sow wheat1 not something which is only very much like it4 ,the ,christian who would have the fruits of truth in his heart must believe the truth1 and not something that is very much like it4 ,he who would have the fruits of ,god's love in his heart1 who would grow rich in the graces of the ,spirit of ,god1 must understand ,god's character just as it is revealed--i4e41 just as it is1 for it is the truth of ,his character which will produce salutary results1 and nothing else will4 ,hence those who entertain false views of ,god have a deficient condition of mind and heart in exact proportion as they deviate from the truth2 and this is the reason why those who reject the ,divinity of our ,lord and ,saviour wane in piety1 in happiness1 and finally experience from their view of ,god hardly one beneficial result4 ,they have expected that what was not true would produce in them the effect of what was true4 ,consequently we find the sacred writers anxiously inculcating a diligent1 careful study of the character of ,god1 as ,paul to the ,colossians 7chap4 ii4 #b1 #c73 8,that their hearts might be comforted1 being knit together in love1 and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding1 to the acknowledgment of the mystery of ,god1 and of the ,father1 and of ,christ2 in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge40 ,and just before3 8,that ye might walk worthy of the ,lord unto all pleasing1 being fruitful in every good work1 and increasing in the knowledge of ,god40 ,so1 too1 ,eph4 i4 #ag3 8,that the ,god of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,father of glory1 may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of ,him40 #b4 ,so also respecting doctrine4 ,we are bound to know exactly what ,god has revealed1 for that is to produce the good effect in the hands of the ,spirit1 and not an imagination which we think is true4 ,if by total depravity we teach something else than that which the ,bible teaches1 will the same results flow8 ,if1 instead of regeneration1 as ,christ and ,paul explain it1 we vamp up a theory aside and different from it1 will the effect be the same8 ,will the ,holy ,spirit employ it equally with the other8 ,nay1 he who does not preach truth1 and believe truth1 preaches error and believes error4 ,truth saves1 and error destroys4 ,and this is the reason why it is some matter what a man believes1 provided he is sincere4 ,god does not regenerate and save by sincerity1 but by truth4 ,error received sincerely is only error placed where it shall work out its fullest evils with the greatest certainty1 and with every help which the heart can afford4 ,error sincerely received is death cordially embraced4 #c4 ,hence we see how deeply important it becomes for ,christians to employ prayer and diligent study of the ,bible1 that the ,holy ,spirit of ,god may enlighten their minds with all truth4 ,all that which constitutes a pure and holy heart must come from truth2 ourselves and our hearers are to be saved by truth in the hands of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,how earnestly1 then1 should we seek ,his divine1 unerring guidance6 ,if ,he teach us1 we shall have truth indeed2 but if left to our depraved hearts how soon shall we draw in error1 how soon shall we be spoiled by vain philosophy and deceit after the traditions of men1 after the rudiments of this world1 and not after ,christ6 ,and if deserted forever1 how rapid will be our deterioration from bad to worse1 until eternal death do close upon us6 #d4 ,the importance of propagating1 through all the world1 the ,bible1 is most particularly taught in the text1 and is most appropriately deduced from our position4 ,god has promised that ,his ,holy ,spirit shall go with it1 shall make it effective4 ,would we fill the earth with the power of ,god's ,spirit1 send abroad the ,bible1 by which ,he has graciously determined to act1 and through which ,he will sanctify and save4 ,,ii4 ,the second inference which ,i draw from this passage is that1 when the truth is properly explained and applied1 we are both allowed and bound to expect corresponding auspicious results4 #a4 ,so ,christ and ,his apostles taught by example4 ,christ refused to throw away labor when nothing could be expected from it4 ,hence ,he never would open to the ,pharisees and bigoted doctors of ,jerusalem the nature of ,his message1 nor descant upon the character of ,god1 nor urge upon them ,his claims1 nor urge them to repent1 nor work miracles before them4 ,he knew the heart of man1 and knew that no good would follow4 ,if1 then1 the ground of exclusion from the labors of ,his ministry was that there could be no hope of success1 then where ,he did labor it must have been upon the ground of hope of success4 ,so ,paul repeatedly rejoices in the power of the ,gospel to save mankind1 and gloried in this with great exultation1 proclaiming that on this account he was not ashamed of it4 ,now1 was it the mere fact that ,paul felt that the truths of the ,gospel had the power1 abstractly1 to save mankind1 without any particular expectation that they would do so1 or did his heart fire because he most confidently expected that nations would be born to ,christ by his preachings8 ,no one whose heart ever burned with a desire of glorifying ,god by gathering in souls to ,his kingdom can hesitate to say which of these inspired ,paul4 ,it is no joy1 no subject of particular gratulation1 that the ,gospel can save mankind1 unless we also believe that it actually will4 ,the only reason why we rejoice in its adaptation to save the world is because we believe that the world should be saved4 ,how wide of the truth are they who think that a faithful1 sincere ,christian or minister has no right to expect the fruits of their labor1 but are bound to rest as satisfied that it should not as that it should happen6 ,it is a spirit utterly repugnant to the ,gospel4 ,some would imagine that we should not so expect--expect confidently the fruit of our labors--because ,god is a ,sovereign and worketh according to the counsel of ,his own will4 ,but this is the very ground upon which we build our confidence4 ,it is because ,god1 as a ,sovereign1 acting most freely and according to the purposes of ,his own will1 hath joined to truth its appropriate results1 and has encouraged us to expect them4 ,if ,god were no ,sovereign1 we should have no confidence1 never knowing what might or might not happen4 ,but now1 since ,he is ,supreme1 and hath joined truth1 well applied1 to a certainty of corresponding results1 we shall most shamefully do violence to ,his ,divine ,sovereignty if we affect to doubt whether it will in fact be as ,he hath ordained that it shall be4 ,if ,he had not joined means to ends it would be temerity to expect the one from the other4 ,but since ,he has1 it would be doubting ,him1 contradicting ,him1 if we were not so to do4 ,to the diligent farmer ,god gives abundant increase1 to the laborious artist remuneration corresponding to his skill4 ,to the faithful minister1 who rises betimes to sow the seeds of life and waters them with his tears1 ,god will give him an abundant harvest2 and the diligent ,christian who employs all the means of truth within his reach1 in humble reliance upon ,god1 shall not be disappointed4 ,he may expect growth in grace1 and ,god will not falsify his hopes4 ,the ,sovereignty of ,god is the sure ground upon which every one may build his hopes and not be disappointed4 ,for ,god is not a man that ,he should lie1 hath ,he said1 and shall ,he not do it8 #b4 ,success of ministry and ,christian effort demand it for very constitution of our nature4 #c4 ,only ground on which the multiplied institution of the ,gospel can be available4#ba ----- ,footnote #ba3 ,these two subdivisions were not written out in full1 blank spaces being left in the original for their fuller elaboration4 ----- ,,iii4 ,the third inference which ,i draw from this passage is that the instrumentality of the truth1 the efficiency of the means1 does not detract from the power of ,god1 but highly illustrates it4 #a4 ,it will be observed in this passage that1 although so much efficiency is given to truth1 yet ,god is continually speaking1 and speaking1 too1 in the air of most sovereign authority4 ,truth is made to appear perfectly subservient to his ,divine ,will4 8,so shall ,my word be that goeth forth out of ,my mouth3 it shall not return unto me void1 but it shall accomplish that which ,i please1 and it shall prosper in the thing whereto ,i sent it40 #b4 ,the reason why it illustrates and does not detract from ,god's supremacy and power may now easily be seen4 ,it shall do just what ,god wishes to be done1 and for which ,he appointed it1 and for which ,he made it efficient4 ,besides this it can do nothing else4 ,it can only do this because ,god so wills4 ,truth is not an agent acting1 since ,god made it1 independently of ,god1 self-moved2 nor is it to be turned by man to do as he wishes4 ,it does what it was made to do1 and ,god made it1 so that all its effects are but new examples of the power of ,god4 ,it hangs where ,god placed it1 and shines in the sphere ,he circumscribed1 and nowhere else4 #c4 ,it accomplishes this result1 which belongs to it1 not from any inherent virtue which redeems it from the power of ,god1 and causes its effects to illustrate only its own power1 but simply and always because ,god pleases that it should do so4 ,as its powers are enlarged and encompass greater results1 so must be the conception of ,his power who clothed it with such efficiency4 ,and ,god always sustains truth1 and those circumstances by which it can produce fitting results1 and if ,he dropped them for one moment from ,his care they would perish4 ,whoever1 then1 finds that the employment of means of truth is producing a forgetfulness of ,god1 may be assured that he is using them wrongfully4 ,it is a pernicious result wrought in him by abusing our constituted mode of action4 ,he who properly appreciates the notion of means and instrumentality will ever have most occasion to admire both the power and goodness of ,god1 and ,his wisdom too1 in that constitution of things which ,he has made4 ,blank ,page ,,index4 ,abolitionists1 feeling against1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #bfh1 #dbj2 ostracized socially1 #ahe2 ,webster1 ,daniel1 on1 #bci4 ,advance1 the1 organization of1 #dia4 ,advisory ,council 7#ahgd71 assembling of1 #ebf2 call for1 #ebc2 deliverance of1 #ebg2 ,plymouth invited at1 declines1 #ebg2 protest against1 a1 #ebd4 ,advisory ,council 7#ahgf71 assembling of1 #edc2 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 cautions on1 to church1 #eci1 statements at1 #edd-edi1 declared innocent by1 #eej1 address to1 at close1 #eeb2 call for1 #ecg2 committee on charges1 advises an1 #eej1 #eeh2 composition of1 #ech2 officers of1 #edc1 #edd2 ,plymouth sustained by1 #edi2 principle of selection of1 #ech2 questions submitted to1 #ech2 ,sturtevant's1 ,dr41 opinion of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #eea2 ,wellman's1 ,dr41 opinion of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #eej4 ,allen1 ,ethan1 remark of1 on ,british cruelty1 #ce4 ,america1 a 8better ,england10 #be4 ,amherst1 ,mass41 in #ahbg1 #ic2 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 garden plot in1 #if4 ,amherst ,college in #ahcj1 #aab2 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 course at1 #aji-ace2 offers title of ,d4,d4 to ,mr4 ,beecher1 #cia4 ,anderson1 ,gen4 ,robert1 tribute to1 by ,mr4 ,beecher1 #deb4 ,anecdotes3 ,boston woman1 the cross1 #aah2 calf and bees1 #fcg2 cannon-ball1 the1 #hg2 cat in the organ1 #chb2 cow1 chase of the1 #ada2 8,dinah1 ,crazy10 #bdc2 dog ,noble1 #bij2 ,english beggar1 #fgj2 8follow-your-leader10 #he2 ,fulton omnibuses1 #bdh2 grammar1 lesson in1 #ge1 #gf2 ,grant1 ,gen41 and ,mr4 ,beecher's titles1 #ffc2 kite1 the1 #bjc2 liquor-seller1 the1 #aie2 lions1 two monstrous1 #ea2 ruffian1 the1 #aid2 slaves1 teaching of1 #bec2 sleeper in church1 #ahf2 ,stowe1 ,prof41 outwitted1 #ada2 tides1 explanation of1 #gf2 truant1 the1 #ahd2 tub-raft1 the1 #bjh2 8,tutor's ,delight10 #aaf4 ,arthur1 ,chester ,a41 opinion on1 of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #ege2 on renomination of1 #egf4 ,articles1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's1 sources and characteristics of1 #cbe1 #cbf2 ,cause and ,cure of ,agitation 7#ahej71 #bdb2 ,christian's ,duty to ,liberty 7#ahed71 #bgf2 ,church and ,steamboat 7#ahej71 #cej1 #cea2 ,contrast1 ,the 7#ahfb71 #cce2 ,controversy1 ,harsh 7#ahej71 #bdd2 ,convictions1 ,various1 and ,sin 7#aheb71 #cec2 ,country's ,need 7#ahfb71 #cbh2 ,courage and ,enterprise 7#ahfb71 #cbd2 ,crisis1 ,the 7#ahed71 #bgc2 ,defence of ,kansas1 #bhc2 ,degraded into ,liberty 7#aheb71 #bfc2 ,different ,ways of ,giving 7#ahej71 #ceb2 ,disbanding of ,bowdoin ,st4 ,church 7#ahfb71 #ih2 ,dog ,noble and ,empty ,hole 7#ahef71 #bij2 ,dull ,meetings1 ,one ,cause of 7#aheb71 #cec2 ,duty1 ,the ,great 7#ahfb71 #cbg2 ,duty of the ,hour 7#ahfb71 #cbc2 ,duty of ,to-day 7#ahfb71 #ccj2 ,flowers in ,church 7#ahjb71 #cib2 ,fugitive ,slave ,bill 7#ahej71 #bdj2 ,ground1 ,the ,only 7#ahfb71 #ccc2 ,hearts and ,no ,hearts 7#ahef71 #bhg2 ,hours of ,exaltation 7#aheg71 #cgc2 ,hymns1 ,church 7#ahee71 #cff2 ,ice in the ,church 7#aheb71 #cec2 ,infidel ,toast1 ,the 7#ahei71 #chi2 ,law and ,conscience 7#ahej71 #bdj1 #bda2 ,leader for the ,people 7#ahfb7 #ccb2 ,lind1 ,jenny 7#ahej71 #cea2 ,litchfield ,revisited 7#ahef71 #ce2 ,liturgy1 ,church1 #cgj2 ,men1 not ,slaves 7#ahfb71 #cbc2 ,mountain and the ,closet 7#aheg71 #cgc2 ,naval ,discipline 7#aheb71 #cee2 ,newspaper ,report1 on a 7#aheb71 #cef2 ,our ,help from ,above 7#ahfb71 #cbc2 ,patriotism of the ,people 7#ahfb71 #cbi2 ,proclamation of ,emancipation1 on 7#ahfb71 #ccf2 ,queer ,pulpit1 ,a 7#ahfb71 #ccd2 ,reconstruction 7#ahfb71 #ccc2 ,remember the ,poor 7#ahej71 #ceb2 ,root of the ,matter 7#ahfb71 #cca2 ,salutatory 7#ahfa71 #cba2 ,shall we ,compromise8 7#ahej71 #bcg2 ,silence must be ,nationalized 7#ahef71 #bhg2 ,time1 ,the1 has ,come 7#ahfb71 #ccb2 ,trumpet1 ,the 7#ahfb71 #cce2 ,use of the ,beautiful by ,christians1 #cic2 ,war with ,england 7#ahfa71 #cbb2 ,word from the ,people to ,congress 7#ahfb71 #cbc2 ,working with ,errorists 7#ahei71 #chj4 ,atchison1 ,david ,r41 in ,kansas war1 #bgg4 ,bacon1 ,rev4 ,leonard1 letters of1 against ,tilton1 #ebg2 letter of1 on reconciliation1 #eei4 ,barnes1 ,hiram 7,litchfield71 reminiscence of1 #cg4 ,beach1 ,hon4 ,w4 ,a41 convinced of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's innocence1 #ecc4 ,beecher1 ,rev4 ,charles1 anecdotes by1 of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #ej2 music1 early work in1 #ib1 #ach1 #aci2 recollections by1 of boyhood1 #eg1 #eh1 of ,seminary days1 #aci4 ,beecher1 ,david1 character of1 #ag2 strength of1 #bj4 ,beecher1 ,rev4 ,edward1 promotes ,advance1 #dia4 ,beecher1 ,esther1 influence of1 on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #fh1 #fi2 in ,brooklyn1 #ceb2 ,mr4 ,beecher's tribute to1 #ch4 ,beecher1 ,george 7son of ,lyman71 death of1 #bjd4 ,beecher1 ,hannah1 reminiscence of1 #ai4 ,beecher1 ,harriet 7daughter of ,lyman7--see ,stowe1 ,harriet ,b4 ,beecher1 ,harriet 7wife of ,lyman71 arrival of1 at ,litchfield1 #ed2 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 opinion of1 #fe1 religious instruction by1 #gg1 tribute to1 #adc2 death of1 #adc2 home training1 methods of1 #fe2 impressions of ,beecher family1 #ed1 #ee2 marriage of1 to ,lyman ,beecher1 #ec2 reminiscence of1 by ,mrs4 ,stowe1 #ed4 ,beecher1 ,henry 7#aegj71 notice of1 #ai4 ,beecher1 ,rev4 ,henry ,ward1 ,administration1 strictures on1 in #ahfb1 #cbh-cca1 #cce2 distrusted by1 in #ahfc1 #cig1 #ddc1 feeling changed1 #ddd4 ,advisory ,council 7#ahgf71 on1 #ech2 cautions his people as to1 #ech2 statements at1 #edd2 challenge at1 #ede2 demands production of letters1 #edi2 declared innocent by1 #eej2 address to1 at close1 #eeb4 ,agriculture1 articles on1 #ahb2 studies in1 #aih2 work in1 #aii4 ,see under ,farm1 p4 #fih1 and ,peekskill1 p4 #gja4 ,aid sought from1 some samples of1 #fef4 ,ambition of1 for enterprise1 #hi2 personal1 devoid of1 #eic1 advice to a relative on1 #eic1 #eid4 ,american1 a typical1 #be4 ,amherst ,college1 enters1 #aji2 course at1 choice of1 #aab2 studies at1 #aac2 reminiscences by ,dr4 ,field1 #aac1 #aae1 by ,dr4 ,haven1 #aac1 by ,l4 ,tappan1 #aad1 #aag1 by ,s4 ,h4 ,emery1 #aad1 by ,rev4 ,s4 ,hanks1 #aad2 debate1 a victory in1 #aad2 8,tutor's ,delight10 #aaf2 sports at1 #aag2 financial difficulties1 #aag2 plans to earn money1 #aah2 in anti-slavery debate1 #aai2 record at1 #ace4 ,ancestry of1 #bj1 #ba2 its legacy of loyalty and truth1 #bd4 ,anderson1 ,gen4 ,robert1 tribute to1 #deb4 ,art1 effect of works of1 #cdf-cdh2 high1 versus decorative1 on1 #fde2 his collection of prints1 #fdf4 ,arthur1 ,chester ,a41 praise of1 #ege2 renomination of1 reasons for desiring1 #ege1 #egf4 ,aspirations1 on youthful1 #hi4 ,attainments of1 at ten1 #gj1 #ga4 ,atonement1 on doctrine of1 #fjg4 ,auction-sale1 slave1 imitation of1 #bib4 ,audiences of1 on early1 #eid4 ,autobiography of1 preparations for1 #fgc4 ,bacon's1 ,dr4 ,l41 letter to1 on reconciliation1 #eei2 reply1 #efj4 ,bashfulness of1 youthful1 #gj4 ,battle of1 a youthful1 #cf4 ,beautiful1 on ,christian enjoyment of the1 #cic2 in nature1 his love for1 #cid4 ,beecher1 ,esther1 tribute to1 #ch2 influenced by1 #fh4 ,beecher's1 ,harriet1 impressions of1 #ee2 instructed in religion by1 #gg2 his tribute to1 #adc4 ,beecher1 ,lyman1 estimate of1 #ag2 effect on1 of conduct of1 #fh1 #fi2 indignant at persecution of1 #aea4 ,beecher1 ,roxana1 tribute to1 #bd2 recollections of1 #dg2 influenced by memory of1 #fg1 #eed2 opinion of1 from her letters1 #abh4 ,beecher1 ,rev4 ,t4 ,k41 reminiscence by1 #ij1 #ach4 ,belgian court1 experiences at1 #djd4 ,bible1 early analysis of1 #acg1 #aib2 on method of reading1 #fdb4 ,birth of1 #cg1 #da4 ,birds1 love for1 #fae1 #faf4 ,blaine1 ,j4 ,g41 opinion of1 #egf2 refuses to support1 #egg1 threatened for refusal1 #egi2 election of1 on probable result of1 #egi4 ,books1 on buying1 #fdh4 ,boston1 bells of1 amazed at1 #hc2 ships and ,navy-,yard in1 enthusiasm over1 #hd2 on juvenile feuds of1 #he2 chief in1 of 8follow your-leader10 #he2 cannon-ball1 purloins a1 #hg2 life at1 in boyhood1 #ij-ib2 moral influence of1 bad1 #ib2 joins ,bowdoin ,st4 ,church1 #ih2 receives call to1 #baf2 defence at1 on scandal rumors1 #ece4 ,bowen1 ,henry ,c41 hostility of1 #dij1 #dib2 action of1 in ,tilton's charge against ,mr4 ,beecher1 #eaa1 charge published1 #eac1 #ead2 on renewed charges of1 #edb1 #edc4 ,brattleboro1 ,vt41 lecture at1 #acj-acb4 ,brice1 ,pomona1 help for1 #bic4 ,brooklyn1 declines reception by ,common ,council of1 #fgb4 ,brown1 ,john1 sermon on1 #cja4 ,brussels1 visit to1 in #ahfc1 #djc4 ,buchanan1 ,pres41 on administration of1 #cje2 on fast-day of1 #cjg4 ,budington1 ,rev4 ,w41 church of1 seeks to heal dissension in1 #ebd2 letter to1 on its protest1 #ebf4 ,callers1 daily1 description of1 #feg4 ,calvinism1 early teaching in1 #gj1 #gg4 ,camp1 life in1 on dangers of1 #cai4 ,catechism1 a failure at1 #fe4 ,character1 moulding of1 #dd1 #ha2 at seventeen1 #ajh1 #aab2 during college course1 #aac-aaf2 in manhood1 #beh4 ,charity1 on1 #ceb2 demands on his1 #feh4 ,charleston1 ,s4 ,c41 invited to deliver address at 7#ahfe71 #ddi2 ,stanton's despatch concerning1 #dej2 address at1 #dea-ded2 purpose of1 in going to1 #dfj4 ,children1 love for1 #fci2 a method of whipping1 #fdj2 his own1 on newspaper report as to1 #cef2 training of1 #fdj2 justice tempered by love1 #fda2 advice to1 on self-helpfulness1 #fda1 on religion1 on ,bible-reading1 #fdb1 on study1 #fdb1 #fdc1 on health and on duty1 #fdc1 on choosing profession1 #fdc1 on literary style1 #fdd4 ,chimes1 church1 first experience with1 #hc4 8,choosing good parents10 on1 #ag4 ,christianity1 on power of1 to crush slavery1 #bfh4 ,christian ,union1 in control of1 #dia4 ,church1 going to1 when a boy1 #ei1 promises made1 #fj1 experiences at1 #fa2 on growth of a1 #bbg1 #dhc2 on proper work of a1 #edj4 ,church-bell1 adventure with a1 #fj4 ,church-membership1 on1 #cfb4 ,cincinnati1 ,o41 family life at1 #adj2 drives off his father's cow1 #ada2 constable at1 a1 #adb2 8family meeting0 at1 #adb2 ,journal of1 editor of1 #ada4 ,cleveland1 ,pres41 remarks on slanders against1 #egg2 support of1 reasons for1 #egg-ehj2 on administration of1 #ehg4 ,cleveland letters3 invited as chaplain to convention1 #dfa2 reply to invitation1 #dfe1 public clamor against1 #dfb1 remarks on1 #dgd1 #dge2 ,tyng's1 ,dr41 letter on1 #dfi1 reply1 #dgj2 ,storrs's1 ,dr41 letter on1 #dga2 ,mr4 ,beecher's second letter1 #dgb1 effect of1 #dgg1 ,storrs1 ,dr41 on1 #dgg2 assailed by ,independent for1 #eja4 ,coffee1 effect of1 #feb4 ,colors1 how affected by1 #fdi-fea4 ,compromise measures1 article on1 #bcf-bch2 ,missouri ,compromise1 on repeal of1 #bgc-bgg2 appeal to ministers as to1 #bge1 #bgf2 on offer of1 in #ahfj1 #cjf2 in general1 on1 #dba2 on proposal for1 in #ahfd1 #ddf4 ,congress1 on proposed nomination to1 #cfj4 ,congregational ,association1 resigns from1 #efg1 #efh2 statement to1 #efh2 remarks on criticisms of his action1 #efi4 ,congregational ,church1 estimate of1 #faj4 ,conspiracy against1 beginning of1 #did2 statement on1 #die-ebj1 effect of publication of1 #eca2 investigating committee1 calls for an1 #dii1 #ebh1 action of1 #ebi1 #ecj2 publicity of1 motives for avoiding1 #ejd1 #eai1 #eca1 #edd2 ,eagle1 card in1 as to ,woodhull letters1 #ebb2 demands production of any letters1 #ebi2 letter to1 of ,pres4 ,porter1 #ecb2 on malignity of conspirators1 #edf1 #eec2 on prompt demands for investigation1 #edg2 on publishing of1 #edh2 cost of1 #edi1 #efe2 ,shearman's1 ,t41 part in1 #edi2 reflections on1 #eeg2 hostility of press in1 #eeh2 nervous strain from1 #eeh2 ,english sympathy during1 #ffh4 ,conscientiousness of1 how developed1 #fe4 ,controversy1 harsh1 advice against1 #bdd4 ,conversion of1 #ih2 recollections of1 #eij4 ,correspondence of1 how conducted1 #feh4 ,courage of1 physical1 in killing mad dog1 #ffd4 ,country1 intense love for1 #daf1 #dfj4 ,courtship of1 #aba-abg1 on false reports as to effects of1 #abi2 ,saxon1 description of1 #abg4 ,cowper1 ,william1 on style of1 #fdd4 ,creditors1 on duty to1 #ced4 ,cunard steamers1 on bigotry upon1 #cej2 falsehood as to1 charged with1 #cea4 ,d4,d41 declination of title of1 #cia4 ,daniel1 ,samuel1 poem of1 #acd4 ,darkness1 early spiritual1 #gh-ha1 #aai-aba1 #fjd2 darkness dispersed1 #aee4 ,davis1 ,jefferson1 on proposed hanging of1 #deh4 ,death1 impending1 feelings of1 #ejg1 #ejh1 #eaf1 #eef2 of his brother ,george1 #bjd2 of his son ,george1 #bje2 of his daughter 8,caty10 #bbd2 of his twin sons1 #ceg2 of three nephews #cgb2 no fear of1 #fha1 #fhb2 remarks on1 #fhb2 his death1 #fgf1 wishes concerning1 #fha1 private service at1 #fgg1 service in ,plymouth1 #fgh2 burial of1 #fhj2 grave of1 #fhj4 ,debate1 early power in1 #aac1 #aad4 ,denominationalism1 on1 #faa4 8,depravity1 total10 hatred of phrase1 #chj4 ,divine1 the1 early strivings for1 #gg1 #gh1 #ajj4 ,doctrine1 early knowledge of1 #afc1 #afe1 #fjd2 commended for1 #fab4 ,douglass1 ,fred1 invitation to1 to ,plymouth1 #bdh4 ,dramatic power of1 early1 #if4 ,ecclesiastical machinery1 dislike of1 #aeb1 #aec1 #fjf4 ,edinburgh1 ,scotland1 speech at1 in #ahfc1 #dai-dbb4 ,editor1 on power of an1 #cba2 editorial articles1 sources of1 #cbe1 characteristic features of1 #cbe1 #cbf4 ,edmonson sisters1 in purchase of1 #bib4 ,elections of #ahhd1 distrusts ,mr4 ,blaine1 #egf2 endorses ,mr4 ,cleveland1 #egg1 #egh1 remarks on1 #egh1 answer to remonstrance on1 #egi1 #ehj1 answer to threat1 #ehj2 active work in1 #ehj2 review of1 #ehd-ehf2 excitement in1 on calm after1 #ehf4 ,ellsworth1 ,col41 on death of1 #cac4 ,elocution1 how acquired1 #ie1 #if2 gesture in1 a favorite1 #ahf4 ,emancipation1 demands1 #cca1 #ccb1 #ccc1 #cce2 ,proclamation of1 article on1 #ccf2 ,god's will1 resigned now to1 #ccg1 #cch4 ,england1 on war with1 #cbb1 #dab2 departure for1 in #ahej1 #cci2 impressions of ,warwick ,castle1 ,kenilworth1 #cdj1 of ,csar's ,tower1 ,guy's ,tower1 #cda1 of ,stratford-on-,avon1 #cdb1 #cdd1 of ,oxford1 ,bodleian ,library1 #cdd1 #cde2 ,episcopal services in description of1 #cdb-cdd2 return from1 #cdi4 ,departure for1 in #ahfc1 #cif2 motives for1 #cif1 #cig2 on sympathy in1 for ,south1 #cii1 #djj2 arrival in1 declines to speak1 #djj2 ,congregational clergy of1 strictures on1 #dja2 ,london1 first speech in1 #dja1 #djb1 second speech in1 #dcb-dcf2 ,united ,states1 on ,english dread of1 #djb1 #djc2 consents to speak in1 #djf2 requests for speeches in1 #djg2 ,manchester1 speech at1 #djh-dad2 offensive utterances against1 denies1 #daf2 ,liverpool1 speech in1 #dbb-dcb1 placarded in1 enmity of press of1 #dbb2 speeches in1 effect of1 #dcf1 #dda2 ,storrs1 ,dr41 on the work in1 #dcg2 impressions from the visit1 #dch-dda2 ,new ,york papers on his work in1 #dda2 welcomes delegates from1 to ,boston ,council1 #fac4 ,departure for1 in #ahhf1 #ffe2 friends' enthusiastic farewell1 #fff2 retrospect on landing1 #fff1 #ffh2 likened in1 to ,gladstone1 #ffi2 preaching in ,london1 #ffi2 ,westminster ,abbey1 visit to1 #ffi2 his work in1 #fgj1 #fga2 public meetings in1 on customs at1 #fgj2 address in ,city ,temple1 #fga2 return from1 #fgb4 ,english-speaking peoples1 claimed by all1 #bf4 ,english classics1 love for1 #aac1 #aad1 #acc2 criticisms on1 #ade1 #adf4 ,episcopal ,church1 impressed by service of1 #cdc2 on liturgy of1 #cgj2 charged with disrespect towards1 #cga2 vision of sermon in a1 #cgg2 tribute to1 #faj4 ,evil1 method of combating1 #aid1 #aie1 #bag1 #bah1 #bai1 #cee4 ,evolution1 sermons on1 #efg2 belief in1 #fjh1 #fji4 ,exhortation in social meetings1 on1 #cec4 ,extemporaneous speech1 early aptitude for1 #aac1 #agc4 ,farm1 work on1 beginning of1 #eg1 #fag2 knowledge of farm-work1 #aii2 on one use of a1 #cfj2 at ,peekskill1 #chc1 #fai-fch2 work on1 as a recreation1 #fag4 ,fishing1 first experience at1 #ca2 a confession as to1 #fad-faf4 ,flowers1 love for1 #if1 #faf1 #fbf2 brings him a rebuke1 #if2 on abundance of1 #cib2 pulpit1 on use in1 #cic2 at ,boscobel1 #fbf1 #fbg2 how influenced by1 #fbg4 ,freedom of speech1 on1 #bdc1 #bde2 on stifling of1 in ,kansas1 #bhd4 ,fremont1 on marriage of1 #bij4 ,fugitive ,slave ,law1 articles on1 #bcf-bch1 #bdj-bdd4 ,future punishment1 on doctrine of1 #fjh4 ,gaelic blood in1 source of1 #ah4 ,garrison1 ,william ,l41 estimate of1 #bfg4 ,glasgow1 ,scotland1 speech in1 in #ahfc1 #dad-dai4 ,gospel1 must preach it as revealed to him1 #aed4 ,gospels1 an analysis of1 #aib2 broad study of1 #eif4 ,government1 divine1 views on1 #cbf2 church1 views on1 #fji4 ,graduates1 advice to1 #agc4 ,grammar1 youthful definition in1 #ge4 ,hall1 ,rev4 ,chas4 ,h41 deep friendship for1 #fgg4 ,hammers1 on animation of1 #chi4 ,harrington1 ,moody1 helped by1 #abj4 ,health of1 how founded1 #ca2 impaired in #ahdi1 #cci1 in #ahfc1 #cif2 management of1 #feb2 on duty as to1 #fea4 ,heaven1 digging to find1 #di4 8,homeward ,bound10 liking for1 #cgi4 ,home-life of1 #fci4 ,honors1 worldly1 compared with ministry1 #eib4 ,hopkinton1 ,mass41 teaching at1 #abi1 #acj4 ,horseback-riding1 early attempt at1 #ee4 ,horticulture1 love for1 #if2 studies in1 #aih2 work in1 #aii2 as an alterative1 #cid1 #cie4 ,humorousness1 early1 #aae2 some examples of1 #ge1 #gf1 #aaf1 #aah1 #abb1 #abd4 ,hymns3 see ,music1 p4 #gjj4 ,imposed upon1 remarks on being1 #fei4 ,independent1 contributor to1 #cbh1 #dhh2 editor of1 #cba1 #dhh2 ,salutatory1 #cba2 editorials in1 in #ahfb1 #cbb-ccf2 assailed by1 for ,cleveland letters1 #dfi1 #dia2 resigns editorship1 #dij2 severs connection with1 #dia4 ,indiana ,farmer1 editor of1 #ahb1 #ahe1 #aig4 ,indianapolis1 called to1 #agi1 accepts call1 #ahj2 recollections of parishioners1 #aha-ahg2 his churches at1 #aha1 #ahc1 #bjg2 his residences at1 #ahb1 #bjb2 personal appearance at1 #ahc2 a refractory brother1 #ahd2 popularity at1 #ahf1 #bjc2 an imitative tailor1 #ahg2 revivals at1 sermon before ,presbytery1 #ahi2 work in other towns1 #aij1 #aic2 labors in1 against crime1 #aid1 #aie2 sermons at1 on slavery1 #aie-aig2 painting his own house1 #bjb2 his class of girls at1 #bjc2 helps at kite-making1 #bjd2 recollections of1 #bjf-bji2 tub1 adventure with1 #bjh2 departure from1 #baf2 success at1 charged to plagiarism1 #bah2 garden work at1 #fag4 ,infidelity1 early victory over1 #gd4 ,infidels at ,cincinnati1 on the toast of1 #cha4 ,influences on1 early1 #fe1 #ff2 of ,charles ,smith1 #ff2 of ,esther ,beecher1 #fh2 of his father1 #fh1 #fi2 in ,boston1 #hc1 #hd4 ,information1 early desire for1 #ajh4 ,instruction1 catechetical1 soon forgotten1 #fi4 ,investigation1 habit of1 how acquired1 #cb4 ,johnson1 ,pres41 letter to1 on reconstruction1 #dfj2 stricture on1 #dgj1 #dga2 accepts policy of1 #dgc4 ,journal of ,commerce1 criticism on1 #ccd4 ,journals of1 object in keeping1 #add1 #ade2 some extracts from1 #aji-aab1 #aci1 #add-aej1 #afi1 #cci1 #cdj4 ,judiciary1 corrupt 7#ahfg-ga71 thunders against1 #egb1 #egc4 ,kansas1 on emigration to1 #bhd2 sends arms to1 #bhc1 #bhf2 on the contest in1 #bhc1 #cja2 strictures on ,administration1 #cjb4 ,knowledge1 art of retaining1 #fdg4 ,kossuth1 ,louis1 on the visit of1 #bef2 gift of ,hungarian bracelet1 #ceb4 ,labor1 physical1 views on1 #aii2 in the ,north and the ,south contrasted1 #dah4 ,lane ,seminary1 influence of1 #acg2 life at1 #aed2 graduates from1 #aeg4 ,latin1 result of studies in1 #hh4 ,law1 on obedience to1 #bda1 #bdb4 ,lawrenceburg1 called to1 #aeg2 removes to1 plans1 #aeh2 church duties at1 #aei1 #agb2 success and salary at1 #agc2 housekeeping at1 #agd1 #age2 ,thomas's1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,h41 reminiscences1 #agf2 influence at1 #agg2 on a gift of clothing1 #agh1 #agi2 farewell sermon at1 #ahj4 ,laws lacking public sentiment1 on1 #dei4 ,leader1 as a popular1 #cbe4 ,lectures of1 his first1 #acj-acb2 at ,cincinnati in #ahfa1 #cji2 during ,rebellion1 #cai2 politics and religion in1 #cij2 purpose of1 #efd2 field of1 #efd2 proceeds of1 how spent1 #efd2 omitted during ,conspiracy1 #efd2 resumption of1 reasons for1 #efd1 #efe2 demonstrations at1 #efe1 remarks on1 #eff2 in ,boston1 reception at1 #efe2 ,west1 reception in1 #eff2 ,louisville1 reception at1 #eff2 first before ,yale students1 how prepared1 #eih2 expenses in lecture-tours1 #fec4 8,lectures to ,young ,men10 purpose of1 #bjj2 publishing of1 #bja4 ,left to himself in boyhood1 #ei4 ,lenox1 ,mass41 farm at1 #cei1 #fah2 work on1 #cfj2 relinquished1 #cgb4 ,leopold1 ,king1 presented to1 #djc1 #djd2 advice to1 as to ,mexico1 #dje4 ,letter of1 an early1 #ej4 ,leve1 adventures at a1 #aaa4 ,library of1 how founded1 #aca1 #acc2 contents of1 in #ahce1 #aej1 in later life1 #fdf1 #fdg2 a working library1 #fdg2 remark on1 #fdg4 ,license1 obtains a1 #aeg4 8,life of ,christ10 first volume of1 completed1 #dhj1 #fgd2 second volume of1 work on1 #fgc1 #fgd2 prophetic remark concerning1 #fgd4 ,lincoln1 ,pres41 estimate of1 work for1 #cjd1 #cje2 on call of1 for troops1 #cbg1 #cbh2 on vacillation of1 in #ahfb1 #cbi1 #ccb1 #ccc2 on duty of1 #cca2 on ,emancipation ,proclamation of1 #ccf2 on ,southern commission of1 in #ahfd1 #ddf2 tribute to1 #ddg1 #def2 death of1 #ded1 remarks on1 #ddf1 #dee4 ,lind1 ,jenny1 defence of1 #cea2 reminiscence of1 #cea1 #ceb4 ,liquor1 on selling of1 by ,christians1 #ced2 use of1 #feb1 #fec2 on need of1 except as medicine1 #fec4 ,litchfield1 ,conn41 early life in1 #ca-cc2 visit to1 in #ahef1 #ce-ch2 reminiscences by people of1 #cf1 #cg2 winter at1 #fb1 #fc2 ,north ,pole situated in1 #fc2 visit to1 in #aheg1 #cgc4 ,liturgy1 on church1 #cgj1 #cga4 ,liverpool1 ,eng41 arrival in1 in #ahfc1 #djj2 talk in1 a1 #dja2 speech in1 #dbb-dcb2 placarded in1 #dbb1 #dbf2 threatened with violence in1 #dbc2 risk in speaking in1 #dbc2 subject of speech1 #dbc2 reception at the hall1 #dbd1 #dbe4 ,london1 ,eng41 first speech in1 in #ahfc1 #dja2 second speech in1 #dcb-dcf2 voice in1 threatened failure of1 #dcb1 #dcc2 success in1 #dcf2 preaches in1 in #ahhf1 #ffi4 ,love1 to enemies1 on1 #caa-cac2 ,christian1 better than logic1 #chj2 for friends1 #feh1 8slopping over10 remarks on1 #feh1 #fei4 ,mc,clellan1 on defeat of1 #cbh2 criticism on1 #cca4 ,manchester1 ,eng41 reception in1 in #ahfc1 #djh1 #dji2 subject of speech in1 #dji2 speech in1 #daj-dad2 victory in1 #daj2 effect of speech1 #dad4 ,manliness and power1 source of1 #ba4 ,marriage of1 #agj1 #aga2 of his daughter1 #chh4 ,mathematics1 backwardness in1 #id2 opinion of1 #aad4 ,matteawan1 ,n4 ,y41 residence at1 #cgb1 #fah4 ,medical schools1 views on1 #cec1 #ced4 ,memory of1 where defective1 #fdg4 ,militia1 on need of moral influence on1 #ffa2 as a member of1 #ffj-ffc4 ,ministers1 classification of1 #adi2 should be joyous1 #aej2 on duty of1 as to slavery1 #bdh-beb1 as to war-tax1 #cbd1 in public affairs1 #cfj1 as to preaching against evil practices1 #cfa2 spiritual office of1 #cgj4 ,see ,preacher1 p4 #gja4 ,mitchel1 ,john1 prophecy on1 #bff4 ,monarchies1 excitements in1 contrasted with ,united ,states1 #ehe4 ,moral principles1 sacrifices for1 #cab4 ,moulton1 ,frank1 confidence in1 #dif1 #dig2 letter to1 ,june1 #ahgc1 #eae2 on letter from1 #eah2 wife of1 opposition to1 #efj4 ,mount ,pleasant ,institute1 enters1 #ic2 mathematics at1 #id1 #ajj2 elocution at1 #ie2 recollections of ,w4 ,p4 ,fitzgerald and ,j4 ,w4 ,lovell1 #id1 #ie2 chaplain of1 rebukes ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #if2 life at1 #ig2 studies at1 #ig1 #ajj1 #aja2 religious experiences at1 #ig-ajb2 ,bible work at1 #ii1 #ajj2 troubles at1 #ajb2 on card-playing at1 #ajb2 visit to1 in #ahdi1 #ajg2 his character while at ,institute1 #ajh4 ,mourning1 on outward symbols of1 #fgf2 ,prussian queen1 on tomb of a1 #fgg4 ,music1 early work in1 #ib1 #abd1 #ach1 #aci1 #add2 church music1 on old methods of1 #cfc2 reform in1 #cfe2 8,plymouth ,collection10 compilation of1 #cfc-cff2 hymns1 views on1 #cff1 #cfh2 music-writers1 acquaintance with1 #cfh1 #cfi2 at prayer-meeting1 #cgh2 organ1 on value of1 #fjj4 ,name of1 its source1 #da2 names bestowed upon1 #fac4 ,nation above party1 #egg4 ,nature1 love for1 #cb1 #cc1 #ei1 #gd1 #if1 acquired by study1 #cid2 religious impressions connected with1 #gg2 study of1 for preaching1 #eif1 #fad1 #fae4 ,navy1 ,american1 on moral defect in1 #cee4 ,negroes1 feeling toward1 how influenced1 #ff2 fugitive1 on help to1 #bdj1 #bda1 #cbc1 on return of1 #beb2 on ostracism of1 #bdg2 on treatment of1 by omnibuses1 #bdg1 #bdh2 on freedom being given to eight1 #bfc2 treatment of1 at ,north1 #cjc2 on slaves liberated by army1 #cbc2 on benefits to1 of restoration of ,south1 #dfc1 #dfg1 #dgc4 ,newell1 ,constantine1 affection for1 #ajd-ajf4 ,new ,england stock1 a product of1 #be1 #bf4 8,noble10 anecdote of1 #bij4 ,northbridge1 ,mass41 teaching at1 #acj4 ,northern merchants1 on boycott of1 #bdg4 ,norwich1 ,n4 ,y41 impressions of1 #chi4 8,norwood10 quoted1 #hh2 published1 #dgi4 ,observation1 habit of1 how gained1 #cb4 ,optimism1 definition of1 #ehe4 ,oratorical powers1 imperceptible in youth1 #gj4 ,ordinances1 church1 view of1 #fji4 ,ordination1 examination for1 #afa1 #afe1 #aff2 ,old ,school1 refuses to subscribe to1 #afa1 #afb1 #aff2 ordained1 #afc1 #afg4 ,original sin1 on doctrine of1 #fjg4 ,orthodoxy1 definition of1 #fjf2 on tests of1 #fjf1 #fjg4 ,paris1 visit to1 in #ahej1 #cdf2 art-galleries of1 how affected by1 #cdf-cdh1 #cdi2 ,vicksburg1 hears of fall of1 while visiting1 #dje1 effect on ,southerners in1 #djf4 ,parker controversy1 peacemaker in1 #bei2 results1 #bfj2 letters on1 #bfa1 #bfb4 ,parker1 ,theodore1 condemned for associating with1 #chj2 tribute to1 #cha4 ,party1 political1 on blind subservience to1 #egg2 on redemption of a1 #eha4 ,pastorates1 short1 opposed to1 #ahj4 ,patriotism of1 where nurtured1 #ce2 strength of1 #daf4 ,paul1 ,st41 compared with1 #ehh1 #ehi4 ,peace 7#ahfa71 denounces terms of1 #caj1 #caa4 ,peekskill1 ,n4 ,y41 farm at1 #chc2 description of1 #fai1 #fbj2 cottage at1 #fbj2 improvements made1 old apple-tree1 #fba1 #fbb2 products of1 #fbc2 early crops at1 rivalry over1 #fbc1 #fbd2 ,turner1 ,t4 ,j41 outwitted by ,mr4 ,beecher1 #fbd1 thrifty nature of1 #fbf2 flowers at1 #fbf2 his 8work0 at1 #fbg1 #fbh2 new house at1 #fbh-fcj1 chimney of1 as a look-out1 #fbi1 decoration of1 #fcj2 trees and shrubs at1 #fcj1 #fcb2 benefits derived from1 #fcb2 insects at1 gratitude to1 #fcb1 #fcd2 fowls at1 #fcd1 #fce1 the patent hatcher1 #fce1 #fcf2 cattle at1 #fcf2 bees at1 #fcf1 #fcg2 dogs at1 #fcg1 remarks on 8,tommy10 #fch4 ,perseverance1 thoughts on1 #adg4 ,personal attack1 averse to1 #ced4 ,pessimism1 definition of1 #ehe4 ,phillips1 ,wendell1 in ,brooklyn1 work for1 #bdf4 ,phrenology1 acceptance of1 #acj2 lecturing on1 #ach1 #add4 8,pinky10 buying freedom of1 #bid-big4 ,plurality of wives of ancestors1 remark on1 #bj4 ,plymouth ,church1 invited to come to1 his answer1 #baj-bac2 called to1 #bad2 accepts call1 reasons1 #bad1 #bae2 failure at1 predicted1 #bag2 first sermon at1 #bah2 slavery1 labors at1 against1 #bai-bba2 installed1 #bba2 success at1 #bbb1 #bbe2 revivals at1 work in1 #bbb1 #cge1 #cia2 prayer at1 sample of a1 #bbh2 prayer-meeting1 lecture1 sociable at1 #bbi-bca2 policy towards1 #bcb2 retrospect1 a 7#ahfc71 #ccg2 prayer-meetings at1 daily1 #cgf1 influence of1 #cgg2 on income of1 #cgi2 organ at1 on a new1 #chb2 on flowers in1 #cic2 on ,silver ,wedding of1 remarks at1 #dha-dhd2 generosity of1 in ,conspiracy1 #efe2 tribute to1 #egh2 result of work in1 #fja2 welcome at1 in #ahhf1 #fgb2 funeral services at1 #fgh2 memorial service at1 #fhj4 8,plymouth ,collection10 history of1 #cfc-cff2 terms of publication of1 #cfd2 on alleged omission of ,watts's hymns from1 #cfh4 ,political secret societies1 on1 #cfb4 ,politics1 in the army1 indignant at1 #ddd2 on honesty and morality in1 #ehc4 ,prayer1 early love for1 #ig1 #ajj2 sample of1 #bbh2 on extemporaneous1 #cga2 at prayer-meeting1 #cgh2 reply to request for copy of a1 #fef4 ,prayer-meetings1 method of conducting1 #cgf1 #cgg2 on laughter in1 #cgg4 ,preacher1 his rank as a1 #ehh2 qualities as a1 #ehi2 parental faith his first incentive1 #eij2 early training-school1 #eij2 temperament as a1 #eia2 high estimate of a1 #eib2 early life as a1 a happy period1 #eic2 call to a1 two essentials to1 #eid2 discouraged1 advice to a1 #eie2 should consecrate every gift1 #eie4 ,see ,ministers1 p4 #gjj4 ,preaching1 beginnings of1 #acj2 first in the ,west1 #adi2 naturalism in1 #afd2 to preach ,christ only1 #afg1 #agh1 #aic1 #bbg2 first real1 at ,indianapolis1 #ahg2 versatility in1 #aic2 courage in1 incidents of1 #aid1 #aie2 means of relief from1 #aih2 spirituality in1 one source of1 #cia2 estimate of1 #ehh2 on future scope of1 #eib2 theory of1 #eie2 involuntary preparation for1 #eif2 influence of his1 on theology1 #fjb2 manner in1 an example1 #fje2 preparation for1 #eig-fjj1 #fee4 ,precious stones1 love for1 soothing effect of1 #fdi-fea2 relief derived from1 at ,liverpool1 #fej2 reason for love of1 #fej1 #fea4 ,pride1 early struggles with1 #ajb4 ,private ,journal of1 at ,amherst1 #aji2 contents of1 #aji1 #aaj4 ,profanity1 on a case of1 #fdb4 ,prussian queen1 on tomb of a1 #fgg4 ,pulpit1 on freedom of1 #bdh-beb2 duty of1 as to war-tax1 #cbd1 in public affairs1 #cfj1 #cfa2 as a popular educator1 #cfb2 preparation for1 #fee4 8,puritan penitentiary10 not born in a1 #eg4 ,rats1 at ,litchfield1 description of1 #fc4 ,rebellion1 on enlistment of son for1 #caj2 interest of1 in organizing militia1 #cad2 sacrifices for1 #caf2 ,fourteenth ,regiment1 equipment of1 #caf1 sermon to1 #cag2 ,sixty-seventh ,regiment1 equipment of1 #cag1 #dhh2 ,union soldier1 on duty of1 #cag1 #cah2 ,bull ,run defeat1 on1 #cej2 on ,administration's inactivity and mismanagement1 #cbd1 #cbe1 #cbh1 #cbi1 on duty of1 #ccj1 #cca2 ,god's leadership in1 prayer for1 #ccb2 ,union success in1 confident of1 #ccc2 ,confederacy and ,administration contrasted1 #cce2 state of1 in #ahfc1 #cig2 enormous army1 should be crushed by an1 #ddc2 troops in1 should be no distinction between1 #ddc2 end of1 joy at1 #dea1 #dee2 brought on by ,southern politicians1 #ded4 ,reconstruction of ,south1 on ,president's duty in 7#ahfb71 #ccc2 speech on1 #deh2 letter on1 to ,pres4 ,johnson1 #dfj2 on benefits of1 to colored race1 #dfc2 on military government in1 #dfe1 #dff4 ,recreation1 mental1 how taken1 #cid1 #cie4 ,religion1 meaning of1 #fdb4 ,religious experience of1 at ,litchfield1 #fe-fi1 #gf-ha2 at ,mt4 ,pleasant1 #ig-ajb2 at ,amherst1 #aai-aba2 at ,lane1 #aed1 #aee2 spiritual exaltation 7#aheg71 #cgc2 influence of early1 #fjd4 ,republican party1 work for1 in #ahef1 #bhi1 in #ahfj1 #cjd1 #cje1 in #ahfd1 #ega2 esteem of1 #dga2 in sympathy with 7#ahff71 #dgc2 favors election of members of1 to ,congress 7#ahff71 #dge2 corruption in1 labors against1 #egd2 reasons for not working for1 #eha-ehc2 still a member of1 #ehd4 ,republics1 on political excitement in1 #ehc4 ,reputation1 on posthumous1 #eeg4 ,responsibility1 on individual1 #bai4 ,retort1 quickness of1 #beb1 #bec4 ,revivals1 at ,litchfield1 #ha2 at ,mt4 ,pleasant1 #ih2 at ,amherst1 #aai2 at ,terre ,haute1 #aia1 #aib2 at ,plymouth1 #bbb1 #bca1 #cia2 method of conducting1 #cge-cgh4 ,romance of1 an early1 #ajc4 ,ruskin1 ,john1 tribute to1 #cid4 ,sadness1 a tendency to1 #cde1 #cdf1 #ejj1 #eef4 ,sailor1 on needs of the1 #cee4 ,st4 ,louis ,library ,association1 asked to lecture before1 #chi2 matters to be avoided1 his reply1 #cij4 ,salisbury1 ,conn41 on beauties of1 #cef4 ,salvation1 on1 #cgi4 ,sarah --1 buying freedom of1 #bih-cjj4 ,saviour1 vision of sufferings of1 #cgg4 ,scepticism1 a touch of1 #aed1 #afd4 ,scholar1 desires to be a1 #eic4 ,school life1 beginning of1 #di1 #ej2 experiences at district school1 #ea-ec1 at ,mr4 ,brace's and ,mr4 ,langdon's1 #gb1 #gd1 at ,catharine ,beecher's1 amusing incidents1 #ge1 #gf2 progress in his studies1 #hc2 at ,mt4 ,pleasant1 #ic-ajh4 ,schools1 the two ,presbyterian1 views on1 #afc4 ,scott1 ,walter1 early critique on1 #ade4 ,sea-life1 determines on1 #hi2 to study for it1 #ij1 #ic2 design abandoned1 #ii4 ,seasons1 allegorical view of1 #faf4 ,sectarianism1 on1 #faa1 #fab4 ,sermons1 illustrations for1 how acquired1 #cb2 his earliest1 #acj2 first ,western1 #adi2 first at ,lawrenceburg1 #agc2 record book of1 #agi1 #aib2 at ,indianapolis1 #ahf1 #ahg2 modelled on ,apostles'1 #ahh2 proper aim of1 #ahh2 sermon on 8,prodigal ,son10 #ahi2 first sermon in ,plymouth1 #bah1 outline of1 #bbi2 issued in book form1 #dgi2 ,thanksgiving1 custom in1 #ehd2 note-books on1 #eif2 method of preparing1 #eig-fjj1 #fee1 remarks on1 #fee2 the one at ,charleston1 #eii1 at ,stamford1 #eii2 method of delivering1 #fjj2 fruits of1 #fjb2 must be delivered immediately1 #fef2 trial sermon1 #fhg4 ,seward1 ,wm4 ,h41 opinion of1 #cje4 ,shakspere1 early criticism on1 #adf4 8,shining ,shore10 a favorite with1 #cff1 #cgi4 ,sickness1 thoughts on1 #adg2 his final1 #fge4 ,slavery1 work done against1 at ,amherst1 #aai1 at ,indianapolis1 #ahe1 #aie-aig2 course on1 defined1 #bag-bbj1 #bdb2 on ,church's timidity towards1 #bba2 ,fugitive ,slave ,law1 articles on1 #bcf-bch1 #bdj-bdd2 leader against1 an acknowledged1 #bdd2 pulpit labor against1 defence of1 #bdh-beb2 tenacity of anti-slavery1 on cause of1 #beg1 instrumentalities for1 use of1 #bff2 ,constitution1 ballot1 ,church1 as forces against1 #bfg2 ,christianity against1 on power of1 #bfh2 battle against1 religious element in1 #bfi1 #bgj2 on treatment of1 #cjc1 #cca2 military question1 a1 #cca2 system of1 requires ignorance1 #dag4 ,sleep1 habits as to1 #fed4 ,south1 not safe to visit1 #dbf2 on reconstruction of1 #dec1 #deh1 #dfa2 on kindness to people of 7#ahfe71 #ded2 on effect of exclusion of1 #dei1 #dfh1 #dgc2 affection for1 #dfj2 faith in honor of1 #dfc2 on restoration of ,states of1 #dfe-dfh1 ,northern fear of1 #dff1 #dfg2 to be effected by ,republican party1 #dgg2 on results to1 of elections of #ahhd1 #ehg2 mediation for1 #fab4 ,speculative1 early aptitude for the1 #gh1 #gi4 ,spiritualism1 disbelief in1 #cfc4 ,sports1 youthful1 superiority in1 #he1 #ajh4 ,stanton1 ,edwin ,m41 encouraging note to1 reply1 #ddg2 requested by1 to go to ,charleston1 #ddi2 telegram from1 on ,sheridan's success1 #dej4 ,stockton1 ,col41 recommends to ,lincoln1 #ddc4 ,storrs1 ,dr4 ,r4 ,s41 reasons for not confiding in1 #ebj2 attempted reconciliation with1 #efa4 ,stowe1 ,rev4 ,calvin ,e41 indebtedness to1 #acg2 a joke on1 #ada4 ,strength of paternal ancestry of1 #ai4 ,studies1 in youth1 backward in1 #gj1 #gd1 #ajb4 ,study1 on wrong method of1 #fdc4 ,style1 literary1 remarks on1 #fdd4 ,sumner-,brooks affair1 speech on1 #bhg2 article on1 #bhh4 ,sunday1 influences of1 when a boy1 #fb4 ,synod meeting1 description of1 #aeb4 ,tasks of1 in boyhood1 #fd4 ,taxes for war1 on1 #cbc2 ,christian's duty as to1 #cbd4 ,tea1 effect of1 #feb4 ,temperance1 early work in1 #acj1 #ach1 #add1 #adg2 in ,lawrenceburg1 #ahe2 8teetotal0 at ,oxford1 ,eng41 #cde2 to his daughter1 on practice of1 #chd2 use of liquors as medicine1 #feb1 #fec4 8,temple ,melodies10 compilation of1 #cfc2 name omitted from title of1 #cfd4 ,terre ,haute1 ,ind41 reminiscence of1 #aij-aib4 ,theologian1 as a1 #fjb1 #fjc2 estimate of1 #fjc4 ,theology1 proposes to find a universal1 #egj2 his influence on1 #fjd2 theological disputes1 hatred of1 #fjd1 #fje2 dislike of1 reason for1 #fjf2 future1 on the1 #fji4 ,thirteenth ,regiment1 accepts chaplaincy of1 #ffj2 sword a source of trouble1 #ffb2 military orders1 experience with1 #ffb1 #ffc2 title in1 #ffc4 ,tides1 youthful definition of1 #gf4 ,tilton1 ,theodore1 affection for1 #dhi1 #ejj2 first charge of1 #dic2 called on to leave ,brooklyn by1 #did1 #ejc2 efforts to reclaim1 #die1 #dig2 opinion of1 to ,bowen1 #ejc2 self-accusations of unintentional wrong to1 #eje2 moral conduct of1 deceived in1 #eji2 urges him to break with ,mrs4 ,woodhull1 #eaj2 on bad traits of1 #eaf2 promise to1 as to ,mrs4 ,tilton1 #eag2 payment to1 of #e1jjj1 #eai2 openly charged by1 #ebg2 charge changed by1 #ecb2 civil suit by1 #ecc4 ,tilton1 ,mrs4 ,t41 advice asked by1 as to separation1 #ejb2 letter to1 ,feb4 #ag1 #ahga1 #ejg2 letter to1 on ,woodhull scandal1 #eac4 ,tools1 readiness with1 #fd4 ,travel1 foreign1 religion weakened by1 #chd4 ,trinity1 on doctrine of1 #fjg4 ,tripartite agreement1 part in1 #eab2 honored by him alone1 #ebj4 ,trouble1 on surmounting1 #cgd2 how affected by1 #dii4 ,trouting1 letter on1 #ceg4 ,trust in ,god1 on1 #cgi2 how strengthened1 #faf1 #fag4 ,truth1 desire for1 #bab4 8,tutor's ,delight10 the1 #aaf4 ,tweed frauds1 denunciations of1 #egb4 ,twin sons of1 birth of1 #ceb2 death of1 #ceg4 ,undenominational spirit of1 #afc1 #afg1 #bbg1 #dhc1 #faa4 ,unitarian reaction in ,massachusetts1 on the1 #hc2 ,sabbath-school1 on ostracism of a1 #cee1 #cef4 ,vicksburg and ,gettysburg1 on victories of1 #dje1 #djf4 ,war1 views on1 #cab1 #cac1 #cih2 ,christians in1 on bearing of1 #cad2 with ,england1 on1 #cbb4 ,welsh blood in1 source of1 #ai4 ,white ,mountains1 summer services in1 #ffj4 ,widowerhood1 possible1 remark on1 #bj4 ,woman1 reverence for1 #eed4 ,writing-paper1 dislike of foreign1 #chg4 ,young1 fondness for1 #ahd1 #ahe1 #bjc2 8,lectures to ,young ,men10 #aii4 ,beecher1 ,mrs4 ,h4 ,w41 an accident to1 #che2 determination of1 #chf2 ,beecher's1 ,henry ,w41 letter to1 on his health1 #fec2 ,lawrenceburg1 description of pastorate at1 #agb1 of housekeeping at1 #agd2 retrospect by1 of ,mr4 ,beecher's youth1 #aba-abg2 wedding of1 #agj2 journey to ,west1 #aga4 ,beecher1 ,john1 a pioneer of ,new ,haven ,colony1 #ai4 ,beecher1 ,joseph1 reminiscence of1 #ai2 strength of1 #bj4 ,beecher1 ,nathaniel1 reminiscence of1 #ai2 strength of1 #bj4 ,beecher1 ,rev4 ,lyman1 affection of1 for his wife1 #bf4 ,beecher1 ,roxana1 opinion of1 #bd1 #bf4 ,birth and childhood of1 #ah4 ,boston1 removal to1 #hb4 ,character of1 #ag1 #bf1 #bg4 ,children of1 their regimen1 #df2 tulip-bulbs1 adventure with1 #dg2 at their mother's death1 #di2 some amusements of1 the cat's funeral1 #ef2 treatment of1 by their father1 #eg2 fishing trip1 a1 spoiled1 #eh2 teaching of1 by their father #eh2 father's spirit1 influenced by1 #fh4 ,cincinnati1 household at1 #ach-adj2 family meeting at1 #adb4 ,college1 preparation for1 #ai4 ,courtship of1 #bf4 ,death of1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #fha4 ,duelling1 effect of sermon on1 #bg4 ,east ,hampton1 life and labors at1 #bg2 departure from1 #bi4 ,farm life1 disgusted with1 #ah4 ,financial difficulties1 faith under1 #aag4 ,indomitable spirit of1 infused into his children1 #fh1 #fi4 ,kindness of1 abused1 remark on1 #fei4 ,lane ,seminary1 president of1 #acf1 #afj2 instruction at1 method of1 #acg2 heresy1 charged with1 #aea1 #afj2 union of churches1 wish for1 #afj4 ,letters of1 to ,roxana ,foote1 #bf1 #bg4 ,litchfield1 called to1 #bi2 dwelling at1 #ch1 #fb1 rats in1 #fc2 household at1 #ch1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #eec2 ideal home1 an1 #dj2 labors at1 made a mental stimulus1 #eh2 visit to1 in #aheg1 #cgc4 ,marriage of1 to ,roxana ,foote1 #bg2 to ,harriet ,porter1 #ec4 ,missionary societies in ,connecticut formed by1 #db4 ,new ,school1 battle for1 #aea4 ,orthodoxy1 zeal for1 #hb4 ,plymouth ,church1 at a revival in1 #cgf4 ,religious temperament of1 #bf4 ,shrewdness of1 in ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's sea project1 #ij4 ,society for ,prevention of ,vice in ,connecticut formed by1 #db4 ,synod1 moderator of1 #aeb4 ,temperance1 action on1 #db4 ,unitarian reaction1 protest against1 #hb4 ,united ,states in #ahac1 remarks on1 #da4 ,woodspell1 the yearly1 #eh4 ,beecher1 ,roxana1 accomplishments of1 #bc4 ,ancestry of1 #ba1 #bb4 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 estimate of1 #abh2 her influence on1 #fg1 #eed4 ,courtship of1 #bf4 ,death of1 #dh4 ,east ,hampton1 ,l4 ,i41 life in1 #bg4 ,education of1 how acquired1 #bc4 ,episcopal ,church1 member of1 #bc1 #bd4 ,letters of1 to ,lyman ,beecher1 #bf4 ,love of1 for her husband1 #bf4 ,parents of1 loyal to king1 #bc4 ,personal characteristics of1 #bc1 #bd4 ,recollections of1 #dg4 ,religious temperament of1 #bd1 #bf4 ,school of1 in ,east ,hampton1 #bh4 ,science1 interest in1 #dj4 ,trials of1 some1 #dj4 ,beecher1 ,rev4 ,thomas ,k41 reminiscences by1 of ,henry and ,charles1 #ij1 #ach4 ,benton1 ,lot1 ,lyman ,beecher brought up by1 #ah4 ,big ,bantam ,lake 7,litchfield71 #ca4 ,blaine1 ,james ,g41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #egf1 #egg4 ,blake1 ,g4 ,faulkner1 in ransom of slaves1 #bid4 ,boscobel--see ,peekskill4 ,boston1 ,mass41 bells of1 #hc2 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 life in1 #ij-ib1 adventure with cross woman of1 #aah1 rumors in1 against1 #ecd1 #edf1 rumors refuted1 #ece2 reception in1 at lecture1 #efe2 ,beecher1 ,lyman1 removes to1 #hb1 dwelling at1 #he2 feuds of1 juvenile1 #he2 ,navy-,yard of1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's enthusiasm over1 #hd1 purloins cannon-ball from1 #hg2 ships of1 impress ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #hd2 sport of1 a juvenile1 #he4 ,bowen1 ,henry ,c41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's dispute with1 as to accounts1 #dhi1 scandalous hints concerning1 #dij1 hatred of1 intensified by resignation1 #dib1 bitter enemy to1 #did1 promises support to1 #ejd1 renews charges against1 #edb1 proposed committee on1 #edc2 card of1 on black-listing1 #bdg2 ,conspiracy1 part in1 #dic2 ,plymouth ,church1 dropped by1 #edc2 ,tilton1 ,theodore1 early troubles with1 #dia1 reasons for reducing1 #ejc1 charged by1 with scandalous stories1 #eaa2 tripartite agreement1 part in1 #eab4 ,brice1 ,pomona1 help afforded to1 #bic4 ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher called to1 #ahg1 #baj-baf1 speech at1 on return from ,england1 #dch1 in answer to ,wendell ,phillips1 #deh2 ,common ,council of1 tender reception to ,mr4 ,beecher1 #fgb2 ,fourteenth ,regiment1 equipment of1 #caf2 martial spirit in1 in #ahfa1 #cad2 services in1 at death of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #fhj2 slaves ransomed in1 #bib-cjj2 ,thirteenth ,regiment of1 elects ,mr4 ,beecher chaplain1 #ffj4 ,brooks1 ,preston ,s41 attack of1 on ,charles ,sumner1 #bhf2 ,mr4 ,beecher on1 #bhg1 #bhh4 ,brown1 ,john1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cja1 #cjb2 name of1 a war-cry1 #cja2 sketch of1 #cjj4 ,brussels1 ,belgium1 visit to1 of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #djc4 ,buchanan1 ,pres41 administration of1 #cje2 election of1 #bia2 fast-day of1 #cjg4 ,budington1 ,rev4 ,w4 ,i41 ,advisory ,council 7#ahgf71 refuses to attend1 #edd2 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 enmity to1 #eba2 church of1 divided on calling council1 #ebc1 protest on1 #ebd1 letter to1 from ,mr4 ,beecher1 on protest1 #ebf4 ,bull ,run defeat1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cbj2 effect of1 at ,north1 #cai1 #cbj4 ,burgess1 ,deacon1 annually nominated for ,legislature1 #bb4 ,burr1 ,betsey1 #ch4 ,calhoun1 ,john ,c41 on ,compromise ,bill1 #bcf4 ,california1 admission of1 as ,state1 #bce4 ,calvinism1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's early training in1 #gj1 #gg2 ,beecher's1 ,lyman1 zeal for1 #hb2 reaction against1 in ,massachusetts1 #hb1 #hc4 ,catlin1 ,dr4 7,litchfield71 reminiscence of1 #cf4 ,charleston1 ,s4 ,c41 exercises at1 in #ahfe1 addressed by ,mr4 ,beecher1 #ddi-ded2 his sermon at1 how prepared1 #eii4 ,chestnut ,hill 7,litchfield71 #cj4 ,children1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's love for1 #fci2 method of whipping1 one1 #fdj2 advice to his children on self-help1 religion1 ,bible-reading1 study1 health and duty1 choosing profession1 literary style1 #fda-fdd4 ,christian ,union1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher editor of1 #dia2 formation of1 #dia4 ,cincinnati1 ,o41 in #ahcd1 #aec2 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 lecture in1 in #ahfa1 #cji4 ,citizen1 ,brooklyn1 on burial of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #fhj4 ,clay1 ,henry1 ,compromise measure of1 #bce1 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 on1 #bcg2 ,omnibus ,bill of1 #bcf4 ,cleveland1 ,grover1 slanders against1 ,mr4 ,beecher on1 #egg1 #egh2 supported by1 in #ahhd1 #egg-ehj4 ,cleveland1 ,o41 army and navy convention at1 object1 #dfa1 #dfd2 invitation of1 to ,mr4 ,beecher1 #dfa4 ,cleveland letters1 history of1 #dfa-dgh2 invitation to ,mr4 ,beecher by convention1 #dfa2 reply1 #dfe1 public clamor against1 #dfb2 second letter1 #dgb4 ,cobden1 ,richard1 on ,english sympathy for ,american ,union1 #ddj4 ,compromise measures1 acceptance of1 by political parties1 #beg2 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 on1 #bcf-bch1 #cjf1 #dba2 evil of1 #bce2 introduction of1 in ,congress1 #bcc2 object of1 #bce2 passage of1 #bch2 popular endorsement of1 #beg1 #bfe4 ,congregational ,association1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher resigns from1 #efg1 statement to1 #efh2 resolution of1 on resignation1 #efh4 ,congregational ,church1 proposed liturgy for1 #cgj2 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 on extemporaneous prayer in1 #cga2 of ,england1 favors ,confederacy1 #djj1 #djb1 ,mr4 ,beecher on1 #dja2 ,mr4 ,beecher's estimate of1 #faj4 ,connecticut1 ,congregational churches of1 withdraws aid from1 #db2 ,society for ,prevention of ,vice1 missionary societies in1 #db2 temperance question1 #db4 ,conspiracy1 the1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's account of1 #die-ebj1 on malignity of1 #edf2 beginning of1 #dic1 #did2 ,boston1 rumors in1 concerning1 #ecd1 ,mr4 ,beecher's defence at1 #ece2 ,bowen's1 ,h4 ,c41 part in1 #dic2 civil suit1 the1 #ecc2 ,moulton1 ,mrs41 against ,mr4 ,beecher1 #ecd2 cost of1 to ,mr4 ,beecher1 #edi2 end of1 #efb2 8,false ,secret10 the1 #efc2 history of1 #dhh-efc2 investigating committee on1 #dii1 #ebg-ecj1 members of1 ,mr4 ,beecher's letter to1 #ebh2 ,moulton1 ,frank1 joins1 #did2 tripartite agreement in1 #dif1 #dig1 #eaa1 #eab2 ,woodhull scandal in1 #eac4 ,cowper1 ,william1 style of1 #fdd4 ,cuba1 annexation of1 #bhj1 #bhb2 expedition against1 #bha4 ,cunard steamers1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on bigotry on1 #cej1 #cea4 ,cutler1 ,w4 ,t41 in ,mr4 ,beecher's call ,east1 #baj1 #bac2 letter to1 of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #baj4 ,daniel1 ,samuel1 poem of1 quoted1 #acd4 ,dayton1 ,george1 neighbor at ,peekskill1 #fbc4 ,democratic party1 divisions in1 in #ahfc1 #cih2 losses of1 in #ahed1 #bgc2 success of1 in #aheb1 #beg1 in #ahef1 #bia4 ,douglas1 ,stephen ,a41 resolution of1 to repeal ,compromise1 #bgb4 ,douglass1 ,fred41 invited to attend ,plymouth ,church1 #bdh4 ,dred ,scott decision1 the1 #bha2 logical results of1 #bhb4 ,eagle1 ,brooklyn1 ,tilton's infamous article in 7#ahgc71 #ead4 ,east ,hampton1 ,l4 ,i41 ,beecher family in1 #bg1 departure from1 #bi2 school in1 of ,roxana ,beecher1 #bh4 ,edinburgh1 ,scotland1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's speech in1 #dai-dbb4 ,editor1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on power of an1 #cba2 editorial articles of1 sources1 #cbe2 their characteristic features1 #cbe1 #cbf4 ,edmonson sisters1 freedom of1 purchased1 #bib1 #bic4 ,election of #ahhd1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's work in1 #ege-ehc2 review of1 #ehe1 #ehf4 ,ellsworth1 ,col41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on death of1 #cac4 ,emancipation1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher demands1 #cca1 #ccb1 #ccc2 ,proclamation of1 article on1 #ccf4 ,emery1 ,s4 ,hopkins1 reminiscences by1 of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #aad4 ,emigration societies1 to aid fight in ,kansas1 #bgi4 ,england3 ,america1 introduced slavery into1 #dca4 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 visit to1 in #ahej1 #cci-cdi2 impressions of ,warwick1 ,kenilworth1 #cdj1 of ,csar's and ,guy's ,towers1 #cda1 of ,stratford-on-,avon1 #cdb1 #cdd1 of ,oxford1 ,bodleian ,library1 #cdd1 #cde4 ,trip to1 in #ahfc1 #cif-dcf2 speeches in ,manchester1 #djh-dad1 in ,liverpool1 #dbb-dcb1 in ,london1 #dcb-dcf2 effect of speeches1 #dcf1 #dda4 ,visit to1 in #ahhf1 #ffe-fgb2 ,westminster ,abbey1 visit to1 #ffi2 on customs at public meetings in1 #fgj2 address in ,city ,temple1 #fga4 ,classes in1 upper1 favor ,confederacy1 #cci1 #djj1 #dch1 reasons for1 #dci2 laboring classes favor ,north1 #djj1 #ddj4 ,confederate cruisers1 building of1 stopped1 #daj4 ,congregational clergy in1 favor ,south1 #djj1 #djb2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #dja4 ,parliament of1 willing to declare for ,south1 #djf4 ,product of institutions of1 in ,new ,england1 #be4 ,public meetings in1 customs at1 #fgj4 ,queen of1 a friend to ,north1 #dci4 ,confederacy1 results in1 of its success1 #dbi2 feeling in favor of1 universal1 #dch4 ,vicksburg and ,gettysburg1 effect of victories at1 #djf1 #dda4 ,war with1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cbb1 #dab4 ,united ,states1 reasons for wishing disruption of1 #djb1 #djc1 #dci1 #ddj2 material reasons for supporting ,northern cause1 #dbh1 #dbi4 ,express1 ,new ,york1 on ,fremont's marriage1 #bia4 8,false ,secret10 the1 #efc4 ,fast-day1 ,buchanan's1 #cjg4 ,field1 ,thomas ,p41 reminiscences by1 of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #if1 #aac1 #aae4 ,fitzgerald1 ,w4 ,p41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's instructor in mathematics1 #id4 ,foote1 ,james1 notice of1 #ba4 ,foote1 ,nathaniel1 notice of1 #ba4 ,foote1 ,roxana--see ,beecher1 ,roxana4 ,foote1 ,roxana ,ward1 names ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #da2 notice of1 #bb4 ,foote1 ,samuel1 reminiscence of1 #ch4 ,fourteenth ,regiment1 formation of1 #caf2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's sermon to1 #cag4 ,freedmen--see ,negroes4 ,freedom of speech1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #bdc-bde2 on stifling of1 in ,kansas1 #bhd4 ,fremont1 ,john ,c41 marriage of1 used against him1 #bij2 nominated for ,president1 #bhh2 religion of1 #bia4 ,garrison1 ,william ,l41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #bfg4 ,gettysburg1 victory at1 effect in ,england1 #djf4 ,glasgow1 ,scotland1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's speech in1 in #ahfc1 #dad-dai4 ,gould1 ,judge1 law-school of1 at ,litchfield1 #cd1 #cg2 reminiscence of1 #cf4 ,grant1 ,gen41 and ,mr4 ,beecher's military titles1 #ffc4 ,guilford1 ,conn41 #bb1 #bc4 ,hall1 ,rev4 ,charles ,h41 friendship of1 for ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #fgg2 preaches at his death1 #fgh4 ,hanks1 ,s4 ,w41 reminiscence by1 of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #aad4 ,harrington1 ,moody1 a religious helper to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #abj1 #aba4 ,haven1 ,john1 reminiscence by1 of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #aac4 ,hopkinton1 ,mass41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's school at1 #abi4 ,hubbard1 ,aunt ,mary1 #ch2 death of1 #db4 ,independent1 the1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's early contributions to1 #cbj1 #dhh1 editor of1 #cba1 #dhh1 editorials in 7#ahfb71 #cbb-ccf1 assailed in1 for ,cleveland letters1 #dfi1 #dia1 #eja2 conduct of1 protest against1 #dia2 influence of1 early1 #dij2 purpose of1 #cba2 rivals of1 #dia1 #dib2 ,tilton1 ,theodore1 editor of1 #dij1 resigns1 #dib4 ,independent ,republicans1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #efa1 #ehc4 ,indianapolis1 ,ind41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher called to1 #agi1 #aha1 his churches at1 #aha1 #ahc1 departure from1 #baf2 condition of1 in #ahci1 #aha1 #bjf2 railroad train from1 the first1 #bjg1 #baf4 ,indians1 antiquities of1 at ,litchfield1 #ca2 ,lyman ,beecher's labors among1 #bg4 ,ingersoll1 ,mrs41 reminiscence of1 #gb4 ,investigating ,committee 7in ,conspiracy71 asked for1 by ,mr4 ,beecher1 #ebh2 report of1 #ecj4 ,ireland1 ,american sympathy for1 #bfe4 ,johnson1 ,pres41 plan of1 as to reconstruction1 #deh1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher to1 #dfj2 course of1 ,northern anger against1 #dfb1 #dfi-dga4 ,jones1 ,mr41 part of1 in 8,temple ,melodies10 #cfc1 #cfd4 ,journal of ,commerce1 ,new ,york1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's criticism on1 #ccd4 ,kansas1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on the contest in1 #bhc1 #cja2 ,brown1 ,john1 in1 #cjj2 emigrants to1 rush of1 #bgi1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #bhd2 forces in1 opposing1 #bhj2 freedom1 personal1 endangered in1 #bhd2 governors of1 deposed1 #bhb2 importance of1 in slavery contest1 #bgg2 ,lecompton ,constitution1 adoption of1 #bgh1 rejected by the people1 #bhb2 ,legislatures of1 the two1 #bgi1 #bhj2 rifles sent to1 by ,mr4 ,beecher1 #bhc1 #bhf2 situation in1 in #ahee1 #bgh2 slave-laws of1 #bgh1 #bhd2 ,topeka ,constitution1 adoption of1 #bgi2 war in1 beginning of1 #bga1 deeds committed in1 #bgi1 results of1 #bhb1 #cjj4 ,kilbourne1 8,ma'am10 ,h4,w4 ,beecher's first teacher1 #ej4 ,kossuth1 ,louis1 sketch of1 visit to ,america1 #bef1 #ceb4 ,landon1 ,sheriff1 reminiscence of1 #cg4 ,lane ,seminary1 ,ohio1 ,lyman ,beecher president of1 #acf1 gives earnest tone to1 #acg2 object of1 #acf2 slavery question at1 #acg4 ,langdon1 ,mr41 school of1 attended by ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #gb2 teaching1 method of1 #gd4 ,lawrenceburg1 ,ind41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher called to1 #aeg1 residence at1 #agd1 #agf1 success at1 #agc1 #agf2 church of1 independent1 #afb1 #afg2 description of1 #aeh1 #aei4 8,lectures to ,young ,men10 purpose of1 #bjj2 publishing of1 #bja4 ,lecture-room talks of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher3 ,conversion of ,philippian ,jailer 7#aheh71 #cgf2 ,division in ,presbyterian ,church1 #afc2 ,emancipation ,proclamation1 #ccg2 ,love to ,enemies1 #caa4 ,lenox1 ,mass41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's farm at1 #cei1 #cfj1 #fah2 residence at1 given up1 #cgb4 ,leopold1 ,king1 receives ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 suggests compromise in ,rebellion1 #djd2 ,mr4 ,beecher's advice to1 on ,mexico1 #dje4 ,letters quoted3 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 to ,dr4 ,bacon1 ,march1 #ahgf1 #efj4 ,to ,barnabas ,bates1 ,october #ab1 #aheb1 #bfa4 ,to ,mrs4 ,beecher1 ,may #ag1 #ahdi1 #ajf2 #ahgc1 #ejh2 on his health1 #fed4 ,to ,edward ,beecher1 ,july #aa1 #ahbi1 #ii2 ,august1 #ahbi1 #ajj4 ,to ,william ,beecher1 #ahcb1 #abi4 ,to ,dr4 ,budington1 #ahgd1 #ebf4 ,to ,w4 ,t4 ,cutler1 ,december #ae1 #ahdf1 #baj4 ,to ,richard ,hale1 ,october #ab1 #aheb1 #bfa4 ,to ,indianapolis ,church1 ,august #ab1 #ahdg1 #bad4 ,to ,investigating ,committee1 #ahgd1 #ebh4 ,to ,r4 ,w4 ,landis1 ,october #ab1 #aheb1 #bfb4 ,to ,frank ,moulton1 ,june1 #ahgc1 #eae4 ,to ,plymouth ,church1 ,august #ai1 #ahdg1 #bae4 ,to ,s4 ,scoville1 on ,ambition1 #eid4 ,to ,st4 ,louis ,library ,association1 #ahei1 #cij4 ,to ,mrs4 ,tilton1 ,november1 #ahgb1 #eac4 ,to ,new ,york ,tribune1 #bfh1 #bfi4 ,to ,dr4 ,tyng1 ,september #f1 #ahff1 #dgj4 ,to his sister1 #ahag1 #ej2 ,december #bd1 #ahbh1 #ig2 ,march #a1 #ahcj1 #aja2 #ahca1 #aag2 #ahcg1 #aga4 ,to his daughter1 ,november1 #ahec1 #ceh2 ,june #bd1 #ahed1 #ceh2 #ahei1 #chc1 #chd2 ,february #aa1 #ahfj1 #che2 ,february #ad1 #ahfj1 #chg4 ,to his children1 #fdb-fdf4 ,to ,colonel of ,thirteenth ,regiment1 ,december #ai1 #ahhd1 #ffb2 ,february #ab1 #ahhe1 #ffc4 ,bacon1 ,dr4 ,leonard1 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 ,february #bg1 #ahgf1 #eei4 ,moulton1 ,frank1 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 ,june #a1 #ahgc1 #eag4 ,storrs1 ,r4 ,s41 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 ,november #b1 #ahgb1 #ebj4 ,st4 ,louis ,library ,association to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #ahei1 #chi4 ,tyng1 ,dr4 ,s4 ,h41 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #ahff1 #dfi4 8,life of ,christ10 first volume of1 completed1 #dhj1 #fgd2 second volume of1 work on1 #fgc1 #fgd2 prophetic words of ,mr4 ,beecher on1 #fgd4 ,lincoln1 ,pres41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's confidence in1 #cjd2 work for1 #cje2 on call of1 for soldiers1 #cbg1 #cbh2 on vacillation of1 in #ahfb1 #cbi1 #ddd2 on invincible purpose of1 in #ahfc1 #cih2 visit to1 in #ahfd1 #ddf2 tribute to1 #ddg4 ,emancipation ,proclamation of1 #ccf4 ,nomination of1 #cjd4 ,restoration of ,south1 favors immediate1 #dfe4 ,nomination of1 for presidency1 #cjd4 ,lind1 ,jenny1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's defence of1 #cea4 ,litchfield1 ,conn41 antiquities of1 #ca2 appearance of1 in #ahef1 #ce-ch2 ,beecher1 ,lyman1 called to1 #bi1 residence and household at1 #ch1 #fb1 #fc2 courts of1 their brilliancy1 #cd2 description of1 by ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #cj2 education and religion1 reputation for1 #cc1 #cd2 foundation of1 wisdom shown in1 #cc2 natural beauties of1 #cb1 #cc2 paradise1 a1 for a boy1 #ca2 patriotism of1 during ,revolution1 #cd2 school of1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher at1 #ea-ec2 situation of1 #cj1 #ca2 winter in1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #fb4 ,litchfield ,hill1 #cj4 ,little ,pond 7,litchfield71 #ca4 ,liverpool1 ,england1 ,mr4 ,beecher's first speech in1 in #ahfc1 #dja1 second speech1 #dbb-dcb1 placarded in1 #dbb1 threats against1 #dbc1 reception of1 #dbd2 ,courier of1 on ,mr4 ,beecher1 #dbb4 ,london1 ,england1 ,mr4 ,beecher's first speeches in1 in #ahfc1 #dja1 #djb2 second speech in1 #dbb-dcf4 ,lord1 ,mrs4 7,litchfield71 reminiscence of1 #cg4 ,love1 ,mr41 author of 8,shining ,shore10 #cff4 ,lovell1 ,john ,e41 ,mr4 ,beecher's instructor in elocution1 #ie4 ,mc,clellan1 ,gen4 ,george1 defeat of1 #cbg2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cbh4 ,mc,lean1 ,judge ,john1 on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's slavery sermons1 #aif1 #aig4 ,manchester1 ,eng41 ,mr4 ,beecher's speech at1 #djh-dad4 ,mason1 ,lowell1 on hymn-music1 #cfe4 ,massachusetts ,emigrant ,company1 work of1 #bgi4 ,matteawan1 ,n4 ,y41 ,beecher family at1 #cgb1 #fah4 ,missouri ,compromise1 the1 #bce2 repeal of1 proposed1 #bgb1 effected1 #bgg1 clerical protest against1 #bgc1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's articles on1 #bgc-bgg4 ,mitchel1 ,john1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's prophecy on1 #bff2 slavery1 views on1 #bfe4 ,moulton1 ,frank1 assurances of1 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #dif1 #dig2 urges him to write to ,mrs4 ,tilton1 #ejg2 urges letter from1 clearing ,tilton1 #eae2 letter to1 ,june #a1 #ahgc1 #eag2 innocence of1 affirms1 #eah4 ,conspiracy against ,mr4 ,beecher1 joins1 #did4 ,indicted by ,grand ,jury1 #ecc4 ,investigating ,committee1 fails to attend1 #ebi4 ,part of1 in #e1jjj to ,tilton1 #eai4 ,tilton's cause1 advocacy of1 #eje4 ,wife of1 dropped by ,plymouth1 results1 #ecd4 ,montague1 ,george1 recollections by1 of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #ic1 #ie4 ,mount ,pleasant ,institute1 appearance of1 in #ahdi1 #ajg2 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 enters1 #ic2 lotteries at1 #aah2 standing of1 #id4 ,mount ,tom ,hill 7,litchfield71 #cj2 signal station at1 ancient1 #ca4 ,music1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's early work in1 #ib1 #abd1 #ach1 #aci1 #add2 church music1 an old method of1 #cfc1 reform in1 #cfe2 8,plymouth ,collection10 compilation of1 #cfc-cff2 hymn-music1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's views on1 #cff-cfg2 organ1 value of1 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #fjj4 ,napoleon ,,iii41 ,mexican campaign of1 sympathy with ,confederacy1 #cii4 ,negroes1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on help to fugitive1 #bdj1 #bda1 on return of1 #beb2 on social ostracism of1 #bdg2 on treatment of1 at ,north1 #bdg1 #bdh1 #cjc2 on freedom given to eight1 #bfc2 on benefits to1 from admission of ,south1 #dfc1 #dfg2 suffrage refused to1 #dgd4 ,nettleton1 ,mr41 revival by1 at ,litchfield1 #gg1 #hj4 ,newell1 ,constantine1 character of1 #ajf2 covenant of1 with ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #ajd2 history of1 #aje4 ,new ,england1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher a product of1 #be1 #bf2 influence of1 on the nation1 #be2 slavery in1 ,mr4 ,beecher on1 #bej4 ,new ,jersey1 slave erased from ,prayer-,book of1 #bed4 ,new ,york1 law of1 as to slaves1 #bea4 ,new ,york ,city1 corrupt judiciary of 7#ahfg-ga71 #egb4 ,north1 the1 admission of ,southern ,states1 fear from1 #dff1 #dfg2 blockade by1 in #ahfc1 #cii2 feeling at1 against ,compromise1 #bce1 #bcf1 for ,compromise1 #bch2 ,fugitive ,slave ,law1 abhorrence of1 #bci1 #bdj2 industry in1 universal1 #dah2 merchants at1 black-listed1 #bdg2 political parties in1 in #ahfc1 #cih2 population and intelligence of country resident in1 #dac2 ,rebellion1 military ardor in1 in #ahfa1 #cad1 #cae1 desolation from1 #cae1 unity of1 not to be broken by1 #cbg1 conflicting schemes in1 #ccj1 army of1 in #ahfc1 #cig2 slavery at1 abolition of1 #bea2 soldiers of1 on exclusion of ,south1 #dfa1 #dfb2 ,sumter1 ,fort1 excitement over fall of1 #cad2 workingman1 doctrine as to 7#ahfc71 #dai4 ,norwich1 ,n4 ,y41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #chi4 8,nutplains10 ,roxana ,foote at1 #bb-bd1 #bf1 #bg4 ,omnibus ,bill1 ,clay's1 #bcf4 ,omnibuses of ,new ,york and negroes1 #bdg1 #bdh4 ,ostend ,manifesto1 the1 #bhj4 ,oxford ,presbytery1 rule of1 as to licenses1 #aei1 #aff2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher examined by1 #afa1 #afb1 #aff4 ,paris1 ,france1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's visit to1 its art-galleries1 #cdf-cdh4 ,parker1 ,theodore1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #chj1 #cha4 ,parker1 ,dr4 7,london71 tribute of1 to ,mr4 ,beecher1 #ffi4 ,parker1 -- 7,litchfield71 reminiscence of1 #cg4 ,parker controversy1 the1 #beg-bfb4 ,peekskill1 ,n4 ,y41 farm at1 #chc2 description1 #fai1 #fbj2 cottage at1 #fbj2 old apple-tree at1 #fba2 products of1 #fbc2 flowers at1 #fbf2 new house at1 #fbh-fcj1 decoration of1 #fcj2 trees and shrubs at1 #fcj1 #fcb2 fowls at1 #fcd1 the patent hatcher1 #fce2 cattle at1 #fcf2 bees at1 #fcf1 #fcg2 dogs at1 #fcg1 8,tommy10 #fch4 ,phillips1 ,wendell1 experiences of1 in ,brooklyn1 #bdf4 ,phrenology1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's adoption of1 #acj4 ,pierce1 ,pres41 ,ostend ,manifesto inspired by1 #bhj2 peace1 hopes for1 #bfe2 qualifications of1 for office1 #beg4 ,pierce1 ,misses1 ladies' school of1 at ,litchfield1 #cd2 reminiscence of1 #cf4 8,pinky10 freedom of1 bought at ,plymouth1 #bid-bif4 ,plymouth ,church1 ,advisory ,council 7#ahgd71 declines to attend1 #ebg2 deliverance of1 how affected by1 #ebg4 ,advisory ,council 7#ahgf71 calls an1 #ecg2 composition of1 #ech2 questions discussed by1 #ech2 sustained by1 #edi2 recommends committee on charges1 #eej4 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w44 generosity to1 in ,conspiracy1 #efe2 his sermons in1 in #ahfd1 #ega2 welcome to1 in #ahhf1 #fgb2 service in1 at death of1 #fgh2 memorial service in1 #fhj4 ,building1 the new1 #chg4 ,burning of first building1 #bbb4 ,call of1 to ,mr4 ,beecher1 #bad4 ,condition of1 in #aheh1 #cgd4 ,courtesy at1 by pewholders1 #cgi1 #chj4 ,danger to1 from mobs1 #bdf4 ,debt of1 extinguished 7#ahea71 #cec4 ,flowers in1 introduction of1 #cib4 ,formation of1 #bac1 #bad4 ,generosity of members of1 #baf4 ,growth and popularity of1 #bbb-bbd1 #bbe1 #dhj4 ,income of1 criticism on1 #cgi4 ,influence of1 #dhj4 ,investigating ,committee1 accepts report of1 #ecj4 ,lecture at1 weekly1 #bbi4 ,members in 7#ahfb71 reception of1 #cib2 exercised over ,cleveland letter1 #dgb2 number of1 in #ahgb1 #dhj2 troubles caused by1 after ,scandal1 #ecg2 duty of1 as to ,advisory ,council1 #eci-edb4 ,moulton1 ,mrs41 dropped by1 #ecd4 ,organ at1 the new 7#ahei71 #chb4 ,phillips1 ,wendell1 at1 #bdf4 ,polity of1 #bcb4 ,prayer meetings at1 weekly1 #bcj2 daily1 #cgf1 influence of1 #cgg1 prayers in1 #cgh4 ,regiments1 rendezvous for1 #caf4 ,revival at1 in #ahdh1 #bbb2 in #aheh1 #cge2 in #ahfa-fc1 #cia4 ,sheridan's victory1 joy over1 #dej4 ,silver ,wedding of1 #dhj2 ,children's day1 #dha2 ,members' and ,historical days1 #dhb2 ,communion day1 #dhf2 ,storrs's1 ,dr41 speech at1 #dhd-dhf4 ,slavery1 its stand against1 #bba4 ,slaves ransomed in1 #bic-cjj4 ,sociable at1 weekly1 #bca4 ,sunday-schools of1 #dhj4 ,sunday services in1 #bbh1 #bbi4 ,tabernacle1 building of1 #bbc4 ,tilton1 ,theodore1 dropped from rolls of1 remonstrances against1 #ebc4 8,plymouth ,collection10 history of1 #cfc-cff2 terms of publishing of1 #cfd2 a model for others1 #cfe2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on alleged omissions from1 #cfh4 ,porter1 ,pres4 ,noah1 letter to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on ,conspiracy1 #ecb4 ,prayer1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's early love for1 #ig1 #ajj2 sample of1 #bbh2 on extemporaneous1 #cga2 reply to request for copy of a1 #fef4 ,presbyterian ,church1 division in1 #aea1 #aei1 #afe1 one cause of1 #afj1 one result of1 #afh2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #afc4 ,prohibition party1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #ehc4 ,prospect ,hill 7,litchfield71 #cj4 ,raymond1 ,john1 sails for ,england with ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #cif2 speech of1 in ,london1 #dja4 ,rebellion1 the1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #caj1 #cac1 #cad2 sacrifices for1 #caf2 on ,union soldier's duty in1 #cag1 #cah2 on ,southern unity and ,northern uncertainty in1 #ccj2 on distinction between ,union troops in1 #ddc2 on end of1 #dea1 #dee4 ,beginning of1 #cji4 ,european sentiment regarding1 #djj4 ,federal army in1 condition of1 in #ahfc1 #cig4 ,federal disasters in1 in #ahfb1 #cbg4 ,reconstruction1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #deh-dfa1 sermon on1 #dfc2 feeling as to1 in ,north1 #dfd2 ,johnson's1 ,pres41 plan of1 #deh2 problem of1 #deg4 ,reeve1 ,judge ,tapping1 law-school of1 at ,litchfield1 #cd1 #cg4 ,reeve1 ,mrs41 death of ,roxana ,beecher1 description of1 #dh4 ,republican party1 the1 advantages of1 over rivals1 #bhi2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's early work for1 #bhi1 in #ahfj1 #cje1 in #ahfd1 #ega1 reasons for opposing in #ahhd1 #eha-ehc2 campaign song of1 #bhi2 charge against1 a1 answered1 #cjg2 corruptions in1 #egd2 formation and composition of1 #bhh2 issue of1 in #ahfj1 #cjd2 ,lincoln nominated by1 #cjd2 platform of1 first1 #bhh2 ,south1 exclusion of1 minority against1 #dfa1 restoration of1 by the party1 #dgg4 ,roebuck1 ,john 7,england71 favors ,south1 why1 #djc4 ,ruffin1 ,judge 7,n4 ,c471 on legal status of slaves1 #bdi4 ,ruskin1 ,john1 influence of1 on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #cid4 ,russell1 ,lord ,john1 support by1 of ,american ,union1 #dca1 #dcc4 ,salisbury1 ,conn41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher at1 #fah4 ,sawmill ,pond 7,litchfield71 #ca4 ,sawyer1 ,martha1 gives ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's first call1 #aeg4 ,scandal--see ,conspiracy4 ,scotland1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's tribute to1 #dae2 his speeches in1 #dae-dbb4 ,secession1 decree of1 #cje2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cjg4 ,sermons of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher quoted3 ,american ,democracy1 ,success of 7#ahfb71 #cbf2 ,background of ,mystery1 #efg2 ,camp1 ,the 7#ahfa71 #cai2 ,campaign of #ahhd1 #ehd2 ,compromise1 ,against 7#ahfj71 #cjf2 ,confidence in ,union ,success 7#ahfb71 #ccc2 ,crisis1 ,the 7#ahfa71 #caj2 ,death of the ,soldier 7#ahfa71 #cae2 ,evolution and ,religion1 #efg2 ,fast-day of ,buchanan 7#ahfa71 #cjg2 ,government1 ,divine 7#ahfb71 #cbf2 ,god in ,national ,affairs 7#ahfa71 #cai2 ,harper's ,ferry ,tragedy 7#ahei71 #cja2 ,individual ,responsibility1 #bai2 ,lincoln's ,assassination1 #dee2 ,modes and ,duties of ,emancipation 7#ahfa71 #cbj2 ,our ,national ,flag 7#ahfa71 #cag2 ,past ,perils and ,perils of ,to-day1 #egd2 ,phillips1 ,wendell 7#ahhd71 #bde2 ,revivals 7#aheh71 #cge2 first sermons in ,plymouth1 #bah2 ,trial ,sermon1 #fhe4 ,shearman1 ,thomas ,g41 services of1 in ,conspiracy1 #edi4 ,sheldon1 ,dr4 7,litchfield71 reminiscence of1 #cf4 8,shining ,shore10 history of1 #cff2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's liking for1 #cgi4 ,silver-,grays1 the1 #bhh1 #bhi4 ,sixty-seventh ,n4 ,y4 ,regiment1 equipment of1 by ,mr4 ,beecher1 #cag1 #dhi4 ,slavery1 battle against1 #bcc1 #bga2 ,beecher's1 ,h4 ,w41 debate on1 at ,amherst1 #aai1 sermons on1 in ,indianapolis1 #aie1 their effect1 #aif1 #aig1 in ,brooklyn1 #bai1 #bbj2 ,christianity against1 power of1 #bfh2 ,church's timidity as to1 #bba1 #bed2 ,compromise measures on1 #bcc-bci2 ,constitution1 ballot1 and ,church as forces against1 #bfg2 doctrine of1 #dai2 dominance of1 in #aheg1 #bha2 eras of1 five1 #bcd2 feeling towards1 in ,indiana1 #aif1 in ,united ,states in #ahed1 #bga2 at ,lane ,seminary1 #acg2 military question1 a1 #cca2 ,mitchel's1 ,john1 views on1 #bfe2 preaching against1 threatened1 #bdh1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #bdh-beb2 religious societies1 attitude of1 #beb2 treatment of1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cjc1 #cca4 ,slaves1 eight freed by law in ,new ,york1 #bfc2 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 on help of1 #bdj1 on pulpit work for1 #bdh-beb1 on return of fugitive1 #beb1 on proper treatment of1 #cjc1 #cjd2 freedom purchased for1 in ,brooklyn1 #bib-cjj2 hunting of1 in #ahea1 #bee2 ignorance of1 why necessary1 #dag2 ,kansas laws against1 #bgh2 status of1 religious1 #bdh1 legal1 #bdi4 ,smith1 ,charles1 influence of1 on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #ff1 #fi1 #dca4 ,south1 the1 advantage to1 of ,compromise ,bill1 #bce1 #bch4 ,civil liberty in1 suppression of1 #dac4 ,cruisers for1 building stopped by queen1 #daj4 ,english sympathy for1 #cii-dja1 #dac4 ,grievance of1 on slavery1 #bch1 #bgb4 ,labor in1 dishonorable 7#ahfc71 #dah4 ,northern merchants black-listed by1 #bdg4 ,rebellion1 unity of purpose in1 #ccj2 vehemence and courage in1 #cih2 caused by political leaders of1 #ded4 ,slavery in1 code of1 #bea2 plan of1 for spreading slavery1 #dbi4 ,states of1 decree secession1 #cje2 reconstruction of1 problem as to1 #deg2 effect of exclusion of1 #dei2 ,northern soldiers against exclusion of1 #dfa2 ,northern fear from admission of1 #dff2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's mediation for1 #fab4 ,speeches of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher quoted3 at ,charleston 7#ahfe71 #dea-ded2 ,edinburgh 7#ahfc71 #dai-dbb2 ,glasgow 7#ahfc71 #dad-dai2 ,liverpool 7#ahfc71 #dai-dbb2 ,london 7#ahfc71 #dcb-dcf2 ,manchester 7#ahfc71 #daj-dad2 ,north ,victorious1 ,the 7#ahfe71 #deh4 ,spenser1 ,edmund1 8,faerie ,queene0 quoted1 #aef4 ,stanton1 ,edwin ,m41 note to1 from ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher in #ahfd1 and reply1 #ddg2 ,charleston1 proposes to send ,mr4 ,beecher to1 #ddh2 ,fort ,sumter1 fall of1 order on anniversary of1 #ddi2 telegram of1 as to ,sheridan's victory1 #dea4 ,stockton1 ,col4 ,t4 ,b4 ,w41 sent to ,lincoln by ,mr4 ,beecher1 #ddc4 ,storrs1 ,dr4 ,r4 ,s41 ,advisory ,council 7#ahgf71 declines to attend1 #edd2 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 address on ,english speeches of1 #dcg1 letter to1 on ,cleveland letters1 #dga1 #dgg1 tribute to 7#ahgb71 #dhd-dhf1 letter of help to1 #ebj1 refuses reconciliation with1 #efa2 hostility of1 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 reasons for1 #eba2 judgment as to ,mr4 ,beecher1 on ex-parte testimony1 #ebb2 ,moulton1 ,mrs41 assumes cause of1 #efj2 ,tilton's influence on1 #eac4 ,stowe1 ,calvin ,e41 assistance of1 to ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #acg4 ,stowe1 ,harriet ,beecher1 attainments of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 remarks on1 #gj1 on studies of1 #gd2 ,beecher1 ,harriet1 reminiscence of1 #ed2 childhood of1 impressions of1 #eg2 diligence of1 early1 #ef2 her mother's death1 recollections of1 #dh1 #di2 ,parker controversy1 part taken in1 #bei1 #bfj2 reminiscences of1 #ee2 ,roxana ,beecher1 tribute to1 #bd2 tulip-bulbs1 adventure with1 #dg4 ,sturtevant1 ,dr41 on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #eea4 ,sumner1 ,charles1 attack on1 by ,preston ,brooks1 #bhf2 meeting on1 in ,new ,york1 #bhg2 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #bhg1 #bhh4 ,sumter1 ,fort1 anniversary of fall of1 exercises at1 #ddi-ded2 fall of1 #cji1 excitement in ,north1 #cad4 ,tallmadge1 ,col4 7,litchfield71 #ce2 reminiscence of1 #cf4 ,tappan1 ,lewis1 reminiscences by1 of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #aad1 #aag4 ,temperance1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's early work in1 #acj1 #ach1 #add1 #adg1 in ,lawrenceburg1 #ahe1 practice of1 at ,oxford1 ,eng41 #cde1 to his daughter on1 #chd4 habits as to1 #feb1 #fec2 ,lyman ,beecher's action on1 #db4 ,terre ,haute1 ,ind41 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's reminiscence of1 #aij-aib4 ,texas1 effect on1 of ,compromise1 #bce4 ,thayer1 ,hon4 ,eli1 in ,kansas struggle1 #bgi4 ,thirteenth ,regiment1 ,brooklyn1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher as chaplain of1 #ffj2 ,company ,g of1 guard at his funeral1 #fgh4 ,thomas1 ,rev4 ,john ,h41 on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's ,lawrenceburg pastorate1 #agf4 ,tilton1 ,theodore1 associations of1 evil1 #dig4 ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 early affection for1 letter to1 #dhi2 esteems himself greater than1 #dij1 #dib2 whispers stories against1 #dib2 hostility to1 first charge against1 #dic2 demand on1 to leave ,brooklyn1 #did1 #ejc2 treachery to1 #dif2 urges him to use his house1 #ejj2 bitterest against1 when in pecuniary difficulties1 #eaj2 secures #e1jjj from1 #eai2 blackmail of1 attempted1 #ebj2 charge against1 makes open1 #ebg2 civil suit against1 #ecc4 ,blackmail1 attempts at1 #dii1 #ebj4 ,bowen1 ,henry ,c41 denies tales of1 #dij2 claim against1 for #g1jjj1 #dif2 charge against1 #eaa1 secures publication of1 #eae4 ,charge of1 denied by ,mrs4 ,tilton1 #ebi2 specific charge1 #ecj2 charge changed1 #ecb4 ,church-membership1 proposed deprivation of1 #eji4 ,counsel of1 declares ,mr4 ,beecher innocent1 #ecd4 ,eagle1 ,brooklyn1 infamous article in1 #ead4 8,editorial ,soliloquy0 of1 #dia4 ,family of1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's intimacy with1 #eja4 ,independent1 assistant editor of1 #dhh2 editor of1 #dij2 resigns editorship1 #dib4 ,indicted by ,grand ,jury1 #ecc4 ,investigating ,committee1 before the1 #ebi4 ,lecturing1 failure at1 blames ,mr4 ,beecher1 #eaj4 ,moral conduct of1 #ejf4 ,observer1 work on1 #dhh4 ,plymouth ,church1 dropped from rolls of1 #ebc4 ,sketch of1 #dhh4 ,stories of past life of1 #dic4 ,storrs1 ,dr4 ,r4 ,s41 ,t4 reads 8,true ,statement0 to1 #eba4 ,tripartite agreement1 signs1 #dif2 his changes in1 object of1 #dig2 part in1 #eab4 8,true ,statement0 of1 results1 #eac4 ,views of1 8advanced10 #dia1 #ejb2 public protest against1 #eja4 ,wife1 treatment of his1 she asks advice of ,mr4 ,beecher1 #ejb2 incriminating document extorted from1 #ejd1 ,woodhull1 ,victoria1 alliance with1 #eaj2 scandal version of ,mrs4 ,w41 statement on1 #eac4 ,union1 ,brooklyn1 editor of1 #dib4 ,toombs1 ,senator ,robert1 threat of1 concerning ,fugitive ,slave ,bill1 #bcf4 ,trent affair1 the1 #cbb2 ,english papers on ,mr4 ,beecher's action in1 #dbb4 ,tripartite agreement1 history of1 #eaa1 #eab2 publication of1 #eae1 ,tilton's rage at1 #eae1 #eaf4 ,turner1 ,thomas ,j41 superintendent at 8,boscobel10 #fbd-fbf4 ,tyng1 ,rev4 ,stephen ,h41 on ,mr4 ,beecher's ,cleveland letter1 #dfi4 ,union ,sewing ,committee1 formation of1 #bdg4 ,unitarian movement in ,massachusetts1 #hb1 #hc2 ,sabbath-school1 ostracism of a1 #cee1 #cef4 ,united ,states1 ,administration of1 in ,kansas struggle1 #bgg-bhj2 pro-slavery1 #bia2 inactivity of1 in #ahfb1 #cbd1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cbh1 #cbi1 on mismanagement by1 in #ahfb1 #cbi1 on duty of1 #ccj1 #cca2 distrusts ,mr4 ,beecher in #ahfc1 #cig1 changes its opinion of him1 #ddd4 ,commercial disaster in1 in #aheg1 #cga1 #cge4 ,compromise in #ahed1 feeling on1 #bfe2 schemes of1 in #ahfj1 #cjf4 ,condition of1 in #ahac1 #da1 #db4 ,congress of1 and ,president ,johnson1 #deh1 #dfi1 #dgj2 constitutional amendment by1 proposed1 #dgc-dge2 suffrage to negroes1 refuses1 #dgd4 ,elections of #ahhd1 condition after1 #ehf4 ,federal army of1 in #ahfc1 #cig4 ,free trade in1 a future certainty1 #dbi4 ,ireland1 sympathy for1 #bfe4 ,navy of1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher on1 #cii4 ,political condition of1 in #ahfc1 #cih4 ,policy of1 fifteen years1 ,southern1 #dbj4 ,reaction in1 for ,compromise1 in #ahea1 #bee4 ,reconstruction in1 problem of1 #deg4 ,repeal of ,compromise1 excitement over1 #bgc4 ,senators of1 pledged to ,compromise1 #beg2 plot for rebellion in #ahef-fj1 #cje4 ,slavery in1 in #ahed1 feeling on1 #bga4 ,states of1 decree secession1 #cje4 ,vicksburg1 fall of1 effect on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #dje2 effect of1 in ,great ,britain1 #djf4 ,ward1 ,andrew1 sketch of1 #bb4 ,ward1 ,col4 ,andrew1 sketch of1 #bb4 ,ward1 ,gen4 ,andrew1 sketch of1 #bb1 #bc ,webster1 ,daniel1 support by1 of ,compromise ,bill1 #bcf1 #bch4 ,weld1 ,theodore1 in early slavery movements1 #ach4 ,wellman1 ,dr41 on ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 #eej4 ,westminster ,abbey1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's visit to1 #ffi4 ,whig party1 defeat of1 in #aheb1 #beg2 extinction of1 in #ahed1 #bgc4 ,white ,mountains1 ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher's summer services in1 #ffj4 ,wilkeson1 ,mr41 part of1 in ,conspiracy1 #eae4 ,wolcott1 ,oliver1 ,king ,george's statue melted by1 #cd4 ,wolcott1 ,gov4 ,oliver1 ,jr41 reminiscence of1 #ce4 ,woodhull1 ,victoria1 blackmail of ,h4 ,w4 ,beecher1 attempted1 #eac2 letters in possession of1 ,mr4 ,beecher on1 #ebb2 scandal1 version of1 published1 #eaj1 #eac1 #ebj4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,note ,at the foot of p4 #agc1 an unreferenced footnote appears1 referring the reader to 8,appendix ,a40 for the text of ,rev4 ,beecher's inaugural sermon4 7,the ,appendix has no 8,a01 per se47 ,a reference to the footnote has been added4 ,on pp4 #bfe1 #bgf1 #cea1 #cfb1 #chb an asterisk appears right-justified at the end of a quoted passage4 ,as explained on p4 #cff1 this was used by ,beecher as a signature4 ,these are retained here1 though merely with an extended space between the text and his #8signature'4 ,the index entry for ,beecher's remarks about the proposed compromise of #ahfd1 refers to p4 #dde1 should have been p4 #ddf1 ,likewise1 references to music and hymns on p4 #cfg should have been #cfh4 ,both were likely caused by the interpolation of a numbered full page illustration1 and have both been corrected4 ,the format of the two-column index has been changed to single column1 and the punctuation regularized4 ,hyphenation of compound words is retained as printed4 ,where the hyphen appears on a line or page break1 it is retained or removed depending on the preponderance of usage elsewhere4 ,errors deemed most likely to be the printer's have been corrected1 and are noted here4 ,the references are to the page and line in the original4 ,the following issues should be noted1 along with the resolutions4 #bj4ah #8_/8,it has always been a shadow ,replaced4 #ge4cf ,now decline he4' ,added4 #hd4ac the first electric shock of wonder and ,removed4 pleasure40 #if4bg to improve the opportutunity and administer ,removed4 #aja4a ,he shall be called a ,nazarene40_/' ,replaced4 #afb4bb and declared the body dissolved4_/1 ,replaced4 #aij4h by no means confined to ,indianapolis4 ,added4 #bfc4h for my ,god is greater than their devil4 ,added4 #cje4cf in spite of the popular vote4 ,added4 #ccc4ci but we are a-going to succeed in ,america4' ,removed4 #cgb4ai was the eldest son of his father's family4 ,added4 #efa4d from time to time during the two two years ,removed4 past #fdi4ae ,it has been in the house this two months40_/' ,replaced4