A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE. The Extraordinary Career of tbe Plymouth Pastor.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 199, 16 April 1887, Page 3

A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE. The Extraordinary Career of tbe Plymouth Pastor.

The following interesting sketch of Beecher's Ufa appeared in the San Francisco "Chronicle." Few men in this country wore better known than Henry Ward Beecher. He early gained prominence aa an eloquent pulpit orator. As an anti-slavery advocate he strengthened the position which he had secured. As the head of a great and wealthy congregation in Brooklyn, he wielded for years an influence second to .that of no other clergyman in the country In one role or another he has always bteu a well-defined figure before the people. There h»9 always been something bright, crisp and original about Beecher, whether as pulpit divine, orator, editor, lecturer, politician, essayist, novelist or leading actor in the greatest social scandal that ever broke out ki America. I Mr Beecher came of the best Puritan stock, and of his large family of brothers > and sisters not one has failed to make a ' name for genius or eccentricity. He was j tho lineal descendant of the sixth generation of one of the pioneers of New Haven, I who settled there in 1638. Hid father, I Lyman Beecher, was a great preacher before him — perhaps as great as New England ever saw. Henry Ward wae the fourth child. He was born at Litchfield, Conn., on June 24, 1813. He grew up like all boys grow, attended the pubUc schools, then went through the Boston Latin School, taught a court try school for some time, and finally was graduated from Amheret College at the age of 21 years. Then he studied theology afc Lane Seminary under hia father. In 1837 he accepted a call of the Presbyterian Church in Laurenceburg, Ind,, although his father was one of the founders of orthodox Congregationalism. Just previous to accepting this charge he edited the Cincinnati "Journal," a religious weekly, for a year, and got a taste for journalism that led him to dabble in it until the day of his death. After preaching for two years at Laurwiceburg he removed to Indianapolis and remained there eight years. In 1847 he received a jail Irom Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn. He accepted it, and thid was the turn in the tide that led to fame, if not to fortune. Mr Beecher first gained a national reputation just before the war broke out, when he became known as one of slavery's bitterest and most eloquent opponents. Perhapa here, too, first became apparent the distinction between Beecher the religious preacher and Beecher tho public man. So earnestly did he enter into the great Btrug gle that iv 1893 he visited England and fairly startled the Britons by his bursts of powerful oratory in the attempt to disabuse the Euglif>h mind of its prejudice in favour of the Southern Confederacy. He s returned to America with a European reputation. The next ten yeare were the acme of his popularity and fame. Long a contributor to the New Turk "Independent,'" from 1861 to 1863 he was its editor, and continued a contributor to 1870. In that yea- he assumed editorial charge of the 4t Christian Union," but contributed to Eoanv other papers and magazines It was in 1574, while enjoying the full tide of public admiration and reepect, that Theodore Tilton, formorly hia associate and afterwards hts successor in the editorial management of the " Independent," charged the divine with criminal intimacy with Mrß Tilton A committee of Plymouth Church investigated the chargeand exonerated their pastor. Mr Tilton then commence 1 a civil suit for $100,000 damages. After a tedious trial, the particulars o i which filled the pub-lic-prints at the time, the case was given to the jury. The jury was out a week and ' then disagreed, nine favouring acquittal and three conviction. The scandal unquestionally weakened Mr Beecher's influence. But Plymouth Church cluug to him through evil and through good report, and he continued to fill its pulpit to the end. His sermons were printed regularly every week and sent over the country, while within the last few years it had been the custom to telegraph reports of them to many Eastern newspapers, which published them simultaneously on the morning after their delivery. Politically, too, Mr Beecher was a power until within a few years of his death. Hia political adherence for many years waß given to the Republican party, as it championed the principles which ho believed ought to prevail. The campaign of ISB4, however, saw him reverse the attitude of a lifetime and join in the effort to elect a Democratic President. The orthodoxy of Beecher's religious belief has been radically modified. Early in IS7B he announced from the pulpit that he did not believe in the orthodox hell of eternal fire and brimstone, contending that all future punishments would be cau tionary and remedial. While" he haa always been pastor of Plymouth Church, yet he has not allowed his pa&toral duties to prevent his engaging |n tho lecturu, field, or in other pursuits i When be pleached, the va3t church, with j | a seating capacity of 3,000, was packed to the doors. Plymouth Church voted him a leave of absence whenever he wished it, He has twice been in Europe, spending last summer, in England, where he was listened to by vast throngs. When in the lecture field he ' spoke on whatever topic was uppermost in the public mind "Reconstruction of the South," "Fiee Trade," "The Chinese Question," "Temperance." In personal appearance Mr Beecher was a striking figure. He was of medium height, with a face expressive of power and force. He never wore beard or moustache, but made up for the lack of hirsute growth on the face by wearing his hair falling over the collar of his coat behind. He had a weakness for low-necked collars. It was his boast that he never wore a dresscoat, though 1 frequently he has been the only man at a bouquet of 300 or 400 at tired in a frock coat. In 1883 there was a great dinner at ftelmonico's tendered to General Grant, President Arthur, Governor Cleveland.* and the Governors of ten other States.^ ' Of course 'Beecher was invited. ■' He batri^Tiri late,; and a glance at hi 3 appearance' 1 showed that hia attire might have been improved. He had no apologies , to makß, .however. ■ In the course of one* of his usual soul-stirring epe'eche* he exsajite&ttiat I hehad juiti come worn hia Peek4yji''fftrin^ J Ashe g<|t,do^u, .GUuarai Grant /leaned forward and said : «'Mr Beach'er,* I 'don't know what kind of a 1 farmer you are;" but aa a' talker you are "some pumpkins.'" He was fond of at-

tending public^innere, although on such occasions he scarcely ever ate anything. While • :tho^6' l tro&td *&tnV * wertf '^Stowing away all of n ,thej aplids and fluids within their reach, the Plymouth, pastor nibbled brdad Antf'sipped&pOllinnrfff' He, however, i Isepbsup a steady. flow of talk, that fitte every pers/m within the sound of, his- vcfce in * merry humour. ,, t 'Mr Beeoher had a passion for\figwers. Had he been brought up on a'Urtn, ha doubtless would have bocom©. an inspired agriculturiet. His firat contribution to print was under his weekly title : /"Fruits, Flowers and Farming." >! \ Henry Ward- Beecher died a rich" man. The : insurance alone on , his life 4 was IOO.OOOdoIa. He commenced preaching at Plymouth Church on a salary of l.SOOdol. per year, but that salary < had j been increased to 20,000d015. It is estimated that the gross receipts from the church amounted to 400,000d015. At first he lectured at 50dols. per night, but for years pafefc hid figure has been SOOdols. a night.- A fair average would be thirty leotures ptryear, and for forty years his receipts .would amount to 200,000d01a. He marriedf f rom twenty five to one hundred couples a year, at an average of lddolsi per marriage as a fee. This would make 30 000 probably. He published over seventy volumes of sermons, lectures and essays, not forgetting his "Life of Christ,," .which must j have netted him at least IG.OOOdoI. He w^rote a long time for Mr Bonnei's " Ledger," which paid him for •« Norwood " 25,000dol..tjash, and his services as editor or contributor to the " Independent," the "Ledger," and the "Christian Union ' probably gave him combined 25,000d01. more, or a gross. total of 780,000d01., which is a very tidy sum when set down in a table like thia : For preaching $4CO 000 Lecturing 200.000 Sunday publications 100,000 Weddingfeoa ,30.000 •Norwood" 25,0!0 Sunday editings ~ 25,000 Total >.STBO,OOO In spite of this royal revenue, Mr Beecher has always been in financial straits, and only a few years ago he parted with his valuable library to meet some pressing demand. What he did with his money will probably remain a mystery. Recently he contracted to complete the " Life of Christ," the publication of which was suspended with the first volume, and he had also entered into arrangements to write his autobiography, which would have been a remarkably readable book.