His sermons express concern with the issues of temperance, vice, housing and education. With the onset of the First World War, Beard participated in the prevailing surge of patriotism bolstered by theology. Regardless of the topic he addressed, Beard's views were informed by the spirit of confidence and hope typical of a pre-War civilization in which the ideals and patterns of American life were nearly equated with those of American Protestantism. The first six folders in Series I, Correspondence, contain letters to and from family members. The small amount of General Correspondence which follows reflects Beard's interests in church affairs, reform, and relief.
Several letters relate to the transfer of church membership.
Beard wrote an article about the conditions of church membership which was responded to by various individuals, including Timothy Dwight and George B. Stevens of Yale. Other letters relate to the Knights of King Arthur boys club format which Beard was considering for his church. There are also letters of opinion written by Beard to President Woodrow Wilson, and a Senator, and letters stemming from Beard's service as chairman of the local branch of the American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief. They vary in format from complete typescripts, to fragmentary holograph notes to published newspaper accounts. In a few cases only the title page of a sermon exists, with an indication that the body of the sermon was destroyed.