New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-04
The Peoples Lectures.

THE LAW OF PRECEDENCE by II. W. BEEcHER
THE PEOPLES LECTURES. IL. w.
Beechers Lecture, on "The Law Of Precedence" a.
the Tabernacle last night, was very numerOusly
attended. The reverend gentleman commenced by
saying: The disciples OF our Saviour disputed which
of them should be first IN his kingdom This, per
haps, is the only apostolic act that finds universal
imitation. Men are born into Importance. Before
the law of God man is man. 1t is like the sun that
selects not the daintiest spots to shine on But II
We look farther than this, there is eQu Atty any
more than there is OF features OF blood and bone,
a. d muscle. III man sowed wheat and acOrns, an 1
expected he could produce the same sort OF harvest
II he soWed grass seeds and the cedar of lebanon,
and expected equal fruit he would expect to per
form task no harder than that involved In the at
tempt to produce the same degree Of excellence in
all minds. Some men are born to think, some to
feel, some to propel, some to resist Propulsion
There are those who think within themselves others
think externally There insiders, and there are
outsiders. IL one hundred men found themselves on
an slane they would divide themselves into classes
some would work with the head, some with the
hand Some would exercise the faculties of percep.
tor some those ofJudgment; some intellect aud,
still farther, there are different directions in which
those very faculties, In different men, would move
Men that are lower than others complain of those
above them, and say they are oppressed. Aud vet
tney themselves oppress others. And thus Ii is In
the current OF the world. Dssent-nfdelity itself,
is the result OF compromising and abuse There
TO law more abused than the law OF gradation
That is no reason why the law does not exist any
more than the abuse of religion proof that there
is 10 religion. Now, if had lived in Voltare,s
tine, and was informed Of the abuses of the Roman
Church, could not be man and 10. be an ip6del
II had lived when religion and monarchicsl opIres-
sion were SO nteItHlned and IDENTICAL and were
told that all their tyrannes resulted from the life and
suffering and blood OF the Savior should disbeliye
or Ienounce my nature.
There is not In the human mind one dissracefuI
feeling There is yet DO feeling of the human mind
that cannot De perverted into the disgraceful Al.
though the physical faculties are subordinate to the
mental, III tne Payscal Is the basis to ex-
tent OF Inc mental II the BODY be in a moroid state
the mind cannot be active In this relation of the
physical with the mental, let US consider no " we
can learn what men have adaptveness for. This is
nearly Impossible. We cannot judge a man. We
have Lo ruie-n0 Instrument TO measure faculty II
lie lmpoDc eI albeit is Unanswerabe.
In contrasting the faculties necessary for different
pursuits, which we gave on a former occasion the
lecturer said, after recOuhtlIg the faculties inds
Tensa0e TO successful commercial entcrprse that
ABOVE an integrity was requisite. However il may
lie supposedthat IN the Church particularly there n
need OF moral integrity still 1t is not more needed
thau In commercial society. II integrity fails 10 he
OBSERVED, 'hen dlsirust becomes a Law aud men fy
apart Ihere Is no longer any principle of cohe-
slseness, and society itseifdes
Allnoueh men can only In fact be judged by tho
appearance, and although the profession man fol.
ing OF mans faculties still IT'S true that appear
ances are false II false in degree, and is false
when rashly taken. The man who blows into rnen
to hBd their wealth Of mind should plow deeply
Just as the farmer, who pl0gs deeply 70 reach the
germ OF fIultfulDess In the SELL For example, there
are men who make false appearances themselves
Tor the express purpose OF decelving, gratifying
morbid yallty-men who wear strange ia sh Ioned,
narrow peaked hats and Byronic collars who are
Negligent IN their outward appearance, and throw
around them creamy locks, wishing IL 10 Dc believed
mat the are artists or poets If poetry we're In
the cut Of tie coat or the pooh underline arm They
are infinitely more likely to be lazy lcafers.
You remember the anecdo,e of the English n ble.
man, ~bo rose nom being the son OF barber TO be
one OF the hoIOIed OF the land lie was once
lauhtfo win being barber boy. With true wisdom
ana true dignity he answered, "Yes was barber
poy. and we dnefehce between tina. and my present
positioD IL tie measure Of my worth. Had you been
a paip.r Roy once, you would be barber s.illD
ihs was noble answer, and IL teaches noble am
Dillon. Example is the fret instructor VINO is IL
mat could enter AID 1T in the Workshop of Frank
IN without feeling himself lmpelled to high under
iakuesi ~hO Goes Lot IN fact feel himself better
mani ~
TIE lecture was, for the most part a renroduc,io,
OF Tue sme arguments as II lecture de iyered some
weeks back, IN BROOKLYN We have omitted tho.e
aIsun EMS on that account, and confined ouyseIvo.
70 'ne raoral Illustrations and beautiful coorngs In
leI"oFeh ihto the Lecture, since its first del,vsry
u dht vi tLem seemingly spontaneous. Among me
iao.spy "bich ne Illustrated his position, is the fo
lowing, which We could not give In its proner nIaca
es beng al illustration OF an omitted nosnt IT,
report OF English education, il is proved III. .n"
hahha'Ly Is distinguished from auo,hs, IN ,hs
.l.tte TI mMo. Men Of all nations havs h.ao
tsteo french, Italians, Germans Enylsh s,",h
ard irish. In each nation men are 10 ~ u, oco;ca
.quai capacity 70 90 thing, to execute a MI n hich
my ZEE Dsloie them. But no other nzt,o, 90 = -
ne snatoi me scctcn They have above ali a.as%s
me faculty oil couprehensio ~
.,,hns ..a eeniifmsn was frequently cheered
Peais Of applause. '"'' 'tousn' o""n