The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-03-18
55kstcl)cs.
For The Cecil Whig.
Sketches Of Popular..Preachers;
70. 4.
HENRY WARD BEECiIER.

Passing down Orange St., Brooklyn. on Il
bright beautiful Sabbath morning we find
ourselves in Il current Of living beings: it is
quite promiScnonS throng, gay and grave.
young and old, blue coats and black coats,
smiling faces and frowning faces, with 10
small mixture of ribbons and flowers. Sud-
denly We arc in the centre of two opposite
currents and the con.luX, bearing us with it,
pours into large and commanding church
cdiiicc Well, we are seated at last What
beautiful and commodous room. Those
must be the singers sitting behind the plat
form. Yes, they have just raised an anthem,
and sing with no little artlstical skill. But
there, some one is mounting the pulpit lie
is well framed man, rather short than 9th
'rwisc, with massive brow, restless eyes and
BACK, thick-sct hair: his free, elastic S cp and
easy manners indicate that he is at home.
We will ask our ncighbor who he is. "Ah.
Henry Ward Becchcr; thank you sir" Well
while the preliminary services arc going on
we shall spcnda few thoughts on the man.
Mr.. Bccchcr is a son of old DR.. Lyman
Bccchtr famous in the theology and litcratl re
ofour country, and brother of Mrs. Stowe,
known world wide as the authorcss of"Unclc
Toms CaLin." lie belongs to n remarkable
family and is not the least remarkable IF
them all. lie was born about 1873, and grad
uatcd at Amherst in 1884. After spending
sometime i'll the Lane Seminary, over which
his father presided, he accepted a call to Law
rcnceburg, lad. There he remained but
short time, removing in 1889 to INDIANAPOLIS
the capital of the State. lie was called TO his
present charge in 1917, and here, we think,
he is likely to remain; he is literally sustain
cd and has an extensive field for the exercise
of his talents.
Though an eloquent man, Mr. Bccchcr is
by no means an ora tor he has not the intcn-
sity of feeling, The cham of voice, the grace
cfaction, and the systematic Arrangement of
thought which give oratorical power. His
position in the pulpit is somewhat cquivocal.
lie stands foremost among our progrcssivcs,
having no small dash of Young America" in
his composition. Open, frank, generous in
feeling, he siczcs the pencil with a bold, free
hand and dashcs off his subjects with an au-
dacity which both startles and captvatcs.
| His lights and shades are strongly marked
but you miss the beautiful blcnCiings and del
icatc harmonizins of colors which evidence
true artistical skill We arc now speaking of
his general style Occasionally there appears
in "Ths independents ofwhich he is one ,f
the Editors IL brief article over the signature
of an n, his nom de plume, which proves that
he is not without the finer and more delicate
graces of composition. Such pieces, howev
or, are only occasional and fall less frequently
from his tongue than from his pen; he might
usually be taken as moderate type of west
crn cloquence.
Though educated for, Mr.. Bcccher sharlly
suited to the Pulpit. We decidedly prefer to
hear him on the Platform Or in the Lecture
Room. The Pulpit imposes too severe arc
straint upon his wit, sarcasm and irony,
(wcapons he often uscs,) besides otherwise
trammcling his free, daring spirit. Moreover,
he lacks that depth ofexpericnce which makcs
the true and effective preacher. lie siczcs his
subjects with firm grasp and handles them
vigorously, but there is no response to the pro-
founder warnings the spirit, no filling up
of the deep and silent chambers of the soul
We impoach not his picty. The man who
secs and hears him cannot fora moment,
doubt that; but his religious experience Las
not that depth which would give such tone
and color to his preaching as to fit it for the
most secret and most profound thirstings of
the human heart
Enough of this" says some impatient
reader, "give us something of the man and
less of yourself" We will. His sermons,
those we have heard or read, do not afford
such and SO many quotablc passages as his
Lectures and Addresses. Passing by several