The Kanzas news., 1857-10-31
The Kanzas News.
sATURDAY.:.::::::.,ocToBER 81, 1857.
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher on the
Commercial Pressure.

On Sunday evening, eth ult., Rev. Her.
ry Ward Beecher preached sermon to an
immense audience in the Plymouth church,
Brooklyn, on the lessons of the Times, y
suggested by the present commercial pres
sure. The discourse, the New York Post
says, was one of great power, and produced
profound impression. Mr.. Beecher' s
text was from Matthew xvi, g, 8:
"When it is evening, we say, it will be fair
weather; for the sky is red. And in the morning,
it will be foul weather to-day; for the sky is red
and lowering Oh, We hypocrites We can discern
the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the
signs of the times?"
have already, this morning, taken occa-
sion of the serious alarm and trouble which
exist in the commercial affairs of our coun-
try to address some remarks to Christians
for their encouragement, comfort and gui-
dance. Ipropose this evening to look at
the subject in relation to good morals and
to the welfare of the community.
/. 1t is remarkable to see how much suf-
fering comes upon men, not by any disease,
but simply by difficulty of commercial
breathing.
If the human body is stricken with fever
or palsy; if cholera or plague attack it.; or
if the sword or bullet smite it; or if some
-sgeight fall suddenly down and crush it; or
some secret wound draw out drop by dlop
the blood, we do not marvel. There is a
& cause adequate to the effect. But if you
put man into an exhausted receiver, under
a bell-giass, without particle of air, the
mischief is just the same. No organ suffers,
no tissue is lacerated, no muscle crushed,
. no part is poisoned, none wasted or drained
: of its vital fluids, and yet the man effec-
tually dies
The course of affairs among us has not
been disturbed by the natural invasions of
war. The harvests have not failed, and
famine has not reached out its gaunt hands
among us. Disease has not striven in our
midst, nor has industry ceased for lack
either of legitimate enterprise or proper
matter for enterprise.
And yet this great nation, in full health,
with uncounted abundance of harvests, in
its young manhood, stalwart, eager, hopeful,
is suddenly brought up, and trembles and
staggers as if it would lie down in faintness.
What is the matter?
1t is the want of air. The city cannot
breathe What then IS this commercial air
which is so needful to life and activity? It
IS the faith of man in man. 1t is mutual
trust IL Is confidence. This is the air
which commerce breathes. And now, in
our midst, although there have been indis-
eretions, there have been none which the
country could not bear almost without a
check.
Men speak of over-stocking the market,
of over-manufacturing of ofover-importations
and of extravaganza of various kinds. l do
not say that there have not been mistakes
in these respects, and great mistakes. But
l do say that we are too strong people to
be brought into such confusion by mere
mistakes of this kind. This country has
such vigor and such elements of power,
that surface mistakes will never damage it
seriously. There is money enough, prop
erty enough, the need for goods and manu-
featuring, but men are all paralyzed to-day
chiefly by fear of each other Men look at
the best concerns, as IN times Of siege they
look at bonbsheils, expecting that eUery one
aoiU burst, and that tie only difference 6etsoeen
one and another is IN the length Of the fuse,
and the time IL ,ciW take to burn out
But why should there be this sudden ces-
sation of confidence? You trusted those
men yesterday to 60 around the globe with
your money, whom now you will not trust
to carry it from the bank to the store No
are just as honest now as then. Their
morals are as good. Their business is as
safe. On whatever foundation you stood
FIVE months ago, the materials of that foun-
dation remain untouched to-day. Your
ships are there. Your goods are there.
Your shops are there. Your neighbors are
not niggards nor stimulating friends. They
are the same men that you always knew.
just as good, just as bad, unchanged either
for better or for worse. But the city is
under spasm. No one viii take things to
be as they seem. No one trusts. Every
one doubts and fears.
Now. it is to the last degree important to
inquire, achy has confidence gone, and gone
so suddenly and completely? Yesterday
1t blossomed like flowers over the field; to-
day frost has fallen, and all are black and
dropping What wind has sent that with
ering frost?
In reply to this inquiry, would say that
In part this panic of fear is without proper
grounds. It is the over-action of causes,
of which I shall speak, which are real. But
We have not stopped at the legitimate po-
tency of those causes, but allowed our i'm
agination to carry our fear headlong, and
with it our confidence in each other.
Merchants are now like men awakened in
the night by the attack of an enemy. All
scream and run, one crying out one thing,
and another another, all stumbling over
each other with insane fear. Now there
may be a cause for some fear-for some
precaution, for some earnest defense.
But there is, and there has been no cause
for the excessive reaction from hope which
has taken place. The roots of business are
sound. There never was upon the whole,
more health with so much life. And hun
dreds of men will be upset by nothing, but
because they are run against by affrighted
men. Hundreds of men viii 60 down, and
lose years of toll, and the fruit of honorable