The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-01-30
chnpln md peechor.

Prom zoe ooid'p As' Of AE.sr''o o'''Ty y y Par
John Quinry Adams expressed the opinion
that the Christian ministry was the lold OF
all Others on earth for eloquenoei IL was tho
Geld Of the Invisible, The inGuiie, aud the
eternal. Itis recorded that Freneh able
( preached a sermon, ou a eertain, Sunday in
which he 80 ayailed himself q these attributes
that bis appalled, people vent home. put up
the shutters Of their shops, and for three days
gave ihemse,es up to utter despair, George
I Whiuielda astonishing performances, and,
Edward lrying's marvellous exhibitions. half
Of earth and half Of the other side.-dnaeed
he claimed the miraculous gin OF iongues,)
will by tradition haunt the minds Of even an-
other generation. ltis one chief element Ca
vorable 10 power In the pulpit, that the audi
ence Is entirely oonvinciblc, they do not
confront the speaker with their printed votes
in their. .pantaloons pockets, as is the case in
lpolitica, nor do they look him IN the eye with
,hsis Iainda made up hy the evidence already
sworn to ON the stand, rs happens 10 the ju-
ry advocate. Platform speaking, which usu-
ally takes up great moral questions, made by
circumstances into great popular questions,
is really only another branch OF pulpit speak
ing. On this general ground Of pulpit and
platform combined, Chap and u echar pr-
sent commanding figures. We have heard
others more excellent in separate gins Of
discourse, more elaborately learned, or bap.
iizCd with diviner JUNCTION Of uncarthly smr-
ituality, or more tasteful and litcraryj but
take them on the wholc,--considoring their
physical power Of eleciribing men, their
variety Of fancy, their fInd OF polite aud
cl"nmon illusions, their familiarity with the
affairs Of mcn--thcy stand above any pulpit
.l'sFaaauers tn-Nhnm No over hsucned in this
country.
They illustraie very different tendencies
and thoughts ofthe day, Edwin II. CHapiu
Is the representative or the most ii1rrzii ,riill M
4 rrerr-'-+'-sis-s -GhrislianiM. The ideas Of the
culture OF moruls, aud the march Of all man-
kind through aory probalions to ultimate be-
attitudes, fnd in him their great aud catholic
oxpounder.
itunry Ward Bs5ciT5TI l,.....lr
was born on the Plymouth Rock Of she Pur-
tan church. lie is the most liberal and ae-
complished orator Of incarnate Puritanism.
lie exhibits the utmostyergo and latitude of
libcmlity into which the Puritan idea can
germinatc. lie is. in short, the consum-
mate flower Of New England pulpit theol-
ogy.
We heard them both for the first time un-
der circumstances favorable to their pecSiiar
tstyles Of speech. The Rev. Henry Ward
Bcecber was advertised To make an address
in Park stree, church, in Bosiou,--thot church
which als as large a space in the ccclcsiasti-
cal annals of New England as il covers mate
rial space by its widespread walls. 'Br.n-
stone Corner" seoifcrs used rroyercntly To
call il, in the days when DIR. Edward Griffin,
Of terrible momorSto the eyil-mnded, PLAYED
his appalling eannonade upon their sins The
advertised Breehor on this occasion ia the
I-oRraa ia well known,of that sturdy pioneer Of
Puriianism,-old DR.. Beecheri who is apily
4 teFsasd- .the father Of, more brains than any
man in America and who justifies the APP
pellation equally by sUncle Toms Cabin"
"The Conflict Of Ages" and Brother Hen
Iry.r -.-.-
The Introductory wasovor,---and he began.
lie took his position behind the desk, whose
standing.place was on a level with the plat
4 forni,--there he took his place, but It was
place of departure, not Of permaucncei a
place to rush from and come back 10, not to
stand long at for in truth his uttcrances
we're not only "winged words" they were
ualline Nvor,ia 20 ;,,f,,o c,,,,, 81, .
energy with which they led him in the course
uf the evening across aud over aud around,
and sometimes almost through the stage.
And he had some written notes when ke be-
gan but where they went to before he got
through we could no more tell than we prs-
sumo when il was over he could say, how he
had got of from them in what he had ejacu-
lated and for two hours Of unlaggng atten-
ton he talked and he walked before that spell
bound crowd--c6nycrsing. denouncing, de-
scrsbingj now telling funny stories, making
illusions to tho slang Of the day, making quo.
tations from the grand old mastera of speech
now breathing out threatenings upon the OBJ
jectA Of his wrath, and again bursting into
benedictions upon imagined philanrhropieS
and ideal cures for all the sorrows Of the
struggling race in slavery. in ali that Tnsh
/ of two hours he-did mot speak for any two
d quarters Of ON hour alike IN tones or words.
He was rough, yet beautiful he was fierce
as lion, yet gentle as a lamb bjz-tcrriblc,
thrilling, triumphant,--he. .wuled US ats we lis.
/ tened with victorious energyl and we turned
! away at last impressed with new convictions
of tho queenly power Of eloqnenee, and won
deriag whether afser all no had not produced