St. Mary's beacon., 1858-09-30
SELECTED MISCELLANY.
From Ee .Sa,,dny Times.
Henry Ward Bs9ehsr.
''Esveni,:ss lIederss sponIe sua n.eiius."-
PRoPgeTIus.

''EFVefisss.l neoefsz Sponie Sta he!us. -
] PRoPERTIus.
Muntaigne has chapter about cannihalS, in
which he CONTENDS bravclN in hchaif nf those
lnilth abused individuals; j." sets forth their
numerous g"nd qualities, and palliates their
little pculIaritlr~. proving quite Ia hlS own
satisfaction that they arr a very god sort "i
people, after al; ami he tells the story "i Pvr-
ThsIS, wiI,.iI i:c met tn. IL hnan army ant!
exclaIm,"t: II know MT what kind "f barba-
rians tIcs" II.av he. lut the di>I"~itinil oi
their army has u.'t!lny of tue bariArian in
it,"
Nearly half of those vino have hcarl Of
Mr.. Bc"cheI rc9ar, him as "a IIl'nis:cr worse
than any rInui"l: they would he more sur
priSei than Pvrrhu+ I" discover So little Of
tIe barbarian III nn. Fnr II has hanpcue,i
[. him. - I, L.aliv utncrs VIII" ucc"mc ilen-
t:ii-,i with 'l'"trinc. Ur are considered The
...badlmrut "f an i'i,.a Tia, he i, t.>i in tnc
d"ctnn': ao,.r,in. 49, pc,pl" hate or like hi>
t i'hIHgS they hat" or lis" him: he j. prIi~-
q TT c..m>iU!cTcd not at ;ti tn reference IT,
Lis personal qualities but as mems prcuLi-
ccs or coI.v!;;i,rls prompt. The radicals
swear by linn. while ,he conservatives cross
themselves ut the mention of his namc Int
u Is the atnl.tinnist WHO il oiluIIsiNc and tie
the Temperance advocate who draw, good
houses. His absolute merits. hx abstract
traits are fIrgIttcn in the struggle that rage,
over the doctrInes lie ,,as cSp,tt,s,i. Yet tho
isct ~le has BECOME ~ com nIietciy ilv.I-
tIicJ With thhSc doctrines prove lna power
plenty ut people uphold them, t'". yet AZ,
hot instantly AMI trrcvrr aN>ciated witI
them. Eut who can mention HENRY War
Bcchcr and not think of his p.Iltics anG
Lis principles? ? lie is they anl they arc he:
they IN him and lie ~ them The yer,
i,lrntfiration that lnak., his ,l,i,lual traits
less remarked springs from the marked char
;Itirr of those traits.
Hi, suc,css also renders him worthy oi
notice; his position is established: his mark i,
made; !cr. Is no denring the fact Of lis
prominence. People may quarrel over his
h"ti.'ns and abhnr his d".ma~; they may
di.approcc every ole "f his actions. and reject
every one OF his Teachings but they cannot
ignore ham Or them. There he stand=: abrupt
anu offensive. 1t may hc, but secure. T.
have attained this prominence indicates abili-
ty; to have rendered himself So obnoxious /.
praise and blame, is the sureSt proof of char
acter.
II strikes me that Mr. Bcecher is especial.
~ II man oI the times; man fitted fer tIl,
very position he holds in the public eve; n"t
FIR the ministerial position: ii" not thiuE
the pul pit his sphere i,c seems to me a Stuml
speaker who has mistaken his way and Stun.
blcd into n church; he w,uld be more at h,ano
III u CnnSrtSs than ia Svntai: in the @A'e ~.
semhly than in the general assenhly;.l ~,
House Of Representatives. with his feet on th,
desk, mtcrrnptlng the speaker, or taikim.
against time, than reading psalms and discus.
sin. texts. That he himself feels this is al.
PaErnt from his constant dragging the topire
Uf the day into his sermons. Ii Is notorious
that he breaches politics, temperance, abo
tiruisnI, what ynu will, or rather what he will
more than religion. Ultra opinions are ,le
claimed iii the lr'St ultra style: the brawIS e
the hour are introduced into sacred places. anC
the mud aud ure ol politics itslncar the rubc.
that should bc kept pure. The influence o
religion itself is injured its sacrrsncSs lesseLcl
its effect cnrta lied hy such q c,t;,sSe Immod.
crate and indecorous Mr.. Beecher frequently
is, he !Orgets or neglccts the precepts of hi.
master to Insist upon his own ACTIONS, or t,
overthrow his own opponents, the christian,
minister recalls the warning of the heathen
poet:
"Nec deus inie,sit, ni>i dignus vindlce nodus
lncIderit."
But If not fit.ed for tine pulpit, he is fitted
AOi pIoNC III aic WdS ushU
10 be leader, party leader; to control men 5
minds and feelings and actions; he is regarded
m leader as a master mind. His followers
think Of him ten tines Uftener, the public think
of him ten times oftener as man and poll
ician than as a christian or n clergyman. He
has all the qualities Of man Of mark; i'm
mense energy; perseverance never firing. never
hinching; icarleSsness that sees ali chances.
and takes them all, whatever they Le. 4
condemnation himself, an exemplihcation Of
many Of the recognised traits Of the American
characteT; with the traits intensified that Sc
many around him share; when these look OIL
him, they behold themselves ard approve. So
he is eRinehtly and emphatically Uf this age
and this country, aud herein lies the secTe. If
much Of bis success. For he woald never i.ave
calmly considered what the age demanded. and
then shaped lis course accordingly; ie. above
all men. cUuh not conform Ia circumstances
he LLppened t. be bFn in time and country
YLeTc Just such qualities As lie possesses couil
be turned ~ best accuult, but he would do
aud 30 just Yhst he does and is, no matter
where or when his Iot might b. c..st And
f-