New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-25
BEECHER on BURNS.
LECTURE AT TIE COOPER INSTITUTE.


Ire Cooper Ios,tute was crow led last evening by
luge ard intelligent audience. TO listen to the dis
course Of the Rev HENRY WARD BERcHrR on the
greet Scottish poet Every sea, and all the space
available for standing was occupied, and mspy were
compelled to leave the building disappointed at being
unable to secure place where they could hear.
come upon your invitation, gentlemen ofthe Barns
Club, friends and fellow citizens, to celebrate with
on. half Of tie civilized world and with the ~hos
world tf letters, the birth Of famous boy, who be-
came a plovman, q fax dresser, an excissman
esuger ard who was reputed also to have b.cone
poet. Ore hundred years ago, Jan. %, E5' Agnes
brown Bsrnes gave to the world her con Robert
Burns. The fithe- and the mother were Scotch; the
soD OILY took Scotland on his way into the whoie
world. IApplause.l While we allow Scctcbnen
suitable national pride in their chief poet, We cannot
allow the world TO be robbed of taer
right and interest in Bans and yet
there never wss born to that land, 60
fertile in men, troer Scotehman; ard 1t is the peou.
lar admiration and glory of the map th.t u spite OF
the obseurty Of his brb bred uuder all the local in-
uepces Scotch in bore, in muscle in culture, aud in
dialect, he rose higher than the sptciA an Tue ma
tonsl and achieved his glory in those elements which
unite mankind and make all natiors OF ono blood.
IApplause. While men Of science are debating
about the origin and unity OF races the poet strikes
the chords ard all races peoples and tongues hear,
and seree so that the poet is, after the
true the human heart Is his heart ne that
krows low to touch that with skill belongs to no
country con be shut in by no language, nor .eques-
tered by sry ag but belongs to the world and to the
race. Mr.. Beecher gave foil description OF the
fstt er Of Buns. A genuine man IN his way, he SAID
man Of stern probity and ndomitable Will, expecting
much OF all b. family but sterner with himself than
eith any other-hs only emusenent was speculative
Theology, and that didn't pjGre bis m0rols. Never
prosperpg, he held up BIS head like brave SWIM
ner in rough sea- till the waves fairly best
him down. Some perents seemed to oe tne mefe
antecedents Of their children as ships were but Jar up
the streams where lumber plenty. But Burns
father was very much like a cause aud not an occa-
zion. The same moral honesty, the same violence
of pride the same bre adth Of understanding the same
in patience Of restraint from without characterized
the father and the uore ustiious son. But, beside
that Robert Burns carried within him great deal OF
mother; il the father was the bush the mother was
the blo son. and tbe fra tgerm was always neaest ne
blossom. Agne, Brown was woman OF humble
biIth: that is she was born everybody elss was
born. Laugh Being born WAS very humble
busiIess any way, and there was little difference
in the place position. II was very pain that she
was effrctuhy born, however. She beought into tais
worlo the seed of many and precious faculties;
central and strong was her heart; 1t had that deep
nature which religion always gave. Calm aad oil
heavenly temper good housekeeper, whlch WIS
very brave and noble thing in woman, and thing
often requiring mere than to govern nation IS ma.
tions governed Burnss mother was the motaer OF
BurDss poetry. 1t was beautiful to he,r her siog.
Burns said that blind uncle OF hls had no greater
her favoiite songs. How many sweet sounds there
were in this world hoe many sounds OF water
ard air, how many sounds OF birds and musical 10
strumepts, but nature bad nothing 80 sweet as ,ne
mothers song and hymns and ballads by wblch chil-
dre slept to dream argels and walked to SOY mother
Applause. With such father, with such mother,
BurDs could not help himself. OF conrse he must be
Apollo arrow with sUch a mother for the bow and
tuch father for The string stiu flying and
sounding as it flies The father Of Burns had just
built and poorly built clay cottage on the banks OF
the Doune, and scarcely hsd the poet learned to i've
tbst is to cry, before a big storm beat down the
house and drove them out. That storm never
spent itself hut bl,w after bin all his life.
fApplau,e We had little record Of him as a child
except bis "reminiscences. He WAS not pre- cocous
His esrlier years were purely receptive. He was re-
ceIvirg his education. IL was good one. There vas
no Latin or Greek in 1t, but he not 10 sing n
these tongues, there seemed to benz need OF them.
Applause Trey were dead tongues; be was iv-
iDg man. Bot he had such tIumpery Of ghosts and
goblins as 10 poet h.d ever heard before or since.
Sti1 he never superstltious Tneee tales f-u
upon his young fancy as fertilizers upon farms,
black end no.some, but TO respPear a; now,
education She held up to him clouds or cloui.
less heavens bright flowers and harvest fields, aud
whatever else goes in at esrgate or eyegats. Some
Datures learned nothing of him; Ike dogs 10 Michael
ADgelos studio, they got NEST there, bat never
learned 10 paint Burns was none of these.
Great pains taken to give him all the adv antage
Of such schools as the times, tie Deighborbood, and
his parents scsnt meals supplied. ASco.ch firmsrs
home was of itself no scant history. There the child
was taught TO eopder and dispute on speculative ne-
oogy epractice which, an education, was OF won
ce,fol power. Mr.. Beecher tnen gave the names
q his teachers and of the books which he read. Ills
tender love, HE sympathy, his penetration Of human
e bis melancholy, lis love Of man, Of liberty, were
lie power ard grandeur The books he read we're
very good books out there not in them. II was
the reader that mace the books and they were very
good books when Burns read them Look ut him at ~.
II Ill La haun nf
way, skJfu as p'owmsD. lie was never shI'tless
ar, who took poetry as an excuse for negecfGg hard
Hork, 10 man ever worked more patiently, un-
cCuplaiIiDgiy than he. On his fathers farm, aud
siteIwsrd on his he never shIank from the hard
es, coarsests toll. At twenty his life had begun, the
sad life OF g. ric Us man, iu Of the most genial aud
t'Ider affections, grsspiDg mankind always by tle
heait. In bis vices Burns his own Rhsdanan.
ttus. lie violated his own privilege OF virtue and
gIsfei license upon love. In dra~ing his character
this meet lot be ignored. Yet what msu WAS would
ttteiure the severity or eniency OF our condemna-
tion. How ship behaved upon the sea depended not
merely upon the skill Of those who managed her,
but upon hoe she was built a. well. Burnss
oeJei wss wiser than his action. That part OF man
which gave tact and success in comnou life was not
eminent IN him. He inherited I. pride which wrought
in him a high idesl, and which inspired an undyiog
longing fer a well-esrbed glory. and which made him
suspicious Of ell above him. He took his heart from
both father and mother Her heart lay tranquil ike
oLe Of the sweet lakes Of Scotland; his beat Ike
VIC h.ant.c Oh her western eoores' Dul no heaI'
was ever otepfr, truer, more endurIng than his lie
ptvef loved, ard cGst eff thst he might lore again
Each love was Ink 10 the long chsn Of
witch his heart was the iniroysble staple.
He loved man, animals, everything tha. grew II il
crlv grew u Scotland. That he wss more susceptible
70 woman than to man, was DO. strange; the 81
tlitg had Happened before. Lsugh'er aud spplaus..
He had ths; y cular quality Of mind which was called
i4rcy, that divine elemept which touched the soul of
thin e, sLd which clothed hds and movements from
the wardrobe Of grace To these be added taint Of
melancholy AID the despor diI < temper amen. which
ve sss in lis earliest lie sad in BIS poems.