The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-25
BEECHER's GRAFTON.
yHE THRONG AT THE COOPER INSTITUTE
HENRY WARD BEECHER ON ROBERT

poet Robert Burns was delivered at the Cooper institute
last evening" before the Burns Club Of the City Of New
York and large and brilliant auditory The doors Of the
Institute thrown open the public at seven O'Clock,
and in half hour after every available seat in the audito
rum occupied well the special seats prepared
on The platform.
Among the audience we noticed some of our most pro-
mnen and intellectual citizens and from end Of the
large hall the other there scntated the bright eyes
respondent female beauty. Tho Scottish element was
everywhere conspicuous, many Of the gentlemen and
members OF the Club wearing badges with miniatures Of
the honored bard while the ladies dsported plaid and
tan ribbons arranged with artistic care.
The lecturer made his appearance the platform at
eight o'clock, and received with warm applause.
The President Of the Society," in introducing Mr. Beecher
said that the Burns Club Of this city DESTROYS Of
celebrating in proper the birth Of the Scottish
poet, Robert Burns, and resolved upon having lecture
Ward Beecher and induced him to prepare GRAFTON,
which he would now deliver
THE GRAFTON.
Rev HENRY WARD BEEcuER spoke as follows:
come upon your invitation, gentlemen Of the Burns
Club, friends and fellow citizens celebrate with
half OF the civilized world and with the whole world Of
letters, the birth Of farmers boy, who became a
pioughman, faxdresser, an excise man and
ganger, and who repued also to
have become poet One hundred ago. January rs,
1852 Agnes Brown Burmese gave TO the world her
Robert Burns The father and the mother were Scotch
the only took Scotland bis way into the whole
world. (Applause) While we allow Scotchmen q suita
BILE national pride their chief poet we cannot allow
the world to be robbed of their right and interest
Burns. And yet there was born to that land so
fertile in men, truer Scotohman and is the peculiar
admiration and glory Of the man that, in spite of
ooscurity, bred 10 all the local in1uences-Scotch
in bone, in muscle, in culture and dialect-he rose
higher than the special and national, and achieved his
glory in those elements which unite mankind and make
all nations OF blood. (Applause) While men Of
science cropping about the signs of external man. and
debating the origin and unity Of races poet strikes the
fundamental Cords and all races, peoples and tongues
hear, understand and agree that the poet is after all
the true ethnoogst The human heart his harp and he
that knows how to touch that with skill belongs to no
country, can be shut in by language nor sequesered
by any age, but belongs to the world and to the race
The father of Burns, William Burmese he poet contracted
bis name when he published his first volume) was
genuine man in his way. This father of Burns, this Will
liam Burhess, had head, heart and pair OF hands all
OF which were kept exceedingly busy in prolongng
perate light for life and comfort He of stern
pobty, of the deepest religious affections of an ndom
able viii. He expected much Of all his family but was
s,erner with himself than with any other. His only
amusement was speculative theology but did rot njure
his moIals-( laughter)-for he of scrupulous
integrity to the lastclean the very fountain OF ho-
nor; yet he irascble, and, when unduy thWar.ed
violent in temper. He held up his head like a brave
swimmer in rough sea- TIL the fairly beat him
down. William Burmese never prospered His son says Of
him, Stubborn, ungany integrity and headlong ungov.
ernabe rrascby are dsQuafying circumstances in the
path Of fortune" 1t is not the rgor OF integrity that
stands in any mans way the indiscriminate stiAen
ing OF every hing by the gor OF pride saturated with
science for God has built the man firm, combine the
| hopno
for stiffness, and there joints berness so the
character Is to be built upon the strongest elements of
truth and justice; but somewhere there be likeness
and pabeness If there no joints in the character,
supple motions, but all tastes, opinions, prejudces
likes and dslkes all sodiied into mul,ipex wishes
get along in life. A little too much OF this os
| sication made William Burmese too stiff to Gght well.
Some parents seem TO be the mere antecedents OF
their children, ships sometimes built far up the
stream where timber bends and only floats down ahead
Of the estuary so il would seem that men often owe
their nature TO their grandparents somebody far
up the stream of generations But Burns father very
much Ike him, and occasionally the honesty
the same PRIDE the same violence OF feeling, the
penetration Of men, the breadth of understanding
the moous spirit Of restraint from without the
unhtness for thrift in social matters the same
longing for wealth for its independence and the con-
tempt OF the means OF getting wealth. belonged 70 the
father and the more illustrious son only besides
| the father, Robert Burns carried in him great
| deal of mother and if be had carried more he would
have been better for the father the bush and the
Their s the blossom and the fruit germ always in or
| under the blossom Agnes Brown woman of hum
| bic birth she was born everybody else is born.
"a beggars baby, for being born is very humble bust.
ness at any rae-(ausber- land there IL very little diff
ference in tin crying IN sleeping in eating, and in
ded unconsciousness Of babies the world over there
very much OF sarneness II s very plain that she was
efectually born, however. 1t s thought by tina,
men have lived in world before this and that
| they set out second time here and though
would be difficult 10 imagine IN many VIVA. they
had grow in the world before this this was the Sc
cond growing Agnes Brown was al exception 1t Is con
coded that she possessed many and precious facu
| ties Central and strong was her heart II had tina,
1aan u Do eastb
the invisible and in the infinite that reaches sees
INTO an unclouded OCEAN she was calm and gentle and
| and TINS is very brave and noble thing in q
woman-a thing often requiring more mind and thar
10 govern caton as nations governed laugh or
But while she wrought and arranged she chaned and
for Burns mother the mother of Burns poetry Her
songs and BALLADS were IN grea, store but all OF moral
aim The song which che loved most 10 sing and Burns
most loved to hear, the life and age Of man compar.
rg the periods of hunan hfe the of the year
Burns says OF grand uncle that during many years Of
blindness he had no greater enjoyment than that of cry
ing when his mother sung that ballad 10 him. And vet
| how many sweet sounds there in this world-how
| many sounds We bear OF wateri-how many songs
Of birds and sounds Of musical Instruments when all
said, no man has invented any musical instrument,
nor has nature set in all her choir any thing which for
| tNeesness u IKE mothers voice singing around the
house while she laoors, aud children falling to sleep
and snd S ssPg w 1S
iather and such mother Burns could hello hnseif
ana o, coarse be must be az Apollos arrow. With such
mother Tor bow and such father tor a s,rinp-and
The DOW abdes in sreng.hand the strength Of his naked
arrow ETH lies and sounds in flying The father Of
Burns mad Just built poorly built clay cottage on Tho
banks Of tue Doom county Of Ayr and scarcely had The
poet learned 10 live-that 10 TO cry-before a
rude storm broke down the tenement and that storm
never spent Itself, but blew after him all his life leng
He was wont ID the days of his trouble with gloomy nav
funess, 10 attribute the oes Of his par song 10 he
tenpeat which ushered him into this world These pas
lons succeeded IN blowing down the difficult built tenc
meI. in which be dwct AS child we have little record
Of him, exccp. rennscepces found IN his letters
He was not precocous and bis carly intellectual efforts
purely receptive. His education was good one
There Latin Greek in Il, bat as b.
| did not intend to sing in those tongues there was
for learning them. They were dead
languages but he was living man. living singer. To,
Old servant Jenny Wilson, took charge OF hrs agn lton
and fed u with such collection Of tales ghost stories Ell
chan.ed giants and other trumpery as suppose 10 pee
had ever before received SINCE But Burns mag ma
ton was never supersous, Notwithstanding such be
ginning IL was eminenty natural, simple transparent
30 that hese taes only stimulated but did suodue no
ever educate bls imagination. They fell upon owr
fancy as coarse Fertilizers upon field VIII oh
me EARN black and noisome, bat reappear flowers
soeds and fruit Nature also at wofk j,
Ms educa'onl mean the payscal wori1 without hid.-
whcn neid Up 70 him clouds cioudless PASSIONS morn
nga and evening rivers hckes brooks and ravines bride
noTers and harvest fields, and hills upon which
ne eazed with wonder. There some who gain nothing
rom This great schooimls terNaure they are ike dog