The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-12-02
HENRY WARD BEECHER'S impress
SIONS OF ENGLAND.

HENRY WARD BEECHER's impress
SIONS OF ENGLAND.
OF all that has been written or spoken respect
ing England and its people, and the past and
present tone and temper OF feeling towards this
country since the war commenced, we have met
with nothing more admirable, more worthy the
subject and the occasion, wherein the friendly
great and kindred nations are involved than
Henry Ward Beecher's speech in the BROOKLYN
Academy OF Music on the evening of the 10Th
inst. We make the following extracts:
WHY AMERICA WAS DISAPPOINTED IN ENGLAND
You are aware that the general expression of
our people was almost universal that in Great
| Britain We should find sympathizer, ready and
prepared. One thing we counted sure, and that
WAS, that if all the other nations stood aloof
there was one that would stand by us in the hour
Of our peril, and that was Great Britain And
the sharpness of our retaliatory complaints was
acuminated by that very disappointment of a
very confident conviction. When / was asked
in Great Britain why the American press 40 Sc
Verely inveighed against England aud was almost
silent in respect to France, said, because we.
| in our deepest hearts, care for England aud not
for France Applause. Because, under
anger, and lower down than prejudice, when you
strike the deeper feelings, the Americans know
that they had an English origin, and they are
proud of their history; when il gets back fur
ther than the present generation laughter I and
it was this growing affection and sympathy in
the natures and in the best parts of the best ma
tures-it was this that made the disappointment
| of public expectation so sharp and so hard 20 be
borne when Great Britain failed our expectations
and gave US no sympathy.
We never asked for help. We never asked
that she should lend us anything or stretch out
so much as the little finger of her right hand.
We did ask simply the generous confidence and
generous moral symathy, and that was all, and
tn we did not get and we felt sharply the con.
duct of England The expression of public
feeling had an effect OF throwing her moral
weight against the North and for the South. So
| told them. l carefully Disseminated between
the intention and the result. What men intend
has much to do with Judging of their moral char
| acter but what men do does not depend always
on their intention. And when, therefore, the
British people diselaimed sympathy with the
South, or a disposition to 90 against their own
principles as represented by the North, | said TO
them, What your intentions are YOU can best
judge, but what the effect of your attitude is we
on the other side can best judge" and We know
that the moral influence of Great Britain has sub
stantially gone for more than two years to help
the rebellion and the slaveocracy of the South,
and TO hinder the progress of free institutions in
the North. And if there is rescue or relef-if
there is redemption finally, Great Britain must
stand aside, and it must be said 1.-The nation
that boasts of her free institutions and her SOW
ereign sympathy with the welfare Of the COM
m manila has had art LOT h.
work.
The denial of moral sympathy in Great Brit
ain was only interpreted by the active exertions
of certain parts of the British people on behalf
of the South, so much so that it, think, will be
scarcely denied by aly man that If the shipyards
and fOundries, and looms, and shops OF Grea,
Britain had refused their succor to rebellion, the
rebellion would have died out in the nation long
ago. said in private what it did not seem al
together judicious to say in public, that in some
sense might bring this war and lay il at the
feet of the British people, and say, not that you
intended it, but that the course of conduct pur-
sued, legal or illegal, was such that, but for you
this rebellion would have perished almost in the
beginning OF it.
WHAT TIE REBELS HAVE DONE IN ENGLAND
l found the most active and unscrupulous eff
forts made by southern men to stir up animosty
towards our country. And let me say that the
/ bad cause was better served than & good one
there, as TO some extent it has been in our owl
land for | am sure that the South, for q baC
cause, has more nearly put forth every particle
of strength that it has to put forth than We have
for a good cause. And as it is at home il wa:
abroad. Where we sent one man to England tC
influence public opinion, they sent a score
where We touched one string they touched
hundred. They seemed to pervade England
and they seemed, with the unerring instinc. o
selhshness and despotism, to know just where Il
undermine the generous and better feelings
just where to invoke the influence of ignoranc,
Just where to touch men so that principl,
should fall and profit take its place. You MAJ
then imsgine the surprise and skeptcism will
which, under these circumstances, I received
the assurance Of friends on every side that th,
great heart OF the British nation was on our side
l had found nobody except unconditional friend
OF emancipation in whose society l was thrown
i had found almost nobody that spoke kndl
Of Us or that seemed to be in sympathy with US
and yet my ears were filed with these assuran
ces day and night. "YOu are mistaken, yor
are mistaken, this great English people ar
sound at heart | said where under heaven d
the English people keep their hearts, then
Laughter aud applause) And il had spokei
in my early visit TO England in June. l coul
not have spoken as now do and shall Neithe
on my first return from the continent in Septem
Der could | have understood aud felt what l IN
derstand now, in some measure, and entirel
believe that they are right; and that, after al
the great heart Of the British nation is with U
of the North.
Mr.. Beeeher then took up one part of Euglis
society after another, to show the feeling of dill
ferent classes towards Us, beginning with
THE COMMERCIAL CLASS.
First, there is the great commercial class {
! England-those that are making money. an
those that have made il; if you please call ther
the Plutocracy. They are against u. In n
first place shere is a large class of men that ar
actively employed in supplying the South Wit
all its necessaries-except principle-Qaughte
and they are making, or suppose that thew A.
making, large fc-:unes. We cannot doubt vhic