The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-12-02
Friday Morning, Dec. 2, 1864.
Ward Beecher on Apples.

At recent horticultural Fair, Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher was announced as one of the
speakers, and made the following remarks
touching that fruit which is thought by ma
ny to have tempted our first mother from
the straight way of duty
i speak to an audience who are better Quail
ihed 10 teach me upon the subject of my ad-
dress than L them. What a misfortune for a
man to have as hearers persons who know his
subject so much better Than himself But the
office OF teacher is, after all, 10 teach men
what they know already; to remind them of
duties which they understand just as well as
he who addresses them.
'Tne political and domestic economy of the
apple, however, can speak of without fear of
CONTRADICTION from my audience. The apple
is the unapproachable fruit of the world, the
grape with all It's romance Notwithstanding.
La the country OF It's origin it is supreme, in
America 1t is unsurpassed. In Europe certain
classes having wealth and power, set the cur
rent OF public opinion from the centre to the
circumference, but in America, where the in
teliigence Of the common people has wrought
out such gigantic results in all departments OF
truth, the popular opinion determines from
surface TO centre.
popular" is a word much despised, but
it may De made respectable. In this country
wealth is obliged 10 pay respect to popular
opinion, and of all fruits the apple is the most
democratic-ihe true democratic-for some
democracy that we are acquainted with
sprung from the first apple. This popular IA
Vor OF the apple arises from the nature of the
tree and It's Iruit. Any man who can grow
corn can raise apples.
I'm every soil, and under the most discour-
aging circumstances, the apple tree lives and
thFiges. 1t can bear high or low cultivation.
Ii is not dispeptic like the peach, or apoplec-
tic like the pear, or scroiulous like the plum.
The apple Is among the fruits like the COW
among animals, like the camel, and like all
good things, uncomely,-for beauty is only
the mask which covers everything that Is evil.
In the beautiful evil has struck in and affects
the Whole vital organism. while in homely
women it is on the surface
Have you never seen the maiden who, in
whole family of girls, remains unmarried, so
homely that the lovers have all passed by her,
who was the mother, the nurse, the story-tell-
er 10 generation of little ones-the Virgin
Mary OF the household-the Mother of God
to little souls, in teaching them the better life
who was more fruitful in all except children
than any OF her kindred?
My perfect idea of woman is my dear old
aunt Esther, VINO will spend ages In heaven
wondering how she ever got there, and the
angels will wonder why she was not always
there. What such one is to the household
is the apple among fruits Not the least
among its eXceiencies is its happiness.
we should as soon think of coddling our
forest trees as the apple tree. 1t will thrive
in the stony lot too steep for the plough, or
grow in the meadow, and repay tor the more
abundant nutrition.
Where mullen stalk or hill OF corn will
grow the apple tree will contrive to secure an
existence. 1t can be plain or ornate, always
able to take care of itself-what | call demo-
cratic. IL is emphatically the peoples tree
In Florida or Canada it is equally at home,
and equally good; whileson the Pacific slopes
1t is portentous in size. Newtons apple,
which originated in his brain the science of
gravitation, had it grown in California. would
have forever put an end to his discoveries, and
have opened the heavens to his gaze.
The health and longevity of the apple tree
are unsurpassed. Healthier than the pear no
blight or disease affects it; worms and insects
may lodge upon it, but unbuckliug its bark, it
exposes 1t to the wind and storm. An acre
of potatoes will not produce as much as the
same area in orchard, with five times the la
Dor. The grub only is formidable enemy,
but is so easily exterminated Dy flexible
wire that If you have borers you deserve to
be bored.
Farmers never think of nursing their Or
chards. And as for longevity, / have tree
nov growing on my farm at least five hun
dred years old. Two ladies, now eighty years
OF age, say that in their childhood 1t was call
ed the old apple tree. At twelve feet from
he ground, it is fourteen feet ten inches in
circumference; the fruit sweet and pleasant.
though not large. / do not expect to live to
see my young trees reach that size. Icannot
resist a feeling of respect and awe when
stand in the presence OF this gigantic tree,
which hea I'd the cannonading of the Revolu
tion, undernea b whose branches Washington
may have walked, musing upon the great task
to which he was devoted.
The wood of the apple tree has uses which
we are not accustomed to credit it with. For
fcewood it is equal to hickory, and for cabi-
net work it is unsurpassed in beauty by any
other wood. My best bureau is made of the
apple wood, and resembles cherry. In Europe
the roads are bordered with apple trees, and
the fruit is free to the public, except whe re
wisps OF straw fastened to tree indicate th at
the fruit is reserved Tor the owner Of the
land.
How adapted to such use is the upright
apple tree; planted along our roads, there
would be no temptation for those juvenile
saints to rob our orchards. OF all the contri-
vauces to prevent stealing this is the most GER
tain and easy.
The origin of the cultivated apple 10 still
uncertain !; the wild crab theory is unsettled
for no one has evidence that the seed of the
crab-appIe ever produced an improved fruit
No Van Mons ever did for the apple what has
been ACCOMPLISHED for the pear. Although
probable, the theory must remain uncertain
until, if by some horticultural Sunday school
tne crao-apple has been converted into good
Christian trees
NO oDher irult has such range of ripening
ana OF use, 40 good cellars it is kept from
July 10 Juiy. Kinds so delicate-and as the
General Ofant OF the vine would say, so re-
treshlng, even the pear cannot rival, and not
we can no more tire of apples than xe can
of bread. AS the apple tree among the trees
of the wood, so is my beloved among the cons
of men. sat down under his branches with
great delight, and his fruit was sweet to nv
taste. Stay me with fagons. Comfort me
with love, for | am sick of love- If this Is
the cure of love, the American orchards car
furnish an abundance of the remedy.
The various culinary uses of the apple, 1T
value In raising and fattening stock, wert
touched by the reverend lecturer with grea
humor, and for an hour he held the audienci
delighted with his pictures of country life, in
terspcrsed with wit and pathos, until he cleset
with, sAnd let me not omit to speak of cider
Temperance has banshed it from the table
but creeping back again, not In its own home
ly name, but under the guise of champagne
'As temperance man l cannot advise yol
to make cider, but can say if you win maxi
cider, hope you will make it good.
i will not consume more of your time will
those eloquent periods with which l had In
tended f0 cloeA THE addraae for tw0 raaeon