Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-09
Beecher's Tribute to Garrisol,.

IL On Sunday morning last, Mr.. Beecher,
in giving notice of Mr. Garrison's Leo
ture, delivered at the Academy of Music
in Brooklyn, on Tuesday evening, said:
greatly regret that absence from
town on that evening will prevent my
joining with you in paying token of
fs public respect and honor TO this one Of
the few distinguished Americans. / am
better fitted than his more Immediate ad-
herents to speak of Mr.. Garrison; be-
cause have never been of his party, nor
stood upon his platform. Ii has been q
difference, however, of measures and not
Of ends i have always been in the
X. strongest sympathy with him In regard
20 the evils and dangers of American
slavery. The methods by which he pro-
posed to break the power of ID never
seemed 10 me TO be wise, and therefore
L never could pursue, exceptin general
way, co Operative labor with him. | am
not, therefore, blinded BY party feeling
when say that Mr.. Garrison il one OF
fhe few men in this generation that will
not die; whosename will 60 upon the
page Of history unsullied For, more
and more, it will appear that the end and
aim and effect of his whole life has beed
TO work out that most glorious truth,
christida liberty to all And all mis-
takes of Judgment, all mistakes OF instru-
ments, will be thought of less and less;
while the great victory which be, as much
as any other one man, has contributed to
produce, will give the measure and the
! proportion to his reputation-aRd men
will say, The mistakes we're human, but
III this conservation of life, heroically, to
30 grand an object, 10 divine. God in
49, spired that in him.
4 Through good report and through
evil report, for some forty years. he has
suffered his name to be cast Quito be
/ trodden under foot Of men. He has suf
fered every indienity that man could
well suffer. He has walked without
wealth and without honor-altogether by
the power Of his mind, he was fitted to
rise any sphere Of life in which he might
~ choose towalk. He gave himself for the
poor He was voice to those that could
not speak; be was defense to those that
were defenseless; be was eyes to those
4 that were blind. He gave himself to be
a brother to those that were without G
house, without name, and without kim
dred And on his head may Gods bless
ing rest to the last hour of his life.
honor him, and Hove him; and not the
less because of that exceeding greatness
5 of good sense which led him to see at
once when the Constitution was amended
that slavery was dead, and that his past
s~ life was ended. He laid down his paper,
he laid aside his weapons; be put away
all the energy of the old war, and turned
himself--like an humble man without a
name--to the great work of educating
h the poor, and taking care of the newly.
emancipated slave. feel, you feel, and
all ought to feel, that there 10 Q man
. whose shoes latchet we are not worthy to
~ unloose. And the least we can do 10, mol
to wait till he is dead and then pronouncs
euIogies upon him, but TO show him,
while yet alive amongst Us, that VIC
honor him. And / should like it if that
Academy of Music was so crowded by nj
that nobody else could get in. do not
ask you to go because / think he vii
give you foWery and rhetorical treat
but that yor may be able TO express you
feelings Of respect and your honorinl
regard to one that has added brigh
star to the galaxy of American honoret
Names"