The Portland daily press., 1866-01-18
M. L. A. LECTURES.
Henry Yard Beecl.er on Reconstruction.

City Hall was crowded last night to its ut
most capacity by an eager audience, collected
to listen to the views of this distinguished
gentleman on the all-absorbing topic Of recon-
struction. The lecturer was warmly received,
and his remarks elected repeated applause
Mr.. Beecher said that the principle we most
need to recognize is the worth of the individ-
ual man. Our fathers held this as fundal
mental article of their creed. From the time
of the Reformation to that of the Pnritans,
this principle Of faith in mankind had been
steadily growing, and our fathers were inform
ed with its spirit. 1t was ftheir doctrine that
men are more safe the more you give them
The more you educate the man the easier he,
will be to govern, because he will govern him
self more. III man were free, his power might
be dangerous to governments founded on lies,
but not to governments established on right
principles. 81 g ISL. .s5.,.
This is in accordance with the Divine idea
which makes single governing common
wealth of every single soul. He denied the.
truth of the old world idea that a little educa-
ton is dangerous. A little is better than
none; twilight is better than darkness; and
be the powers of man great or small, they are
of worth in the community in proportion to
the cultivation of these powers. These were
the views held by our fathers, and it was these
which gave us democratic institutions. This
principle of faith in man gave to our national.
lite democratic form and tendency, which it
has never lost, and led to those bills of rights
which are immortal 1t gave customs to this
nation, making the tide of life flow towards
the humber classes of the people. With us,
everything must work for the bottom of soci-
ETY. if it would work for the top, on the prin-,
ciple that that which lifts the bottom Of the
house lifts also the top. We are the creatures
of this spirit, because we are the descendants
of those who have taught these views, and a
public sentiment has been created that sur
rounds all of us. They of the South are to be
regarded as the creatures OF their institutions,
and they came into existence under the influ-
ence of the principles which long anteceded
their birth. Men often said that if few ex-
trenists like Phillips and Garrison, and some
at the South, had been hanged, we might have
had nnbroken peace, but it was not SO. If
these men had been hanged, the spirit of So
ciety would have forced up other and strong
er representative men. The speaker ex-
pressed his pleasure that we had at last come
to appreciate the difference between work and
drudgery. Work in obedience to thoughts
above drudgery, and the man becomes, in some
sense an artist. Intelligent labor coming
through the hands is thought power, and he
that thinks is redeemed from the primeval
curse that was drudgery. IF he were to point
to anything in which the Puritan spirit has
indicated itself, he would point to the work.
men OF New England. They set themselves
to raise men in New England The best crop
they could raise was men, and they sowed lber-
ally for that. The result was stock of men
that were Thoroughbred, and that created such
necessity of action and sphere that the brain
became creative of industry, rivers were trav-
ersed, cities were built up, and wealth increas-
ed. He said the bank capital of Massachu-
sets at the beginning of the war was greater
than that Of the whole rebel states; and at
the end of the war there were in the savings
banks of Massachusetts, over seventeen mill
lions of dollars, and wealth elsewhere in pro-
portion, while all the wealth of the rebel states
had been wiped out This was because work
in the north was respected, while in the south
it was degraded and forced. God took these
two representative communities, and clashing
them together, let the world see which was
the stronger. One remains a golden ball,
and the otheris dashed to pieces like potter's
vessel The question now comes shall we re-
Dulld this nation as it was at first built, or
shall II be improved and strengthened The
poverty and degradation of the sonth had been
owing to their want of faith in man and his
capabilities. Who ever would reconstruct that
upturned society on the old false principles is
sectional; he who determines that it shall be