The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-05-31
From New York.
Correspondence of the CoURIER.
BROOKLYN, New YORK,
May Goth, 1866.


my letter was not written to, or for the
Courier Bitto my personal friend, J
W., who, alone, must shoulder the respon
siblity of my grave charges or personal
grievance inflicted through neglect, on his
part, to preserve scrupulously, in his Office
store, my private correspondence. 1 pre-
sumo, however, you will recall my last
Winters practice of appropriating vour
arm(less) chair and fresh Exchanges
and say Quits" e.. 81. '..s.
have not seen the "Courier;" nor can |
imagine what you could find in my letter
worth publishing along with the sketch OF
the Fox chase in the Senate Chamber, Tor
was it not Rat batting, or Badger drown
nag, rather?) which clipped an account
OF from the Congressional Globe and sent
to you, thinking some of my quandam
blatant, row skulking neighbors of the
southern sympathy, class might be
tempted by the example Of that chivaliric
Traitor Martyr to emerge from their nod
est seclusion of "By-gones." and cast
their administered heads into that "last
ditch which certain Representatives OF
Sovereign States" told us they we're go
ing to dig when they withdrew, in obedi-
ence to the call of their States" from Con-
gress, and which, having spent four years
| in digging, they now seem rather reluctant
| about filling with their infamous Carcass
| ses. ...... ..-. ..5 -..
When visiting New York in former
years I sighted the Notabilities by not
calling upon them at their Offices and
| Churches. Mr.. Beecher appears to have
forgotten it, however; if he was notindeed,
as / half suspect, not only sublimely in
different to my presence in the City, but
wholly ignorant of my existence. At air
events, when 1 presented myself last
Sabbath evening at Plymoth Church, he
kindly allowed one of his Packers to take
me in. along with about four thousand
| others, and stick mein sidewise among the
unclassified strangers, on a narrow shelf
| in the gallery, whore 1 helped hold up the
wall and, with my knees for tenders, kept
| the said wall from being worn away by
the current of Crinoline which swept
violently, ruthlessly along the narrow
channel which separated the stray sheep
| from the main flock.
When reading the "Star papers," and
other works of Mr. Beecher's pen, I have
| been wont to give him great credit for
| clearness of intellect, rugged, vigorous
reasoning, sharp wit, healthy, brilliant,
ever fascinating flights of Imagination;
every good quality pertaining to the
mental equipment of the Christian soldier;
h,,tx -hav, e r. L.. l.,
to determine for my own qualification and
personal profit whether those close search
| ing, sweet persuasive appeals TO our better
| impulses, were the honest, Christ-lent
utterances, sent out from a new and clean
washed heart to awaken forgotten love in
our souls and invite us to God, I found
my unchartable nature suggesting baser
| motives; mere human incentives of ambi-
ton; pride of influence; in short / was, al
most unconsciously, joining the fashion,
able drift-wood of society in "damning
with faint praise" q man whom many de-
nounce because they have not the capacity
to weigh and test, or elselack courage to
attack, or even oppose, or, worsa still, are
too contemptibly base to recognize as purer
than themselves. You may safely suspect
I was soon made ashamed of having even
seemed to doubt the existence Of vital
pieIy in Mr.. Beecher's heart. ....
To doubt or question, the sincerity of
his appeal to the whole wide brotherhood
Of man to join him in love to God and
love TO our fellows was no longer possible
I have listened to no man with greater
pleasure as well as profit; and am convinc-
ed he most delights-and understands es
pecially well--to throw the might and fire
of his own great heart into the hearts of
all who come to hear him. ... %
sat down to tell you something that Mr..
| Beecher, Mr.. Kimball, Mr.. Mills, John
| Cotton Smith and Mr.. Gallaher said on the
subject of christian union - but fearing
l should fail TO reproduce their thoughts,
| or interest you, / went out out and bought
the daily papers, hoping to find in them a
report of the meeting. / find only a very
meagre outline sketch of it in the Brook
lyn Daily Eagle, which inclose to you.--
1 hope, however, The Independent will fur
nish you full report, which / am sure
christians in Ottumwa will be glad to read:
especially will they be interested by the
remarks of Mr.. Smith about small COM
muni:ies attempting to build up and sup
port half a dozen distinct deno0ainGtiondl
| churches, and starving them all on the
meagre support which would barely suf-
| flee to feed one church Of united christians.
have heavy tidings from your midst
away there in Iowa. Only few days ago
that dear brother was with me here. DC
cupying the same room could not fail to
observe, and now rejoice to recall simple
but touchingly significant habit Of his, -
now too seldom practiced by many who
profess to honor and to love God: Before
retiring, at the close Of each day, he knelt
by his bedside in prayer.
There is in active operation here move
ment for the suppression of the Liquor
traffic, and q better observance of the Sab
bath. wish its influence might extend
as indeed think it is extending--to all
parts of our land. Christ-like lives are
the best Temperance advocates; and the
warm, living, loving wall of blood cleans-
ed human hearts, which should be found
in every church, is the best Temperance
pledge into which poor, weak, abandoned
sinner can be drawn. .... T.. ..s
"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for
repose,
l will not,-I will not desert to his foes
That soul, though all hell should en-
deayor to shake;
I'll never. no never, no never forsake."
/ shall be glad TO receive a letter from,