The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-04-28
THE DAILY EMPIRE.
Beecher and His Auctions.

Once year the Brooklyn searchers after
things spiritual attend the great "cheap
Jack' Institution presided over by one
Henry, whose other name Is Ward Beecher,
and vie with each other In bidding for front
seats, side seats. cushioned seats and stand
Ing places In the Plymouth Theater A
poor man has no show OF getting a ticket
for glory from the great Beecher Unlike
Christ there Is price, and dickens Of a
price TO his Christianity II costs money
TO get to Heaved via Brooklyn. Poor folks
that Is, poor white folks-never will have
their heavenly baggage checked from
Beecher's station HOme-spun, sheep's
grey and plain calico are not the apparel
for Brooklyn. Beecher has ten thousand
dollars year for conducting his opera. 1t
is the only theater or niRger show In the
country which pays no license, and stock
therein must pay large earthly, IL not so
much of a kingdom-come dividend.
The seats are sold there each year to the
highest bidder, and the chief bidders are
those who have no time to pray, and do
their worship by contract or by pasting a
copy of the Lords Prayer on their head
board, writing ''them's nay sentiments" un-
derneath. and, afer nod In that direction.
pop into bed as frog goes into pond
when boy slings rocks at the head of the
watery greenback.
The auctioneer arrives, fresh from the
Club Rooms, aud at once begins
Now ladies and gents, what am offered
for choice of pews. In this Temple of Chris
tianity? Talk fast, for time Is cash. Choice
of pews remember. Select which one you
please. Am | offered two thousand--nfne-
teen hundred-eighteen hundred--seven-
teen hundred dollars year for the choice
of pews to hear the god-like Beecher once
a week for tiftvtwo weeks? Remember.
gents, that he spouts ultimate and penulti-
mate religion. That he discourses on Bible.
nigger, the twelve apostles, including old
John Brown, craftsmanship, baptism, re-
pentance, loyalty-that he denOunces the
devil, copperheadism. poverty and all such
crimes! Sixteen hundred win you make it
for choice of pewsp Too bad, gentlemen
Not even sixteen hundred dollars a year ?
Why, fellow Christians, If you own pew
here you can 20 to theaters, operas, horse
races, pretty waiter girls saloons, faro banks
and perhaps the devil And you can buy
and sell gold, and stocks, and contrabantl
cotton. You can keep handsome hired
girl, indulge in wine suppers and enjoy
Christianity hugely. viii you say fifteen
hundred-fourteen-- en--thirteen--twelve hum
dred-and down she goes to Deacon Gold
fish for twelve hundred. Brethren let us
prdyi"
Now, gents. what do hear for the sec
oud choicep just as good seat as the
thousand? Remember that whatsoever gives
to the poor lends to the Lord! win you
make 1t nineteen hundred-eighteen hun
dred-and no poor people allowed in the
pew--eXperienced seXton-knows his busi-
ness. You want choice pew to exhibit
your patent feathers, yonr furs, your broad
cloth--the silks and satins of your wife
and plaids of your children. Come. gents
choice of seats to Beecher's baZaar--will
ixtn --ti1t 1tna
hundred dollars? Come TO the center you
gold spectators, oil dealers. stock brokers
cotton thieves, oiiice-holders, loyal people
and nabobs! Bid lively, keep out the poor.
for Beecher's heaven Is peculiar institu-
tion, where angels wear white silk gar
ments with flesh-colored stockings, low
necked dresses and friZZled hair. All
right-sold at fifteen hundred"
Niger church at the Five Points will dc
for poor people-this Is for the rich and
loyal exclusively.
There was time when people worship
ped God-not the man. When they prayed
from their hearts, not with lying lips
When professors of religion lived lives oI
godliness, and not of dissipation. extrava-
gance and recklessness. When the "dim
old isles of the forest rang with the am
thems" of those who believed In God and
the Redeemer as means of grace rather
than a cloak for deviltry. There was
time when Christianity meant something
when the laws were honored-when eX-
travagance did not take even the rites o.
burial in its clinky grasp-when religion
was devotion Instead of an art We
believe in that religion which seeks God In
lowliness of spirit and not in that bras,
mounted, silver plated style which drives
to the church door with nigger in livery
and keeps private glass as billiard
player does his cue. to partake the sac.
rament from. If Christ should be borr
again, not one out of ten of these patent
aristocratic professors of religion would
cali on his mother during her stay in the
stable where the infant Jesus first saw
liUht for fear of LOSING casta