The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-06
BEECHER.
His Sermon Yesterdny-POIitics and Re-
llxtOm Nj
a \ ~ 4 w - I
80 francs.

ligiOn MIn gied.
morning, Rev. Henry Ward Beecner said
II is momentous question whether any
nation has The moral couI aga TO say, we refuse
10 make material profit on to- open opporJuni.
ties which involve tyranny aud wrong. Indeed,
IL is a most dangerous thing to tempt nation
in this way. Given the promise of u vast com
merce given an increase of wealth as the result
Oft aggressive and cruel course and there Is
tates Of ny SumiIity PaH gener"sity meesness and
Kindness for the mere sake of material gain. Il
have the magnsnimity TO act from their hignest
Interests. The present political year will
principles of kindness, large principles. prin-
ciples of honesty, or whether they respond to
so9g sF'sa BY srdne Ss 70
increase by aggression on others: : Where
are the men who are truly great? have been
since ls4O. From that tune to this, two gene
rations have risen and gone beyond. or toer
That every one of them has been made and
is made. simply by roofing himself in
o"npS'dl do. on dapg6ili We We grow more mushroom
men than any nation in the world IL
@ and Ito to bury ni@ Vita US. % Taese
be men of power but not Of influence. Tney
represent 50 much physical force; but they In
Hannibal, Alexander, Cesar, Napoleon, Wei.
lingtoD; and IL is true mat while they were,
they were powerful. But they died, and to-day
their deeds and the memory Of Them leave not
o vestge of influence behind. We have sucu
honor them. 1t remains to be seen II the
Americans will spurn these creatures OF clay.
these masses OF antmalism and rise TO reward
ing men of moral principle, of CHRISTIAN Guar
acter, OF civil capactty-sucn man as has stood
calmly waited Till even his foes viudicate his
virtue and bis courage, by adopting his far.
sighted, ever held views as their own.
exercises, MIR. Beecner selected as his text Jne
1heen'h verse OF the twentieth chapter Of
EXODUS: "Thou shalt not steal"
He began by saying that there was no other
text in the Bible that was better understood
and more universe lily broken thar the one ne
had just read. There was no other period in
our national history when 1t was broken so
often and SO openly as at the present uay 1t
was time that thi- Truth, though an old one,
should be learned by all par les and all Glasses
and conditions OF men. Stealing was going o9
TO be the rule in almost every business and pro-
fessioD In some occupations IL ad got TO be-
come a thing TO be expected and no one was SUR
prised. The railway management of The coun-
Try was especially corrupt. lie honestly be-
United States 10 be corruptly used for the pur-
pose of enrichiDg the managers at the expense
OF the stockholders, and That those concerned
in their management could be ca led nothing
else than corrupt. SubordInaJeS We're also dis
cult in these days TO obtain persons whom they
could trust. Mr.. Beecher alluded 10 the govern
ment of the City of New York at some leugtn,
Say ing II would be known as iongaS Sodom and
GOmorrah, and for largely the same reasons.
The Legislature of New York was also corrupt,
and stealing was customary with boLn parties.
1t was q question which was most Rd-oiJ
in stealing, the Democrats or Republicans;
whichever party went up, IL went 10
down came down TO muJter because
they hadn't chance to steal. daughter Cor
rustion WAS also rite in The Legislature of the
States of PenI sylvania, kAnsas, Rhode Island,
and Massachusetts, in the latter ), ate almost as
bad as In the Stale of New York. Aud now
said the speaker, IL is seriously proposed to
carry the nation bodily inJo this ring of thieves,
and by the reputation OF the nation ii bonds TO
steal from those who, In our emergency, ad-
Vanced their means for the purpose OF main
tainiT our national lie anu Union. regard
the refusal TO pay the bonds OF these United
States in gold or silver as being, la every dis
| guise aud under every possible plea. an afro
| cous theft; and pronounce Tn AZ man, either
| by mistake or intentionally, thief VINO does
IT, OF attempts TO procure the doing OF It: IL Is
| an attempt TO make This naIlOn a vast Jhteving
body, (Applause) II is not an accusation That
| can De laid against one party or the other
There are thieves in both parties That are
| clamoious for This national reputation This
| is crime that l think would not have It's
| parallel even among knaves. IL takes sort
OF man smlrched with patriotism and Varnished
with pieLy To do the wickedest thing. (Sensa
tom pick pocket would not steal the medi
cine away from a physician who was healing
| his own mother. But, while men In the nation .
extremity and peril lent their aid, IL Is now
| proposed that we shall pick their pockets and
| steal rom them. IL is thing for which there
| were no titles monslrous enough. 1t is a thing
| that every man who has a conscience or par
| ticle OF honor ought To hiss at and spew at II
IS shame that the Church-ihat is so loud
| against dancing and card. playing, has not q
| WORD 10 say against national robhery, national
| dishonor, and national dishonesty. ID.
| Mr.. beecher then briefly alluded to the grow
| ing dishonesty In public and private life, and
| urged, as the only hope of the nation the care
| ful educating of the young by their parents and
teachers In strict honesty as well as piety A
| hymn and the benediction closed the evenings
| exercises.