The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-03-19
"AN EASY PLACE WANTED. IS
Henry Ward Beecher's Advice to Young
Men.
From the Ledger.l

| From the Ledger.l
receive letters of every complexion
but not often more pithy that the follow
ing, which give uerbatim, except tn
name:
LANCASTER, Feb. 9Th, 1858
REV HENRY w. BEEoHER- hardl,
know how to address so great man YoI
said IN a sermon, some time ago, that hon
esty ought to DO rewarded | am homes
with my fellow man, myself. my God. Can
get recon mendations (the best) from Law.
yers, Doctors, Preachers, etc Get me an
easy situation, that honesty may be reward
ed G. G.
To which | append my reply.
My DEAR FRIEND The proper way to
address q great man is the way in which
you would address any man who has gooc
common sense. Never begin by telling
him that he is y great mau II he is one
he probably found it out before you did
aud if he is not one, you will not be apt to
make much by tickling his vanity by SO
cheap compliment
Surely man as honest as you are has
beeu rewarded already What! "honest
with your fellow man. yourself and your
Godr' There are few men that can say as
much. Honest with your fellow man? Ii
your conduct without knots, wind shakes
or cracks? How long has it been SOP Do
your neighbors all thinks 80 Have you
come to 1t gradually, as the win ter apple
ripens, or has it always been so? Excuse
these questions for really | am deeply inter
terested You belong to an exceedingly
small class. You have few fellows ON
earth. Indeed when you add that you are
honest with your self. caunot keep com
pany, You are ahead of me and that
clause-Honest with your God-takes you
entirely out of my sight Why do you
como to me ? ] ought to set at your feet
You are my master
No doubt you can get Recommendation
from Lawyers, Doctors, Preachers" You
place those gentlemen in the order of their
honesty, ending ia climax. Lawyers are
proverbiaiy honest Doctors never deceive
preachers always practice what they preach
Recommendations from any of these would
smack of selflaudation. Every man praises
bis own virtues. Get some one not so inev-
itabiy good 70 recommend you. Arc there
no editors, no members of Congress, in your
neighborhood
But now come to the most important
part OF your letter Get me an easy situa
tion, Chat honesty may be rewarded am
ready to do all in my power for you Had
you signifisd the sort of easy place You
would prefer | should have been less perplex
ed. Let me see.
How would good farm suit you-with
say 80 head of neat stock, in the barns, 20
horses, 100 head of hogs, cribs full of corn,
and 20 stacks of good timothy hay, besides
all that che cattle can eat moved away in
the barn? propose giving you this, Bnt,
on rejection, | am sure it would not be easy
enough Hired men must be looked after
Fences, tools and buildings want continu al
repair. Summers are very hot, winters are
very cold, and farming requires man to
be up and about at all seasons. No, | am
sure that a good farm will not be an easy
place
give up this project the more willingly
because | thought of manufacturing.
Would you like to own large cotton or
woollen mills A great deal of money has
been made (and some lost during the last
ten years in manufacturing But, just now
the business. The place is not easy enough
would not, if were you, go into manu-
featuring, nor merchandising, nor spec
uatlon There is too much agitation just
now.
could send you to Congress. Every
thing is easy enough there! But the sin
gular honesty which you possess would
make you lonesome Congressman are all,
or most all, honest but not SO honest and
you might find yourself an object of ieal-
ousy and envy, which would take from the
ease Of your position all the more, because
it would bring you so near to the White
House
Now, my dear fellow, that is the very
place for you! Your peculiar virtue of
honesty would eminentIy fiji you for that
place. That White House has been often
refurnished, but never with that whic you
would carry to it, with one exception.
1t took the nation four years 10 get used to
honesty in President ; and then, alas, just
as people began to like it, he and it disap-
peared
You are born President All parties are
looking out for you. They want man
''Honest to his fellow men, to himself, and
to his God" What motto is that to run a
race with Thus far they seem not to have
found just the man If were to divuIge
your name no doubt you would be ravish
ed away to Washington in spite of your
screams, and made President Of the United
States. And the reason why do not dis
close your whereabouts, is, that | fear that
the Presidency would not prove that easy
place, which you so justly think is due to
your honesty
In fact, believe it is hard place. We
read Of many patient martyrs. Men have
sung in the flames, and been broken on the
whee! and rack without groan, and have
worn heavenly countenance while arrows
We're piercing them or stones Pumping
down upon them And all these things
might be- But shall we ever see a holy
martyr whose faith will sustain him in the
Presidential chair Can man be torment
ed by the flce-seekers. praised by parasites,
leased by widows, overrun by Congress
carved and pierced by both parties. aayed
10y newspapers, cajoled, deceived. and final
ly termented by Cabinet, wha treat him
to advice as consolatory as that which JOB
received from his friends-and yet be a
SAINT Can there be peace in the White
mouse: You are the very man for Presl
dent, but the Presidency is not the place
for you! 1t is not ''easy!"
Perhaps you would like to come to New
York and take MIR. Astor's place, or Mr..
Stewards. Let me advise you not to do it
They have riches; but, as yet, no search hal
been able to find for them that rare and pre-
cious stone-content. Both of them have
builded good deal. But though they keel
out of the weather-the winter cold, the
summers heat, and exclude light, and souDc
and dust, as yet they have not been abl'
to keep out care sickness, sorrow and head
ache. No! | cannot conscientiously recon
mend you to become very rich man. /
is not ''easyo to do, aud still less ''easy'' at
ter it is done.
Don't be an editor if you would be easy
Do not try the law. Avoid school keeping
Keep out of the pulpit Let alone all ships
stores, shops and merchandise Abhor pol
| itics Keen awaV from LAWYERS DON