The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-04-23
tFrvm the New York Lsdg.r.)
An Easy Place Wanted,
BY HENRY WARD BEEcHEa.


give perbdiim, except the name;
LANCASTER, Feb. 9th, 1868.
REV. HENRY w. BEEcnER-Sir: l
hardly know how to address so great
a man. You said in sermon, some
time ago, that honesty ought to be
rewarded. / am honest with my fell
low-meu, myself and my God. Can
get recommendations (the best) from
lawyers, doctors, preachers, etc Get
me an easy (sie) situation, that hon
esty may be rewarded. &C.
To which | append my reply:
My DEAR FRIEND; The proper
way to address a great man is the way
in which you would address any man
who has good common sense. Never
begin by telling him that he is a
great man. If he Is one, he probably
found it out before you did aud if he
y nc, one YOU will NO. 90 apt to
make much by tickling his vanity BY
so cheap a compliment.
Surely a man so honest as you arc
has been rewarded already. What !
"honest with your fellow man yourself
aud your Cod" There are few men
that can say as much. Honest with
your fellow nenl Is your conduct
without knots, wind. shakes or cracks ?
How long has it been so Have you
come to it gradually, as winter ap.
pie ripens, or has it always been so ?
Excuse these questions, for really, |
am deeply Interested. You belong
to an exceedingly small class. You
have few fellows on earth. Indeed,
when you add that you are honest pith
gourseV | can not keep your company.
You are ahead Of me; and that last
clausc--honest ,oih your God--takes
you entirely out OF my sight. Why
do you como to me, ought to sit at
your feet. You are my master.
No doubt you can get "recommen-
datiUns from lawyers, doctors, preach.
ers, etc." You place those gentle.
men, doubtless, in the order of their
honesty, ending in clymax. Law.
yers are proverbially honest. Doc
tors never deceive. Preachers always
practice what they preach. Recon-
mcndations from any of these would
smack of self-laudation. Every man
praises his own virtues. Get some
one not so inevitably good to COM
mend you. Are there no editors, no
members Of Congress, in your neigh
borhood2
But now come to tho most i'm.
portant part Of your letter. "Get me
an easy situation, that honesty may
be rewarded" am ready to do ali
in my power for you. Had you sig
nified the sort of easy place you
would prefer should have been less
pcrplexed. Let me see.
How would good farm suit you
with, say fifty head, Of ncat stock in
he barns, twenty horses, one hun
drod head Of hogs, cribs full of corn,
and twenty stacks of good timothy
hay, besides all that the cattle could
eat, moved away ia tho barn ? ]
propose giving you this. But, on
reflection, | am sure it would not be
easy enough. Hired men must be
looked after. Fences, tools and build
ings want continual repair. Sum
mers are very hot; winters are very
cold, and farming requires a man to
be up and about in all seasons. No,
am sure that a good farm will not
be an eaV place.
give up this project the more
willingly because thought of manu-.
featuring. Would you like to own
large cotton m;lls2 A deal Of money
has been made (and some lost dur
ing the last ten years in manufactur-
ing. But just now am afraid there
is some embarrassment in the busi-
ness. The place is not easy enough,
| would not, if l were you, go into
manufacturing, nor merchandising,
nor speculation.
l could send you to Congress.
Everything is easy enough there.
But the singular honesty which you
possess would make you lonesome.
Congressman are all, or most all,
honest; but not so honestl aud you
might find yourself an object of jeal
ousy and envy which would take from
the ease of your position, all the
more, because it would bring you so
near the White House.
Now, my dear fellow, that is tue
very place for youl Your peculiar
virtue of honesty would eminently fit
you for that place. The White
House has often been refurnished,
bat never with that which you would
carry to it, with one late exception. 1t
took the nation four years to get
used to honesty in President, aud
then. alasl just as the people began
to like it, he and it Disappeared
You arc born President. All
parties are looking out for you. They
want man-"llonest to his fellow
men, to himself and to Godl" What
a motto is that to run race With!
Thus far they seem to not have found |
just the man. II | we're to divulge
your name no doubt you would be
rsviShed away to Washington in
spite of your screams, and made
President Of the United States. And
the only reason why / do not disclose
your whereabouts il, that fear that
the Presidency would not prove that
"easy" place, which you so justly
think is due to your honesty.
In fact 1 believe it is hard place.
We read of many patient martyrs
Men have sung in the flames, and
been broken on the wheel aud rack
without groan, and have worn
heavenly oountenance while arrows
were piercing them or stones plump
Ing down upon them. And all these
things might be. But shall we ever
see-u- hufy martyr whose faith will
him in the Presidential chair?
Can a man be tormouted by Office ,