Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-11-30
BBECHER Notwithstanding.

Henry Ward Beecher wakcned up his con-
gregation on Thanksgiving day by the utter
ance of some ideas, or hints, which, II they
had been proclaimed during the late war,
would have brought down the charge OF trea-
son upon the reverend gentleman head. But
saws the Chambersburg Valley Spirit, the
Beechees are bent on saying or doing some
thing sensational. Both Henry Ward, and
his distinguished and extinguished sister, Mrs.
Stowe, have been keeping themselves promi-
pently before the public for years, by seeking
for some sensational topic and treating it, as
the Becchers can, in novel and mastery
manner Uncle Toms Cabin gave Mrs.
Stowe a reputation as wide as the American
Union in y>rv short time, and since then
she has been one of the chief literary orna-
ments of New England. Her late fdSco, in
the Byron business, the result of the same
itching to throw the world into state of ex-
citemcnt, has given her a notoriety as wide as
the fame of Byron. True, it is not an en-
yiable notoricty But then, it has put money
!, into her pocket and will put more. 1t has
driven her frsm the editorial chair of Hearth
and Home, but it has paved the way for the
pu blication of book that will have a larger
s ale than any volume that has been issued
W thin the last ten years.
Her distinguished brother, however, does
not make such mistakes. He creates his SEN
sations in Plymouth Church and in the po-
litical world, but he leaves the dead alone
H c was one of the leaders in the crusade
against slavery. BE was one of the aidcrs
and abettors of the John Brown raid. He
gave out Sharp's rifles from his pulpit spears
cut from the Mount of Olives, and made blood
and thunder speeches whenever the occasion
was offered during the war. he got '.weak in
the knees" once and turned half summer
sault, but his peculiar Radical instincts soon
brought him to his feet again, and he waged
Gn unrelenting warfare against the South.
But now, when the Radicals are congratu>
Iating themselves that "everything is lovely"
and that the victory of the North over the
South is a sure guaranty of peace for cen~
fury when they arc rejoicing in the prospect
of peaceful fattening upon the spoils of Office
for many years, this sensation>praacher sounds
the alarm from his pulpit and conjurcs up the
cites no controversy over dead men. He seeks
not to injure the fame of poet or statesman of
the past. But he presents to the Imagination
the huge skeleton of "the Lost Cause" He
galvanizes into life again the dead rebellion.
He hints at the possibility, nay more, the
probability Of another assertion of the right
of secession, and he even darcs to say that
at the idea of brute force being able to hold
the Union together when the real interests Of
the States lie in separation.
Agitation is the watchword as vail az The
food of New England Radicals, and he wants
to be known as the first man to ugitate the
idea, s06s-:o grow into a proposition, of d.
viding the Union into four soctops. To such
condition We coming under the lender
ship of party which draws its inspiration
and its ideas from the soil of New England
on which the secession plant first grew.
In order that our readers may read Mr
Bcecher's utteranccs prompted by his evil
IDENTIFY waning patriotism, we print the follow
ing extract from his Thanksgiving speech
The recent failure of the attempt at disin-
tegration ought not to breed undoubted Sc
curity. Few knew how near it came to prov
ing success. 1t WINS an attempt founded on
bad grounds in his opinion !; founded on that
which was odious to the moral sense of the
world. 1t had bad counsellors. But should
the Pacific States, in another generation, with
out slavery a vile curse, with strong COM
msrcial reasons, undertake separation, the
issue would probably be very different. Our
late success, then, must not argue the success
in every subsequent case. The failure must
not lead us to suppose that no other attempts
would be made Should the Southern States.
= now temporarily exhausted, renew the struggle
Tor Independence, on the ground of political
keconomy the issue was not to be perceived
rom the4issue of the recent war. It was
yesumptiousSto rest in the belief that the
SS,eu-et the Union was settled forever
tates could never be prevented from
saiionsif their real interests lay in separa
u. Unity could only be secured by making
e the interest of each section to remain
Rhode Island might not be able to
saw alone, nor New jersey, nor Connec,
T', nor South Carolina even. nor any single
etate, but the whole South, the whole South
west, the great Northwest, and the vast Pacific
slope move on different planes from single
kS.iites 1t was moral power, and that alone
shich could secure the Pcrpetuity of the
= Union. THAT or nothing" And, while he
would look upon the disintegration of the
Union with the deepest sorrow, he still would
not regard such an event with the same abb
horrence he did the latter struggle If four
great republics sprang into existence, in the
stead Of the Union it is, he should regard
such an occurrence as the result of reaction |
Absolute political union was BETTER so far as
we could now see. However, separation would |
not be fatal. Still, union was SO much better
that it was the duty of every Christian patriot
to do allin his power to maintain it. 1t should
be well understood that there was no band,