Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-06-16
What Henry Ward iBeecher Thinks Of
Charles Dickens


At tie usual Friday evening service;
| in Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, last
week, a member of the congregation
arose and said that no man had eyei
written in the English language and
gained as much popularity as Charles
Dickens. But what troubled him was
the question, Was Dickens a Christian
man? He could not make an answer.
He was sorry to think that man who
went into every household and every
family, exercising a beneicient inhu-
ence, had passed away. They thought
of him with great pleasure and with
gratitude, and yet they could not think
of the future with any certainty. He
woald not judge him. Far from that,
he would rather rejoice, and he would
hope that he is in the better county.
Mr. Beecher said that he supposed
that the loss they had sustained would
produce more feeling of persona loss
than any that had occurred since the
death of Walter Scott.
Dickens was the man of the house
hold. He was man with gentle, sym
pathetic, aud human feeiing-moIe so
than almost any that used the pen, He
took hold of what they might caR the
great middle class of feeling in the
human mind. Whether he was Chris
tian man in the experimental term God
only knew. He could speak about his
personal private life. He thought the
other question difficult matter to de-
eide. When a man was brought up
under different circumstances aid in
different institutions from their own
they would be apt to apparently differ,
and they would hardly be recognized
from them. They were influenced by
some men whom it was very diificalt to
to appraise or classify, or say whether
they were little nearer that or this
side, or whether they were truly Chris
tian or not. He recOllected that his
father had great doubts ut one time as
to the Christian life and character of
Bishop Heber, in Germany, and ex-
pressed his doubts thereof; but no one
in this generation would entertain -yhese
doubts for moment.
Mr.. Dickens was in our church once
or twice, and We met tDgether there,
and he rendered his testimony to the
many advantages they possessed and
he once wrote him letter in which he
said, Don It build another church, you
will never get another like it ~ He
meant of course the peculiar acoustic
properties and conveniences here to be
found.
Mr. Dickens has accomplished more
than any man in his life e-work-so to
speak-without any distinctive Chris
Jan bias. His labors, and the results at
tendant thereon, were far different from
these of BIlwer and Byron. His
writings did not teach pride, and GER
tainly had no tendencies toward Incense
and designations, but the generic infiu-
ences OF his writings were to make man
pure aud more humane, ard to render
the househould more happy aud con-
tented. He did not believe there was a
line to be found in his writings that
would tend to produce iicentiousness or
dissipation. On the single account of
drink, | would make an exception. He
stood upon that ground upon which God
in His providence is already operating.
He belonged to the old school, who did
not advocate temperance principles; and
he was glad that the old school was
passing away. Dickens was a great
benefactor of his race, though he was
not engaged in a higher sphere, such as
the spiritual element. God has given
him success in his work-such success
that was seldom vouchsafed to others
engaged. He devoted his life
TO the amelioration of the human race,
and he accomplished good in this re-
spect. We must be grateful to God for
what he has done. What he did he did
we'll, and he has passed off the stage in
one moment in the full enjoyment of his
faculties. Charles Dickens is man
who is entitled to the highest and
nohlest honor, and is entitled to be
among the best of men.