, 1870-06-13
Henry Ward Reecher,s Trsl,utc.

~ 'nItai, tafn tue h5-ica1 and 80 On again.
2AcnrF Ward Reccher's Tribute.
From the .Stts York Wn.i, Jun<11.
me exceeding stormy weather last night dill
rot prevent large number from gathc5iu. At
The regular pfayer-meesing Il TlymouiL
Church. The 'sfaithful" we're renaid ~ hasT.
ing Mr. DeecEer On subject ead indeed Int
Dickene. a'es
After the opening hymns had been suug mi,
present to make any remarks, or otter a to,,;'. MY
Tor thought or exposition. A gentleman rose
and alluded to the sad news OF tho fleat,, ~
Mr: Dickens, received few hours preyiouslr
ana Whuc expressing great regard for lir..
DieEens and bis writings, was at q loss wlors
tSp - p'sec AIn ~ the scale Of the benefactors Of
Chnshan: Ihe remark had tho effect of.draw-
ing Mr. Beecher ont. He spoke with evident
1eeling, and his femArks were listened to With
intense interest. alr. Deecher e.id:
nEAARKs OF l1R. pEEcuER.
5ho death Of Charles Dickens has been al
'tuaeG na.e1 to: r. !! surpose it will produce moro
q Any one that haa died since Walter Scott.
He was household mau, He w.a a mano ~
iho most genial sy1npathics, the most humaue
1echngs almost Of any man that Is writing Ia
cur day. BE took hold OF what We nav csil
,1s ne great middle class OF feelings in the hu-
man mind. Whether he was personally and
eIperlmentally, in one sense Of that term. a
CnIlstlan man, God knows. do not. know
indeed very little about his personal nriyate
h1e. & think it, however, always very iifi-
cut matter 70 measure men who are brought
up onoer different institutions, placed in dir
1etent circumstances from our own, and
whose way Of looking at things is so
much modified by theft surroundings ~
scarcely to bo recognized by us. Now you mar
say OF men anywhere. in any natiou, in anv cit.
c9mslAnces, that there is one class Of them
producers OF spiritual influence IN tho world.
Dosllvcly, and We do not doubt about them,
Then there Is another claaa OF which Wa say
that We arc positive they produce 1ualiRu ID
auences, seltish influences. Then there Is a
great claea OF men between theee, Of whom it
nearer this side OF little nearer that eide, mi
mat they may not be truly Christian, although
very much unlike ourselves. I recoi-
lect hearing my father eav
once Of Bishop Hebor that he had been sesd-
ing bus LIE aud journeys, and be expressed
or not He thought him to be- yerT moral
man and OF very poetic nature; and that he
hsd some Of the "natooral yittooy. as thev
are ca1ec-had them in great strength, but be
shook his head mournfal1r on the question OF
nnna ms aeeqn tq sonsersion but suppose there are
look back upon it see that my father appliesl
very ngid, and indeed technical, measure to
q man that was brought up in such war th1t
he tny father) Hs¬ able to underst and his |
ssnaHoundings- 3 Contrast 3lr. Dickens aud bis |
has filed English literature With al erninentIv
d,s'lnctire Christian bias, made it rich in dis
e,hcfive Christian truths, and Sou feel at ouce |
that he ia not one Of that class Tbst il moi the
VOTE gwen to him Onthe otherhand, compare |
a1n with such writerB as Dulwer and Dyrou. |
men ea ~ oI shat stAnding s, and you feel just a.
not producer Of morbid feeling. He did not
generate scitishness or pride and certainly not
'ehderneEs toward license aud dissipation. All
ais Writings brace mp manhood in truth md
I1onor, And purity and virtue, and throughout
:sricaturc, bnt the the generic influence Of bis
'ntngs ie TO make manhood purer auI |
tner- It is to make the intercourse OF man
Wath their fel1ow-ncn moro genial and more
iainanei It IL to make the household pu1er
Question that this Is the general tendsncr of
III his writings. I do not believe hat thersisa
inc 10 be found which, either by deaicn or in fnct
I'll tend to produce RIGHTEOUSNESS or laSity. On
he Single question Of drink should mako N
= ;;1.seps.on. Neither By preaching nor practice
'ub1ect Of nAny advanced men Of the world.
ie representa- the old school-and hope the
cnool is passing y-of moral men In Eng
and On that subject, who have treated it con-
e1nptuously md made it ridiculous By c.ric-
1snfo. s9 But, Ii respect to the other good
ION that he haa been benefsctor OF his fsce,
md though be has not worked in the highest
p1efe IN the spiritual eIemeut of tho racss. God |
"a gifted linn WITH no mean talent, and given |
IN IN success that has been seldom youch-
afed 4 to .n{; not in my memory to anv a. to
'hAsies Dickens. doubt il his works that he
~ ieft behind him will be ~ much read in
nother generation as they have now but
here can be no question that uhere ameilor.-
ops IN the procedure Of society are traced
aek 70 their sources it viii be found that God
used him up md employed in no mean de-
rec to produce reformation and elevation in
10 middle elements Of human welfare, {
ceouect ha SAYING to me, in the roonna ad-
Dining here, that those schools, such IS NJ,
qnee5s s! school N which Nicholas Sickleby
1as he vas reading from that snbiect, he sid,
l modest way. that since This was wri,tan
aotc schools had disappeared from England.
he exposure was the means Of awakening =
ubllc attention to them and that kind 81 |
scret. hidden institutions Of torment for
Dung people, Is they might b called,
ere almost destroyed by The light thay I
elet upon them. His work, "Hleaf Houss."
.oduced very powerful effect upon the
noe Eneiish mind in reference to the per
~ J1seA1o ~ I4o InSunn courts 1t
Fodueed much acrimonious feeling In Eng
nd aEainst him. but after all worked good |
heeo are but instAnces- Thero arc creat
any things IN his writings in whiea-we do =
ot undentand whv-he takes hold with A
3werful grasp, While the question Of this
'intual work is question That perhaps va .
ust not decide-cettainly are not authorized i
J decide it, md rank him among the hisheat |
.ture-vo cannot withhold hon. him and !
nnos be too grateful to God for the fact
1t be VAS F1sed up N lower sphere to do
greatly needed work, which he ala B
ELL He has passed OF tho stage as one. Z
ink, might wish to die. One moment in 4
70 full enjoyment Of his faculties, and in The n
sxt moment gone ed1 cling TO that heresv
1Sed against in the Episcopal p1aver-book-
Deliver me from sudden death" should
'vat pray that God would keep ne from sud B
n death. I do not want to be Gke An old | !.
Ifnees tied up with tox-striuss. and Always
eahng, and Always up for repaiEs, and
HAys good for nothing. He has gone at the
II OF Ife- Every year must hays let down
E tone Of his mind and his work. He has (
ed 1T the right time for himself, and died nt |
g right time for the world. He has done his
ark. and such as he had done he had done
u. For one. I thank God for the LIE =
ID work Of Charles Dickens, although DO +
1t regard him Of the highest. l do not think 70
necessary that 4 man should work at tho o.
ehest IN order TO be 14nked among the no ,
est and best Of men. win Say that KwlI a.
,ys be pleasing thing to nc to think that he :
oke In our chuEch-used it for his reztinrs
received message from him teferln1 Ia y
e talk about our building new church, say- 4
8: Tell Nr. Beecher never to build an- d
her church. This is perfect; he vii proha | :
: never get another oner-as spestine-
ON be meant received from him \ most
fGia1 rocepHou. He invited ma in am1r | II