The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-12
BROOKLYN CHURCHES.
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

1ks Herald a Church Critic-NTr. Beecher
Returns to the Role Of Oshcr Days--Dra.
nsatic Action of the Preacher and Laughter
Of the Audicnce-A Sermon ON Responsible
IndiviGuahsn,.
To an audience that comfortably filed but did not
crowd Plymouth church Mr.. Beecher discouraed
yesterday morning on the subject OF Irresponsible
Individuahsm." The service had the usual attrac-
uveness OF song and flowers, and the weather was
tast cold enough TO give the feeling OF cosey comfort
- each one nestled close to his neighbor in the
crowded pews. Mr.. Beecher has profted by the hint
given In the HERALD last week. For the first time
this season he played the part in which he so much
sxcels, and which is his peculiar and distinguished
s'5le, namely,
THE DRAMATIC PARsoN.
Next week the ''Black Prophet whatever that
may be, Is To be performed i'll PymOath church,
"'with musical and Evolutionary accompaniments;'
but II Mr.. Beecher Will only continue to dramarlze
O. ceverly he did yesterday morning, the "Black
CrOOk at NblO's will rank second in attractiveness
to that theatrical talent that can throw Sunday
morning audience into COMMISSIONS Of laughter At
the pantomime that TO the very dmpIe Of the mouth
and expeclant expression of the lips reveals the
peculiarly attractive charms Of the sucking baby
and the platform promenade that gave 50 effectively
the felike strut Of the pOpilijay Paris. One en-
thusiasrc stranger was SO tlcied With OF these
tabeaux that he demanded an encore by a contlnu
Gus clapping OF his hands, and was enly brought
back TO the consciousness That ne was present at
DIVINE service and not at theatre by the weli-bied
remOnstrance OF
voLLEY or .uUsHEsv
from the we-dressed pew owners IN his Immediate
The text selected was the eighth chapter OF the
Gospel OF Mark, the seventeenth and eighteenth
verses-"And when Jesus knew 1t he saith unto
them, why reason ye, because te have no Dready
Perceive ye not yet, neither understand Have We
your heart yet nardeneds Having eyes, see ye not.
and having ears hear We noty and 40 We mot remeIn.
berf" The ORIGINALLY heurative language OF our
Lord. the dull and material mental apprehen-
sion OF the apostles formed the theme for the first
few Introductory sentences. Alter this the 4 ain
subject and lesson or the dlscoulsethat OF respen
nble Observation-Disclosures dssected, ana each part
thereon cleverly and clearly presented. 1t would
nave been easier said MIR. Beecher. lar easier, to
have made man 60 right than to have endowed
him with faculties char msused would lead nin to
go wrong. IL rs easy to make doll or puppct to
go right. That is an affair Of machinery, the turn
Ing OF wheel and the winding up OF clock
work. But m this there was no play OF "a ulty, no
manifestation OF nina, Of will, Of reason, OF con-
isIence Of people. Living right only
means to end; the main idea " the world was
manhood, the power of being and DONG. Ii WAS i'm
pOrtant and useful to find out what was right in
order that we may grow right. Tue sovereignty Of
the Individual was true in every aspect Of mans de-
yelOpment. Men get perfect by The exercise OF their
faculties. Out OF perpiexity
BLuADER. MISTAKE,
comes perfected experience This ls The law Of
development Well, it was asked II this was neces
Sary; could not perfection have been obtained by
less arcuous conditions? The sufficient answer to
that query this:-Tnat 1t was the law OF the de-
velopment, SO lar as this world was concerned,
whatever II might be IN other worlds This thought
was Illustrated by reference to national govern
ments An autocratc government was good In
giving the extcrnasm OF order, Tor the preservation
OF mems lives and property. 1t maue men machines;
but such government only useful in making
men machines ana la depressing every faculty
OF a nation; there was no developing
power IN II. t Was not the
ciSlzens. Tnis was equally true m the moral sphere.
1t IL essential 10 true HE that men should be supe-
rtor to their circumstances. There we're TWO excep.
tiOns TO being cared for by others and kept in the
paternal strings OF organizations, national or ether
wise. One was, children whom we arc all pledged to
care for; ana the grown up people, who are children
Ill their lives. There were two powerful ilus;ra-
lions 0! letting other people govern for you III the
Void, q 'ie '' "o''' governed cues IL ''s
PARIS AND NEW YORK.
., There was the popinay Of Europe, who went
talking loudly and afecGedly OF the glOries
and blessings Of monarchlcal government. Mir.
Beecher, as he said this, pr0nenaded The platform
with concetea and measured swagger THAI
brought to The memory OF The audenee all the ex.
aic said talked 10 You Of the protection OF property
and lie al though there was nothing else Ia the
end and aim OF government, it might ex peoite its
work very easy by killing OF large number OF Its
people for what nse they were - tneir ellsw-crea-
lures Anrocracy and monarchy had It's adyan-
Aages; Ii gave to national life routine order ike
watch; and Mr. Beecher, taking out hts watch and
holding 1t in his DaDd said that such life resemhled
IL; each honr each minute, each second thus
provided for by such paternal governments, hut IN
that was no national life. Democratic Institutions
did not Immediately accomplish what they desired;
there were more rents ana more patches In Vie
purple robe OF
THE DEMOCRATIC STATE:
hnt then 1t gave the people large repairing large
fecaperauve power, and produced individuals and
not men, Men come to us rom these despstic
countries anu they go home ana rail nj eur instiu-
tons. when the fact Is they don't know what ltee-
dom IL, ard when they see IL IN ether men they |
don'tknow 1t. III You want government That SHAH
make men, that shall give the clark OF progressive
ness 10 the ages you must look kor 1t under dcn5
cratic Institutions. THAI which was true 81 govern
WeniS bad Socn found atss HISTORICALLY lrUe In Inc