The Portland daily press., 1872-01-23
How Beecher Began Preaching

was asked to cross the river from Cincin-
natl and preach in Covington; and went
over and began to preach there. / did not
know but was going to stay there. And l
was perfectly willing to stay. But 1 was
soon called by woman to Lawrenceburg
She was the factorum of the whole church.
And went there and spoke to a well-nigh
empty building. was settled over town
with two distilleries and twenty devils in it
was very poor. There was no patrimony
coming to me, as you know. The moment /
was out of the seminary 1 was without my
fathers support, and was obliged to take care
ofmyself had salary, but it was salary
of only $400 And took half of that to 60
to New England to get married with. And
as the parish paid half of it, and the other
half was to come from the Missionary Society.
found myself very short of funds I had
just eighteen cents in my pocket when 1
came back. was taken up by good Methdist
brother for about week; and then l got
these two rooms to which l have alluded.
They were up stairs. One was the kitchen,
cellar and sitting room; the other was the
library, bedroom and parlor. So that we
had six rooms, calling each three. The eel
lar was made by putting things under the
bed, and the other rooms were added by sun
dry devices. You who go into flush houses,
furnished by your grandpapas and grandma
mas, do not know anything about the joys of
housekeeping. Persons ought to begin at
the bottom to know what these joys are. And
Ibegan down there.
expected that l could accomplish much.
merely went to work with the feeling, 81 will
do as well as l can, and L will stick to it if
the Lord pleases, and fight his battle the best
way know how" And was thankful as l
could be. Nobody ever sent me a spare-rib
that did not thank God for the kindness
which was shown me. l recollect when
Judge-gave me his cast-of clothing l felt
that was sumptuonsly clothed. 1 wore old
coats and secondhand shirts for two or three
years; and / was not above it either-al-
though sometimes, as was physically we'll
developed man, and the Judge was thin and
his legs were slim, they were rather tight
fit.
There was a humorous side to this, but
could easily have put dOlorous side to it. l
could have said, Humph! pretty business, son
ofLyman Beechher, President of a theologi-
cal seminary, in this miserable hole, where
there is no church, and where there are no
elders, and no men to take them out of! This
is not according to my deserts. l could do
better. ought not to waste my talents in
such place. But / was delivered from any
such feeling. / felt that it was an unspeaka-
Bile privilege to be anywhere and speak of
Christ. had very little theology-that is to
say, it slipped away from me, knew it, but
it did not do me any good. 1t was like an ar
NOR which had lost its buckles; and would
not stick on. But l had one vivid point
the realization of the love of God in Christ
Jesus. And tried to work that up in every
possible shape for my people And it was the
secret OF all the little success which had in
the early part of my ministry. l remember
that used to ride out in the neighborhood
and preach to the destitute, and that my pre-
dominant feeling was thanksgiving that God
had permittec me to preach the unsearchable
riches of his grace.-Christian Union.