The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-19
Parsons for Political HonOrs.

They want to send Spurgeon to Parllament
I'm England, where his sedgc- hammer elo-
quence may have o wide field for exercise
among the magnates Of the eight little
ISLAND There were two parsons there
before, and they made themselves heard and
felt to advantage. Mall, the leader Of the
anti-State Church party, was non-conformist
clergyman, and Fox, another uncompromising
opponent of abuses and feudal aristocratic
privileges, was Unitarian minister. This is
lust the time for man 1.-The Spurgeon to be in
the councils Of the British nation, to keep q
watchful eye on Gladstone, and to have his say
about the Alabama claims. OF course there is
another house where parsons Of higher order
Hre admitted, among the peers and titled per-
eonaees of the land: but there is such IN
atmosphere of old fogyism and dulness about
them that Spurgeon, even + he was decorated
with the finest lawn sleeves and rewarded by
princaly income, could not exist there. The
proper arena for an intellectual Hercules is
the house where the representatives of the
people meet, and not the catacombs where the
mummies OF feudalsm doze their useless lives
away. It is to be hoped, then, that the Brit
1sh Beecher will be carried into Parliament
On the sturdy shoulders of his congrega-
lion, to preach with forty-parson power
against the prevailing abuses Of the the day.
Now, we have an American Spurgeon here,
who might be equally serNceable in Congress.
why not take Beecher from the limited sphere
of Plymouth church and let his voice be lifted
MP in unison with Sumner, Morton, Schurz
and Butler? Perhaps he might discover the
precious secret of transforming Congress from
bear garden into happy family, and Of
making Grants bull terriers and Greeley's
Shanghae ROSTERS lie down in amity together.
His wit and versatility would be proftably
employed in touching up the Supplemental
Treaty, and better than any cartoon would be
his word painting of John Bulls delight and
America humiliation over the cowardly sur
render of our government. Then his presence
might cause his fellow Senators or Representa-
tives to be more sparing Of their stock of ex-
pletives to indulge less freely in the flowing
bowl, and to lead pure and virtuous ives-in
fact to create political Arcadia. He is
eminently qualified for Congressional honors,
no matter what the result of the Presidential
election may be. If we should have farmer
as Chief Executive, Beecher would be On
Invaluable authority on agriculture; if Grant
does not move out from the White House next
March he will find in the Plymouth church
star the king of eulogists; and if the Woodruff
and Douglass ticket succeeds the reverend Con-
gresham can point with pride to past efforts
in the cause of the lady and myriad lectures
for the dusky brethren Of her companion. He
is one of those rare individuals who can accom-
modate himself to any circumstances, and
such quality is invaluable in the harlequinade
of politics. With Sturgeon in Parliament and
Beecher in Congress the Alabama claims ques-
ton would become ivelieY than ever and more
interesting than in the hands OF musty old
diplomats