New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-06-09
Comic Sermon az Plymouth Church,


Beeeher's discourse on Sunday last was
| on Doing as You Have a Mind To" and
contained many passages in the most hu-
mOF0us vein of the preacher, frequently, as
the reporters tell US, provoking the smiles
of the eongre CATION. Among other things,
| he said
You see people come into a room: thew
are going to be very proper, and they are
| going to do the correct thing, and the
| room is 1ull of invited guests, and you see
! as they come in that they are overwhelmed
! almost with the thought of themst Ives
! But you see also that that they do not
! know even what to do with their hands.
/ Mr. Beecher walked across the platform.
| initiating this awkwardness, awaking a very
audible litter. You see another person
| come in who is accustomed to be in society;
4 there is no awkwardness; there is grace in
| every mOVemenU-quite an ease of manner.
| You see a inely-fOrmed, lusty Young
man taken from off the farm and
| put under the care of a drill sergeant
! to be made a soldier of. You see
| him IS he stands in his first drill; he does
| not know how to hold himself perpendicu-
| larlY he leans his body either too far for
| war; or too far backward; he can not move
/ his arms unless he does it heavily and
/ gaVatly; and his movements from first TO
! las are quite ridiculous. You 90 a few
maths after to that station and Won see
| tbs same recruit transferred into an or
drly; you see him sent as orderly to de-
! yer a message, and you notice with what
race he gives the salute to his superior
nicer, and how every muscle of his brdy
Is in strict and prompt obedience to his
will, and how they move with freedom
that is quite unconscious. Look at a Boy
learning to play violin. Mr.. Beecher
here initiated the awkward holding Of the
violin, the unscientifc bowling of the first
lessons, and then, with a mimicry that was
quite startling in its eXactness to the Origi-
nal, showed with what grace, with what
ease, that youth after long series Of les
sons played so gracefully that he knew
when and how to draw his bow for the
lighter and the holder music, and 10 do
each IN such way that he seemed TO
do it with the Inconsistencies of breath
ing The moral illustration was taken
from the condition of a boy who had been
brought up to regard lying, thieviDg and
deceit the right thing to do, and to do i
weary time that it took the boy to rid him
self OF these habits of his youth but now
by and by the royalty of truth developed
itself, and his character grew to be in the
of truth-speakIng, upright, hon
est boy. You get an accountant to look at
your books; you see him porting over the
and muttering TO himself: " Two
and two, three and two are FIVE" and turn
ing up his hands TO count his fingers. Why,
how long would you keep that man
Laughter. You smile at that arithmetic,
but that is just what you are in grace. You
are just as much a Christian as that man
Is an accountant who does not know his
business. There was mother in Israel
1nce who used to hear me preach, and she
was great comfort to me. When / was
pathetic, she used to weep; when was en-
outraged, she looked so bright and happy
hat felt quite certain was getting along
quito well but | learned that when she
rot home she was a shrew, and that spoiled
{ all. You must not leave any opening for
he assaults of the devil. You must, as the
APOSTLE says, put on the whole armor OF
Tod"