New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-10-12
"THE BATTLE OF BUSINESS"
Henry Ward Beecher on fhe Late Finan.
cial Crisis.

|. 1.-THE BATTLE OF BUSINESS"
Henry Ward Beecher on fhe Late Fina
cial Crisis.
> lFrsm the Boston Post October 81
Last evening the first of the Old 81
t | State course OF lectures was delivered
Music Hall by the Rev. Henry Wal
Beecher. who took for his subiec. TT
Battle of Business" He spoke as follow
Ladies and Conference.-The battle {
business is always the chief interest in til
nations history. 1t is just now the engros
Ing and almost exclusive theme of though
anu conversation. One OF those grea
storms which the past is unfortunately s
well acquainted with has just passed owe
us, and all along the shore we see til
wrecks. or stately vessels stranded. waitin
tor some rise in the tide that shall tioa
them again. Everywhere disaster, or fea
OF disaster. and hesitation. Commerce l
to the body polite what fhe nerve systen
| Is to the human body-the sensitive part
| " hen II falls into commissions every orga1
In the body suffers: and commerce is so in
terwoyen with the life Of the nation tha
when 1t suffers paralys everything svnlpa
| thlzes. He that embarks iii it is like one
who sails uron a tropical ocean: magnificent
skies are over hun but Tomatoes spring on,
| OF them. II all men were honest. truthful
| intelligent and generous. how easy would
commercial life become! II is seltishness.
| dizziness and the want of moral force thai
maaes business dangerous and burdensome,
Every avocarlon has it's peculiar trials. and
each one Is apt to think that its own are
sharper than any others. So the pain we
1eei to-day is very apt to fee! more severe
than anything We ever had jefore. Blu.
the eXactlons and anKieties of commerce.
always severe, at times mount uu into
degrees that are seldom experienced bv
any other profession in life. HAVING iong
been ohservan, of the life o, the
professional man. the mechanical man.
the !aborlng man and Of til. numerical
man. l have come to think there is 10
class Of men. take one time with another.
that cutter so much, bear 30 heavy bur.
dens, are rasped by anxieties so severe and.
at certain crises. suffer such anguish as com.
merclal men. The intensity of bushes IA one
cause. 4! we could bat introduce a habit
OF sioWness 1t might be otherwise: but from
The very nature OF the genius OF our peo.
pie. our climate, the sharpness. OF coInpe.
Triton. the excitability which is nurtured hy
all our public habits. by all these thing,
business i. driven with an intensity which
grlnds up every few years multitudes and
malt!tudes OF men who ara conducting it.
Men Know no rest. no moderation O; hours,
Early. middle and !ste thev are driven.
scarcely knowing how tc consul: the laws
OF health. and certainly not how to consult
that moderation which i. SO necessary %
menta! and moral life They i've upon the
edge ct excitement: iefnetualy. and
disaaiii calm. Home. INA: .hoult be
the co1nte:Dalacce OF outdoor excitement
loses .ts benefits and virtues. It = place
Tor sleep. toy eating: IL is repair shop.
NJ shoot 1870 i; and shoot out CT It. bu. do !
not rest there, and Certainl. do not :ecj,.
ieEate there. While in other .and. business
-o"s WIZ ,he tranqRillit, IF :. canal. with !
Us !. RACES an,. .oars inces:antly. The ef |
ects ct over competition still! further a.-
gTavate these troubles. Men .ntar business !
seekln. Tor fortane. and fortune is an idea, |
hing. Id the pursuit OF which thew never
complications which arise from moral aber
atoms. You make the picture ful. sad
1nough. think men have some faith in n
hereafter anu moral government, but very
eW men, IA the desperate strife OF business.
ave any practical faith in moral Qualities.
/" large extent. men belle.e that b;
ha:9res-. by shrewGness. by !egerGerai;i.
hey mas aihass property and man
am II. 1hat honesty: truth and
Ha'!S are indispensable. muIt;tudes
/" not believe. ana ever: false Gle
lent which enters into mans business
Ike rotten timber in "a ship. whicn. bv
NO by. when the stress of the STERN comes. !
auses them TO spring leak. and the;:
taics are tounderei Blu; men seldom
DdeGstand this t. De the result Of moral
bllguities. 80 long as this wan, of fati, IN
lora' Qualities exists the business Conlmu-
ity VII always be SUBJECT to storms. Ia
ny other sphere there are more certain
rades 70 right and Wrong. aI.; IL bushes.
le customs of commerce are a certain ouide
u: otter! complicated questions arise. where ;
IL not easy ID discern by these what il ,
ght or wrong. There are some who know /,
nat l. 'i5ht Dlit are overcome BY stress of ,
eln.-wHc wish to .e: r:g,: but ar. =,
'essed by what they are pleased ~ call ,,
'c.sslty. a more common error arises from ; =
e dHH and mountaineering conscience, {
d! iintFeasioh IS that the ma jOrity of men ! c
, not want 10 be dishonest and il is rather u
exception to tina a .aan G;shoDes. o, ! =
'r1osc. l.
On TIE whole. !nec prefer 30 sneak the h
nth. and to do tie thing that is right, and !,
ey iaii partly from pressure O: rircr1u- :
ances ana partly because they don't know b
W 20 lind ont what j. RIGHT. They are !,
one 10 follow feeling rather than calcu,a- n
n founded Oh experience. an. as they g, ~
% business early n TIL. country, and as 5.
iividualism has developed sel,-relianna ~
o almost morbid conditions. so they are ! :,
ntinualiy acting not SO much from what ~
~ know as tron; what :hey feel, II !. a.
Vt tins which makes the sanguine sp.cu- Il
or. d" not neac speculato- in the | a,
re offensive sense. !:Is observation-disclosures n,
lch leads them 70 prove new WAYS. new ~,
,csss.-, and embark in unsafe directions. ii
cy may. in some sersa. De ealie.. tho RI
n'efs CT safe men. They start viii, q. n
81 every sai spread. aDc when they run | at
'ound other men mark where. Tiav hi
1. upon Ioci, and the next .ua. Tia. m
ne. avoids Z. cI
he disaster. 81 hopeful Gar form the m
ITS o: more cautious Men. w. are az | Vi
toned TO throw them overheard WITH
!e praise, ard speal. %! them "a ;icfs. and | ,h
gui1e men. whc are ALWAYS TOO fast. -
they are bene!actorr; 'tey sow. Others ~,
2; they invent. Others make money out 50
her inventions. they push projects Just co
enough TO show Their feasibility. and die mi
their tracks. When we come 70 Vr;ts he
biographies OF public benesactors a 90
mlnen. place should be given 20 he over br
guiDe who sacrifice the,uselve. for lif
tious men. iLaughter' Bu. ,hi. .ent;. tb,
q leads also TO g.mbiir. in ifs most . Ia
barous form, This il the ;n.ur,bla tvpe de,
he disease OF hope'uiness. !tisa CRYING ful
ne that II should be il The power of bad be.
OF this stamp 20 coItv.il.e the nation wi,
no other purpose than the se'tishly filling of
her own purses. tAppla,se! recog. b.
NAN "a ~ ohS.aS- trans p Il
1ns in stocks. but as it i., and has for the
s been conducted, it is a crime SO bar AM
us that il anything deserve, halter nos
deserve. il, tApplause' The bold. no,
c5ous, cunning men who are controlling eIe
fiscal atfairs have it in their power to at atfs
5 even place government in peril. as | VIII
q in our great war it vas attempted to ! not
e che sale Of the United States bonds Doc
,sslble. and 1t required the Secretary of site
NJ 70 -. 1