Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-01-16

HENRY WARD BEECHER 5 RESPONSE TO
THE TOAST OF THE 'PREslDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES"
At the annual dinner of the New
England Society, ,'given at Delmonico's s,
New York, on Forefather's Day. Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher being called up
on to speak to the toast of 'The Presi-
dent of the United States" responded
in the following characteristic speech ::
If l were to take example from the
theme, on which | am to speak my
speech would be very short. 1t is
certainly task tough enough to speak
Of the President of the United States.
Abstractly it is not difficult, but to
speak of the concrete just after an
election when the whole country has
been discussing laughter him with
compliments Of both kinds laughter ,
and to speak Of him in the presence of
many who perhaps voted for him, and
whom l may seem to flatter, and in the
presence of some who in the discharge
of conscientious duty did not vote for
him to whom | may seem, therefore,
as introducing politics upon a festive
and social occasion.
To do this is no easy task. | don't
know that the American admiration of
magistracy is very great. Laughter.
l think we have great admiration for
law in general, and l think that we all
believe in constitutions and in the
glorious Republic-and in all that sort
Of thing laughter but my impression
is that the organ Of veneration, if we
were to be phrenologically examined,
would be found nationally deficient.
Laughter.
And we don't look up to anv magis-
trate as 70 God; (reverently) not
much To him; and, when, therefore,
the theme is a President of the United
States, we are not in the situation in
which a European nation would be
Ioasts To King or Queen there would
bring out unbounded enthusiasm, for
there are national associations en-.
twined with peoples imagination, and
their love of country, and a thousand
historic elements which beget in them
sense of beauty and dignity and
power III a chief magistrate. and these
we are entirely deficient in. for our
iliustfious magistrate, is only four
years old, and can only be four years
older.
He takes hold Of nothing back OF
him but . dirty election, and nothing
in front Of him but a retiracy upon an
incompetent livelihood.
And what is a man in America who
is not up fer an office and has " large
income: Laughter. think that
the salary (and this throw in, by the
way, without meaning it to be part
OF the speech) Of our chief magistrates
and rulers is scandaousIy mean. APP
plause.
We have no Premier. Our Prcsi-
dent stands As Disraeli or any other
Prime Minister stands; he has to take
the whole brunt of criticism; and
call your historic memory to take
notice that we have never vet had
President in this nation that was good
for anything during his four or eight
years of office. Laughter. If you
90 back TO the early newspapers and
discussions, YOU will find that Wash |
lngtsn was VIGOROUSLY incompetent
President. Thousands and tens of
thousands bitterly inveighed against
him, and his Presidential life was far
from being happy one.
John Adams was certainly not
very popular President. He sat but
once, and the political literature of
that time is as bitter as gall. Jefferson
who took his place, was considered BY
one half Of the people of this land a>
little better than the devil hin. lrt: !
and his ideas and tendencies and
everything about him ere invcighed |
against with the utmost liberty-no,
license-of the press. After him came
Madison, and Monroe, and John Quin- |.
cy Adams. We are living in moderate
ana temperate times, compared with |
then, for they were alternately ad-
mired and abominated.
or course, everybody liked Jackson.
Laughter. There were no opponents
to him. He was pre-eminently saint
of a robust order. Laughter But
out of his loins political came Van
Buren laughter and he was univers-
ally popular, was he not? Laughter.
Then came Harrison, who died too
soon. Tyler took his place. l need
not recall to your minds the sweet
times of that four years And then
Polk. Who is James X. Polk? Laugh
ter. Was there ever an Administra.
tion laid open to such severe criti-
cism2
Then Taylor and Mr.. Fillmore, and
Gen. Taylor seeing what there was be-
fore him retreated. Laughter. He
knew that there was no justice on
earth. Then came Mr.. Pierce. As
an old farmer in New Hampshire said
He was rather big man in New
Hampshire, but spread him out all
over the United States and he would
spread thin" Great laughter.]
After Gen. Pierce we had-(and
here Mr.. Beecher, with twinkling eyes,
refectively placed his finger to his
forehead until reminded by his neigh
bor)-I am reminded that it was
Buchanan. Laughter Happy is the
the man who sleeps in oblivion so
perfect Laughter.
Then we had Lincoln. The glorif-
cation of his untimely death, said the
speaker reverently, has made his name
sacred as the name of the gods was of
old. But during the four years in
which he, with his homely sense, his
religious feeling, his deep patriotism.
the four weary years in which he waded
to the horses brides in blood-was
he sustained by the unanimous voice