The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-29

who composed the Brooklyn Council had
remained at home. They have been made.
perhaps unwillngly, parties to the most
wretched farce ever enacted, and have become
the laughing stock of every man who believes
! in tair play. They have wasted the better
part OF week in trying to mind Mr.. Beecher's
business and neglecting their own. The
Council WAS convened, and the Council adj
journed and the only record left is that OF an
attempt to take revenge on brother minister
because the Almighty made him genius.
Well, it seems to be one of the inalienable
rights and privileges Of ecclesiastical human
nature to call council. Even ministers will
quarrel and when they do they are more per-
sistent in their i'll temper and more willing to
sacrifice the man they have chosen FOR VIC
tim than any other class of men in the COM
munity. The history of the Church shows
that rel gious quarrel is full Of bad blood,
and that clergymen, when they attack man,
are not satisfied until they tear him all TO
pieces.
We think the gentlemen in whose fertile
brains the Council originated have
genins for strategy. They have learned the
lesson that when q light weight contemplates
flooring heavily timbered man he should
choose time when circumstances seem to be
against the latter, when he is little off his
guard, and then strike boldly and heroically
from the shoulder. II the heavy weight
should happen to be too quick and should
recover himself after the first blow it is well
4 11o
which case, like the squid, which exudes a
black substance that stains the water all
around, and SO escapes the assailant can
sneak away under cover of the assertion that
he is Christian gentleman; that no one has
ever dared to call his fair name in question,
while his brother. whom he hates with
velvety rhetoric md eloquence, is known to
have pitch about him. We are little afraid
that DR.. Storrs loves Mr. Beecher too much
his affection IS SO ardent that he tries to love
him to death. He pronounced eulogy over
him ON the occasion Of his twenty-ffth ami
versary, and it may be that the effort ex-
har,sted all his kindly feeling, or, better still,
it may be that having got his hand in at that
kind Of eloquence he wants the Plymouth
pastor to die violent death, that he may
have an opportunity of exhibiting the versa
tility of his rhetoric.
The Brooklyn Council will long be remem-
bered for several reasons First, for the char
acter of the gentlemen who composed it. 1t
was as goodly q company as has been gath
cred together for many year. Noted pastors
of noted churches; business men, whose
Christian character is without spot or blem-
ish; presidents and officers of our colleges,
whose names have been familiar to lis for half
generation; directors of the most important
missionary enterprises of America-all bowed
their heads reverently to the opening prayer
in Clinton avenue church. They were ready
to consider and able to settle the gravest gues-
tons Of theology or polity. Better than that,
they were men who have always believed in
fair play; and they stood ready, as grand
I. Jury, to hear any facts and to decide the law.
DIR. Storrs opened the case by a splendid
piece Of rhetorical fireworks. He delivered a
special plea, very forcible and very dishonest.
| The conspicuously absent Beecher had a
stronger magnetic influence over that grave
body of men than Storrs, whose words all
had sting in them, or Burlington, who was
evidently determined to be. relentless 1t was
perfectly evident from the beginning that
these gentlemen intended to put their neigh
Dor in an awkward position. They pre-
sented five propositions tor considera-
ton and decision. These propositions were
related t6 Congregationalism, they said, but
every delegate knew that they related to Mr.
Beecher only. They were worded very care
fully, but each one of them, if reduced to plain
English, would read thus: Had Mr.. Tilton
any right to leave Plymouth church without
making public all he knew about the recent
scandal? The only object which Storrs and
Burlington had in calling the Council was
simply to rake over the enbers Of that old and
burnt-out gossip.
This brings us to the second reason why the
Council will be long remembered, which is
that, after it had been convened, its real bust
ness was to do an injury to q brother minister
in which it signally failed. The delegates
were informed that they were to give advice
The question was at once asked. To whom
Certainly not to Mr. Beecher for in the first
place, he had never asked for it, and, in the
second place, he felt perfectly competent to
attend to his own affairs. The only parties in
the quarrel who needed advice, then, were Drs.
Burlington and Storrs, and il was too late to
say anything to them. for they had already
acted in the case, prejudged Mr.. Beecher and
condemned him as man unwHthy of fellow
ship. To be sure they would have been glad
to shift the responsibility of their unwarant-
able interference upon the Council, but they
had men and not partisans to deal with, and
they now stand. after the adjournment, alone
in their unenvable position. the self -elected