National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-08-05
- naIl- 81 Ia. RrFeRER.

IN AOiaG VI. Nm DALCA4A4@$s
A brovnstons three-stoTy house at 12t Go
lumbIa Heights, only thres blocks from Ply
mouth church, is Mr.. Beeeher's residence. He
has owned It and lived there for many years.
It is one Of row Of nearly IKE structures, and
the property IN the nsiehborhood is very yAluh-
BILE. 1.-THE Heightsr Is the Murray Hi Of
Brooklyn, and Mr. Beecher's place Il Just with
in the limits Of the district covered BY that
designation. The door has plate inscribed,
''H W. Beecher.D Just inside the hall stands
an old-fashioned hat rack with mirror In IT,
Along the wall Of the stairway leading to the
second door hang many framed engrayings'
The parlor opens of the hall, and the door is
always open. Looking in one sees an apart-
ment which has no counterpart as to odd vs.
riety of contents. It is long and wide and old
style IN finish. The walls are divided into
panels BY projecting posts and By wooden
ledge that runs entirely around the room about
four feet from the floor. Bunches and festoons
of autumn leaves are hung plentifully about,
and there are enough pictures, from oil paint
ings 10 cheap ferrotypes, 70 leave but little OF
\ the walls uncovered.
The furniture Is a chaos of styles. A sofa is
hi9h-baeked and mushy- bottomed, merging
into the softness Of second childhood. A con-
cert grand plano is new and shiny. A monde
script cabinet, huge and time-worn, is IN
corner. A contrasting new bookcase is full
of fresh, aflt-baeked volumes. Two yellowed
geographical globes, on high pedestals, stand
! like sentinels at the corners of the fireplace.
! A table Is covered with a brown wooden spread.
Everything is Uttered with big and little orns-
mental articles, as though the tokens OF all the
Beeehers' birthdays and Christmases were
there preserved. Handsome bronzes, plaster
/ figures, china articles, countless things imPos-
sibie 70 describe as 70 material or intent, are on
the mantel, on the table, on the cabinet, and on
carved brackets. Lacking any semblance OF
method or taste in its furniture, the apartment
| gains in an air Of careless comfort.
Back Of the parlor, and connected by wide
doors, ts Mr.. Beecher's study. Sitting at one
/ Of the large windows one can lock down upon
I the harbor, upon New York city, or over into
Jersey CITY and Hoboken. The view is one Of
busy life and commerce spread out Ike
diorams. A large, hat-topped writing desk,
! with many drawers, stands IN the MIDDLE OF
the room. Paintings-better than any IN the
parlor---hanz on the parts Of the walls that are
not covered with book-shelves. Camp chairs
| and a lounge furnish ample seating capacity
for visitors. A stuffed easy chair provides for
the owner.
The late occurrences have changed Mr..
i BeecheT's home habits. Formerly, when not
away on his farm. his hours for visitors were
from to 4 every afternoon, and he saw every
body who called. The old parlor was his re
ception room, and at Q O'Clock It usually held
not less than half dozen visitors. To every
body, high or low, he was unstilted.. His
manner was of-haud and undignifed. "How
are you, old fellow" was his usual salutstion
70 Gcquaintanees. HIS study was the rendeE-
vous for Plymoutb's leaders, knd many OF the
Brooklyn elergymen were loungers there. To-
deed, that floor Of the house was much ike The
Offices Of a business MN, the family occupyin!
the two more secluded upper stories