Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-08-23

course has often been contrary to your wishes
and II has been my great grief 10 know that
10 was so. since you have 50 nObly been my
defender. But all the time knew IL was not
! I for whom You spoke, but all wOmanhood,
and I was the more proud OF you that your
love was general and not personal. l am Of
ten compelled 10 do things from which my
| sensitive soul shrinks, and for which l endure
| the cenSuTe of most of my friends. But obey
! a power which knows better than they or !
can know, and which has never lett me
stranded and without hope l should be a
| faithful servant, indeed, were to falter now
when required TO do what cannot fully IN
] derstand. yet IN the issue OF which have fun
faith. None Of the scenes in which / have
| yuacted part were what l would have self
| f.Rly chosen for my own happiness.
/ I !, ave my home, my children, my husband,
] and Z, ,quld live sanctified life with them, and
] newer ,'esire contact with the wide word.
] Rut sucb is not TO be my mission. ] know
/ What is 10 {, Nne, though cannot yet divulge
II. My daiis' prayer Is that heaven may
! youchSafe me Strength 10 meet everything
| which kp " must be encountered ana over
| come Ny heart is, However, too tllt 10 write
you all wish. see ~ ne1I w loscE , oI @ Illt
/ and FOR the part You shall play IN IL thousands
| will rise up and call you blessed. II was not
| Let rs watch and pray that we faint not by
the Wayslde before We reach the cohsulhina-
ton. We shall then look back win exceed
ing great Joy to all we haze Deen chi4eu upon
to suffer for the sake OF cause more molly
than has yet come upon the earth. AHectloh-
'''''' '--' -'--'- VICIoRiA c. Woodruff.
Oh. nv dear brother, 1 fear the aw-
ful struggle to live according 10 law has
wrought an absolute decentralization as 10
truthfulness; and so he can't talk ABOUT
.spapgIes on a garment OF alsehOOd, - when
the garment is truth, and the specs are me
fslsehoods. His trst letter to me. was so dill
erent from this; read IL 10 you, but III copy
| Il lest YOU have forgotten its character:
"April o. lS72
any DEAR BELIEF was sorry when met
| you al Bridgeport nOt to have longer tsiH
| with you about the meeting in May DO not
| intend to make any speeches on any Topic
| during anniversary week, and shall be out
/ OF town do not wantyou to take any ground
/ TINS year except on suffrage. You know my
| sympathy with you. Probably you and 1 are
/ nearer together than any Of our family:
| cannot give reason now. am clear. sun
! / thank YOU for your letter. OF some
l things 1 neither talk. nor VIII l be talked
| with. For love and sympathy am deeply
| thankful. The only help that can be crater ia!
/ to me, or useful, IS silence, and sileuclng IN
/ fuence on all Others. A day may come for
| converse; II is not now. Living or dead, my
| dear Sister Belle, love me, and DO not talk
about me or suffer others % ia your presence
[ God love and keep you. God keep US al
Jul - ms HENRY WARD BEECHER."
The underseoring is his own, and when
| read in thar horrible story that he begged for
8 few hours notice that he might klI MN
! SELF nv thoughts flew back TO this sentence
/ which suggested suicide 20 me tire moment 1
read II: " Living or dead, my dear sister
] 4
Tom, can't you go TO Brother Edward at once
and give him these letters Of mine, and tell
him what I told you; and when you have
counselled together as brothers should, cOun-
sci me also, and come 10 me il you can? 1t
looks as II he hoped TO buy my silence with
my love. At present, OF course, SnaI keep
silence, but truth Is dearer than all things
else, and IL he Will not speak II in some way
/ cannot always stand as consentlng TO lie.
God help us all. Yours in love, BELLE.
II you can't come to me send Edward.
o1n
woman even as for my own flesh and blood.
1 do not understand her, but know her to be
pure and unselish, and absolutely driven by
some power foreign TO herself 70 me strange
utterances which are always in behalf OF nee
DOM purity and truth as sne understands IL,
and always 10 befriend the poor ana outcsst
and bring only the proud and the hypocrlies
from high places. The word about meeting at
Mrs Phelps's house have added TO the copy,
II You see Henry tell him OF this
The reply to this letter by Rev. Thos.
K. Beecber to his sister is as follows:
Rev. THos. K. BEECHER TO HIS SISTER
ErE1RA, November ], 1872.
DEAR BEILE-To allow the devil himself to
4 be crushed for speaking the truth is unspeak-
| ably cowardly and contemplate. ! respect,
as at present advised, Mrs. Woodruff, while
| abhor her philosophy. She only carries out
| HeEry's philosophy, against which recorded
my protest twenty years ago, and parted low
! ingly aod aehingly from him, saying, we can
] not work together. He has dritted, and 1
| have hardened like a crystal, TIL am sharp
! sornered and exacung- ] cannot help him
| except by prayer. cannot help nun tnIougn
Edward. In my judgment, Henry is following
=, his slippery doctrines OF eXpsdiencyi ana IN
,Sis cry Of progress, and the nobleness OF hu-
m an nature, has sacrificed clear, exact, Ideal
IntAgrity. Glands on" until he is down, and
tben my pulpit, my home, my church and my
purse a7d heart are at his service. OI the Two,
Wood hull is my hero and Henry my coWal d
a. M uresels advised, but protest against the
, whole batch and all its belongings. / was not
snti-slavery, and am mol beaass[ ahtl,iaillliS'
: ssssulted slavery because Of abominatlons.
/ 'Ihsll assan the church, the state, the iainl-
" and ali other Institutions OF selnsh usage.
Il Tr..sg1r1 the napers. You cannot help Henry.
You Tuust be true te Woodhull. am OUT OF
the circle as yet, and am glad OF IL, When
| the storm-line includes me shall suner as !, :;
! chrisf{an saving "Ceaee ye rom man.
| Dou5s UTlte 10 me: follow the truth aud when
you need me cry out. Yours loVlngly,,,
| PSI am so overwOrked aud hurried that
| l see upon review that my letter sounds nard
! because OF It's sententiousnesst nut belleNe
me, dear Belle, that see and snHeT Win n You. you
| You are In altight place, but having CHOSEN
| your principles ] can only counsel you 70 De
! true and bear the consequences. FOR years
| you know have been apart from all OF you
| except IN love. / think you are All IN lne
| wrong aSto anthropolOgy and social science,
| but honor and love them who suffer for con-
] vlctiOn' * sake My turn 70 suffer viii come
! IA due time IN this world. All christians
l shall suffer tTlbuiaLtOn. 50 eaft sleep, pray,
| take good aim and shoot, and when the ache
| comes say. "Even hereuntO we are called"
| but repeat, we can't help Henry at present.
/ p 81 unseal my letter 10 enclose point,
Sea set q, As1 a1v ofiense on the part OF Henry.
/ Your testimony would be allowed in no court.
| Tflton's wife and Moulton are witnesses.
| Even Mrs Stanton can only declare hearSay.
! SoIf Won move, remember you are standing
! on uncertain Information, and we snail not
probably ever get the iacIs ano IN m s!Ao 3 ol
II, m Mr. and Mrs. Tilton are brought into
court nothing Will be revealed. Perjury, for
good reason, IS with advanced thinkers Ho
SIN.
A letter came into my hands, with the
others, from Mr.. Hooker to his wife, un-
der date of "Florence, Italy, November
3, 1871 !" which tends to show that al
. this matter had been discussed between
Mr.. Hooker and his wife long before th'
: publication by Mrs. Woodruff. l eX
tract SO much from the letter as refers t
this subject. The remainder is kindly
communication Of an absent husband Z
a loved wife, about wholly Independent
matters, which have nothing to do witt
this controversy. 1t is produced
marked,
, "MR. HOOKER To HIS WIFE,
FLORENCE, SUNDAY, November 10, 1872.
Ny PRECIOUS WIFE-I hope you were no
, I named by what I wrote on Friday about tb
Beecher matter. am getting much more a
peace about the matter, but cannot lool
]
10 me 10 speak my mind right out about II
aud then let II rest. would not nHNe pee
. easy TIL 1 had sworn little The only nlu
cation OF the concealment OF the tnlng ca
. think Of is this, and IL seems 10 me mat som
/ excuse, or at least explanation, may De ,, loun
3 mere, viz: That consideration OF the happl
ness Of both TiltOn and his vile required u
: or seemed TO, and the very possible luIlne
fact that he preferred 10 disclOce H. put tooi
z the advice OF few Of his leading frlenos il
l the church and was overruled by them the,
= agreeing 10 take the responsibility OF the con
s 1 cealment. This would take on EOmeWha
1 from the hypocrisy OF the thing, but leave
d the original crime as open 70 condemnauol
= quest you 10 keep me Informed OF all that oc
IS ours, aud do not rely upon my getting IN
y news from the papers see by an e1trac
e from the Boston ddtertiSer that Mrs. Wood
10 hull has employed two Boston lawyers Z
= bring suit against The Republican and WOzn0n
u Journal 50 that IL looks as II the exposure
. near at hand. / want % say one word more
D. however: Can you not let the report e
e, out after the matter becomes public withOu
l. being exactly responsible for IL, sud that 20
X have kept up friendship with n i WoOdhu
n an the hope Of influencing her nj 90 publis
4. the story, you having learned Its ruth, an
g that is substantially the fact as have undel
or stood Il. and that you gave up going % Burop
1 with me 50 as 10 be AZ home aud Comfort
ID when the truth came out, as you expected
II 20 do in the course OF the summer. This wi
10 give the appearance OF self-saerihce TO yoU
D.; utilization with her, and will explain your NJ
d, coming abroad With me, fact which has
Id very IN Wifelike look. i know that you wi
x 0tharNfSe be regarded as holding Ms. Woo,
q bulls views and tLat we shall be regarded
ie living IN some diaeord, and probably By mail
"a people Is praeiicing ner principles. II won
H. be 4 great relief 10 have your relations
m Mrs. Woodruff explained in this way so ere
rls table - your heart. There a not half q
J untFulh II Il thai there has been al along