The New York herald., 1874-07-31
Tho Gathering OF tho Ravens,


here lies the body of the first clergyman o
the age, OF Americas most distinguished ant
gifted divine, and shame as of moral death
has come upon it, and it lies exposed and
naked to the peltiIg storms of detraction and
slander. How happy we should feel If II
should only be SANDER after all There was
never such temptation to the carrion nature,
and it will probably not come again in this
generation. So the birds of evil omen are
swiftly, eagerly coming for their feast OF
defamation and reproach. From California
comes the Queen of Shame, raven OF the
darkest hue and most insatiate maw. From
Kansas we hear the croakings OF another. who
has long been conspicuous at every carrion
feast and whose soul must gladden. at this
precious opportunity. From the summit OF
the Palisades Elizabeth Cady Stanton threat
life in the cause of reform" by showing
that she too has raven instincts, and that she
will not be debarred from the feast. Smaller
birds come in this train, not ravens merely,
but bats and vampires, crows and buZzards,
and meaner creatures, and reptiles OF base
degree who will not stay away.
This feast was to be expected, perhaps, for
never had these birds of the night and dark
ness so tempting festival. This is the body
of Henry Ward Beecher that is to be picked
and torn to pieces. He FELL let US say, for
we are now supposing that all the evil that
has been said of him is true he fell, and with
him the most conspicuous reputation of the
age Good men may say, 'Let us weep at
this fall, and pray God that We may avoid
the snares that encompassed him, and ask
Christ's mercy that we may also not be led
into temptation" Wise men may say, 'Let
us gather from this man S life that no genius,
and no services, and no popularity can atone
for sin-that they make the sin graver and
its results more disastrous" Generous men
may say, 'Let us only remember oil that was
great and true and manly and brave and
kindly in the man life and work and think
of him at the best as we all may hope to be
remembered" But no such thoughts enter
the minds of the ravens. Have they not been
croaking for years this dismal chant: :-"Love
is lie Marriage is slavery. Maternity is a
crime. Witehood is degradation. Religion
is hypocrisy. Christianity is an obscene
comedy. The Scriptures are fables.
The Ten Commandments are q collec-
ton Of Hebrew jests. The Sermon on
the Mount is irony. There is no truth but
that license is religion and that we are
prophets" Now they say, "Here is the one
champion of these lies and fables-a minister
of the religion which is falsehood-and he
is no better after all than the worst of US, and
his voice is forever silenced, and the example
of his fall will be our pride and pleasure for
years to come" And as if the horrid scandals
which come from Tilton himself are not
enough every hour bears new one-more
offensive, more painful, and, we hope, more
and more untrue.
There was never such o gathering, and il
pains us to find Elizabeth Cady Stanton lead
ing the flock. We do not hold up this woman
as our loftiest ideal of the American mother
and what should be the crown and queen o.
the American home, because we believe the
direct result of her philosophy would be to
rob motherhood Of its sacred bloom and
make our home life no better than that of the
Fantee or the Sioux. But we have held her as
apart from those who have acted with her in
her strange fances, remembering that she in
herited name which in its day was an honor
to this Commonwealth. We have been dis
posed to feel that, while conscenhously i'm
pressed with the necessity Of woman suffrage
and the limitations imposed by society
upon the usefulness and freedom of her
sex, she was still disposed to rate the
virtue of woman and the honor of man as
something higher and more precious than any
mere political advantage--that she has always
in her agitation been an earnest seeker after
good results by the wisest and most honorable
methods. Between her teachings and princi
Piles, for instance, and those of this prophecies
= of nastiness and shame who came only yes
terday with her obscene oracles to distress anG
offend society," we have felt there was a chasm
as wide and deep as the valley Of Yosemite
1t is hard to surrender such belief But
how can we cherish it when in this festival O
scandal and sin and defamation Elizabeth
Cady Stanton comes to the front and bids u!
listen to a story as brutal and as wicked ~
the chorus of the witches in ''Macbeth ?"
We say brutal and wicked, because it il
scandalous gossip after all, affecting not only
Mr.. Beecher but Mr.. Tilton and his wife
There is no evidence, no prudent averments
not even a formal, careful statement of facts
given in the interest of truth and open tc
investigation. All we have is an idle story
told to a cheerful reporter; told with eager.
ness and joy-with what the Germans would
call mischief joy-as though shame and Sian
der and sorrow had rarefying influence upon
her spirits and made her feel that her mil
lennium was at hand So we ask 'Is this the
end of her life of earnest agitation? Is free
love, after all, the real keystone of woman 6
sufrage?"
Is this movement which has been COM