, 1874-06-28

| bEGCuo& DEIUI6 kub EO4uLII auA LILO H01!A Ou L4t
Charge Of having committed against him az
oIeuse which he forbears to namo or character
ize. The precise nature Of this unnamed and
uncharacte1ized otfense the gene,al public do
not know but they do know enough OF ita
nature to warrant them in saying that, if A1r.
!! Horny Ward Beecher is indeed guilty Of the
| crime laid ut his door, he 1s not fit person to
occupy Christian pulpit, or to teach morality
to any one, or anywhere. They know, too,
that, il any reliance can be placed on 31r.
Tlton's veracity,-and wo see no reason
to doubt it in this instance,-the offense
WAS no venia one. It was not simply such IN
of1ense (as Mr. Shearmau, friend Of Bcecher's.
| commenting On Tilton's letter, contends) as one
gentleman may apologize to another for. We're
this all, how explain Alr. Beecher's letter Of
Jan. l, 1871. in which, Indeed, he does ask Alr.
| Tiltons forgiveness, bu. adds that hs hnmbles
! himself before him as he does before his God !;
| that be will not plead for himself; and that he
| wishes be were dead! Nov, men do not humble
themselves before God for a mere breach OF
etiquette; nor do they wish they were dead
| when the misfortune that has overtaken them
| is such as can be cured by m apology.
It Mr. Beecher wrote the letter aboyo
mentioned If it IL correct portraiture of his
conscience at the timo he penned it, 1t proves
that, w1ate yer be Mr. Deechers offense, his con
science is not as cared one ; but then it proves,
too that it WAS at the time Violently dis
turbed; that it 1acked him that its qualns were
great-so great that he wished ha were dead,
and Mr.. Tuton and wife in Europe. The letter
in which M1. Beecher makes these confessions
| is plea Of guilty to some grave onense against
Mr. T4lton. The oGense is admitted, but not
named That It il grievous onense. Mr.
Beecher'a OVID latter proves; and that it amounts
at least to the attempted seduction OF married
woman, ia established By a mase OF circumst2n-
tial evidence too convincing to be overcome.
The country ca1ls on Mr. Boecher to come for
ward and in express terms make affidavit OF his
innocence, or confess his guilt. Mr. Beecher,
however. intends to keep his Own counsel at
present but he cannot be silent long. We're ho
liLe Tom Brown or John Smith, he could afford
TO be silent. But he ia not like Tom Brown or
JOHN Smith, and cannot afford to be silent. He
is the foremost preacher Of the Gospel in the
world. Ho is supposed to teach the doctrines Of
Christ and to live life like that of Christ, pure
and spotless. II Mr. Beecher does not live such
O life If while he breaches purity he practices
the arts Of the eeducer, and attempts the rum Of
other mems wives; if. in other words, his preach
ing and practice do not agree, he is hypoc1ite.
II while preaching purity by word, he il
preaching lust by act by influence, and example.
tho best use that Congregationaiism can make Of
him is to dismiss him into the SHADES Of private
life, to afford him an opportunity to humble
him up any longer as model Christian minister
and teacher to the young men and women OF the
country. Let Congrogationalists show Mr.
Beecher TINT on the question Of his innocence
by Theodore Tilton he cannot long be silent. A
pure man in Mr.. Deecher'B place would
not only not be silent under these charges,
he would resent them, just as q pure woman
would resent the solicitations Of liberiine. Let
Mr. Beecher come forward. confess his guilt, and
retire from poaition which no one but pure
man shou Id fill. Or let him refute the charges
brought against him. Let him show that the |
letter in which he is made to declare that he |
humbles himself before God and wishes that he |
was dead-a letter which points to some great
wrong committed by hiu-is forgery.
Mr. Beecher has been kind ct Pope among
least among the Evangelical |
sects. His words have been looked upon as
oracles and accepted as infallible-though not
defined to DO 30 by any Ecumenical Council. He
has been the most prominent Protestant clergy
man in Ame1ica-nay, in the world He 1s
known and read in England, in Switzerland. in
evl is co-e1tensive with his reputation. And
This is another reason why he should, it it
be possible, come out Of the black cloud
in Which blr. Tilton's accusations have involved
lgainat impurity in every form. Ono OF bis
most powerful discourses described the dreadful
to the soul OF q lewd imagination.
Let Mr.. Beechar demonstrate that such an inag-
nation WAS never his. And when he comes for
Yard to vinlicate himself, il he ever does, let
lin not follow the courps Of his and Jim
7isk's attorney, Mr.. T. e. sl,earmau, and say,
% the latter gentleman has eaid for him, that he
Beecher) never did anything very wrong; that
he most that can be said against him is that be
nade improper advances to the wife Of NJ. Til
on-as though that were light thing for a
lergyman.
There are some people in the world who think
hat, when man looks upon woman to lust
fter her, he hath committed adultery with her
heady in his heart, and that mere failure to &C
omplish his intentions, while it may be fortu-
ats for him, does not lessen his guilt In moral
nd religious point OF view.
It seems that, pract ically, the National Bank
upt law ia repealed; since, without the consent
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