The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-28

far moro honorable and manly part than his
accuser. We of course intend this remark to
apply to their conduct since the offence, if q
4 great offence has been committed. A man
who accepts or gains the kind of favors to
which alusion Is here mado, who induces o
woman to place her reputation in his keeping
is bound to guard and shiel! her at every pos
sble hazard to himself. A man who acts
otherwise renders himself infamous irrespec-
tive OF his profession. This obligation holds
even if there has been no more serious
fault on either side than mere indis-
erection. The perfectly innocent Cassie
and the purely innocent Desdemona, in the
great play which so powerfully depicts
the passion of jealousy, would have owed it to
each other to CONCEAL the inculpating fact Of
the handkerchief so long as concealment was
possible, because no innocence could have
shielded them from the injurious suspicious
which such fact was calculated to engender.
There may be circumstances in the present
case which it would be equally difficult or
awkward to explain, and which justify Mr..
Beechers reticence, al .hough the real truth
may be consistent with his Christian character.
But this unfortunate affair has now reached
such pass that the whole truth, whatever 1t
is, ought to come out, since nothing can 10
more damaging than the prevailing suspicious.
Fairness to Mr.. Beecher requires that due
allowance be made for the character and pas
s;ons of his accuser. Of all the passions to
which human nature is subject none SO tor
lures the heart or so dstorts the judgment as
jealousy. In its jaundiced eyes ''trifes light
as air. are regarded as irrelragable proofs.
Nothing is so utterly Enthusiastically as the
opinion of jealous man on the agonizing
topic. II Mr.. Tllton's jealousy has not
warped his judgment and filled his mind with
! dis.empered fancies he is an exception
to the ordinary rule. But this man,
whose intellect is crazed with jealousy,
is Mr. Beecher's only accuser. The beliefs and
assertions of jealous man should 60 for
nothing except SO far as they are supported
by facts and proofs, of which cooler men can
Judge. But Mr.. T.lton presents no tangible
facts. He does not even state the nature of
the wrong which he thinks he has suffered,
and nobody can judge of the bearing of facts
on an unknown accuSlt1On. luefe Is an al
legged confession, but the garbled extract which
be publishes does not show what is confessed.
What is given tallies well enough with the
common rumor but it is equally consistent
with improper freedoms not reaching the last
stage Of guilt, and may, for aught we know,
be also consistent with wrong of an entirely
different nature. Mr.. Tilton should lave
printed the whole of that confession or none of
it. The suppressed context might have given
it totally different face. His treatment Of
his wife in this matter has been SO utterly
heartless, cruel and indefensble as to permit
the supposition that be has dealt foul blows
OF one who has not her title to forbearance
And yet, we cannot see on what hypothesis,
consistent with innocence, Mr.. Beecher and
his church can now afford to parry full pub
lc investig ltion.