The New York herald., 1874-08-14
Mr. Beeeh.r's Statement.

The door of the skeleton closet at Plymouth
church has opened, and instead of skeleton
emerges the portly form Of Mr.. Boecher calm
dignifed, unrufied At last he himself ap
pears upon the scene, after long and weary
waiting of the public, and tells that strange
and startling story to which, with just cause,
we surrender so much of our space to-day. II
is written with consummate ability, with all the
clearncss and decision which is characteristic OF
Mr.. Beecher when he is in earnest, and never,
not even in his most impassioned sermons,
had he more cause to be earnest than in this
defence of his character. which, as 1t fails or
succeeds, makes or ruins him forever. He
has been bound and fettered like Samson by
his enemies, and this is the supreme effort
by which he seeks to rend those bonds, and
stand once more free in the sight of man.
Happy will it be for him and for us all if no
Delilah has shorn his locks of strength. But
if the bonds yield but do not break, if this
struggle is in vain, then he will never seek to
unloose them again. In his own true words,
''the time has now come"
The explicit comprehensive and solemn
denial of Mr.. Tiltons charges which Mr..
Beecher has already made he, in this state
ment, repeats with even greater emphasis.
1t is summed up in these words. in which all
the force of language is embodied: SAT no
interview which ever took place between Mrs
Tilton and myself did anything occur which
might not have occurred with perfect propri-
ETY. between o brother and sister, between a
father and child or between o man of honor
and the wife of his dearest friend" Three
years ago this denial coming from Mr.. Beecher
would have been sufficient answer to any
accusation of such kind, but now. unhappily,
it is not sufficient His word is no longer
proof He must explain, refute, convince,
and, in his own turn, seek to destroy. We can
only approach the statement in which this
denial is intrenched, like a citadel within wall
after wall, with profound regret that the
citadel is not strong enough in itself
to withstand an army, and that all
these lines of defence may not as super
fuous protection be swept utterly away. Yet
it would not be just to blame Mr.. Beecher, be-
cause they are necessary now. As coldly, as
justly as we can, he must be judged and
acquitted or condemned as the truth appears
between his accusers and himself 1t is i'm
possible to attempt such a task without pro-
found feeling; it is, we are glad to say, pos
sible without prejudice.
The statement which MIR. Beecher has made
before the Plymouth church committee seems
to be divided into two great sections-the first
an Indictment of Mr.. Tilton and his friends the
second an explanation of the evidence they
have advanced to prove him guilty man.
The two methods Of defence are distinct It
is to be admitted that the terrible and repul-
sive portrait which he has drawn of Mr..
Tilton may be as perfect as photograph
and yet that Mr.. Bsecher may himself not be
innocent. The reverse however is different;
for if Mr.. Beecher's explanation of the ad-
mitted facts is true then all that he says of
his enemy is also true, and the two men stand
in the boldest contrast, almost at the extremes
of evil and good, with all the gradations of
humanity between them. There is no COM
promise in respect to character. One of them
must be made infamous hereafter, both of
them may be ruined, but it il not to be for
gotten that nothing that Mr.. Beecher proves
against Mr.. Tilton can of itself re-establish his
own reputation. His onslaught upon his
former friend is fearful in it's power. The
Christianity which Mr.. Beecher practises cam
not subdue his natural fury, and the bitter
feeling he displays would, in any one but a
clergyman, be considered hatred. He pictures
AH L.
whom he had trusted, and in whose faults he
could hardly force himself to believe He
says he labored desperately for his salvation,
and for years tried to prune his Unsuitable
egotis1n. He represents himself as one
who tried in vain, who in vain sacri-
feed his own happiness to pluck this
brand from the burning. '1t was hard to do
anything for such man" he says; 81 might
as well have tried to fill sieve with water"
Contempt could hardly be more passionately
expressed but it is more than contempt-it
is revenge. And this revenge takes the shape
of justice when he deals with Mr.. Tilton in
the explanation of his own conduct.
It was known that Mr.. Beecher claimed
that the original cause of Mr.. Tilton's eDmity
was that he had advised Mrs. Tilton to leave
her husband because OF his infdelity. But it
was unknown until yesterday of what crimes
Mr.. Tilton was said to be guilty. The story
which Mr.. Beecher tells OF the young girl
whose seduction Mr.. Tilton is said to have
attempted under his own roof is simply hor-
rible. If it is true then Mr.. Beecher
was perfeetly justified in advising
separation when the wife of such q liber-
tine had sought his counsel The testimony
of the girl to its truth is said to be in the pos
session of the committee But here the din
Guilty arises, in the question why his advice in
such case should have burdened Mr.. Beecher
with remorse. So far as we can understand
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