Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-03-19
Reecher as q Minnie.
From the New York Sun.

I
Nh Beecher preached last Sunday
upon the dith Guilty Of acquiring correct
religious habits, and the comparative
ease OF maintaining them MANY
lOok upon religion" ne said, cas- an
insurance policy against final loss by
fire. - He described that kind Of re-
ligion 50 funoiiy that the congregation
laughed outright, "They 90 to church
I ievery Sunday" he said, pulling his
coat close around him, drawing his
face down dolorousIy and rolling up
I his eyes, '<Hbe hymns are doled oct
to them, a good sound, dry sermon is
preached to them, and the most elo-
lquept passage Of all is going out.
They attend prayer meetings, too
most dismal prayer meetings, Here
his lower jaw dropped, more Of the
whites Of. his eyes showed, ana his
hands we're ciasped before him "There
( are some comfortable things in Green
wood but none in some Of these pray
Ter meetings They go through the
exercises solemnIy, and the brethren
Dry to say sonlething--th they DO say the
same thing they have been saying for
5wanty years. Then the services are
merciIessly cut short, and they 90
/ gloomiiy nome. y
After describing true religion as
something independent Of forms and
catechisms Sir. Beecher illustrated the
/ process Of its practical requirement.
He held an invisible fiddle, lingering
the strings with one hand. drawing the
bow with the other, and adjusting the
imaginary instrument under his chin,
while he said "Haye you ever seen
/ a boy trying to learn to fiddle?
don't wonder they call those strings
catgut. | should say the spirit Of all
the dead old cats were in them. But
when the boy masters it. stopping
snort he commenced to fiddle gracefully
| Ike good yioinist. Then he showed
now man learns to set type, the desk
furnished the case, from which he
slowly and awkwardly carried the let
! ters to a suppositious composing stick,
spelling out audibly s-h-a-d. When
the congregation had stopped laughing
he gave the rapid motions Of the same
man after his trade had been learned
e'I was taught eIocution, he said, ''al-
though you might not think It | vas
drilled in all the gestures. He made
the prescribed gestures, and struck the
attitudes in awkward but rapid sue
cession, md then did them gracefully,
in the stvIe Of a teacher 10 whom they
had become habitual and unstrained.
"When We try to be graceful, he said,
ave can't be. All those things come
by long and penitent usage, and then
without thought. In country where
a hoard six inoFes wide IS laid IN the
mud man viii walk it without effort
and never step of. Taking his place
at one end Of the platform, ne walked
easily in an exact line TO the other
side. with his hands IN bis pockets.
aud his eyes wandering carelessly
Nov" be went on, put that board
at the height of fifteen feet. and not
one man in a dozen can walk the length
Of it without falling of. . Taxing his
position as before, he fixed his eyes IN
frent of him as though on the elevated
plank. looked scared and commenced
the imaginary passage. WayeriDg
and balancing with his arms extended,
he With difficulty got half way across,
sgd saaa stumbled - tlough isIiag