The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-08-26
An Old Sermon of Mr.. Beecher's.
4a&2 ,al{h j.
"THE sEDUCER AND his VICTIM"

"THE sEDUcER AND MS VICTIM"
"A resident Of Minneapolis picked
fup an old scrap,books created in his
hours Of 'boyish leisure fifteen or
twenty years ago, and found therein
a sermon on "The Seducer and his
Victim, ~ which was delivered by
Henry Ward Beecher, in Brooklyn,
| in the year 1856 The Minneapolis
gentleman copied the sermon and
sent it to the St. Paul Pioneer. We
extract the following significant in
fdietment'of the seducel9:: . . =
The Seducer! Playing upon the
most sacred passions, he betrays in
nocenee.i How? BY it's tendefest
faculties by its trust; BY its uns;us-
pecting faith; by it's honor. The
victim often and often is not the &C
complete SO much as the sufferer, be-
trayel, cbYHan sexorcism which be-
witched her noblest affections, and
became. the suicide, Of her j = virtue,
The he BET btee1tra5yers for the most intense
selfshness,without one noble motive,
without one pretencei of honor-by
lies; By a deYilish jugglery Of fraud;
by binding the eye, confusing the
conscience, misleading the judgment,
and Installing, the dew of sorcery up
On every flower of sweet affection,
deliberately heartlessly, damns the
coniiding victim! Is there one shade
of good intention, one glimmering
trace of light? Not one, There was
not the most shadowy, tremulous in
tention Of honor 1t was sheer, pre-
meditated, wholesale ruin, from be-
ginning to end. The accursed sor.
cerer opens the door of the world to
push her forth. She looks out all
shudderipg, for there is shame AND
sharp toothed hatred, and chatterins
SANDER, and malignant envy, and tri-
pmphing jealousy, and murderous rcE
venge-these are seen rising before
her; clouds full Of fire, that. burn but
will not kill. And there is. for her
want and poverty and gaunt famine.
There is the world spread out. i6he
sees father and mother, heartlessly
abandoning her; a brothers staYhe.
a sisters anguish. 1T is a vision OF
desolation, plundered home; an al
tariwhere honor, and purity, and Viz
tue, and peace have been insiduously
sacrificed to the foul Moloch. Allis
cheerfulness to the eye, and her ear
catches the sound Of signing and
mourning, walls and laments; ard
far down, at the horizon Of the vis-
ion, the murky cloud for a moment
lifts, and she sees the very bottom
infamy, the ghastliness Of death, the
last spasm of horrible departure, the
awful thunder Of final doom. All
this the trembling, betrayed creature
sees through the open door of the
future; and with voice that might
move the dead, she turns and clasps
his knees in awful agony: "Leaye
me not! Oh /! spare me-save. me
me not away Poor thing
she is dealing with a demon! spare
her?----7saye her? The polished scoun-
drel betrayed her to abandon her,
and walks the street to boast his
hellish deed. It becomes him asA a.
reputation! Surely society will crush
him They will smite the wolf and
seek out the bleeding lamb. Oh, my
soul, believe it not! What sight is
that? The dropping victim is worse
used than the, internal destroyer! He
is. fondled, courted, passed from hon
orto honor, and she is o crushed and
mangled under the Infatuated tramp
Of public Indignation. On her man
gled corpse they stand to put the Iau-
rels on her murderer's brow! When
| see such things as these T thank
God there is q judgment, and that
there is hellr'
A QUIET HINT Fox HUSBANDS