Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-09-08
Mr., Beecher Justifles.

very decidedly expressed its opinion as to
8. Sabbath Dissertation and condemned
the Sunday excursions made to the White
Mountains, and gatherings oflike sort. 1t
also held Mr.. Beecher to full share of re-
sponsibility for the performances. The
Boston Congregatlonalist approved the
position Of the Chronicle, though perhaps
a little more temperate in its language.
Sunday, before the regular services, Mr..
Beecher (who had As car loads and 143
teams full of folks to hear him, the largest
audience vet assembled at the Twin Noun
tain House) freed his mind about this ad-
verse criticism. His great audience e1-
hibitcd great interest in his personal
remarks. Mr.. Beecher named the Vermont
Chronicle andt the Boston Cougregatlonalia,
and said he thought it fair for himself, for
the gentlemanly proprietors of the Twin
Mountain House, and for the respectable
and notable congregations that assembled
here Sabbath after Sabbath, that he should
mark with emphasis the spirit of the
criticism that had been made
He then proceeded to speak of the ines
Unable value which he attached to the
Sabbath, and of the solicitude with which
he thought its sacredness should be regard
ed. How to keep the Sabbath dav, he
said, was very serious and often perplex-
ing question; and he did not find fault
with teachers or editors or preachers who
desired to discuss the cNpediency OF the
propriety of any particular custom which
may obtain in regard to it. But he asked
that they should not discuss it till they
had taken pains to know the facts about
which they talked; that they should not
attempt to preserve the Sabbath day by
violating the spirit and the letter of the
Decalogue, and by disowning every one of
those feelings which mark Christian char
acter and Christian disposition The run
ming of trains on the Lords day to camp
meetings or to places Of preaching was to
him so comparatively new that he must
have more time before he should be pre-
pared to express approval or disapproval
of it. He said " If it should be found on
the whole to weaken the moral affection
with which people hold the Sabbath Day,
| shall not hesitate to Join those who would
dissuade my fellow-citzens from such a
practice. But if it be found not only that
it is harmless but that it conduces to the
great ends for which the Sabbath itself was
created, then l shall defend the custom"
He read and commented upon several
extracts from the article that recently APP
peared in the Vermont Chronicle, in which
the keepers Of mountain hotels, the rail
road companies and Mr.. Beecher were
blamed for the evils which. it asserted
arose from the holding of religious meet
ings here. He replied at considerable
length to these asperSions and denounced
them in the severeSt terms. In the first
place he said these Sabbath convocation:
grew out of his conserving. five years ago
ut the request Of the boarders of the hotel
to hold a Sunday morning service II
regard to the profit which the Messrs Bar
ron were said to reap from the holding O
these meetings. he said it was not as grea
as the trouble was. The statement that
these gentleman were actuatcd in VIVA
they were doing TO promote religious wor
ship here by desire to advertise thei
business, he said WAS a mean fling HI
characterized the allusion in the article t
the railroads and to those who used then
on Sundays. as low toned imputaton o
sinister motives.
The in>inuation that he himself preached
> not because he loved mankind. OF Jcsu
Christ, and not because his whole hear
was bound up in the welfare of his fellow
, men, but for the sake of helping this hotel
and because he liked to hear the roarin.
engine during the meeting he could scarce
lv find words to express his adherence of
After readinga passage in which grossly
insulting references Were made to himSel
= lie said: There is Christianity 4 lovely
instance of it. | have no answer to Civ,
to that; if the man who wrote that die:
: in the spirit of mind in which he now is
/ | shall never meet him. But if he change
=, and goes to Heaven. the first thing he will
say to me there will be: l am sorry fo1
: that mean article l wrote In closing hi
: remarks Mr.. Beccher said g." should b,
I guilty of an omission if | did not say thai
the C0nyregati0ndlist is far more decent
that while it reprobates, it does not, b,
a thousand degrees ,approach the bad quail
ity of the spirit of the article, plrts OF
, which have read to YOU
The Boston Glode. from whose spe>ia
, dispatch we take Mr.. Beccher's remark
says, Boston Congreqaionalist, pleas
stand up We have an idea that tn
D Chronicle this week will be what MI
| Greeley used to call ''myhty interestin:
reading,' for it is too soon after dor-dav
for its editor to submit quietly to be bun
t died off to TIE birthstone cavern in 50 IN
a ceremonious 4 manner-especially whe
he doubtless don't ack nowlelge the iuris
e dction of the court presuming TO sen
: him.