Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-07-28
The Reecher Verdict.


case Of any other man living, have
been accepted as of themselves prov
ing his guilt. Their language points
according to all the moral and socia
experience Of this country and of Eng
land, to one particular offense and to
no other. We believe there is nc
case on record where man has used
similar language about anything else.
An attempt on the part Of almost any
other person in the community, there.
fore, to give it different interpreta
ton, or to make it point to something
of less gravity, would have excited
derision. Yet Mr.. Beecher has sue.
ceeded in satisfying a great many per.
sons that what he meant by his fierce
self-condemnation was the giving OF
legitimate and proper advice to wife
and to an employer about a man OF
viscious habits, who had been making
his home hell and using widely
circulated newspaper to debauch the
public mind. He has been able to &C
complish this by reference to The gen.
eral extravaganza of his speech and
behavior on all serious occasions, and
yet his profession is not only that of a
moraist, but that Of casuist. He
has, that is to say, for forty yeas.
made it his business, not only to lead
people in the right way, but TO train
their sense Of moral proportion, 1t is
reported, too, that this explanation of
his conduct had most weight with
those who saw him on he witness
stand, for his demeanor there made
plain the readiness with which he was
swept py emotional stolms end With
which he might fall into any SOFT of
rhetorical eXaggeration.
10 SAY, however, that the public is
completely satisfied with this eIplana-
ton would be 70 say something for
which Nobody mas any wa"raat. With
a great majority, we fear, it only Gre
aces at most favorable presumption.
II must be added, too, that there has
been in The defense a certain want Of
nervousness, OF fraukness-if any
one likes the ,crm better-fo: winch,
though technically fair enough, people
were not prepared in a case Of ibis
character. The number Of things
when, it would seem, ought 10 have
left burning certainty on Mr.. Beech
er's ni"d which he either failed 10
remember or failed 70 explain on his
cross examination, vas uopIeasaoly
large. His answers, perhaps, suggest
cd nothing positive against him: brt
they I'D not make I'll the dari places
clear !, was, 100, we ere sc"e, pain-
tul u many TO "car minister o.
M. Beecber's standing defended on
such an occasion by some Of The peas
which-irough :'23rla cnor3" 20.
fessionally-,N', F,2,,s Thought y op-
er 10 bling forward on his behalf.
WA, 's;ance, could have been more
~.eyoIec: "a me forum 81 morals
trao .,c Glowing accouo, Of NJ,
B.sc,e ,. Services 10 the Jrnio, :;
E,rlcoo Is !, innenuous FOR 8 min
ser even to suggest tina, an eloquent
add Datr;o,ic man j., as soch. uu';Felv
70 commit odnI,n,vo Wonld :, not
be !, iA,,a, O" zoe most GRO, esoue Kind
!; a mao ,ccused Won of ;,nrona 20,
lo,ioos " ;th his wife ia IS / him nv
wav O" -e,lc whr,bar bp hor .ea,,,
vo,,r ,..oo> ,noach 70 .5e ,ebet - ,,,a-
ih;zprs J., 1i,e~,Coll We M, i
we had .naco mel, ort fnm "a do.
,Gepcc q lcioc nr.nber Of simils. ,ooci.
mems Of Tncandid Gealino Win ihc
inv and the nubl;c. 9hey IRE = I'd
Of th;no. which ono bca g IN Cor , Q,
cry doy bpt il was .mno,sia)a q. NJ
Bccoc,er ia avail himself of Them wi
ont ipiurv
Thouah last not least Mr. Baccber's
domeanor du,ino the I ial has NOT
s,.enothanod tho nronossossio, IN his
favo. His iojltv. ne 1nIe bayc not
rnnaturallv ayoued. in tbn Situation ~
which he has Been nlacod ran hardly
hive boon due to consciousness. Of ;rE,
noconco ~ Tins corsc,ouSnoso vonl1
bavo stood him in botfor stood whom
tho oharl,o Woe G.et n,n1o orI Ln.a
saved him from tho torinons ernor;en-
a oaa 20 H.; a1,:a Wv ~ vi Nj" oI I'le' i."
us a',e'lo"ht anAiely' renlofse' lear