Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-06-07

/
| church in the country; there being no col
nmrs Of recesses 10 make echoes or absorb
| sound.
One attraction there was for the eve. the
| slngularly beautiful, and tastefully arraug-
! Ell. display or flowers upon the platform On
| the table stood double glass ". - tIIeI mn
! not crO'cCed, with orchids, Gala lilies, sera-
! NUNS. tulips, azaliaS, smilaX and ferns. Ga
| the right of the platform a tall marble vase
/ held towering and trailing bOquet OF mar
cisSus flowers, red, white and yellow tulips.
/ heath blossoms. pelorganiumS and passion
flowers. In his Friday night pray er-meet-
| ing talk Mr.. Beecher spoke OF the practice
/ II ymCuth Church had adopted OF using
| flowers protusely in connection with the ser
! vice of Col as having originated with
| Quaker lady of the congregation. AT the
| same time he spoke with some compa-
| cency of the fact that Plymouth Church
| mem beT>hip embraced Quakers and various
other denominations in its wide and liberal
folds.
| HOLDING \ HYMN BOOK WITH BESSIE
| TURNER.
| AS at the prayer meeting there was a long
| wait after the church was packed to its ut
most until the time of service. There was a
| buzz OF conversation all over the house. and
| the vigorous working of two or three thou
| sand fans in femme hands gave curious air
of mover ent TO the great crowd. Just as
| Beecher stepped upon the platform from a
| rear EN- trance "a young lady was ushered into
| my pew and was introduced TO me as Miss
| Turner, but as my eyes were upon the great
| 4 ldiIcd 10 eaten The name, 10
! take other note of her than that she was
! rather pretty, with a merry eye, and trou-
blesome spray of cUrls that needed consid-
| cradle shaking 10 keep them from obscuring
| the print of the Zig plymouth collection"
| hymn-bOok that we held '.jntly." After
| wards was told by my host that my pretty
| neighbor was Bessie Turner Perhaps il was
| just as well for my devotional feelings that /
didn't know what angel l was halving a
| hymn book with unawares, for l should
doubtless have been making mental esti-
mates OF her theft" in her night Clothes and
Of her screaming capacity under circum-
stances of midnight alarm.
The opening music was duet for
the soprano and alto, the leading part
being taken by Miss Lasal, a favor
tie singer of Brooklyn. The choir mu-
sic, and the congregational singing after
wards. was pleasing in its naturaluesS AMI
absence Ofthat kissing effect associated with
the Superfine attempts at precise articula-
ton in so much OF the northern church music.
Mr.. BeecheT was quiet. in manner, but his
eye met every inquiring look with a frank
confidence that indicated innocence, or the
most cOnsummate acting. And the same
may be said of his sermon, which, by the
way, one OF his flock declared to me TO be
the best he had ever delivered. Pdtting aside
the question of his guilt or innocence as one
that will probably never be known bevOad
himself and Mrs. TiltOn, one cannot but
wonder at the marvellous display of powers
terrible strain of the trial upon his mind,
with the immense stake at issue, that he
should not only keep up his sermons, weekly
lectures, public services, &c. but that he
should keep them up with such freshness of
thought, wealth of imagery, humOr pathoS
and intense earneStneSs shows him to be a
prodigy physically and mentally. He is 81
years old this June, and is able TO make this
ProdlglOuS exhibit OF his powers after life
OF the most eXhausting activity. For %
years he has preached to the largest congre-
CATION in America, and has yet found time
10 write fourteen or fifteen books, edit relig-
iOuS papers, contribute regularly To secular
papers and magazines. lecture throughout
the country every season, and take a leading
part in the public discussion OF the great SUBJ
iects of the time. As he stood on the plat
form This Sunday his powers seemed TO be
only at their ripeSt, although one sitting
quite near 10 him might observe a slight
tremuIOuS motion OF the head, indicating z |
touch Of the palsy of age. His sermon was a |
lesson upon the frail character of good i'm
pulse when in antagOniSm with inclination, |
ana abounded i'm pictures and illustrations. |
In tine course Of il he took occasion To defend
his mode of preaching from the criticisms Of
those who say that il is not .'dOctrinal''
enough. Such requirement, he asserted, |
was IL the race Of the practice of our Master.
There Is not doCtrinal sermon, he said. in
the history of ChriSt'S whole teaching. On |
the other hand, all the teachings of Christ |
were in the pictorial form, or were simply |
dldactic teachings. lie didn't say il is requi- |
site that men should so preach. but when
they do preach didaCtcalIy or pictorially |
they should not be condemned because they |
do not preach doctrlnally. His sermon took |
wide range a one time he had everybody |
laughing "cor sumedIy" while he described |
the selfish scramble for dinner on a western |
steamboat, just after he had preached an. |
apparently, most convincing sermon upon |
the evils OF seifiShneSS; and again most of the 1
congregation, the preacher as well were in /
tears while he described with vivid effect the 1
bringing tO life Of child, hOpeleS>l Y drowned !
IN the belief of all but the mother
EEECHER AND HIS CONGREGATI
1t hardly need be said that Beecher's CON !
gregatiOn believe in him implicitly, enthu- |
Siastically. and they don't seem able To un-
derstand why anybody can disbeIisve in him. |
They seem 10 think their faith in him, found |
Ell upon their knowledge Of MS outgolngS !
and incOmings 70: thirty years, should have /
weight. To an inquiry how they accounted !
for The fact that several Of the leading New /
York papers seem 10 have a full conviction /
OF Beecher'S guilt, they insisted that person
a OF Sectariau feeling was at the bottom Of |
ii in every inStarce:-that the S,U, was an
Lered by the decli1ati0sl of the Reccher men |
10 employ Mr. w .. Bartlett a New York |
lawyer and lea,,iug stakeholder IN the Snt.
IN Mr.. Beecher'S behalf, that the New York
Le'igT. which has stopped printing Mr.
Bercher'S articles. (althOugh ii continues 10
pay Tor them,) has been influenced BY Mr.
Boomers friendship Tor Mr. Bartlett; that the
HeT"t.P5 c6ufSt has been influenced by John |
Russrl Y0uug-S friendship for Mr. Tllton. /
mai the Tunes i under Presbyterian, anti
Beechor influence, DC, &c. TAeY cannot !
conceive. or WILL not aimlt. mat any Gnbl-
ased person eau believe Beecher guilty.
BEFCHER IN THE COURT ROOM.
Twas present in the Brooklyn court room
through the day. yesterday, but will not
bore the STAR readers with court proceed
ings that they have already To the stretch OF
endurance. The general opinion is that the
jury viii disagree. but should not be much
surprised If they brought in verdict, and
FOR the defen dant. But verdict one way or
lhe other will 10 little TO settle the inquiry.
Beechers damaging letters on the one hand,
and Tliton's tOrtuous course on the other
Will serve to send the question lis hr
guilty?" down TO futurity unanswered.
MRS. TILTON.
/ was told in Brooklyn that Mrs. Tilton
expresses great distress at the idea that has |
been advanced that she can ever live with |
her husband again. Her friends say that she |
will commence proceedings for divorce as
soon as the trial is over. C.S.N. |
THE RICHMOND TRAGEDY.-The stabbing |
of young Hillman by his companion (Hud-
-