The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-03-05

there ish little moro 10, he,said either
for or against Mr.. Beecher. That be
IL guilty is proven my mountain OF
evidence; that he is Innocent rests
upon the word OF himself and his para.
mour. In casting mp the score, hoy.
ever, it behooves us to be llberal.
Tilton deserves all he has got for his
folly. Mrs. Tilton is q sublimated
lackass in female attire. The question
that ought to perplex us relates to the
degree OF the pastors guilt; how
greatly was he tempted; how far waa
he justified in ignoring Tilton; how
large or small relation does this parti-
cular embarrassment hold toward the
general tenor OF his life. There is
story that. during Mr.. Beecher's So
journ in London, some wicked Ameri-
cans caused him to be shadowed by an
expert detective, and that this profes.
sional person tracked him to some
very foul places. Is Mr.. Beeoher
lifelong debauchee-.a lecherous
mackerel, caught at last upon Q pin
hook-or is he the gallant OF an epi-
enae. the victim of q ridiculous affec.
tion for wax.doll7 The wisest and
strongest Of men haye succumbed to
the most artificial feminine wiles.
Your strapping wench, however come
IL, rarely exercises any substantial or
lsstipg power. The woman who brings
herself and her hero to the block is
usually fdgety. light-headed fool,
frivolous and saw-dusty. with turn
for flirting; In short, an artful liar,
who dapes BY species Of sentimental
simperiDg verys potent With ardent.
credulouo, concefted, vain and imsei.
native manly naturee. Thcre IL such
. thing % being ''too swsst," and this
seems to be Mira Tilt6n's virtue. She
10 obviously cunning little dowdy,
with tho trick OF innocence. In Der.
son . Becky Sharp, aud In character Q
Li1zy Greystock-not possessing any
OF the talents Of Thackeray's heroine
nor eDy OF the beauty Of Trollope,s-
che seems to have taken Mr.. Beecher
in and done for him by tho sheer force
OF his weakness. Men sre sush fools.
and. unluckily, the better man 10.
the bigger the fool he 10 likely to be;
for where women are concerned, il .
man 10 not fool, dc 10 generally vii
lain. In . liaison, somebody must be
deceived; often enough it is tho liber-
tine; rarely the wife. She knows What
she 10 about from the arst. Now and
then. she has tho excuse OF cruel treat
Haent q home. producing desperation
and that sense OF recklessness which
drives both mon aud women to ire.
sponsible actions. Ia. any event, she
proceeds With her eyes open. aud has
no right to complain OF the oonse-
quenoee. In an, affair between Q man
and Q amarried woman. the trus claim.
ant for commissration Is the man,
not the woman. The werld adiudges
differently. It allows an innocent
young girl. duped -and seducel. to 60
he1dlcng to tho devil. leaving the
scoundrel who has betrayed her to cut
and como again, whilst 1t visits upon
the victim OF somebody else's wife its
sevarest condemnation.
Thus Beecher u exeesatsd leas for
diseracing religion. less fos dragging
his clerical office through tho miro.
less Tor violating commandment of
God. shan cuskholding Tilton. His
eotual otencs 70 his hypocrisy. Mrs.
Moulson's insuitions. the munitions Of
his own sister, were right. he should
have gone before tho people and made
clean. breast OF 1t. and then-having
purified himself by an honest confes-
ston-he should hsve set . glorious
and Impressive example to the world,
by blowing his brains out In the pre-