Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-06-11

I
is capable of scrutiny, and having been
turned over and over again to find whether
it is true or not, but charge that in heart,
in word, in wicked suggestion, and corrupt
ing and Infamous intent, the clergyman has
made the breach and the wife's honor has
been saved, and the husbands disgrace does
not exist, and the children are not involved
Well may clergyman feel dismay if that is
the form in which he has to meet the impli
cation. 1t is not ground of action for
damages, it cannot lead to judicial inquiry,
and it cannot lead to a Judicial refutation,
and it is the most terrible form out Of the re-
gion Of malicious imputation and impossible
retutation except by the generalities of Opin-
ion whether it is possibly compatible with
the character, and then they say, Well, it is
not possibly compatible with the character
of the woman that she would charge it-a
good woman-that she you'd charge it, and
- you have all through ChristeEdOm the
minds and the tongues OF men and women
let loose upon the cunning malice Of such an
imputatiOn. Well might Mr.. Beecher feel
and say how many hearts will suffer, what
immense interests will he imperilled if this
strange, inexplicable emanatiOn from this
ruined household is made the subject Of pub
iiI Al-tu@1lpu- -hhA bAitA. WI. DtNNhtA h'e'
under the impression, doubtingly, as he has
told you, but vet not rejecting the idea that
Mr.. rilton thought that the wiic's charge
was honest, and that he might belieye it
himself. That has long ago been abandoned,
but Mr.. Beecher has told you," didn't
/ know what to believe, sometimes thought
| that Mr.. Tilton was honest in the notion,
and wondered how the wife herself could
have thus originated it. and sometimes
thought that be did not believe it, and the
/ fact that the wife disclaimed it did not make
any diierence-the same woman who had
diSclaimed it was the woman that had made
the charge, and so they went on and on.
She is guiltess, snaed against bearing the
transgresslons OF another"
How is she guiltless of it? The situation
that Mr.. Beecher recognized was that be
should take upon himself all the blame Of 81
perior age and experience to have iOreseen
the disaster and the injury to the husband
supremacy in the wife's affections from the
enjoyment Of this intercourse between eler-
gyman and parishOner, chaste, honest, just
and Of the highest and nOblest affections. In
that sense he was right in taking the blame
upon himself, and that satisfies it but in
any other view how, how can anybody be |
guiltless Of such heinous ohense Of 4 mar
RED women Of mature wears, and with a |
family around her, unless You accept the bal /
lerlash Of innocent adultery?
"fier forgiveness have"
How had he her forgiveness? How had 4
She forgiven him? Nothing mad passed be- |
tween them Of that kind, nothing whatever. |
Only three months afterward she wrote 70 /
him To hope that he forgaye her while yet /
forgetting her, and closed her note with
new prayer for his forgiveness. This sen
tence Mr.. Beecher denies, of course there
is no fact to support it.
Il humbly pray to God that lie may put it into
the heart of her husband to forgive me-
That Is entirely cJnSistent-nO matter
whether it was said in those words or not,
with the situation in which Mr. Beecher con-
l,,-ed himself in fault and in sorrow and
chagrin and modification ard grief.
Now, gentlemen, how was this paper
characterized Nobody ever called it a con
ies,ion." LateIg it has been spoken Of as
g letter of contrition. Well, con;rition
for what? That Is the question You must
draw out OF it, retroactive evidence Of
~me definite guilt Its contrition proves
some definite crime It's c1ntriti0n proves
only what have stated to YOU, it. own ex-
istence upon the supporting reasons that |
have exposed. But the whole tone on this
subject has shown that it never was treated
Us "a confession. Mr. Tracy te~tiiies that
M0uiton said that the paper was the memo
anlum Of or notes OF a conversation he had
with Mr. Beecher. Mr.. Beccher, Mr.. vii
ke-on, Mr.. Storrs, and Mr.. Clailin testify 10
this being always spoken Of by Illton ami
Moulton as an apology, a a letter of
Mr.. Tilton u DR.. Bacon. charac;erizing it /
throughout and repeatedly As an apology.
The PASTOR commun Gated - me in wr.tn. an
apology gned by dis name
And he says. as Justification for the pub
Lefty that he now gives
''iad the .air spirit which had a -ht TO expect
from Plymouth Church at leas. for t. pastors -ike
been showed toward NE. would have continued % ]
rest "a silence On Mr.. Beccher- apology, ami never
during the remainder oi my lie would have per ,
II tied any public wort Of mine 10 al.ude 90 the
oferse oi the ofencer. Z
Another phrase in which this Bacon letter
refers to this memorandum As an apology is .
this
And my duty toeontinae this forbearaucs ceased
~ en- the sp.rto. that apology was ollte, to my b
4Iury, by Us author and his AGENTS ,
W ell. the spirit Of an apology for aduI-
tory-it You can apply in the first instance. !
without contemptuOus derisi0n 10 him who /
use, it. the phrase ofan apology for an adult I
te-y that enables the husband and param0ur ,
to walk down the street afterward together
and % De friends because an uuintended IN +
Sul5 W injury has been met bv a suitable
auol0rv-yOu can't understand how the /,
spirit Of an apology for adultery Is violated .
by some depreeiatory remarks 90 the preiu-
dice Of the injured party, that had been
made by the apOlogizing person OF his
irieuls 50, too. in Mr.. Tllt0n's proposed :
verdict Tor the church committee !
The committee further find that Mr. Titou. in
relations with the pastor, had Jsst cause oiot j
fence and had reee we'd voluntary apology" Y
And he gives as one of hi reasons for not
going more particularly into it, that the b
apology was
'les -nel 20 cover complicated transaction ,
hose details ws-e dih-alt OF exact or iust state +
ment.n g
" ell, now. adultery Is not complicated -,
transaction; it Is very simple and intelli-
gent in is features But on that view Of
" hat this paper called an apology was to #
mce,. You see at once the truthfulness. the il
unconscious truthfuneSs of Mr.. TilyonS b
characterization OF it as an apology for a :,
,onl Heated transaction, which there is no y
use Of going more fully into.
, viN WHO lbs TOR BEEcHrR WILL lie FOR )
HIMSELF
Mr. MOIltOn has told You that sometimes I,
with solemnity, and sometimes with indic- d
nation, and sometimes with al oath sup =,
pose according 10 the temperament of the
people who were talking with him-he put :
his foot upon the scandal said there was
nothing in it, and discredited ANYBODY who v
demanded any further proof than Mr. Beech &
rs life and character. His familiar form h
# expression was. that if the publication !
vas true it was infamous, and If 1t was false -
& was diabolcal. We called a dozen peo- ol
PIE to say what he did say about it in v
much more explicit and definite form. "
lie tells you he was lying all the time and =
wing for Mr. Beecher. Well, gentlemen, n .
nan who lies for Beecher will lie for him
eii-you may rely upon that. We have y
heard It said, upon the best authority per he
tVenturc, for good man one might often ca
bare to die, but it is not said that he viii ia
iten dare 10 IL for a good man. But it he m
onieSses that he lied, lied, lied, lied for a !;
motive and for another. he will lie on a mo- ~
i've for himself All, gentlemen, it NAV be q
hardship for this plaintiff that he has no "
witnesses to prove his acts but men like III
himself but a. he himself, conlessedly out ~
4 his own mouth, and as Moulton,, confes- :.
edly out OF his own month. has lied and
led and liei and lied, To put wrong "a
ace on this matter-ah, gentlemen. the "a
rouhle Is when he presents to you the -.
arious circumstances under which he l.,
ailS his present story and on which each OF hi
hem told their other story, you see that the fr,
iotlves Of Justification then were feeble and he
ale as compared with the motives OF lalsi- at
cation now and if you will Judge there to
re- between the two stories, you choose fee
lelr statements as they made them, and YOU I'm
nd that every written scrap of paper that ia
produced confirms their then stories and 81
Ject their present one. But the difficulty w
a.