Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-03-01
THE BEECRER COUNCIL.

Tho Now York Herald Of tho 22d
inst, in alluding to this celebrated cler
gyman, says:
Tho advisory council delivered itscll
last evening Of the result Of its delib
erations, supporting Plymouth church
In its application Of It's disciplinary
rules and coupling with the report 0
proposition to form committee Of five
Tor full and final inquiry into tho reok
in,t scandal. We shall see how this Is
met by Plymouth church and by Mr.
Becchor. The country is under the
impression that the truth has not been
known. Here is u chance TO place the
perjury and hypocrisy where they be'
long and TO say whether the once uni
versally revered pastor is an adulterei
or simply u gushing blunderer with q
heart too large for his head. This as
TO the scandal; but, no matter what
the issue of the inquiry, Mr.. Beecher's
usefulness as q christian minister is at
an end II cannot be restored. He
mourns for himself as one about TO die
He has evaporated himself into what
he terms an idea. He is now at the
time of life when he cannot retrieve
the errors which, by his own confcs-
sion, he has made in this business. lie
may keep Plymoth church but that
is only faction of what was wont to
be the religious and intellectual domin.
ion of Henry Ward Bcccher. If he
were animated by high and delicate
sense of what was due from a Chris
tian minister to his denomination and
to the church at large he would retire,
But il he chooses to preach and there
are those who take comfort in his
preaching why further meddlc with
the matter, unless as wo have said,
there can be some congregational meth
cd for doing what jury could not do
namely, find out the exact truth
As for Mr.. Moulton, his position Is a
cruel one; but as he sought 1t he may
feel that what he suffers now is tho re-
suit Of the years of discrimination which
he admitted under oath to have prac-
tisod to prevent the truth being known.
AS for Mr.. Tilton, he has made great
deal of money, which no one, we are
sure, will begrudge him, all things con-
sidcred. As for Mr.. Bowen, the as.
stounding fact that he for years lived
in intimate relations with pastor he
believed to be guilty ofshameful crimes
and turned that pastors genius into a
newspaper profit will eliminate much
of the sympathy that would otherwise
be felt for him. If Plymouth believes
in its pastor who shall chide it? But
the outside world is not under the do
minion of tho genius Of Henry Ward
Beecher. The outside world does not
witness these dramatic exhibitions
which take place every Sunday. All
we know is that Brooklyn Heights are
noxious with crime. No matter what
the truth is, there have been perjury and
false pretence and hypocrisy. Who is
the sinner, or, rather, what is the
measure OF sin that we must lay at
each particular door, Moulton swears
that he cquivocated for years. Bowen
swcars that he is a hypocrite. BeechcI
swears that he took away wiie's ai'
fections. Tilton swears that after for
giving a wife whose paramour gave
him money, no published her shame Ia
the world, and brought disgrace to his
children for rehabilitation" In all
this whirlwind Of defamation, ignominy
and crime, what Is the truth ? Let all
who know anything relating to the
scandal now come forward and speak
1t is not question of ecclesiastical dis
cipline, but one of truth, and silence il
crime,