The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-11-17
M. L. A. COURSE.
Lecture by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.

Lecture by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.
The Mercantile Library Association course
was opened last evening by the Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher, who delivered his new lecture
"The Ministry of Wealth." to a good sized
audience. Chandler's Band gave very pleas
ant band concert previous to the lecture. Mr..
Beecher began his lecture by saying: 81 know
not how there should exist such strange
anomalous feeling as that which the subject Of
riches suggests, in contrast with the strong
practical seeking for riches which is a charac.
teristic Of our civilization. This feeling, that
riches are not to be given high rank; that a
man is better, looking towards all his interests,
when he is poor than when he is wealthy, finds
expression in many hortations and familiar
truisms But yet I believe, said Mr.. Beecher,
that in the Divine economy, the instinct of pro-
ducing wealth is Gods educating power in the
| WORLD more than the church or the school, or
than any other means whatsoever. The lee
| turer traced the influence of this instinct from
| the first emeTgence of man from the barbarous
state, showing how industry, the necessity of
| work, quickens the production of wealth. and
with it those fundamental ideas of ethics and
morality on which human society must rest.
| First comes the need for food and drink, then
rament, then shelter, and then the higher
necessities of mans nature become developed
| and demand to be supplied. Society grows
| more and more complex; and as man gains in
| fineness and refinement the production of
wealth is still his great educator. 1t would be
strange, indeed, if any one could bring from
| the Scriptures any teaching adverse to this
original law which the Creator has made. 1t
is the abuse and not the use of riches which is
condemned. Torpidity is not more to be dreaded
than undue activity; andwhere is no produc.
tion of wealth the higher forms of religious
life do not exist. True, the mendicant religion
has its advocates, who assert that they are
better prepared for meditation by being relieved
from work. In other words, they say to their
fellow men, You work; I'll eat and be lazy.
Mr.. Beecher vigorously argued that the pro-
duction of wealth does noble work 10 awak-
ening the dormant faculties of the mind and
stimulating man to attain higher aims in life
What is called property is matter vitalized by
human intellect. In gaining wealth men learn
Of necessity to be co-laborers, and SO learn to
trust each other. Society Icannot exist wi thout
confidence between man and man. Out of this
confidence comes forecast, sagacity, a recogni-
ton of the relations of cause and effect. Man,
living in each hour, is trained to provide for
the time to come. Churches and schools can
not educate man to do this. He is taught not
to lie in church. But he has no temptation to
lie there. That comes the next day, when he
meets his friends in the strife of every day life.
Churches and schools teach, but they cannot
train. The lecturer eloquently defended So
cietv from the charge that it is honey combed
with rottenness. You can trust man, even in
politics: though there is here more foam than
anywhere else, there is good beer beneath the
frOth. Mr.. Beecher then considered the ques-
ton, "What shall men, having the possession
of wealth, do with it?'' And FIRST said he,
hold that every man has right to use upon
himself and for his own comfort, what he has
amassed. He has right to use the so-called
luxures which wealth brings him; and his en-
joyment of his gain will prove great and not
unworthy stimulus to others. Let the man of
wealth use his gain in making his surroundings
beautiful and tasteful, and not think that his
higher nature should not be satisfied, as It's
desires are developed and find expression.
The spirit which would make religion nothing
but gaunt carcass would make civilization
retrograde and bring man steadily back to
should literally employ it in making home a :.
place of beauty. L will not say, said Mr. I
Beecher that man without some property is
floating seaweed but will say that it would
be we'll ii every man owned sons property in
the community in which he lives. The pos
session of a home is the only thing 1 would
advise young man to 60 into debt for. 1t
begets care and self-denial, and spirit of
economy in expenditures. A small property
cleared from debt many times clears its pos
SCISSOR from vices. When a man obtains an
abiding place let him make it as comely as he
can-the most beautiful spot in the universe to
him and his; for nothing is half so
valuable in the community as the household.
at,n,o
exist; but all will perish if our families are not
wise and robust and strong. Ii tue family is
broken up, though the clouds rain gold. we
shall be an impoverished and bankrupt nation,
because there will be NO foundation on which
to stand And next, let the man OF wealth
spend much for the good of the community
around him. The stingy neighbor who grudges
to the passer-by the odor of the flowers in his
garden-what words can fifty picture such
man? Not to have pride in ones town is an
immortality. Make the place in which you
live worthy of pride. Be liberal also in sup
port of the government which gives safety |
both to a man and his wealth. The principal |
way in which you can do this is to pay taxes
honestly. l am ashamed to say, said Mr..
Beecher, that tn Ousands of men who are
otherwise honorable Christians undervalue the
importance of their duty to the state, and pay
their dues grudgingly, even with absolute
gifts to public institutions. How much good
have the Farbankses done to the town of st.
Johnsbury? They may almost be said to have
created that prosperous community, and In
what other way could they gain such esteem
and love as their generous bestowal of wealth
has secured? Good old Peter Cooper, twenty
years ago, founded the Union in New York,
with its free library and schools of art and me-
chanics, open to all, and as he walks up and
down, like father in the nursery, men bless
him every day. Do you suppose the money he
kept yields him one half the pleasure which he
receives from that which he gave away?
Mr.. Beecher urged men of wealth to be their
own executors, and so carry through without
hindrance their plans. In closing, he pointed
out some of the dangers which the possession
of wealth brings Not C@sarsm, not mon
archism, not democracy is the fear of the fu-
ture-that is Plutocracy. The only class which
this country is likely ever to know is class of
rich men, drawn together by common SYM
patty, and united in the concentration of vast
wealth to attain certain objects. The struggle
between consolidated capital and the rights of
laborers is fast coming on. Other dangers
threaten; and Mr.. Beecher alluded to the ire
the four which centre in New York, and which
combined, might buy legislators and voters and
dctateeths election of Judges and EGovernors
l have no apprehension, said the speaker, of
the result in the remote future. But in our
day, or in our children's day, it is certain that
new dykes must be thrown up against tyranny,
new banks against the power of irresponsible
capital. The great question is: Shall the gi-
gantlc power OF wealth. De perVadeu Dy the
spirit of Christiani' y, or shall this power over
come Christianity? This is the question of the
time. The time of settlement for US as nation
in finances has passed. The next twenty years
we shall attain prosperity augmented by
countless labor-saving inventions. You must
devote this wealth to virtue, to patriotism, to
God, or to mammon, corruption and final de-
struction. This is my charge to you use your
wealth as your country and your conscience
calls since on you, in part, rests the fate of the
future.
MCIvoR RELEAsED.-Yesterday afternoon
two men arrived from Lennoxvile, Canada,
and they at once recognized McIvor as the
man who stole money from them at Capltan,
few miles from Lennoxville. One of them
claimed to have lost $50 aud the other $40.