The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-16

held that opinion" An intelligent news
paper reporter said Not one in ten." l
hear keen men Of the world IN railway
cars and elsewhere, professed admirers Of
his genius and influence express the most
undoubting opinion of his deliberate per-
jury, adding that 1t was the only course
| left for him.
Meanwhile, these opinions do not rest on
mere shapeless rumors, but on definite allie
cations pointing to gross offenses in more
than one, two, or even three particular di-
rections. 1t is alleged, moreover, that Mr..
Beecher's friends heve shielded him, as law
yers screen a criminal, from before the time
when by their advice he ignored the friend
| ly offices of Dr. Storrs and rebuffed other
kindly attempts at relief, down to the re-
fusal of the latest proffered aid from And.
over. One of the most damaging aspects
of his case, indeed TO many Of his friends
has been his seeking such associations as
those of Kinsella, Moulton, and the like,
rather than reposing confidence in bis
clear-headed Christian brethren. And men
allege that his own attitude is that of
guilty man escaped into a place of safety,
and then loudly protesting his innocence
and roundly defying his enemies" They
say it is not much to protest his innocence
in pathetic words or thunder tones" and
demand accusers in a council where that
inquiry is peremptorily excluded; to appeal
to the angels of God, instead of accepting
a fair, honest trial by his fellow-men or
to call on the dread tribunal of God in
Heaven, while refusing the offered council
here on earth. In these aforementioned
statements assuredly they are right.
When we are pointed to the gallant ad-
herence of Plymouth Church to its pastor.
there is strange overlooking of the fact
that all the damaging blows have been dealt
him by the innermos, circle of his bosom
friends and confldants; by Bowen. his veter-
an right-hand man by Iilton, his pet, pu-
pill, and protege; by Moulton, the Good
sent friend y; by Johnson, his confidential
sub-editor and factotum; 10y Mrs. Moulton,
his sister," most " familiar and init
mate; by the loving and beloved, the trust
full and The trusting Elizabeth"
These things, and some Others, arc patent
10 the world. We at a distance have no call
or right to enquire how wel-founded were
certain statements in the council that there
was division of opinion in that church
| itself. But there do come to us, unasked,
definite assertions that prominent members
of that congregation, who had publicly
defended their pastor, have, nevertheless
privately admitted his guilt. This may be
'hearsay,' but in two cases it is forinidaby
direct hearsay; it may be wholly untrue,
but it is, at least, the lie with the crcum
| stance.
Now, all these reports that darken the
air must be dealt with not at arms length,
but hand to hand The scandal can be
crushed cut if it be false. 1t is idle to say
it must be let alone now. The world will
never accept such feebleness. Nor will
the maxim of Christ's Gospel tolerate it
one moment. 1t was not the apostolic way.
Many are waiting anxiously, like myself,
Tor such clearing up, patiently hoping
| that even the worst aspect of the case and
the most damaging evidence will vet prove
to rest upon some grievous mistakes, some
halluciuation. We will still believe there
is some safe way out OF this hideous laby-
rinth.
But it cannot be concealed that even az
the eonnnii came together the outward as
pca,ed than ever gerA f66cq%pg more ssm
many formidable difficulties before the
world; the seeming ineompatibilty of those
humiliating confessions of intensest re-
morse for the nameless offense and the alb
solute denial of all conscious wrong; the
| apparent ceiyableness that a trusted
and confiding woman could be dragooned
or coaxed into charging her adored pastor
with shameful proposals the iucredibleness
| that even an angry man should commence
| a ruinous lawsuit without a shadow of fact
on which to rest; the almost impossibllity
of supposing that sharp and prosperous
man of affairs should deliberately join his
fortunes to such hare-brained scheme;
and the monstrous difficulty of believing
that woman of character, standing, and
the clearest intelligence could for one mo-
ment mistake either the general or special
sorrow OF her most intimate friend and pas
tor for the confessions of gross and spec
| ific crime. Many of us-myself for one
managed somehow to rest quietly on not
one, but all these precarous suggestions
piled one upon the other. But now there
have appeared the written reiterated charg-
es of the aged, courteous, and astute o.
liver johnson, made in language of terrific
force, deliberateness, and assurance, not
to be wiped away with a sudden flourish of
the PEN and Mr.. Bowen's 'unwavering
opinion" wrung from him after long 81
lence, and not TO be laughed away at an
evening meeting. And when to all this are
added the omnous and definite statements,
that come quite too directly to be dismissed
as idle gossip, n great mass of intelligent
men cannot silence their intellects much
| longer. A complete and searching inves-
tigstion by body above all possible sus-
| picion OF W eakness or bias is no concession
to the foolish, but an imperative necessity
for the clear and the good. 1t
| ought TO be most eagerly coveted by Mr..
Beecher and his friends, if he be, indeed,
the innocent man that we hope. And if
this almost universal demand of the church
and the world pass UNDECIDED it now requires
no gift of prophecy to foresee that when the
passions and partisanships Of the hour shall
have passed away and the calm voice of
time shall be heard Mr.. Beecher's name
will be consigned to fate as much sadder
as his past career has been brighter than
other mems.
1t must be remembered, too, that he is
not merely on the defensive. He has pub
licly uttered the gravest accusations against
| Mr.. Bowen and Mrs. Moulton, and used
expressions concerning his brethren and
former friends in the ministry which it is
needness here to repeat. Let him make
good or retract his declarations. No small
| circle of his friends can stand here between
| him and the great cause of truth and right.
| The church at large have a voice in this
matter. He will be tried and acquitted by
q court wisely selected and definitely en-
powered, or he will be inevitably condemn
ed by the great mass of men outside of Ply
mouth church.
How shall this result be reachedp A very
simple case has been complicated by hasty
Misunderstanding, and by the consequent
action, mistaken, as l think, of the Advi-
sorry Council.
The council have, unfortunately, pro-
posed an extraordinary and wholly uncon-
gregationsl wav, when perfectly Congre-
gational method lay before them. l am as
sured that those whe devised the "com-
mission" sincerely intended the very best
method, I, therefore, accept the assurance.
Still, there are obvious and grave objec-
tons to it Twill not discuss in detail it's
total departure from our settled methods ;
it's objectionableness as a precedent; its
unsuitableness as Difference to this one
church, of all others, and its aspect of a
special device; its arbitrary limitation of
time to sixty days. These are grave OBJ
r.. + 4. l.