The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1876-03-21
Dr. Fairfield Declares Beeeher
Gut1ty.

Last week We published quite full
report of DIR. Fairfield's lecture a. de-
livered in the Congregational Church
on the Friday previous, but IT appears
that there was n part OF his lecture
which was not delivered, but which is
printed in the Mansfield Herald OF last
Thursday. This published, but un-
spoken, portion OF the lecture in ques-
tion is OF such an extraordinary charac-
ter that we publish ii entire, including
what he actually did say. The unspok-
On part commences with the words
"God lives" at the beginning Of the
third paragraph:
"Years agone, and great agitation
shook the continent upon the question
of human rights and human liberty.
Congresses and conventions, confer-
snces and synods. and general assem-
blies resolved against the agitation,
and declared in solemn force of mighty
words that the thing was settled. They
forgot that in the government OF the
Most High God, whose throne is es-
tablished by justice, that nothing is
ever settled till it is settled right. Un-
derneath the foundations that arc not
OF truth and equity, you may feel the
trembling and hear the rumbling Of an
earthquake; and sooner or later; the
foundations that are laid in wrong will
be shaken to their very base, and not
one stone shall be left upon another
that shall not be thrown down.
"And awhile ago there came another
great question before the public mind,
and after little while men said, Let
this thing stop; We have heard enough
of it, Let it alone~ But il would not
down at mems bidding, and will not do
80 long as falsehood triumphs and
truth is trodden in the streets. Meth
er courts nor councils can soothe this
great question of morals and decency
to sleep until the bottom facts are
reached aud all devices to save the
guilty are exposed. 1t will be settled
only when truth comes uppermost, and
libertinism and lies and perjury have
chariots of Pharaoh.
"God lives, and truth is His scepter.
Aud the machinery Of his entire gov
ernment is for war upon evil till evil
dies. Woe upon them that cry peace,
peace, when there is no peace!
"And now you know full well to
what l refer, and will not attempt to
disguise it. You will bear me witness
that it is the first time that | have ever
directly referred to it IN these walls.
But matters are eliminating, and do
not abuse nv privilege in what am
about to say. happen to know the
facts in this case, never wrote a line
for the public eye till did. 1t is not
with me q matter of opinion or belief,
but of absolute knowledge. / have no
more assurance of the facts OF Divine
Revelation, upon which risk my eter
nal salvation, than of the facts in this
case. There are men in Mansfield whe
will live to confess to me the folly of
their words and deeds, simply because
they did not know what knew.
"And when they come to know, as
they will, they will read what L have
written and published, and wonder on
ly that wrote so calmly and moderate
ly of one who will be ultimately and
universally conceded to be the most
infamous character Of the nineteenth
century. And men who stand up for
him to-day will labor hard to forget
that they did SO, and struggle to their
utmost to conceal the fact from their
They deserve the profoundest commits
seration. for the fact cannot always be
hid, and where they are known, there
will be but one opinion concerning
them"
1t is needless to say that il DIR. Fair
field had actually spoken these words
within the walls of the Congregational
Church, although he was in tho pres
ence of an audience composed in the
main of his old friends and parishion-
ers, he would have been challenged in
a manner which would have been men,
orable for n life time. As il was, il
was difficult TO restrain demonstra-
ton of dissent. The people of Mans
field have treated DIR. Fairfield's OBJ
servations upon this subject with n
charity and forbearance which he does
not seem to have the grace to appre-
ciate. We have all recognized his
great abilities, and have been willing
to tolerate the utmost freedom OF
opinion, but the time has come for
positive dissent. The world must
know that the Congregational Church
of Mansfield is not responsible for ut
terances like this. We do not believe
that Henry Ward Beecher is the gigan-
tic william which DIR. Fairfield makes
him; the Congregational Church does
not believe it, and they do not intend
that DIR. Fairfield shall so represent
them as his published utterances un-
challenged would seem to indicate.
The statements made by DIR. Fairfield
are Of so grave character that he must
make them good by positive proof il he
ever expects the confidence and respect
OF his old friend here or elsewhere.
The time has gone by for loose state
ments upon the Beechsr case. DIR.
Fairfield says he knows the facts OF the
case, and that he is just as certain of
their truth as he is Of the facts upon
which he bases his hopes OF eternal
salvation. This being so, he ovesit to
every principle OF honor and Christian
duty to present them before the tribu-
nal now prepared to receive and decide
upon them. The great council of chur-
ches which has provided this tribunal
demands this. Plymoth Church de-
mands it. The whole Christian world
demands it. DIR. Fairfield declares
that he knows the damaging facts
against Mr.. Beecher Of his own knowl-
edge. To use his own languag, he says:
| "It is not with me n hereinafter OF opin-
| ion, or belief, but of absolute knowi-
edge" ii this be so. why in the name
of all that is good, or just, or true, has
DIR. Fairfield kept those facts within
himself2 Why did he not bring them
before the Investigating Committee of
Plymouth Church, which was seeking af-
ter the truth as miner for gold? Why
did ho not appear in the great trial
which for six months was in progress
in the courts of brooklyn? Why was
the great council Of churches permit
ted 10 meet in Brooklyn and stultify
itself before God, angels, and men?
Let there be no more trifling with
this matter. A surreptitious publica-
ton of these astounding charges in a
Mansfield newspaper is a mockery and
sin, unless il be followed by verifica-
tion in the face OF all mankind. Mr..
Beecher is either innocentIarRu'liy. IL
guilty, ,he.is the.worst criminal the world
has ever seen, aud the world should
cast him out as Lucifer was cast from
the battlement OF Heaven. Away with
this triiling. Attest the facts with the
proofs on else he anathema maranatha
from hencefortb and forever.
a severe Biow.
A Washington correspondent writes
n. II