Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-12-20


Concerning Three EminenilS Great Perils--
The Reduction of the army. Reconstruction
and Taxntien.
Il / Henry Ward Beecher's sermon at
Plymouth church, Brooklyn, Thanks.
giving Day, was in outline retro.
spect of American history from the
IIsingIe pointaof view of the periods of
national peril. These ! he placed IN.
three divisions tho period of col.
onial settle ment, the revolutionary
period, and the period of civil strife.
He referred TO. the early colonial
perils, the wars of independence.
fandTthe struggle with slavery, from
which we were delivered by the
tenacity@ of the soatheralIeade for,
believing in their course, they fought
fiercely, and in that fact lay our
safety The close of the war brought
three emineptlyi great peril-, name
ly, | be reduction Of th /, army, recon
strnction end taxaton. Referring
to the first be said 2 ]Never was
there an instance of disorder during
the existence of an army that had
dominated continent, aud was lied
by thousands of ambitious leaders.
Our first and our last presidents
were taken from the ranks of war.
Washington, though q man of war,
taught as the nature of 4 Peace, and
Gran It great applaasel who beyond
question was our abisss general, and
! who wrought our final deliverance
sat in the presidential chair, not
without weakness, for be was hum
an, but with as great respect for
civil rule as was manifested by any
president to this day. (Applause)
As time goes on we will forget
these things which have called down
fury upon the name of Grant, and
when they are gone his name and
just fame will remain towering high
in the air. (Great Applause.)
Of reconstruction he said:I never
expected the blacks to come to the
full understanding of liberty in less
than forty years. For saying so |
have been, ridicuIed by you and
damned by the republican papers
at large, but we will have time to
reconstruct such Judgment. (laughter)
And then speaking of the white men
of the South he said that, after so
much fire lof bitterness had been
aroused it was ertainiy necessary,
in the anomalous condition of affairs
that existed that au thority should
be made Respectfully power of mil7
itary, but were there ever so
many high-spirited promises held in
check by so few soldiers ? Where
has there been people of such high
spirit, who under similar eircumstan
ces, showed self government go
creditable ito human nature2 APP
lause. aEtsa
After briefly referring to the peril
of natio nal dishonesty and the de-
termination of the people that the
promises of the govern must be
kept, he took up the perlls of the
present hour The nation, he held,
should be above party, and though
he should love to see the old
rulers remain in power, yet be was
not going to cry if they did not a SEN,
,ment hailed with hearty laughter.
There was, he said, some danger
from suppressed reputation, W hlch,
like the measles, is more dangerous
then effiorescent Reputation. SAID
be, II hate the devil hiding under
the law worse than the devil riding
on the law. Tampering with the.
standard is bad thing. If all stand
ards were liable to be tempered with
what would become of us Woe be
those men, bull-beaded, without eyes
who are attempting to palm on the
integrity and sagacity of the nation
bubbles on the most difficult prob
lens oil finance but whatever else
Of ubsidiary collateral or auxiliary
beside gold, you don't change it be-
cause you can't make that equal to
it which is not. Every father and
every mother who is bringing up
children, every teacher, every young
man who loves his country, every
editor who is q true patriot, ought
to stand up against the infamy of
suppressed reputation in our land.
3 In conclusion, he gave all honor
to the men of France who to-day,
under great provocation, have pre-
served patience. The sword will
never give to France what she isl
earning by patience, and Mcmahon
will go down and Gambetta will 60 |
up. In all the perils the nation will
go right if it take no counsel of the
storm of the darkness, but relies on
the compass which is The Word. Let
,us have no such war cfies as "libe2fe, |
efolite, frdternite Z" Let our cry be
"Integrity, Intelligence, Patience"