The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-08-16
Bcccher and Bread and Water.
From the New York Sun

From the New York Sun
Since the exposure of Beechcr's
moral depravity, he has felt the need
of doing all sorts o! things to please
the public and to make them forget the
darkness OF his record. He Is in good
spirits, and fat and hearty, for through
his chlonlcry and audacity he has
beaten back his accusers, kept his
place as "A minister, hunhugged "
frightened large proportion Of the
Congrega,iOnaliss, and made himself
such curiosity that by going about
the country and exhibiting himself he
can make large income.
But shrcwd US have been many Of
his moves TO gain popularity, It is all
the time manifest that Lc is uneasy
about his position, and is trying to
strengthen it wherever he can, Not
long ago he made heavy bid for the
good will Of the Jews, and now he has
sought to please capital, the rich men
who paid the eighty thousand dollars
for the costs of his trial. and at the
same time to appear as a great chlval~
ric soul, ever ready to champion the
rights of suffering humanity and to up
hold the dignity of the laborer. The
first task Nc undertook two Sundays
ago, aud the second, last Sunday. In
neither effort was he successful, and
the flippancy with which he spoke OF
the w0rkingmen' wants has made the
name Of Bccchcr even more odious to
them than his free love practices had
rendered it. lie was preaching on the
great question Of the relations between
labor and capital. at q time when the
whole country was shaken with a 81
gantic conflict between those two great
forces OF society, The power of the
combinations of laborers was manifest
ed in the stoppage of u large share OF
the railroad traffic OF the country
tens of thousands OF strikers were de-
manding more wages, asserting that
they could not live on their pay; and
throughout the Union poverty was
prevailing to an alarming extent And
vet at such time this fat and sensual
preacher could excite q smile in his
congregation by smartly saying that q
man could live on bread and water.
and that q dollar day would buy
those. He has Since qualified that
funny remark by saying that lie meant
that q man who had Il dollar day
ought to be content to live on it until
he could do letter
But it makes very little difference
what Beccher said or did not say. lie
was making his regular Sunday dis
play, and doing his best to tickle the
ears Of his hearers. His words could
not have, with any serious mind, in
formed as to his character, that sacred
ness Of association which usually
strengthens the impression of language
spoken in the Christian pulpit. He
has so dcG!ed that pulpit that whatever
solemniLy may have once attached to
it is now all gone, and the platform on
which BecCher stamps and altltudlnIzcs
is no more than stage for the cXhbi-
ton of clever actor, whose present
notoricty is chiefly due to his licentious
conduct. Such man cannot speak in
the name of Christianity without
shocking, instead of solcmnly impress,
ing. all those who remember how he
seduccd the wife of a parishioner, how
he swore in the Brooklyn Court, and
how he basely betrayed his friends,
Let the workingmcn pay no regard
to the words of Henry Ward Beecner.
lie has so far lapsed into dcpravity
that his whole life is lie, and nothing
that is honest or genuine can come out
of him. He is all the time playing a
part, and whoever fails to appreciate
that fact makes great mistake, and
gives the man a sort of attention he
does not deserve. We care nothing
for what Becchcr has to say about the
religious obligations of the laboring
man, since he has himself violated all
religious, social, and manly oblga-
IlVus, nto pioFC' hihNCi' ~ SO"oiu,
and has shown that he is fraud and
hypocrite. What honest man goes to
such person for religious advice? A
minister who had got into disgrace
full scrape with woman, and wished to
lie and check himself out of it, might.
however, prottahly consult Beecher.
Not a few licentious preachers have,
we dare say, already studied his case
to their advantage.
Brccher thinks the laboring man
should be content with bread and wa
ter, if he can get no more. Undoubted,
ly Becchcr himself would think that
scanty fare, for few men are fonder of
the fat things of life than he: 5ut we
believe that if he had his deserts, he
would to day be confined to the diet
which is furnished by the State at Sing
Sing If he had met with justice,
he would have known prac-
.icalIy how it is himself