The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-04-18
d. = y a Z - IA
Beecher on His Native Heath.

Brooklyn Correspondence Of the Cincinnati CONNER
The visitor approaching Plymouth
church encounters a throng at the
church door. A good-natured scuffle
is going on for the first chances as soon
as visitors are admitted, for they are
not let in until the church members
are seated, ten minutes before the SER
vice is to begin. The church is plain.
Inside everything is boisterous. The
aisle seats are banged down with a
crash. Everybody is talking with his
neighbor. The voice of the excited
usher is heard crying, ssHere here!
| really you must not sit there" 'sYou
must keep back s'Don't crowd So"
AS some rural visitor ST cps past them,
one races down the aisle after him,
collars and leads him back. In the
galleries a score of men are reading
newspapers. Old John Zundel is max
ing a great show of himself in pulling
out and pushing in organ stops, and
occasionally trying cord or two. AS
soon as the strangers are let in there is
a great scrambling for seats, and more
confusion. Things have just begun to
settle down a little when Mr.. Beecher
stamps in through the side door, and
up on the platform, his face all aglOw
from his brisk walk.
lie SHES his big road-brimemd
black felt under chair, filings off his
big cloak and slaps it over one end of
| the little tete, rubs his hands briskly
together, feels of his necktie to as
certain whether it is straight, shakes
out his long locks, mods to the report
ers who are arranged in a semicircle
around the pulpit, twists his head
around to see whether Brother Camp,
who lead the singing, is in his place,
picks up hymn-boOk, and, sitting
down in the nearest chair, looks over
the great audience to see who is there.
ed toward him. Leader Camp nudges
John Zunde], and the big organ starts
off with crash. There is a
buzz OF expectancy as Mr..
Beecher rises to offer the opening
prayer ,and. before he is through with it
half the congregation is likely to be in
tears. Mr.. Beecher breaches very
much as he lectures, or delivers polit-
ical speeches, or addresses agricultur-
al societies. If he can improve a
thought by an outlandish gesture, or
q bit of acting, he does not hesitate to
do so. He particularly detests stingy
men, and initiates nearly every Sun
day to the immense amusement of the
spectators. He initiates the spend
thrift by walking to and fro on the
platform and scattering imaginary
handsful of coin from his pockets. He
climbs ladders of fame with his hands
and feet, commits suicide with razors,
struts about like fop, waves battle
flags from the ramparts of stormed
fortresses, and very forcibly shuts the
gates Of heaven against sinners. He
gets very red in the face before he
has talked ten minutes, and is in a
dripping perspiration when he closes
his discourse. His speech is not so
smooth, his sentences not finished
with such gracefully rounded orator..
cal curves as are DR.. Storrs'. In fact
Mr.. Beecher often gets stuck for a
word-to use a homely sterm-and
shutters and stammers like forgetful
school-boy. But this is invariably
merely the clogging up of flow of
eloquence, for it comes on with four.
fold power and beauty as soon as the
obstruction is removed. Some folks
say he does it purposely to make what
follows more impressive.
Neither litter nor rustic is ever
heard in DR.. Storrs' church: the very
air is heavy with solemnity- Mr..
Beecher's audiences often laugh out
right at his oddities, and applaud him
with foot and hand, and shouts of
''good," and that rustling that marks
exciting passages in the play, or bursts
of eloquence in the orators audience,
runs through the Plymouth congre.
gatien when Mr.. Beecher rouses him.
self to special effort. The sermon end
ed Mr.. Beecher reads an old-fashioned
hymn that everybody knows, and
everybody sings it at the top Of his
voice. If the singing lags Mr.. Beecher
turns about to Leader Camp, and with
gesture that cannot be mistaken,
stops it short. Then he tells the con-
gregation that they are numbering one
Of the dearest old tunes ever sung, and
orders them to sing it faster, or with
more power. The hymn is consequent
ly started again. If the singing is un-
usually good the pastor settles back in
his chair and with closed eyes seems
to drink in all it's beauties and grand
eur. "Sing it again-sing that last
verse again." he cried, few Sundays
ago; ''there's more gospel for Christ
ians and more saving grace for sinners
in those old lines than in all the SER
mons ever delivered. Sing it once
more, please, and then We'll 60 home;'
and the final stanza was pealed forth