, 1878-01-05
Beecher on the Hation.


In a sermon preached recent
ly,. Mr.. Beecher made u retro
spect of the nations history,
dwelling in particular upon the
periods through which it has
passed. He divided these into
three periods-the colonial, the
revolutionary and transition and
that of the late war and the
years following it. The dangers
Of the present days he made
light of, as it was now out of the
power Of any party Or cabal to
work more than a transient MIS-
chief, so deep are the founda-
tions of the Republic laid. He
denounced reputation, and de-
clared that a decision Of Con-
gress making silver equal to gold
as currency would be "cheating
by law" and would disgrace the
nation in the eyes Of the world.
Mr.. Beecher paid a tribute of
praise to the Southern people for
the manner IN which they have
accepted the results Of the war,
and thanked foreign born citi-
zens for helping to defeat the
reputation party.
The vital nerve, Mr.. Beecher
said, which runs through and
connects the whole history Of
the United States is the power
of intelligence and rectitude, of
patience and liberty-their pow
er to achieve every great end
needed for national prosperity.
Physical force had had less part
| in the results achieved in nation
al life with US than in any other
national life of such magnitude
and duration. The first period
of great national peril was the
colonial. Its three divisions
were tho settlement or immedi-
ate, the intermediate and the pc
riod Of transition from depend
encies Of the Crown to independ-
ent national life. The first set.
tiers fleeing from prosecutions in
Europe believed in the sacred
ness of humanity by reason of
its alliance with Christ and it's
immortality. They held to that
liberty which consists in obeying
the law. 1t was not that they
loved liberty-everybody did
that-but that they discerned
the royal fact that obedience to
Gods law is the highest liberty
to which mankind may ever
reach. Mr.. Beecher pointed to
the fact that the development of
the noble qualities of manhood
and those high principles which
made the future Republic posi-
ble were born and nurtured in
that dark and silent. period of
colonial history which, because
it throws up no auroral glow
against the heavens, is by many
thought to be Of little impor-
tance. He called to mind the
fact that in the New Testament
the life Of Mary after the annun-
citation retires from sight; but
in that obscurity was silently
following the Saviour of the
world.
The second period was that Of
transition. All republics before
had been shortlived on account
Of the weakness of their political
system or from the want of NOR
atty among their people
righteousness exalteh u ma
tiOn," and at the bottom Of every
enduring state must be universal
rectitude. New England in ear
ly days was the point in time
where the spirit OF Palestine and
that of Greece met. In New
England were Socrates and Mo-
ses, Isaiah and Plato. There
was in New England no art
Phidias and his brethren had
perished in the Red Sea of time.
but the profound moral senti-
ment which centered in the old
Hebrew pervaded Now England
and with it was united the keen
intellect and the speculating and
investigating spirit Of the old
Greeks. Jonathan Edwards
stood forth as the best type of
this extraordinary reunion in
the republic Of letters. After
the Declaration of Independence
there was moment Of perplex-
ity. The colonists were like a
man who had taken off his coat
and asked, "How shall 1 put it
on again?" In New England a
most intense spirit of patriotism
was developed. And if it was
said that the Virginians led in
the Revolution, Mr.. Beecher ad-