Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-05-14
Mr.. Beecher's Remarks in ReIa
ton to his Sister Cathariue.

AT the Plymouth Church PRAYER meeting Fri
dav evening, Mr. Beecher said | have had an
invitation from the authorities of the town of
Franklin, little place about thirty miles from
Boston, to attend a centennial celebration there
on the 18th of June. The reason why | have
been invited was this. that the town was the birth.
place Of Professor Fisher of I ale, who at one
time was engaged to be married To nv sister
Miss Catherine Beecher. To-day have received
a telegram-or, rather, my brother Edward has
from our brother, Thomas Beeche', saving that
my sister, Cath aripe Beecher has been seized
with an apoplectic stroke. Bv this time sun
poose she is dead and aud her earthly troubles
are over Nv earliest recollections of her are in
connection with Prof. Fisher, about the wear
1922. | was then round faced hoy. aud recol
lect that the Professor used to visit at our
honse and | can recall his fgure-tall slender
with a very thin, pale lace, not severe in express
sion but inteusc-and remember very well when
the intlmation made to me what he came
there for. but all this is nebulOus, and rcmen
her with great deal more of distinctne.s when
the news came of his death. | remember the
sorrow of 10Y sister, her utter pt0stration and
hopeless despair. 1t was an after breaking nm Of
her whole religious iai IA. She found that her
religions views did not sustain her and She went
into rebellion against them, and have seen her
20 into my fathers study and talk to him of her
utter loss of religious faith. She was the eldest
of the whole eleven chill iten of our ttmllv There
wera two who died in infancy, making thirteen
10 all, aud of the eleven, one, my brother George
was Killed by the accidental discharge of a Gun .
but the others were all living until to dav She
the first to come into life, and is now Is years
old, and she the iIst to 20 by natural death
The family has begun 10 crumble. She found no
relief in her great grief and distress from the or
| binary consultations of religion, and she made up
her mind that As life was done for her before il
| had been begun, she determined to do th,-to
| give the whole Of her life toi the heneft of others
| think no person ever did with more entire con
secraOn use every energy Of her life for the ben.
eft of others. She first established seminary
| for women IN Hartford, which became very emf.
nent. Then she wrote and published an slith-
| metic, and also wrote and printed, but did moi
| publish, work on mental philosophy. She con.
| tinued teaching until her health was vetv much
| broken down, and when my father went to Gin
| cnnati, she founded a seminary for women there
After this 'he organized plan for supplying the
| great West with female teachers, which was ex.
! tremey successful although they did not teach q
great while. most Of them getting married after q
| year or 20 of teaching; but this instrumental
| in establishing great normal female seminaries ID
| the different Northwestern states.
During all this time her pen was not idle ar d
she had written some fifteen Or twenty works, all
on the subject of femls education. In her later
wears she was a communicate of the Protestant
Episcopal church. Although motheilcss she wa,
the mother of more children than auy other wo-
man of her time, and there are hundreds of wo-
men in al parts Of the county that gratefn IL re
member her as their teacher and guide. For my
self, | rel ice thst she has gone. and that her
dea, b h been so sudden. She has been spared
the pain Of long and lingering illness. give
TO God great thanks for her life OF usefulness and
for her departure"
DR. Edward Beecaer then read the telegram
received as follows:
Catherine is dying. Apoplectc. May not last
the hour. Have the other brothers and sister.
any instructions TO give me as TO her funeral