The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-09-19
H. W. BEECHER ON POLITICS.
The Plymouth Pastor n Grant Nun and
also an Evolutionist.

From an In;.rvics IN the Sac francisco Chronicle.
"You are interested in politics, Mr..
Beecher?"
81 am interested in everything that
concerns the welfare of the human race"
"And Grant man, I believer"
eyes, I am a Grant man-frst, mid
die and last. always have been q
Grant man. l have never swerved from
that faith. 1 think him to have the very
genius of common sense. When called
to power he made the mistakes natural
to man brought up in the army. He
undertook to manage the Government as
if it were an army. Later in our history
he will be looked back to as one of our
greatest men. We never had Presi-
dent who was not called scoundrel, and
criticised as imbecile, corrupt, incom-
peteut, foolish and everything else, but,
as soon as they went out of Office the
clamor all died out. Fifty years later
they loomed up on the horizon as great
men, and people began to make pilgrim.
ages to their tombs. l think it will be
the same way with Grant. 1 think he
will yet be shown to be one of the wisest
and on the whole most sensible Presi-
dents we have ever had"
"What do you think of President
Hayes and his policy"
"Mr. Hayes seems to me to be a most
excellent gentleman-a man with the
very best intentions, with great deal Of
quiet persistence, but without that big
power of brain by which he can make
his will coerce the will of other men. /
think that in time of comparative
peace, when there we're questions of only
ordinary Importance to be settled, he
would make model President. He is
not for time like this, when there are
eddies, and conflicts, and tides; when it
is necessary for man, by force of dispo-
sition, to make other men do right"
"Do you believe in the methods which
some of his party have used to thwart or
oppose his plans?"
"Mr. Conkling and his friends seem
to me to be harsh in the course they are
pursuing. J. have not liked their temper,
although I am q Republican. AS for
Mr.. Conkling, I have always held him
personally in high esteem"
"Do you hope for speedy return of
good feeling in the South?"
81 think the Government has done all
that it can do at the South. Some peo-
pie think that the feeling in the public
mind in that locality can be allayed by
outside influence. / do not think so.
When the present generation dies out
aud another comes [ think the South
will experience an era of prosperity
which we Of the North can hardly re-
alize."
Mr.. Beecher went on to say:
"I have a strong leaning to the OAR
winian theory, though l am not tech
nical Darwinian. l think that evolution
is the theory of nature. i think that all
men in the church who are we'll inform
ed agree in this, sharing the opinion
with such eminent scholars as DR.. Nc
Gosh, of Princeton College, in whom the
church has confidence"
"Taking Agassizs view, perhaps?"
eyes; or Cope's or Wallace's. AS to
the general facts there can be no manner
of doubt among thoughtful and religious
men who have reached forty years of
age. The theory is going to revolution
ize theology"
"What will be its effect on religion ?"
II don't think, in the long run, reli-
gion will be injured. On the contrary,
it will be helped; that is, man viewed
from the moral side will be better when
all these scientific truths shall be surely
known. Theology / deem to be an at
tempt to account for all the moral facts
of the universe. The method Of account
ing for these facts which we call Calvin
istic seems to be less and less appli-
cable"
"Will not what is called orthodox re-
ligion suffer by these onslaughts Of
science ?"
Mr.. Beecher paused, looked little
doubtful and tnen said:
81 think not. My impression is that
the New Testament contains more scien-
tiGc truth than We give it credit for.
Were Paul alive now I think he would
shine as an evolutionist."