The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-02-09


THERMOMETER YESTERDAY: A. NJ, 80;
8 A. NJ; So; noon, 60; 8 P. NJ, G2; P.
NJ, SO; midnight, 81.
1.-THE Wastes and Burdens of Society,"
Henry Ward Beecher lectured to IN i'm
mense crowd in Chicago last week. Here
is a report Of few OF his utterances:
The orator next took up the misadiust-
ment OF human forces.
1t was rare to find men working at their
best. II he harncssed q greyhound to
plough, he'd kill the dog in bali an hour.
II he attempted to run an OK against Dex-
ter, he'd kill the OK in half an hour, too.
Yet society was full Of greyhounds who
tried to plough, and Of oxen who aspired
to rnn. The world was puzzled by the
mystery OF upper thought, and yet no mys-
terry was greater to man than he was to HIM
self. For five thousand years he had been
trying to find out what he was, and had not
yet succeeded. [Laughter.] 1t was like
putting child on locomotive and COM
pelling him to run it safely for one hundred
miles, under threat OF penalty. Yet man
was Il most delicate piece of machinery,
as hard to be run as q locomotive in the
hands OF child, unless he is instructed
about his own mysteries when he starts on
the road of life.
Until within comparatively few years the
circulation OF the blood was unknown, and
in his own youth he remembered that some
men doubted whether the brain thought
in some cases most just suspicion. Laugh
teri
MIR. Beecher then gave a most amusing
sketch Of parents, having five boys and two
girls, talking over
WHAT OUGHT TO BE DONE FOR THEM.
The girls, of course, had no living to
make. Their duty was to get married.
[Laughter.]
Saws the father: ssJamcs is very truth
full and honest boy-let us make lawyer OF
him." GLnughter.] They do, and he ut
terly fails in his profession. [Great laugh
teri He might have made an admirable
mechanic, but he was no lawyer.
And the mother says: s'Our dear Henry
is not very bright, but he is so good-let us
make parson Of him." [Laughter.l They
do-to the great regret Of his parish through
out his life. [Roars OF laughter.] And so
on through the whole list. Parents chose
for their sons the very professions to which
they were most unsuited.
In his experience with churchmen he had
found them honest, truthful, and yirtuous;
but to be an efficient minister it was neccs-
sary to be good preacher. Many men no"
occupying pulpits are we'll fitted to be pro-
fessors OF teachers, but are utterly UNFIT TO
preach the gospel-they are
DULL PREACHERS.
The next waste to which he would alludc
was one which his audience would not un-
derstand-the waste that came to society by
lying. Judged from the standpoint OF po-
litical economy lying is a tremendous evil.
The lies that do the least harm are the mon
strous big fellows. Laughter. 1t is the
little atmospheric lies, that fill the air like
enats, or particles Of ice, that make the
trouble. This is atmospheric insincerity.
Tt is hard to deal squarely with men, be-
cause they are more or less lnsincere, and
are educated SO to be. He ascribed most OF
this laxity in public sentiment to political
campaigning, when partisans lied, editors
lied, and even politicians lied. He had no
faith in oaths. He abhorred them. No ofti-
Ger was the better for taking what is called
the oath of office. Oaths Of that kind in
duced perjury. So it was in custom-house
and other formal oatlis. ~
The courts Of justice, too, bred 4.
INFINITE LYING.
Witnesses were sworn to tell "the truth.
the whole TRUTH &C., and when the man
began to tell the truth he was blockaded by
n LAWYER, who said, "Stop, sir; we want
none of that" lie proceeds again, and is
stoned by the other lawyer, and so is per-
secuted until he contradicts himself out OF
very confusion, and leaves the stand In deep
doubt as to whether he lis knave OF fool,
or combination OF the two. [Laughter.]
And vet he went on the witness-stand re-
solved to tell the truth. Laughter
soMUcH FOR oATHs.
Judge in Pennsylvania man OF emf
nence-told him that IL they were to prose-
cute all the cases Of palpable perjury that
came before them they'd have to suspend
all other business.
| According to the practice now common
in courts of law il n witness answers :" yes.
| to question he lies. II he answers ono :"
he lies-he lies any way. [Laughter.] Ii a
man will not tell the truth without an oath
| he won't with it.
The concluding portion of Mr.. Beecher's
Grafton was devoted to sects, which he ac-
cused OF wrangling and jealousy, to the de-
| struetion of good-feeling and Christianity.
Twenty-Five years ago he (Beeeher) had pre-
/ dicted s .iai 80 $500
. THE ERA, OF UNIVERSAL PEACE,
and since six of the bloodiest; wars that had
4 ever UeSOilISu+ uidtlhlIA hou af0S0A "ae,Se'
/ Never was mankind so eagernfor blood in
all the history of the world. Within few
4 wears Europe had become camp, and this
4 would last until some day the down-trodden
4 masses would arise and overthrow their op-
pressors, and then his Lips would not utter
the prayer, "God, saye; the throne, but
I,would rather say, 6 God,. save the people, 2
i Y He advocated freedom OF speech In the
i Church ms in the Commonwealth predicted
the peopling OF the valley OF the. Amazon
land OF Africa, which would besbrought TO
i Christianity, and then the world would be
developed according to the divine thought.
But to-day. he abhorred the abominable
i can't which prated OF the rapid progress oi
i Christianity and ciViliz ion, hen the world
was in arms. and anisnalisIa OF brute force,
4 swayed the destinies Of mankind.
Great ppiause. amid which Mr. eehei
=!retired.l