The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-13
BEEOHER's SENSATION.

piciously upon the sea OF public opinion than
Beecher's abolition Of hell" The weather
was fair, the time most opportuDe. We had
been without an issue, without a sensation
for two weeks-two long, dreary, tiresome
weeks. vanderbiits jniirmities, moral and
physical. were never very appetizipg; scan
dals are the last resource Of the sensational
ist--they are SO easy to coin; and we had
positively been without an election for
month-no two weeks.
Coming, then, as it did, IN the very nick OF
time, this sensation of Beccher became ut
once popular. The whole American world
turned It's attention from the things OF to-day
10 the possibilities of tho future The q'ies-
tion was one teservedly popular; 1t was a war
of the people, IA it We're on the preachers and
the poets. Every one felt as strong personal
interest In the question as tho schoolboy in
the rod In memory of which his fingers are
even vet tingling and his legs aching in an
ticipation of tomorrow. IT was something
new. too: we had enjoyed no religious sensa-
ton for some time, in fact. since beeeher 8
little Eizabethan episode. How much more
populnr. too. was religious than political
sensatlon.
Truth to say, political sensations had
been previously overdone by the papers
There are positively people who declare they
have had too much politics, and who-un-
worthy Americans as they are-propose TO
stay away from the ballot-box next election
10 avoid hearing anything more on the sub
iect.
Besides, we all cannot hold Offices; we all
cannot even vote, but we all can -. And
finally, whats noble leader did we have In
this sensational crusade -Beecher, whose very
morals are sensational.
Thus auspiciously launched, the grave and
serious question of hell or no hell became the
subject OF debate throughout the broad limits
of this land. There was no corner OF the
Union safe from It. Two weeks after Beecher
i had abolished hell from the pulpit OF Plym-
outh Church pew rent was falling otf-the
The question had reached the country papers
of Kapsas. and two weeks after these had in
teryiewed their local ministers on this ques-
ton, q venerable journal OF this city broke
out timidly and gave It's views on hell.
There we're two sides to it, and the ven
cradle journal feared to place itself in posi-
tion where it could not easily hedge until 1t
found the drift OF public opinion.
But, alas In the very heat of the discussion
the whole matter is cut short by the tickle,
eccentric mercurial little thermometer.
There landed in Norway just ono thousand
wears ago priest. who commenced preach
ing the Christian religion among the wild and
pagan warriors of that land. The time,
the place were propitious. The mythology OF
Scandinavia was singularly gloomy and un-
inviting. The melancholy Thor, the morose
Odin. were far from pleasant deities and
even Frija, the Scandinavian Venus, was 80
cold a flirt that she would have been kicked
out OF the Greek Olympus as prude King
Olaf adopted the new religion at once, and SO
did many of his warriors; but there was lot
of surly old vikings who proved obstinate
alike to threat and promise. Sea-dogs were
they. who had secured the sea from the Cate
rat to Biscay, and whose special victims had
been the Christians Of the coast of France.
All other means Of persuasion having failed,
che disciple of the Scandinavians at last turned
upon these obstinate pagans the terrors OF hell
fire
The sermon he delivered on this occasion
created far more excitement than did Beecher
late Examinations, and in a few days was the
talk of all Norway. 1t was rumored among the
warriors Of that country that, accordin te
this new religion there was place where ar
everlasting fire burned, where ice was impos'
sible, where snow never fell.
As 1t had so happened that year was, unfor'
tunately, phenomenally cold in Norway Sc
that when these facts became fully known
through the country, they threatened to com
pletely overturn Christianity and convert 1t
into fetichism, where the devil is the god
and the deity his slave; where hell and heaven
interchange places. Every Norseman wanted
at once to enjoy the promised warmth OF this
fire Of hell.
The crisis was a dangerous one until King
Olaf himself interfered and promised to ar
range matters The next sunday he MOUNTED
the pulpit, sword In hand, as he always
preached and spoke on the doctrine OF hell. bu
OF reconstructed hell Hepictured gloomy
icy waste, barren of trees, over which thu
cold north wind irresistibly tore; mighty
vreen icebergs came slowly tottering dowI
the glaciers, grooming as the monster blocks
of ice ground together; above was {
murky, cloudy sky, lit up by the feeble
RAYS of an arctic sun and Allied with falling
glow; and such cold such material, per
OeDElOl6 COlu WAS cNCiy WhChC oheho viz
breath fell like snow around, that ones
tongue Glove to the roof OF his mouth, ant
the very eyes, burnt by the freezing blast
half burst from their bleeding sockets
The sturdy Norsemen turned with trembling
from the terrors of the hell that Olaf pictured
for the hereto and pagan, and announced
willingness to be baptized at once.
Such is Norwegian tradition, 1000 years
old. 1t might have happened to-day. Wher
the late ice wave swept over the North there
was perceptible falling off in the Interest
felt In Beecher's sensation. An old woman
who had been unable to purchase coal in con
sequence of the combination of the coal com
panies, was heard to say that although she
was opposed to eternal fire, small amount
of 1t would not be altogether unwelcome this
cold spell And last Sunday, when the minis
ter at Galesburg, Illinois, who had devoted
his entire week to preparing learned ant