American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-05-17

CRU-,h delivered = lecture III Exp
sition Hail, Memphis, on Tuas'iay
night last to 1000 persons. lie was
intro.lnced to the audience by Col
j. Nj. Heating; and began his lec-
ture on 'gThe Reign of the Common
People,
1t was Il characteristic discourse
Oh American life, american policies
and American Government of the
people by the people from the bot
tom up, from lowest To the highest,
His subject was replete with inv
forming intelligence, which he pre-
scented in his own peculiar way,
sometimes solemn in Its pathos, at
other times tickling his bearers to
laughter by genial humor and
trenchant art.
The government of the people by
the people grew out of the univer
sal desire for education, the want of
which has come at last to be felt by
the under classes of all nations, and
the necessity of which even Kings
recognize, since they find an intelli>
gent people more easily to govern.
The co mon people have the power
to hurl Kings from their thrones
aud mobiles from their privileges,
but they have not all. learned how
to use il. 1t is not that Il man is
swift of foot or strong of arm he
must have. brain u people must
have brain power, but SO long as
they are content to remain ignorant
just $50 long will they he ruled,
SO long will they remain under.
He said that there nevera was Sc
many soldiers afOOt in Europe as
there are to-day never was there SO
much capital invested. and never II
time when inventive genius was SO
much engaged as now in destruc-
tive agencies of warfare, and yet
with all this education for the army
is the policy of Europe to-day. Show
him the literacy or the illiteracy of
a people and he could tell you the
tax rate. Educated people are the
most valuable and productive of
values
We cannot follow the thread evkh
OF Mr. Beechcr's discourse, but it
went to show how the mighty forces
of the human mind, working Them
selves out III the great problem of
self-goveTnment in America, had
developed and elevated mankind as
seen in the common people, better>
ing them in every way, surrounds
ing them with better conditions and
giving grander promise for the
great future than had ever been
dreamed of by poets or formed in
the speculation of statesmen and
philosophers.
He spoke of the wonderful slim
ulating effect of America the eli
mate, the air-every thing in it is
The great blue bowl
overhead is filed with stimulation
fiuer than the wine of the Rhine,
and hence it is that the seafarer
cant drink in America. He drinks
in Liverpool, aud goes dry in New
York. Our business burns. We
give too many hours to it, and too
few to recreation and amusement.
Then the everlasting elections Ev-
cry four years we are in a bon>fire
blaze. and we have the concurrent
testimony of the newspapers that
the salvation OF the country depends
ON the election of-bOth the candi.
dates before the people! Still it is
better this OVERRIDING than no doing
ut all (, better for people or race
to do a thing poorly than leave il
to be done for them by few. And
this brought him to a general dis
cussiOn OF our Heterogeneous popu-
latiOn, and the composite character
ofoar people and their methods and
ways OF choosing representatives III
the various spheres of self-govern-
ment, which might be the best, or
as good as it might, but with all it's
the best Oh the face
of the earth for the man and all
about him, no matter what bis nat
ural endowmeuts or his condition.
He spoke of the indifference of the
we'll conditioned to taking a hand
in the work of self, government.
You hear twice from the bottom for
once you hear from the top. The
under classes feel the power and
the import of taking a hand; they
love it, but when the people become
wealthy and respectable, there is a
plethora of pleasure. and it is a
lore TO them TO vote. The absentees
at the polls are the rich and com
Portable. But with all the fondness
OF the common people TO reign, it
was eOuiical to observe how they
choose men for place. One fellow
was good fellow, told a good story
when there were 40 ladies present,
SO he mast lie sent to the Legisla-
ture. Another was Sent because he
came of IL respectable family, and SO
ON. There was little consideration
as to whether the man had brains.
political sagacity or
honesty "It you don't believe it,
just 60 once to IA Legislature and
look at the assembly; look at t4e
laws they make, laws which cln't he
enforced, and which amount to no
good if they are enforced"
Mr.. Beecher spoke of the working
men and the perversiou of a late ut
terance of his that called for come
notice here since he learned they
we1e holding II bread and water
meetiag OH hss account even while