The New York herald., 1879-07-14
THE NAPOLEONIC DRAMA.
Mr.. Beecher on the 0bsequies
at Chiselhurst.
AN HISTORICAL LESSON.
EngIands Bloody Cross Abroad and Her
Christian Charity at Home.

read that portion of the HERALD special in which the
funeral and it's surrounding circumstances are de-
scribed with great feeling and in the midst of an
attention part of the large congregation that
almost solemn in its unusual silence. The SER
vices had somewhat of funereal character. Before
the sermon adaptation of the melody of the Rus
sian hymn was sung to the words
God the all terrible, thou who ordainest.
At the conclusion of the sermon the Spanish hymn
sung to slower tune than usual to the words OF
Far Ger hill and dell in the winds stealing.
List to the toliing bell mournfully peans
The sermon was founded on the following text
Isaiah XII, 9-"They shall not hurt destroy in all
my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, the waters cover the sea-
Already said Mr.. Beecher ages have rolled away and
men have begun to think that this is but poets
dream. The one conflict in this world has been the
spirit OF hurting and the spirit Of helping The
two things that have divided empires have been the
God of hate and the God OF love- and every morning
the promises hang like the golden clouds before the
sun. and every evening the goes down in
blush canopied with darkness. And SO ma
tions have come and passed, and nations have
again and perished, and revelations seem
to have brought forth nothing but blood and
for generations, while the seemed to have gone
upon ascending SCALE they have been precipitated
again. The light of civilization in Egypt was
quenched and has not been rekndled; and the glory
of the Oriental monarchies went into night as the
morning passes into evening. and the grandeur of
the Solomonic empire ceased. The Jew is still the
Wandering Jew and for the first time has taken
root. but not as Jew. but citizen of America.
GREAT THE AIR.
Is mankind like the vegetables OF the earth that
are sown in spring and cut down and known no
more? Where are the hopes that cheer great men in
dark times. that the earth should be filled with the
knowledge of the Lord? What is the prospect
to-day of this great battle in the air be-
tween hate and love. between the God of
organism and reconstruction, and the spirit of all
evil treadng under foot goodness, and every
where ruling and running? The spirit of love- how
does it compare to-day with that of any other age
Remembering that the kingdom of God is as a eaven
that is hidden. think that may venture to say
that there are unquestionably thousands of indica
hons that the great battle is turning out in
favor of benehcence that the spirit Of the age
works through sympathy, kindness. benevolence
and the love of God 1t is true that the spirit love
nowhere so absolute and so perfectly developed
IN the household In business relations selfshness
more or less modified is the law; also between ma
ton and nation the central principle is selishness
Individual selfshness clothes itself with kindness
to accomplish its own ends. If you rise higher
than the selfish business affairs Of men, or in other
words to the realm OF politics. sefshness is still
more the law of procedure and certainly law Of
love is not the law OF politics. If you go still higher
and look at national and international life would
Seem as If selfshness almost gored; it scornfully
repels all conceptions of sentmentaism-as 1t is
pleased to call the gospel of benevolence-as against
its interests. and for the reason as kind
ness would be abhored by diplomats, statesmen
and rulers almost the world over. Religion itselr
has largely joined hands with popular administra-
tion in an attempt to re-establsh right thinking,
worship of in sfice
understood religion itself has been found not in
frequently fighting on the side of sefshness and
against true benevolence While there is baseness
In politics and in nations lack OF amity in reli-
gous administration, there is change from winter
toward spring. and from spring toward summer,
although not enough change to plant seed still less
10 gather iruit yet long before the spring the
farmer can discern the change that is approaching
One event indicative OF this change has taken
place. Us it were but yesterday-one of those rare
dramas. 1t is like book. A single thing book is
but or thousand pages, comprising in itself oven
the history OF ages. AL may be the last link
of chain that runs back thousand years. The
n Snflai or the nope OF his mother the hope and am
young Napoleon, named-is of the most re-
markable events OF nay time Simple. compara-
of history. As / presume that many of you have
not read an account Of the services at his funeral
shall take occasion to description which
hnd in the NEW YORK HERALD this morning and
upon that shall base some remarks. Mr.. geecher
here read the HERALDs special despatch descriptive
OF the funeral
NAPoLEoNs AND THEIR DoINGs.
Who was Napoleon Ask all the nations along the
Rhine 1t was he whose footsteps trod down their
governments Ask Germany. Almost the very breath
OF life was beaten out of her valiant bodyi Ask
Spain! Ask Italyi Ask Austrial Ask RECONSTRUCTED
Europe! lie reigned almost without rival. The
uied prisoner the Island of st. Helena, having
been taken first prisoner to the Is and OF Eba.
Afterward the Empire of France went back to kipaly
hands. The exaltation OF this man one of those
remarkable events which, like the throwing up Of
islands III the ocean. indicated cosmc changes. His
nef and NIL LIT.
elevation had been wonderful and complete. Was
there ever probability sha when of his line
died. Albion would be the chief mourner. that
her bosom the funeral obsequies would be cole
brated? There was not hana III Great Britain that
seventy-fve years ago was not nerved to destroy
France and her government The wonderful exalta-
ton to the French throne aferward the so-called
successor was scarcely less marvellous. lie had
wandered up and down England, scarcely saved from
the disgraceiul death of vagabond. Out foreign
exile, out of prison lie rose TO become the second
Emperor of France. Ia his time it was that the
language of amity extended across the Channel.
anu Britain and France cordially shook hands with
grasp that has never yet been severed lie brought
from Spain brilliant scion ol noble family and
almost in spite OF the royal families of Europe put
her upon the most bri liant throne in Europe and
ruled for many years largely in the spirit of modern
times. man wiser than he had the reputation
OF Deing ana FAR more foolish than Others thought
he was, aud yet the event has shown how hollow
was the Empire and how feeble his genius. 1t
IL one OF the strange things in the history our
time that he was oyerthrown by that nation whom
the great Napoleon overthrow None of who
have not read deeply in history can understand how
utterly the frussian and German people were
thrashed AZ the straw IL thrashed upon the summer
thrasning hoor by the iron Hail of the Emperor.
30 extreme the suffering that 1t the heart
OF that most beautiful aud noble woman, the wife of
King william. the father OF the present Emperor.
She died, az it were, struggling with the sorrows
of her people. Her husband erected a tomb IN the
ground Berlin; | hardly mention il
without tears. Mr.. Beecher then. with broken voice.
described the tomb AS he saw IL years ago. l
think, he continued, that the wrongs that came
upon France were not too severe; the conquer
ors had the wrongs OF their Fatlerland to avenge
when they overthrew their oppressors. AnG IL any
man thinks that the terms severe that were
imposed upon France he should remember the tears
and sorrows Of the Empress Catharine and the hor-
rors OF suffering endured for than fifty
years that were behind the conquerors and
victors VINO inflicted these terms upon France.
The prisoner Napoleon III, aud, in
tue language OF scripture, it may be said
OF Eugene, that the mother took little child and
fed (as was said of tho mother of Jesusj and found
her home ia England. There, after the death of her