National Republican., 1881-07-08
THE GREAT CRIME,
What the Rev. Henry ward Reecher says
About N.


In his sermon at Plymouth Church,
Brooklyn, on Sunday, Henry Ward Bcecher spoke
ortho great crime at Washington as follows "The
FIRST effect Of such nm astounding event as thsis
apt to be confusion and fear But there is nothing
70 fear except the evils incident to prosperous
times, Such Is the nature Of free, intelligent gov.
ornmcnt by an educated common people that the
strength Of the Government is NOT in itself at all,
No ofhciol taken away shakes the fabric. There
have been times when the ends Of the earth seemed
TO rest on single men. Such vas Moses TO Israel,
Washington TO u.s. Cromwell 10 England Cavour TO
Italy, Bismarck 10 Germany, Thicrs and GGmbotta
to France Were they taken, II would seem II the
buttrcsses were gone and the bridge must 90 too.
These arc extreme cases In our History, when, the
war not done, Our proudcst leader our distin.
gui,hcd and noble head now our reveTcd martyr
-Liucon-was taken, It seemed as If all was at
an end. But nothing suffered. We have not
planted power IN any department of government.
The power is IN ;hc people themselves, ard they
lend u. /! the band using She power falls the
power is lcft. The Nation stands four square, as
the pyramids stand, but not dcsolatc and not on
the bare sand, But around 1t are a. many men
as grains Of sand around the Egyptian pyramids
Taking the head would not change one great in.
tercst There would be no less ships TO sail or
building in the stocks warehouses would be
no fewer; wheels in factories would be no
less; the hand would work at the un-
vii the same and the plough would scour
In the soil Business would flow on with no
check no school, academy, or college would be
put on. no church would be closed. The Nation
is broad various, strong, and immovable. Until
1t rots at the sls by Its own nddellty and corrup.
tion Il will stand as unmoved as the mountains.
We are spared anxiety from national peril Other
hands would take the rcns of government II death
should relax the hands now holding. Every Dc.
partment would go on the same, and all interests
4 l.
Nation In this. II we review the days of passion
and partisan conflict as we now stand by the side
of the sufferer we may learn much We are likely
In the heat OF politics to destroy all reverence for
the Chief Magistrate. No man seeks position
without losing reputation and he is fortunate
If character is not lost also, In this moment Of
sorrow we may see the evil of cxaggeration and
the injury and wrong of excess. Our fathers God
Is ours On such an occasion It seems proper TO
recognize Gods great mercy. Our feelings are
different than at the time of Lincolns assassn0.
ton Then we were in the dark and troubled
period of the war. storm was In the sky and
tromor in the earth. There was Just occasion for
apprehension and fear But It passed; our grief
did not, but our fear did There is no fear day.
Twice In so few years has God pluckcd down the
head Of the Government In widely different con.
ditons Then, In the war time, the sky was over.
cloudcd now there Is no scud Of cloud I'M the
sky. The Nation Is secure and happy in content
and peace. This Is the echo Of the stroke which
took the crowned head in Russia. In that anoma-
lous people, spread abroad OF mixed races, IN an
inchOate condition, the stroke of death was pre-.
cipitatcd on the Car. It was spurt of lightning
out Of the Russian storm. cloud, erlahle to send
forth the lanccs of death. But here we were shut
in from violence, with no stroke within or storm
without. 1t was wandering and wantou shot
that strr tx. 1t came from no palace, no army, no
sublerrancan depths, but from a lunatic asylum
came that arrow Of death. In our afliction let our
prayers ascend to the God Of our fathers not for
get US"