The Portland daily press., 1882-06-12
Tr a
The Story of q Country Minister, Told by
His Wife.
[Corr. Bosto Herald.l

[Corr. Bosto Herald.l
Mrs. Henry Ward Be- echer can preach as
valuable and instructive sermon as her hus-
band can. But to begin at the beginning;
went to Plymouth Church on Sunday morn
ing and heard sermon on "The Illustrations
of Children" Before beginning, Mr.. Beecher
asked that collection might be taken up ''for
his hearts sake, to help build up a church at
Lawrenceburg, Indiana. "That is where ! be-
gan to preach, he said. 81 went there when
I was first married, when was % or A-23?''
He looked down at one of the front pews in
quiringly and added, 1913, my wife says" at
which there was laughter. 81 preached in o
schoolroom for two years, and they have been
preaching in that same room ever since. /
swept out the room Saturday nights, filled the
lamps and fitted the place for its use on the
Sabbath. 1t was in poor and struggling
community. had $500 year salary, and
how we ever lived on $500 my wife can tell
you better than can" Then he told story
or two about the little Dand at Lawrenceburg,
and the boxes Were passed around, bringing
back $400
Yesterday dropped in to see Mr.. Bsecher at
the house of his eldest son, Col. Harry Beech
or, where he and his wife now live. The colon
ell and his family were away, and Mr.. Beecher
had gone up the Hudson to Peekskill for the
day, his first spring venture up to the farm
which, after all the trials of the last ten years,
he still retains. The handsome three-story
brownstone house, 124 Columbia heights, pre-
sented to Mr.. Beecher by Plymouth Church 20
years ago, has gone down in the maelstrom Of
litigation and he and his wife are now driven
to take refuge with Harry, in much less de-
sirable location. Indeed, believe the Peek
skill farm is mortgaged, and Mr.. Bescher has
just gone on bonds amounting to 100000 in
behalf OF South American steamship compa
ny that is very likely to come to grief. He does
foolish things.
AT "Harry's" found Mrs. Henry Ward
Beecher, and it was not difficult to beguile her
into talking about Indiana and the early strug-
giles in Lawrenceburg and Indianapolis.
"Here we are, in two rooms" she said, smil-
ing; and added, without displaying any bitter
ness, 1--WE lost our lovely home during the trial,
and good deal of money beside; not less than
$4,000 it took to'pay for being troubled SO
much. But don't care 80 much now, for Mr..
Beecher has come out of it more honored than
ever before, and his slanderers are unheard of.
Is it not SOP"
1 assented that it was so more or less and
ltsaid, "I could have told them dozens of
nings that they could find more plausible
charges on. Not in his relations to women,
though; in that he was always above reproach
or suspicion. He has had enough adulation,
almost alteration, from women to turn any
mans head; has had foolish and imprudent
letters, but he has always come and flung them
down into my lap. eis inherently and essen
TALLY
MODEST MAN.
He has never had sufficient confidence in him
self He always faces an audience with hest
tation. Sometimes when I want to 90 and
hear him lecture he says, quite seriously,
'tDon't go, Eu nice; I'm going to make mud
die of it, | used TO let that influence me to
stay at home; but lately find that he is just
as likely to do well when he thinks he isn't.
1t is something Of a trial to him to go into So
cety-to little party, for instance, at the
houses of our neighbors. His face will blush
when we 60 into a room, as if he were per-
feet novice.
1t was twoor three months after Mr.. Beech
er began to preach there. He had $500 year
mot quite Sc week. We thought we could
risk it on that, and he came for me up to Wor-
cester county, Mass. We boarded for few
L
and one man; and about the first thing Henry
did-it sounds funny now-was to turn that
one man out of the church for unworthiness.
Then there were "a women-mostly working
women, school teachers, sewing girls, etc., and
Miss Sawyer oficiated as sort of deacon,
though when we had communion Henry usu-
ally borrowed real deacon from another town.
L remember how bashful was when I went
into that little circle as "the minister's wife,
The first Sunday Miss Sawyer met us on the
40
Beecher said to her, Miss Sawyer, / am glad
to introduce you TO Mrs. Beecher.' was
hustered, and / said, How do you do, Mrs.
Beecher?' Mr.. Beecher laughed at me and
has leased me ever since about it. The other
day they sent us a photograph of the church
1t is almost exactly as it was then, excepting
that they seem to have built parsonage. /
said to Mr.. Beecher, Those steps look natural.
That step is where you introduced me to Mrs.
Beecher, and that step is where tore my new
delaine dress"
you must have had to economist on $500
year, Mrs. Beecher."
eyes, most people nowadays would call it
economizing somewhat" she said with smile.
"One day was told that we must leave our
boarding house. They needed the room for
member of the family who was coming home
There was no other place in town where we
could board within our income. Henry was
down at Cincinnati, attending the synod.
What to do I didn't know. I thought that if
we could get four rooms we could go to house,
parlor, bedroom, study and kitchen.
/ ran all over town, but could find no such
rooms that we could afford. Then L concluded
that three arooms would have to answer
study in the bedroom. But my search for
those rooms was equally failure-too high.
We
COULDN'T AFFORD LUxURIEs.
So / aga lti over carefully, and con-
cluded that two rooms would do-sleep in the
parlor. / discovered two small rooms over
stable. The horses had been moved out, and
the building leaned up against store next
door. They were the dirtiest rooms ever