The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1883-12-20
miscellaneous. q
ARP ON BEECHER.

Mr.. Beecher is q smart man.
Mr.. Bceher is q thinker, but he
dosn't know everything and is can
did enough to confess it. He told
the Constitutions reporter that he
didn't know as much about the
negroes as we do, and he don't.
When a northern man who has
been raised and fed on the horrors
OF slavery comes down south it
takes him about year to get his
eyes open, and when he does get
them open he is the poorest friend
the negro has got. The southern
man who grew up with the negroes
understands them. He knows their
good fruits and their bad ones.
their instincts and superstitions and
emotions and he is an oracle; he
has been chinging principles and
theology all his life. He fell from
grace and rose again, He is smart,
but he is after all just human and
there are thousands of men just as
smart who make no noise in the
world. / would rather trust Mr..
Lelands mind and his philosophy
to-day on most any subject than
Mr.. Beecher's. He is better bal
5aneed and more sincere and less
ambitions for fame. Mr.. Beecher
denounces the confession of faith
and the old theology as founded on
hate and fanaticisms and says it
was hellborn and that now we have
a religion of love. 1t has taken
him a long time to find ont that
our Heavenly Father was God Of
of love, and that Jesus Christ made
love the very soul and spirit of His
teachings. Hate and fanaticism!
How long has it been since the
reverend gentleman was willing to
see the southern people butchered,
their towns and cities burned and
their land made desolate and for
what was it-hate towards us or
love for the union and the negro.
wonder if he nc ;er considers how
much he contributed to this war of
hate and death and arson and rape
and robbery and desolation. 1t is
time the preacher was discovering
that true religion. is love; but it is
late--yery late for him.
don't think there is any more
love in the world than there used to
be, but there is good deal more
fear--fear of the law-fear Of one
another, and hence there is more
consideration: more tolerance Of
opinion. Fear keeps the world
at peace more than love, and fear
keeps the peace between me and
my neighbor. 1t is to our mutual in-
terests to live in peace and have re.
spect for each others rights. There
is some love and good will, but it
don't 90 far-and very far outside
the plantation. We are all depen-
dent upon one another, and we
know it, and that makes as kind.
We are sosiable by nature and that
makes us agreeable; but there is
not much love floating around loose.
The tail end of the war convinced
us all in this region that law was
was stronger than love, for when
we had no law love was scarce and
what little there was powerless to
protect us. Human nature is about
the same>it was 1000 years ago,
the same in instinct and passion.
Mr.. Beecher is no better than
David. Lord Bacon was the Eisest,
brightest, meanest Of mankind.
We are all smarter and have more
continuance and invention because
we needed more. We could Mt
get along without it. knowledge
is more universally difused and the
common people are catching up
with the kings and professors and
philosophers ofthe world, but every
man is for himself just like he
used TO be. We admire talent and
eloquence and genius. but we think
more of q man after be is dead and
out of the way than when he was
living. Even then. while we blow
his trumpet and sing his praise we
don't want to pay for burying him,
and we wouldent do it if it had to
come out of own pockets. 1t was a
struggle and a strain to get the
State to bury Mr.. Stephens. Praise
is cheap but eofins are expensive.
Nevertheless we are reasonably
kind to one another! as kind as
we can afford to be. Most Of us
are poor and live on strain, and
can't do much for one sna