Daily globe., 1883-06-26
BEECHER'S BIRTHDAY.

Il Notable Gathering TO Celebrate the Sew
entieth Birthday OF the Great BROOKLYN
Preacher-Addresses by His Weu-W sh-
ers-A Presentation.
NEW YORK, June 25.-EVery seat and
every foot of standing room in the Brook
lyn Academy of music was filled this even
ing by the friends and admirers of b. w.
Beecher assembled to celebrate his seven
tieth birthday. The academy was tasteful
ly decorated with flags and streamers.
Hanging baskets of flowers and vines
circled the lower gallery and line of liv-
ing plants took the place of foot-lights on
the stage and rose in the center to a
bank of flowers.
Onthe platform were large number of
the most prominent citizens, together with
large number of representatives from
other cities. Among those present were
Mayor Low, OIL Brooklyn; Rev. Drs. Rob-
ert Collyer, Thomas Armitage. Edward p.
Ingersoll, Justin D. Fulton, c. L. Wells.
w. Bancroft, Edward Beecher and T. J.
Conant. Andrew Mclean, managing ed
ltor of the Brooklyn EGgIe, and Jno. Ford.
editor of the Brooklyn Union. were also on
the stage. In one of the boxes were seated
and other members of the Beecher family.
The entrance Of Beecher himself on the
stage was greeted with the warmest en-
thusiasm, the audience rising and the
ladies waving their handkerchiefs, while
the men loudly cheered.
Professor Charles E. West said thev had
come to honor philoso pher,a poor-man's
friend, lover of nature, of flowers and
little children. to honor Ole who in coming
centuries will stand like Mount Blanc
alone in his fame.
Ex-Judge Nelson proposed Rev. DR..
Charles II. Hall as presiding officer. DR..
Hall, on taking the chair. said that Mr..
Beecher, although he had been the best
abused man in Brooklyn and in the coun-
try, was never known to utter an unkind or
severe word of any man because he differ
ed from him in belief, and that he had
never seen man whom he believed loved
God and his fellow men so deeply. He
then introduced Rev. DR.. ]. o. Peck, who
offered prayer.
Rev. DR.. Ingersoll read large number
OF telegrams and letters of regret at ina
bility to be present from ex-President
Hayes, Hon. A. G. Hewitt, Prof. James D.
Hale of Yale college, j. G. Whittier.
George w. Curtis, ex-Gov. Nilsson Dingley
of Maine, President Andrew D. White of
Cornell university, Col. w. A. RoebIing,
Senator Dawes, Gov. Cleveland, ex-GoY.
Cornell, Gen. w. T. Sherman, WhiteIaw
Reid, DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes. Freder-
ick W. Douglass, Wendell Phillips, Mark
Twain, P. T. Barnum, Gen. Hancock and
others.
Resolutions expressive of respect. esteem
and affection, together with congratuIa-
ton on a life so useful and honored were
adopted by rising vote.
Rev. DR.. Gottheil, rabbi of Broadway
temple, Brooklyn, read an address and
presented on behalf of his fellow Hebrews
handsome silver pitcher.
Rev. DR.. Collyer said he had only once
heard him preaching in his own pulpit,
but he then spoke of spring in the woods
that gave him new poem of spring to
remember ever afterwards. 1t was a grand
thing for Plymouth Church to have such
an all round and thoroughly humane man.
He then referred to Beecher's visit to Eng
land In 1853, and paid warm tribute to
his success in winning English sympathy
to the side of the union.