The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-10-04
Beecher'S Lecture.


a magnificent audience greeted the
Rev. II. w. Beecher, at NIiliett's opera
house. On the stage sat Col. SaylOr,
! Rector, Judge Turner and MIR. Wool
bridge. The latter gentleman intro
duced the eloquent Brooklyn divine
with few most appropriate remarks.
| Mr.. Beecher said:
1--WE are apt to suppose that governments
| are things of chO .ce and that it is optional
with the people to institute such government
as they please. But the government will take
its form from the nature OF the people over
which il obtains. An ignorant and 4 brutal
people can never have free government. \
cople sunk low in animal life must be gov
eTned just as much as the horse, and the OK
and the ass Self-gOVernment never can come
excent Of the full development of the common
people.
The lowest stage in which man lives NAV be
called the hunter stage. In the very nature of
things it Scatt rs men. There never can be CO.
hesive society. One stage above that IS the Sher
herd condition of communities. But they follow
their t1ockS and change pasture, a"d have no
certain abiding place. 1t is not until the agri-
cultural period comes i'll that communities be
gin 10 be formed; and the purely agricultural
community is relatively low. When manufac-
turing is added, and then Il distributing com
merce, we have at last the full form of cOmmu-
nifty. And where a community has been unde
VelOped, uninStructed, unable to think wisely,
to choose, to execute somebody must do it for
When, through gradual unfolding and culture
a a community has many men that can think
then naturally comes the ariStOcracy, as well
as monarchy. A lIrger class are admitted
around the throne to exert influence. Little
by little comes IN the middle classes as they
become competent to think and act in combi- |
nation.
Speaking of our legislatures, the
speaker SAID
That man can kiss more mothers and babies
and tell more finny stories in Il Week than any |
other candidate can i'll six months 50 they |
send hun to make laws. Did You eyer look at |
legislature 10 see What sort of looking fellows
there are there? Do You know what the first |
duty of legislator is? 1t is to see that he goes
his second duty? To put himself under the |
care of that providence which takes care oI 4 |
legislators salary. a man goes to the legiSla-
tUIre who has an income, we will say, Of 5000 |
to Sl200- On that he supports himself and |
family, and SO benign is providence 10 him.
though he vent up there in DEBT owe" head and |
ears, with Il mortgage on his hCi!Sr ;;ild his |
fences all away. the very first year lie not only
supports himself and fam ly, but he goes home,
pays OFF the mortgage and rc-shiugigS his barn
all over. Langhterl The next year under
the same providence which nreSidcS over leg
isatOrS' salaries, he rrfllrnisbes his house and
adds ten or twenty acres to his prOperty-ali
under that same providence. Laughter.
His next business is to look cut for the in
tereSt OF the party who sent Ilm there, and If
there is the anything left oG him. that lie is
to give to the commonwealth. This, of course, |
mag seem 10 be an eXaggeration. | would o !
God it was more OF AN eXagger;tti0n than it is.
do not think lave s!andered Eastern legiS
latureS. know something about Albany.
The governors private secretary told me not |
many years since that there was not in all that
legislature but three men that were not briba-
Bile and that had not been bought.
Speaking Of schools he remarked:
Scho Is continue to multiply through the
coming ages. Though somewhat cclipsed in
the dark ages, they reappeared again after
ward, and in modern EarOpe still increased i'll
our generation we see that the world has
turned completely round, and while i'll ancient
times it was wrong for the common people to
receive education, to-day it is wrong for them
not to receive it. Education is no longer Op-
tlonal, but compulsory; States, by their rulers,
have have for the En- most part ordalned thai parents
is insisted that no parent has right to bring
up ignorant children. Ignorance is dynamite
OF the very worst nature, Tor we do not know |
when it may go of or what mischief it may do.
The result has been that such increased lntelli-
gence has prevailed among mechanics and la
boring men ali over Europe, and has prevailed
to such an extent that it may be said the COM
mon people join in authority with the throne
and with the council.
On the subject of theology, NJ.
Beecher spoke as follows:
Has theology changed? Yes, changed in the
same direction; changed to a nObler view of
the divine government and of the divine ma
'ure, changing from the barbarity OF fear,
from the supreme SelfShness Of the old pic
tured God, from whom common people had no
rights that be was bound to respect 1t has
changed from the medieval fanaticiSm and rid
dies. 1t has changed from the moment that
the New Testament taught the rising genera
God is rising with radiance that was never
known in any other age; and the sequence. TIE
brotherhood of man has grown more widely,
and has to-day become the genius OF the age Ill
which we live.
Glory be to God. theology is becoming Chris
tian. 1t has been barbarian. 1t has been
hnfn nj lnf fhnnl in fssI.t
ed in my childhood was, 50 far rs it pertains to
the mechanism of divine government, as infa-
nous as anything that ever was conceived in
hell. l hold that 1t is blaSphemy to teach such
things, and the man that undertakes to teach |
such things that stand in the confessions OF
and age are misleading men. 1t represents
God sitting in tR heavens thinking OF his glory
and telling his creatures that II is vanity for
them to think of glory y GOD before before whom
spect, Oh, how hideOus is this G!logy; Ana
especially when they represent Gct:pang-
ing upon the cross and making known 10
mankind that there is no Grecian God in the
heayenS--aG God impaSsiye, a God that can not
SIM But when Christ II veals the fatherhOOd
of God, suffering all that belongs to the life of
love, of care and of labor, Ibis luminous, self
sacrificing, burden-bearng God is coming out
more and mo into light and into life; and
this is the theology, when it shall, ill the
the community, before which intidclity Will
wither and perish. There may be infdelity as
OlOgy in the church should drive every man
into intidelity as over against the the old the
OlOgy. But the true religion-the religion Of
lOve-that is coming upon the eartn, all men
will come into 1t. And as it diSclOSes itself
more and more AL men will bow down before
it and worship Him whose name is above all,
and before whom every knee shall bow and
every tongue confess the glory of the God Of
Love. LApplause.]
We have only selected few paSsa-
ges from the brilliant address and
these give but very imperfect idea
of the mastery effort. The whole
line of thought was to show the in
tiuence Of education upon the common
people. Mr.. Beecher was in good
voice and his delivery was highly
charming.
BEN BUTLER is remembered most
kindly by the people of Louisiana, and
in proof of this kind sentiment Louis
lana may lend him aid in the direc-
ton Of receiving Il presidential nomi-
nation. The following order is reason
enough for the heartiest support:
HEADQUARTERS,
DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF.
NEW ORLEANS, May 10, 1862. }
As officers and soldiers of the United States
| have been subjected to repeated insults from
women calling themselves ladies of New Or
| leans, i'll return for the most ScrupulOuS nom
| interference and courtesy on our part, it is
| ordered hereafter, when any female shall, by
| mere gesture or mOVemen, insult or SHOW con-
tempt for any officers or soldiers OF the United
a woman about town plying her vocation.
| BV command OF Mai. Gen. Butler.