The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-08-18
BEECHER'S
An Immense Throng Of People
Gathered at the Ampi-
theatre to Hear the
Great Pulpit
Orator.
"The Reign of the Common
People"

w aru beecueE. Az o:OU ';1OCA I1Ou.
Hiram Knowles in a few we'll chosen
remarks introduced the eminent di-
vine, who was received with enthu-
siastic applause by the immense au-
dience. The lecture occupied nearly
two hours in its delivery and was
listened to with rapt attention
throughout. The SUNSHINE humor
which prevailed the entire address
elected frequent laughter from the
audience. The speaker said:
We have a vague consciousness
that there have been changes going
on from the day of which there is
any record in history and anterior to
it. Without being conscious of that
change, it has become a perfect revo-
luton. The top is where the bottom
used to be, and the bottom is where
the top was.
In the early days, doubtless, man
came into existence only a little in
advance of animalism; but then
came civilization, and then Christian
civilization, until at the present time
man rises higher than the mere ami
NAL life that exists in him. Although
men are somewhat larger than they
were in the Roman days, they are
probably on the whole not very diff
ferent from what they were 1000
years ago. Civilization has had little
to do in the physical development Of
man.
We have come to a period when it
would seem that the education of the
brain is all that is lacking. In the
laws of nature, tbs changes and COM
petitions in life, the battle of COM
merce, all tend toward the knowledge
of the brain. When man first came
into history we find that he began to
institute schools. The purpose of the
SEX ools in the earliest Egyptian time
was for the education of the royal
family. The royal family included
the whole of the priesthood, and this
instruction was in order that they
might rule the classes not only spirit
ually, but as a nation.
Many a man has plenty of money
and a lack of education, and does not
know what to do with his wealth.
On the other hand, there are plenty
of men who have gone to seminaries
and colleges and should have had a
good education, who do not know
enough to come in out of the rain.
And still again there are other men
who have not yet read a book, who
are acute and observing, and who get
their intelligence by observation.
He reverted briefly to the education
of women, and asked: Why should a
woman not preach in church when
she can, in some instances, get up
and deliver a better sermon than the
pastor?
1t was ridiculous to say that a
woman should keep quiet in church,
but the moment she gets home could
teach aud preach all she wanted to.
Two facts stand out regarding the
education of the common people.
One is that the ]aboring class was
taught to desire education for their
children; and the other, that the rul-
ing classes were dssirous of giving
them that education. Why do the
common people want education when
their forefathers did not have it?
That time is gone, and the cutlery of
the people now IS, Give our children
education.
Are the people of the present day
worse off than they were years ago?
No. They r better housed, better
fed and better clothed. Why: Be-
cause education gave them some
thing more than mere animal in
stincts. The philosophy of life is
that men shall not live by bread
alone.
If a man wants to get to the top he
has Gods liberty to do so; but he will
have to go by way of the school
house, and if a man wants to be an
animal he can easily be one.
1t might seem as if there was one
places where man could ceol off, and
that is the church; and yet it is the
hottest place of all. I will, for the
purpose of illustration, divide the
churches into three classes: Churches
that are RIM by doctrines, churches
that are run by devotion, and
! churches that are run by emotion,
Churches that are ruu by doctrines
are made up of creeds. Churches
that are run by emotion are by fa1
the most excitable places to which
man can 60.
Nothing has been done in thi:
great land of ours excepting by thu
whole people, from top to bottom
Five hundred years ago the power O
a nation was at the top. To-day it j!
found that the foundation of powel
ia Of the hottOm which il sent to tn