Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-14
REV, HENRY WARD BEECHER.
A Lecture on the Reign of the Common
People.

L t BItdl Dllpll bltN''' ''' - NN'''''
speaker, Rev. Henry ward Beecher, de
livered his lecture on "The Reign of the
Common People" ut the Howard Opera
House Thursday. He was felicitously
introduced by Hon. Henry Ballard, and
spoke for nearly two hours-a rare intel
lectua outpouringof wit eloquence, logic
and power. He was frequently applauded
and held the closest and most earnest at
tention of the audience throughout. Mr.
Beecher in introducing his theme-which
was practically that of the elevating pow
er of universal education-sad 1t has
come to he understood that former opin-
ions in regard othe age of the world have
been greatly modified. Instead of the 5000
years formerly assigned, we find that we
must compute an enormous duration of
time since this earth came into existence.
So also the human race must have come
upon this planet an uncOunted mum
Der of thousands of years ago.
Scientific men are agreed that
the race came in as a savage race-at the
bottom and not at the top, and that it has
been gradually developing. Now there
must have been time, anterior to his
torica records, before there were amy
teachers or schools, any conception of ed
uCatiOn and the question came to be de-
velOped-what were the laws which devel-
Oped these brain forces? We never shall
know; we can only guess.
The lecturer then traced the earliest be
ginningS of the education of the race
first in Egypt where it was confined to
the upper classes only; then in Greece
where there was no distinction between
the favored classes and the common peO-
pie; down through the Byzantine period,
when the darkness of ignorance enVelOped
the world, to the period OF the RetormH
ton the schools rekindled and little by lit
tie education was developed all over
Europe. The wheels have now made a
complete revolution, and to-day it is sin
for the common people of Europe not to
go TO school
At this point two salient facts appear
first that there is Il great desire among
the laboring people of Europe for
education; and second, that the
ruling royal families desire that they
should have it. What has caused the de
sire for more universal education The
common people are more developed They
are not cOntented with what couteuted
them in their animal period of existence.
Another thing, they really feel a grinding
pressure winch did not exist in earlier
days. The higher you carry up society, in
the same proportion the downward pres
sure is greater ON thelUwer classes. Dawn
ing int, liigence in Europe is calling for
more education. The royal families are
in sympathy with the desire, because it is
easier to govern an intelligent people
than an lgnOrnat people because edu
cation makes men better soldiers, and
war never had such hold on the
nations of the earth as to-day because
the wear and tear of campa gns is
better sustained by educated men. and
because education increases taxable prop
erty ana raises government revenues.
Property is the child of Intelligence. The
result il that the whole common people
of Europe Is on the upward march. The
period has arrived in Europe when the
common people have been admitted into Il
partnership in the government Govern
ments will grow more and more Demo
cratic n people are better educated.
When we come over on thi, side the
question assumes much larger aspect.
There are things here that tend to focus
on a mans brain which do not eN-
list III Europe. Our very air is slim
illus There is a steady tendency
in America to run toward the
cerebral temperament. The condition.
into which we are all born, of earning a
livelihood, of getting and accommodating
wealth, is an element tending to tins cere-
bral DEVELOPMENT. So also the sentiment
tending TO distribute property. Another
thing that contributes to this tendency Is
politics. Our national canVaSseS are Il ma
tional university. The church-where we
ought to cool Oils the hottest place OF
all. The intellectual churches, the devO-
tional churches, the revival churches, all
bring to bear upon the BRAN a tremendous
cerebratng pressure We have in this
country 80 millions of more highly stimu-
lated and cereOrated people than any
other nation in the world The question
comes up, what must needs he the reign
of the common people ON such a continent
and under such influences our ma
chinery Of government is inferior to that
of nations which are governed by the few.
We say that we are Il representative de
mocracy But do we exercise good iudg-
ment in elecling our representatives Look
at our legislatures. and the products of
our legislatures The self government of