The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-20
The Farewell at Plymouth Church.

New York Special
During the prayer at Friday nights prayer
meeting, scarcely head was bowed or an eye
closed among the audience, which seemed eager
to fix firmly in its mind the image Of the man
upon whom they looked. perhaps, for the last
time. short description of Mr.. Beecher as
he faced his people to bid them farewell, cannot
fail to be interesting His appearance. above
ALL was indicative of great power and although
many who saw him for the first time failed to
discover in him their ideal of refined intellectu-
atty, yet they did see shining in his face ge-
MUS greater, perhaps than they had conceived,
and visible to the most unappreciative
Mr.. Beecher has become an old man, and
he shows it. His long hair-white. long since
grows thinner than it was, and there are signs
that indicate the failing of his wonderful powers
that have carried him safely when other men
would have broken down, and that have spread
his name all over the world. His head trembes
occasionally in way that is not all due to the
earnestness of his speech. His replies to his
enemies are not as strong and fierce as they
once were. Querulousness and bitterness are in
his tonet and he speaks often of his old age
in way that indicates WEAKNESS of the con-
slant effort toward self-justifcation But
his voice has the same strong RAG OF
genuineness and individuality. the same
happy power of expression, going straight
to the understanding of his listeners, is still
his, and hush of eagerness fell upon the great
crowd as he rose to say his last words before
leaving. His address was short, and it was rath-
er vindication of his beliefs and utterances
than farewell There was something almost
ptiful in the effort of strong mind struggling
and endeavorinc to hold itself down to the level
of little hearts and little brains to hold the con-
gregation's good graces. Mr.. Beeeher denied the
accusation so often made of his want of belief.
and of his inclination to tear down the structure
of Christian faith.
"There is more of the tendency to build up
than to tear down in me-" he said. s'I seek only
TO see out further than have seen, to find a
grander faith deeper heaven, a greater God
My love for Christ and for the Lord is real.
can conceive of no sentiment of which the human
mind is capable stronger than my love for God
Perhaps cannot and do not express that love in
the choice and honeyed accents which many
men use. / cannot pet and encourage the Lord
cannot dande him upon my knee. as it WERE
but love him and have loved him all my life.n
A technically theological and. to the vast ma
jority of his hearers. an incomprehensible de-
Tense of his belief was followed by few words
of goodbye to his congregation His prayer was
that love might be strong among them.
A hymn was sung, and then Mr.. Beecher in
vited any one who felt like talking to do so, but
at the same time deftly forestaled any prosy ut
terances by a reminder that the crowd was great
and the night sulrry Fortunately, no profess
sional was found bold enough to talk in the facs
of such crowd. and of such hint especially
and so Mr.. Beecher arose to say few more
words himself They were uttered in his hap.
piest vein. The minister's big upper lip would
curl with anticipated pleasure as he felt q joke
arising to the surface. The congregation, which
we'll knew that something funny was coming.
would break out into thousand happy smiles.
to be followed by several thousand bursts of
happy laughter when the joke did come. All
the jokes were good. Mr. Beecher's eyes sparkled
and his rosy face grew roster. 1t was the old
Beecher. and the audience. led by. the big ele
ment that had laughed with Beecher so many
years before, became regular Beecher audience.
The last few moments of Mr.. Beecher with his
congregation were very happy ones He lad
fun at the expense of the newspapers that had
been misinterpreting his words, and the crowd
hugely enjoyed the clever manner in which
those sinful newspapers were crushed. Funny
incidents of old times were brought up and told
over, until the old ladies in queer bonnets and
the old men in bald heads. VINO have known
Beecher forever, laughed as they had not
launched far many n 6ay and wined the tears