The Portland daily press., 1886-05-12
REV. HENRY WARD BEEcHER.
His Lecture on the Reign Of the
Common People,

Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was greeted by
large audience at City Hall last evening,
where he delivered his lecture on the Reign
of the Common People. The speaker was
introduced by Judge Knight, who said that
in the palmy days of the lecture platform no
one was more esteemed and beloved by the
Portland public than Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher, whom he took the greatest pleasure
in introducing to the audience. after his long
absence from our city
Mr.. Beecher was greeted with applause,
which was renewed at intervals during his
lecture of about an hour and half dura-
tion. The subject of the lecture was one OF
nopular interest, and was treated in the in
teresting manner and with the felicity of ex-
preston for which the lecturer is famous.
Mr.. Beecher spoke distinctly but not suffi-
GENTLY loud to be fully comprehended by
those in the rear of the hall. The following
is an abstract:
We have changed our belief in regard to
the age of the world. When l was lad,
5000 years was the accepted belief, but scien-
fists tell US that the age of the globe is reck-
oned by millions of years. AT just what
period of time man appeared upon our
sphere we do not know. Man was first a
savage, rising to the attainment of acquired
knowledge by processes of evolution, among
which may have been the necessity OF INDUS
try and the stimulus of society.
We first find evidences OF educatlon IN
Egyp. some 5000 years ago, and the schools
were primitive as is attested by the fact that
they were for the royal familyialone the roy
al family included the priesthood. The COM
mon people were debarred by law from en-
loving the advantages of the schools. They
would not have been much better Off II they
had done so, but such as the schools were,
they were excluded. -
Crossing the Mediterranean, we next ind
schools in Greece, and great advance had
been made oven the Egyptian schools.
Everybody that could pay the expenses was
admitted Everybody but slaves and women,
and there was not enough difference between
them. There is not as much dlHerence now
as there should be.
Schools lived through the dark ages and
gathered power in the renaissance of South
ern Europe, and the Reformation in the
North, until today the lower classes of Eu-
rope demand free schools, and the govern
ments treat the demand favorably. Educa-N
ton is compulsory; what was crime for
the common people of 800 years ago is now
crime if not done.
Why is this so? Are not the people better
fed. better clothed and better housed than
formerly? They are; but they need some
thing more and demand that it shall be
granted to their children if not to them.
Five hundred years ago the people did not
muscle in its stead. They have reached
point where they recognize the need OF some
thing higher and better.
Another reason for this demand is found
in the over-development of the upper classes
of society. In primitive stages Of society,
there was no great hardship 1t was not
hard to be a slave when mans son was his
property, and he bought his wife, Men buy
their wives now, sometimes, but they do 1T
in more circuitous way. There was no
suffering for the lower classes as long as
they were very near the upper But, sup
pose you raise the upper classes while the
lower remain stationary, and the rising pro-
cess goes steadily on. There comes time
when the down thrust upon the lower strata
is terrible.
A third cause for this desire for education
comes from the recognition of one OF Gods
DEGREES, that when he made man the animal
nature was the lowest. As long as men lived
without a knowledge of their better natures
they were like cattle-fodder 'em, and that
was enough; but with this knowledge comes
the desire to rise. God did not intend that
the highest should help to lift those below,
and so on down through the social fabric.
Now, why do the governments of Europe
accede to this desire for public instruction?
First, because it makes people easy to gov
ern. The monarchs have found that an IN
telligent people give less trouble to their
kings of Europe are trying to govern as
easy as possible for they are sitting in very
slippery saddles Then, too. it has been
discovered that education makes good sol
Franco-Prussian war when the German
armies composed of men who had received
common school educations defeated the
French armies composed OF inferior mate
school house won the victory. France has.
gone bravely to work to remedy this defect
and if she keeps on for fifty years there will
be no need OF her army, for her educated peo
make war
To carry on war requires a large
exchequer and the. governments have also
found that education makes better work
quantity and duality OF the brains used in
making it-not as political economists tell
us, from time and labor. The unskillful
man employs more time and labor in doing
his work than the skillful and to take his
work as the standard for judging the value
of property is absurd. The French appreci-
ated the need of educating their workmen
and to this fact is due the fame of Paris for
it's mechanical productions.
In America there is constant stimulation
to education and success. The very air is
stimulant. We breathe more oxygen than
our English neighbors. Sea captains say
they can drink twice as much liquor in Liv-
erpool as in New York. Then our children
for the most part are born poor and it is i'm
pressed upon them that they are to earn
their own fortunes.
Our great fortunes do not last more than
three generations as a rule. Our politics are
stimulating. Once in every four years we
all go crazy when two great parties do that
most SuperfuouS of all things: build plat
form which is never after thought of, and
speakers and editors tell us that the country
can not exist unless both candidates are
elected. The churches also stimulate, tend
ing to make men profound.
When European statesmen criticise our
grand experiment of self-government l
smile grimly We know better than they
how to make commonwealth. That is our
trade. They tell us that when the struggle
for existence really begins in this country,
we shall return to despotism, and they re-
gard our government as one composed of
sixty million ignoramuSes We tell them
that the people do not attempt to govern di-
rectly themselves, but select wise men for
that duty. Ours is not pure democracy,
but rather representative democracy. In
every enterprise large margin is allowed
for mistakes, and is it not better to have
sixty million people learning selfgovern-
ment than despotism?
The lecturer referred to the composition of
our legislatures. He said that the private
secretary of one of the Governors of New
York told him several years ago that there
were only five members of the Legislature
who could not be bribed Mr.. Beecher EVIL
IDENTIFY based his remarks upon this Legisla-
ture. and said that the legislators first duty
was to get back next winter, his second was
to the all providing providence which paid
him so literally while his salary was so
small, his third was to his party, and what
there was left of him belonged to the State
In closing, the lecturer spoke of the great
influence of the common people arising from
the dissemination of knowledge among them.