The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-06
Mr.. BEECHER ON CONSCIENCE
The Various Ways in Which It Mani
tests Itself in Different Persons.
The Great Preachers Lecture, Delivered at
Plymouth Church Last Evening, Is Heard
by a Large and Cultured Audience.

The audience which gathered at Plymouth
Church last night to hear the lecture of Henry
Ward Beecher on Conscience represented the
culture and intellect Of Indianapolis people. The
distinguished gentleman's listeners had for his
philosophy the keenest appreciation and his wit
the liveliest applause. Perhaps there have been
larger gatherings Of people in Plymouth, but
never an audience so well satisfied with what
was told them nor a speaker so readily respons-
i've TO this kindly feeling. Mr.. Beecher is always
Beecher, and he did not fail last night to give
that best force of thought, oratory and wit
which has influenced millions of auditors.
In introducing him to his hearers, who
welcomed the announcement Of his name with
a burst of warm applause, the Rev. Oscar G.
McCulloch said everyone rejoiced in his fame
and his career Of seventy-fve years, and every
one wished for him many more years of CRATE
full greetings from his friends in indianapolis.
'It is seventy two, not seventy-fye years."
said Mr.. Beecher, from the sofa.
"Mr. Beecher corrects me. He says his age is
only seventy-two; but no matter, the good wishes
remain the same. The auditors heartily clapped
their hands at this sally. and the eminent divine
then came forward aud began his lecture.
He said within every decade Of years more
and more is learned Of the mysteries of the
human mind; bat perhaps less is known
Will accuracy Of conscience. q quality SO
fundamental to civilization. It is supposed
to be a thing that thinks, perceives, discrim-
mates. This has come from errors that sprung
up naturally. Conscience is merely a sentiment,
a feeling that responds to the decisions
of the intellect. that discerns and
acts for every part Of the mind.
Conscience does nothing right or nothing wrong
of its own ~volition. A piano has many keys,
each a note of beauty, but they cannot of them
selves give out their music. They respond to
the magic touch of the player. So with con
science, it does not respond until stirred up by
the intellect.
Mirth oftentimes is better than conscience it.
self. 1t eases the troubles of life, dispels fear.
care and makes our ways those of pleasantness.
But the asceticism Of religion says it ought to be
avoided and all acts of life brought under the
stern Judgment of the intellect. Intellect in Its
d~iscernment of right and wrong is aided by
customs. which are the sum of our findings out
by experience how men can live together. The
speaker illustrated this by referring to the ad-
vancement of society from a time when man was
possessed of the selfshness and violence of bar
barism, to the present stage OF civilization.
the law Of customs in establishing the
rights OF property and person. and hence, to aid
the intellect in determining what was right or
wrong. There was a time when men did not
know stealing was stealing, Some have never
learned the difference yet. With the laws of
customs and statutory enactment there under
lies our relationship to each other, the principles
of equity, benevolance, good fellowship. There
fore, in q generalization, whatever is right is
true, benevolent, kind, merciful. Again, untui-
ton comes in to assist the intellect in its dis
cernment of right and wrong. Brains, large
and fine. are susceptible of automatic action.
They leap beyond investigation and act on i'm
pulse. Seers such people were once called.
They did not stop to reason, but jumped at con-
illusions. We call this intuition, and it extends
through all the affairs Of life. It is prejudging,
or prejudice. We see it in the musician, who,
without knowing q rule Of the musical
has been working in his mind. It
can be seen in the painter-not
the house painter, or scene dauber, but
the artistic genius. Shaefer, the billiard player
perhaps everyone knows what billiards is-was
asked as to the operations of his mind in his con-
tests with Vignaux. ''The arrogant French
man" we say, whom Shaefer beat. thank God"
He replied that he did not know anything about
it. He saw the balls were on the table and he
shot at them. He also illustrated this quality
by the ~quickness and correctness with which
women judge character.
Mr.. Beecher then referred to the sensibility of
conscience and said, II do not violate a conf
dence, but in an interview with poet Whittier he
told me that he was so afraid of doing wrong that
a great part of his life had been spent in doing
nothing. l wish there were. more men like
Whittier. He is q moral genius, but there are
men upon whom you cannot impress a moral
idea, even if you try to beat it into their heads.
Such men are never troubled with conscience
He then spoke Of his abhorrence of lying.
While We are not bound to tell every thing, when
we do speak we are required to tell the truth.
The laws of truth, kindness and love are the
foundations of rectitude. Men hold to a stand
ard of moralitles that they find in church and
religion, but in the ordinary affairs of life their
consciences are more facile. All churches dis
agree as to what they do not know of the at
tributes of God and the pleasures and blessings
of q future life. But all can unite on what con-
~stitutes righteous intercourse between man and
man.
There are auxiliary aids to conscience. A man
is not disturbed if the injustice falls upon you,
but let himself become the object and he is at
once aroused. Avarice, leading one way, leaves
conscience asleep; leading another, 1t awakens
it to q sense of justice. The murderer sleeps
soundly in his hiding place. His crime
his waking moments fear of detection.
But when he Is arrested, conscience excites re-
morse, and he sends for a minister, who brings
with him all the weak women of the parish.
They strew him with flowers, shed tears for him
and slobber over him. Fear only has excited
his perceptions Of right and wrong. The specu-
lator or pecuiator-they are about the same-in
his career of defalcations and embezzlements is
overcome with the agony of discovery. He
thinks the world knows his crimes aud that lit
tie children shun him.. At last he thrusts him
self before his God by suicide or goes to Canada.
Such consciences, like the lazy horse, need
spurs.
The lecturer spoke of the alliances of con-
science, saying that conscientiousness and ster-
ling will. another name for obstinacy,
aud conscientiousness aud self esteem Oft
en- work together. Then it is some
times joined with combativeness. and then man
becomes disputatious. This association belongs
to sectarianism, and, like a bulldog at the door,
is ready to tear and rip anything and every
thing not admissible. The conscience of the
church has done more evil than its benevolence
| good. 1t is better now. We are becoming de-
| cent even as Christians. Good nature is worth
more sometimes in a controversy than intellect
or conscience.
There are consciences like the jelly-ish, and
there is also the superstitious conscience. Muir