Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-24
A Monument to Henry Ward Beecher
Unveiled.
THE NOTED PREACHER IN BRONZE.
Worlds Fair Directors Settle the
Lake Front Site.
THE IRISH CAMPAIGN FUND.
Unveiling Ceremonies I'm the City Hall
square In Brooklyn.

square In brooklyn.
BROOKLYN, June 2i.-The unveiling Of the
statue of Henry Ward Beocher on City Hall
Square today was an event of great public in
terest. The speakers platform was at the
westerly end of the city hall steps. directly
opposite the statue. Back Of this on the city
hall steps was platform filled with the COM
mittee lii charge of the matter. member oG
Mir. Beecher 3 family, the city and county Off
Gals. judges OF the courts and prominent pub
ic men,. large space on the Court street
side of the City Hall Park was reserved for
subscribers to the statue fund.
The members of the thirteenth regiment of
which Mr.. Beecher was chaplain, and the vet
Grams of the sixty-seventh New York volun-
teers, in which Mr. Beechers son, Col. Henry
Il. Beecher. went to the war, were grouped IN
the park back of the statue with band. and at
left of the stand there were three hundred Sun
day school children of Plymouth Church and
Its missions selected to sing. The greater part
OF the city hall steps and the Fulton street side
of the square was open. The city hall was
elaborataly decorated.
THE EXERCISES.
The exercises opened with prayer by the
Rev. S. b. Halliday, long Mr.. Beechers assist
ant in Plymouth Church. DIR. Charles ii. Hall.
chairman of the Beecher memorial committee
introduced Mayor Chaplin the presiding
officer Before the speeches the statue was
unveiled by a grandchild of Mr.. Beecher. Ger
trude Roxana Beecher, five years old, daughter
of Wm. c. Beecher. The sculptor. J. q. 4.
Ward, led her to the statue and placed the
lines in her hand. While the unveiling took
place the Sunday school children sang
'Beecher," led by the band.
DIR. Hall made the formal presentation of
the statue to the city. and it was accepted by
Mayor Chaplin, who turned it over to the care
of the park department, represented by Presi-
dent George V. Brewer.
PRESIDENT Lows GRAFTON.
The band then played the adagio from
Beethovens fifth symphony and DIR. Seth Low,
ex-mayor of Brooklyn and president of Colum-
bia College. delivered the Grafton. He said:
Brooklyn has poured forth her multtudes
today to unveil the familiar form and features
of Henry Ward Beecher. Every man must
have his home in some one place, but the great
men of the earth overleap all boundaries and
become the fellow-citizens of all men. Such a
man was Henry Ward Beecher. From this city
he swayed the minds and hearts of men In vast
multitudes for forty years. From this center
his words traversed land and sea, carrying in
spiration. comfort, courage and something of
the exhilaration which freedom brings
wherever they were borne on the four winds y
After an interesting review of Mr.. Beecher's
career. the orator continued: "Mr. Beecher
was a great orator. but he able to be the
great orator he was because, first of ali, he was
a great man. He proclaimed truth as he saw
it. with the convincing earnestness Of great
and unselfish nature. He had gift of utter
ance such as is granted to few; he had playful
humor and a tender pathos that enabled him
to draw at will the smile tear. He had
an intellect capable Of high thinking and sus-
tanned effort, but not any nor all of these made
him the orator he was. 1t was the brave. true
spirit OF the man. using all of those faculties
in turn, that mado him the greatest popular
orator of his day. No characteristic was more
sla,a ais ahnny and lals A.f
humor. He used his humor both as u weapon
of offense and as a shelter from the storm.
Like Abraham Lincoln, he took refuge behind
1t In times Of anxiety and trouble. With II he
dealt some of his most effective strokes in the
heat of the conflict. Men complained some-
times that he used it inopportunely, but
his own conception of it Was poetically ex-
pressed in one of his own sayings Every bell
which God has hung in my belfry shall ring
"ln later life he added to the active suscepti-
bilities OF his nature the experiences Of bitter
and searching trouble. In the midst of his
trouble no man ever heard him speak unkindv
of another. He came through il, developed
and purified by suffering, into a larger
sympathy than ever with his fellow When
he died not alone his own church but live other
churches In this city were filled with those who
gathered to express their sense of loss in his
death and to do honor to his memory The
Legislature of the state adjourned, for the first
time in its history, in honor of a private citi-
Zen. The tribute was as unique the man.
1t was the spontaneous expression of the popu-
lar feeling and the recognition on the part Of
the community and the state that great and
good man had gone from among them.
''What then, shall this statue mean! To those
who shall come after us, TO whom the name of
Henry Ward Beecher will be only an historic
name, let it signify that the people enshrine in
their hearts those who are sincerely and truly
their friends; that courage in a good cause.
however 1t may provoke antagonism, is certain
at last to be commended OF ali men. Let il
signify that a man who would be influential
with his fellows must enter into living sympa-
thy with them; that this does not mean cater
ing to prejudice nor saying only smooth things,
but that it means serving the people, through
good report and through evil report, with every
power that one has. The sculptor has pre-
served for us the form and figure Of Mr..
Beecher in imperishable bronze. Ii remains
for you and me TO transmit into life those prin-
ciples which he demonstrated could make q
character SO noble"
After this America" was sung and Rabbi
Gustav Gottheil of Temple Emaneul, New
York, pronounced the benediction.
THE STATUE DESCRIBED.
The statue is of bronze of heroic size and
stands upon Quincy granite pedestal, suitably
inscribed. 1t represents Mr.. Beecher with his
head bare and his hat in his hand, wearing a
cape overcoat and an ordinary suit of clothing
and standing in a firm, erect position. The
pose was chosen from a photograph which the
family regard as the best ever taken of him
The face is somewhat idealiZed, but much of
the characteristic expression Of Mr.. Beecher
has been preserved. There are three auxiliary
figures placed about the pedestal. On the
right is the life-size figure OF young woman,
representing a victim Of African slavery, laying
q palm branch at the feet of the man who did
SO much to secure emancipation. On the other
side are two life-size figures Of children One
is boy who has thrown his coat on the lower
part Of the pedestal and is sitting on it, hold
ing girl SO that she can reach up and Law A
wreath Of flowers at the feet OF Mr.. Beecher
Both children are barefooted and simply clad
This was an appropriate day for the unveil-
ing, as it was the anniversary-the seventy
eighth-of Mr.. Beecher's birth.