The record-union., 1892-09-24
HOW MR.. BEECHER READ
His Books Suggested to Him Many of
His Best Thoughts.

His Books Suggested to Him Many of
His Best Thoughts.
Stimulated, doubtless by Mrs. Henry
Ward Beecher'S published "reminiscences
of her husband, paragraph has recently
been circulated to the effect that the
great preacher rarely read book, and
never could command the patience nee
essary to the careful reading of a vol
ume. This is erroneous, if the New
York Press is to be believed. Mr..
Beecher's library was large and selected
with great care. But after his entrance
into public life he had but few leisure
hours and comparatively lictle time for
reading. He was very slow reader,
stopping often to ponder on what he had
read.
If his attention was particularly at
tracted by passage or some thought was
suggested by it not specially connected
with what he was reading, I have seen
him drop his book and sit.for long time
with that intense, far-of look so peculiar
to him, and turning quickly to his writ
ing-tab!e begin to write rapidly. This
writing would perhaps consist of notes
for sermon, but the book which sup-
gested the thought was forgotten, and
perhaps not opened again for week.
Many books in Mr.. Beecher's library
would seem from their looks never to
have been opened.
interesting sermon and on questioning
him as to how the subject came up before
him, he would say, sob. it was suggested
weeks ago from few lines in that book
pointing to set Gu the shelves opposite
his desk.
At one time Mrs. Beecher said: 'sWhv,
/ never saw you open one of those
books ~ Quietly he reached out for a
book, opened it and pointed to small
pencil mark, and on reading the sentence
one could understand that the passage
might have suggested the topic for the
sermon.
Mr. Beecher seldom read novels. and
when he did he would, in all probability.
be called away when just in the middle
of a chapter. Then he would lay aside
the story, and perhaps not take il up
again for days. The first early years of
MIR. Beecher's public life he used to read
Walter SCOTS novels for rest and relaxa-
ton. Not all of them, but many; so, if
he had a favorite writer, it was Scott. In
looking through the titles of SCOTS
works Mrs. Beecher recalls that there
were some of them that did not, from
superficial examination, especially inter
est him, and which he never read. But
those that he read had a special charm
for him during the partial rest of the first
spring months. Yet the next year he
would read them again with renewed
interest,", Always luSlstlHS Iual 10 ulun
remember them.
1t is true that Mr.. Beecher had poor
verbal memory, and it is doubtful if he
could ever repeat a sentence from any
work correctly. His friends who knew
this trait in him were always uneasy if
he attempted to quote text of Scripture.
But he always gave the right meaning,
even if he didn't give the literal quota
ton. Often in some illustration there
would be some incident from one of
Scouts works, greatly enriehing what he
was illustrating, for which he gave the
author full credit, but could not tell from
which OF Scott's stories he had extracted
it, or in what connection the idea had
come to him. In later years, his lighter
reading was done on the cars going TO or
returning from lecture, and he brought
attractive and least cumbersome.