The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-03-31
BEECHER'S WIDOW.
Her Jealous Watch Over Her Dead
Husbands Memory.

Eer Jealous Hatcn over Her Deau
Husbands Memory.
Henry Ward Beecher was big en-.
ough to bequeath occupation, repu.
tation, importance or notoriety to
quite number who, in bis lifetime
or after it, had, or said they had, the
privilege of his confidence or COM
panionship and marked measure of
influence with him. Their pleasur-
able role, of which others were not
minded to be envious or criticize, was
not let unchallenged BY Mrs Beecher.
Their assertions were never admitted
BY her. Their claims were repelled
and scorned by her Her estimate
of them showed a veritable jealousy
of the idea that any human being
should divide with her, or should
even reduce in any degree, her ex-
elusive prerogative as the heir, and
as the interpreter Of her husbands
fame to the world. In this was some
times injustice, but It was pardonea
to the pride and loyalty out of which
it sprang. In it, also, however, was
no small amount of historical pro-
tection to the memory and measure
of the msn, for Mr.. Beecher was care
less, forsiving, unsuspicious, cred
ulous and too easy in circumstances
in which the reverse Of those quail
ties would have been better for his
comfort and for his unqualified use
fulness. His wife realized this while
he was alive. Age and sorrow, after
his death, alike intensified and per-
verted that realization. In its inten-
sity and perversion she failed at
times to discriminate between the
great men who served and saved her
husband, by aid of Providence and
by their love of justice, when his own
mistakes were the opportunity for
his enemies, and the thrifty and un-
abashable parasites who grew On him
living, and who to this day would
grow on him dead-or who would
seek condonation or forgetfulness Of
their real records OF lippy and lying
volubility concerning their assumed
devotion to him, and lis assumed re-
gard Of them.
Mrs. Beecher's occasional injustice
as wei! as her general justice, in these
appraisaIs should be rated by its mo-
tive. The motive was an excuse, in
considerate minds, fos her wholesale
ness of speech and for her infrmities
of temper or want of perspective in
sundry estimates. It was an excuse
in such minds for her inaccuracies of
Judgment and for her urcharitable-
ness Of view, for if her great hus-
bands carelessness of appearances or
of consistencies put him on the de-
fensive in his lifetime, she was re-
solved that those whom he too read
lily tolerated then should draw no
lucrative capital of repute from his
error IS not throwing them over, af-
ter he was gone. In ten years Mrs
Beecher made plain enough the dis
tinction between his peers and his
parasites, between those who We're
worthy o! his consideration and those
who practiced on his buoyant Be-
hemianism OF spirit for their OWE
gain. The postLumous benefit to his
memory thus wrought was not u lit
tie, and it was not unrequired. Her
loving trust and mission We're well
accomplished before she died. To-
day Brooklyn and the world know
the difference between the Beecher
men and the Beecher women Ill
reality, and the Beecher men and the
Beecher women profession-and the
is one to bear IN mind.
-Broo oklyn Eagle.