The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-24
BEECHER "REMINISCENCES.
How Mrs. Beecher Tried to Check Her
ImpetuOus

Eli Perkins, in New York Sun.
The pathetic ending of Mrs. Henry Ward
Beecher recalls to my mind some reminis-
fore the Beecher-Tflton trial L became quite
intimate with Mr.. and Mrs. Beecher under
peculiar auspices. During that term L got
Mr.. Beecher to make a contract with Mr..
Charles f. Lock. an impressario of English
opera. for twenty lectures, at 500 each.
l found that Mr.. Beecher had a very tender
heart, while Mrs. Beecher was always aus
tere. Beecher's heart was so tender that
he would never even ~criticise an enemy,
while Mrs. Beecher was u~nforgivlng and
relentless.
One day Mrs. Beecher said something
very savage about Mr.. Tilton. when Mr..
Beecher responded in a very sympathetic
voice:
against Theodore; there's some good in
him" -,
said Mrs. Beecher. knitting her brow, for
no good ever came out of him."
The great preacher was always ready for
a joke. while Mrs. Beecher took everything
seriously. Speaking of his first charge at
Lawrenceburg Ind. where his salary was
$500 a year. Mr.. Beecher said:
we were awful poor there, weren't we,
I'VE might have been poorer, Henry"
said Mrs. Beecher, smoothing out her
Yes" continued Beecher. I'VE were so
poor that it was hard to get food to feed
and WOOD to warm mother and the babies
f1eITN- Nils tNNiiCA wan
an awful infection.
YES, we were so poor that | used to have
to catch foodwood out of the Ohio river:
One day when l was right i'm the middle of
a Sunday sermon / looked out of the win
dow and saw the fioodwood going down.
remember how l wanted to be out there
"What did you sdo?' / asked.
Why, l rushed that sermon through,
congregation. Then / called my deacons
back and we went down to the river and
got out Lockwood enough to last me three
months" And then with a laugh ne glanced
at Mrs. Beecher and said: Didn't l,
mother?'
No. Henry. you never did any such
thing" she said, biting her lips. How abb
surd!'
Did you stay in Lawrenceburg long?"
asked.
TO indianapolis. and | was glad TO go.
Mother had just written a book on the
trials of a poor preacher ana 1t was get
ting warm in Lawrenceburg. Mothers
book was written so close to life and was
so personal that We had to stop IT,. and
I've always been afraid That some publisher
I'm Indianapoiis.' continued Mr. Iieech-
er. "a grand thing happened to me that
gave me my first publicity. / was invited
TO preach the dedication sermon for the
First Congregational Church in Fort
Wayne. and was to be paid SO for one SER
mon. This was an unheard-ot price for
newspapers. Even editorials were written
about it. Then, of course, all the papers
printed the sermon-this ,wenty-fve-dollar
sermon-and / was a proud man.
Il rode on horseback from indianapolis
continued Mr.. Beecher. "and wore so many
holes in the seat of my homespun clothes
that l was afraid to go back and let
mother
Henry" interrupted Mrs. Beecher, con-
Well continued Beecher, 81 had so
much money that |. concluded to ride my
horse on up to Toledo and take a boat to
a 70 Nau- nrE
wanted to attend the great Presbyterian
convention. Well. 1 got there and was a
lion, but my money was gone.
Oh / said, how shall i face mother
when / get home. 1 was appalled, at my
own extravaganza"
preacher named Storrs-he's DIR. Storrs now
and then went to DR.. Prime. of the OBJ
server. and told him my trouble. DR.. Prime
didn't have any money TO leEd. Then | Of
fered to write letters at a dollar a week,
giving all the church news from the West.
TO be published in the Observer If Prime
would lend me money enough TO get home.
You know they have paid me $500 a column
for such stuff lately?'
did you ever really write newspaper let
tiers for a dollar apiece" l asked.
We'll. ell tell you about it," said Mr..
Beecher. his eyes twinkling with fun. You
see / wanted to write them. but Prime said
he would consider it over night after con-
sulting with his WIFE
o course Prime accepted your offer?' I
suggested.
NO. ne came DICK the next Jay. SAID
Beecher. while a smile stole over his face.
and said he had given the proposition
prayerful thought and had come TO the con-
clusion that they wouldn't be worth it."
One day the great preacher was reading
some Beecher-Tilton notes in the Sun.
Dropping the Sun on the carpet. he said:
II wish Dana wouldn't say such severe
things about me. 1 wish he would be kind
to me-"
We'll" l replied. MIR. Dana said in a
lecture recently that he thought il was
right and proper to publish anything in
his newspaper that the Lord permitted to
happen
Yes. and / don't object to that" said
Beecher, with a twinkle in his eve. but
Dana goes beyond the Lord. He publishes
things that the Lord didn't permit TO hap
pen"
one day when / called Beecher was BAN
tering Bayard Taylor. "Bayard.' ne said.
Il wish you would give up writing poetry
and stick TO lecturing and writing about
your travels. Your poetry will never make
you famous"
II think differently" said TAYLOR. 81
know | can write good poetry. AT any rate.
| would rather be a third-class poet than
a first-class lecturer"
Well said Beecher. you ought to be
happy then-you're BOTH"
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