The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-21
nrrnHrR nEM1NIsoENsEs.
Xii Perkins TeIis Irow Mrs. Beecher Triea 10
Check Her nunpetuous Husband.

check Her Mwpttuuus
Tho pathetic ending Of Mrs. Henry Ward
Bcechcr recalls to my mind some "reminiscences
of her husband. A few months before inc
| Bcecher!Tilton trial I became quito Intimate
with Mr.. and Mrs. Bcccher under peculiar aus
pices. During that term I got Mr.. Beocher to
mako n contract with Mr.. Chas. II. LOCK, an
imprcsurio Of English opera, for twenty lectures
at $500 zach. During our many visits and con-
vcrsations / found that Mr.. Beecher had q very
tender heart. while Mrs. Bcecher was always
austerc. Bcechor's heart was 30 tender that he
would never even ~criticise an enemy. while Mrs.
Bccchcr was unforgiving and relentless.
Ono day Mrs. Beecher said something very
savage about Mr.. Tilton, whom Mr.. Beechcr re-
spondcd in n very sympathetic voice:
"Oh, mother, you shouldn't DO so bitter
sgninst Theodore; there's some good in himi"
YES, Henry, l s'pose there must be-" said
Mrs. Bocchcr knitting her brow, for no good
ever came out OF him."
Tho great preacher was always ready for a
joke. while Mrs. Beecher took everything seri-
ously. Speaking of his first charge at Lawrence.
bury, Ind, where his salary was $500 a year,
Mr.. Bcccher sud:
1--WE were awful poor there, wercn't we
mothorf"
I'VE might have been poorer. Henry said
Mrs. Beecher, smoothing out her apron.
Yes" continued Beccher, Two were so poor
that it was hard to get food to feed and wood to
warm mother and the babies
"Hcnry!' interrupted Mrs. Deechcr, with an
upward infection.
"Yos, we were 80 poor that I used to have to
catch Lockwood out of tho Ohio River. One day
when I was right in tho middle of n Sunday SER
mon, I looked out OF the window and saw the
foodwood going down. I remember how I
wanted to DO out there catching that wood"
what did you dor I asked.
"Why, / rushed that sermon through. broke
off the end Of 1t. and dismissed the congregation.
Then I called my deacons back, and we went
down to the river and got out loodwood enough
to last me three months" And then with a
laugh he glanced at Mrs. Beecher and said:
Didn't I, mother Z"
mo, Henry. you never did any such thing"
she said. biting her lips. How absurd"
Did you stay in Lawrenccburg long = Iasked.
"Oh. no. i soon had a six hundred call to
indianapolis, and l was glad to go. Mother had
just written a book on the trials Of a poor
preacher. and 1t was getting warm in Lawrence
burg. Mothers book was written 30 close to life
and was SO personal that we had to stop 1t, and
I've always been afraid that some publisher
would dig it up again.
"In Indianapolis" continued Mr.. Beecher. "a
grand thing happened to me that gave me my
first publicity. j was invited to preach the dedi-
cation sermon for the First Congregational
Church in Fort Wayne, and was TO be paid $25
for one sermon. This was an unheard-of price
for one talk at that time and it got into the
newspapers. Even editorials were written about
it. Then. OF course. all the papers printed tho
sermon-this twcnty-fve-dollar sermon-and 1
was n proud man.
% rode on horseback from indianapolis" con-
tinued Mr.. Beecher. and wore SO many holes
in the seat Of my homespun clothes that 1 was
afraid to go back and let mother
Henry interrupted Mrs. Beecher. conceal
well" continued Beecher. 81 had SO much
money that l concluded to ride my horse on up
to Toledo and take u boat to Buffalo and the
s sreat F. Pre SsW aeak; co j wanIea to w St11nd I 5as
there and was a lion. but my money was gone.
oh said. how shall I face mother when I
get home! l was appalled, at my own extrava-
gauge
How did You get out of it r. ! asked.
and then vent to pr. Prime q the he; 5 5S5sfrs rO and
money to lend. Then 1 offered to write letters
at a dollar a week. giving all the church news
II Prime would lend me money enough to get
l n0lm n You k know they = have paid me $500 a
for a dollar apiece r. I asked.
his s syes wins sei1 you %, about }nn it, !. said said Mr. Mr. B ,ssh,
TO write them, but Prime said he would consider
1t oyer night after consulting with his wife"
VI course Prime accepted your offerf' / sug-
No, he came back the next day. said Beecher
while n smile stole over his face, land said he
had given the proposition prayerful thought and
had come to the conclusion that they wouldn't
be worth it,"
One day the great preacher was reading some
Fee Feees s,ly dn 3bs notes nornst in 7. TIE Sun. Dropping
II wish Dana wouldn't say such severe things
about me. ] wish he would be kind to me-"
We'll" l replied. Mr.. Dana said in a lecture
recently that he thought il was right and
that the Lord permitted TO happen
YES and don't object othat." said Beecher.
yond the Lord. He publishes things that the
Lord didn't permit TO happen
Bayard Taylor. "Bayard," he said. ~ wish you
would give up. writing poetry and stick to lee
turing and writing about your travels. Your |
poetry will never make you famous"
II think differently" said Taylor II know
can write good poetry. At any rate. would
rather DO a third-class poet than a irst-class lee.
Well" said Beeeher. you ought to be happy
then-youre BOTH ELI ERKIN