The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-08-09
MEMORIES OF LYMAN BEECHER
Some Interesting Notes About the Fa
mons Old Divine

Some Interesting Notes About the Fa-
nous Old Divine.
The first time I saw that venerable
man was at my fathers house in Ham
ilton, o., to which he came from Gin
einnati, where he then lived. by stage
coach. A very little shaver I was then
and felt quite afraid at first of so stern
looking man as he seemed to be. At
ter the heartiest of greetings, for he
and my father were old friends, they
sat together in our modest parlor con-
versing freely, when father was called
out of the room for something The
grave man saw me sitting in a corner
on my little stool, called me to him,
took me in his lap, asked my name, and
very soon we were the best of friends.
l asked him if he had any little boys.
"Oh, yes he said, land big ones too"
He then took from his pocket a kite
string and gave it to me, and what a
long one it Was l ran and found my
little brother Tommy; shortly we had
that string unwound and l am very
sure that a cord which would reach
from the top of Trinity church steeple
to the head of Wall street would not
seem as long to US now as that one did
then. Two very happy boys the good
mans gift made that day. The impress
sion fastened upon my childhood mem
Dry then and there, which l can never
forget, though not conscious of 1t at the
time, was that of strength, force and
power. The firm lines about his mas
sive face made you feel that you were
in the presence of a master. He was
| indeed a power in the land for full for
| ty years. His six Sermons on Tenn
perance," delivered, / think, in 1929
| have nevr been surpassed, rarely
| equaled, and are to-day published In a
small volume as part of our standard
| temperance literature. In those 'goOt
old times 1t was no very uncomnioi
thing thing for clergyman to get 6
bit groggy or trife tight" and DR.
Beecher was one Of the very first to re-
buke and strike sledge hammer blow:
against It,
| And what a revivalist he was. TIVE
long sermons day would he preach fol
a month together and never seem to b
/! tired. A splendid physique he had
with great vital force, and was too wis.,
| to abuse it. Outlines at night, afte
| preaching red-hot revival sermon, HI
would before retiring take his violin
and while it's strings were UP to con
cert pitch, he would let himself clea
down by playing such tunes as TIL
Devils Dream" Sailors Hornpipe,
| Cinderella Waltz" etc, and thorough
ly relax all the mental strings he wa
the owner of. An example many
poor, weary minister might we'll follow
even now.
man more original 1t would be har,
to find. AS an eminent brother minis
ter once said Of him. "He initiated n
one, and was himself inimitable ." Yer.
eccentric, too, as all who knew hiT
well could testify, he always had wa
of his own and that way, like himself
was original, fact that no one coul
deny or gainsay.
His second courtship terminated in
manner sui generis. There is no othe
like 1t on record since Noah left the arl
or before either. for that matter. Afte
brief period of wooing, and h
thought there had been talking enough
his short, sharp, decisive way of doin
, things came to the front. Early on
morning he called on the lady fair h
wished to we'd and after the usual sal
utation, without wasting moment /
preliminaries, said, well, Miss P. "
come to see IL you'll marry me; will yo
do it?" Eyes, SIR was the prompt re
Spouse. Let us pray!" and suiting tn
!, action to the word, they both kne
down and the good man poured forth
most fervent prayer that God woul
bless that union abundantly to his hor
or and glory and their own true usefu
ness and happiness. And how ths
: prayer was answered the world we
knows. AS part of the fruit of that ur
ion his two most illustrious childre
e were born. Henry and Harriet,-tf
: one the greatest preacher America ha
yet produced, and the other the autht
!, of Uncle Toms Cabin" Well has
e been said that Lyman Beecher was TT
father of more brains" than any othe
man in America.
/ In 1926 when the "battle of the g
| ants" was fought in Boston betwee
r Unitarianism and Trinitarianism, d
r Claiming led the hosts on one SIDE an
D DR.. Beecher on the other. That the VII
/ tory was on the side of the latter got
without saying.
When Dr. Beecher was at Lane sem
!, nary, the celebrated Kentucky d1Vln