The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-08-03
BEECHER As AN OPTIMIsT.

Whatever may be said against Henry
Ward Bccchor no one doubts that he was
a man OF brilliant mind. close student
OF the conditions OF the age In which ne
lived. Bocchcr was not forever harp
ing on the good old times. lie
believed that the times I'm which
ne lived were the best that the
world ever knew and that the condition
Of mankind was continually being i'm
proved. III you examine the tendency
or inventions and mechanical arts
said be- "you shall find that. although
they work for an men. they do not work
half SO much for the rich. the strong
and the wise. as they do for the poor, the
weak and the ignorant. There is not a
truckman in New York who does not live
better than Alexander lived. There IS
not scamstrcss who does not have on
nor table things that would have made
Queen Elizabeth stare. Take the bin of
provcndor. was going TO say. Of Shakes
pcare's time. You might almost call 1t
feeder II was so coarse, and so much
Ike ann ais food We should think
ourselves treated worse than the pris-
oncrs at Sing Sing. # We had 10 live as
the royalty did three or four hundred
years ago They would have been glad
90 live as our poor people live now, who
are clothed better than they were, who
nave better houses than they had. and
whose instruments Of labor necessiia,o
less drudgery than theirs did"
That speech was made in 1852. but what
would Mr.. Bccchor say il ne should re-
turn 90 the earth and sec the wonderful
proercss mat has been made since that
timer Invention has been very busy
during the past forty years. At the time
that Mr. Beecher wrote electricity was
I'm us infancy. We had no telephones
no electric cars. no electric motors, and
the prices OF all the commodities OF life
were very much higher than they are
to-day. The condition OF the working
man has been very much improved since
Mr.. Bcecher wrote and all classes OF
American citizens are enjoying far more
of the Injuries of life now than then.
Indeed things that were then consider
cd luxuries arg now regarded as necessi-
ties of lite and it cannot be disputed
that never before were the comforts and
Injuries ~ human life so cheap aud 30
generally enjoyed. Yet there are those
who sim cry calamity. who still say that
the poor are growing poorer and the rich
are growing richer and that the people
of this fair land are being down trod-
den by the money power.
Far Dee it from us 20 begrudge the poor
man mis- uxuries. We rejoice i'm the fact
that mxur.es are so cheap and that nie
is So enjoyable to every class. More
over. we believe that az the world pro-
crosses the condition Of the American
people will continue TO improve. We be-
ueve that the Iaborer is worthy of his
hire ana We rejoice that the wages
which "a man now receives will purchase
for him SO many blessings. But we sor-
row that I'm spite of these blessings the
people should complain. There IS grumo-
ling and there is discomfort where there
should be gratitude and rejoicing. II Us
a great privilege to live in this age Of
progress. The Almighty God has show
cred his blessings upon as and it is to
our shame that We should Dee nation
of erumblers and malcontents. Every
day iu the year should the rather Doe
dav of general Thanksgiving.