Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-09
70 HONOR B[[CH[R.
Mass Meeting at Brooklyn For
Purpose of Raising Funds
For Memorial
GROVER CLEVELAND SPEAKS
The Great Man UIosized In Glowing
Terms BY The President-PIans OF
The Proposed Memorial Building To
Be Enriched In Memory Of Beecher's
Work.

\
Work.
Brooklyn, March "a great mass
injecting was held in the Academy or
Music in Brooklyn las. night for the
purpose of raising funds to erect a
memorial in honor OF Henry Ward
Beecher, the founder of Plymouth
church, and for forty years its pastor.
Many hundreds who We've turned away
from the doors gathered at an overflow
injecting in Plymouth church. Mayor
Seth Low presided and among the prom
|nent persons who paid tribute to the
memory of the great preacher were
Former President Cleveland, Justice ID.
7. Brewer of the United States supreme
court, the Rev. Newell Dwight Hills
|of Plymouth church. and the Rev.
Frank W. Gunsaulus OF Chicago.
The meeting was opened with prayer
by the Rev. DR.. Reese Of Macon. Ga,
and the Rev. DIR. Dickey of the Ameri-
can church in Berlin. E'avorite hymns
were rendered by the Plymouth choir.
Mayor Low delivered the introduce
tory address and then introduced For
mer President Cleveland.
Mr.. Cleveland spoke in terms OF the
highest eulogy of the career of Mr..
Beecher, referring among other things
to sermon he heard in Plymouth
church more than forty-5ine years ago
"a sermon whose impressiveness has
remained fresh and bright in my mind
during all the time that has since
passed"
Referring to hero worship, Mr.. Cleve-
land said: 1T has been wisely said
that hero worship will endure while
man endures.. Let me accept this as a
Pleasant truth-upon the condition that
the manner of their worship, are the
very essence of the matter. Let us be-
lieye that there is no So 1der symptom
CT generations bad moral health than
it lack of f:,itn in its great men and its
loss of reverence for its heroes; but
let this belief be coupled with the res
clvation that those called great shall be
truly great. and that thu heroes chal-
heroic, measured by standards adjusted
to the highest moral conditions of mans
civilization.
I'VE desire to establish a memorial of
our hero. We know that there is no
need of duplicating a reminder that
Henry Ward Beecher has lived and is
10 longer with us in the body.
I'VE seek to build memorial which
shall be a shriWe, surrounded and per-
vaded by our hero's influences and spirit,
inspiring all who worship there to no.
BILE deeds. We would invite to this
shrine from near and far those whose
hearts have been touched by his earnest
tones. If happily they might hear again
his words of love and comfort, and we
would invite those WHO have never
known his ministrations TO come, and.
standing within the influence of that
sacred place. to fsel it's gentle leading
to better and more useful life.
"Our hero has himself declared in
what manner his shrine should be APP
proached:
"'When fall and am BURIED in
Greenwood let no man dare to stand
over the turf and say here lies Henry
will not lie there. Look up. If you lovs
me. and If you feel that have helped
you on your way home, stand with your
foot on my turf and look up, for 1 will
rot hear anybody who Gees not speak
with his mouth towards heaven
1T is entirely manifest that we can
build no memorial shrine to our hero
which will attract his favor and the
ipresence of his spirit without making
plymouth church part OF it. No place
on earth is SO pervaded by his spiritual
influence, and his love and affection for
Ilearthly things has no abiding place
more than this. plymouth church was
|erected by and for him. During more
than forty years, and even to the day
|of his death. it was an engrossing SUBJ
ject of his devotion, and the scene of his
anxious. self-sacrificing labors and joy
full triumphs. Living, his nama and
fame could never be separated from 1t;
and dead he has sanctifieG 1t.
IF our work of building memorial
to our hero is prosecuted in the spirit
that characterized his work on earth,
and if We mingle with the love we have
for his memory a serious purpose to
y u
worship will be inspiring and elevating.
III. invoking his approval and in his
name, we extend his life work, we shall
not only exemplify our affection for
him, but shall follow the designs of God
as they were revealed to him; and if
lat the shrine we erect humanity shall
look up and shall cast off its burden of
sin and selfishness and uncharitable-
ness. we shall know that our hero is
there, and that thru his intercessions
our efforts have received a divine bless
ing"
Mr.. Cleveland was followed by JUS
tice Brewer, of the United States SUI
preme court.
The Rev. Newell Dewight Hills, pas
tor of Plymouth church, then outlined
the scope of the Beecher memorial
movement, and the plans of the COM
mittee in part as follows:
This movement to build some MEM
oral to Henry Ward Beecher grew
out of a striking emergency. AS you
all know his old church, Plymouth, is
in down town district While in the
present the church is not suffering from
the incoming of business, the time is
not far off when commerce is to crowd
out the churches back to the residence
district, several miles away, while there
is imminent danger that the great