The Indianapolis journal., 1903-03-09

lures. First of ALL the citizens of the
Heights have petitioned the board of esti-
mate and the committee on local improve
ments 10 condemn the whole or part of the
block on which Plymouth Church is stu-
ated as a little public park, to be named the
henry Ward Beecher Park. In view of the
1naccessibility of Mr.. Beecher's grave, and
IN view OF his love of trees and flowers,
many favor the removal of Mr.. Beecher's
reamins TO this park. associated with the
great scenes of his life and the history of
liberty. 1t should be said that those who
favor this removal and those who oppose 1t
are in the proportion of about nine to one.
mortal Hall, for the people of the country,
to contain the pulpit from which Mr..
Beecher sold the slave girl, the pulpit from
which Lyman Beecher preached his sermon
on dueling the Sunday after the death of
Alexander Hamilton, and the sermon
Temperance which developed into the
Washington movement. with the manu-
scripts of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mr..
Beechers sister, together with the por-
traits, photographs, paintings of Mr.. Beech
er and the epochs in his life of which near
ly one hundred exist; to overture some Abb
bey or Sargent for series of paintings
portraying the great scenes in the history
of American patriotism. for example, Pat,
Gettysburg, Webster's reply TO Hayne,
some scene in the life of Alexander Hamil-
ton, and Mr.. Beechers sale OF the slave
girl in Plymouth Church.
ITO make this memorial hall of patriot
ism and to secure for ii a small endow-
ment fund by means of which the building
may be supported, and each winter a series
of lectures given the relation between
Christianity and free institutions, TO De
published annually and sent broadcast for
the incitement OF the love OF liberty IN the
children and youth of the country, and by
bringing in various objects from time TO
time that are related to liberty, to so en-
rich this building until it becomes a KIND OF
patriotic Mecca, to which the children and
youth of neighboring States shall come TO
feed their love of liberty and pledge them
selves anew to the cause of home and ma
tive land To use the twenty great WIN
dows in Plymouth Church itself for the
portrayal of the great leaders in the history
of liberty, from the time OF Paul, savanna
rola Luther, William the Silent Milton, the
Pilgrim Fathers. down to the days of Lin
coin and Beecher. If possible, also, to erect
a library building or clubhouse, in the inter-
est of the multitudes of young men and
women who now live on Brooklyn Heights,
and in this way to conserve Mr.. Beecher
spirit and work and so make this memorial
building one of the shrines OF patrlotlsm,
surpassed and equaled in interest only by
the tombs of Washington and Lincoln, and
buildings like the Old South Church and
independence Hall.
will be needed to carry out these plans and
support these buildings, in addition to the
sum the city must expend Tor concerning
the block in part in whole. 1t is obvious
ly impossible for the people or plymouth
Church to condemn this property and to
present public park to the people OF
fourths of all the money that has been
pledged has come from Plymouth Church,
but the executive committee DeIeves tnat
Mr.. Beechers name and work belong not 10
one church. but to the churches; not to one
denomination. but to Christianity; not TO
the CITY of Brooklyn, but TO the towns ana
cities of the entire country. "A man; dor,
merly from Pittsburg. has just cabled
gift of 81, 900 for the movement from Colom-
bo Ceylon. and another from bayfield,,
Wis. sent gift OF 500.
ySol;a IA
men i'm this country who owe TO Mr.. Beecn-
er's sermons lectures and DOCKS uept
which they can never repay, ana VINO, ia,Vs nav-
cities and States, should emulate the ex-
ample of the contributors. This Memorial
Hail of Patriotism is to belong TO the peo-
Me of Rrooklyn and New York, TO all citi-
Iens Catholic and Protestant. Jew and
GENTLE poor and rich alike. We hope there
will be found in various parts OF the couno
try some men who will give $5O,OcO or sN,UU
or $1,000 each, more who will give 5000
zach a hundred men who Will give Sl,vo
each a thousand men who Will give S5Vo, or
san0 or 500 or $50 each. There are minis
tarS and teachers and fathers and mothers
Who have received from Mr.. Beecher words
Of comfort and inspiration, and If only they
uiII not ask some else to pay their
daht hut will Immediately sit down and
send the committee S. or 81 for themselves.
the committee feels that IL would nave
n,opev enough to erect a series or Dullu-
ings and memorials, and to carry on ma
tionai movement in the interests of the love
of native land and country that would be OF
unreasonable benefit to TINS RepuDnc.
Dr Gunsaulus followed DIR. Hills. he
said in part: .It is the West of John
Brown that stood shudderingly before the
curse and blight or slavery that stIetcnes
itS warm hand to you tonight and says:
.iet us get to work and build this memorial
to Mr. Beecher.' All nature must open be-
tore this shrine because ii was he that gave
ms impulse toward the study of nature
Mr. Beecher's sermons carried all the sweet
incense of the sanctuary Let US make TINS
memorial a continuous sermon. MI
Reecher's political sermons had such root
in religious ideal that they can never fade
away This tomb will be at once hope
and a history. Here at this shrine civil
liberty will be ever perpetuated.
At the conclusion of the address sub,
| scription for the Beecher memorial fund
| was started by Mrs. w. c. Wallace, with
| a contribution of $4,000. Other contributors
were Henry w. Phipps. $1,000: DR.. Rossiter
w Raymond. $500, and John Arbuckle,
5000. The total amount of the subscrip-
| tions was not announced.