The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-20
How He Became an Aboliiionist, Cry.
ing Out Against Slavery.
His Clever Scheme to Raise Money to
Ransom a Slave Girl.
Text Of Sermon Delivered Last Night
BY Rev. SheIlenberger.
From Mondays Daily.

his text the sixth chapter of Isaiah, re-
lating to the divinely inspired dream |
which that prophet received and which |
led him to labor for the reformation OF
Israel, whose government was at that
time thoroughly corrupt. Henry Ward
Beecher may be ikened to the prophet,
Isaiah. Beecher, too, seemed to be di-
vinely inspired to work a great reforma-
ton.
The life of Henry Ward Beecher is
seen in all its greatness today far bet
ter than in the time in which he lived.
1t is true of the life of a great man, as
well as of anything else, that distance
lends enchantment to the view" One
must stand thirteen miles off from the
base of the Alps before one can see the
top. Similarly, one must be at some dis
lance in time from great mans life to
see the top of his character.
Rev. Shellenberger remarked that the
life of Beecher and his own overlapped
some years. The pastor remembered in
his young days of hearing vast amount
of abuse heaped upon that great reform
er. The life of every man with posi-
tive character is bound to stir up ene-
mics against him. A man is known by
his enemies as well as by his friends.
1t is compliment to man to have
certain kind of people for his enemies.
Henry Ward Beecher was born at
Litchfeld, Conn.,, June "a, 1913. In 1884
he graduated from Amherst college.
Three years later he graduated from
the Lane Theological seminary at Cinein-
natl. He then took pastorate for the
period of two years at Lawrenceburg
near Cincinnati.
By inheritance and PARENTAL train
ing Beecher was far from being an abo-
litionist. His father, who was a profess
sor in Lane seminary, was radical pro-
slavery man. The son had been raised to
believe that slaverey was proper in
stitution.
While young Beecher was at Amherst
college he was one day chosen to take
the side against slavery in a debate up
on it's propriety. AS he worked up his
side of the debate in his eagerness to
win the prize he became more and more
convinced that his side of the question
was the righteous side. From that time
ON he was an anti-slavery man.
While in Lane Theological seminary he
began to write articles against slavery,
articles which were printed on the press
of Mr.. Bailey at Cincinnati. Cincinnati
was at that time hotbed of pro-slav-
cry sentiment. The city was thrown in
to an uproar of excitement. Mr.. Bailey's
press was thrown into the river. The
mayor called in special police to help
keep order. Beecher himself became a
special police officer and walked up and
down the streets in the uniform of an Of
! fcer of the law
Mr.. Beecher did not feel at home in his
pastorate at Lawrenceburg. The people
there did not seem to care whether slav-
| cry existed or not. He was glad to ac-
cept call to Presbyterian pulpit at
Indianapolis, Ind. Here he remained
| nine years. It was here that he became
one of the conductors of the under
ground railroad, that cooperative plan
of the abolitionists, whereby slaves who
had escaped across the Ohio river were
taken by night from hiding place to hid
ing place, until they were at length
landed safely in Canada, where they
could no longer be pursued. Over in
Ohio, Prof. Stowe, his brother in law,
was doing the same thing. Many peo-
pie called upon Beecher to desist from
his illegal practice. Beecher cared not
if he was violating man-made law, as
long as he did so in obedience to the di-
| dine law, which teaches that all men are
children of God and brothers, and no
man has a right to sell his brother into
slavery.
1t was in this underground railway"
practice that the data were obtained,
whence was written that world-famous
literary production, "Uncle Toms Cab
in.''
Beecher's next call was to the Congre-
gational pulpit at Brooklyn Tabernacle.
He had been getting into theological diff
fculties with the Presbyterians, so he
turned to the Congregational denomi-
nation, with the idea that in that field
he would find more liberality. At Brook
| Ign Tabernacle he remained fourteen
years. The mighty city of Brooklyn, at
first stood almost to man against him
in his anti-slavery agitation. People soon
began to oppose, threaten and prosecute
him. Many day he walked up and
down the main thoroughfares with his
hand on a revolver. He would for years
not dare to walk upon the streets at
night unattended or unarmed.
A practice arose during these years
of people circulating subscription papers
to buy the freedom of this or that in
dividual slave. Beecher took advantage
of this practice to arouse the conscience
of the people. Beecher had received a