Evening journal., 1912-09-24
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Henry Ward BeeCher'S An
Swer to a Question Often
Asked Him
BY Holland.


Henry Ward Beecher was many
times asked, not only by members Of
his famous congregation Of Plymouth
Church, but by acquaintances or
friends he met upon his journeys,
whom he regarded as the ahlest and
most influential preacher of his time.
BY preacher his questioners meant
the writer of addresses delivered
from the pulpit.
Mr.. Becher was careful always to
evade answer to this oft repeated
question. IL was sometimes thought
that he did this because he was aware
that If he was reported as having said
that this or that clergyman was the
ahlest preacher he had known, then
jealousy might be aroused in the
minds of those who regarded some
other than the preacher he named as
the ablest pulpit orator Once, in an
swer to a question of this kind, Mr..
Beecher skllfully lodged by saying:
''Why, there are so many of them
that Il would take me a long time
to mention the names"
At last however Mr.. Beecher did,
I'm very dramatic and effective man
ner, say to some of those who we're
very near to him that he had discov-
cred upon a certain day the most pro-
foundly able writer and deliverer Of
sermons whom, in his view, the En-
glish speaking race had produced in
modern times.
One of Henry Ward Beecher's older
brothers was Edward Beecher. He
was for ten years a pastor in Boston.
Five of these ten years he was in
service as pastor of the famNIs Park
Street Church, which TANKS a part OF
| Boston Common. On account of the
rigid orthodoxy which always pre-
vailed in the pulpit and among the
congregation of that church, the spot
upon which It stood was frequently
designated. and is even to this day,
as birthstone Corner" Five other
years Edward Beecher was pastor of
another orthodox church in Boston.
A year or two after the close of
the civil war. and at the time when
Henry Ward Beecher's reputation
was at its climax, on account of the
brilliant speeches he had made in
behalf of the American Union in
| England. Edward Beecher visited
Brooklyn. His brother Henry asked
him to preach at a Sunday morning
service at Plymouth Church, and Ed
ward consented.
Upon the appointed Sunday Henry
Ward Beecher and his brother Ed
ward came 20 the Plymouth Church
pulpit platform from the vestibule at
the rear Of the platform Mr.. Beecher
conducted the preliminary services,
and then he introduced his brother
Edward to the Plymouth Church con-
gregation as the preacher of the
morning.
II was observed that Henry Ward
Beecher, within a few minutes after
his brother began reading from a
written manuscript seemed to be-
come completely absorbed in the
sermon. At first he sat little &c
the rear of the pulpit, but after few
minutes moved his chair to a poin
where he could get a good side view
OF his brother. There he sat abso
lutely motionless during the rest ol
the sermon. his eyes fixed upon his
brother like a man in a trance
All the rest of that day Henry
Ward Beecher was observed to be
very silent, appearing to be mental
ly absorbed in some overwhelming
thought. At last. in the evening, he
was asked if he had anything on his
mind.
yes" no replied, but it is I
beautiful thing. / have been asked
many times whom I regarded as tn
most profoundly able and brillian
preacher OF my day. / was neve
prepared to answer that question
But now have the answer ready. o
all the sermons that / have heard o
read. think none equals in present
ing completely to the understanding
even of a child, the profound an
sublime truths Of the Christian reli
gion, and that too, without any ap
peal to theology, the sermon dc
livered by my brother Edward thi
morning.
81 place the crown upon m
brother Edwards head"
And these words were spoken b
man who was, from the time h
entered Plymouth pulpit as pastor
the church until his death, esteeme
the greatest pulpit orator the Chris
tan church in the United States ha
known since Jonathan Edwards da,
Copyright, 1912, by II. ]. Edward
All rights reserved).