The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1913-01-02

! DO YOUR LEVEL BEST. !

BY E. Z. Lewis. Sioux City. Ia

W 1UUR LEVEL BEST. y
BY E. E. Lewis. Sioux City. IL.
HENRY WARD REEcHER.
Henry Ward Beecher had attained
reputation in this country-at least i,
New York-as a great preacher pra-
vious to 1863. but it was his missinr
to Great Britain in that year whtch
gave him a national and internationni
fame. AA'
1t was said by those who Opposed
MI. Lincoln's administration thai
Beecher wa sent and paid by the
government to create sentiment fnr
the north. Had that been true tina
result would have amply Justified the
measure. But it was not true. M
Beecher went of his own motion and
at least so far as the government
knows, at his own private expense. Rmt
he had it in his heart to attempt great
things for his country.
Great Britain had freed her own
slaves years before. But Wilberforce
was dead and a new King arose who
knew not Joseph"-King Cotton. The
looms of Lancashire with tens Of
thousands of operatives We're abso-
lutely dependent upon the cotton Of
the southern states. AS month after
month passed and the severity o, enc
cotton" bore harder n harder, the
pAS Vi Ilc1IIClicStGT became lnSln-
portable, and Mr.. Gladstone-just man
though he was-could no longer see his
own people starving without making
the effort they desired. So the British
cabinet was preparing to recognize the
c~onfederacy and get slave grown cot
ton although the pride of England was
that n slave could breathe the air
of Britain without becoming a free
man.
Mr.. Beechcr went at this critical
1uncture to marshal the conscience Of
Great Britain upon the question of
slavery, to set England against her
self, to contrast the spirit of the Ala
bama and 1863 with that of 80 years
before; to appeal from Philip drunk
to Philip SOBER" and right grandly did
ne accomplish his mission. When he
arrived there he found the feeling so
strong against US that he could with
dlfflculty obtain cave to speak. He
stood before a bowling mob in that
great Manchester gathering and de-
clared that he would not leave until
though sometimes the reporters were
the only ones quiet enough to catch
his words. But those six u,arvelous
addresses went u through the land
and laid hold of the bettes heart of
the people. Queen Victoria read them.
n learning that her cabinet intended
the recognition of the c~onfederacy, she
sent the premier an emphatic message
saving that she never would acknowl-
edge a nation whose corner stone was
slavery.
Great Britain's recognition of the
co%nfederacy would have meant to Mr..
Davis government what the of
France did to the colonies in the revo-
| luton. The value of Mr.. Beecher's
services cannot be the subject of cold
mathematical calculation, but when
he threw all that was best of him
every fiper of nerve and heart and
soul-into that great struggle, and
With such wonderful success, he surely
earned the lasting gratitude of his
country.
WiLBERFoRcE.
Some 60 years or more ago. George
Barnett. a young Scotch mason. came
to America. He had quarried granite
at Aberdeen and built sea walls
against the raging of the North At
lantic. Landing at Quebec he found
the government wrestling with the prob
lem of building a new customs ware
house. the foundation for which must
be laid In the water where the tide
came to a great height oftentimes, and
swept back with the force Of an ava
lanche.
Several contractors had failed by
reason of he receding waters shifting
the blocks Of one. The commissions
ers We're at their wits END, and young
Barnett offering to undertake the lob,
was at once given a chance. unknown
though he was. He employed his men.
procured his material and soon the
great blocks were disappearing be-
meath the surface of the water. The
payments came regularly for a while,
put as week after week passed and
Nothing appeared above the surface.
the commissioners, recurring to their
previous experience, declined to ad-
vance any more money until they
could see something above water. Bar
nett knew the work was going all right
out he could not convince them.
evening came on with no
money to pay his men and Barnett sat
upon a block Of stone with face rest
ing In his hands as he gloomily con-
templated the situation.
Suddenly he was aroused by sons
one putting a hand upon his shoulder.
LOOKING up he met the kindly smile
OF an old gentleman VINO said, my
young friend, you seem to be in trou-
Die, what Is the matter?"
encouraged by the question and the
p~enevoient appearance of the man.
Barnett opened his heart and told him
.me Wnole story, ending with the
moLus' - knoW the foundation is all
Tlgnt. put they will advance no more
money and i cannot go on. / am
ruined Ill money and in business repu-
t%ation."
mot at ALL was the Cheerful, re-
Ply. HOW soon do you think you can
pring the walls to the ~surface?" Bar
nett told him, M his interlocutor
taxing a card from his pocket. wrote
a rev words upon it and handed it
10 MIN saying. IT have been watching
you TOT some days. as those great
L Stones hq We hanr