Year: 1876




The Advisory Council delivered itself last
evening of the result of its deliberations,
supporting Plymouth church in its applica-
ton of its disciplinary rules, and coupling
with the report proposition to form COM
mittee of five for full and final inquiry into
the reeking scandal. We shall see
how this is met by Plymouth church
and by Mr.. Beecher. The country
is under the impression that the truth has
no. been known. Here is chance to place
the perjury and hypocrisy where they be-
long and to say whether the once universally
revered pastor is an adulterer or simply
gushing blunderer with q heart too large for
his head. This as to the scandal but, no
matter what the issue of the inquiry, Mr.
Beechers usefulness as Christian minister
is at an end. 1t cannot be restored. He
mourns for himself as one about to
die. He has evaporated himself into
what he terms an idea. He is now at
the time of life when he cannot retrieve the
errors which. by his own confession, he has
made in this business. He may keep
Plymouth church but that is only frac-
ton of what was wont to be the religious and
intellectual dominion of Henry Ward
Beecher. If he were animated by high and
delicate sense of what was due from Chris
tian minister to his denomination and to the
Church at large he would retire. But if he
chooses to preach and there are those who
take comfort in his preaching why
further meddle with the matter, unless,
as we have said, there can be some
Congregational method for doing what
jury could not do-namely, find
out the exact truth? AS for Mr.. Moulton,
his position is cruel one; but as he sought
it he may feel that what he suffers now is the
result of the years of dissimulation which he
admitted under oath to have practised to
prevent the truth being known. AS for Mr..
Tilton he has made a great deal of money,
which no one, we are sure, will begrudge
him, all things considered. AS for Mr..
Bowen, the astounding fact that he for years
lived in intimate relations with a pastor he
believed to be guilty of shameful crimes and
turned that pastors genius into a news
paper profit will eliminate much of the
sympathy that would otherwise be felt for
him. If Plymouth believes in its pastor
who shall chide it? But the outside
world is not under the dominion of the
genius of Henry Ward Beecher. The out
side world does not witness these dramatic
exhibitions which take place every Sunday.
All we know is that Brooklyn Heights are
noxious with crime. No matter what the
truth is, there have been perjury and false
pretence and hypocrisy. Who is the sinner,
or rather, what is the measure of sin that we
must lay at each particular door? Moulton
swears that he equivocated for years Bowen
swears that he is hypocrite. Beecher swears
that he took away wife's affections. Tilton
swears that after forgiving wife whose para
mour gave him money he published her
shame to the world and brought disgrace to
his children for rehabilitation. In all this
whirlwind of defamation, ignominy and
crime, what is the truthP Let all who know
anything relating to the scandal now come
forward and speak. 1t is not question of
ecclesiastical discipline, but one of truth,
and silence is crime.