Read Ebook: A Biography of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher by Beecher H W Mrs Beecher William Constantine Scoville Samuel

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Ebook has 2718 lines and 299515 words, and 55 pages

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Ancestry--Beecher--Ward--Foote--The Anvil--The 17-29 Oak--Courtship and Marriage of Lyman Beecher and Roxana Foote--Home at East Hampton, Long Island--Removal to Litchfield, Connecticut

Litchfield--Situation--Natural Features--Early 30-45 Settlers--Social and Moral Advantages--Patriotism--North Street described--The Beecher Home--Birth of Henry Ward--The Times at Home and Abroad--His Birth-Mark

Early Glimpses--Recollections of the Mother--Going to 46-71 School at Ma'am Kilbourne's--His First Letter--District School--The Coming of the New Mother--His First Ride on Horseback--A Merry Household--Fishing Excursions--Minister's Wood-Spell--Saturday Night--Going to Meeting--The Puritan Sabbath--The Cold of Litchfield Hill--Rats--Work--The Catechism--Formative Influences--Summing Up

Boyhood--Sent to School at Bethlehem--The Widow 72-81 Ingersoll's--Failure--A Champion--Sent to Catharine Beecher's School in Hartford--Humorous Incidents--Religious Experience

Boston--Home Atmosphere--Various Experiences--Ethics 82-92 rubbed in by a Six-pound Shot--Discontent--Makes up his Mind to go to Sea--To Study Navigation--Picture of his Life in Boston

School-Life at Mount 93-108 Pleasant--Mathematics--Elocution--Testimony of Classmates--Religious Experiences--Troubles--A Romantic Friendship--Another Kind--Letter of Reminiscence--A Royal School-Boy

Amherst College--Private Journal--Testimony of 109-135 Classmates--Tutor's Delight--Begins his Anti-Slavery Career--Spiritual Darkness--Engagement--Letters of his Mother--Experiences in Teaching School--First Sermons--Lecturing--His Reading--The Record

Lane Seminary--Dr. Beecher Called--Home at Walnut 136-156 Hills--Amusing Incidents--Family Meeting--Death of Mrs. Beecher--Extracts from Journal--First Mention of Preaching in the West--Experience in Ecclesiastical Matters--Despondency--Meeting of Synod--Influences of the Times--Revulsion--A Rift along the Horizon--"Full iolly Knight"

Call to Preach--License--Examination by Miami 157-180 Presbytery--Refusal to Subscribe to Old School--Ordination by Oxford Presbytery--Visit East--Marriage--Housekeeping

The New Field--Growth of Influence--Social Life--The 181-209 Secret of Effective Preaching--Editorial Labors--Lectures to Young Men--Call to Brooklyn--Departure

Invitation to come East--Call to Plymouth 210-224 Church--Friendly Misgivings--Plainly Outlining his Views--Early Success--Plymouth Burned--Preaching in the Tabernacle

Plymouth Church--The New Building--Sabbath 225-232 Service--Prayer-Meeting--Weekly Lecture--Socials--Church Polity--The Pastor's Policy

Beginning of the Great Battle--Five Great 233-270 Eras--Compromise Measures of 1850--"Shall We Compromise"--The Fugitive Slave Law denounced--Right of Free Speech defended--Commercial Liberty--Fighting Caste--Liberty of the Pulpit defended--Quickness of Retort--Sentiment of the Times--Reaction--Visit of Kossuth--Election of 1852--The Parker Controversy--Degraded into Liberty--John Mitchel--Garrison--Close of this Era

The Battle renewed--Repeal of the Missouri Compromise 271-291 proposed--The Struggle in Congress--Mr. Beecher's Appeals--The Battle lost in Congress is transferred to the Territories--Forces engaged--Kansas War--Dred Scott Decision--Mr. Beecher's Defence of Kansas--"Beecher's Bibles"--Charles Sumner attacked in the Senate--The Fremont Campaign--The Dog Noble

Remarkable Experiences--The Edmonson Sisters--Pinky and 292-308 her Freedom-Ring--Slave Auction in Plymouth Church--John Brown--The Wrong and Right Way--Election of Abraham Lincoln--Secession--Buchanan's Fast

First Voyage to England--Extracts from Diary--Warwick 339-349 Castle--Stratford-on-Avon--The Skylark--Oxford--Bodleian Library--London--Old-time Sadness--Paris--Catch-Words from Diary--Effect of Picture-Gallery--The Louvre--His Return

Church and Steamboat--Jenny Lind--Hospitality--Colonel 350-395 Pertzel--The Family--Twins--Medicine--Giving Counsel--For the Sailor--An Absurd Story contradicted--Salisbury--Trouting--Death of Alfred and Arthur--Letters to his Daughter at School--Lenox--Equivocal Honors declined--The Pulpit--"Plymouth Collection"--"Shining Shore"--A Church Liturgy--Courting with his Father's old Love-letters--1857 a Year of Trial--Matteawan--Visit to Litchfield--1858 a Year of Harvest--Revival Meetings--Hospitality of Plymouth Church--Courtesy to Errorists--New Organ--Peekskill--Letters to his Daughter abroad--Marriage of his Daughter--Lecturing--Title of D. D. declined--Flowers in Church--Christian Liberty in the use of the Beautiful--His two Lines of Labor

Visit to England in 1863--The Need of Rest--Condition of 396-407 Affairs at Home--Arrival at Liverpool--Refusal to Speak--Visit to the Continent--Reception by the King of Belgium--Civil War discussed--News of Victories--Return to England

Facing the Mob in Manchester--Glasgow--Edinburgh--Desperate Attempts to break Mr. Beecher down at 408-442 Liverpool--Victory in London

Close of the War--Distrust of the 443-456 Administration--Kindlier Feelings after Mr. Beecher's Return from England--Growing Confidence--Intimacy with Secretary Stanton--Fort Sumter--Lee's Surrender--Lincoln's Death

Reconstruction--Mr. Beecher favors speedy 457-478 Readmission--Soldiers' and Sailors' Convention at Cleveland--The "Cleveland Letters" cause great Excitement

The "Silver Wedding" of Plymouth Church--Children's 479-487 Day--Services in the Church--Reunion of old Members--Historical Reminiscences--Dr. Storrs's Tribute

After-Effects--Charges against Tilton--Advisory 523-536 Council--Investigating Committee called by Mr. Beecher--Its Report--Dropping Mr. Moulton--Council called by Plymouth Church

After-Effects of the Conspiracy--Calling Council of 537-563 1876--Principle of Selection--Mr. Beecher cautions his Church--Bowen Reappears; Proposes a Secret Tribunal--Mr. Beecher's Reply--Bowen Dropped by Plymouth Church--Deliverance of Council sustaining Plymouth--Mr. Beecher's Persecutors Denounced--Special Tribunal

Rest and renewed Activity--Lecturing Tours--Resignation 564-570 from the Congregational Association--Boston Criticisms

Attacking Corrupt Judges--Interest in Political 571-587 Questions--Advocating Arthur's Renomination--Opposing Blaine--Supporting Cleveland--Campaign of 1884--After the Battle

A Preacher--His Place--His Training--His Estimate of the 588-613 Work--Defects--Effectual Call--Upon Drawing an Audience--His Theory--Preparation--Results--A Theologian--His Orthodoxy--Evolution--Ordinances--Christian Unity--Sectarianism--Peacemaker

Love of the Country--Communion with Nature--Farming at 614-638 Salisbury--Lenox--Matteawan--The Peekskill Farm

Home Life--Love of Children--His Method of Training and 639-664 Education--Formation of Library and Art Collection--Personal Traits

Appendix 687

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PREFACE.

A few months prior to his death our father undertook the preparation of his Autobiography. This was earnestly encouraged by his family, who shared with the public the desire that he should tell the tale of his life in his own words, giving those pictures of his inner self, the impressions made on him by his varying experiences, that he alone could give, and which, to a large extent, he alone knew. Confiding and free-spoken as he was in his joys, in his griefs he withdrew within himself, bearing in patient silence a load of sorrow unknown even to those nearest to him. But it was not to be. He had only jotted down a rough outline of his plan, and written a part of an intermediate chapter, when he laid down his pen for a little rest, never to be resumed again.

In his contract with our publishers but a single volume of not less than six hundred pages was contemplated. Unconscious of its magnitude, we undertook to complete the contract. Accepting the limitations of a single volume, we began to collect the necessary material, and, when too late to change the form of the work, discovered that two volumes would hardly contain the history as it opened up to us, so closely interwoven has his life been with the nation's history, and so full of important incidents. In the work of condensation, to bring our story within the space prescribed, we found it necessary to omit many of his letters, hoping that in the not far-distant future we might publish a supplemental volume containing all of his important correspondence.

The book before us we have sought, as far as possible, to make autobiographic, telling the tale in our father's words; happily the many letters furnished us by friends, or retained in the family, his public writings and utterances, supplemented by the many personal reminiscences which he gave us at various times, has enabled us to do so to a large extent.

We are fully conscious of the imperfect manner in which we have woven these quotations into our story; the ordinary writer who attempts to connect with his words those glowing sentences white-hot with his fiery indignation against slavery, or his eloquent appeal to the English public for fair-dealing, or the brilliant play of wit and fancy in his more humorous utterances, can hope, at the most, to give but a respectable background that may aid by contrast.

We have sought to make this book a truthful history from the beginnings of his life, through boyhood, manhood, and ripened age, to the end, omitting no important period, though passing innumerable incidents.

A man loving peace, he reached peace only through war. From his early manhood he was called to meet in deadly combat the great sins of the nation. Through his life, at different times, he met and overcame bitter and deadly assaults made upon him.

In our narration of these events we have had no revenge to gratify nor theory to maintain. We have tried to give only facts, omitting deductions or conclusions, leaving each reader to draw his own inferences. If parts of our narrative bear hardly on any, it is only the pressure of the facts which cannot be suppressed in any fearless, truthful portrayal of our father's life. We do not make them; we merely state them.

We would acknowledge our indebtedness to the many friends who have kindly furnished letters and reminiscences, but especially to our mother, whose memory, running back along the paths they travelled for so many years together, has given to us much that never would otherwise have been known.

If our readers get from a perusal of these pages a tithe of the comfort and inspiration which we have obtained from their preparation, we shall feel that our work has not been in vain.

If they can see something of the fearlessness for right, the patience under unjust suffering, the inextinguishable love for fellow-men, and the abiding faith in God, that has been revealed by a study of his life even to us, who knew him best, we shall be satisfied.

W. C. BEECHER, SAMUEL SCOVILLE.

BROOKLYN, March 12, 1888.

Ancestry--Beecher--Ward--Foote--The Anvil--The Oak--Courtship and Marriage of Lyman Beecher and Roxana Foote--Home at East Hampton, Long Island--Removal to Litchfield, Connecticut.

Henry Ward Beecher used to say that the first thing for a man to do, if he would succeed in life, is to "choose a good father and mother to be born of." He himself was eminently wise, or fortunate, as the case may be, in this matter.

"My earthly life," he says, "was given me by two of the best folks that ever lived on earth." His father, Lyman Beecher, was one of the leading preachers, reformers, and controversialists of his day. Sturdy in body and mind, full of sensibility, aflame with enthusiasm, devoted to the highest aims and utterly unselfish in life, a Christian in whom deep spirituality and strong common sense were happily blended, he was just the man to transmit excellent qualities to his children; a father to be enjoyed while living, and to be remembered with love and reverence after his death.

Of him his son says: "While he was eloquent and among the foremost speakers of his day, I remember particularly that I never heard from him a word of uncharitableness, nor saw a symptom of envy or jealousy, or aught else but the most enthusiastic love of men, and of young men and young ministers; and knowing him in the household, I have yet to know another person that was so devoid of the inferior feelings and so eminent in the topmost feelings of human nature."

Lyman's father's name was David, a well-read, clear-headed man, with decided opinions upon the questions of the day; one with whom Roger Sherman delighted, upon his return from Congress, to talk over the business of the session and discuss public affairs. He kept college students as boarders, that he might enjoy their conversation, and made himself proficient in many of their studies. Of him his son said: "If he had received a regular education he would have been equal to anybody." He was both blacksmith and farmer, and had the reputation of "raising the nicest rye and making the best hoes in New England."

Lyman Beecher's mother was a Lyman, a woman "of a joyous, sparkling, hopeful temperament." Her grandfather was a Scotchman, thus giving a little Gaelic blood to the veins of her descendants. In his autobiography Lyman Beecher says: "She died of consumption two days after I was born. I was a seven-months child, and when the woman that attended on her saw what a puny thing I was, and that the mother could not live, she thought it useless to attempt to keep me alive. I was actually wrapped up and laid aside. But after a while one of the women thought she would look and see if I were living, and, finding I was, concluded to wash and dress me, saying: 'It's a pity he hadn't died with his mother.' So you see it was but by a hair's-breadth I got a foothold in this world." He was taken in charge by "Aunt Benton" and brought up on his uncle Lot Benton's farm in North Guilford, where farm-work and farm-fare made him strong.

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