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+Project Gutenberg's Sixty years with Plymouth Church, by Stephen M. Griswold
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Sixty years with Plymouth Church
+
+Author: Stephen M. Griswold
+
+Release Date: January 18, 2008 [EBook #24356]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIXTY YEARS WITH PLYMOUTH CHURCH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Logan and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+SIXTY YEARS WITH
+PLYMOUTH CHURCH
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+[Illustration: STEPHEN M. GRISWOLD]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SIXTY YEARS
+
+WITH
+
+PLYMOUTH CHURCH
+
+BY
+
+STEPHEN M. GRISWOLD
+
+
+New York  Chicago  Toronto
+Fleming H. Revell Company
+London and Edinburgh
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+Copyright, 1907, by
+FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
+
+New York: 158 Fifth Avenue
+Chicago: 80 Wabash Avenue
+Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W.
+London: 21 Paternoster Square
+Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+DEDICATED
+To my New England Mother, who long
+since entered into rest.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                           PAGE
+
+     I. Coming to New York                   15
+
+    II. Early Plymouth                       22
+
+   III. A Plymouth Usher                     30
+
+    IV. Plymouth Services                    45
+
+     V. Plymouth Members                     59
+
+    VI. Buying a Slave Girl                  70
+
+   VII. Mr. Beecher in England               81
+
+  VIII. The Beecher Trial                    90
+
+    IX. The Church Tested                   101
+
+     X. Church Thought and Life             115
+
+    XI. The Church Staff                    129
+
+   XII. The Fort Sumter Expedition          142
+
+  XIII. Quaker City Excursion               153
+
+   XIV. Personalia                          167
+
+    XV. Future Plymouth                     182
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                    FACING PAGE
+
+  Stephen M. Griswold                     Title
+
+  Henry Ward Beecher                         15
+
+  Lyman Abbott                              105
+
+  Newell Dwight Hillis                      133
+
+  Beecher Statue, City Hall, Brooklyn       153
+
+  Interior of Plymouth Church               173
+
+  Chair Used by Henry Ward Beecher in       187
+  Plymouth Church
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_PREFACE_
+
+
+For some years past I have been repeatedly urged to record my
+recollections of Plymouth Church and Henry Ward Beecher. One after
+another the original members of the church have passed away until now I
+am almost alone, so far as the early church connection is concerned, and
+I have been told that there is really no one left who could give the
+personal value to such a record. At first, as I thought of the task, it
+appeared too great. Business duties pressed and left little time for
+such a work. Then out of the flood of recollections, which should I
+select? Recently a period of convalescence, following a somewhat
+serious illness, during which work was forbidden, gave me leisure which
+I occupied in recording such incidents as I thought might be of interest
+and value. These were arranged not in the form of history but as a
+series of sketches setting forth different phases of the church history
+and the church life, as well as illustrating Mr. Beecher himself as a
+preacher and pastor, but still more as a man. These are chiefly personal
+in their character. Fifty-three years of service as an usher in Plymouth
+Church brought me into closest touch with those services which have made
+Plymouth so well known not only in America, but throughout the world.
+Very precious are those memories to me, and as I have dwelt upon them,
+I have felt it not less a privilege than a duty to share them with
+others and thus bear testimony to a church life of great beauty and
+power.
+
+[Illustration: HENRY WARD BEECHER]
+
+
+
+
+_COMING TO NEW YORK_
+
+
+The great metropolis of the East has ever had a great attraction for the
+sons of rural New England, and I was no exception to the rule. In 1851 I
+made known to my parents my ambition to see and know more of the world,
+and to this end I purposed to make my way to New York in search of fame
+and fortune--a wider horizon and a larger life. I had spent my
+uneventful days thus far on my father's farm, and both he and my mother
+were filled with dismay at my determination to go to what was, to them,
+a city of untold lawlessness and full of pitfalls, where an
+unsophisticated country youth like myself would be beset with many
+temptations on every hand, and be led away from the straight and narrow
+path of his upbringing by his godly parents. And truly the change would
+be great from the quiet home at Windsor in the beautiful valley of the
+Connecticut to the stir and bustle and crowds of a great city. So far as
+success in any business I might undertake or material gains were
+concerned, my parents were quite sure that the possibilities for
+advancement were hardly commensurate with the danger of discouragement
+and complete failure.
+
+However, I had not spoken without careful thought, and when they saw how
+strongly I felt, and that I could not be content to live out my days on
+the farm, they consented to my going, though rather reluctantly; but it
+was what I wanted, and I did not feel that I was erecting a wall of
+separation which would shut me out of the home of my childhood; though I
+little thought how hard it would be to leave it when the time for my
+departure really came. My mother, following the custom of most New
+England matrons of those days--I wonder sometimes whether they are as
+careful now to do the same--placed in my satchel a Bible; and with that
+and her blessing, on the fourth of August, 1851, I started out to make
+my way in the world, arriving in New York, a lonely country boy, with no
+introductions and no one to hold out a helping hand.
+
+Business opportunities were not so varied in character then as they are
+now, and mercantile pursuits seemed to loom up above every other;
+American ships were winning fame and fortune for merchants and seemed to
+me to offer the greatest prizes. For a few days I wandered about the
+city, going from office to office seeking employment, and before a week
+had passed I had secured it; going from New York over to Brooklyn and
+there continuing my quest, I secured a position as clerk in a business
+house on Atlantic Street.
+
+For a time all went well; the hurry and bustle of the city, all so
+strange and fascinating to me; the new occupation, calling into play an
+entirely different line of thought; the new surroundings, all combined
+to ward off any feeling of loneliness or homesickness. A few weeks of
+this, however, sufficed to wear away the novelty, and a full sense of my
+solitary condition rushed over me; I had made few acquaintances and had
+practically no society. I began to look around for companions, or at
+least for some place where I could spend my evenings, when the time
+dragged most heavily.
+
+It was fortunate for me that just at this point where so many young men
+are tempted to wander into questionable or even harmful ways, my
+thoughts were turned in a truly helpful direction. Like every newcomer,
+I had studied the notices in the papers and on the fences and bulletin
+boards, and of them all, the one that had the greatest attraction for
+me was that of Plymouth Church and Henry Ward Beecher, and I determined
+that the next Sunday I would find my way to the church and hear him
+preach, which I accordingly did. The large auditorium of the church was
+thronged, but I received such a cordial welcome as to make me feel at
+home, and was at once shown to a seat. That service was a revelation to
+me, it was in every respect so very different from anything I had ever
+seen or heard. The singing by the great congregation, the eloquence and
+withal the helpfulness of the preacher, made a deep impression on me--an
+impression that stayed with me throughout the week, and I determined to
+go again the next Sunday. This time I was so fortunate as to meet a
+young man whom I had known in Hartford. He was a friend of Dr. Henry E.
+Morrill, the superintendent of the Sunday School, and through him I was
+invited to become a member of a Bible Class, an invitation which I was
+very glad to accept. From this time on I had no reason to complain of
+any lack of social life. No young man or woman who was in Plymouth
+Church at this time could fail to find the very best type of society;
+under the leadership of Mr. Beecher this feature of church life was
+especially emphasised. The next year I became a member of the church,
+and from that time, during more than half a century, Plymouth Church has
+been more to me than I can possibly express.
+
+
+
+
+_EARLY PLYMOUTH_
+
+
+At the time of my coming to Brooklyn, Plymouth Church was but four years
+old, yet it had already gained a most prominent position not only in
+Brooklyn and New York, but in the entire country, and indeed was rapidly
+achieving an international reputation. A brief sketch of its history to
+this time will not be out of place.
+
+In 1823, when the entire population of Brooklyn was less than ten
+thousand, and the most densely populated section to-day was but barren
+fields, two brothers, John and Jacob M. Hicks, bought seven lots
+running through from Cranberry to Orange Streets, for the use of "The
+First Presbyterian Church." Two buildings were erected: a church edifice
+fronting on Cranberry Street was built at once, and seven years later a
+lecture room fronting on Orange Street was added. Under the pastorates
+of Rev. Joseph Sanford, Rev. Daniel L. Carroll, D. D., and Rev. Samuel
+H. Cox, D. D., the church prospered, and in 1846 the question came up of
+a more commodious edifice. Learning of this, John T. Howard, at that
+time a member of the Congregational Church of the Pilgrims, Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., pastor, conceived the idea of a new Congregational church
+in that locality. Conference with David Hale of the Broadway Tabernacle
+Church, New York, strengthened him, and he obtained the refusal of the
+Presbyterian property for $20,000. In September, by the payment of
+$9500, furnished by Henry C. Bowen, Seth B. Hunt, John T. Howard, and
+David Hale, the property was secured. The new building of the First
+Presbyterian Church was not completed until May, 1847, and on the same
+day that it was opened, May 16, Henry Ward Beecher preached the first
+sermon in Plymouth Church to audiences that crowded the edifice on
+Cranberry Street to the doors.
+
+The method of organisation was somewhat unique. The first meeting in the
+interest of the church was held at Mr. Bowen's house on the evening of
+May 8, the day before the Presbyterians were to vacate their old
+edifice. There were present, besides Mr. Bowen, David Hale, Jira Payne,
+John T. Howard, Charles Rowland, and David Griffin. On behalf of the
+owners David Hale offered the property for religious purposes, and it
+was decided to have services on May 16. Henry Ward Beecher, at that time
+pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, who had come
+to New York for the May anniversaries, had made an address at the
+meeting of the American Home Missionary Society, and had also spoken
+elsewhere, winning great popular favour. He was secured for the morning
+and evening services, and Rev. Mr. Eggleston, of Ellington, Conn.,
+preached in the afternoon. Notice was given of a permanent series of
+weekly prayer meetings to be held on Friday evenings, and at the first
+of these, May 21, a committee, consisting of Henry C. Bowen, Richard
+Hale, John T. Howard, Charles Rowland, and Jira Payne, was appointed to
+make arrangements for the formation of a church. They reported on June
+11, at which time twenty-one persons signified their intention to join
+the church, and the next day a council of ministers and delegates met at
+the house of John T. Howard. The articles of faith, covenant,
+credentials of the new members, etc., were presented and approved, and
+on June 13, 1847, the new church was publicly organised, the Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., preaching the sermon. The following evening the church by a
+unanimous vote elected Henry Ward Beecher to be their pastor. Two
+months later he wrote from Indianapolis accepting the call. On October
+10 he commenced his labours, and on November 11 he was installed. The
+sermon was preached by Dr. Edward Beecher, other parts being taken by
+Drs. Nathaniel Hewitt, D. C. Lansing, Horace Bushnell, Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., and Rev. J. P. Thompson.
+
+The first winter proved the wisdom of the new enterprise. An interesting
+revival brought in a large number of new members, and it was not long
+before it became evident that the buildings were entirely inadequate.
+There was talk of rebuilding, when a fire, in January, 1849, settled the
+question by destroying the building. Plans for a new edifice were
+drawn, and after some months of worship in a temporary Tabernacle in
+Pierrepont Street, the present building was entered on the first Sunday
+of 1850.
+
+It will readily be seen that it was a live church that I joined, and
+after half a century of experience and observation, I can only thank God
+that I was brought to connect myself with it. It was not merely the
+marvellous preaching of Mr. Beecher, which I feel helped me greatly; it
+was the whole atmosphere of aggressive work. The great audiences,
+crowding the pews so that aisle chairs had to be put in, was in itself
+an inspiration; so was also the fine music with John Zundel at the organ
+and the large choir leading the vast congregation. The cordial social
+atmosphere that made even a stranger feel at home also had its share,
+but more than all these put together, or perhaps better, manifest
+through all these, was the sense that church life was a means to an end,
+not an end in itself, and that that end was the building up of a true
+and noble Christian life in all its different phases. Surely no higher
+conception of a church's sphere can be found, and to this I believe to
+be due more than to any other one thing the power of Plymouth Church.
+
+
+
+
+_A PLYMOUTH USHER_
+
+
+It was a little more than a year after I became a member of Plymouth
+Church that I began my work as an usher, and for fifty-three years I
+have been identified with Plymouth Church in that capacity. An usher has
+peculiar opportunities to study human nature, both individually and
+collectively. His first acquaintance is with the pewholders, and these
+he quickly learns to distinguish. Plymouth Church was remarkably
+hospitable from the first. The strangers within its gates usually
+outnumbered the regular membership, and they represented all classes
+and conditions of men, but not more representative were they than the
+company of those who were the constant attendants on its services--the
+relied-upon supporters of its enterprises. It was not a wealthy
+congregation. There were a few men of means; excepting possibly Claflin,
+Bowen, Sage, Hutchinson, Storrs, Arnold, Graves, Corning, Healy, Bush,
+Benedict, Dennis, there were no merchant princes or princely bankers.
+The greater number were earnest, aggressive men who had something to do
+in life besides make money. Generous whenever generosity was needed,
+they were for the most part what are called "hard-headed" business men.
+They were in Plymouth Church, not because it was fashionable to be
+there, or because it had the most noted pastor in America, if not in
+the world, but because they were in sympathy with its purpose and the
+purpose of its pastor, and felt that there they could best serve their
+day and generation.
+
+Dominated by this spirit, it was in entire keeping with their habit of
+thought and action that they should seek to extend as widely as possible
+the enjoyment of the privileges of their own church life. Hence they
+were cordial to all visitors to the various religious services, as well
+as to the social gatherings that were held. It was the general custom in
+Plymouth, as in most churches, to keep the seats for the regular
+pewholders until the commencement of the service. Those who were not in
+their places at that time had to stand their chances with the guests,
+and what those chances were may be gathered from the fact that it was
+usual on Sunday morning to see a line of people standing in front of the
+church and leading on the one side to Henry Street and on the other to
+Hicks Street, waiting to be admitted to the service. Still it was very
+rare that there was any hard feeling, and certainly no expression of it
+was manifest when pewholders to whom a sermon by Mr. Beecher was the
+great treat of the week, but who for one reason or another were delayed,
+found their seats occupied, and were compelled themselves either to
+stand or withdraw entirely.
+
+The hospitality, too, was thoroughly democratic. It may be doubted
+whether any church in the land, not even excepting those of the Roman
+Catholic worship, gave so genuine a welcome to every sort of people,
+rich or poor, high or low, educated or uneducated, white, black or
+brown, as did Plymouth Church. No man, woman, or child was allowed to
+feel out of place, or unwelcome. That this was and is true, is a notable
+testimony to the influences that controlled the church from its very
+beginning.
+
+When we consider the guests, their number and quality, the ushers used
+sometimes to wonder where they all came from. Truly, the fame of
+Plymouth had gone into all the world. Travellers visited it, just as
+they went to Washington or Niagara. It was "the thing" to hear Henry
+Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church--usually the two were absolutely
+identical. Distinguished men from all walks in life, in America and
+every other country in Christendom, were there. Famous editors, popular
+ministers, eminent statesmen, great generals, were to be seen in the
+audience Sabbath after Sabbath. Among those whom I remember were Louis
+Kossuth, Abraham Lincoln, General Grant, Charles Dickens, Wendell
+Phillips, Theodore Parker, William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, the
+poet Whittier, Horace Greeley, besides a host of others. During the
+Civil War most of the so-called War Governors, Andrews of Massachusetts,
+Buckingham of Connecticut, Morgan of New York, Curtin of Pennsylvania,
+and others, were to be seen in the congregation, and it was not an
+uncommon occurrence to see many of the New England regiments on their
+way to the field, stop over Sunday and march into Plymouth Church. It
+had become identified with those higher purposes and deeper principles
+of the war which appealed most of all to the New England conscience.
+
+Of course there were all sorts of experiences in seating these guests.
+The ushers soon came to be able to tell where the strangers came from by
+their form of expression. "Is this Ward Beecher's Church?" invariably
+betokened an Englishman, as they always called him Ward Beecher in
+England, and probably more of the foreigners who visit Plymouth come
+from there than from any other country. "We are from Canada," is the
+next most common salutation. "I am a clergyman from Oregon." "I am a
+missionary from China." "I am from San Francisco and this is my first
+visit here." "We are from New Jersey, and never heard Mr. Beecher." "I
+am from Australia and this is my first visit to this country." These are
+but illustrations of the expressions which greeted the ushers every
+Sunday.
+
+Of course they all want good seats. It is astonishing how many people
+come who are hard of hearing, and want front pews; and if they are
+seated on the left they cannot hear in the right ear, and if on the
+right, they cannot hear in the left ear. All this was not unnoticed by
+Mr. Beecher, as we realised one day when, as he entered the pulpit, he
+turned to Mr. Whitney, on duty there, and putting his hand to his ear
+quietly said, "I am very hard of hearing, can you not give me a front
+seat?" Others, if you give them a front seat, say it tires their eyes to
+look up, and if they are seated too far back, they cannot see. It is the
+duty of the usher to satisfy all. That strangers come so constantly is
+witness to the cordiality and courtesy of their reception and treatment.
+Mr. Beecher frequently said that the ushers helped him in no small
+degree in the Sunday services.
+
+The interest for the ushers was by no means finished when the seats were
+filled and the standing room was apportioned. Then came watching the
+effect of the service upon the audience. True, most of the ushers took
+seats when their special work of introduction was over--_i. e._, if
+there were any seats available, or they had succeeded in reserving any;
+but there were always some on duty, and not even Mr. Beecher's eloquence
+entirely eclipsed the interest with which the various attitudes were
+watched. These attitudes were of all sorts. There were sceptical people,
+who evidently wondered whether this man Beecher was really as great as
+they tried to make him out; they sat in their seats with a very firm
+back, indisposed to bend or yield to any influence. As a rule they got
+little farther than the prayer or the second hymn before there was a
+very perceptible unbending. Somehow few could withstand the power of
+Plymouth Church singing, and Mr. Beecher's prayers had a wonderfully
+moving influence. The sermon, however, captured all. If asked what it
+was that had conquered they perhaps could not have told, but sure it was
+that the shoulders shook, the head bent forward, the whole frame seemed
+to respond to the touch of the master hand. Especially interesting was
+it to watch the young men. Students came from all over the country to
+hear the "greatest pulpit orator" in the land. All sense of surroundings
+was lost, and bending forward, with eye fixed on the speaker, and even
+the mouth open, as if in fear of closing any possible avenue by which
+the thought might enter mind and heart, they listened with an intensity
+of attention that can scarcely be measured.
+
+The general bearing of the audience was always reverential. There was
+none of the solemn formality seen in a good many churches. To some
+people it doubtless savoured more of a lecture hall than of a church.
+The form of the auditorium was the reverse of the stately Gothic. There
+was no dim religious light. Plenty of windows let in plenty of light and
+plenty of fresh air. The pews were comfortable. Under any other preacher
+they might have conduced to decorous naps. There was no excess of dress.
+People wore clothes for comfort, not for show, and if perchance they
+commenced with style they invariably ended with simplicity.
+
+There was, too, a breezy sort of cheeriness about the whole place.
+Quiet, friendly chatting between friends went on, but it was never
+obtrusive, or interfered with devotion. The moment service commenced it
+was manifest that it was divine service, not a public entertainment. Mr.
+Beecher was a wonderful reader, and to hear his rendering of a chapter
+in the Bible, or of a hymn new or old, was in itself a great privilege.
+During the prayer there was a stillness that could be felt. Few men have
+greater, or as great a gift in bringing men to the recognition of their
+communion with God.
+
+With the sermon there was evident a general attitude of expectancy.
+Something was coming, and everyone wanted to be sure and get it.
+Sometimes it was humorous, and a ripple of laughter would go over the
+audience. Those who heard about it were apt to be shocked and to
+consider it irreverent. It is doubtful whether anyone who was present
+ever had that feeling. Sometimes it was pathetic, and there was
+suspicious fumbling in pockets. Sometimes it was soul-stirring, and one
+could see the forms quiver and grow tense. Most often it was that calm,
+quiet, yet forceful presentation of truth, not in the abstract as
+something to be looked upon from various angles, then labelled and put
+aside, but practical, affecting the daily life; and faces would grow
+earnest, and the results would be seen in the home, the shop, or the
+office.
+
+Service over, Plymouth Church people gathered in knots to chat
+over--pretty much everything, for it was like one big family. Strangers
+looked on with curiosity, generally appreciative, less often with a
+certain air of disapproval at the apparent levity. One thing was
+noticeable: those who came once generally came again at some time, and
+so faces that had been strange came to wear a familiar look.
+
+
+
+
+_PLYMOUTH SERVICES_
+
+
+Few, if any, churches in the country, certainly none in Greater New
+York, preserve the old-time simplicity of the typical New England
+Congregational Church as distinct as does Plymouth Church. The building
+itself, with no steeple, the form of its auditorium, unusual at that
+period in a church, the arrangement of its pews, all were indeed
+innovations, and they have been followed, though hardly improved upon,
+in building other church edifices. When it comes to the conduct of
+worship, however, it is severe in its simplicity. There is the opening
+hymn shared by the congregation, a short invocation, reading of the
+Scripture, then the offering, and while it is being received an anthem
+is sung by the choir.
+
+The "long" prayer is followed by a hymn; but the chief feature of the
+entire service is always the sermon, after which comes a hymn and the
+benediction. The evening service followed the order of that of the
+morning. Of elaborate liturgies there has been no hint, yet the service
+has ever been both impressive and interesting. People explained it at
+first by the peculiar power of the man who occupied the pulpit, yet this
+can hardly account for its continuance to the present day in its
+original form. The succeeding pastors have continued the plan, not
+because Mr. Beecher started it or perhaps because they themselves
+preferred it, but because it seems to fit Plymouth Church, and is
+enjoyed by Plymouth congregations. Somehow a liturgy would seem entirely
+out of place there, however appropriate it might be elsewhere, and not
+only is this recognised, but there seems to have been at no time any
+desire to make the service more elaborate.
+
+When it comes to the conduct of the different parts of the service,
+however, there was nothing humdrum, or that savoured of routine. Mr.
+Beecher was a remarkable reader. Delicate shades of meaning came out in
+the very tones of his voice, and his power of intense sympathy made it
+easy for him to impersonate for the time being almost any character.
+Had he turned his attention to the stage he would have been a wonderful
+actor. As he read the Scriptures the Bible characters stood out with
+marvellous distinctness; we could almost see them or hear them. He
+entered also so fully into the deepest meaning of what he read that the
+rendering shed new light on some of the most difficult passages of the
+Bible. Attention has more than once been called to his rendering of
+those verses in which the Saviour speaks so strongly of the Scribes and
+Pharisees. He would read them as if they were fairly afire with
+indignation and wrath; then, softening his voice, read them again with
+an infinite pathos, as if they were prophecy rather than condemnation,
+and ask which rendering was more in accord with the nature of Jesus.
+
+The same thing was manifest in his rendering of hymns. He was extremely
+fond of poetry, and searched far and wide for the best hymns. Our first
+hymn book was a little one known as Temple Melodies. Mr. Beecher could
+not get along with this, and with the aid of his brother, Rev. Charles
+Beecher, and the organist, John Zundel, compiled and published the
+Plymouth Collection. This long held its place at the head of church
+hymnals and really worked a revolution in church music.
+
+To many the feature of the whole service was the "long prayer," as it
+was called. Many who could not quite agree with all the conclusions and
+statements of the sermons found these prayers of wonderful help. The
+same sympathy that made his rendering of Scripture so effective became
+very apparent when he took up the problems of daily life, the
+perplexities, doubts, temptations, successes. Probably no preacher has
+ever had such wide publication of his prayers as Mr. Beecher, and the
+Book of Prayers from Plymouth Pulpit became a source of spiritual
+strength to many who could not attend the services. They were taken down
+in shorthand, as were his sermons, and published, appearing first in the
+_Christian Union_ and then in book form.
+
+The sermon needs no description from me--even if I could give it. It
+seemed the very expression of the man, his interpretation of himself.
+Mr. Beecher was to all appearance well-nigh reckless in the vigour with
+which he made statements that seemed to him to be true, with little or
+no regard to their relation to other truths. The result was that he was
+charged with being grossly inconsistent. One day he would preach a
+sermon that would have delighted the old New England divines. The next
+Sunday he seemed an out-and-out Unitarian, while Quakers, Swedenborgians
+and all sorts of beliefs claimed him. The explanation was that he saw
+very clearly the element of truth in any system, whether he agreed with
+it in full or not, and in his effort to state it plainly and give due
+credit to it, often left the impression that the particular statement he
+made was all there was to it. One result was that the independent
+forming of opinions was encouraged and helped in Plymouth Church as in
+few churches. Those who imagined that Mr. Beecher dominated the thought
+of his people to an extent which made them mere echoes of himself were
+very far from the truth. It was an intellectual stimulus to sit under
+him, not merely in the effort to keep up with his thought, which poured
+forth like Niagara, but in the compulsion to form an independent
+personal opinion. Men loved to hear him, not so much because they always
+agreed with him as because he had the faculty of stimulating the best
+there was in them, arousing their highest ambitions.
+
+In no single service was Mr. Beecher at his best so completely as in the
+communion service. It was distinctively a family gathering in which the
+host was not Mr. Beecher, or Plymouth Church, but the Saviour, and to it
+were welcome all who loved that Saviour, whatever their formal creed or
+church connection, or even if they were without any creed or connection;
+this was the impression left upon those who came from other churches,
+and this was the description of it given me by a theological student,
+who said that he came from a distant city to Brooklyn and timed his
+visit primarily with reference to that service and especially to Mr.
+Beecher's invitation as given by him from the pulpit. In these days
+there is nothing very startling in that position, but in the earlier
+times it was regarded as a very unsafe liberality, even if not
+absolutely wrong.
+
+As I have already said, the music of Plymouth Church has always been an
+important part of the church worship. The high-priced quartet has never
+been relied upon, the chorus choir being preferred, not merely for its
+own singing, but because it served best in leading the congregation, and
+that was the thing ever kept in mind. Mr. Beecher loved the
+old-fashioned hymns, though he had also a hearty welcome for new ones,
+and he was never satisfied unless he got everybody to singing. I have
+often seen him jump up from his chair right in the middle of a hymn and
+hold up his hand for silence. "You are not singing this hymn right," he
+would say. "Sing it with more spirit, and let everybody sing." The
+effect upon the congregation would be electric, and after that the
+church would fairly tremble with the volume of music the audience would
+pour forth. The result has been that it has always been the fashion for
+everybody in the congregation, strangers as well as members, to sing,
+and this undoubtedly has had a share in doing away with coldness and
+formality in the service.
+
+All this, however, could not have been accomplished without the cordial
+sympathy and positive help of many great organists and leading singers.
+There have been more famous musicians engaged for Plymouth Church Choir
+during the past fifty years than in any other church in this country, if
+not in the world. Among the names I may mention are Zundel, Burnet,
+Stebbins, Wheeler, Thursby, Toedt, Sterling, Lasar, Damrosch,
+Warrenwrath, Camp, and many others. Of them all probably John Zundel
+came the nearest to Mr. Beecher's ideal. He entered heartily into all
+the preacher's ideas and feelings and seemed to understand just how to
+interpret him in music; Mr. Beecher used to say that he inspired his
+sermons. It has not been surprising that even with the inevitable
+changes brought by time, there have been but few intervals, and those
+very brief, from the organisation of the church up to the present time,
+when the music has not been of the highest order, and the standard of
+to-day is in no respect inferior to that of the past.
+
+Among my earliest recollections of Mr. Beecher's preaching was the
+profusion of his illustrations from nature. Every part and
+manifestation of nature had its place, but so frequent were his
+references to flowers that it became a common saying among members of
+Plymouth Church that "Mr. Beecher must be very fond of flowers." He
+seemed to know every flower in the garden or in the field, and was
+constantly drawing lessons from them or using them in some way to
+enforce a point.
+
+One Sunday morning, I think it was in 1852, someone sent him a small
+bouquet in a vase. He took it to church with him, placed it on the
+little table at his side, and there it remained during the service. It
+is difficult in these days to understand what a commotion it occasioned.
+Such a thing as bringing flowers into a church on the Sabbath day had
+never been heard of, and was not at all in accord with traditional New
+England ideas. Everyone in the congregation of course noticed it, and
+that bouquet of flowers became during the week the talk of all Brooklyn.
+
+There were not a few who were alarmed at Mr. Beecher's rapidly growing
+popularity, and who made a point of finding fault with everything he
+did. These declared that Henry Ward Beecher had desecrated the House of
+God by taking flowers into the pulpit during religious worship! This,
+however, affected neither Mr. Beecher nor the church. Flowers on the
+pulpit had come to stay, and stay they did, and now are recognised as a
+legitimate part of church service all over the world.
+
+
+
+
+_PLYMOUTH MEMBERS_
+
+
+Plymouth Church was born in days of strife. It was natural that the
+militant element should be dominant. The very way in which the church
+was organised was illustrative of their methods. The prompt improvement
+of the opportunity to buy the property, the meeting one week, the
+opening of services the next week, the organisation of the church, the
+calling of the council, the invitation to Mr. Beecher to be their
+pastor, all in quick succession, were characteristic.
+
+Mr. Howard was one who naturally foresaw the possibilities for the
+future, and thus came into leadership in the origin of the enterprise.
+Once started, however, the initiative and the dominating influence
+belonged to a group of men, of considerable note at the time as being
+closely identified with the anti-slavery agitation, and who were out of
+patience with what they considered the time-serving policy of too many
+of the churches, and particularly of the various benevolent and
+missionary societies: Henry C. Bowen, Richard Hale, Arthur and Lewis
+Tappan. These were in business, chiefly dry goods, and had large
+connections with the South. As the strife grew more severe, complaints
+grew, and finally the Southern merchants drew up a list of Northern
+merchants with whom they would have no dealings. All four of these men
+were on that list. Mr. Bowen's partner, Mr. McNamee, was one with him,
+but it was Mr. Bowen in particular who sent the famous retort, when
+urged to cater to his Southern constituency:
+
+"Our goods are for sale, but not our principles."
+
+He, as others, suffered for this, but the only effect it had was to
+strengthen them in the position they had taken. The American nation owes
+a debt of gratitude to the patriotic New York merchants who stood for
+liberty and their country in these perilous times. Among the first were
+A. T. Stewart, Simeon B. Chittenden and H. B. Claflin.
+
+It was natural under the circumstances that the early history of the
+church should have been very much controlled by these men. Of them all,
+Mr. Bowen was perhaps the most aggressive and the most of a leader. He
+was the first superintendent of the Sunday School, and had much to do
+with the plans for and the erection of the present church building. A
+man of very positive convictions and great executive ability, he did
+what he did with his might. The same characteristics went into his
+conduct of _The Independent_, of which he was one of the founders in
+1848. While the fame of its editors, Henry Ward Beecher, Joseph P.
+Thompson and Richard Salter Storrs, went far and wide, not a little of
+the success of the paper was due to his general management, and to his
+hearty indorsement of the position of his editors, however radical they
+were--indeed the more radical the better. Later, when he acquired entire
+control, these characteristics were still more manifest.
+
+Another prominent man was Austin Abbott, brother of Dr. Lyman Abbott, a
+well-known lawyer, and one who was closely identified with the defence
+of Mr. Beecher in his famous trial. Well do I remember him as he first
+came, a boy, and took his seat in the west gallery. Then there were
+Henry M. and Augustus Storrs. The former was an intimate friend of
+Horace Greeley and used to travel about with him in his political tours.
+Both were warm friends of Mr. Beecher, but Augustus was specially
+active; it was at his house in Sidney Place that many of the meetings
+for consultation were held. Robert R. Raymond came to Brooklyn from
+Boston and brought the classic atmosphere, combined with a most
+emphatic manner, to his professor's work in the Polytechnic Institute.
+He was one of the comparatively few who took part in the prayer
+meetings, which generally were really lecture talks by Mr. Beecher. He
+seemed to think that a literary atmosphere would certainly do no harm,
+for his favourite subject was Shakespeare, and he frequently read
+lengthy extracts from his plays. He became widely known as a student and
+reader of Shakespeare. His son, Rossiter Raymond, will be mentioned
+later.
+
+Robert S. Bussing was specially interested in the Bethel Mission; at
+first it was independent, but afterwards became a regular part of
+Plymouth Church work. General Horatio C. King was among the leaders in
+somewhat later days. A son of Horatio King, United States
+Postmaster-General under Buchanan, he always identified himself with the
+various reform movements, especially the anti-slavery ones, and was thus
+in hearty sympathy with Mr. Beecher and Plymouth Church in its
+activities, and has for many years served as clerk of the church. Always
+interested in music, he was a fine organist and helped materially in
+that department of church worship. Another whose name became very widely
+known, especially at the time of the trial, was Thomas G. Shearman. He
+was also identified with every phase of church life, was clerk for many
+years, and an active and most loyal upholder of pastor and church.
+
+For the most part these were not very wealthy men, though Augustus
+Storrs was esteemed such, and Mr. Bussing at one time had a large
+income. There were a few, however, of large means, and they gave most
+liberally: Horace B. Claflin, Rufus R. Graves, and Henry W. Sage. Mr.
+Sage will long be remembered for his generous gifts to Cornell
+University, and was always looked to for cordial support of any good
+cause in Brooklyn. Horace B. Claflin as founder of the great H. B.
+Claflin Company was not less munificent, though often in ways less
+prominent before the public, and the same may be said of Mr. Graves.
+These with Mr. Storrs were always bidders for the highest priced pews,
+paying premiums varying from $3000 to $5000 each.
+
+While present days are not so strenuous as those early years, and modern
+conditions scarcely develop individual influence in church life of as
+great intensity as the times of conflict, Plymouth to-day has a large
+and influential company of men identified with its life. Among them
+General Horatio C. King, already spoken of, and Professor Rossiter W.
+Raymond, are some of the links connecting the present with the past. No
+one who has listened to Professor Raymond's explanations of Scriptures
+or heard his talks in the meetings fails to realise his power in the
+church life. "Deacon" Stephen V. White has long been a well-known
+member, as liberal as he is loyal; so too are John Arbuckle, the coffee
+merchant, Henry Hentz and Henry Chapin, Jr. Mr. Beecher is represented
+by his son, William C, and the Howard family is still well known in
+Plymouth.
+
+Mention of even a few would include Benjamin F. Blair, Walter L.
+Wellington, F. G. Corning, son of Rev. J. L. Corning, one of the early
+members, George W. Mabie, T. W. Lauterdale, Philip M. Knight, Geo. W.
+Bardwell, Elijah R. Kennedy, Frank M. Brooks, Horace D. Sherrill, Jas.
+A. Brodie, Chas. N. Judson, Terance Jacobson, Dr. Wm. Morris Butler,
+Chas. H. More, Clarence B. Wisner, Wm. Foster, Benjamin F. Webb, H.
+Edward Dreier, Amos D. Carver, Wm. E. Davenport, W. F. Osborne, H. A.
+Garthewait, A. K. Powell, Frederick W. Starr, Louis N. Chapin, Dwight
+Studwell, Henry Sanger Snow, A. Stanwood, Seabury N. Haley, Wm. Tupper,
+Frederick W. Heinrich, H. W. Wheeler, M. C. Ogden, John H. Jackson,
+George A. Price, W. P. Long, Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. Kenyon, Mr.
+Smith, Mr. Bingham, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Aderley, and many others.
+
+
+
+
+_BUYING A SLAVE GIRL_
+
+
+It is impossible to understand accurately the early history of Plymouth
+Church, and realise the position it held in the country, as well as its
+influence over its members, without some knowledge of the general
+history of the times. It was a period of great political ferment. The
+slavery question was looming up as the "irrepressible conflict." The war
+with Mexico, at its height when the church was organised, precipitated
+the discussion as to the extension of slave territory. The discovery of
+gold in California (February, 1850) opened up possibilities of national
+growth undreamed of before, and which stirred the greatest ambitions,
+especially in the slave states. The passage of the fugitive slave law
+(September, 1850) was but fuel to the flame. Into the discussions of the
+time two Congregational ministers threw themselves with all the ardour
+of their natures, and exceptional ability--Henry Ward Beecher, of
+Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, and Joseph P. Thompson, of Broadway
+Tabernacle, New York. Nor did they lack for hearty support by their
+churches. The men who stood behind them were equally in earnest with
+themselves. The pulpits--or rather platforms--of both were free for the
+presentation of the cause of justice and liberty, and many scenes in
+them have become historic.
+
+On one occasion the Broadway Tabernacle, at that time located on
+Broadway near Duane Street, was opened for a mass meeting. Mr. Beecher
+was advertised to speak, and the house was packed. He was listened to
+with closest attention and deepest interest, but the climax came when
+turning round he lifted a chain that had been taken from a slave in the
+South, held it for a moment high above his head, then dashed it to the
+floor, placed his foot upon it and said: "In this way we propose to deal
+with the slave power in the South." The effect upon the audience was
+thrilling and the applause fairly rocked the building.
+
+Another scene, which none who witnessed it could ever forget, was in
+Plymouth Church. It was Sabbath morning, and as usual every seat and
+all the available standing room was filled. After the sermon Mr. Beecher
+said that he had a matter which he wished to present to the
+congregation. No one had the least idea as to what he was going to do,
+and the people waited in profound silence. He then said, "Sarah, come up
+here." As the audience looked, a little mulatto girl arose in the body
+of the church, ran up the pulpit steps and took Mr. Beecher's hand.
+Turning to the assembled multitude he said: "This little girl is a
+slave, and I have promised her owner $1200, his price for her, or she
+will be returned to slavery. Pass the basket."
+
+The ushers found their way through the vast audience. Although the
+church seated only a little more than two thousand, there must have
+been nearly three thousand present, and soon the collection was made. It
+appeared that the sum total was not far from fifteen hundred dollars.
+Many gave jewelry, diamonds, watches and chains. Her freedom was
+announced amid thunders of applause. This was not the only instance of a
+similar nature. Mr. Beecher was frequently condemned for even in form
+acknowledging the right of a slave owner to any remuneration for a
+slave, but if he thought a thing right to do, he did it without the
+least regard to what other people might say.
+
+There was probably no one question at the time about which there were
+more intensely opposing opinions, than this one of the return of
+slaves. Congress had passed the fugitive slave law, and all lawyers and
+students of the Constitution affirmed not merely its legality, but its
+justice, at least its technical justice. To a large number, however, the
+fact that it was legal made no difference so long as they were convinced
+that it was morally wrong. Among these was Mr. Beecher, and he had the
+cordial support of the people. One result was the formation all through
+the North of a system, known as the Underground Railroad, by which
+slaves escaping from the South were helped on their way until they could
+reach Canada, when they were free. It was no secret that some of the men
+in Plymouth Church knew a good deal about this railroad, and were deeply
+interested in helping men, women and girls to escape from bondage.
+
+The first national event in which the church took a definite part, so
+far as I remember, was the question as to whether Kansas should be a
+free or a slave state. Settlers were rushing in from all parts of the
+country, and the North was favouring those who were opposed to slavery,
+while the South sought to strengthen the slave-holding element. The
+result was a constant clashing, resulting in what came to be known as
+the Border Ruffian War, in which John Brown first appeared as a national
+figure. In the difficulty of provisioning such a new country, all sorts
+of supplies were rushed in, including ammunition and Bibles. Mr. Beecher
+told his congregation that just then a Sharps rifle was as good a
+missionary to send as a Bible. Accordingly the church purchased and
+boxed up several cases of rifles and Bibles and sent them out. These
+rifles were afterwards called Beecher Bibles.
+
+The events that followed, leading up to the War of the Rebellion, were
+all part of Plymouth Church life. It seemed sometimes as if Mr. Beecher
+was everywhere and nothing could be done without him. At the time when
+Senator Brooks in the United States Senate made his unprovoked attack on
+Charles Sumner, the whole country was wild with indignation. Meetings
+were held on every hand to protest against the outrage. Every item of
+news from Mr. Sumner's bedside was watched for with intense solicitude,
+and for a time it seemed as if the fate of war or peace hung upon the
+life of the Senator. Among the meetings was one called to take place in
+front of City Hall, Brooklyn, and, as so often was the case, Mr. Beecher
+was the speaker. The Square was packed, and as he came out on the steps
+of the City Hall to speak a great cheer went up, a cheer not merely of
+sympathy for Mr. Sumner, but of faith in and regard for the speaker. Mr.
+Beecher, with his marvellous power, raised his voice so that it could be
+heard all over the Square, and for an hour he held the audience
+spellbound with his arraignment of the slave power of the South, and the
+wrongs it was committing, while he affirmed his conviction that the
+conflict would result in a storm of civil war. It was a wonderful
+illustration of the inspiration that made him great.
+
+A very different, yet not less characteristic, scene was that in the
+lecture room of the church one Friday evening, when the news of the
+death of John Brown had come. Looking back over the years it is easy to
+see that his attempt with a mere handful of men to free the slaves of
+the South was a most foolish thing. Yet at that time so keen was the
+realisation of the wrongs that slavery had committed and so hearty the
+respect for the nobility of his purpose and of his character, that from
+all the land there went up one general expression of sympathy. The
+seriousness of the situation appears in the fact that the State of
+Virginia felt obliged to call out a large number of troops on the day
+of his execution to quell any popular disturbance. The day of the
+execution was Friday, and as the audience crowded the room, it was easy
+to see that there was but one thought in the minds of all. Mr. Beecher
+came in and took his seat upon the platform, a strange and unusual
+expression on his face, indicating the intensity of the feeling within.
+After one or two short prayers, and a couple of hymns, one after another
+gave expression to his sorrow and amazement at the condition of things
+between the North and the South, and through all there was manifest the
+conviction that war and bloodshed were sure to come. The meeting was
+long and earnest, showing the deep impression made on the people of the
+church.
+
+
+
+
+_MR. BEECHER IN ENGLAND_
+
+
+The most critical time for the North during the Civil War was when it
+was thought that England would recognise the Southern Confederacy. The
+close relations between the cotton manufacturers of England and the vast
+cotton producers of the South created a public sentiment in England in
+favour of the slave states. The feeling on both sides was intensified by
+the "Trent Affair." Two Confederate envoys, sent to Europe to secure the
+recognition of the Confederacy, were taken from the British steamship
+_Trent_ by a United States man-of-war. Great Britain, which had
+declared neutrality and thus granted the Confederacy the rights of
+belligerents, demanded their surrender. Feeling in the North ran very
+high, and there were most vigorous protests against yielding to the
+English demands. The President and his advisers, however, realising that
+the arrest of the two envoys tallied very closely with the English
+actions that had brought on the War of 1812, concluded that it was wiser
+to avoid so far as possible any occasion for interference on the part of
+Europe, and returned the envoys. Their arrival in England and their
+setting forth of their side of the conflict was a signal for a great
+increase of hostility to the North, and the pressure from the industrial
+centres became so great that probably only the steadfast friendship for
+the North of the Queen's husband, Prince Albert, averted what would most
+certainly have been a great calamity. Even Mr. Gladstone had expressed
+his conviction that the success of the Southern States, so far at least
+as regarded their separation from the North was concerned, was "as
+certain as any event yet future and contingent, could be." Even the
+Emancipation Proclamation did not suffice to open the eyes of many to
+the real issues, and there was a widespread feeling that some way must
+be found to present the cause of the North in such a manner as to reach
+the English conscience and genuine love of liberty.
+
+In the summer of 1863 Mr. Beecher had been sent to Europe for a rest.
+On his return he came to England, and immediately there arose a general
+demand for him to represent America. His marvellous success in the
+anti-slavery campaign preceding the Civil War, his widespread
+popularity, and particularly his power over audiences, made many look to
+him as the providential ambassador. He demurred at first, but at last
+yielded.
+
+When he arrived in London, Manchester, and Liverpool, where great mass
+meetings had been arranged for him to address, he found that every
+effort had been made to discredit him, by huge posters placed throughout
+the country asking: "Who is Henry Ward Beecher? He is the man who said
+the best blood of England must be shed to atone for the Trent affair.
+Men of Manchester, Englishmen, what reception can you give this man? He
+is the friend of General Butler. He is the friend of that so-called
+gospel preacher, Cheever. His impudence in coming here is only equalled
+by his cruelty and impiety."
+
+The meeting at Liverpool was announced as follows. "At a meeting held in
+New York at the time when the Confederate envoys, Messrs. Mason and
+Slidell, had been surrendered by President Lincoln to the British
+Government, from whose vessel (the Royal Mail Steamer _Trent_) they were
+taken, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher said, This act will demonstrate the
+unfeeling selfishness of the British Government and bring us to a
+realisation of our national humiliation. This opinion comes from a
+Christian minister who wishes to obtain a welcome in Liverpool, where
+operatives are suffering almost unprecedented hardships caused by the
+suicidal war raging in the States of North America, and which is being
+urged on by fanatical statesmen and preachers of the North!"
+
+These posters and notices of the press had so inflamed the public mind
+that when Mr. Beecher entered the great halls in Liverpool, Manchester
+and London, he had to face a howling mob. When he arose to speak, the
+tumult and hisses made it impossible for him to be heard. Calmly he
+stood and faced the storm like a giant oak for a period of one hour to
+one hour and a half, at each one of these three great meetings, before
+the audience would listen to anything which he said; gradually sentence
+after sentence began to reach them, and here Mr. Beecher showed his
+great power as an orator. He slowly quieted the mob until they listened
+to every word he said, and when he closed, the applause which greeted
+him was greater than the groans and the howling with which he had been
+received. He had met the enemy and conquered.
+
+He had an easy road afterwards in following up this victory, speaking in
+different towns and cities all over England, and everywhere the people
+received him with respect and enthusiasm. By degrees he succeeded in
+slowly changing the opinions of the people from favouring the cause of
+the Confederate States to indorsing the struggle of the North for Union
+and Liberty. Returning to London before sailing for America, he was
+received with great honours by the most noted men in that city,
+including royalty. Dinners, breakfasts, and receptions followed one
+another in quick succession until he took his departure.
+
+Upon his return home he was tendered a great reception in the Academy of
+Music, Brooklyn. The people of the North had been watching every step of
+his course in England with deep anxiety, for it was a serious time in
+the history of this nation. The service which he rendered his country at
+that time earned the gratitude of the American Government and people,
+and made him the most popular man of the North. I may add that this
+period of Mr. Beecher's life was the one of his greatest power and
+influence, and marked one of the greatest epochs in his history.
+
+
+
+
+_THE BEECHER TRIAL_
+
+
+Following the Civil War came the reconstruction days, and into all those
+experiences Mr. Beecher entered with full energy, but even more than
+before he devoted himself to his work as a preacher and writer. He was
+in demand everywhere for addresses and lectures, as well as for articles
+from his pen. Churches, lyceums, theological seminaries, public meetings
+of all sorts tried to secure him. He took up editorial work on the
+_Christian Union_, now _The Outlook_; he gave the first of the famous
+series of lectures on "Preaching," at Yale Theological Seminary.
+Indeed, it seemed as if he was ubiquitous. How he got time for it all
+was a marvel, even to those who best knew his great powers of endurance,
+and his marvellous capacity for work. In it all Plymouth Church never
+suffered. Its interests were his first care, and while it was never
+selfish or unwilling that others should share their advantage, he was
+faithful to what he esteemed his first duty.
+
+Thus was built up a strength of mutual confidence, and affection, that
+was to be tested in as severe a way as could well be imagined. That the
+test was borne and that both pastor and people came out of it, not
+merely with no loss of mutual esteem and honour, but with the vigour of
+church life unimpaired, indeed strengthened, is but another testimony
+to the genuine force of Christian character in both.
+
+No survey of Plymouth Church during its history can ignore the famous
+trial, or rather series of trials, in which both the church and its
+pastor were subjected to an ordeal of the severest type. Into the
+details there is no necessity of going, neither is there advantage in
+reviewing arguments. The actors are fast passing away. Those now coming
+on the stage have little concern with any results except those made
+manifest in the life of Plymouth Church, and which may be taken as
+illustrating its character.
+
+As for Mr. Beecher himself, he needs no vindication. The verdict of his
+city, which has honoured him as it honours few men, is sufficiently
+clear. So also is that of the churches and the great mass of Christian
+men and women over the country. He was undoubtedly indiscreet, yet not
+in the way that most charged indiscretion. Open, above board, frank,
+generous, he trusted others, and, as Dr. Abbott has said, accepted "as
+true, without inquiry or investigation, statements which a man of more
+practical wisdom would certainly have doubted." Good men and true found
+it in many cases difficult to understand his course. Those who believed
+in him can afford to await until the limelight of the highest of all
+courts shall pass its verdict.
+
+Of more immediate value to those interested in Plymouth Church was its
+bearing in such circumstances, and the results as manifested in its
+life. It is to be remembered that there were really three trials: 1. An
+investigation by Plymouth Church, commencing in June and closing in
+August, 1874; 2. A trial before the civil court, from January 5 to July
+2, 1875, brought by Mr. Tilton on the charge of alienating his wife's
+affections; 3. A council of Congregational Churches, called by Plymouth
+Church to review its action in regard to its pastor. The first
+investigation was presented, in its method, evidence and results, to a
+meeting of the church. After full public notice and by a unanimous vote
+of about fifteen hundred members, practically the entire resident
+membership, Mr. Beecher was awarded the perfect confidence of the
+church. The civil trial resulted in a disagreement of the jury, but the
+chief lawyer for the prosecution and the presiding judge both publicly
+affirmed their absolute conviction in Mr. Beecher's innocence. The
+Council was the largest and most representative ever known in the
+history of the Congregational Churches. Over two hundred and forty men
+from every part of the country, holding every phase of theological
+beliefs and of ecclesiastical habit, met together, and for days
+investigated, considered, questioned, with a freedom impossible in
+strictly legal procedure, and closed their sessions with formal
+reaffirmation of Mr. Beecher's innocence, no charge against him having
+been sustained by any proof.
+
+While it is thus true that Mr. Beecher and the church came forth
+triumphant, it was at heavy cost. No man could endure such a strain
+without showing the effects of it, and Mr. Beecher never recovered the
+old buoyancy. In many ways it became evident how keenly he felt the
+trial. The church showed the effect less. A few, very few, members left
+the church, but the number of dismissions was not larger than usual;
+indeed they were less than in the previous two years, and the church
+remained the more united. The admissions by letter were exceptionally
+large, as were also those by confession of their faith. More pertinent,
+however, than these evidences of life is the fact that the entire work
+of the church suffered no interruption. Prayer meetings, Sunday School,
+continued with usual vigour, and the general activities of the
+congregation were carried on as if there was nothing unusual taking
+place.
+
+It was this that aroused the attention of the country at large and
+convinced many that the basis of the real power of Plymouth Church lay
+not so much in any oratorical gifts of its pastor, as in the substantial
+Christian life of its members. Those who could hold together under such
+a strain were not likely to fall apart under the pressure of any lesser
+difficulty. Undoubtedly there was a certain amount of _esprit de corps_,
+a realisation of the absolute necessity of mutual support, but to those
+who look back on those days it is still more evident that they felt that
+more than Mr. Beecher, or even Plymouth Church, was at stake; it was
+the ability of a company of Christian men and women to hold their faith,
+and the expression of their faith.
+
+So far as their personal interest and faith in Mr. Beecher were
+concerned, nothing could illustrate it better than the action of the
+society in helping him to meet the extraordinary expense, and the visit
+to his home in Peekskill of the members of the three Sunday Schools.
+While Mr. Beecher had a most liberal salary, he was free and even
+reckless in expenditure. The result was that the cost of the trial went
+far beyond his resources. At its close, and even before he had had time
+to realise what that cost had been, the society which has charge of the
+finances of the church, met and voted that his salary for that year be
+one hundred thousand dollars. It was a great relief to him financially,
+but still more grateful as a taken of the love and confidence of the
+people. Not less touching to him was the tribute from the Sunday
+Schools.
+
+He was at the time living in his summer home at Peekskill, N. Y. Without
+any knowledge on his part, until the very day, it was arranged by the
+teachers and officers of the Plymouth, Bethel and Mayflower Schools that
+the scholars should go to Peekskill to congratulate him on the outcome
+of the trial, and emphasise the feeling of the church already expressed
+in the salary grant. The steamer _Blackburn_ was chartered and about
+three hundred joined in the excursion up the North River. Mr. R. D.
+Jaques, an old, active and honoured member of the church, describing the
+scene, says that Mr. Beecher met them standing under a tree, his hat off
+and his long hair flowing in the wind. The visitors formed in line so
+that each could shake his hand. As the little ones came, Mr. Beecher
+would lift them up in his arms and kiss them. Then the house was thrown
+open and they were welcomed to every part of it. Refreshments were
+provided and the social festivities continued until the time came to
+return. It was a happy company that sailed down the river, but it is
+doubtful whether anyone was happier than the host, as he realised what
+the visit meant of their love and honour.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CHURCH TESTED_
+
+
+On March 8, 1887, a little less than forty years after he had been
+called as pastor of Plymouth Church, Henry Ward Beecher died. The end
+came suddenly. There was no lingering sickness, no wasting of his
+powers. If the impassioned delivery of earlier years was somewhat
+lacking, there was still a power and vigour fully as effective. The year
+before he had been to England on a lecture tour and received an ovation
+as marked as the disapproval attending his first attempts. He had been
+in demand all over the country for addresses and lectures. The columns
+of papers and magazines were everywhere open to him, and while it may be
+true that his popularity was not of the intense sort that it had been at
+times, when he was almost the idol of the people, it probably was of a
+more substantial character. It is probable, too, that at no time in its
+history had Plymouth Church been more closely identified with him, or
+the opinion been so prevalent that neither could prosper without the
+other. The services were as fully attended as ever, and church work had
+settled into the harmonious routine which always bodes good for a
+church's life.
+
+All this was suddenly broken up. On Wednesday evening, March 2, Mr.
+Beecher suffered an apoplectic stroke and on the following Tuesday he
+died. No one who attended the services, held almost continuously during
+that week, can ever forget them. The dominant tone was one of the
+personal loss of a friend. There was grateful recognition of a
+magnificent service done for humanity, and for the building up of the
+Kingdom of God, but the greater work was almost lost sight of in the
+individual remembrances, the personal testimonies to the man who had
+helped men. On Sunday of that week came the regular communion service of
+the church. The usual sermon was omitted and only the Lord's Supper was
+commemorated. There were several evening meetings, mostly for prayer and
+mutual sympathy.
+
+The manifestation of public sympathy surprised even those who knew best
+how widespread was the interest in the beloved pastor. As the coffin lay
+in the church on Thursday there was an unceasing line of those who
+wished to show their regard for him. On Friday the funeral services were
+conducted by Rev. Charles H. Hall, D. D., pastor of the First
+Presbyterian Church, to which Plymouth Church had succeeded in ownership
+of its site. As it was manifest that Plymouth Church could not possibly
+hold the crowds that wanted to come, simultaneous memorial services were
+held in other churches. Most of the business houses were closed, as were
+also the public offices of the city and the schools. Everywhere there
+was manifest the recognition that a great man had gone.
+
+[Illustration: LYMAN ABBOTT]
+
+Who would take his place? Could anyone take his place? Was it not true
+that the relations between him and his church were so intimate, so
+vital, that the sundering of them by his death would inevitably involve
+the dissolution of the church? These were the questions asked everywhere
+by the public and probably in the consciousness of the members of the
+church itself, at least of a considerable number. Fortunately there was
+one already identified with the church for many years, who had come to
+it as a boy, had been very intimately associated with Mr. Beecher, and
+had entered most fully into his spirit and life. Dr. Lyman Abbott had
+already won for himself an independent position in the church and the
+literary life of the country. Glad to call himself a disciple of Mr.
+Beecher, he had been by no means a copyist, and held his own place. Far
+more than would have been possible for anyone not so intimately
+acquainted with the life of the church, he was able to fill the gap at
+least for the time being, and it seemed the natural thing when he was
+called to fill the pulpit and guide the church activities until it could
+decide on some permanent arrangement.
+
+Probably there has never been seen a finer instance of loyalty to a
+church's best traditions than the experience of the following months. As
+was inevitable, the audiences fell off very materially. Still the church
+was fairly well filled and for the first time in years the ushers had a
+reasonably comfortable time. Yet examination proved that the loss was
+only of the strangers. Not a pewholder withdrew. There was no diminution
+in the active work of the church. Prayer meetings, Sabbath School,
+mission services continued as before. Even the finances did not suffer.
+It was naturally impracticable to keep up the high premiums on pews.
+Hitherto the Tuesday evening succeeding the first Sunday in the year had
+been a sort of gala time, when loyalty to Plymouth and its pastor and
+good-natured rivalry had combined to bring from the more wealthy members
+sums mounting into the thousands of dollars. The current year was safe,
+but anticipating the change that would be necessary, the leaders, indeed
+practically the whole church, renewed their pew leases at the same
+figure, so that there might be no question of financial disquiet for the
+new pastor, whoever he might be. Subsequently the whole method was
+changed, pew premiums giving place to the envelope system, under which
+the church has prospered greatly.
+
+The immediate question of the conduct of the church being solved, the
+more important one of a permanent successor to Mr. Beecher was taken up
+in earnest. I do not think that the possibility of disbanding was for a
+moment present in the thought of any, certainly not of the leaders. They
+set about the work carefully with a clear realisation of the
+difficulties involved, but with a determination to succeed. It is always
+difficult to succeed a man of great individuality, and this general
+rule was made even more difficult in this case by the peculiar quality
+of the personality. The very intensity of the experiences of the past
+decade and more had served to create a certain alignment, and search as
+they would and did, it was difficult to find anyone to meet all the
+conditions.
+
+It was not unnatural that the committee in charge, not, it must be
+remembered, of choosing a pastor, but of recommending one, or more, for
+the choice of both church and society, should look beyond the sea. More
+than one church had done so and with conspicuous success. Broadway
+Tabernacle had called Wm. M. Taylor, and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian, John
+Hall. Plymouth Church, at that time at least, was not likely to look to
+Scotland, nor to Ireland. There was absolutely nothing of the
+Presbyterian in its make-up. It was Independent, through and through. To
+the Congregationalists of England therefore it must look, if it were to
+go beyond its own immediate fellowship.
+
+It seemed as if just the man was found in Rev. Charles A. Berry of
+Wolverhampton. A friend of Mr. Beecher, an earnest and very effective
+preacher, a man of great evangelistic power, he won the hearts of
+Plymouth people, and the recommendation of the committee was followed by
+a unanimous and most urgent call to him to become the pastor. How deeply
+he appreciated, not so much the honour, though such he esteemed it, as
+the token of affectionate confidence, was manifest both in his
+correspondence with the church and in the delay in announcing his
+answer. That he would have been glad to come is certain, equally so that
+he felt that duty to a work of peculiar quality and special need called
+him to stay with his own people. They were as dismayed at the
+possibility of losing him as Plymouth Church would have been had Mr.
+Beecher been called to another pulpit.
+
+Mr. Berry's declination of the call brought Plymouth Church face to to
+face with a most difficult situation, at least it seemed so to many. In
+truth it was not so difficult as it seemed. Dr. Abbott had filled the
+pulpit with acceptance and had conducted the affairs of the church with
+rare tact. The pastoral work, which had for some years been practically
+in the hands of Rev. S. B. Halliday, went on as usual. Now that Mr.
+Berry was not to come, who could so well meet the need as the one who
+had stood them in good stead in the time of stress? It was therefore
+perfectly natural that thoughts should turn to Dr. Abbott, and when they
+had once started equally natural that he should be called. Accordingly,
+in the spring of 1888 he was invited to be pastor. He accepted, and
+after a summer's rest in Europe commenced the active work of the
+pastorate in September.
+
+During the summer months the preaching services were omitted, but the
+prayer meetings and mission work were continued. The general condition
+of the church may be indicated by the impression made upon one who came
+in during the closing part of the interregnum to take up the pastoral
+work for a few months, dropped by Mr. Halliday, who had gone to build up
+a Beecher Memorial Church in the outskirts of Brooklyn. Coming fresh
+from foreign missionary service, with no experience in American church
+life, Rev. Edwin M. Bliss bears most earnest testimony to the vigour and
+power of the church life of Plymouth, even during those months when many
+were away. Repeatedly he told inquirers that those who imagined that
+Plymouth Church would go to pieces were absolutely mistaken; that there
+was evident a strong church on a firm foundation.
+
+Truly there could be no better testimony to the substantial quality of
+Mr. Beecher's leadership than the experience of that year and a half of
+church life under such radically different conditions.
+
+
+
+
+_CHURCH THOUGHT AND LIFE_
+
+
+A layman is ordinarily not supposed to trouble himself very much about
+theology, but to leave that as the special prerogative of the ministers.
+This was certainly true of the great majority of the lay members of
+Plymouth Church. At the same time they were by no means indifferent to
+theology. They could not be so long as Mr. Beecher was pastor, and Dr.
+Abbott's positive opinions on theological questions, while not obtruded,
+were never hidden. It must be remembered, too, that the constitution,
+articles of faith and covenant were drawn up by laymen. Henry C. Bowen
+was undoubtedly the moving spirit, but the others heartily concurred.
+The articles of faith were as follows:
+
+     "1. We believe in the existence of One Ever-living and True God,
+     Sovereign and Unchangeable, Infinite in Power, Wisdom and Goodness.
+
+     "2. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be
+     inspired of God; to contain a revelation of His will, and to be the
+     authoritative rule of faith and practice.
+
+     "3. We believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are
+     revealed in the Scriptures as existing, in respect to attributes,
+     character and office, as three Persons, equally Divine; while in
+     other respects they are united, and are, in a proper sense, One
+     God.
+
+     "4. We believe that our First Parents were created upright; that
+     they fell from their original state by disobedience, and that all
+     their posterity are not only prone to sin, but do become sinful and
+     guilty before God.
+
+     "5. We believe that God so loved the world that He gave His only
+     begotten Son to die for it; that Christ appeared in the flesh; that
+     He set forth a perfect example of obedience; that He purely taught
+     the truths needful for our salvation; that He suffered in our
+     stead, the just for the unjust; that He died to atone for our sins,
+     and to purify us therefrom; and that He rose from the dead and
+     ascended into heaven, where He ever liveth to make intercession for
+     us.
+
+     "6. We believe that God offers full forgiveness and everlasting
+     life to all who will heartily repent and believe in the Lord Jesus
+     Christ; while those who do not believe, but persevere in sin, shall
+     finally perish.
+
+     "7. We believe in the resurrection of all the dead; in a final and
+     general judgment, upon the awards of which the wicked shall go into
+     everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal."
+
+These were adopted by the church as they stand on April 17, 1848, by a
+rising vote. They represent the platform on which Mr. Beecher accepted
+the pastorate of the church, and have remained essentially the doctrinal
+basis of the church under the pastorates of Dr. Abbott and Dr. Hillis.
+
+It will readily be seen that in general the position of Plymouth Church
+was essentially that of the New England churches, and when, after being
+trained in orthodox Windsor, Conn., I came to Brooklyn, I found myself
+in much the same atmosphere. At the same time there was nothing
+hidebound. There was no attempt to draw lines too tight; indeed, there
+was little drawing of lines. Principles were stated, and applied.
+Description took the place of definition.
+
+One result was the intensifying of certain convictions, and of these the
+chief was that the test of belief was the life. Mr. Beecher's breadth of
+sympathy on all public questions, manifested particularly in the slavery
+discussion, came out if possible more clearly in regard to doctrinal
+matters. He made it a principle to seek for the best in every man, and
+was very loath to believe evil of anyone. So when men differed from him
+in theology his tendency always was to seek for the truth that was
+contained in that view, and give it all possible emphasis. In his
+preaching he did not feel obliged to guard himself against every
+possible misconception, and would speak on a topic or present a truth,
+as if for the moment at least, that was the one topic, the one truth, to
+be considered. The result was that he was claimed by very nearly every
+denomination in the country. When this was done by Universalists or
+Unitarians, the old-line Congregationalists were troubled, and
+Presbyterians thanked God that they could not be held responsible for
+his views.
+
+When Dr. Abbott became pastor the same condition continued, perhaps
+emphasised, as Dr. Abbott is broader in his theology than Mr. Beecher
+ever was, while still preserving Mr. Beecher's general attitude toward
+divergent beliefs. Under Dr. Hillis theological matters are subordinated
+to general aggressive church work, although now as always there is the
+most cordial welcome to all of every form of Christian statement who
+emphasise Christian life.
+
+The effect of all this upon the church itself, in its membership, has
+been to make it exceedingly liberal. Men are taken for what they are,
+not for what they believe, and this principle accepted in one respect is
+easily extended to others. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose
+that broadness of theology is the same thing as looseness of doctrinal
+belief.
+
+Plymouth Church is loyal to the faith in which it was born and nurtured,
+and there are not a few who do not accept many of the forms of statement
+current to-day. They do not therefore condemn those who do, realising
+that the very principle of intellectual independence, which has always
+been so powerful an element in the church life, inevitably involves
+difference of opinion. Many who might not accept all Dr. Abbott's views
+have received great benefit from his preaching, emphasising, as he
+always has, life rather than doctrine.
+
+In its ecclesiastical organisation and relations Plymouth Church was
+thoroughly independent, scarcely even Congregational. Rule 1 of its
+ecclesiastical principles says: "This church is an independent
+ecclesiastical body; and in matters of doctrine, order and discipline is
+amenable to no other organisation." It did not propose to stand
+absolutely alone, however, as is shown from Rule 2: "This church will
+extend to other evangelical churches, and receive from them, that
+fellowship, advice and assistance which the laws of Christ require." In
+its general customs, as to membership, ordinances, meetings, etc., it
+conformed to those of the Congregational churches, with which those who
+were its first members had been connected, and when it installed its
+first pastor, as in each succeeding instance, it called in the
+Congregational churches to assist. So also in its time of greatest
+stress it recognised the obligations of its fellowship with the
+Congregational churches by calling the largest Congregational council
+ever convened in America. At the same time, if it seemed to it right and
+wise to emphasise the broader fellowship with those of other faith it
+did so, whether Congregationalists at large liked it or not. So in its
+benevolences, it gave where it chose. If it liked to give through the
+medium of what were known as the Congregational Societies, it did; if it
+didn't like to, it didn't. Every once in a while from some source, near
+or more remote, generally more remote, protest would come that Mr.
+Beecher and his church were not carrying their full share of
+denominational burdens; there was courteous attention, but a very
+definite giving to understand that the church would do as it thought
+best.
+
+The independence of the organisation manifested itself in individuals.
+Those who wished their gifts to go through a certain channel were
+perfectly at liberty to send them there, and no one felt aggrieved
+because others did not see their way clear to do the same.
+
+Another effect, both of the ecclesiastical independence and the broad
+humanitarian theology, was manifest in the social life, to which
+reference has been made many times, not too often however, for it was
+and is one of the chief features of Plymouth life.
+
+In the northeast corner of what is now the Sunday School room were
+located the social parlours. They were handsomely furnished, and there
+every Monday evening Mr. Beecher held an informal reception, when all
+members of the church or congregation were cordially welcomed. The
+prominent members of the church were present, including such men as
+Messrs. Howard, Bowen, Claflin, Sage, Storrs, Freeland, Wheelock,
+Fanning, Mason, Caldwell, Ropes, Southwick, Murray, Leckler, Sloat,
+Corning, Hutchinson, Burgess, Dr. Morrill Studwell and others, and this
+was often an opportunity to welcome distinguished visitors. One such
+occasion I remember well, when a large number of distinguished people
+gathered to welcome Mr. Beecher's sister, Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe.
+She had just returned from England, where she had been introduced to
+Queen Victoria as the first American authoress; the papers had announced
+that two million copies of her book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," had been sold,
+and the congratulations and social enjoyment were great.
+
+The same characteristics that distinguished the regular church life were
+manifest in all its departments, as the Sunday School and Bible classes.
+In all there was free play for individual ideas and development. One
+Bible class in particular I would mention, that conducted for many years
+by Mr. Wilbur, and which had more than one hundred members. In a
+variety of ways, by freedom of discussion in the class, by excursions,
+receptions, entertainments of various kinds, it bound the young people
+together, helped greatly to build up the church, and particularly
+contributed to its social life. How firmly it was established is
+witnessed by the fact that it has never weakened, even in the changes
+that have come in the membership, or the official direction of the
+church. With three pastors so different in many respects as Mr. Beecher,
+Dr. Abbott and Dr. Hillis, there has been no difference in the general
+type of church life.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CHURCH STAFF_
+
+
+It is only of recent years that the Congregational and Presbyterian
+churches have come to include in the regular staff of church officers,
+assistant pastors or pastor's assistants. For a long time Mr. Beecher
+and Plymouth Church followed the prevailing custom, relying upon
+volunteer service for such extra work in the line of parish visitation
+as was beyond the pastor's power. As the church grew, however, and as
+the demands upon its pastor for outside work in the form of public
+addresses, lectures, etc., increased, it became evident that something
+must be done to meet the emergency. Fortunately, just the right man was
+found. Rev. S. B. Halliday had seen considerable service in mission work
+in New York City, was a man of genial character, great sympathy,
+kindhearted, and painstaking in the performance of his duties. He came
+to Brooklyn in 1870 and remained there in pastoral duty until after Mr.
+Beecher's death. His work was chiefly among the poorer class, but there
+were many families of means that welcomed him to their homes. Perhaps
+the one word that best expresses the impression that he left on those
+who knew him best, is--godly. He was a good man, one who in life and
+thought lived near God. Mr. Beecher thoroughly appreciated him, and he
+idolised Mr. Beecher. It was scarcely surprising that when Mr. Beecher
+died he should find it hard to adapt himself to changed conditions. He
+had hoped that Mr. Berry would accept the call to the pastorate, but
+when that failed, he resigned his position and went into East New York,
+then on the outskirts of Brooklyn, where he took charge of a weak
+Congregational Church. It was due to him that the name "The Beecher
+Memorial Church" was given to it, and it was significant of the honour
+in which both Mr. Beecher and Mr. Halliday were held that men of every
+form of faith, Christian and non-Christian, and from many different
+countries, contributed toward the building which was erected a few years
+later. When Mr. Halliday died it was like the severing of another link
+of the chain binding Mr. Beecher to the Christian life of Brooklyn.
+
+When Dr. Abbott became pastor the question of an assistant came up
+again. At first Dr. Abbott was unwilling to have one, but as the
+necessity became more apparent, and also as there appeared one who
+seemed in every way fitted for the work, Rev. Howard S. Bliss was called
+and commenced his duties soon after Dr. Abbott was installed. The son of
+the well-known founder of the Syrian Protestant College at Beirut,
+Syria, a man of pleasing ways, tact in dealing with people, and a fine
+speaker, he won the most cordial regard and affections of the church
+people. He remained for many years, through Dr. Abbott's pastorate,
+leaving Plymouth only to take the pastorate of a flourishing church
+in New Jersey, whose traditions made it easy for one naturally
+sympathetic with and trained in the liberal yet practical and aggressive
+atmosphere of Plymouth Church, to develop a vigorous church life. Mr.
+Bliss has since been called to the presidency of the college at Beirut
+to take up the work as it was laid down by his aged father.
+
+[Illustration: NEWELL DWIGHT HILLIS]
+
+During Dr. Hillis' pastorate there have been two assistant pastors,
+Revs. Willard P. Harmon and George J. Corey. Both have well sustained
+the traditions of the church, have made themselves many friends, and
+have done much to develop the newer life which under changed conditions
+has become a necessity. Mr. Harmon left to enter the full pastorate.
+Mr. Corey is the present assistant.
+
+Comparatively few who are not themselves directly connected with the
+business affairs of a church probably realise how much of the orderly
+conduct of the church depends upon the sexton. To many people he is
+simply the man who looks after funerals, sees that the furnace fires are
+properly managed, the church swept, etc. In Plymouth Church the sexton
+was always a man of considerable importance, and I feel it a duty which
+I owe to the church, not less than to them, to speak of their faithful
+work. Not only have they conducted the ordinary duties of a sexton, but
+have acted in a clerical capacity to the board of trustees in collecting
+pew rents, and in other business of the church. In this they have had a
+most important share in the comfort of the congregation and the success
+of the church.
+
+Plymouth Church has been in charge of five different sextons during its
+existence. Mr. McFarlane was its caretaker in its early years. Owing to
+his bluff manner he was never very popular with the young people, and
+one instance I shall never forget. One evening Charles Dickens was to
+lecture in the church. As the price of the tickets was from one to two
+dollars, there were not many of the boys at that time who could afford
+to pay it. We were bound not to be left out, so a plan was devised to
+overcome the difficulty. Accordingly we perched ourselves on a
+window-sill outside, where by raising the sash slightly we could hear
+and see the lecturer. All went well for a time and we were
+congratulating ourselves, when the old sexton discovered us. Then there
+was a scampering up Orange and down Henry to Fulton Street with
+McFarlane close after. I was one of the unfortunate boys who were
+caught, and the pounding which I received made such an impression upon
+me that I can see and hear Charles Dickens to this day.
+
+After Mr. McFarlane came Mr. Weld, who was the sexton for many years,
+during the most exciting period of the church's history, and when it was
+thronged by the greatest crowds. Mr. Weld was faithful to his trust,
+never ruffled, kind to everyone and popular with all, and remained at
+his post until old age and sickness called him away. His funeral was
+large, attended by a great number of the members of the church. When his
+body was carried down the aisle Mr. and Mrs. Beecher, arm in arm, headed
+the mournful procession. If some great artist could have transferred the
+scene to canvas and called it the funeral of the old sexton, it could
+have taken its place among the other great paintings of church history.
+
+Mr. George Day, one of the oldest members of the church and who is still
+living, followed Mr. Weld, but remained in office only two years, being
+succeeded by Mr. Smith, who filled the position for a long time in a
+most acceptable manner. After him came Mr. Charles T. Halsey, who has
+charge at the present time. I wish especially to mention my obligations
+to him for assistance in verifying names and dates.
+
+In close relation to the pastors and assistant pastors have been the
+clerks of the church. Perhaps the one who attained the widest fame in
+this capacity was Mr. Thomas G. Shearman, whose term of service was long
+and included the period of the trials. At the ecclesiastical council he
+made his knowledge of Congregational polity and history very manifest,
+and contributed not a little to the convincing of the churches of the
+denomination that Plymouth Church, while standing firm in its
+independency, was yet willing and glad to recognise to the full the
+fellowship of other churches, and desirous of doing all that it might
+to make that fellowship cordial. The present clerk, Horatio C. King, is
+but another illustration of how men of ability and position have
+delighted to serve Plymouth.
+
+The Sunday School has always been a most important part of Plymouth
+Church, and the list of superintendents shows how it has been regarded
+by all. At the first organisation Mr. Bowen was made superintendent, on
+September 5, 1847, with an attendance of ten teachers and twenty-eight
+scholars. The following May there were twenty-five teachers and one
+hundred and forty scholars, and twenty years later, in 1867, the
+attendance was considerably over one thousand. Mr. Bowen was followed by
+Luther Eames, Edward Corning, Henry E. Morrill, George E. Bell,
+Rossiter W. Raymond, and George W. Bard well, who is now in charge.
+
+My own recollections centre particularly about Dr. Morrill, during whose
+service of ten years, from 1851 to 1861, I became a member of the
+school. All have done noble service. Professor Raymond has perhaps been
+specially successful. His clear thought, simple expression, hearty
+sympathy, great personal tact, have endeared him to all, teachers and
+scholars, and done much to build up the school and church.
+
+To speak of the deacons and trustees would be simply to repeat the names
+of those already mentioned as prominent in the work of the church, for
+on one or the other of these boards very nearly all have served at some
+time. It has been, too, no mere formal service. Men of high position in
+business and professional life have given freely of time and labour to
+serve the interests of the church.
+
+Mention should be made of the Bethel and Mayflower Missions. The Bethel
+Mission School was established in 1841, in Main Street, near the
+Catherine Ferry, then to rooms above the market on James Street, then to
+42 and 44 Fulton Street. Almost as soon as Plymouth Church was formed
+its members interested themselves in the school, but there was no
+official relation until 1866, when it was voted to adopt the school as
+one of the regular institutions of the church. This was accepted by the
+school, and the connection continued until 1904, when it was dropped.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FORT SUMTER EXPEDITION_
+
+
+When it became evident that the North had won the victory and that the
+defeat of the Confederacy was at hand, President Lincoln decided to
+celebrate the event by replacing the same old flag that had waved over
+Fort Sumter before the war had commenced, and had been lowered on the
+14th of April, 1861, after a brave struggle by Major Anderson, only when
+compelled to do so by the guns of General Beauregard. By the President's
+order, the Secretary of War directed that on "April 14th, 1865, at
+twelve o'clock noon, Major General Anderson will raise and plant upon
+the ruins of Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbour, the same United States
+flag which floated over the battlements of that fort during the Rebel
+assault four years previous." At the request of Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Beecher
+was invited to deliver the oration upon that occasion. As soon as it
+became known that he had accepted, a large number of his friends wished
+to go with him, but how to get there was the problem. The _Arago_, the
+government steamer, was full, and all the other steamers available had
+been chartered by the government for service in the war. After a
+diligent search it was found that the Neptune Steamship Company would
+take one of their propellers, running between New York and Providence,
+off the route, and charter it for a party.
+
+A committee was formed consisting of Mr. Edward Cary, editor of the
+_Brooklyn Union_, Mr. Edwin A. Studwell and myself as chairman. The
+steamship company agreed to carry one hundred and eighty passengers for
+the sum of eighteen thousand dollars, which I paid them, the trip to be
+made in nine days.
+
+As soon as all the arrangements were completed, Mr. Beecher announced
+the program from the pulpit and through the press. Nearly all the
+prominent clergymen and citizens of Brooklyn applied for tickets. It
+became necessary to refuse a large number, as the steamer could not
+accommodate more than one hundred and eighty people. On the 10th of
+April, 1865, we left the foot of Wall Street in, one of the Fulton Ferry
+boats, which had been kindly offered to take the party to the _Oceanus_,
+lying at the foot of Robinson Street, New York. A more patriotic party
+never left the city of Brooklyn. All the way to Charleston, those who
+were not seasick (for the steamer rolled fearfully) were engaged in
+holding meetings and singing patriotic songs. Speeches were made by the
+clergymen, including Messrs. Cuyler, Putman, Gallagher, Chadwick,
+Corning, French and others; also by prominent citizens of Brooklyn,
+including Messrs. Low, Bowen, Smith, Lambert, Frothingham and others.
+The singing was led by Mr. Bradbury, while among the songs were "We are
+out on the ocean sailing," "John Brown's Soul is Marching on," "We'll
+Hang Jeff Davis to a Sour Apple Tree." Arriving at Charleston Bar on the
+afternoon of the 13th of April we passed into the harbour, and as we
+went by Fort Sumter the entire company assembled upon the upper deck and
+sang "Old Hundred."
+
+Just before the _Oceanus_ left the dock in New York we received a
+despatch from the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, that Lee with his
+entire army had surrendered to Grant. Our steamer was the first one to
+carry the news of Lee's surrender to the people of the South. As the
+_Oceanus_ slowly neared the dock at Charleston, we could see the shores
+were lined with people, and as we came within hailing distance, Captain
+Young shouted through his trumpet, "Lee has surrendered!" At once there
+went up a mighty shout from that black mass--it was like the roar of
+Niagara. "God bless Massa Lincoln!" could be heard above the din, then
+came "My country, 'tis of thee," "Hail Columbia," sung as only coloured
+people can sing. The band on the _Blackstone_, which was anchored near,
+played "The Star-Spangled Banner," and in the evening all the men-of-war
+in the harbour were illuminated to celebrate the news of the victory.
+
+The next morning all was bustle and activity, getting ready to go down
+to the fort, and every available sailing craft was brought into service
+to carry the people of Charleston to the ceremonies of the day. At
+eleven o'clock we were assembled inside the walls of Sumter, as
+distinguished a gathering as ever assembled since the signing of The
+Declaration of Independence. High officers of the Army and Navy, United
+States Senators, members of Congress, officers of the Government,
+clergymen and distinguished citizens from all over the United States,
+and a number from England.
+
+At the hour of noon Major Anderson, who had been a long time in feeble
+health, came upon the platform. Sergeant Hart took from a mail-pouch the
+old flag and fastened it to the halyards. Major Anderson, taking hold of
+the rope, said, "I thank God that I have lived to see this day and
+perform probably the last act of duty of my life for my country." (He
+died soon after.) As he slowly raised the flag over the ruined walls of
+the fort, from Forts Moultrie, Ripley, Pickney, Putnam and Johnson,
+Cummings Point and Battery B, and from every United States gunboat in
+the harbour there broke forth a mighty salute. The thunder of the cannon
+fairly shook the earth and the clouds of smoke enveloped the fort in
+almost midnight darkness. When they rolled away Old Glory waved
+peacefully as though it had never been fired upon by rebel cannon. The
+audience sang "Victory at last."
+
+Mr. Beecher came forward to the front of the platform to deliver the
+oration. There was a cold wind blowing in from the sea, the wind playing
+havoc with the leaves of his manuscript. As he commenced he took off
+his hat, but immediately arose the cry, "Put on your hat, Mr. Beecher."
+He obeyed and went on with his address, holding the close attention of
+everyone for over an hour. It has taken its place in the history of
+memorable addresses delivered on great occasions. The history of the
+country will place it second to none among the most patriotic and able
+orations.
+
+The next two or three days were spent in and about Charleston, visiting
+the scenes of desolation caused by the war. The only carriages to be had
+were donkey carts. It was a usual sight to see George Thompson of
+England and Charles Sumner jogging along, or William Lloyd Garrison and
+Senator Wilson together, Henry Ward Beecher and Fred Douglass in a
+donkey cart driven by a former slave. Mass meetings were held in the
+abandoned churches and public buildings of the city, mostly attended by
+the coloured people.
+
+On the third day the _Oceanus_ passed out of Charleston harbour, saluted
+by all the ships and forts. The flag on Sumter was dipped as we passed
+by; all went well until we rounded Cape Hatteras and were bearing into
+Fortress Monroe. Passing a pilot boat, the captain shouted, "What's the
+news?" The reply came back over the water, "The President is dead." We
+could not and did not believe it. Soon after, passing another pilot
+boat, to a similar question the answer came, "Mr. Lincoln has been
+assassinated." Then we realised the truth. With saddened hearts we
+sailed up to Fortress Monroe, which was already draped in black. Here
+our party separated, some coming direct to New York, the rest going to
+Washington to take part in the ceremonies attending the funeral of Mr.
+Lincoln.
+
+I have spoken more fully of the Sumter excursion because it was an
+important national event, and because it was so closely identified with
+Plymouth Church and Brooklyn. If it had not been for Mr. Beecher there
+would have been no _Oceanus_ voyage.
+
+[Illustration: HENRY WARD BEECHER'S STATUE, BROOKLYN, N. Y.]
+
+
+
+
+_QUAKER CITY EXCURSION_
+
+
+The plan of the _Quaker City_ Excursion, made famous by Mark Twain,
+originated in Plymouth Church, when Mr. Beecher contemplated writing a
+Life of Christ. He expressed a desire to visit the sacred places of
+Palestine, where our Lord lived and where He was crucified, and wanted
+several members of Plymouth Church to go with him. A committee was
+formed to arrange for the journey, composed of Captain C. Duncan, John
+T. Howard and Rufus R. Graves. A very beautiful and substantial
+side-wheel steamship, the _Quaker City_, was chartered for the journey,
+and the number of passengers was limited to one hundred and fifty. The
+price of the passage for each person was fixed at twelve hundred and
+fifty dollars. Mr. Beecher engaged passage, but at the last moment
+decided not to go.
+
+The Secretary of State furnished us with letters commending us to the
+attention of the foreign governments which we might visit, and on the
+eighth day of June we sailed out of New York harbour. Our first stopping
+place was at the Azores, then we went to Gibraltar and Marseilles, where
+time was given to the passengers to visit Paris and London; next to
+Genoa, from which port we made visits to Milan, Venice and Lake Como.
+The next stopping place was Leghorn, where we turned aside to Florence
+and Pisa and visited Garibaldi, who was then at his home. From Leghorn
+our course took us to Naples, giving time to see Rome, Vesuvius and
+Pompeii; then on through the Straits of Messina, across the Ionian Sea,
+through the Grecian Archipelago to Athens, Greece; through the
+Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora to Constantinople. After one week's
+stay in that Oriental city, the route lay through the Bosphorus, across
+the Black Sea to Sebastopol. After visiting the famous battlefields of
+the Crimea, we sailed to Odessa, in the northwest corner of the Black
+Sea, ours being the first American steamship which ever entered that
+harbour. While staying there a telegram was received from the Emperor of
+Russia inviting us to visit him at his palace, Livadia, at Yalta. Yalta
+is a very beautiful place on the slope of a mountain, overlooking the
+Black Sea, about two hundred miles east of Odessa, and is the summer
+home of the imperial family of Russia. The Grand Duke Michael's palace,
+Orianda, the Grand Duke Vladimir's, Worondow, and their grounds join
+those of the Emperor. The invitation was accepted. Mrs. Griswold's story
+of the visit as given in the "Pilgrimage" is as follows:
+
+     "On the way from Odessa to Yalta, several meetings were held by the
+     gentlemen in the saloon for the purpose of preparing an address to
+     be presented to the Czar; at the same time the ladies were gathered
+     in groups conversing about the coming event.
+
+     "This morning we dropped anchor at Yalta. The Governor-general
+     conveyed to us a message from the Emperor 'that we were welcome,
+     and he would be pleased to receive us the next day at twelve
+     o'clock.' Word also came that carriages and horses would be in
+     readiness to convey the party to the palace, which is about two
+     miles from the landing place.
+
+     "All was astir on board preparing for the great occasion. The
+     porters are overtaxed in getting out the stored-away trunks for the
+     passengers, as the most _recherché_ wardrobes must be selected. The
+     ladies' purchases through Europe are now brought into requisition.
+     Paris dresses, laces, coiffures, and jewelry are to be worn for
+     the first time. At ten and a half o'clock we saw the spacious
+     rowboats belonging to the Emperor nearing our ship. How gaily they
+     were decked out with scarlet cloth and fringe hanging over the
+     sides almost touching the water; each boat was rowed by twelve men
+     dressed in white caps and uniform. They approached the vessel's
+     side with extreme caution, owing to the heavy sea, which was
+     rolling in. As the boat would rise upon a wave and sink away, one
+     person stepped in after another until it was filled, when another
+     boat would take its place. In this way all were safely landed. We
+     left the boat by crimson-carpeted steps leading up from the water
+     into a picturesque canopied landing. The ladies occupied the
+     carriages and the gentlemen rode on horseback. We formed quite a
+     procession, numbering over sixty persons.
+
+     "The gates were thrown open to admit us to the palace grounds. A
+     company of mounted Cossacks were drawn up on each side of the gate,
+     and we passed through in military order, escorted by the Grand Duke
+     Michael, brother of the Emperor, who had met us on the way.
+
+     "At precisely twelve o'clock we formed in front of the palace. The
+     smoothly cut lawn around us was like a velvet carpet, with a
+     profusion of surrounding flowers. Immediately the Emperor and the
+     Empress appeared, accompanied by their daughter Marie, and one of
+     their sons, the Grand Duke Serge, followed by a retinue of
+     distinguished persons.
+
+     "The American Consul who had come with us from Odessa stepped
+     forward and read a short address to his Imperial Highness Alexander
+     II, Czar of Russia, which had been prepared and signed by the
+     passengers. The Emperor replied to it by saying 'that he thanked us
+     for the address and was very much pleased to meet us, especially as
+     such friendly relations exist between Russia and the United
+     States.' The Empress further replied by saying 'that Americans were
+     favourites in Russia,' and she hoped her people were the same with
+     the Americans.
+
+     "The Emperor is tall and well-proportioned, with a mild yet firm
+     expression. The impression of the beholders is that he is one born
+     to command. He wore a white cap and a white linen suit, the coat
+     confined with a belt around the waist and ornamented with gilt
+     buttons and elaborate epaulets.
+
+     "The Empress is of medium height, fair complexion, and although
+     delicate looking she appears young for one of her age. A bright,
+     welcoming smile lit up her face. Her dress was white foulard silk,
+     dotted with blue and richly trimmed with blue satin. She wore a
+     small sleeveless jacket, a broad blue sash, and around her neck was
+     a tie made of swiss muslin and valenciennes lace. On her head was a
+     straw hat trimmed with blue velvet and black lace. Her hands were
+     covered with flesh-covered kid gloves, and she carried a light drab
+     parasol lined with blue silk.
+
+     "The Grand Duchess was attired in a dress of similar material to
+     that of her mother, only this was more tastefully arranged with
+     blue silk and fringe, a belt of the same material as the dress,
+     fastened by a large rosette, and a straw hat also trimmed with blue
+     silk.
+
+     "The Grand Duke Serge is quite young, and a well-appearing youth.
+     He was dressed in a scarlet blouse and white pants.
+
+     "Individual introductions followed. Several of the ladies,
+     including myself, had an opportunity of conversing with the
+     Empress. All of the Imperial family speak English very well.
+
+     "We were escorted through the buildings by the Emperor and Empress,
+     entering a door which was on either side a bower of flowers.
+     Almost all the apartments were thrown open. The floors were inlaid
+     and polished, and the furniture was curious and costly. The Emperor
+     took special pains to show us the chapel, where he and his family
+     worshipped. It was very handsome, and connected with the main
+     building.
+
+     "Every effort was made by the Imperial family to welcome us, and
+     really the Pilgrims seemed to act as much at home as though they
+     were accustomed to calling on Emperors every day.
+
+     "I could not realise that we were being entertained by a ruler of
+     more than eighty million people, and whose word was the supreme law
+     of the most powerful nation on the globe.
+
+     "At eight o'clock in the evening the anchor was lifted and we
+     sailed by the Czar's palace, which was brilliantly lighted, and
+     amid the booming of cannon, and the shooting of rockets, and a blue
+     light illuminating our ship we bade farewell to a scene which I
+     shall treasure as one of the brightest remembrances of my life."
+
+From Yalta the steamer sailed across the Black Sea, through the
+Bosphorus, down the coast of Asia Minor, to the Gulf of Smyrna,
+anchoring in the harbour of Smyrna. A delay was made to give time to
+visit the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. Passing the coast of the
+Isle of Cyprus the next landing place was Beirut, where several days
+were spent, affording the pilgrims opportunity to visit the Mountains
+of Lebanon, the ruins of Baalbec, and the city of Damascus. From Beirut
+we sailed down the coast of Palestine, passing Tyre and Sidon. The
+steamer anchored off the harbour of Jaffa. Three weeks were given to
+visit Jerusalem, Bethany, the River Jordan, the Dead Sea, Jericho, and
+other places in the Holy Land. At Jerusalem one of the Plymouth Church
+passengers, Mr. Moses Beach, purchased an olive tree at the foot of the
+Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane, had it cut down and
+transported to Jaffa, where it was placed on board the _Quaker City_,
+brought home, and through the generosity of Mr. Beach was made into
+furniture which now stands in Plymouth pulpit. The next landing place
+was Alexandria, Egypt, giving an opportunity to visit Cairo and the
+Pyramids. From Alexandria the voyage was continued homeward, stopping at
+Malta, Gibraltar and Bermuda.
+
+It was a great journey, as it afforded a majestic and sublime panorama
+of the different nations, kindreds, and tongues of the world, and may
+well take its place among other great events of Plymouth Church.
+
+
+
+
+_PERSONALIA_
+
+
+A great deal of the power of church life, as well as of personal life,
+centres about personal items. Without seeking to arrange them
+chronologically or even to associate them topically, I wish to gather up
+in this chapter some of the incidents that do not well belong in the
+preceding chapters. Some of them it is easy to locate, others have lost
+their setting, as the years have gone by, and stand out with an
+individuality that is their own. It is no reflection on Mr. Beecher's
+successors, noble and true men, that he figures so prominently in them.
+The memory of those early days when, as a country lad, I came to
+Brooklyn, naturally centres around the man who from my boyhood, through
+early manhood and into middle age had a mighty influence upon my life.
+
+One event I recall, in the very first year of my new life. In itself it
+was no more significant or important than many others, but it meant much
+to me, opening up as it did a broader vision of world-wide interest, and
+particularly of the close connection between things called secular and
+religious. The slavery question had a profound religious bearing, and
+touched the very core of Plymouth Church life, yet even that does not
+stand out more vividly in my memory than the scene when Louis Kossuth
+landed at the Battery from an American man-of-war, and rode up Broadway
+escorted by a hundred or more prominent citizens. We boys knew little
+about him, but none the less eagerly we hurried along, barely escaping
+the horses' feet, and none the less lustily we joined in the shout.
+Later, through Mr. Beecher's references to him and his work, and by
+seeing him in Plymouth Church, we came to know that the fight for
+liberty was the same, whether in the South or in Europe, and whether it
+was for black men that we knew or for Hungarians of whom we knew
+nothing, scarcely even the name. Another lesson that we learned was that
+the whole world is kin, and that even far-off lands cannot suffer
+oppression and wrong without other lands suffering with them. So
+Plymouth pulpit became a platform for the presentation of every form of
+appeal to the best Christian consciousness of the church and through the
+church of the nation.
+
+Another scene, after I had grown to manhood, illustrates the same
+chivalry that was bound to assert the claims of any person or any class.
+Mr. Beecher was always an advocate of women's rights. He could never see
+why women should be debarred from so many of the privileges, or duties,
+of social life. During the first Lincoln campaign there appeared upon
+the lecture platform a woman who brought a woman's plea for the cause of
+liberty and human rights. No one who ever heard Anna Dickinson speak
+could forget her, or failed to be moved by her eloquence. Of course Mr.
+Beecher was her friend, and welcomed her assistance in the contest that
+was growing more and more severe. She drew great crowds whenever she
+spoke.
+
+I was then president of the Central Republican Club, and we engaged Miss
+Dickinson to speak in the Academy of Music, where we were then holding
+meetings. Some days before the meeting was to take place the secretary
+of the board of directors of the Academy called at my office with a
+notice that the directors could not allow Miss Dickinson to speak in
+that building.
+
+I did not know what to do. The meeting had been extensively advertised.
+I finally decided to go and see Mr. Beecher. As I recited the facts to
+him I could see the expression of indignation and the colour come to
+his face. He thought a moment and said, "Wait until next Sunday
+morning."
+
+The next Sunday the church was packed. When Mr. Beecher gave the notices
+and came to Miss Dickinson's lecture, he called the board of directors
+to account for this action in refusing to allow a woman to speak in the
+Academy of Music. One of the directors, who was present, being ignorant
+of the situation, took it up and denied the action of the directors.
+Then said Mr. Beecher, "I take back all that I have said." I was there
+in the west gallery, and at once decided not to allow a
+misrepresentation like that to pass, and, mounted on the backs of two
+pews, I recited to the audience all of the facts and the official
+notice which I had from the directors, that the Academy could not be
+used for this woman to speak in.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF PLYMOUTH CHURCH]
+
+When I had finished, the congregation broke into great applause. Mr.
+Beecher then went on with his remarks, scoring the directors of the
+Academy, and created such a sentiment in the community that the
+directors rescinded their action, and the great mass meeting, with Miss
+Dickinson as speaker, took place.
+
+Since then, not only the Academy of Music, but other public buildings
+throughout the country have been open for women to speak in, upon any
+subject.
+
+Stories of Mr. Beecher's sayings might be gathered by the thousand,
+indeed they have been, and published in a book for the use of
+ministers, teachers, and public speakers. Fortunately or unfortunately
+the reporter was not quite so ubiquitous then, especially in the earlier
+days, as now, but still there was a sufficient amount of newspaper
+enterprise, and I often wish I had kept a record of the incidents and
+trenchant remarks that were gathered up. A good many, however, never got
+into the papers. Whether or not the following did I cannot say.
+Certainly I did not get them from the press.
+
+One day the evening papers announced that a terrible accident had
+happened to Mrs. Beecher, that she had been thrown out of her carriage
+in lower Fulton Street, been dashed against the steps of the Long Island
+Bank, and so seriously injured that she was not expected to live, and
+some said that she had been killed. That evening at the prayer meeting
+no one expected to see Mr. Beecher. He came as usual and the people
+crowded around him asking about Mrs. Beecher, as she had been reported
+killed. He seemed quite disturbed by the persistent inquiries of those
+around him. In a half impatient manner he said, "It would have been
+serious with any other woman."
+
+The same cool, imperturbable bearing so often manifest in his
+experiences in England came out again and again during the stirring
+scenes in this country. When the Civil War broke out and the riots in
+New York took place for several days the city was almost in the hands of
+the mob. It was given out that Plymouth Church was to be attacked the
+next Sunday evening. Crowds of rough-looking men came over the ferry
+and mixed with the congregation. John Folk, superintendent of the police
+force of Brooklyn, with forty of his men was in the lecture room and
+back of the organ to protect Mr. Beecher, in case of an attempt to reach
+him, amid the intense excitement of the audience. Mr. Beecher came upon
+the platform calm and cool and proceeded with the services as usual.
+During the sermon a stone crashed through the upper windows from the
+outside. Mr. Beecher stopped, looked up to the windows, and then to the
+great congregation, and said "Miscreant," and calmly went on with his
+sermon.
+
+He was always glad when he could be, so to speak, off duty, and be free
+to do whatever occurred to him to do, whether anybody else would ever
+have thought of it or not. One Sunday evening when his pulpit was
+occupied by some other pastor he was seen sitting in the third gallery.
+When asked why he was up there, he replied "that he wanted to see how
+the preacher looked from that point of view."
+
+The boys on the Heights all knew Mr. Beecher and liked to meet him
+because he always had a word with them. In coming to church one day he
+met a group of boys. They hailed him in this fashion: "There goes Mr.
+Beecher, he is a screecher." When he reached the church it seemed to
+please him to tell the story to the congregation.
+
+Whenever Mr. Beecher crossed the ocean he was very sea-sick, and after
+landing he would say that those whom God abhorred He sent to sea. This
+was probably the reason why at the last moment he decided not to to take
+the trip in the _Quaker City_, referred to in a previous chapter. The
+expedition would never have been organised but for Mr. Beecher, and yet
+it had to go without him.
+
+While in a very real sense Mr. Beecher was a true cosmopolitan, and a
+genuine citizen of the United States, he was specially fond of New
+England, was grateful that that section was his birthplace, and always
+glad when one opportunity or another called him there to lecture or
+preach. The New England people fully reciprocated the feeling and in
+turn Mr. Beecher used to declare that "New England was the brain of the
+nation." Little wonder that so many New England boys found their way to
+Plymouth Church.
+
+In a similar way he was very fond of Brooklyn as the city of homes. He
+was interested in New York, with its bustle and rush, as the "work
+shop," but Brooklyn was the "boarding house," and many a semi-homeless
+boarder found a warm welcome in Plymouth Church. Perhaps it was these
+people that he had in mind when Plymouth Church could not hold half the
+people who desired to attend the services, and he appealed to the
+pewholders to stay away evenings and give their pews to strangers,
+inaugurating thus a custom which has continued to the present time.
+
+While preaching upon the greatness of God's work as compared with the
+works of man, he said man can tunnel mountains, build ships to cross the
+sea, span the world with the telegraph, cross the continent with the
+iron horse, build cathedrals and capitols, machines to fly in the air,
+and explore the depths of the sea, but with all of man's greatness and
+skill, "he cannot make a fly."
+
+In a vivid description of a thunder storm illustrating some part of his
+sermon he closed with a most beautiful piece of word painting in
+describing the passing away of the clouds after the storm, picturing the
+sun shining upon the edges of the clouds making a pathway as he said for
+"Angels to walk to and fro when they came down from Heaven."
+
+Intensely practical as he was in his conception of religion, Mr.
+Beecher had a very profound sense of the future life, and there was
+always a sub-stratum of that thought in his preaching. In a sermon on
+the Darwinian theory he said, "I do not care where I came from; it is
+where I am going to that I am interested in."
+
+In a sermon on Heaven, he said that everyone had a right to make their
+own Heaven. The one that inspired in them the greatest hope and most
+beautiful thoughts and gave them the greatest happiness was their
+Heaven. Speaking of the end of life, he said that when he died he would
+like to pass out of life suddenly, like a cannon ball shot out of a
+cannon.
+
+
+
+
+_FUTURE PLYMOUTH_
+
+
+What will become of Plymouth Church when Mr. Beecher passes away? was a
+question often asked in the early days. The answer to that has already
+been given. It was a severe test to which the church was put, but it
+stood it nobly. Again when Dr. Abbott was pastor the same question was
+asked. Ten years of successful life is the sufficient answer to that.
+Now again the question comes up under the pastoral care of Dr. Hillis.
+
+My answer to this last question as to the others is, that the life of
+Plymouth Church does not depend upon any one man, however great he may
+be. It would be difficult to find three men more different, each from
+the other, than the three who have filled Plymouth pulpit. Yet after all
+the general type of the church life has not changed, nor has its
+attitude toward the surrounding city and the wider national life taken
+on a different character. The emphasis now, as always, is on Christian
+living, in the assurance that out of that living will come Christian
+thinking. Each in his own way, but each with the same purpose and the
+same result, has preached the gospel of life. The form of that life has
+varied, but the variation has been occasioned by the need of adaptation
+to the general type of church life, as illustrated on every hand.
+Plymouth has simply shown its ability to meet new conditions in itself.
+
+So also with regard to the broader relation to public life. It is now,
+as it always has been, the natural and the expected thing that every
+great cause, for righteousness and peace, should send its advocates to
+Brooklyn and that they should have a welcome in Plymouth pulpit. A
+significant illustration of this occurred but recently at the opening of
+the great Peace Congress. The two churches that were identified with it
+more than any others were Plymouth and Broadway Tabernacle. Probably no
+pastor in the country is more widely known for his practical interest in
+public affairs than is Dr. Hillis, and wherever he goes from the
+Atlantic to the Pacific he is welcomed both for himself and as the
+pastor of Plymouth Church. The simple fact is it is the same old
+Plymouth. It has grown up with the country, has had its share in the
+making of the country, whether in the strife of war or in the urgency
+for peace, and has made for itself a name that will stand, like Faneuil
+Hall in Boston, or Independence Hall in Philadelphia, for all time to
+come.
+
+This permanency, however, will be as its strength has been in the wise
+management of the church in its various departments. The problem of a
+city church located as Plymouth is must be to-day very different from
+that which faced its founders. Brooklyn has gone 'way beyond the
+Heights, and while strangers still find it easy to reach, the permanent
+membership extends over a wide territory and must of necessity be more
+or less transitory. This uncertainty brings to view the necessity of
+permanence of financial basis. They are wise, strong men who are in
+charge, as is shown by the fact that notwithstanding the changes that
+are inevitable, the church is free from debt and is accumulating
+permanent funds which will be of great value. Running expenses of all
+kinds, pastors' salaries, music, etc., are met from current income from
+pew rents, leaving the church free to put additional sums into permanent
+form. Then there is a Beecher endowment fund of almost fifty thousand
+dollars, and a Beecher memorial fund of the same amount. Constantly sums
+of money are coming into the church treasury from legacies or special
+gifts, and these are either invested or applied to improvements such as
+it is judged will increase the effectiveness of the church work. Among
+these is a Beecher memorial building soon to be erected adjoining the
+church. The alteration of the front entrance is contemplated, and other
+work which will prove advantageous to the society. Memorial stained
+glass windows are to be put in, contributed by members.
+
+[Illustration: CHAIR USED BY HENRY WARD BEECHER IN PLYMOUTH CHURCH]
+
+Perhaps still more important is the development of the church
+activities. In Mr. Beecher's time the great feature of church life was
+the sermon. To-day it is church organisation. Some seem to think that
+the preaching of to-day is inferior to that of a generation ago. While
+it may be true that no single man stands out as did Mr. Beecher, Dr. R.
+S. Storrs, or Dr. William M. Taylor, it seems to me that the average of
+preaching is higher. Dr. Hillis is not Mr. Beecher, but he is Dr.
+Hillis, and Plymouth people never go from Plymouth Church without the
+thought of a good and great presentation of truth. However that may be,
+one thing is very noticeable: the growth in Plymouth, as elsewhere, of
+church societies. The women have their societies for Home and Foreign
+Missions, there is a Young Woman's Guild, and a Henry Ward Beecher
+Missionary Circle, a Young Men's Club, and an organisation of older men
+known as Plymouth Men. The year that Mr. Beecher died The Plymouth
+League was formed and had a successful career until a few years ago,
+when it was dropped.
+
+So Plymouth has kept abreast of the times, using any means that seemed
+to promise usefulness, ever ready to change where change was adjudged
+wise, ready to drop anything that in the shifting conditions had
+outlived its usefulness, loyal to its past, yet realising that the
+highest loyalty is to a future ideal rather than a past achievement. Mr.
+Beecher was no iconoclast, and at the same time, the past, however great
+and grand, as such, had no attraction for him. His eye was set on the
+future, a future that included the individual life and the corporate
+life. Present-day socialism had scarcely dawned during his day, but were
+he living now he would be found in line with the broadest and the
+freest conceptions of society, and true to his belief that the church
+should lead. This not because it is an organisation, including wise men,
+or divinely ordered, but because it expresses in the fullest and best
+way the divine principles that must govern society. That this idea of
+his so dominated the church in its early life and has continued to
+control it to the present day is the true basis for confidence as to its
+future.
+
+Plymouth Church will stand just so long as it represents this ideal, and
+applies it to all classes and conditions of men, without regard to race
+or creed. To-day, as of old, men of every form of belief or no belief
+find a welcome and find help, and many go forth with old ideas changed,
+new ambitions stirred, a clearer vision of what it means to live a
+Christian life. If the time ever comes when that is not true, then
+Plymouth Church will be a relic of the past, a curiosity, to be visited
+by strangers as Plymouth Rock or Westminster Abbey. That that time will
+ever come I do not believe. However much the centres of population may
+change, the needs of men never change, and even if other churches should
+follow their constituencies to other sections, Plymouth will remain, a
+living monument to the truth and the life that has been from its origin
+its power.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sixty years with Plymouth Church, by 
+Stephen M. Griswold
+
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+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's Sixty years with Plymouth Church, by Stephen M. Griswold
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Sixty years with Plymouth Church
+
+Author: Stephen M. Griswold
+
+Release Date: January 18, 2008 [EBook #24356]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIXTY YEARS WITH PLYMOUTH CHURCH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Logan and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+<h1><i>SIXTY YEARS WITH<br />
+PLYMOUTH CHURCH</i></h1>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 354px;"><a name="Stephen_M_Griswold" id="Stephen_M_Griswold"></a>
+<img src="images/griswold.jpg" width="354" height="600" alt="Stephen M. Griswold" title="" />
+<span class="caption">Stephen M. Griswold</span>
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<h1><i>Sixty Years</i></h1>
+
+<h2><i>WITH</i></h2>
+
+<h1><i>Plymouth Church</i></h1>
+
+<h3><i>BY</i></h3>
+
+<h2><i>STEPHEN M. GRISWOLD</i></h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 150px;">
+<img src="images/title-decoration.jpg" width="150" height="116" alt="title decoration" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<h4><i>New York&nbsp;&nbsp;Chicago&nbsp;&nbsp;Toronto<br />
+Fleming H. Revell Company<br />
+London and Edinburgh</i></h4>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+<p class="center">Copyright, 1907, by<br />
+FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY</p>
+
+<p class="center">New York: 158 Fifth Avenue<br />
+Chicago: 80 Wabash Avenue<br />
+Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W.<br />
+London: 21 Paternoster Square<br />
+Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street<br />
+</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p class="center"><i>DEDICATED<br />
+To my New England Mother, who long<br />
+since entered into rest.</i>
+</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a><i>CONTENTS</i></h2>
+
+<div class="toc">
+<p><span class="page">PAGE</span></p><br />
+
+<p>I. Coming to New York <span class="page"><a href="#COMING_TO_NEW_YORK">15</a></span></p>
+
+<p>II. Early Plymouth <span class="page"><a href="#EARLY_PLYMOUTH">22</a></span></p>
+
+<p>III. A Plymouth Usher <span class="page"><a href="#A_PLYMOUTH_USHER">30</a></span></p>
+
+<p>IV. Plymouth Services <span class="page"><a href="#PLYMOUTH_SERVICES">45</a></span></p>
+
+<p>V. Plymouth Members <span class="page"><a href="#PLYMOUTH_MEMBERS">59</a></span></p>
+
+<p>VI. Buying a Slave Girl <span class="page"><a href="#BUYING_A_SLAVE_GIRL">70</a></span></p>
+
+<p>VII. Mr. Beecher in England <span class="page"><a href="#MR_BEECHER_IN_ENGLAND">81</a></span></p>
+
+<p>VIII. The Beecher Trial <span class="page"><a href="#THE_BEECHER_TRIAL">90</a></span></p>
+
+<p>IX. The Church Tested <span class="page"><a href="#THE_CHURCH_TESTED">101</a></span></p>
+
+<p>X. Church Thought and Life <span class="page"><a href="#CHURCH_THOUGHT_AND_LIFE">115</a></span></p>
+
+<p>XI. The Church Staff <span class="page"><a href="#THE_CHURCH_STAFF">129</a></span></p>
+
+<p>XII. The Fort Sumter Expedition <span class="page"><a href="#THE_FORT_SUMTER_EXPEDITION">142</a></span></p>
+
+<p>XIII. Quaker City Excursion <span class="page"><a href="#QUAKER_CITY_EXCURSION">153</a></span></p>
+
+<p>XIV. Personalia <span class="page"><a href="#PERSONALIA">167</a></span></p>
+
+<p>XV. Future Plymouth <span class="page"><a href="#FUTURE_PLYMOUTH">182</a></span></p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a><i>ILLUSTRATIONS</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="toc">
+
+<p><span class="page">FACING PAGE</span></p><br />
+
+<p>Stephen M. Griswold <span class="page"><a href="#Stephen_M_Griswold">Title</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Henry Ward Beecher <span class="page"><a href="#Henry_Ward_Beecher">15</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Lyman Abbott <span class="page"><a href="#Lyman_Abbott">105</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Newell Dwight Hillis <span class="page"><a href="#Newell_Dwight_Hillis">133</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Beecher Statue, City Hall, Brooklyn <span class="page"><a href="#Henry_Ward_Beecher_Statue">153</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Interior of Plymouth Church <span class="page"><a href="#Interior_of_Plymouth_Church">173</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Chair Used by Henry Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church <span class="page"><a href="#Chair">187</a></span></p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a><i>PREFACE</i></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>For some years past I have been repeatedly urged to record my
+recollections of Plymouth Church and Henry Ward Beecher. One after
+another the original members of the church have passed away until now I
+am almost alone, so far as the early church connection is concerned, and
+I have been told that there is really no one left who could give the
+personal value to such a record. At first, as I thought of the task, it
+appeared too great. Business duties pressed and left little time for
+such a work. Then out of the flood of recollections, which should I
+select? Recently a period of convalescence,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> following a somewhat
+serious illness, during which work was forbidden, gave me leisure which
+I occupied in recording such incidents as I thought might be of interest
+and value. These were arranged not in the form of history but as a
+series of sketches setting forth different phases of the church history
+and the church life, as well as illustrating Mr. Beecher himself as a
+preacher and pastor, but still more as a man. These are chiefly personal
+in their character. Fifty-three years of service as an usher in Plymouth
+Church brought me into closest touch with those services which have made
+Plymouth so well known not only in America, but throughout the world.
+Very precious are those memories to me, and as I have dwelt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> upon them,
+I have felt it not less a privilege than a duty to share them with
+others and thus bear testimony to a church life of great beauty and
+power.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 382px;"><a name="Henry_Ward_Beecher" id="Henry_Ward_Beecher"></a>
+<img src="images/beecher.jpg" width="382" height="500" alt="Henry Ward Beecher" title="Henry Ward Beecher" />
+<span class="caption">Henry Ward Beecher</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="COMING_TO_NEW_YORK" id="COMING_TO_NEW_YORK"></a><i>COMING TO NEW YORK</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-t.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="T" title="T" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span><span class="dropword">he</span> great metropolis of the East has ever had a great attraction for the
+sons of rural New England, and I was no exception to the rule. In 1851 I
+made known to my parents my ambition to see and know more of the world,
+and to this end I purposed to make my way to New York in search of fame
+and fortune&mdash;a wider horizon and a larger life. I had spent my
+uneventful days thus far on my father's farm, and both he and my mother
+were filled with dismay at my determination to go to what was, to them,
+a city of untold lawlessness and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> full of pitfalls, where an
+unsophisticated country youth like myself would be beset with many
+temptations on every hand, and be led away from the straight and narrow
+path of his upbringing by his godly parents. And truly the change would
+be great from the quiet home at Windsor in the beautiful valley of the
+Connecticut to the stir and bustle and crowds of a great city. So far as
+success in any business I might undertake or material gains were
+concerned, my parents were quite sure that the possibilities for
+advancement were hardly commensurate with the danger of discouragement
+and complete failure.</p>
+
+<p>However, I had not spoken without careful thought, and when they saw how
+strongly I felt, and that I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> could not be content to live out my days on
+the farm, they consented to my going, though rather reluctantly; but it
+was what I wanted, and I did not feel that I was erecting a wall of
+separation which would shut me out of the home of my childhood; though I
+little thought how hard it would be to leave it when the time for my
+departure really came. My mother, following the custom of most New
+England matrons of those days&mdash;I wonder sometimes whether they are as
+careful now to do the same&mdash;placed in my satchel a Bible; and with that
+and her blessing, on the fourth of August, 1851, I started out to make
+my way in the world, arriving in New York, a lonely country boy, with no
+introductions and no one to hold out a helping hand.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Business opportunities were not so varied in character then as they are
+now, and mercantile pursuits seemed to loom up above every other;
+American ships were winning fame and fortune for merchants and seemed to
+me to offer the greatest prizes. For a few days I wandered about the
+city, going from office to office seeking employment, and before a week
+had passed I had secured it; going from New York over to Brooklyn and
+there continuing my quest, I secured a position as clerk in a business
+house on Atlantic Street.</p>
+
+<p>For a time all went well; the hurry and bustle of the city, all so
+strange and fascinating to me; the new occupation, calling into play an
+entirely different line of thought; the new surroundings, all combined
+to ward<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> off any feeling of loneliness or homesickness. A few weeks of
+this, however, sufficed to wear away the novelty, and a full sense of my
+solitary condition rushed over me; I had made few acquaintances and had
+practically no society. I began to look around for companions, or at
+least for some place where I could spend my evenings, when the time
+dragged most heavily.</p>
+
+<p>It was fortunate for me that just at this point where so many young men
+are tempted to wander into questionable or even harmful ways, my
+thoughts were turned in a truly helpful direction. Like every newcomer,
+I had studied the notices in the papers and on the fences and bulletin
+boards, and of them all, the one that had the greatest attraction for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>
+me was that of Plymouth Church and Henry Ward Beecher, and I determined
+that the next Sunday I would find my way to the church and hear him
+preach, which I accordingly did. The large auditorium of the church was
+thronged, but I received such a cordial welcome as to make me feel at
+home, and was at once shown to a seat. That service was a revelation to
+me, it was in every respect so very different from anything I had ever
+seen or heard. The singing by the great congregation, the eloquence and
+withal the helpfulness of the preacher, made a deep impression on me&mdash;an
+impression that stayed with me throughout the week, and I determined to
+go again the next Sunday. This time I was so fortunate as to meet a
+young man whom I had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> known in Hartford. He was a friend of Dr. Henry E.
+Morrill, the superintendent of the Sunday School, and through him I was
+invited to become a member of a Bible Class, an invitation which I was
+very glad to accept. From this time on I had no reason to complain of
+any lack of social life. No young man or woman who was in Plymouth
+Church at this time could fail to find the very best type of society;
+under the leadership of Mr. Beecher this feature of church life was
+especially emphasised. The next year I became a member of the church,
+and from that time, during more than half a century, Plymouth Church has
+been more to me than I can possibly express.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="EARLY_PLYMOUTH" id="EARLY_PLYMOUTH"></a><i>EARLY PLYMOUTH</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-a.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="A" title="A" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span><span class="dropword">t</span> the time of my coming to Brooklyn, Plymouth Church was but four years
+old, yet it had already gained a most prominent position not only in
+Brooklyn and New York, but in the entire country, and indeed was rapidly
+achieving an international reputation. A brief sketch of its history to
+this time will not be out of place.</p>
+
+<p>In 1823, when the entire population of Brooklyn was less than ten
+thousand, and the most densely populated section to-day was but barren
+fields, two brothers, John and Jacob M. Hicks, bought seven lots<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>
+running through from Cranberry to Orange Streets, for the use of "The
+First Presbyterian Church." Two buildings were erected: a church edifice
+fronting on Cranberry Street was built at once, and seven years later a
+lecture room fronting on Orange Street was added. Under the pastorates
+of Rev. Joseph Sanford, Rev. Daniel L. Carroll, D. D., and Rev. Samuel
+H. Cox, D. D., the church prospered, and in 1846 the question came up of
+a more commodious edifice. Learning of this, John T. Howard, at that
+time a member of the Congregational Church of the Pilgrims, Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., pastor, conceived the idea of a new Congregational church
+in that locality. Conference with David Hale of the Broadway Tabernacle
+Church, New<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> York, strengthened him, and he obtained the refusal of the
+Presbyterian property for $20,000. In September, by the payment of
+$9500, furnished by Henry C. Bowen, Seth B. Hunt, John T. Howard, and
+David Hale, the property was secured. The new building of the First
+Presbyterian Church was not completed until May, 1847, and on the same
+day that it was opened, May 16, Henry Ward Beecher preached the first
+sermon in Plymouth Church to audiences that crowded the edifice on
+Cranberry Street to the doors.</p>
+
+<p>The method of organisation was somewhat unique. The first meeting in the
+interest of the church was held at Mr. Bowen's house on the evening of
+May 8, the day before the Presbyterians were to vacate their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> old
+edifice. There were present, besides Mr. Bowen, David Hale, Jira Payne,
+John T. Howard, Charles Rowland, and David Griffin. On behalf of the
+owners David Hale offered the property for religious purposes, and it
+was decided to have services on May 16. Henry Ward Beecher, at that time
+pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, who had come
+to New York for the May anniversaries, had made an address at the
+meeting of the American Home Missionary Society, and had also spoken
+elsewhere, winning great popular favour. He was secured for the morning
+and evening services, and Rev. Mr. Eggleston, of Ellington, Conn.,
+preached in the afternoon. Notice was given of a permanent series of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>
+weekly prayer meetings to be held on Friday evenings, and at the first
+of these, May 21, a committee, consisting of Henry C. Bowen, Richard
+Hale, John T. Howard, Charles Rowland, and Jira Payne, was appointed to
+make arrangements for the formation of a church. They reported on June
+11, at which time twenty-one persons signified their intention to join
+the church, and the next day a council of ministers and delegates met at
+the house of John T. Howard. The articles of faith, covenant,
+credentials of the new members, etc., were presented and approved, and
+on June 13, 1847, the new church was publicly organised, the Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., preaching the sermon. The following evening the church by a
+unanimous vote<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> elected Henry Ward Beecher to be their pastor. Two
+months later he wrote from Indianapolis accepting the call. On October
+10 he commenced his labours, and on November 11 he was installed. The
+sermon was preached by Dr. Edward Beecher, other parts being taken by
+Drs. Nathaniel Hewitt, D. C. Lansing, Horace Bushnell, Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., and Rev. J. P. Thompson.</p>
+
+<p>The first winter proved the wisdom of the new enterprise. An interesting
+revival brought in a large number of new members, and it was not long
+before it became evident that the buildings were entirely inadequate.
+There was talk of rebuilding, when a fire, in January, 1849, settled the
+question by destroying the building. Plans for a new edifice<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> were
+drawn, and after some months of worship in a temporary Tabernacle in
+Pierrepont Street, the present building was entered on the first Sunday
+of 1850.</p>
+
+<p>It will readily be seen that it was a live church that I joined, and
+after half a century of experience and observation, I can only thank God
+that I was brought to connect myself with it. It was not merely the
+marvellous preaching of Mr. Beecher, which I feel helped me greatly; it
+was the whole atmosphere of aggressive work. The great audiences,
+crowding the pews so that aisle chairs had to be put in, was in itself
+an inspiration; so was also the fine music with John Zundel at the organ
+and the large choir leading the vast congregation. The cordial social
+atmosphere that made even<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> a stranger feel at home also had its share,
+but more than all these put together, or perhaps better, manifest
+through all these, was the sense that church life was a means to an end,
+not an end in itself, and that that end was the building up of a true
+and noble Christian life in all its different phases. Surely no higher
+conception of a church's sphere can be found, and to this I believe to
+be due more than to any other one thing the power of Plymouth Church.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="A_PLYMOUTH_USHER" id="A_PLYMOUTH_USHER"></a><i>A PLYMOUTH USHER</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-i.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="I" title="I" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span><span class="dropword">t</span> was a little more than a year after I became a member of Plymouth
+Church that I began my work as an usher, and for fifty-three years I
+have been identified with Plymouth Church in that capacity. An usher has
+peculiar opportunities to study human nature, both individually and
+collectively. His first acquaintance is with the pewholders, and these
+he quickly learns to distinguish. Plymouth Church was remarkably
+hospitable from the first. The strangers within its gates usually
+outnumbered the regular membership, and they represented all classes
+and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> conditions of men, but not more representative were they than the
+company of those who were the constant attendants on its services&mdash;the
+relied-upon supporters of its enterprises. It was not a wealthy
+congregation. There were a few men of means; excepting possibly Claflin,
+Bowen, Sage, Hutchinson, Storrs, Arnold, Graves, Corning, Healy, Bush,
+Benedict, Dennis, there were no merchant princes or princely bankers.
+The greater number were earnest, aggressive men who had something to do
+in life besides make money. Generous whenever generosity was needed,
+they were for the most part what are called "hard-headed" business men.
+They were in Plymouth Church, not because it was fashionable to be
+there, or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> because it had the most noted pastor in America, if not in
+the world, but because they were in sympathy with its purpose and the
+purpose of its pastor, and felt that there they could best serve their
+day and generation.</p>
+
+<p>Dominated by this spirit, it was in entire keeping with their habit of
+thought and action that they should seek to extend as widely as possible
+the enjoyment of the privileges of their own church life. Hence they
+were cordial to all visitors to the various religious services, as well
+as to the social gatherings that were held. It was the general custom in
+Plymouth, as in most churches, to keep the seats for the regular
+pewholders until the commencement of the service. Those who were not in
+their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> places at that time had to stand their chances with the guests,
+and what those chances were may be gathered from the fact that it was
+usual on Sunday morning to see a line of people standing in front of the
+church and leading on the one side to Henry Street and on the other to
+Hicks Street, waiting to be admitted to the service. Still it was very
+rare that there was any hard feeling, and certainly no expression of it
+was manifest when pewholders to whom a sermon by Mr. Beecher was the
+great treat of the week, but who for one reason or another were delayed,
+found their seats occupied, and were compelled themselves either to
+stand or withdraw entirely.</p>
+
+<p>The hospitality, too, was thoroughly <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>democratic. It may be doubted
+whether any church in the land, not even excepting those of the Roman
+Catholic worship, gave so genuine a welcome to every sort of people,
+rich or poor, high or low, educated or uneducated, white, black or
+brown, as did Plymouth Church. No man, woman, or child was allowed to
+feel out of place, or unwelcome. That this was and is true, is a notable
+testimony to the influences that controlled the church from its very
+beginning.</p>
+
+<p>When we consider the guests, their number and quality, the ushers used
+sometimes to wonder where they all came from. Truly, the fame of
+Plymouth had gone into all the world. Travellers visited it, just as
+they went to Washington or Niagara. It was "the thing" to hear<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> Henry
+Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church&mdash;usually the two were absolutely
+identical. Distinguished men from all walks in life, in America and
+every other country in Christendom, were there. Famous editors, popular
+ministers, eminent statesmen, great generals, were to be seen in the
+audience Sabbath after Sabbath. Among those whom I remember were Louis
+Kossuth, Abraham Lincoln, General Grant, Charles Dickens, Wendell
+Phillips, Theodore Parker, William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, the
+poet Whittier, Horace Greeley, besides a host of others. During the
+Civil War most of the so-called War Governors, Andrews of Massachusetts,
+Buckingham of Connecticut, Morgan of New York, Curtin of Penn<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>sylvania,
+and others, were to be seen in the congregation, and it was not an
+uncommon occurrence to see many of the New England regiments on their
+way to the field, stop over Sunday and march into Plymouth Church. It
+had become identified with those higher purposes and deeper principles
+of the war which appealed most of all to the New England conscience.</p>
+
+<p>Of course there were all sorts of experiences in seating these guests.
+The ushers soon came to be able to tell where the strangers came from by
+their form of expression. "Is this Ward Beecher's Church?" invariably
+betokened an Englishman, as they always called him Ward Beecher in
+England, and probably more of the foreigners who visit Plymouth come<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>
+from there than from any other country. "We are from Canada," is the
+next most common salutation. "I am a clergyman from Oregon." "I am a
+missionary from China." "I am from San Francisco and this is my first
+visit here." "We are from New Jersey, and never heard Mr. Beecher." "I
+am from Australia and this is my first visit to this country." These are
+but illustrations of the expressions which greeted the ushers every
+Sunday.</p>
+
+<p>Of course they all want good seats. It is astonishing how many people
+come who are hard of hearing, and want front pews; and if they are
+seated on the left they cannot hear in the right ear, and if on the
+right, they cannot hear in the left ear. All this was not unnoticed by
+Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> Beecher, as we realised one day when, as he entered the pulpit, he
+turned to Mr. Whitney, on duty there, and putting his hand to his ear
+quietly said, "I am very hard of hearing, can you not give me a front
+seat?" Others, if you give them a front seat, say it tires their eyes to
+look up, and if they are seated too far back, they cannot see. It is the
+duty of the usher to satisfy all. That strangers come so constantly is
+witness to the cordiality and courtesy of their reception and treatment.
+Mr. Beecher frequently said that the ushers helped him in no small
+degree in the Sunday services.</p>
+
+<p>The interest for the ushers was by no means finished when the seats were
+filled and the standing room was apportioned. Then came watching the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>
+effect of the service upon the audience. True, most of the ushers took
+seats when their special work of introduction was over&mdash;<i>i. e.</i>, if
+there were any seats available, or they had succeeded in reserving any;
+but there were always some on duty, and not even Mr. Beecher's eloquence
+entirely eclipsed the interest with which the various attitudes were
+watched. These attitudes were of all sorts. There were sceptical people,
+who evidently wondered whether this man Beecher was really as great as
+they tried to make him out; they sat in their seats with a very firm
+back, indisposed to bend or yield to any influence. As a rule they got
+little farther than the prayer or the second hymn before there was a
+very perceptible unbending. Somehow few could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> withstand the power of
+Plymouth Church singing, and Mr. Beecher's prayers had a wonderfully
+moving influence. The sermon, however, captured all. If asked what it
+was that had conquered they perhaps could not have told, but sure it was
+that the shoulders shook, the head bent forward, the whole frame seemed
+to respond to the touch of the master hand. Especially interesting was
+it to watch the young men. Students came from all over the country to
+hear the "greatest pulpit orator" in the land. All sense of surroundings
+was lost, and bending forward, with eye fixed on the speaker, and even
+the mouth open, as if in fear of closing any possible avenue by which
+the thought might enter mind and heart, they listened<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> with an intensity
+of attention that can scarcely be measured.</p>
+
+<p>The general bearing of the audience was always reverential. There was
+none of the solemn formality seen in a good many churches. To some
+people it doubtless savoured more of a lecture hall than of a church.
+The form of the auditorium was the reverse of the stately Gothic. There
+was no dim religious light. Plenty of windows let in plenty of light and
+plenty of fresh air. The pews were comfortable. Under any other preacher
+they might have conduced to decorous naps. There was no excess of dress.
+People wore clothes for comfort, not for show, and if perchance they
+commenced with style they invariably ended with simplicity.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>There was, too, a breezy sort of cheeriness about the whole place.
+Quiet, friendly chatting between friends went on, but it was never
+obtrusive, or interfered with devotion. The moment service commenced it
+was manifest that it was divine service, not a public entertainment. Mr.
+Beecher was a wonderful reader, and to hear his rendering of a chapter
+in the Bible, or of a hymn new or old, was in itself a great privilege.
+During the prayer there was a stillness that could be felt. Few men have
+greater, or as great a gift in bringing men to the recognition of their
+communion with God.</p>
+
+<p>With the sermon there was evident a general attitude of expectancy.
+Something was coming, and everyone wanted to be sure and get it.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>
+Sometimes it was humorous, and a ripple of laughter would go over the
+audience. Those who heard about it were apt to be shocked and to
+consider it irreverent. It is doubtful whether anyone who was present
+ever had that feeling. Sometimes it was pathetic, and there was
+suspicious fumbling in pockets. Sometimes it was soul-stirring, and one
+could see the forms quiver and grow tense. Most often it was that calm,
+quiet, yet forceful presentation of truth, not in the abstract as
+something to be looked upon from various angles, then labelled and put
+aside, but practical, affecting the daily life; and faces would grow
+earnest, and the results would be seen in the home, the shop, or the
+office.</p>
+
+<p>Service over, Plymouth Church<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> people gathered in knots to chat
+over&mdash;pretty much everything, for it was like one big family. Strangers
+looked on with curiosity, generally appreciative, less often with a
+certain air of disapproval at the apparent levity. One thing was
+noticeable: those who came once generally came again at some time, and
+so faces that had been strange came to wear a familiar look.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="PLYMOUTH_SERVICES" id="PLYMOUTH_SERVICES"></a><i>PLYMOUTH SERVICES</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-f.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="F" title="F" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span><span class="dropword">ew</span>, if any, churches in the country, certainly none in Greater New
+York, preserve the old-time simplicity of the typical New England
+Congregational Church as distinct as does Plymouth Church. The building
+itself, with no steeple, the form of its auditorium, unusual at that
+period in a church, the arrangement of its pews, all were indeed
+innovations, and they have been followed, though hardly improved upon,
+in building other church edifices. When it comes to the conduct of
+worship, however, it is severe in its simplicity. There is the opening
+hymn shared by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> the congregation, a short invocation, reading of the
+Scripture, then the offering, and while it is being received an anthem
+is sung by the choir.</p>
+
+<p>The "long" prayer is followed by a hymn; but the chief feature of the
+entire service is always the sermon, after which comes a hymn and the
+benediction. The evening service followed the order of that of the
+morning. Of elaborate liturgies there has been no hint, yet the service
+has ever been both impressive and interesting. People explained it at
+first by the peculiar power of the man who occupied the pulpit, yet this
+can hardly account for its continuance to the present day in its
+original form. The succeeding pastors have continued the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> plan, not
+because Mr. Beecher started it or perhaps because they themselves
+preferred it, but because it seems to fit Plymouth Church, and is
+enjoyed by Plymouth congregations. Somehow a liturgy would seem entirely
+out of place there, however appropriate it might be elsewhere, and not
+only is this recognised, but there seems to have been at no time any
+desire to make the service more elaborate.</p>
+
+<p>When it comes to the conduct of the different parts of the service,
+however, there was nothing humdrum, or that savoured of routine. Mr.
+Beecher was a remarkable reader. Delicate shades of meaning came out in
+the very tones of his voice, and his power of intense sympathy made it
+easy for him to impersonate for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> time being almost any character.
+Had he turned his attention to the stage he would have been a wonderful
+actor. As he read the Scriptures the Bible characters stood out with
+marvellous distinctness; we could almost see them or hear them. He
+entered also so fully into the deepest meaning of what he read that the
+rendering shed new light on some of the most difficult passages of the
+Bible. Attention has more than once been called to his rendering of
+those verses in which the Saviour speaks so strongly of the Scribes and
+Pharisees. He would read them as if they were fairly afire with
+indignation and wrath; then, softening his voice, read them again with
+an infinite pathos, as if they were prophecy rather than condemnation,
+and ask which ren<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>dering was more in accord with the nature of Jesus.</p>
+
+<p>The same thing was manifest in his rendering of hymns. He was extremely
+fond of poetry, and searched far and wide for the best hymns. Our first
+hymn book was a little one known as Temple Melodies. Mr. Beecher could
+not get along with this, and with the aid of his brother, Rev. Charles
+Beecher, and the organist, John Zundel, compiled and published the
+Plymouth Collection. This long held its place at the head of church
+hymnals and really worked a revolution in church music.</p>
+
+<p>To many the feature of the whole service was the "long prayer," as it
+was called. Many who could not quite agree with all the conclusions and
+statements of the sermons found<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> these prayers of wonderful help. The
+same sympathy that made his rendering of Scripture so effective became
+very apparent when he took up the problems of daily life, the
+perplexities, doubts, temptations, successes. Probably no preacher has
+ever had such wide publication of his prayers as Mr. Beecher, and the
+Book of Prayers from Plymouth Pulpit became a source of spiritual
+strength to many who could not attend the services. They were taken down
+in shorthand, as were his sermons, and published, appearing first in the
+<i>Christian Union</i> and then in book form.</p>
+
+<p>The sermon needs no description from me&mdash;even if I could give it. It
+seemed the very expression of the man, his interpretation of himself.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>
+Mr. Beecher was to all appearance well-nigh reckless in the vigour with
+which he made statements that seemed to him to be true, with little or
+no regard to their relation to other truths. The result was that he was
+charged with being grossly inconsistent. One day he would preach a
+sermon that would have delighted the old New England divines. The next
+Sunday he seemed an out-and-out Unitarian, while Quakers, Swedenborgians
+and all sorts of beliefs claimed him. The explanation was that he saw
+very clearly the element of truth in any system, whether he agreed with
+it in full or not, and in his effort to state it plainly and give due
+credit to it, often left the impression that the particular statement he
+made was all there was to it. One result was that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> the independent
+forming of opinions was encouraged and helped in Plymouth Church as in
+few churches. Those who imagined that Mr. Beecher dominated the thought
+of his people to an extent which made them mere echoes of himself were
+very far from the truth. It was an intellectual stimulus to sit under
+him, not merely in the effort to keep up with his thought, which poured
+forth like Niagara, but in the compulsion to form an independent
+personal opinion. Men loved to hear him, not so much because they always
+agreed with him as because he had the faculty of stimulating the best
+there was in them, arousing their highest ambitions.</p>
+
+<p>In no single service was Mr. Beecher at his best so completely as in the
+communion service. It was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> distinctively a family gathering in which the
+host was not Mr. Beecher, or Plymouth Church, but the Saviour, and to it
+were welcome all who loved that Saviour, whatever their formal creed or
+church connection, or even if they were without any creed or connection;
+this was the impression left upon those who came from other churches,
+and this was the description of it given me by a theological student,
+who said that he came from a distant city to Brooklyn and timed his
+visit primarily with reference to that service and especially to Mr.
+Beecher's invitation as given by him from the pulpit. In these days
+there is nothing very startling in that position, but in the earlier
+times it was regarded as a very unsafe liberality, even if not
+absolutely wrong.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As I have already said, the music of Plymouth Church has always been an
+important part of the church worship. The high-priced quartet has never
+been relied upon, the chorus choir being preferred, not merely for its
+own singing, but because it served best in leading the congregation, and
+that was the thing ever kept in mind. Mr. Beecher loved the
+old-fashioned hymns, though he had also a hearty welcome for new ones,
+and he was never satisfied unless he got everybody to singing. I have
+often seen him jump up from his chair right in the middle of a hymn and
+hold up his hand for silence. "You are not singing this hymn right," he
+would say. "Sing it with more spirit, and let everybody sing." The
+effect upon the congregation would be electric,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> and after that the
+church would fairly tremble with the volume of music the audience would
+pour forth. The result has been that it has always been the fashion for
+everybody in the congregation, strangers as well as members, to sing,
+and this undoubtedly has had a share in doing away with coldness and
+formality in the service.</p>
+
+<p>All this, however, could not have been accomplished without the cordial
+sympathy and positive help of many great organists and leading singers.
+There have been more famous musicians engaged for Plymouth Church Choir
+during the past fifty years than in any other church in this country, if
+not in the world. Among the names I may mention are Zundel, Burnet,
+Stebbins, Wheeler, Thursby,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> Toedt, Sterling, Lasar, Damrosch,
+Warrenwrath, Camp, and many others. Of them all probably John Zundel
+came the nearest to Mr. Beecher's ideal. He entered heartily into all
+the preacher's ideas and feelings and seemed to understand just how to
+interpret him in music; Mr. Beecher used to say that he inspired his
+sermons. It has not been surprising that even with the inevitable
+changes brought by time, there have been but few intervals, and those
+very brief, from the organisation of the church up to the present time,
+when the music has not been of the highest order, and the standard of
+to-day is in no respect inferior to that of the past.</p>
+
+<p>Among my earliest recollections of Mr. Beecher's preaching was the
+pro<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>fusion of his illustrations from nature. Every part and
+manifestation of nature had its place, but so frequent were his
+references to flowers that it became a common saying among members of
+Plymouth Church that "Mr. Beecher must be very fond of flowers." He
+seemed to know every flower in the garden or in the field, and was
+constantly drawing lessons from them or using them in some way to
+enforce a point.</p>
+
+<p>One Sunday morning, I think it was in 1852, someone sent him a small
+bouquet in a vase. He took it to church with him, placed it on the
+little table at his side, and there it remained during the service. It
+is difficult in these days to understand what a commotion it occasioned.
+Such a thing as bringing flowers into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> a church on the Sabbath day had
+never been heard of, and was not at all in accord with traditional New
+England ideas. Everyone in the congregation of course noticed it, and
+that bouquet of flowers became during the week the talk of all Brooklyn.</p>
+
+<p>There were not a few who were alarmed at Mr. Beecher's rapidly growing
+popularity, and who made a point of finding fault with everything he
+did. These declared that Henry Ward Beecher had desecrated the House of
+God by taking flowers into the pulpit during religious worship! This,
+however, affected neither Mr. Beecher nor the church. Flowers on the
+pulpit had come to stay, and stay they did, and now are recognised as a
+legitimate part of church service all over the world.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="PLYMOUTH_MEMBERS" id="PLYMOUTH_MEMBERS"></a><i>PLYMOUTH MEMBERS</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-p.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="P" title="P" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span><span class="dropword">lymouth</span> Church was born in days of strife. It was natural that the
+militant element should be dominant. The very way in which the church
+was organised was illustrative of their methods. The prompt improvement
+of the opportunity to buy the property, the meeting one week, the
+opening of services the next week, the organisation of the church, the
+calling of the council, the invitation to Mr. Beecher to be their
+pastor, all in quick succession, were characteristic.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Howard was one who naturally foresaw the possibilities for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> the
+future, and thus came into leadership in the origin of the enterprise.
+Once started, however, the initiative and the dominating influence
+belonged to a group of men, of considerable note at the time as being
+closely identified with the anti-slavery agitation, and who were out of
+patience with what they considered the time-serving policy of too many
+of the churches, and particularly of the various benevolent and
+missionary societies: Henry C. Bowen, Richard Hale, Arthur and Lewis
+Tappan. These were in business, chiefly dry goods, and had large
+connections with the South. As the strife grew more severe, complaints
+grew, and finally the Southern merchants drew up a list of Northern
+merchants with whom they would have no dealings. All four of these men
+were on that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> list. Mr. Bowen's partner, Mr. McNamee, was one with him,
+but it was Mr. Bowen in particular who sent the famous retort, when
+urged to cater to his Southern constituency:</p>
+
+<p>"Our goods are for sale, but not our principles."</p>
+
+<p>He, as others, suffered for this, but the only effect it had was to
+strengthen them in the position they had taken. The American nation owes
+a debt of gratitude to the patriotic New York merchants who stood for
+liberty and their country in these perilous times. Among the first were
+A. T. Stewart, Simeon B. Chittenden and H. B. Claflin.</p>
+
+<p>It was natural under the circumstances that the early history of the
+church should have been very much controlled by these men. Of them all,
+Mr. Bowen was perhaps the most<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> aggressive and the most of a leader. He
+was the first superintendent of the Sunday School, and had much to do
+with the plans for and the erection of the present church building. A
+man of very positive convictions and great executive ability, he did
+what he did with his might. The same characteristics went into his
+conduct of <i>The Independent</i>, of which he was one of the founders in
+1848. While the fame of its editors, Henry Ward Beecher, Joseph P.
+Thompson and Richard Salter Storrs, went far and wide, not a little of
+the success of the paper was due to his general management, and to his
+hearty indorsement of the position of his editors, however radical they
+were&mdash;indeed the more radical the better. Later, when he acquired entire
+con<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>trol, these characteristics were still more manifest.</p>
+
+<p>Another prominent man was Austin Abbott, brother of Dr. Lyman Abbott, a
+well-known lawyer, and one who was closely identified with the defence
+of Mr. Beecher in his famous trial. Well do I remember him as he first
+came, a boy, and took his seat in the west gallery. Then there were
+Henry M. and Augustus Storrs. The former was an intimate friend of
+Horace Greeley and used to travel about with him in his political tours.
+Both were warm friends of Mr. Beecher, but Augustus was specially
+active; it was at his house in Sidney Place that many of the meetings
+for consultation were held. Robert R. Raymond came to Brooklyn from
+Boston and brought the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> classic atmosphere, combined with a most
+emphatic manner, to his professor's work in the Polytechnic Institute.
+He was one of the comparatively few who took part in the prayer
+meetings, which generally were really lecture talks by Mr. Beecher. He
+seemed to think that a literary atmosphere would certainly do no harm,
+for his favourite subject was Shakespeare, and he frequently read
+lengthy extracts from his plays. He became widely known as a student and
+reader of Shakespeare. His son, Rossiter Raymond, will be mentioned
+later.</p>
+
+<p>Robert S. Bussing was specially interested in the Bethel Mission; at
+first it was independent, but afterwards became a regular part of
+Plymouth Church work. General Ho<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>ratio C. King was among the leaders in
+somewhat later days. A son of Horatio King, United States
+Postmaster-General under Buchanan, he always identified himself with the
+various reform movements, especially the anti-slavery ones, and was thus
+in hearty sympathy with Mr. Beecher and Plymouth Church in its
+activities, and has for many years served as clerk of the church. Always
+interested in music, he was a fine organist and helped materially in
+that department of church worship. Another whose name became very widely
+known, especially at the time of the trial, was Thomas G. Shearman. He
+was also identified with every phase of church life, was clerk for many
+years, and an active and most loyal upholder of pastor and church.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For the most part these were not very wealthy men, though Augustus
+Storrs was esteemed such, and Mr. Bussing at one time had a large
+income. There were a few, however, of large means, and they gave most
+liberally: Horace B. Claflin, Rufus R. Graves, and Henry W. Sage. Mr.
+Sage will long be remembered for his generous gifts to Cornell
+University, and was always looked to for cordial support of any good
+cause in Brooklyn. Horace B. Claflin as founder of the great H. B.
+Claflin Company was not less munificent, though often in ways less
+prominent before the public, and the same may be said of Mr. Graves.
+These with Mr. Storrs were always bidders for the highest priced pews,
+paying premiums varying from $3000 to $5000 each.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>While present days are not so strenuous as those early years, and modern
+conditions scarcely develop individual influence in church life of as
+great intensity as the times of conflict, Plymouth to-day has a large
+and influential company of men identified with its life. Among them
+General Horatio C. King, already spoken of, and Professor Rossiter W.
+Raymond, are some of the links connecting the present with the past. No
+one who has listened to Professor Raymond's explanations of Scriptures
+or heard his talks in the meetings fails to realise his power in the
+church life. "Deacon" Stephen V. White has long been a well-known
+member, as liberal as he is loyal; so too are John Arbuckle, the coffee
+merchant, Henry Hentz and Henry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> Chapin, Jr. Mr. Beecher is represented
+by his son, William C, and the Howard family is still well known in
+Plymouth.</p>
+
+<p>Mention of even a few would include Benjamin F. Blair, Walter L.
+Wellington, F. G. Corning, son of Rev. J. L. Corning, one of the early
+members, George W. Mabie, T. W. Lauterdale, Philip M. Knight, Geo. W.
+Bardwell, Elijah R. Kennedy, Frank M. Brooks, Horace D. Sherrill, Jas.
+A. Brodie, Chas. N. Judson, Terance Jacobson, Dr. Wm. Morris Butler,
+Chas. H. More, Clarence B. Wisner, Wm. Foster, Benjamin F. Webb, H.
+Edward Dreier, Amos D. Carver, Wm. E. Davenport, W. F. Osborne, H. A.
+Garthewait, A. K. Powell, Frederick W. Starr, Louis N. Chapin, Dwight
+Studwell, Henry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> Sanger Snow, A. Stanwood, Seabury N. Haley, Wm. Tupper,
+Frederick W. Heinrich, H. W. Wheeler, M. C. Ogden, John H. Jackson,
+George A. Price, W. P. Long, Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. Kenyon, Mr.
+Smith, Mr. Bingham, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Aderley, and many others.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="BUYING_A_SLAVE_GIRL" id="BUYING_A_SLAVE_GIRL"></a><i>BUYING A SLAVE GIRL</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-i.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="I" title="I" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span><span class="dropword">t</span> is impossible to understand accurately the early history of Plymouth
+Church, and realise the position it held in the country, as well as its
+influence over its members, without some knowledge of the general
+history of the times. It was a period of great political ferment. The
+slavery question was looming up as the "irrepressible conflict." The war
+with Mexico, at its height when the church was organised, precipitated
+the discussion as to the extension of slave territory. The discovery of
+gold in California (February, 1850) opened up possibilities of na<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>tional
+growth undreamed of before, and which stirred the greatest ambitions,
+especially in the slave states. The passage of the fugitive slave law
+(September, 1850) was but fuel to the flame. Into the discussions of the
+time two Congregational ministers threw themselves with all the ardour
+of their natures, and exceptional ability&mdash;Henry Ward Beecher, of
+Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, and Joseph P. Thompson, of Broadway
+Tabernacle, New York. Nor did they lack for hearty support by their
+churches. The men who stood behind them were equally in earnest with
+themselves. The pulpits&mdash;or rather platforms&mdash;of both were free for the
+presentation of the cause of justice and liberty, and many scenes in
+them have become historic.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>On one occasion the Broadway Tabernacle, at that time located on
+Broadway near Duane Street, was opened for a mass meeting. Mr. Beecher
+was advertised to speak, and the house was packed. He was listened to
+with closest attention and deepest interest, but the climax came when
+turning round he lifted a chain that had been taken from a slave in the
+South, held it for a moment high above his head, then dashed it to the
+floor, placed his foot upon it and said: "In this way we propose to deal
+with the slave power in the South." The effect upon the audience was
+thrilling and the applause fairly rocked the building.</p>
+
+<p>Another scene, which none who witnessed it could ever forget, was in
+Plymouth Church. It was Sabbath<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> morning, and as usual every seat and
+all the available standing room was filled. After the sermon Mr. Beecher
+said that he had a matter which he wished to present to the
+congregation. No one had the least idea as to what he was going to do,
+and the people waited in profound silence. He then said, "Sarah, come up
+here." As the audience looked, a little mulatto girl arose in the body
+of the church, ran up the pulpit steps and took Mr. Beecher's hand.
+Turning to the assembled multitude he said: "This little girl is a
+slave, and I have promised her owner $1200, his price for her, or she
+will be returned to slavery. Pass the basket."</p>
+
+<p>The ushers found their way through the vast audience. Although the
+church seated only a little more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> than two thousand, there must have
+been nearly three thousand present, and soon the collection was made. It
+appeared that the sum total was not far from fifteen hundred dollars.
+Many gave jewelry, diamonds, watches and chains. Her freedom was
+announced amid thunders of applause. This was not the only instance of a
+similar nature. Mr. Beecher was frequently condemned for even in form
+acknowledging the right of a slave owner to any remuneration for a
+slave, but if he thought a thing right to do, he did it without the
+least regard to what other people might say.</p>
+
+<p>There was probably no one question at the time about which there were
+more intensely opposing opinions, than this one of the return of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>
+slaves. Congress had passed the fugitive slave law, and all lawyers and
+students of the Constitution affirmed not merely its legality, but its
+justice, at least its technical justice. To a large number, however, the
+fact that it was legal made no difference so long as they were convinced
+that it was morally wrong. Among these was Mr. Beecher, and he had the
+cordial support of the people. One result was the formation all through
+the North of a system, known as the Underground Railroad, by which
+slaves escaping from the South were helped on their way until they could
+reach Canada, when they were free. It was no secret that some of the men
+in Plymouth Church knew a good deal about this railroad, and were deeply
+interested in helping men,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> women and girls to escape from bondage.</p>
+
+<p>The first national event in which the church took a definite part, so
+far as I remember, was the question as to whether Kansas should be a
+free or a slave state. Settlers were rushing in from all parts of the
+country, and the North was favouring those who were opposed to slavery,
+while the South sought to strengthen the slave-holding element. The
+result was a constant clashing, resulting in what came to be known as
+the Border Ruffian War, in which John Brown first appeared as a national
+figure. In the difficulty of provisioning such a new country, all sorts
+of supplies were rushed in, including ammunition and Bibles. Mr. Beecher
+told his congregation that just then<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> a Sharps rifle was as good a
+missionary to send as a Bible. Accordingly the church purchased and
+boxed up several cases of rifles and Bibles and sent them out. These
+rifles were afterwards called Beecher Bibles.</p>
+
+<p>The events that followed, leading up to the War of the Rebellion, were
+all part of Plymouth Church life. It seemed sometimes as if Mr. Beecher
+was everywhere and nothing could be done without him. At the time when
+Senator Brooks in the United States Senate made his unprovoked attack on
+Charles Sumner, the whole country was wild with indignation. Meetings
+were held on every hand to protest against the outrage. Every item of
+news from Mr. Sumner's bedside was watched for with intense solicitude,
+and for a time it seemed as if<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> the fate of war or peace hung upon the
+life of the Senator. Among the meetings was one called to take place in
+front of City Hall, Brooklyn, and, as so often was the case, Mr. Beecher
+was the speaker. The Square was packed, and as he came out on the steps
+of the City Hall to speak a great cheer went up, a cheer not merely of
+sympathy for Mr. Sumner, but of faith in and regard for the speaker. Mr.
+Beecher, with his marvellous power, raised his voice so that it could be
+heard all over the Square, and for an hour he held the audience
+spellbound with his arraignment of the slave power of the South, and the
+wrongs it was committing, while he affirmed his conviction that the
+conflict would result in a storm of civil war. It was a wonderful
+illustration<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> of the inspiration that made him great.</p>
+
+<p>A very different, yet not less characteristic, scene was that in the
+lecture room of the church one Friday evening, when the news of the
+death of John Brown had come. Looking back over the years it is easy to
+see that his attempt with a mere handful of men to free the slaves of
+the South was a most foolish thing. Yet at that time so keen was the
+realisation of the wrongs that slavery had committed and so hearty the
+respect for the nobility of his purpose and of his character, that from
+all the land there went up one general expression of sympathy. The
+seriousness of the situation appears in the fact that the State of
+Virginia felt obliged to call out a large number of troops on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> day
+of his execution to quell any popular disturbance. The day of the
+execution was Friday, and as the audience crowded the room, it was easy
+to see that there was but one thought in the minds of all. Mr. Beecher
+came in and took his seat upon the platform, a strange and unusual
+expression on his face, indicating the intensity of the feeling within.
+After one or two short prayers, and a couple of hymns, one after another
+gave expression to his sorrow and amazement at the condition of things
+between the North and the South, and through all there was manifest the
+conviction that war and bloodshed were sure to come. The meeting was
+long and earnest, showing the deep impression made on the people of the
+church.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="MR_BEECHER_IN_ENGLAND" id="MR_BEECHER_IN_ENGLAND"></a><i>MR. BEECHER IN ENGLAND</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-t.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="T" title="T" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span><span class="dropword">he</span> most critical time for the North during the Civil War was when it
+was thought that England would recognise the Southern Confederacy. The
+close relations between the cotton manufacturers of England and the vast
+cotton producers of the South created a public sentiment in England in
+favour of the slave states. The feeling on both sides was intensified by
+the "Trent Affair." Two Confederate envoys, sent to Europe to secure the
+recognition of the Confederacy, were taken from the British steamship
+<i>Trent</i> by a United States man-of-war. Great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> Britain, which had
+declared neutrality and thus granted the Confederacy the rights of
+belligerents, demanded their surrender. Feeling in the North ran very
+high, and there were most vigorous protests against yielding to the
+English demands. The President and his advisers, however, realising that
+the arrest of the two envoys tallied very closely with the English
+actions that had brought on the War of 1812, concluded that it was wiser
+to avoid so far as possible any occasion for interference on the part of
+Europe, and returned the envoys. Their arrival in England and their
+setting forth of their side of the conflict was a signal for a great
+increase of hostility to the North, and the pressure from the industrial
+centres became so great that probably<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> only the steadfast friendship for
+the North of the Queen's husband, Prince Albert, averted what would most
+certainly have been a great calamity. Even Mr. Gladstone had expressed
+his conviction that the success of the Southern States, so far at least
+as regarded their separation from the North was concerned, was "as
+certain as any event yet future and contingent, could be." Even the
+Emancipation Proclamation did not suffice to open the eyes of many to
+the real issues, and there was a widespread feeling that some way must
+be found to present the cause of the North in such a manner as to reach
+the English conscience and genuine love of liberty.</p>
+
+<p>In the summer of 1863 Mr. Beecher had been sent to Europe for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> a rest.
+On his return he came to England, and immediately there arose a general
+demand for him to represent America. His marvellous success in the
+anti-slavery campaign preceding the Civil War, his widespread
+popularity, and particularly his power over audiences, made many look to
+him as the providential ambassador. He demurred at first, but at last
+yielded.</p>
+
+<p>When he arrived in London, Manchester, and Liverpool, where great mass
+meetings had been arranged for him to address, he found that every
+effort had been made to discredit him, by huge posters placed throughout
+the country asking: "Who is Henry Ward Beecher? He is the man who said
+the best blood of England must be shed to atone for the Trent affair.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>
+Men of Manchester, Englishmen, what reception can you give this man? He
+is the friend of General Butler. He is the friend of that so-called
+gospel preacher, Cheever. His impudence in coming here is only equalled
+by his cruelty and impiety."</p>
+
+<p>The meeting at Liverpool was announced as follows. "At a meeting held in
+New York at the time when the Confederate envoys, Messrs. Mason and
+Slidell, had been surrendered by President Lincoln to the British
+Government, from whose vessel (the Royal Mail Steamer <i>Trent</i>) they were
+taken, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher said, This act will demonstrate the
+unfeeling selfishness of the British Government and bring us to a
+realisation of our national humiliation. This opinion comes from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> a
+Christian minister who wishes to obtain a welcome in Liverpool, where
+operatives are suffering almost unprecedented hardships caused by the
+suicidal war raging in the States of North America, and which is being
+urged on by fanatical statesmen and preachers of the North!"</p>
+
+<p>These posters and notices of the press had so inflamed the public mind
+that when Mr. Beecher entered the great halls in Liverpool, Manchester
+and London, he had to face a howling mob. When he arose to speak, the
+tumult and hisses made it impossible for him to be heard. Calmly he
+stood and faced the storm like a giant oak for a period of one hour to
+one hour and a half, at each one of these three great meetings,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> before
+the audience would listen to anything which he said; gradually sentence
+after sentence began to reach them, and here Mr. Beecher showed his
+great power as an orator. He slowly quieted the mob until they listened
+to every word he said, and when he closed, the applause which greeted
+him was greater than the groans and the howling with which he had been
+received. He had met the enemy and conquered.</p>
+
+<p>He had an easy road afterwards in following up this victory, speaking in
+different towns and cities all over England, and everywhere the people
+received him with respect and enthusiasm. By degrees he succeeded in
+slowly changing the opinions of the people from favouring the cause<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> of
+the Confederate States to indorsing the struggle of the North for Union
+and Liberty. Returning to London before sailing for America, he was
+received with great honours by the most noted men in that city,
+including royalty. Dinners, breakfasts, and receptions followed one
+another in quick succession until he took his departure.</p>
+
+<p>Upon his return home he was tendered a great reception in the Academy of
+Music, Brooklyn. The people of the North had been watching every step of
+his course in England with deep anxiety, for it was a serious time in
+the history of this nation. The service which he rendered his country at
+that time earned the gratitude of the American Government and people,
+and made him the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> most popular man of the North. I may add that this
+period of Mr. Beecher's life was the one of his greatest power and
+influence, and marked one of the greatest epochs in his history.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="THE_BEECHER_TRIAL" id="THE_BEECHER_TRIAL"></a><i>THE BEECHER TRIAL</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-f.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="F" title="F" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span><span class="dropword">ollowing</span> the Civil War came the reconstruction days, and into all those
+experiences Mr. Beecher entered with full energy, but even more than
+before he devoted himself to his work as a preacher and writer. He was
+in demand everywhere for addresses and lectures, as well as for articles
+from his pen. Churches, lyceums, theological seminaries, public meetings
+of all sorts tried to secure him. He took up editorial work on the
+<i>Christian Union</i>, now <i>The Outlook</i>; he gave the first of the famous
+series of lectures on "Preaching," at Yale<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> Theological Seminary.
+Indeed, it seemed as if he was ubiquitous. How he got time for it all
+was a marvel, even to those who best knew his great powers of endurance,
+and his marvellous capacity for work. In it all Plymouth Church never
+suffered. Its interests were his first care, and while it was never
+selfish or unwilling that others should share their advantage, he was
+faithful to what he esteemed his first duty.</p>
+
+<p>Thus was built up a strength of mutual confidence, and affection, that
+was to be tested in as severe a way as could well be imagined. That the
+test was borne and that both pastor and people came out of it, not
+merely with no loss of mutual esteem and honour, but with the vigour of
+church life unimpaired,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> indeed strengthened, is but another testimony
+to the genuine force of Christian character in both.</p>
+
+<p>No survey of Plymouth Church during its history can ignore the famous
+trial, or rather series of trials, in which both the church and its
+pastor were subjected to an ordeal of the severest type. Into the
+details there is no necessity of going, neither is there advantage in
+reviewing arguments. The actors are fast passing away. Those now coming
+on the stage have little concern with any results except those made
+manifest in the life of Plymouth Church, and which may be taken as
+illustrating its character.</p>
+
+<p>As for Mr. Beecher himself, he needs no vindication. The verdict of his
+city, which has honoured him as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span> it honours few men, is sufficiently
+clear. So also is that of the churches and the great mass of Christian
+men and women over the country. He was undoubtedly indiscreet, yet not
+in the way that most charged indiscretion. Open, above board, frank,
+generous, he trusted others, and, as Dr. Abbott has said, accepted "as
+true, without inquiry or investigation, statements which a man of more
+practical wisdom would certainly have doubted." Good men and true found
+it in many cases difficult to understand his course. Those who believed
+in him can afford to await until the limelight of the highest of all
+courts shall pass its verdict.</p>
+
+<p>Of more immediate value to those interested in Plymouth Church was its
+bearing in such circumstances,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> and the results as manifested in its
+life. It is to be remembered that there were really three trials: 1. An
+investigation by Plymouth Church, commencing in June and closing in
+August, 1874; 2. A trial before the civil court, from January 5 to July
+2, 1875, brought by Mr. Tilton on the charge of alienating his wife's
+affections; 3. A council of Congregational Churches, called by Plymouth
+Church to review its action in regard to its pastor. The first
+investigation was presented, in its method, evidence and results, to a
+meeting of the church. After full public notice and by a unanimous vote
+of about fifteen hundred members, practically the entire resident
+membership, Mr. Beecher was awarded the perfect confidence of the
+church. The civil<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> trial resulted in a disagreement of the jury, but the
+chief lawyer for the prosecution and the presiding judge both publicly
+affirmed their absolute conviction in Mr. Beecher's innocence. The
+Council was the largest and most representative ever known in the
+history of the Congregational Churches. Over two hundred and forty men
+from every part of the country, holding every phase of theological
+beliefs and of ecclesiastical habit, met together, and for days
+investigated, considered, questioned, with a freedom impossible in
+strictly legal procedure, and closed their sessions with formal
+reaffirmation of Mr. Beecher's innocence, no charge against him having
+been sustained by any proof.</p>
+
+<p>While it is thus true that Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> Beecher and the church came forth
+triumphant, it was at heavy cost. No man could endure such a strain
+without showing the effects of it, and Mr. Beecher never recovered the
+old buoyancy. In many ways it became evident how keenly he felt the
+trial. The church showed the effect less. A few, very few, members left
+the church, but the number of dismissions was not larger than usual;
+indeed they were less than in the previous two years, and the church
+remained the more united. The admissions by letter were exceptionally
+large, as were also those by confession of their faith. More pertinent,
+however, than these evidences of life is the fact that the entire work
+of the church suffered no interruption. Prayer meetings, Sunday School,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span>
+continued with usual vigour, and the general activities of the
+congregation were carried on as if there was nothing unusual taking
+place.</p>
+
+<p>It was this that aroused the attention of the country at large and
+convinced many that the basis of the real power of Plymouth Church lay
+not so much in any oratorical gifts of its pastor, as in the substantial
+Christian life of its members. Those who could hold together under such
+a strain were not likely to fall apart under the pressure of any lesser
+difficulty. Undoubtedly there was a certain amount of <i>esprit de corps</i>,
+a realisation of the absolute necessity of mutual support, but to those
+who look back on those days it is still more evident that they felt that
+more than Mr. Beecher, or even Ply<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>mouth Church, was at stake; it was
+the ability of a company of Christian men and women to hold their faith,
+and the expression of their faith.</p>
+
+<p>So far as their personal interest and faith in Mr. Beecher were
+concerned, nothing could illustrate it better than the action of the
+society in helping him to meet the extraordinary expense, and the visit
+to his home in Peekskill of the members of the three Sunday Schools.
+While Mr. Beecher had a most liberal salary, he was free and even
+reckless in expenditure. The result was that the cost of the trial went
+far beyond his resources. At its close, and even before he had had time
+to realise what that cost had been, the society which has charge of the
+finances of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> the church, met and voted that his salary for that year be
+one hundred thousand dollars. It was a great relief to him financially,
+but still more grateful as a taken of the love and confidence of the
+people. Not less touching to him was the tribute from the Sunday
+Schools.</p>
+
+<p>He was at the time living in his summer home at Peekskill, N. Y. Without
+any knowledge on his part, until the very day, it was arranged by the
+teachers and officers of the Plymouth, Bethel and Mayflower Schools that
+the scholars should go to Peekskill to congratulate him on the outcome
+of the trial, and emphasise the feeling of the church already expressed
+in the salary grant. The steamer <i>Blackburn</i> was chartered and about
+three hundred joined in the ex<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>cursion up the North River. Mr. R. D.
+Jaques, an old, active and honoured member of the church, describing the
+scene, says that Mr. Beecher met them standing under a tree, his hat off
+and his long hair flowing in the wind. The visitors formed in line so
+that each could shake his hand. As the little ones came, Mr. Beecher
+would lift them up in his arms and kiss them. Then the house was thrown
+open and they were welcomed to every part of it. Refreshments were
+provided and the social festivities continued until the time came to
+return. It was a happy company that sailed down the river, but it is
+doubtful whether anyone was happier than the host, as he realised what
+the visit meant of their love and honour.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="THE_CHURCH_TESTED" id="THE_CHURCH_TESTED"></a><i>THE CHURCH TESTED</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 50px;">
+<img src="images/drop-o.jpg" width="50" height="50" alt="O" title="O" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span><span class="dropword">n</span> March 8, 1887, a little less than forty years after he had been
+called as pastor of Plymouth Church, Henry Ward Beecher died. The end
+came suddenly. There was no lingering sickness, no wasting of his
+powers. If the impassioned delivery of earlier years was somewhat
+lacking, there was still a power and vigour fully as effective. The year
+before he had been to England on a lecture tour and received an ovation
+as marked as the disapproval attending his first attempts. He had been
+in demand all over the country for addresses and lectures. The columns<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>
+of papers and magazines were everywhere open to him, and while it may be
+true that his popularity was not of the intense sort that it had been at
+times, when he was almost the idol of the people, it probably was of a
+more substantial character. It is probable, too, that at no time in its
+history had Plymouth Church been more closely identified with him, or
+the opinion been so prevalent that neither could prosper without the
+other. The services were as fully attended as ever, and church work had
+settled into the harmonious routine which always bodes good for a
+church's life.</p>
+
+<p>All this was suddenly broken up. On Wednesday evening, March 2, Mr.
+Beecher suffered an apoplectic stroke and on the following Tuesday<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> he
+died. No one who attended the services, held almost continuously during
+that week, can ever forget them. The dominant tone was one of the
+personal loss of a friend. There was grateful recognition of a
+magnificent service done for humanity, and for the building up of the
+Kingdom of God, but the greater work was almost lost sight of in the
+individual remembrances, the personal testimonies to the man who had
+helped men. On Sunday of that week came the regular communion service of
+the church. The usual sermon was omitted and only the Lord's Supper was
+commemorated. There were several evening meetings, mostly for prayer and
+mutual sympathy.</p>
+
+<p>The manifestation of public sym<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>pathy surprised even those who knew best
+how widespread was the interest in the beloved pastor. As the coffin lay
+in the church on Thursday there was an unceasing line of those who
+wished to show their regard for him. On Friday the funeral services were
+conducted by Rev. Charles H. Hall, D. D., pastor of the First
+Presbyterian Church, to which Plymouth Church had succeeded in ownership
+of its site. As it was manifest that Plymouth Church could not possibly
+hold the crowds that wanted to come, simultaneous memorial services were
+held in other churches. Most of the business houses were closed, as were
+also the public offices of the city and the schools. Everywhere there
+was manifest the recognition that a great man had gone.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 346px;"><a name="Lyman_Abbott" id="Lyman_Abbott"></a>
+<img src="images/abbott.jpg" width="346" height="500" alt="Lyman Abbott" title="Lyman Abbott" />
+<span class="caption">Lyman Abbott</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>Who would take his place? Could anyone take his place? Was it not true
+that the relations between him and his church were so intimate, so
+vital, that the sundering of them by his death would inevitably involve
+the dissolution of the church? These were the questions asked everywhere
+by the public and probably in the consciousness of the members of the
+church itself, at least of a considerable number. Fortunately there was
+one already identified with the church for many years, who had come to
+it as a boy, had been very intimately associated with Mr. Beecher, and
+had entered most fully into his spirit and life. Dr. Lyman Abbott had
+already won for himself an independent position in the church and the
+literary life of the country. Glad to call himself<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> a disciple of Mr.
+Beecher, he had been by no means a copyist, and held his own place. Far
+more than would have been possible for anyone not so intimately
+acquainted with the life of the church, he was able to fill the gap at
+least for the time being, and it seemed the natural thing when he was
+called to fill the pulpit and guide the church activities until it could
+decide on some permanent arrangement.</p>
+
+<p>Probably there has never been seen a finer instance of loyalty to a
+church's best traditions than the experience of the following months. As
+was inevitable, the audiences fell off very materially. Still the church
+was fairly well filled and for the first time in years the ushers had a
+reasonably comfortable time. Yet examina<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>tion proved that the loss was
+only of the strangers. Not a pewholder withdrew. There was no diminution
+in the active work of the church. Prayer meetings, Sabbath School,
+mission services continued as before. Even the finances did not suffer.
+It was naturally impracticable to keep up the high premiums on pews.
+Hitherto the Tuesday evening succeeding the first Sunday in the year had
+been a sort of gala time, when loyalty to Plymouth and its pastor and
+good-natured rivalry had combined to bring from the more wealthy members
+sums mounting into the thousands of dollars. The current year was safe,
+but anticipating the change that would be necessary, the leaders, indeed
+practically the whole church, renewed their pew leases at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> the same
+figure, so that there might be no question of financial disquiet for the
+new pastor, whoever he might be. Subsequently the whole method was
+changed, pew premiums giving place to the envelope system, under which
+the church has prospered greatly.</p>
+
+<p>The immediate question of the conduct of the church being solved, the
+more important one of a permanent successor to Mr. Beecher was taken up
+in earnest. I do not think that the possibility of disbanding was for a
+moment present in the thought of any, certainly not of the leaders. They
+set about the work carefully with a clear realisation of the
+difficulties involved, but with a determination to succeed. It is always
+difficult to succeed a man of great in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>dividuality, and this general
+rule was made even more difficult in this case by the peculiar quality
+of the personality. The very intensity of the experiences of the past
+decade and more had served to create a certain alignment, and search as
+they would and did, it was difficult to find anyone to meet all the
+conditions.</p>
+
+<p>It was not unnatural that the committee in charge, not, it must be
+remembered, of choosing a pastor, but of recommending one, or more, for
+the choice of both church and society, should look beyond the sea. More
+than one church had done so and with conspicuous success. Broadway
+Tabernacle had called Wm. M. Taylor, and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian, John
+Hall. Plymouth Church, at that time at least, was not likely to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> look to
+Scotland, nor to Ireland. There was absolutely nothing of the
+Presbyterian in its make-up. It was Independent, through and through. To
+the Congregationalists of England therefore it must look, if it were to
+go beyond its own immediate fellowship.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed as if just the man was found in Rev. Charles A. Berry of
+Wolverhampton. A friend of Mr. Beecher, an earnest and very effective
+preacher, a man of great evangelistic power, he won the hearts of
+Plymouth people, and the recommendation of the committee was followed by
+a unanimous and most urgent call to him to become the pastor. How deeply
+he appreciated, not so much the honour, though such he esteemed it, as
+the token of affec<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span>tionate confidence, was manifest both in his
+correspondence with the church and in the delay in announcing his
+answer. That he would have been glad to come is certain, equally so that
+he felt that duty to a work of peculiar quality and special need called
+him to stay with his own people. They were as dismayed at the
+possibility of losing him as Plymouth Church would have been had Mr.
+Beecher been called to another pulpit.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Berry's declination of the call brought Plymouth Church face to to
+face with a most difficult situation, at least it seemed so to many. In
+truth it was not so difficult as it seemed. Dr. Abbott had filled the
+pulpit with acceptance and had conducted the affairs of the church<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> with
+rare tact. The pastoral work, which had for some years been practically
+in the hands of Rev. S. B. Halliday, went on as usual. Now that Mr.
+Berry was not to come, who could so well meet the need as the one who
+had stood them in good stead in the time of stress? It was therefore
+perfectly natural that thoughts should turn to Dr. Abbott, and when they
+had once started equally natural that he should be called. Accordingly,
+in the spring of 1888 he was invited to be pastor. He accepted, and
+after a summer's rest in Europe commenced the active work of the
+pastorate in September.</p>
+
+<p>During the summer months the preaching services were omitted, but the
+prayer meetings and mission work were continued. The general<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> condition
+of the church may be indicated by the impression made upon one who came
+in during the closing part of the interregnum to take up the pastoral
+work for a few months, dropped by Mr. Halliday, who had gone to build up
+a Beecher Memorial Church in the outskirts of Brooklyn. Coming fresh
+from foreign missionary service, with no experience in American church
+life, Rev. Edwin M. Bliss bears most earnest testimony to the vigour and
+power of the church life of Plymouth, even during those months when many
+were away. Repeatedly he told inquirers that those who imagined that
+Plymouth Church would go to pieces were absolutely mistaken; that there
+was evident a strong church on a firm foundation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Truly there could be no better testimony to the substantial quality of
+Mr. Beecher's leadership than the experience of that year and a half of
+church life under such radically different conditions.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="CHURCH_THOUGHT_AND_LIFE" id="CHURCH_THOUGHT_AND_LIFE"></a><i>CHURCH THOUGHT AND LIFE</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-a.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="A" title="A" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>&nbsp;<span class="dropword">layman</span> is ordinarily not supposed to trouble himself very much about
+theology, but to leave that as the special prerogative of the ministers.
+This was certainly true of the great majority of the lay members of
+Plymouth Church. At the same time they were by no means indifferent to
+theology. They could not be so long as Mr. Beecher was pastor, and Dr.
+Abbott's positive opinions on theological questions, while not obtruded,
+were never hidden. It must be remembered, too, that the constitution,
+articles of faith<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> and covenant were drawn up by laymen. Henry C. Bowen
+was undoubtedly the moving spirit, but the others heartily concurred.
+The articles of faith were as follows:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"1. We believe in the existence of One Ever-living and True God,
+Sovereign and Unchangeable, Infinite in Power, Wisdom and Goodness.</p>
+
+<p>"2. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be
+inspired of God; to contain a revelation of His will, and to be the
+authoritative rule of faith and practice.</p>
+
+<p>"3. We believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are
+revealed in the Scriptures as existing, in respect to attributes,
+character and office, as three Persons, equally Divine; while in
+other respects they are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> united, and are, in a proper sense, One
+God.</p>
+
+<p>"4. We believe that our First Parents were created upright; that
+they fell from their original state by disobedience, and that all
+their posterity are not only prone to sin, but do become sinful and
+guilty before God.</p>
+
+<p>"5. We believe that God so loved the world that He gave His only
+begotten Son to die for it; that Christ appeared in the flesh; that
+He set forth a perfect example of obedience; that He purely taught
+the truths needful for our salvation; that He suffered in our
+stead, the just for the unjust; that He died to atone for our sins,
+and to purify us therefrom; and that He rose from the dead and
+ascended into heaven, where He ever liveth to make intercession for
+us.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"6. We believe that God offers full forgiveness and everlasting
+life to all who will heartily repent and believe in the Lord Jesus
+Christ; while those who do not believe, but persevere in sin, shall
+finally perish.</p>
+
+<p>"7. We believe in the resurrection of all the dead; in a final and
+general judgment, upon the awards of which the wicked shall go into
+everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal." </p></div>
+
+<p>These were adopted by the church as they stand on April 17, 1848, by a
+rising vote. They represent the platform on which Mr. Beecher accepted
+the pastorate of the church, and have remained essentially the doctrinal
+basis of the church under the pastorates of Dr. Abbott and Dr. Hillis.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It will readily be seen that in general the position of Plymouth Church
+was essentially that of the New England churches, and when, after being
+trained in orthodox Windsor, Conn., I came to Brooklyn, I found myself
+in much the same atmosphere. At the same time there was nothing
+hidebound. There was no attempt to draw lines too tight; indeed, there
+was little drawing of lines. Principles were stated, and applied.
+Description took the place of definition.</p>
+
+<p>One result was the intensifying of certain convictions, and of these the
+chief was that the test of belief was the life. Mr. Beecher's breadth of
+sympathy on all public questions, manifested particularly in the slavery
+discussion, came out if possible<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> more clearly in regard to doctrinal
+matters. He made it a principle to seek for the best in every man, and
+was very loath to believe evil of anyone. So when men differed from him
+in theology his tendency always was to seek for the truth that was
+contained in that view, and give it all possible emphasis. In his
+preaching he did not feel obliged to guard himself against every
+possible misconception, and would speak on a topic or present a truth,
+as if for the moment at least, that was the one topic, the one truth, to
+be considered. The result was that he was claimed by very nearly every
+denomination in the country. When this was done by Universalists or
+Unitarians, the old-line Congregationalists were troubled, and
+Presbyteri<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span>ans thanked God that they could not be held responsible for
+his views.</p>
+
+<p>When Dr. Abbott became pastor the same condition continued, perhaps
+emphasised, as Dr. Abbott is broader in his theology than Mr. Beecher
+ever was, while still preserving Mr. Beecher's general attitude toward
+divergent beliefs. Under Dr. Hillis theological matters are subordinated
+to general aggressive church work, although now as always there is the
+most cordial welcome to all of every form of Christian statement who
+emphasise Christian life.</p>
+
+<p>The effect of all this upon the church itself, in its membership, has
+been to make it exceedingly liberal. Men are taken for what they are,
+not for what they believe, and this principle accepted in one respect is
+easily<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> extended to others. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose
+that broadness of theology is the same thing as looseness of doctrinal
+belief.</p>
+
+<p>Plymouth Church is loyal to the faith in which it was born and nurtured,
+and there are not a few who do not accept many of the forms of statement
+current to-day. They do not therefore condemn those who do, realising
+that the very principle of intellectual independence, which has always
+been so powerful an element in the church life, inevitably involves
+difference of opinion. Many who might not accept all Dr. Abbott's views
+have received great benefit from his preaching, emphasising, as he
+always has, life rather than doctrine.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In its ecclesiastical organisation and relations Plymouth Church was
+thoroughly independent, scarcely even Congregational. Rule 1 of its
+ecclesiastical principles says: "This church is an independent
+ecclesiastical body; and in matters of doctrine, order and discipline is
+amenable to no other organisation." It did not propose to stand
+absolutely alone, however, as is shown from Rule 2: "This church will
+extend to other evangelical churches, and receive from them, that
+fellowship, advice and assistance which the laws of Christ require." In
+its general customs, as to membership, ordinances, meetings, etc., it
+conformed to those of the Congregational churches, with which those who
+were its first members had been connected, and when it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> installed its
+first pastor, as in each succeeding instance, it called in the
+Congregational churches to assist. So also in its time of greatest
+stress it recognised the obligations of its fellowship with the
+Congregational churches by calling the largest Congregational council
+ever convened in America. At the same time, if it seemed to it right and
+wise to emphasise the broader fellowship with those of other faith it
+did so, whether Congregationalists at large liked it or not. So in its
+benevolences, it gave where it chose. If it liked to give through the
+medium of what were known as the Congregational Societies, it did; if it
+didn't like to, it didn't. Every once in a while from some source, near
+or more remote, generally more remote, protest would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> come that Mr.
+Beecher and his church were not carrying their full share of
+denominational burdens; there was courteous attention, but a very
+definite giving to understand that the church would do as it thought
+best.</p>
+
+<p>The independence of the organisation manifested itself in individuals.
+Those who wished their gifts to go through a certain channel were
+perfectly at liberty to send them there, and no one felt aggrieved
+because others did not see their way clear to do the same.</p>
+
+<p>Another effect, both of the ecclesiastical independence and the broad
+humanitarian theology, was manifest in the social life, to which
+reference has been made many times, not too often however, for it was
+and is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> one of the chief features of Plymouth life.</p>
+
+<p>In the northeast corner of what is now the Sunday School room were
+located the social parlours. They were handsomely furnished, and there
+every Monday evening Mr. Beecher held an informal reception, when all
+members of the church or congregation were cordially welcomed. The
+prominent members of the church were present, including such men as
+Messrs. Howard, Bowen, Claflin, Sage, Storrs, Freeland, Wheelock,
+Fanning, Mason, Caldwell, Ropes, Southwick, Murray, Leckler, Sloat,
+Corning, Hutchinson, Burgess, Dr. Morrill Studwell and others, and this
+was often an opportunity to welcome distinguished visitors. One such
+occasion I remember well, when a large<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> number of distinguished people
+gathered to welcome Mr. Beecher's sister, Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe.
+She had just returned from England, where she had been introduced to
+Queen Victoria as the first American authoress; the papers had announced
+that two million copies of her book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," had been sold,
+and the congratulations and social enjoyment were great.</p>
+
+<p>The same characteristics that distinguished the regular church life were
+manifest in all its departments, as the Sunday School and Bible classes.
+In all there was free play for individual ideas and development. One
+Bible class in particular I would mention, that conducted for many years
+by Mr. Wilbur, and which had more than one hundred members. In<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> a
+variety of ways, by freedom of discussion in the class, by excursions,
+receptions, entertainments of various kinds, it bound the young people
+together, helped greatly to build up the church, and particularly
+contributed to its social life. How firmly it was established is
+witnessed by the fact that it has never weakened, even in the changes
+that have come in the membership, or the official direction of the
+church. With three pastors so different in many respects as Mr. Beecher,
+Dr. Abbott and Dr. Hillis, there has been no difference in the general
+type of church life.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="THE_CHURCH_STAFF" id="THE_CHURCH_STAFF"></a><i>THE CHURCH STAFF</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-i.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="I" title="I" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span><span class="dropword">t</span> is only of recent years that the Congregational and Presbyterian
+churches have come to include in the regular staff of church officers,
+assistant pastors or pastor's assistants. For a long time Mr. Beecher
+and Plymouth Church followed the prevailing custom, relying upon
+volunteer service for such extra work in the line of parish visitation
+as was beyond the pastor's power. As the church grew, however, and as
+the demands upon its pastor for outside work in the form of public
+addresses, lectures, etc., increased, it became evident that something
+must<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> be done to meet the emergency. Fortunately, just the right man was
+found. Rev. S. B. Halliday had seen considerable service in mission work
+in New York City, was a man of genial character, great sympathy,
+kindhearted, and painstaking in the performance of his duties. He came
+to Brooklyn in 1870 and remained there in pastoral duty until after Mr.
+Beecher's death. His work was chiefly among the poorer class, but there
+were many families of means that welcomed him to their homes. Perhaps
+the one word that best expresses the impression that he left on those
+who knew him best, is&mdash;godly. He was a good man, one who in life and
+thought lived near God. Mr. Beecher thoroughly appreciated him, and he
+idolised Mr. Beecher. It was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> scarcely surprising that when Mr. Beecher
+died he should find it hard to adapt himself to changed conditions. He
+had hoped that Mr. Berry would accept the call to the pastorate, but
+when that failed, he resigned his position and went into East New York,
+then on the outskirts of Brooklyn, where he took charge of a weak
+Congregational Church. It was due to him that the name "The Beecher
+Memorial Church" was given to it, and it was significant of the honour
+in which both Mr. Beecher and Mr. Halliday were held that men of every
+form of faith, Christian and non-Christian, and from many different
+countries, contributed toward the building which was erected a few years
+later. When Mr. Halliday died it was like the severing of an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>other link
+of the chain binding Mr. Beecher to the Christian life of Brooklyn.</p>
+
+<p>When Dr. Abbott became pastor the question of an assistant came up
+again. At first Dr. Abbott was unwilling to have one, but as the
+necessity became more apparent, and also as there appeared one who
+seemed in every way fitted for the work, Rev. Howard S. Bliss was called
+and commenced his duties soon after Dr. Abbott was installed. The son of
+the well-known founder of the Syrian Protestant College at Beirut,
+Syria, a man of pleasing ways, tact in dealing with people, and a fine
+speaker, he won the most cordial regard and affections of the church
+people. He remained for many years, through Dr. Abbott's pastorate,
+leaving Plymouth <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span>only to take the pastorate of a flourishing church
+in New Jersey, whose traditions made it easy for one naturally
+sympathetic with and trained in the liberal yet practical and aggressive
+atmosphere of Plymouth Church, to develop a vigorous church life. Mr.
+Bliss has since been called to the presidency of the college at Beirut
+to take up the work as it was laid down by his aged father.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 336px;"><a name="Newell_Dwight_Hillis" id="Newell_Dwight_Hillis"></a>
+<img src="images/hillis.jpg" width="336" height="500" alt="Newell Dwight Hillis" title="Newell Dwight Hillis" />
+<span class="caption">Newell Dwight Hillis</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>During Dr. Hillis' pastorate there have been two assistant pastors,
+Revs. Willard P. Harmon and George J. Corey. Both have well sustained
+the traditions of the church, have made themselves many friends, and
+have done much to develop the newer life which under changed conditions
+has become a necessity. Mr. Harmon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> left to enter the full pastorate.
+Mr. Corey is the present assistant.</p>
+
+<p>Comparatively few who are not themselves directly connected with the
+business affairs of a church probably realise how much of the orderly
+conduct of the church depends upon the sexton. To many people he is
+simply the man who looks after funerals, sees that the furnace fires are
+properly managed, the church swept, etc. In Plymouth Church the sexton
+was always a man of considerable importance, and I feel it a duty which
+I owe to the church, not less than to them, to speak of their faithful
+work. Not only have they conducted the ordinary duties of a sexton, but
+have acted in a clerical capacity to the board of trustees in collecting
+pew rents, and in other business of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> church. In this they have had a
+most important share in the comfort of the congregation and the success
+of the church.</p>
+
+<p>Plymouth Church has been in charge of five different sextons during its
+existence. Mr. McFarlane was its caretaker in its early years. Owing to
+his bluff manner he was never very popular with the young people, and
+one instance I shall never forget. One evening Charles Dickens was to
+lecture in the church. As the price of the tickets was from one to two
+dollars, there were not many of the boys at that time who could afford
+to pay it. We were bound not to be left out, so a plan was devised to
+overcome the difficulty. Accordingly we perched ourselves on a
+window-sill outside, where by rais<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>ing the sash slightly we could hear
+and see the lecturer. All went well for a time and we were
+congratulating ourselves, when the old sexton discovered us. Then there
+was a scampering up Orange and down Henry to Fulton Street with
+McFarlane close after. I was one of the unfortunate boys who were
+caught, and the pounding which I received made such an impression upon
+me that I can see and hear Charles Dickens to this day.</p>
+
+<p>After Mr. McFarlane came Mr. Weld, who was the sexton for many years,
+during the most exciting period of the church's history, and when it was
+thronged by the greatest crowds. Mr. Weld was faithful to his trust,
+never ruffled, kind to everyone and popular with all, and remained at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>
+his post until old age and sickness called him away. His funeral was
+large, attended by a great number of the members of the church. When his
+body was carried down the aisle Mr. and Mrs. Beecher, arm in arm, headed
+the mournful procession. If some great artist could have transferred the
+scene to canvas and called it the funeral of the old sexton, it could
+have taken its place among the other great paintings of church history.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. George Day, one of the oldest members of the church and who is still
+living, followed Mr. Weld, but remained in office only two years, being
+succeeded by Mr. Smith, who filled the position for a long time in a
+most acceptable manner. After him came Mr. Charles T. Halsey, who has<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>
+charge at the present time. I wish especially to mention my obligations
+to him for assistance in verifying names and dates.</p>
+
+<p>In close relation to the pastors and assistant pastors have been the
+clerks of the church. Perhaps the one who attained the widest fame in
+this capacity was Mr. Thomas G. Shearman, whose term of service was long
+and included the period of the trials. At the ecclesiastical council he
+made his knowledge of Congregational polity and history very manifest,
+and contributed not a little to the convincing of the churches of the
+denomination that Plymouth Church, while standing firm in its
+independency, was yet willing and glad to recognise to the full the
+fellowship of other churches, and desirous of doing all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> that it might
+to make that fellowship cordial. The present clerk, Horatio C. King, is
+but another illustration of how men of ability and position have
+delighted to serve Plymouth.</p>
+
+<p>The Sunday School has always been a most important part of Plymouth
+Church, and the list of superintendents shows how it has been regarded
+by all. At the first organisation Mr. Bowen was made superintendent, on
+September 5, 1847, with an attendance of ten teachers and twenty-eight
+scholars. The following May there were twenty-five teachers and one
+hundred and forty scholars, and twenty years later, in 1867, the
+attendance was considerably over one thousand. Mr. Bowen was followed by
+Luther Eames, Edward Corning, Henry E. Morrill, George<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> E. Bell,
+Rossiter W. Raymond, and George W. Bard well, who is now in charge.</p>
+
+<p>My own recollections centre particularly about Dr. Morrill, during whose
+service of ten years, from 1851 to 1861, I became a member of the
+school. All have done noble service. Professor Raymond has perhaps been
+specially successful. His clear thought, simple expression, hearty
+sympathy, great personal tact, have endeared him to all, teachers and
+scholars, and done much to build up the school and church.</p>
+
+<p>To speak of the deacons and trustees would be simply to repeat the names
+of those already mentioned as prominent in the work of the church, for
+on one or the other of these boards very nearly all have served at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> some
+time. It has been, too, no mere formal service. Men of high position in
+business and professional life have given freely of time and labour to
+serve the interests of the church.</p>
+
+<p>Mention should be made of the Bethel and Mayflower Missions. The Bethel
+Mission School was established in 1841, in Main Street, near the
+Catherine Ferry, then to rooms above the market on James Street, then to
+42 and 44 Fulton Street. Almost as soon as Plymouth Church was formed
+its members interested themselves in the school, but there was no
+official relation until 1866, when it was voted to adopt the school as
+one of the regular institutions of the church. This was accepted by the
+school, and the connection continued until 1904, when it was dropped.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="THE_FORT_SUMTER_EXPEDITION" id="THE_FORT_SUMTER_EXPEDITION"></a><i>THE FORT SUMTER EXPEDITION</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 51px;">
+<img src="images/drop-w.jpg" width="51" height="50" alt="W" title="W" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span><span class="dropword">hen</span> it became evident that the North had won the victory and that the
+defeat of the Confederacy was at hand, President Lincoln decided to
+celebrate the event by replacing the same old flag that had waved over
+Fort Sumter before the war had commenced, and had been lowered on the
+14th of April, 1861, after a brave struggle by Major Anderson, only when
+compelled to do so by the guns of General Beauregard. By the President's
+order, the Secretary of War directed that on "April 14th, 1865, at
+twelve o'clock noon,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> Major General Anderson will raise and plant upon
+the ruins of Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbour, the same United States
+flag which floated over the battlements of that fort during the Rebel
+assault four years previous." At the request of Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Beecher
+was invited to deliver the oration upon that occasion. As soon as it
+became known that he had accepted, a large number of his friends wished
+to go with him, but how to get there was the problem. The <i>Arago</i>, the
+government steamer, was full, and all the other steamers available had
+been chartered by the government for service in the war. After a
+diligent search it was found that the Neptune Steamship Company would
+take one of their propellers, running between New York<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> and Providence,
+off the route, and charter it for a party.</p>
+
+<p>A committee was formed consisting of Mr. Edward Cary, editor of the
+<i>Brooklyn Union</i>, Mr. Edwin A. Studwell and myself as chairman. The
+steamship company agreed to carry one hundred and eighty passengers for
+the sum of eighteen thousand dollars, which I paid them, the trip to be
+made in nine days.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as all the arrangements were completed, Mr. Beecher announced
+the program from the pulpit and through the press. Nearly all the
+prominent clergymen and citizens of Brooklyn applied for tickets. It
+became necessary to refuse a large number, as the steamer could not
+accommodate more than one hundred and eighty people. On the 10th of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span>
+April, 1865, we left the foot of Wall Street in, one of the Fulton Ferry
+boats, which had been kindly offered to take the party to the <i>Oceanus</i>,
+lying at the foot of Robinson Street, New York. A more patriotic party
+never left the city of Brooklyn. All the way to Charleston, those who
+were not seasick (for the steamer rolled fearfully) were engaged in
+holding meetings and singing patriotic songs. Speeches were made by the
+clergymen, including Messrs. Cuyler, Putman, Gallagher, Chadwick,
+Corning, French and others; also by prominent citizens of Brooklyn,
+including Messrs. Low, Bowen, Smith, Lambert, Frothingham and others.
+The singing was led by Mr. Bradbury, while among the songs were "We are
+out on the ocean sail<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>ing," "John Brown's Soul is Marching on," "We'll
+Hang Jeff Davis to a Sour Apple Tree." Arriving at Charleston Bar on the
+afternoon of the 13th of April we passed into the harbour, and as we
+went by Fort Sumter the entire company assembled upon the upper deck and
+sang "Old Hundred."</p>
+
+<p>Just before the <i>Oceanus</i> left the dock in New York we received a
+despatch from the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, that Lee with his
+entire army had surrendered to Grant. Our steamer was the first one to
+carry the news of Lee's surrender to the people of the South. As the
+<i>Oceanus</i> slowly neared the dock at Charleston, we could see the shores
+were lined with people, and as we came within hailing distance, Cap<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>tain
+Young shouted through his trumpet, "Lee has surrendered!" At once there
+went up a mighty shout from that black mass&mdash;it was like the roar of
+Niagara. "God bless Massa Lincoln!" could be heard above the din, then
+came "My country, 'tis of thee," "Hail Columbia," sung as only coloured
+people can sing. The band on the <i>Blackstone</i>, which was anchored near,
+played "The Star-Spangled Banner," and in the evening all the men-of-war
+in the harbour were illuminated to celebrate the news of the victory.</p>
+
+<p>The next morning all was bustle and activity, getting ready to go down
+to the fort, and every available sailing craft was brought into service
+to carry the people of Charleston to the ceremonies of the day. At
+eleven<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> o'clock we were assembled inside the walls of Sumter, as
+distinguished a gathering as ever assembled since the signing of The
+Declaration of Independence. High officers of the Army and Navy, United
+States Senators, members of Congress, officers of the Government,
+clergymen and distinguished citizens from all over the United States,
+and a number from England.</p>
+
+<p>At the hour of noon Major Anderson, who had been a long time in feeble
+health, came upon the platform. Sergeant Hart took from a mail-pouch the
+old flag and fastened it to the halyards. Major Anderson, taking hold of
+the rope, said, "I thank God that I have lived to see this day and
+perform probably the last act of duty of my life for my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> country." (He
+died soon after.) As he slowly raised the flag over the ruined walls of
+the fort, from Forts Moultrie, Ripley, Pickney, Putnam and Johnson,
+Cummings Point and Battery B, and from every United States gunboat in
+the harbour there broke forth a mighty salute. The thunder of the cannon
+fairly shook the earth and the clouds of smoke enveloped the fort in
+almost midnight darkness. When they rolled away Old Glory waved
+peacefully as though it had never been fired upon by rebel cannon. The
+audience sang "Victory at last."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Beecher came forward to the front of the platform to deliver the
+oration. There was a cold wind blowing in from the sea, the wind playing
+havoc with the leaves of his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> manuscript. As he commenced he took off
+his hat, but immediately arose the cry, "Put on your hat, Mr. Beecher."
+He obeyed and went on with his address, holding the close attention of
+everyone for over an hour. It has taken its place in the history of
+memorable addresses delivered on great occasions. The history of the
+country will place it second to none among the most patriotic and able
+orations.</p>
+
+<p>The next two or three days were spent in and about Charleston, visiting
+the scenes of desolation caused by the war. The only carriages to be had
+were donkey carts. It was a usual sight to see George Thompson of
+England and Charles Sumner jogging along, or William Lloyd Garrison and
+Senator Wilson to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>gether, Henry Ward Beecher and Fred Douglass in a
+donkey cart driven by a former slave. Mass meetings were held in the
+abandoned churches and public buildings of the city, mostly attended by
+the coloured people.</p>
+
+<p>On the third day the <i>Oceanus</i> passed out of Charleston harbour, saluted
+by all the ships and forts. The flag on Sumter was dipped as we passed
+by; all went well until we rounded Cape Hatteras and were bearing into
+Fortress Monroe. Passing a pilot boat, the captain shouted, "What's the
+news?" The reply came back over the water, "The President is dead." We
+could not and did not believe it. Soon after, passing another pilot
+boat, to a similar question the answer came, "Mr. Lincoln has<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> been
+assassinated." Then we realised the truth. With saddened hearts we
+sailed up to Fortress Monroe, which was already draped in black. Here
+our party separated, some coming direct to New York, the rest going to
+Washington to take part in the ceremonies attending the funeral of Mr.
+Lincoln.</p>
+
+<p>I have spoken more fully of the Sumter excursion because it was an
+important national event, and because it was so closely identified with
+Plymouth Church and Brooklyn. If it had not been for Mr. Beecher there
+would have been no <i>Oceanus</i> voyage.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 385px;"><a name="Henry_Ward_Beecher_Statue" id="Henry_Ward_Beecher_Statue"></a>
+<img src="images/statue.jpg" width="385" height="500" alt="Henry Ward Beecher&#39;s Statue, Brooklyn, N. Y." title="Henry Ward Beecher&#39;s Statue, Brooklyn, N. Y." />
+<span class="caption">Henry Ward Beecher's Statue, Brooklyn, N.&nbsp;Y.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="QUAKER_CITY_EXCURSION" id="QUAKER_CITY_EXCURSION"></a><i>QUAKER CITY EXCURSION</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-t.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="T" title="T" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span><span class="dropword">he</span> plan of the <i>Quaker City</i> Excursion, made famous by Mark Twain,
+originated in Plymouth Church, when Mr. Beecher contemplated writing a
+Life of Christ. He expressed a desire to visit the sacred places of
+Palestine, where our Lord lived and where He was crucified, and wanted
+several members of Plymouth Church to go with him. A committee was
+formed to arrange for the journey, composed of Captain C. Duncan, John
+T. Howard and Rufus R. Graves. A very beautiful and substantial
+side-wheel steamship, the <i>Quaker City</i>, was chartered for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> journey,
+and the number of passengers was limited to one hundred and fifty. The
+price of the passage for each person was fixed at twelve hundred and
+fifty dollars. Mr. Beecher engaged passage, but at the last moment
+decided not to go.</p>
+
+<p>The Secretary of State furnished us with letters commending us to the
+attention of the foreign governments which we might visit, and on the
+eighth day of June we sailed out of New York harbour. Our first stopping
+place was at the Azores, then we went to Gibraltar and Marseilles, where
+time was given to the passengers to visit Paris and London; next to
+Genoa, from which port we made visits to Milan, Venice and Lake Como.
+The next stopping place was Leghorn, where we turned aside to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> Florence
+and Pisa and visited Garibaldi, who was then at his home. From Leghorn
+our course took us to Naples, giving time to see Rome, Vesuvius and
+Pompeii; then on through the Straits of Messina, across the Ionian Sea,
+through the Grecian Archipelago to Athens, Greece; through the
+Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora to Constantinople. After one week's
+stay in that Oriental city, the route lay through the Bosphorus, across
+the Black Sea to Sebastopol. After visiting the famous battlefields of
+the Crimea, we sailed to Odessa, in the northwest corner of the Black
+Sea, ours being the first American steamship which ever entered that
+harbour. While staying there a telegram was received from the Emperor of
+Russia inviting us<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> to visit him at his palace, Livadia, at Yalta. Yalta
+is a very beautiful place on the slope of a mountain, overlooking the
+Black Sea, about two hundred miles east of Odessa, and is the summer
+home of the imperial family of Russia. The Grand Duke Michael's palace,
+Orianda, the Grand Duke Vladimir's, Worondow, and their grounds join
+those of the Emperor. The invitation was accepted. Mrs. Griswold's story
+of the visit as given in the "Pilgrimage" is as follows:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>"On the way from Odessa to Yalta, several meetings were held by the
+gentlemen in the saloon for the purpose of preparing an address to
+be presented to the Czar; at the same time the ladies were gathered
+in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> groups conversing about the coming event.</p>
+
+<p>"This morning we dropped anchor at Yalta. The Governor-general
+conveyed to us a message from the Emperor 'that we were welcome,
+and he would be pleased to receive us the next day at twelve
+o'clock.' Word also came that carriages and horses would be in
+readiness to convey the party to the palace, which is about two
+miles from the landing place.</p>
+
+<p>"All was astir on board preparing for the great occasion. The
+porters are overtaxed in getting out the stored-away trunks for the
+passengers, as the most <i>recherch&eacute;</i> wardrobes must be selected. The
+ladies' purchases through Europe are now brought into requisition.
+Paris dresses, laces, coiffures, and jewelry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> are to be worn for
+the first time. At ten and a half o'clock we saw the spacious
+rowboats belonging to the Emperor nearing our ship. How gaily they
+were decked out with scarlet cloth and fringe hanging over the
+sides almost touching the water; each boat was rowed by twelve men
+dressed in white caps and uniform. They approached the vessel's
+side with extreme caution, owing to the heavy sea, which was
+rolling in. As the boat would rise upon a wave and sink away, one
+person stepped in after another until it was filled, when another
+boat would take its place. In this way all were safely landed. We
+left the boat by crimson-carpeted steps leading up from the water
+into a picturesque canopied landing. The ladies occupied the
+carriages and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> gentlemen rode on horseback. We formed quite a
+procession, numbering over sixty persons.</p>
+
+<p>"The gates were thrown open to admit us to the palace grounds. A
+company of mounted Cossacks were drawn up on each side of the gate,
+and we passed through in military order, escorted by the Grand Duke
+Michael, brother of the Emperor, who had met us on the way.</p>
+
+<p>"At precisely twelve o'clock we formed in front of the palace. The
+smoothly cut lawn around us was like a velvet carpet, with a
+profusion of surrounding flowers. Immediately the Emperor and the
+Empress appeared, accompanied by their daughter Marie, and one of
+their sons, the Grand Duke Serge, followed by a retinue of
+distinguished persons.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The American Consul who had come with us from Odessa stepped
+forward and read a short address to his Imperial Highness Alexander
+II, Czar of Russia, which had been prepared and signed by the
+passengers. The Emperor replied to it by saying 'that he thanked us
+for the address and was very much pleased to meet us, especially as
+such friendly relations exist between Russia and the United
+States.' The Empress further replied by saying 'that Americans were
+favourites in Russia,' and she hoped her people were the same with
+the Americans.</p>
+
+<p>"The Emperor is tall and well-proportioned, with a mild yet firm
+expression. The impression of the beholders is that he is one born
+to command. He wore a white cap and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> a white linen suit, the coat
+confined with a belt around the waist and ornamented with gilt
+buttons and elaborate epaulets.</p>
+
+<p>"The Empress is of medium height, fair complexion, and although
+delicate looking she appears young for one of her age. A bright,
+welcoming smile lit up her face. Her dress was white foulard silk,
+dotted with blue and richly trimmed with blue satin. She wore a
+small sleeveless jacket, a broad blue sash, and around her neck was
+a tie made of swiss muslin and valenciennes lace. On her head was a
+straw hat trimmed with blue velvet and black lace. Her hands were
+covered with flesh-covered kid gloves, and she carried a light drab
+parasol lined with blue silk.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The Grand Duchess was attired in a dress of similar material to
+that of her mother, only this was more tastefully arranged with
+blue silk and fringe, a belt of the same material as the dress,
+fastened by a large rosette, and a straw hat also trimmed with blue
+silk.</p>
+
+<p>"The Grand Duke Serge is quite young, and a well-appearing youth.
+He was dressed in a scarlet blouse and white pants.</p>
+
+<p>"Individual introductions followed. Several of the ladies,
+including myself, had an opportunity of conversing with the
+Empress. All of the Imperial family speak English very well.</p>
+
+<p>"We were escorted through the buildings by the Emperor and Empress,
+entering a door which was on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> either side a bower of flowers.
+Almost all the apartments were thrown open. The floors were inlaid
+and polished, and the furniture was curious and costly. The Emperor
+took special pains to show us the chapel, where he and his family
+worshipped. It was very handsome, and connected with the main
+building.</p>
+
+<p>"Every effort was made by the Imperial family to welcome us, and
+really the Pilgrims seemed to act as much at home as though they
+were accustomed to calling on Emperors every day.</p>
+
+<p>"I could not realise that we were being entertained by a ruler of
+more than eighty million people, and whose word was the supreme law
+of the most powerful nation on the globe.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"At eight o'clock in the evening the anchor was lifted and we
+sailed by the Czar's palace, which was brilliantly lighted, and
+amid the booming of cannon, and the shooting of rockets, and a blue
+light illuminating our ship we bade farewell to a scene which I
+shall treasure as one of the brightest remembrances of my life." </p></div>
+
+<p>From Yalta the steamer sailed across the Black Sea, through the
+Bosphorus, down the coast of Asia Minor, to the Gulf of Smyrna,
+anchoring in the harbour of Smyrna. A delay was made to give time to
+visit the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. Passing the coast of the
+Isle of Cyprus the next landing place was Beirut, where several days
+were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> spent, affording the pilgrims opportunity to visit the Mountains
+of Lebanon, the ruins of Baalbec, and the city of Damascus. From Beirut
+we sailed down the coast of Palestine, passing Tyre and Sidon. The
+steamer anchored off the harbour of Jaffa. Three weeks were given to
+visit Jerusalem, Bethany, the River Jordan, the Dead Sea, Jericho, and
+other places in the Holy Land. At Jerusalem one of the Plymouth Church
+passengers, Mr. Moses Beach, purchased an olive tree at the foot of the
+Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane, had it cut down and
+transported to Jaffa, where it was placed on board the <i>Quaker City</i>,
+brought home, and through the generosity of Mr. Beach was made into
+furniture which now stands in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> Plymouth pulpit. The next landing place
+was Alexandria, Egypt, giving an opportunity to visit Cairo and the
+Pyramids. From Alexandria the voyage was continued homeward, stopping at
+Malta, Gibraltar and Bermuda.</p>
+
+<p>It was a great journey, as it afforded a majestic and sublime panorama
+of the different nations, kindreds, and tongues of the world, and may
+well take its place among other great events of Plymouth Church.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="PERSONALIA" id="PERSONALIA"></a><i>PERSONALIA</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 49px;">
+<img src="images/drop-a.jpg" width="49" height="50" alt="A" title="A" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span>&nbsp;<span class="dropword">great</span> deal of the power of church life, as well as of personal life,
+centres about personal items. Without seeking to arrange them
+chronologically or even to associate them topically, I wish to gather up
+in this chapter some of the incidents that do not well belong in the
+preceding chapters. Some of them it is easy to locate, others have lost
+their setting, as the years have gone by, and stand out with an
+individuality that is their own. It is no reflection on Mr. Beecher's
+successors, noble and true men, that he figures so prominently in them.
+The memory<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> of those early days when, as a country lad, I came to
+Brooklyn, naturally centres around the man who from my boyhood, through
+early manhood and into middle age had a mighty influence upon my life.</p>
+
+<p>One event I recall, in the very first year of my new life. In itself it
+was no more significant or important than many others, but it meant much
+to me, opening up as it did a broader vision of world-wide interest, and
+particularly of the close connection between things called secular and
+religious. The slavery question had a profound religious bearing, and
+touched the very core of Plymouth Church life, yet even that does not
+stand out more vividly in my memory than the scene when Louis Kossuth
+landed at the Battery from an Amer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span>ican man-of-war, and rode up Broadway
+escorted by a hundred or more prominent citizens. We boys knew little
+about him, but none the less eagerly we hurried along, barely escaping
+the horses' feet, and none the less lustily we joined in the shout.
+Later, through Mr. Beecher's references to him and his work, and by
+seeing him in Plymouth Church, we came to know that the fight for
+liberty was the same, whether in the South or in Europe, and whether it
+was for black men that we knew or for Hungarians of whom we knew
+nothing, scarcely even the name. Another lesson that we learned was that
+the whole world is kin, and that even far-off lands cannot suffer
+oppression and wrong without other lands suffering with them. So
+Ply<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span>mouth pulpit became a platform for the presentation of every form of
+appeal to the best Christian consciousness of the church and through the
+church of the nation.</p>
+
+<p>Another scene, after I had grown to manhood, illustrates the same
+chivalry that was bound to assert the claims of any person or any class.
+Mr. Beecher was always an advocate of women's rights. He could never see
+why women should be debarred from so many of the privileges, or duties,
+of social life. During the first Lincoln campaign there appeared upon
+the lecture platform a woman who brought a woman's plea for the cause of
+liberty and human rights. No one who ever heard Anna Dickinson speak
+could forget her, or failed to be moved by her eloquence.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> Of course Mr.
+Beecher was her friend, and welcomed her assistance in the contest that
+was growing more and more severe. She drew great crowds whenever she
+spoke.</p>
+
+<p>I was then president of the Central Republican Club, and we engaged Miss
+Dickinson to speak in the Academy of Music, where we were then holding
+meetings. Some days before the meeting was to take place the secretary
+of the board of directors of the Academy called at my office with a
+notice that the directors could not allow Miss Dickinson to speak in
+that building.</p>
+
+<p>I did not know what to do. The meeting had been extensively advertised.
+I finally decided to go and see Mr. Beecher. As I recited the facts to
+him I could see the expression of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> indignation and the colour come to
+his face. He thought a moment and said, "Wait until next Sunday
+morning."</p>
+
+<p>The next Sunday the church was packed. When Mr. Beecher gave the notices
+and came to Miss Dickinson's lecture, he called the board of directors
+to account for this action in refusing to allow a woman to speak in the
+Academy of Music. One of the directors, who was present, being ignorant
+of the situation, took it up and denied the action of the directors.
+Then said Mr. Beecher, "I take back all that I have said." I was there
+in the west gallery, and at once decided not to allow a
+misrepresentation like that to pass, and, mounted on the backs of two
+pews, I recited to the audience all of the facts and the official
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>notice which I had from the directors, that the Academy could not be
+used for this woman to speak in.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;"><a name="Interior_of_Plymouth_Church" id="Interior_of_Plymouth_Church"></a>
+<img src="images/church.jpg" width="600" height="433" alt="Interior of Plymouth Church" title="Interior of Plymouth Church" />
+<span class="caption">Interior of Plymouth Church</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>When I had finished, the congregation broke into great applause. Mr.
+Beecher then went on with his remarks, scoring the directors of the
+Academy, and created such a sentiment in the community that the
+directors rescinded their action, and the great mass meeting, with Miss
+Dickinson as speaker, took place.</p>
+
+<p>Since then, not only the Academy of Music, but other public buildings
+throughout the country have been open for women to speak in, upon any
+subject.</p>
+
+<p>Stories of Mr. Beecher's sayings might be gathered by the thousand,
+indeed they have been, and published in a book for the use of
+ministers,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> teachers, and public speakers. Fortunately or unfortunately
+the reporter was not quite so ubiquitous then, especially in the earlier
+days, as now, but still there was a sufficient amount of newspaper
+enterprise, and I often wish I had kept a record of the incidents and
+trenchant remarks that were gathered up. A good many, however, never got
+into the papers. Whether or not the following did I cannot say.
+Certainly I did not get them from the press.</p>
+
+<p>One day the evening papers announced that a terrible accident had
+happened to Mrs. Beecher, that she had been thrown out of her carriage
+in lower Fulton Street, been dashed against the steps of the Long Island
+Bank, and so seriously injured that she was not expected to live, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>
+some said that she had been killed. That evening at the prayer meeting
+no one expected to see Mr. Beecher. He came as usual and the people
+crowded around him asking about Mrs. Beecher, as she had been reported
+killed. He seemed quite disturbed by the persistent inquiries of those
+around him. In a half impatient manner he said, "It would have been
+serious with any other woman."</p>
+
+<p>The same cool, imperturbable bearing so often manifest in his
+experiences in England came out again and again during the stirring
+scenes in this country. When the Civil War broke out and the riots in
+New York took place for several days the city was almost in the hands of
+the mob. It was given out that Plymouth Church was to be attacked the
+next<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> Sunday evening. Crowds of rough-looking men came over the ferry
+and mixed with the congregation. John Folk, superintendent of the police
+force of Brooklyn, with forty of his men was in the lecture room and
+back of the organ to protect Mr. Beecher, in case of an attempt to reach
+him, amid the intense excitement of the audience. Mr. Beecher came upon
+the platform calm and cool and proceeded with the services as usual.
+During the sermon a stone crashed through the upper windows from the
+outside. Mr. Beecher stopped, looked up to the windows, and then to the
+great congregation, and said "Miscreant," and calmly went on with his
+sermon.</p>
+
+<p>He was always glad when he could be, so to speak, off duty, and be free<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>
+to do whatever occurred to him to do, whether anybody else would ever
+have thought of it or not. One Sunday evening when his pulpit was
+occupied by some other pastor he was seen sitting in the third gallery.
+When asked why he was up there, he replied "that he wanted to see how
+the preacher looked from that point of view."</p>
+
+<p>The boys on the Heights all knew Mr. Beecher and liked to meet him
+because he always had a word with them. In coming to church one day he
+met a group of boys. They hailed him in this fashion: "There goes Mr.
+Beecher, he is a screecher." When he reached the church it seemed to
+please him to tell the story to the congregation.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever Mr. Beecher crossed the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> ocean he was very sea-sick, and after
+landing he would say that those whom God abhorred He sent to sea. This
+was probably the reason why at the last moment he decided not to to take
+the trip in the <i>Quaker City</i>, referred to in a previous chapter. The
+expedition would never have been organised but for Mr. Beecher, and yet
+it had to go without him.</p>
+
+<p>While in a very real sense Mr. Beecher was a true cosmopolitan, and a
+genuine citizen of the United States, he was specially fond of New
+England, was grateful that that section was his birthplace, and always
+glad when one opportunity or another called him there to lecture or
+preach. The New England people fully reciprocated the feeling and in
+turn Mr. Beecher used to declare that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> "New England was the brain of the
+nation." Little wonder that so many New England boys found their way to
+Plymouth Church.</p>
+
+<p>In a similar way he was very fond of Brooklyn as the city of homes. He
+was interested in New York, with its bustle and rush, as the "work
+shop," but Brooklyn was the "boarding house," and many a semi-homeless
+boarder found a warm welcome in Plymouth Church. Perhaps it was these
+people that he had in mind when Plymouth Church could not hold half the
+people who desired to attend the services, and he appealed to the
+pewholders to stay away evenings and give their pews to strangers,
+inaugurating thus a custom which has continued to the present time.</p>
+
+<p>While preaching upon the great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>ness of God's work as compared with the
+works of man, he said man can tunnel mountains, build ships to cross the
+sea, span the world with the telegraph, cross the continent with the
+iron horse, build cathedrals and capitols, machines to fly in the air,
+and explore the depths of the sea, but with all of man's greatness and
+skill, "he cannot make a fly."</p>
+
+<p>In a vivid description of a thunder storm illustrating some part of his
+sermon he closed with a most beautiful piece of word painting in
+describing the passing away of the clouds after the storm, picturing the
+sun shining upon the edges of the clouds making a pathway as he said for
+"Angels to walk to and fro when they came down from Heaven."</p>
+
+<p>Intensely practical as he was in his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> conception of religion, Mr.
+Beecher had a very profound sense of the future life, and there was
+always a sub-stratum of that thought in his preaching. In a sermon on
+the Darwinian theory he said, "I do not care where I came from; it is
+where I am going to that I am interested in."</p>
+
+<p>In a sermon on Heaven, he said that everyone had a right to make their
+own Heaven. The one that inspired in them the greatest hope and most
+beautiful thoughts and gave them the greatest happiness was their
+Heaven. Speaking of the end of life, he said that when he died he would
+like to pass out of life suddenly, like a cannon ball shot out of a
+cannon.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+
+<h2><a name="FUTURE_PLYMOUTH" id="FUTURE_PLYMOUTH"></a><i>FUTURE PLYMOUTH</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="dropcap" style="width: 51px;">
+<img src="images/drop-w.jpg" width="51" height="50" alt="W" title="W" />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span><span class="dropword">hat</span> will become of Plymouth Church when Mr. Beecher passes away? was a
+question often asked in the early days. The answer to that has already
+been given. It was a severe test to which the church was put, but it
+stood it nobly. Again when Dr. Abbott was pastor the same question was
+asked. Ten years of successful life is the sufficient answer to that.
+Now again the question comes up under the pastoral care of Dr. Hillis.</p>
+
+<p>My answer to this last question as to the others is, that the life of
+Plymouth Church does not depend upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> any one man, however great he may
+be. It would be difficult to find three men more different, each from
+the other, than the three who have filled Plymouth pulpit. Yet after all
+the general type of the church life has not changed, nor has its
+attitude toward the surrounding city and the wider national life taken
+on a different character. The emphasis now, as always, is on Christian
+living, in the assurance that out of that living will come Christian
+thinking. Each in his own way, but each with the same purpose and the
+same result, has preached the gospel of life. The form of that life has
+varied, but the variation has been occasioned by the need of adaptation
+to the general type of church life, as illustrated on every hand.
+Plymouth has simply<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> shown its ability to meet new conditions in itself.</p>
+
+<p>So also with regard to the broader relation to public life. It is now,
+as it always has been, the natural and the expected thing that every
+great cause, for righteousness and peace, should send its advocates to
+Brooklyn and that they should have a welcome in Plymouth pulpit. A
+significant illustration of this occurred but recently at the opening of
+the great Peace Congress. The two churches that were identified with it
+more than any others were Plymouth and Broadway Tabernacle. Probably no
+pastor in the country is more widely known for his practical interest in
+public affairs than is Dr. Hillis, and wherever he goes from the
+Atlantic to the Pacific he is welcomed both for him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>self and as the
+pastor of Plymouth Church. The simple fact is it is the same old
+Plymouth. It has grown up with the country, has had its share in the
+making of the country, whether in the strife of war or in the urgency
+for peace, and has made for itself a name that will stand, like Faneuil
+Hall in Boston, or Independence Hall in Philadelphia, for all time to
+come.</p>
+
+<p>This permanency, however, will be as its strength has been in the wise
+management of the church in its various departments. The problem of a
+city church located as Plymouth is must be to-day very different from
+that which faced its founders. Brooklyn has gone 'way beyond the
+Heights, and while strangers still find it easy to reach, the permanent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>
+membership extends over a wide territory and must of necessity be more
+or less transitory. This uncertainty brings to view the necessity of
+permanence of financial basis. They are wise, strong men who are in
+charge, as is shown by the fact that notwithstanding the changes that
+are inevitable, the church is free from debt and is accumulating
+permanent funds which will be of great value. Running expenses of all
+kinds, pastors' salaries, music, etc., are met from current income from
+pew rents, leaving the church free to put additional sums into permanent
+form. Then there is a Beecher endowment fund of almost fifty thousand
+dollars, and a Beecher memorial fund of the same amount. Constantly sums
+of money are coming into the church treasury <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span>from legacies or special
+gifts, and these are either invested or applied to improvements such as
+it is judged will increase the effectiveness of the church work. Among
+these is a Beecher memorial building soon to be erected adjoining the
+church. The alteration of the front entrance is contemplated, and other
+work which will prove advantageous to the society. Memorial stained
+glass windows are to be put in, contributed by members.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 361px;"><a name="Chair" id="Chair"></a>
+<img src="images/chair.jpg" width="361" height="500" alt="Chair Used by Henry Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church" title="Chair Used by Henry Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church" />
+<span class="caption">Chair Used by Henry Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Perhaps still more important is the development of the church
+activities. In Mr. Beecher's time the great feature of church life was
+the sermon. To-day it is church organisation. Some seem to think that
+the preaching of to-day is inferior to that of a generation ago. While
+it may be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> true that no single man stands out as did Mr. Beecher, Dr. R.
+S. Storrs, or Dr. William M. Taylor, it seems to me that the average of
+preaching is higher. Dr. Hillis is not Mr. Beecher, but he is Dr.
+Hillis, and Plymouth people never go from Plymouth Church without the
+thought of a good and great presentation of truth. However that may be,
+one thing is very noticeable: the growth in Plymouth, as elsewhere, of
+church societies. The women have their societies for Home and Foreign
+Missions, there is a Young Woman's Guild, and a Henry Ward Beecher
+Missionary Circle, a Young Men's Club, and an organisation of older men
+known as Plymouth Men. The year that Mr. Beecher died The Plymouth
+League was formed and had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> a successful career until a few years ago,
+when it was dropped.</p>
+
+<p>So Plymouth has kept abreast of the times, using any means that seemed
+to promise usefulness, ever ready to change where change was adjudged
+wise, ready to drop anything that in the shifting conditions had
+outlived its usefulness, loyal to its past, yet realising that the
+highest loyalty is to a future ideal rather than a past achievement. Mr.
+Beecher was no iconoclast, and at the same time, the past, however great
+and grand, as such, had no attraction for him. His eye was set on the
+future, a future that included the individual life and the corporate
+life. Present-day socialism had scarcely dawned during his day, but were
+he living now he would be found in line<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> with the broadest and the
+freest conceptions of society, and true to his belief that the church
+should lead. This not because it is an organisation, including wise men,
+or divinely ordered, but because it expresses in the fullest and best
+way the divine principles that must govern society. That this idea of
+his so dominated the church in its early life and has continued to
+control it to the present day is the true basis for confidence as to its
+future.</p>
+
+<p>Plymouth Church will stand just so long as it represents this ideal, and
+applies it to all classes and conditions of men, without regard to race
+or creed. To-day, as of old, men of every form of belief or no belief
+find a welcome and find help, and many go forth with old ideas changed,
+new<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> ambitions stirred, a clearer vision of what it means to live a
+Christian life. If the time ever comes when that is not true, then
+Plymouth Church will be a relic of the past, a curiosity, to be visited
+by strangers as Plymouth Rock or Westminster Abbey. That that time will
+ever come I do not believe. However much the centres of population may
+change, the needs of men never change, and even if other churches should
+follow their constituencies to other sections, Plymouth will remain, a
+living monument to the truth and the life that has been from its origin
+its power.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p class="center"><b>THE END</b></p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<div class="bbox">
+<p><b>Transcriber's Note:</b></p>
+
+<p>Page numbers have been kept to match the original.
+Page 14 is blank within the original and therefore does not show in this transcription.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sixty years with Plymouth Church, by 
+Stephen M. Griswold
+
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+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg's Sixty years with Plymouth Church, by Stephen M. Griswold
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Sixty years with Plymouth Church
+
+Author: Stephen M. Griswold
+
+Release Date: January 18, 2008 [EBook #24356]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIXTY YEARS WITH PLYMOUTH CHURCH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Logan and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+SIXTY YEARS WITH
+PLYMOUTH CHURCH
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+[Illustration: STEPHEN M. GRISWOLD]
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SIXTY YEARS
+
+WITH
+
+PLYMOUTH CHURCH
+
+BY
+
+STEPHEN M. GRISWOLD
+
+
+New York  Chicago  Toronto
+Fleming H. Revell Company
+London and Edinburgh
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+Copyright, 1907, by
+FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
+
+New York: 158 Fifth Avenue
+Chicago: 80 Wabash Avenue
+Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W.
+London: 21 Paternoster Square
+Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+DEDICATED
+To my New England Mother, who long
+since entered into rest.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                           PAGE
+
+     I. Coming to New York                   15
+
+    II. Early Plymouth                       22
+
+   III. A Plymouth Usher                     30
+
+    IV. Plymouth Services                    45
+
+     V. Plymouth Members                     59
+
+    VI. Buying a Slave Girl                  70
+
+   VII. Mr. Beecher in England               81
+
+  VIII. The Beecher Trial                    90
+
+    IX. The Church Tested                   101
+
+     X. Church Thought and Life             115
+
+    XI. The Church Staff                    129
+
+   XII. The Fort Sumter Expedition          142
+
+  XIII. Quaker City Excursion               153
+
+   XIV. Personalia                          167
+
+    XV. Future Plymouth                     182
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                    FACING PAGE
+
+  Stephen M. Griswold                     Title
+
+  Henry Ward Beecher                         15
+
+  Lyman Abbott                              105
+
+  Newell Dwight Hillis                      133
+
+  Beecher Statue, City Hall, Brooklyn       153
+
+  Interior of Plymouth Church               173
+
+  Chair Used by Henry Ward Beecher in       187
+  Plymouth Church
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_PREFACE_
+
+
+For some years past I have been repeatedly urged to record my
+recollections of Plymouth Church and Henry Ward Beecher. One after
+another the original members of the church have passed away until now I
+am almost alone, so far as the early church connection is concerned, and
+I have been told that there is really no one left who could give the
+personal value to such a record. At first, as I thought of the task, it
+appeared too great. Business duties pressed and left little time for
+such a work. Then out of the flood of recollections, which should I
+select? Recently a period of convalescence, following a somewhat
+serious illness, during which work was forbidden, gave me leisure which
+I occupied in recording such incidents as I thought might be of interest
+and value. These were arranged not in the form of history but as a
+series of sketches setting forth different phases of the church history
+and the church life, as well as illustrating Mr. Beecher himself as a
+preacher and pastor, but still more as a man. These are chiefly personal
+in their character. Fifty-three years of service as an usher in Plymouth
+Church brought me into closest touch with those services which have made
+Plymouth so well known not only in America, but throughout the world.
+Very precious are those memories to me, and as I have dwelt upon them,
+I have felt it not less a privilege than a duty to share them with
+others and thus bear testimony to a church life of great beauty and
+power.
+
+[Illustration: HENRY WARD BEECHER]
+
+
+
+
+_COMING TO NEW YORK_
+
+
+The great metropolis of the East has ever had a great attraction for the
+sons of rural New England, and I was no exception to the rule. In 1851 I
+made known to my parents my ambition to see and know more of the world,
+and to this end I purposed to make my way to New York in search of fame
+and fortune--a wider horizon and a larger life. I had spent my
+uneventful days thus far on my father's farm, and both he and my mother
+were filled with dismay at my determination to go to what was, to them,
+a city of untold lawlessness and full of pitfalls, where an
+unsophisticated country youth like myself would be beset with many
+temptations on every hand, and be led away from the straight and narrow
+path of his upbringing by his godly parents. And truly the change would
+be great from the quiet home at Windsor in the beautiful valley of the
+Connecticut to the stir and bustle and crowds of a great city. So far as
+success in any business I might undertake or material gains were
+concerned, my parents were quite sure that the possibilities for
+advancement were hardly commensurate with the danger of discouragement
+and complete failure.
+
+However, I had not spoken without careful thought, and when they saw how
+strongly I felt, and that I could not be content to live out my days on
+the farm, they consented to my going, though rather reluctantly; but it
+was what I wanted, and I did not feel that I was erecting a wall of
+separation which would shut me out of the home of my childhood; though I
+little thought how hard it would be to leave it when the time for my
+departure really came. My mother, following the custom of most New
+England matrons of those days--I wonder sometimes whether they are as
+careful now to do the same--placed in my satchel a Bible; and with that
+and her blessing, on the fourth of August, 1851, I started out to make
+my way in the world, arriving in New York, a lonely country boy, with no
+introductions and no one to hold out a helping hand.
+
+Business opportunities were not so varied in character then as they are
+now, and mercantile pursuits seemed to loom up above every other;
+American ships were winning fame and fortune for merchants and seemed to
+me to offer the greatest prizes. For a few days I wandered about the
+city, going from office to office seeking employment, and before a week
+had passed I had secured it; going from New York over to Brooklyn and
+there continuing my quest, I secured a position as clerk in a business
+house on Atlantic Street.
+
+For a time all went well; the hurry and bustle of the city, all so
+strange and fascinating to me; the new occupation, calling into play an
+entirely different line of thought; the new surroundings, all combined
+to ward off any feeling of loneliness or homesickness. A few weeks of
+this, however, sufficed to wear away the novelty, and a full sense of my
+solitary condition rushed over me; I had made few acquaintances and had
+practically no society. I began to look around for companions, or at
+least for some place where I could spend my evenings, when the time
+dragged most heavily.
+
+It was fortunate for me that just at this point where so many young men
+are tempted to wander into questionable or even harmful ways, my
+thoughts were turned in a truly helpful direction. Like every newcomer,
+I had studied the notices in the papers and on the fences and bulletin
+boards, and of them all, the one that had the greatest attraction for
+me was that of Plymouth Church and Henry Ward Beecher, and I determined
+that the next Sunday I would find my way to the church and hear him
+preach, which I accordingly did. The large auditorium of the church was
+thronged, but I received such a cordial welcome as to make me feel at
+home, and was at once shown to a seat. That service was a revelation to
+me, it was in every respect so very different from anything I had ever
+seen or heard. The singing by the great congregation, the eloquence and
+withal the helpfulness of the preacher, made a deep impression on me--an
+impression that stayed with me throughout the week, and I determined to
+go again the next Sunday. This time I was so fortunate as to meet a
+young man whom I had known in Hartford. He was a friend of Dr. Henry E.
+Morrill, the superintendent of the Sunday School, and through him I was
+invited to become a member of a Bible Class, an invitation which I was
+very glad to accept. From this time on I had no reason to complain of
+any lack of social life. No young man or woman who was in Plymouth
+Church at this time could fail to find the very best type of society;
+under the leadership of Mr. Beecher this feature of church life was
+especially emphasised. The next year I became a member of the church,
+and from that time, during more than half a century, Plymouth Church has
+been more to me than I can possibly express.
+
+
+
+
+_EARLY PLYMOUTH_
+
+
+At the time of my coming to Brooklyn, Plymouth Church was but four years
+old, yet it had already gained a most prominent position not only in
+Brooklyn and New York, but in the entire country, and indeed was rapidly
+achieving an international reputation. A brief sketch of its history to
+this time will not be out of place.
+
+In 1823, when the entire population of Brooklyn was less than ten
+thousand, and the most densely populated section to-day was but barren
+fields, two brothers, John and Jacob M. Hicks, bought seven lots
+running through from Cranberry to Orange Streets, for the use of "The
+First Presbyterian Church." Two buildings were erected: a church edifice
+fronting on Cranberry Street was built at once, and seven years later a
+lecture room fronting on Orange Street was added. Under the pastorates
+of Rev. Joseph Sanford, Rev. Daniel L. Carroll, D. D., and Rev. Samuel
+H. Cox, D. D., the church prospered, and in 1846 the question came up of
+a more commodious edifice. Learning of this, John T. Howard, at that
+time a member of the Congregational Church of the Pilgrims, Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., pastor, conceived the idea of a new Congregational church
+in that locality. Conference with David Hale of the Broadway Tabernacle
+Church, New York, strengthened him, and he obtained the refusal of the
+Presbyterian property for $20,000. In September, by the payment of
+$9500, furnished by Henry C. Bowen, Seth B. Hunt, John T. Howard, and
+David Hale, the property was secured. The new building of the First
+Presbyterian Church was not completed until May, 1847, and on the same
+day that it was opened, May 16, Henry Ward Beecher preached the first
+sermon in Plymouth Church to audiences that crowded the edifice on
+Cranberry Street to the doors.
+
+The method of organisation was somewhat unique. The first meeting in the
+interest of the church was held at Mr. Bowen's house on the evening of
+May 8, the day before the Presbyterians were to vacate their old
+edifice. There were present, besides Mr. Bowen, David Hale, Jira Payne,
+John T. Howard, Charles Rowland, and David Griffin. On behalf of the
+owners David Hale offered the property for religious purposes, and it
+was decided to have services on May 16. Henry Ward Beecher, at that time
+pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, who had come
+to New York for the May anniversaries, had made an address at the
+meeting of the American Home Missionary Society, and had also spoken
+elsewhere, winning great popular favour. He was secured for the morning
+and evening services, and Rev. Mr. Eggleston, of Ellington, Conn.,
+preached in the afternoon. Notice was given of a permanent series of
+weekly prayer meetings to be held on Friday evenings, and at the first
+of these, May 21, a committee, consisting of Henry C. Bowen, Richard
+Hale, John T. Howard, Charles Rowland, and Jira Payne, was appointed to
+make arrangements for the formation of a church. They reported on June
+11, at which time twenty-one persons signified their intention to join
+the church, and the next day a council of ministers and delegates met at
+the house of John T. Howard. The articles of faith, covenant,
+credentials of the new members, etc., were presented and approved, and
+on June 13, 1847, the new church was publicly organised, the Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., preaching the sermon. The following evening the church by a
+unanimous vote elected Henry Ward Beecher to be their pastor. Two
+months later he wrote from Indianapolis accepting the call. On October
+10 he commenced his labours, and on November 11 he was installed. The
+sermon was preached by Dr. Edward Beecher, other parts being taken by
+Drs. Nathaniel Hewitt, D. C. Lansing, Horace Bushnell, Rev. R. S.
+Storrs, Jr., and Rev. J. P. Thompson.
+
+The first winter proved the wisdom of the new enterprise. An interesting
+revival brought in a large number of new members, and it was not long
+before it became evident that the buildings were entirely inadequate.
+There was talk of rebuilding, when a fire, in January, 1849, settled the
+question by destroying the building. Plans for a new edifice were
+drawn, and after some months of worship in a temporary Tabernacle in
+Pierrepont Street, the present building was entered on the first Sunday
+of 1850.
+
+It will readily be seen that it was a live church that I joined, and
+after half a century of experience and observation, I can only thank God
+that I was brought to connect myself with it. It was not merely the
+marvellous preaching of Mr. Beecher, which I feel helped me greatly; it
+was the whole atmosphere of aggressive work. The great audiences,
+crowding the pews so that aisle chairs had to be put in, was in itself
+an inspiration; so was also the fine music with John Zundel at the organ
+and the large choir leading the vast congregation. The cordial social
+atmosphere that made even a stranger feel at home also had its share,
+but more than all these put together, or perhaps better, manifest
+through all these, was the sense that church life was a means to an end,
+not an end in itself, and that that end was the building up of a true
+and noble Christian life in all its different phases. Surely no higher
+conception of a church's sphere can be found, and to this I believe to
+be due more than to any other one thing the power of Plymouth Church.
+
+
+
+
+_A PLYMOUTH USHER_
+
+
+It was a little more than a year after I became a member of Plymouth
+Church that I began my work as an usher, and for fifty-three years I
+have been identified with Plymouth Church in that capacity. An usher has
+peculiar opportunities to study human nature, both individually and
+collectively. His first acquaintance is with the pewholders, and these
+he quickly learns to distinguish. Plymouth Church was remarkably
+hospitable from the first. The strangers within its gates usually
+outnumbered the regular membership, and they represented all classes
+and conditions of men, but not more representative were they than the
+company of those who were the constant attendants on its services--the
+relied-upon supporters of its enterprises. It was not a wealthy
+congregation. There were a few men of means; excepting possibly Claflin,
+Bowen, Sage, Hutchinson, Storrs, Arnold, Graves, Corning, Healy, Bush,
+Benedict, Dennis, there were no merchant princes or princely bankers.
+The greater number were earnest, aggressive men who had something to do
+in life besides make money. Generous whenever generosity was needed,
+they were for the most part what are called "hard-headed" business men.
+They were in Plymouth Church, not because it was fashionable to be
+there, or because it had the most noted pastor in America, if not in
+the world, but because they were in sympathy with its purpose and the
+purpose of its pastor, and felt that there they could best serve their
+day and generation.
+
+Dominated by this spirit, it was in entire keeping with their habit of
+thought and action that they should seek to extend as widely as possible
+the enjoyment of the privileges of their own church life. Hence they
+were cordial to all visitors to the various religious services, as well
+as to the social gatherings that were held. It was the general custom in
+Plymouth, as in most churches, to keep the seats for the regular
+pewholders until the commencement of the service. Those who were not in
+their places at that time had to stand their chances with the guests,
+and what those chances were may be gathered from the fact that it was
+usual on Sunday morning to see a line of people standing in front of the
+church and leading on the one side to Henry Street and on the other to
+Hicks Street, waiting to be admitted to the service. Still it was very
+rare that there was any hard feeling, and certainly no expression of it
+was manifest when pewholders to whom a sermon by Mr. Beecher was the
+great treat of the week, but who for one reason or another were delayed,
+found their seats occupied, and were compelled themselves either to
+stand or withdraw entirely.
+
+The hospitality, too, was thoroughly democratic. It may be doubted
+whether any church in the land, not even excepting those of the Roman
+Catholic worship, gave so genuine a welcome to every sort of people,
+rich or poor, high or low, educated or uneducated, white, black or
+brown, as did Plymouth Church. No man, woman, or child was allowed to
+feel out of place, or unwelcome. That this was and is true, is a notable
+testimony to the influences that controlled the church from its very
+beginning.
+
+When we consider the guests, their number and quality, the ushers used
+sometimes to wonder where they all came from. Truly, the fame of
+Plymouth had gone into all the world. Travellers visited it, just as
+they went to Washington or Niagara. It was "the thing" to hear Henry
+Ward Beecher in Plymouth Church--usually the two were absolutely
+identical. Distinguished men from all walks in life, in America and
+every other country in Christendom, were there. Famous editors, popular
+ministers, eminent statesmen, great generals, were to be seen in the
+audience Sabbath after Sabbath. Among those whom I remember were Louis
+Kossuth, Abraham Lincoln, General Grant, Charles Dickens, Wendell
+Phillips, Theodore Parker, William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner, the
+poet Whittier, Horace Greeley, besides a host of others. During the
+Civil War most of the so-called War Governors, Andrews of Massachusetts,
+Buckingham of Connecticut, Morgan of New York, Curtin of Pennsylvania,
+and others, were to be seen in the congregation, and it was not an
+uncommon occurrence to see many of the New England regiments on their
+way to the field, stop over Sunday and march into Plymouth Church. It
+had become identified with those higher purposes and deeper principles
+of the war which appealed most of all to the New England conscience.
+
+Of course there were all sorts of experiences in seating these guests.
+The ushers soon came to be able to tell where the strangers came from by
+their form of expression. "Is this Ward Beecher's Church?" invariably
+betokened an Englishman, as they always called him Ward Beecher in
+England, and probably more of the foreigners who visit Plymouth come
+from there than from any other country. "We are from Canada," is the
+next most common salutation. "I am a clergyman from Oregon." "I am a
+missionary from China." "I am from San Francisco and this is my first
+visit here." "We are from New Jersey, and never heard Mr. Beecher." "I
+am from Australia and this is my first visit to this country." These are
+but illustrations of the expressions which greeted the ushers every
+Sunday.
+
+Of course they all want good seats. It is astonishing how many people
+come who are hard of hearing, and want front pews; and if they are
+seated on the left they cannot hear in the right ear, and if on the
+right, they cannot hear in the left ear. All this was not unnoticed by
+Mr. Beecher, as we realised one day when, as he entered the pulpit, he
+turned to Mr. Whitney, on duty there, and putting his hand to his ear
+quietly said, "I am very hard of hearing, can you not give me a front
+seat?" Others, if you give them a front seat, say it tires their eyes to
+look up, and if they are seated too far back, they cannot see. It is the
+duty of the usher to satisfy all. That strangers come so constantly is
+witness to the cordiality and courtesy of their reception and treatment.
+Mr. Beecher frequently said that the ushers helped him in no small
+degree in the Sunday services.
+
+The interest for the ushers was by no means finished when the seats were
+filled and the standing room was apportioned. Then came watching the
+effect of the service upon the audience. True, most of the ushers took
+seats when their special work of introduction was over--_i. e._, if
+there were any seats available, or they had succeeded in reserving any;
+but there were always some on duty, and not even Mr. Beecher's eloquence
+entirely eclipsed the interest with which the various attitudes were
+watched. These attitudes were of all sorts. There were sceptical people,
+who evidently wondered whether this man Beecher was really as great as
+they tried to make him out; they sat in their seats with a very firm
+back, indisposed to bend or yield to any influence. As a rule they got
+little farther than the prayer or the second hymn before there was a
+very perceptible unbending. Somehow few could withstand the power of
+Plymouth Church singing, and Mr. Beecher's prayers had a wonderfully
+moving influence. The sermon, however, captured all. If asked what it
+was that had conquered they perhaps could not have told, but sure it was
+that the shoulders shook, the head bent forward, the whole frame seemed
+to respond to the touch of the master hand. Especially interesting was
+it to watch the young men. Students came from all over the country to
+hear the "greatest pulpit orator" in the land. All sense of surroundings
+was lost, and bending forward, with eye fixed on the speaker, and even
+the mouth open, as if in fear of closing any possible avenue by which
+the thought might enter mind and heart, they listened with an intensity
+of attention that can scarcely be measured.
+
+The general bearing of the audience was always reverential. There was
+none of the solemn formality seen in a good many churches. To some
+people it doubtless savoured more of a lecture hall than of a church.
+The form of the auditorium was the reverse of the stately Gothic. There
+was no dim religious light. Plenty of windows let in plenty of light and
+plenty of fresh air. The pews were comfortable. Under any other preacher
+they might have conduced to decorous naps. There was no excess of dress.
+People wore clothes for comfort, not for show, and if perchance they
+commenced with style they invariably ended with simplicity.
+
+There was, too, a breezy sort of cheeriness about the whole place.
+Quiet, friendly chatting between friends went on, but it was never
+obtrusive, or interfered with devotion. The moment service commenced it
+was manifest that it was divine service, not a public entertainment. Mr.
+Beecher was a wonderful reader, and to hear his rendering of a chapter
+in the Bible, or of a hymn new or old, was in itself a great privilege.
+During the prayer there was a stillness that could be felt. Few men have
+greater, or as great a gift in bringing men to the recognition of their
+communion with God.
+
+With the sermon there was evident a general attitude of expectancy.
+Something was coming, and everyone wanted to be sure and get it.
+Sometimes it was humorous, and a ripple of laughter would go over the
+audience. Those who heard about it were apt to be shocked and to
+consider it irreverent. It is doubtful whether anyone who was present
+ever had that feeling. Sometimes it was pathetic, and there was
+suspicious fumbling in pockets. Sometimes it was soul-stirring, and one
+could see the forms quiver and grow tense. Most often it was that calm,
+quiet, yet forceful presentation of truth, not in the abstract as
+something to be looked upon from various angles, then labelled and put
+aside, but practical, affecting the daily life; and faces would grow
+earnest, and the results would be seen in the home, the shop, or the
+office.
+
+Service over, Plymouth Church people gathered in knots to chat
+over--pretty much everything, for it was like one big family. Strangers
+looked on with curiosity, generally appreciative, less often with a
+certain air of disapproval at the apparent levity. One thing was
+noticeable: those who came once generally came again at some time, and
+so faces that had been strange came to wear a familiar look.
+
+
+
+
+_PLYMOUTH SERVICES_
+
+
+Few, if any, churches in the country, certainly none in Greater New
+York, preserve the old-time simplicity of the typical New England
+Congregational Church as distinct as does Plymouth Church. The building
+itself, with no steeple, the form of its auditorium, unusual at that
+period in a church, the arrangement of its pews, all were indeed
+innovations, and they have been followed, though hardly improved upon,
+in building other church edifices. When it comes to the conduct of
+worship, however, it is severe in its simplicity. There is the opening
+hymn shared by the congregation, a short invocation, reading of the
+Scripture, then the offering, and while it is being received an anthem
+is sung by the choir.
+
+The "long" prayer is followed by a hymn; but the chief feature of the
+entire service is always the sermon, after which comes a hymn and the
+benediction. The evening service followed the order of that of the
+morning. Of elaborate liturgies there has been no hint, yet the service
+has ever been both impressive and interesting. People explained it at
+first by the peculiar power of the man who occupied the pulpit, yet this
+can hardly account for its continuance to the present day in its
+original form. The succeeding pastors have continued the plan, not
+because Mr. Beecher started it or perhaps because they themselves
+preferred it, but because it seems to fit Plymouth Church, and is
+enjoyed by Plymouth congregations. Somehow a liturgy would seem entirely
+out of place there, however appropriate it might be elsewhere, and not
+only is this recognised, but there seems to have been at no time any
+desire to make the service more elaborate.
+
+When it comes to the conduct of the different parts of the service,
+however, there was nothing humdrum, or that savoured of routine. Mr.
+Beecher was a remarkable reader. Delicate shades of meaning came out in
+the very tones of his voice, and his power of intense sympathy made it
+easy for him to impersonate for the time being almost any character.
+Had he turned his attention to the stage he would have been a wonderful
+actor. As he read the Scriptures the Bible characters stood out with
+marvellous distinctness; we could almost see them or hear them. He
+entered also so fully into the deepest meaning of what he read that the
+rendering shed new light on some of the most difficult passages of the
+Bible. Attention has more than once been called to his rendering of
+those verses in which the Saviour speaks so strongly of the Scribes and
+Pharisees. He would read them as if they were fairly afire with
+indignation and wrath; then, softening his voice, read them again with
+an infinite pathos, as if they were prophecy rather than condemnation,
+and ask which rendering was more in accord with the nature of Jesus.
+
+The same thing was manifest in his rendering of hymns. He was extremely
+fond of poetry, and searched far and wide for the best hymns. Our first
+hymn book was a little one known as Temple Melodies. Mr. Beecher could
+not get along with this, and with the aid of his brother, Rev. Charles
+Beecher, and the organist, John Zundel, compiled and published the
+Plymouth Collection. This long held its place at the head of church
+hymnals and really worked a revolution in church music.
+
+To many the feature of the whole service was the "long prayer," as it
+was called. Many who could not quite agree with all the conclusions and
+statements of the sermons found these prayers of wonderful help. The
+same sympathy that made his rendering of Scripture so effective became
+very apparent when he took up the problems of daily life, the
+perplexities, doubts, temptations, successes. Probably no preacher has
+ever had such wide publication of his prayers as Mr. Beecher, and the
+Book of Prayers from Plymouth Pulpit became a source of spiritual
+strength to many who could not attend the services. They were taken down
+in shorthand, as were his sermons, and published, appearing first in the
+_Christian Union_ and then in book form.
+
+The sermon needs no description from me--even if I could give it. It
+seemed the very expression of the man, his interpretation of himself.
+Mr. Beecher was to all appearance well-nigh reckless in the vigour with
+which he made statements that seemed to him to be true, with little or
+no regard to their relation to other truths. The result was that he was
+charged with being grossly inconsistent. One day he would preach a
+sermon that would have delighted the old New England divines. The next
+Sunday he seemed an out-and-out Unitarian, while Quakers, Swedenborgians
+and all sorts of beliefs claimed him. The explanation was that he saw
+very clearly the element of truth in any system, whether he agreed with
+it in full or not, and in his effort to state it plainly and give due
+credit to it, often left the impression that the particular statement he
+made was all there was to it. One result was that the independent
+forming of opinions was encouraged and helped in Plymouth Church as in
+few churches. Those who imagined that Mr. Beecher dominated the thought
+of his people to an extent which made them mere echoes of himself were
+very far from the truth. It was an intellectual stimulus to sit under
+him, not merely in the effort to keep up with his thought, which poured
+forth like Niagara, but in the compulsion to form an independent
+personal opinion. Men loved to hear him, not so much because they always
+agreed with him as because he had the faculty of stimulating the best
+there was in them, arousing their highest ambitions.
+
+In no single service was Mr. Beecher at his best so completely as in the
+communion service. It was distinctively a family gathering in which the
+host was not Mr. Beecher, or Plymouth Church, but the Saviour, and to it
+were welcome all who loved that Saviour, whatever their formal creed or
+church connection, or even if they were without any creed or connection;
+this was the impression left upon those who came from other churches,
+and this was the description of it given me by a theological student,
+who said that he came from a distant city to Brooklyn and timed his
+visit primarily with reference to that service and especially to Mr.
+Beecher's invitation as given by him from the pulpit. In these days
+there is nothing very startling in that position, but in the earlier
+times it was regarded as a very unsafe liberality, even if not
+absolutely wrong.
+
+As I have already said, the music of Plymouth Church has always been an
+important part of the church worship. The high-priced quartet has never
+been relied upon, the chorus choir being preferred, not merely for its
+own singing, but because it served best in leading the congregation, and
+that was the thing ever kept in mind. Mr. Beecher loved the
+old-fashioned hymns, though he had also a hearty welcome for new ones,
+and he was never satisfied unless he got everybody to singing. I have
+often seen him jump up from his chair right in the middle of a hymn and
+hold up his hand for silence. "You are not singing this hymn right," he
+would say. "Sing it with more spirit, and let everybody sing." The
+effect upon the congregation would be electric, and after that the
+church would fairly tremble with the volume of music the audience would
+pour forth. The result has been that it has always been the fashion for
+everybody in the congregation, strangers as well as members, to sing,
+and this undoubtedly has had a share in doing away with coldness and
+formality in the service.
+
+All this, however, could not have been accomplished without the cordial
+sympathy and positive help of many great organists and leading singers.
+There have been more famous musicians engaged for Plymouth Church Choir
+during the past fifty years than in any other church in this country, if
+not in the world. Among the names I may mention are Zundel, Burnet,
+Stebbins, Wheeler, Thursby, Toedt, Sterling, Lasar, Damrosch,
+Warrenwrath, Camp, and many others. Of them all probably John Zundel
+came the nearest to Mr. Beecher's ideal. He entered heartily into all
+the preacher's ideas and feelings and seemed to understand just how to
+interpret him in music; Mr. Beecher used to say that he inspired his
+sermons. It has not been surprising that even with the inevitable
+changes brought by time, there have been but few intervals, and those
+very brief, from the organisation of the church up to the present time,
+when the music has not been of the highest order, and the standard of
+to-day is in no respect inferior to that of the past.
+
+Among my earliest recollections of Mr. Beecher's preaching was the
+profusion of his illustrations from nature. Every part and
+manifestation of nature had its place, but so frequent were his
+references to flowers that it became a common saying among members of
+Plymouth Church that "Mr. Beecher must be very fond of flowers." He
+seemed to know every flower in the garden or in the field, and was
+constantly drawing lessons from them or using them in some way to
+enforce a point.
+
+One Sunday morning, I think it was in 1852, someone sent him a small
+bouquet in a vase. He took it to church with him, placed it on the
+little table at his side, and there it remained during the service. It
+is difficult in these days to understand what a commotion it occasioned.
+Such a thing as bringing flowers into a church on the Sabbath day had
+never been heard of, and was not at all in accord with traditional New
+England ideas. Everyone in the congregation of course noticed it, and
+that bouquet of flowers became during the week the talk of all Brooklyn.
+
+There were not a few who were alarmed at Mr. Beecher's rapidly growing
+popularity, and who made a point of finding fault with everything he
+did. These declared that Henry Ward Beecher had desecrated the House of
+God by taking flowers into the pulpit during religious worship! This,
+however, affected neither Mr. Beecher nor the church. Flowers on the
+pulpit had come to stay, and stay they did, and now are recognised as a
+legitimate part of church service all over the world.
+
+
+
+
+_PLYMOUTH MEMBERS_
+
+
+Plymouth Church was born in days of strife. It was natural that the
+militant element should be dominant. The very way in which the church
+was organised was illustrative of their methods. The prompt improvement
+of the opportunity to buy the property, the meeting one week, the
+opening of services the next week, the organisation of the church, the
+calling of the council, the invitation to Mr. Beecher to be their
+pastor, all in quick succession, were characteristic.
+
+Mr. Howard was one who naturally foresaw the possibilities for the
+future, and thus came into leadership in the origin of the enterprise.
+Once started, however, the initiative and the dominating influence
+belonged to a group of men, of considerable note at the time as being
+closely identified with the anti-slavery agitation, and who were out of
+patience with what they considered the time-serving policy of too many
+of the churches, and particularly of the various benevolent and
+missionary societies: Henry C. Bowen, Richard Hale, Arthur and Lewis
+Tappan. These were in business, chiefly dry goods, and had large
+connections with the South. As the strife grew more severe, complaints
+grew, and finally the Southern merchants drew up a list of Northern
+merchants with whom they would have no dealings. All four of these men
+were on that list. Mr. Bowen's partner, Mr. McNamee, was one with him,
+but it was Mr. Bowen in particular who sent the famous retort, when
+urged to cater to his Southern constituency:
+
+"Our goods are for sale, but not our principles."
+
+He, as others, suffered for this, but the only effect it had was to
+strengthen them in the position they had taken. The American nation owes
+a debt of gratitude to the patriotic New York merchants who stood for
+liberty and their country in these perilous times. Among the first were
+A. T. Stewart, Simeon B. Chittenden and H. B. Claflin.
+
+It was natural under the circumstances that the early history of the
+church should have been very much controlled by these men. Of them all,
+Mr. Bowen was perhaps the most aggressive and the most of a leader. He
+was the first superintendent of the Sunday School, and had much to do
+with the plans for and the erection of the present church building. A
+man of very positive convictions and great executive ability, he did
+what he did with his might. The same characteristics went into his
+conduct of _The Independent_, of which he was one of the founders in
+1848. While the fame of its editors, Henry Ward Beecher, Joseph P.
+Thompson and Richard Salter Storrs, went far and wide, not a little of
+the success of the paper was due to his general management, and to his
+hearty indorsement of the position of his editors, however radical they
+were--indeed the more radical the better. Later, when he acquired entire
+control, these characteristics were still more manifest.
+
+Another prominent man was Austin Abbott, brother of Dr. Lyman Abbott, a
+well-known lawyer, and one who was closely identified with the defence
+of Mr. Beecher in his famous trial. Well do I remember him as he first
+came, a boy, and took his seat in the west gallery. Then there were
+Henry M. and Augustus Storrs. The former was an intimate friend of
+Horace Greeley and used to travel about with him in his political tours.
+Both were warm friends of Mr. Beecher, but Augustus was specially
+active; it was at his house in Sidney Place that many of the meetings
+for consultation were held. Robert R. Raymond came to Brooklyn from
+Boston and brought the classic atmosphere, combined with a most
+emphatic manner, to his professor's work in the Polytechnic Institute.
+He was one of the comparatively few who took part in the prayer
+meetings, which generally were really lecture talks by Mr. Beecher. He
+seemed to think that a literary atmosphere would certainly do no harm,
+for his favourite subject was Shakespeare, and he frequently read
+lengthy extracts from his plays. He became widely known as a student and
+reader of Shakespeare. His son, Rossiter Raymond, will be mentioned
+later.
+
+Robert S. Bussing was specially interested in the Bethel Mission; at
+first it was independent, but afterwards became a regular part of
+Plymouth Church work. General Horatio C. King was among the leaders in
+somewhat later days. A son of Horatio King, United States
+Postmaster-General under Buchanan, he always identified himself with the
+various reform movements, especially the anti-slavery ones, and was thus
+in hearty sympathy with Mr. Beecher and Plymouth Church in its
+activities, and has for many years served as clerk of the church. Always
+interested in music, he was a fine organist and helped materially in
+that department of church worship. Another whose name became very widely
+known, especially at the time of the trial, was Thomas G. Shearman. He
+was also identified with every phase of church life, was clerk for many
+years, and an active and most loyal upholder of pastor and church.
+
+For the most part these were not very wealthy men, though Augustus
+Storrs was esteemed such, and Mr. Bussing at one time had a large
+income. There were a few, however, of large means, and they gave most
+liberally: Horace B. Claflin, Rufus R. Graves, and Henry W. Sage. Mr.
+Sage will long be remembered for his generous gifts to Cornell
+University, and was always looked to for cordial support of any good
+cause in Brooklyn. Horace B. Claflin as founder of the great H. B.
+Claflin Company was not less munificent, though often in ways less
+prominent before the public, and the same may be said of Mr. Graves.
+These with Mr. Storrs were always bidders for the highest priced pews,
+paying premiums varying from $3000 to $5000 each.
+
+While present days are not so strenuous as those early years, and modern
+conditions scarcely develop individual influence in church life of as
+great intensity as the times of conflict, Plymouth to-day has a large
+and influential company of men identified with its life. Among them
+General Horatio C. King, already spoken of, and Professor Rossiter W.
+Raymond, are some of the links connecting the present with the past. No
+one who has listened to Professor Raymond's explanations of Scriptures
+or heard his talks in the meetings fails to realise his power in the
+church life. "Deacon" Stephen V. White has long been a well-known
+member, as liberal as he is loyal; so too are John Arbuckle, the coffee
+merchant, Henry Hentz and Henry Chapin, Jr. Mr. Beecher is represented
+by his son, William C, and the Howard family is still well known in
+Plymouth.
+
+Mention of even a few would include Benjamin F. Blair, Walter L.
+Wellington, F. G. Corning, son of Rev. J. L. Corning, one of the early
+members, George W. Mabie, T. W. Lauterdale, Philip M. Knight, Geo. W.
+Bardwell, Elijah R. Kennedy, Frank M. Brooks, Horace D. Sherrill, Jas.
+A. Brodie, Chas. N. Judson, Terance Jacobson, Dr. Wm. Morris Butler,
+Chas. H. More, Clarence B. Wisner, Wm. Foster, Benjamin F. Webb, H.
+Edward Dreier, Amos D. Carver, Wm. E. Davenport, W. F. Osborne, H. A.
+Garthewait, A. K. Powell, Frederick W. Starr, Louis N. Chapin, Dwight
+Studwell, Henry Sanger Snow, A. Stanwood, Seabury N. Haley, Wm. Tupper,
+Frederick W. Heinrich, H. W. Wheeler, M. C. Ogden, John H. Jackson,
+George A. Price, W. P. Long, Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. Kenyon, Mr.
+Smith, Mr. Bingham, Mr. Ayers, Mr. Aderley, and many others.
+
+
+
+
+_BUYING A SLAVE GIRL_
+
+
+It is impossible to understand accurately the early history of Plymouth
+Church, and realise the position it held in the country, as well as its
+influence over its members, without some knowledge of the general
+history of the times. It was a period of great political ferment. The
+slavery question was looming up as the "irrepressible conflict." The war
+with Mexico, at its height when the church was organised, precipitated
+the discussion as to the extension of slave territory. The discovery of
+gold in California (February, 1850) opened up possibilities of national
+growth undreamed of before, and which stirred the greatest ambitions,
+especially in the slave states. The passage of the fugitive slave law
+(September, 1850) was but fuel to the flame. Into the discussions of the
+time two Congregational ministers threw themselves with all the ardour
+of their natures, and exceptional ability--Henry Ward Beecher, of
+Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, and Joseph P. Thompson, of Broadway
+Tabernacle, New York. Nor did they lack for hearty support by their
+churches. The men who stood behind them were equally in earnest with
+themselves. The pulpits--or rather platforms--of both were free for the
+presentation of the cause of justice and liberty, and many scenes in
+them have become historic.
+
+On one occasion the Broadway Tabernacle, at that time located on
+Broadway near Duane Street, was opened for a mass meeting. Mr. Beecher
+was advertised to speak, and the house was packed. He was listened to
+with closest attention and deepest interest, but the climax came when
+turning round he lifted a chain that had been taken from a slave in the
+South, held it for a moment high above his head, then dashed it to the
+floor, placed his foot upon it and said: "In this way we propose to deal
+with the slave power in the South." The effect upon the audience was
+thrilling and the applause fairly rocked the building.
+
+Another scene, which none who witnessed it could ever forget, was in
+Plymouth Church. It was Sabbath morning, and as usual every seat and
+all the available standing room was filled. After the sermon Mr. Beecher
+said that he had a matter which he wished to present to the
+congregation. No one had the least idea as to what he was going to do,
+and the people waited in profound silence. He then said, "Sarah, come up
+here." As the audience looked, a little mulatto girl arose in the body
+of the church, ran up the pulpit steps and took Mr. Beecher's hand.
+Turning to the assembled multitude he said: "This little girl is a
+slave, and I have promised her owner $1200, his price for her, or she
+will be returned to slavery. Pass the basket."
+
+The ushers found their way through the vast audience. Although the
+church seated only a little more than two thousand, there must have
+been nearly three thousand present, and soon the collection was made. It
+appeared that the sum total was not far from fifteen hundred dollars.
+Many gave jewelry, diamonds, watches and chains. Her freedom was
+announced amid thunders of applause. This was not the only instance of a
+similar nature. Mr. Beecher was frequently condemned for even in form
+acknowledging the right of a slave owner to any remuneration for a
+slave, but if he thought a thing right to do, he did it without the
+least regard to what other people might say.
+
+There was probably no one question at the time about which there were
+more intensely opposing opinions, than this one of the return of
+slaves. Congress had passed the fugitive slave law, and all lawyers and
+students of the Constitution affirmed not merely its legality, but its
+justice, at least its technical justice. To a large number, however, the
+fact that it was legal made no difference so long as they were convinced
+that it was morally wrong. Among these was Mr. Beecher, and he had the
+cordial support of the people. One result was the formation all through
+the North of a system, known as the Underground Railroad, by which
+slaves escaping from the South were helped on their way until they could
+reach Canada, when they were free. It was no secret that some of the men
+in Plymouth Church knew a good deal about this railroad, and were deeply
+interested in helping men, women and girls to escape from bondage.
+
+The first national event in which the church took a definite part, so
+far as I remember, was the question as to whether Kansas should be a
+free or a slave state. Settlers were rushing in from all parts of the
+country, and the North was favouring those who were opposed to slavery,
+while the South sought to strengthen the slave-holding element. The
+result was a constant clashing, resulting in what came to be known as
+the Border Ruffian War, in which John Brown first appeared as a national
+figure. In the difficulty of provisioning such a new country, all sorts
+of supplies were rushed in, including ammunition and Bibles. Mr. Beecher
+told his congregation that just then a Sharps rifle was as good a
+missionary to send as a Bible. Accordingly the church purchased and
+boxed up several cases of rifles and Bibles and sent them out. These
+rifles were afterwards called Beecher Bibles.
+
+The events that followed, leading up to the War of the Rebellion, were
+all part of Plymouth Church life. It seemed sometimes as if Mr. Beecher
+was everywhere and nothing could be done without him. At the time when
+Senator Brooks in the United States Senate made his unprovoked attack on
+Charles Sumner, the whole country was wild with indignation. Meetings
+were held on every hand to protest against the outrage. Every item of
+news from Mr. Sumner's bedside was watched for with intense solicitude,
+and for a time it seemed as if the fate of war or peace hung upon the
+life of the Senator. Among the meetings was one called to take place in
+front of City Hall, Brooklyn, and, as so often was the case, Mr. Beecher
+was the speaker. The Square was packed, and as he came out on the steps
+of the City Hall to speak a great cheer went up, a cheer not merely of
+sympathy for Mr. Sumner, but of faith in and regard for the speaker. Mr.
+Beecher, with his marvellous power, raised his voice so that it could be
+heard all over the Square, and for an hour he held the audience
+spellbound with his arraignment of the slave power of the South, and the
+wrongs it was committing, while he affirmed his conviction that the
+conflict would result in a storm of civil war. It was a wonderful
+illustration of the inspiration that made him great.
+
+A very different, yet not less characteristic, scene was that in the
+lecture room of the church one Friday evening, when the news of the
+death of John Brown had come. Looking back over the years it is easy to
+see that his attempt with a mere handful of men to free the slaves of
+the South was a most foolish thing. Yet at that time so keen was the
+realisation of the wrongs that slavery had committed and so hearty the
+respect for the nobility of his purpose and of his character, that from
+all the land there went up one general expression of sympathy. The
+seriousness of the situation appears in the fact that the State of
+Virginia felt obliged to call out a large number of troops on the day
+of his execution to quell any popular disturbance. The day of the
+execution was Friday, and as the audience crowded the room, it was easy
+to see that there was but one thought in the minds of all. Mr. Beecher
+came in and took his seat upon the platform, a strange and unusual
+expression on his face, indicating the intensity of the feeling within.
+After one or two short prayers, and a couple of hymns, one after another
+gave expression to his sorrow and amazement at the condition of things
+between the North and the South, and through all there was manifest the
+conviction that war and bloodshed were sure to come. The meeting was
+long and earnest, showing the deep impression made on the people of the
+church.
+
+
+
+
+_MR. BEECHER IN ENGLAND_
+
+
+The most critical time for the North during the Civil War was when it
+was thought that England would recognise the Southern Confederacy. The
+close relations between the cotton manufacturers of England and the vast
+cotton producers of the South created a public sentiment in England in
+favour of the slave states. The feeling on both sides was intensified by
+the "Trent Affair." Two Confederate envoys, sent to Europe to secure the
+recognition of the Confederacy, were taken from the British steamship
+_Trent_ by a United States man-of-war. Great Britain, which had
+declared neutrality and thus granted the Confederacy the rights of
+belligerents, demanded their surrender. Feeling in the North ran very
+high, and there were most vigorous protests against yielding to the
+English demands. The President and his advisers, however, realising that
+the arrest of the two envoys tallied very closely with the English
+actions that had brought on the War of 1812, concluded that it was wiser
+to avoid so far as possible any occasion for interference on the part of
+Europe, and returned the envoys. Their arrival in England and their
+setting forth of their side of the conflict was a signal for a great
+increase of hostility to the North, and the pressure from the industrial
+centres became so great that probably only the steadfast friendship for
+the North of the Queen's husband, Prince Albert, averted what would most
+certainly have been a great calamity. Even Mr. Gladstone had expressed
+his conviction that the success of the Southern States, so far at least
+as regarded their separation from the North was concerned, was "as
+certain as any event yet future and contingent, could be." Even the
+Emancipation Proclamation did not suffice to open the eyes of many to
+the real issues, and there was a widespread feeling that some way must
+be found to present the cause of the North in such a manner as to reach
+the English conscience and genuine love of liberty.
+
+In the summer of 1863 Mr. Beecher had been sent to Europe for a rest.
+On his return he came to England, and immediately there arose a general
+demand for him to represent America. His marvellous success in the
+anti-slavery campaign preceding the Civil War, his widespread
+popularity, and particularly his power over audiences, made many look to
+him as the providential ambassador. He demurred at first, but at last
+yielded.
+
+When he arrived in London, Manchester, and Liverpool, where great mass
+meetings had been arranged for him to address, he found that every
+effort had been made to discredit him, by huge posters placed throughout
+the country asking: "Who is Henry Ward Beecher? He is the man who said
+the best blood of England must be shed to atone for the Trent affair.
+Men of Manchester, Englishmen, what reception can you give this man? He
+is the friend of General Butler. He is the friend of that so-called
+gospel preacher, Cheever. His impudence in coming here is only equalled
+by his cruelty and impiety."
+
+The meeting at Liverpool was announced as follows. "At a meeting held in
+New York at the time when the Confederate envoys, Messrs. Mason and
+Slidell, had been surrendered by President Lincoln to the British
+Government, from whose vessel (the Royal Mail Steamer _Trent_) they were
+taken, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher said, This act will demonstrate the
+unfeeling selfishness of the British Government and bring us to a
+realisation of our national humiliation. This opinion comes from a
+Christian minister who wishes to obtain a welcome in Liverpool, where
+operatives are suffering almost unprecedented hardships caused by the
+suicidal war raging in the States of North America, and which is being
+urged on by fanatical statesmen and preachers of the North!"
+
+These posters and notices of the press had so inflamed the public mind
+that when Mr. Beecher entered the great halls in Liverpool, Manchester
+and London, he had to face a howling mob. When he arose to speak, the
+tumult and hisses made it impossible for him to be heard. Calmly he
+stood and faced the storm like a giant oak for a period of one hour to
+one hour and a half, at each one of these three great meetings, before
+the audience would listen to anything which he said; gradually sentence
+after sentence began to reach them, and here Mr. Beecher showed his
+great power as an orator. He slowly quieted the mob until they listened
+to every word he said, and when he closed, the applause which greeted
+him was greater than the groans and the howling with which he had been
+received. He had met the enemy and conquered.
+
+He had an easy road afterwards in following up this victory, speaking in
+different towns and cities all over England, and everywhere the people
+received him with respect and enthusiasm. By degrees he succeeded in
+slowly changing the opinions of the people from favouring the cause of
+the Confederate States to indorsing the struggle of the North for Union
+and Liberty. Returning to London before sailing for America, he was
+received with great honours by the most noted men in that city,
+including royalty. Dinners, breakfasts, and receptions followed one
+another in quick succession until he took his departure.
+
+Upon his return home he was tendered a great reception in the Academy of
+Music, Brooklyn. The people of the North had been watching every step of
+his course in England with deep anxiety, for it was a serious time in
+the history of this nation. The service which he rendered his country at
+that time earned the gratitude of the American Government and people,
+and made him the most popular man of the North. I may add that this
+period of Mr. Beecher's life was the one of his greatest power and
+influence, and marked one of the greatest epochs in his history.
+
+
+
+
+_THE BEECHER TRIAL_
+
+
+Following the Civil War came the reconstruction days, and into all those
+experiences Mr. Beecher entered with full energy, but even more than
+before he devoted himself to his work as a preacher and writer. He was
+in demand everywhere for addresses and lectures, as well as for articles
+from his pen. Churches, lyceums, theological seminaries, public meetings
+of all sorts tried to secure him. He took up editorial work on the
+_Christian Union_, now _The Outlook_; he gave the first of the famous
+series of lectures on "Preaching," at Yale Theological Seminary.
+Indeed, it seemed as if he was ubiquitous. How he got time for it all
+was a marvel, even to those who best knew his great powers of endurance,
+and his marvellous capacity for work. In it all Plymouth Church never
+suffered. Its interests were his first care, and while it was never
+selfish or unwilling that others should share their advantage, he was
+faithful to what he esteemed his first duty.
+
+Thus was built up a strength of mutual confidence, and affection, that
+was to be tested in as severe a way as could well be imagined. That the
+test was borne and that both pastor and people came out of it, not
+merely with no loss of mutual esteem and honour, but with the vigour of
+church life unimpaired, indeed strengthened, is but another testimony
+to the genuine force of Christian character in both.
+
+No survey of Plymouth Church during its history can ignore the famous
+trial, or rather series of trials, in which both the church and its
+pastor were subjected to an ordeal of the severest type. Into the
+details there is no necessity of going, neither is there advantage in
+reviewing arguments. The actors are fast passing away. Those now coming
+on the stage have little concern with any results except those made
+manifest in the life of Plymouth Church, and which may be taken as
+illustrating its character.
+
+As for Mr. Beecher himself, he needs no vindication. The verdict of his
+city, which has honoured him as it honours few men, is sufficiently
+clear. So also is that of the churches and the great mass of Christian
+men and women over the country. He was undoubtedly indiscreet, yet not
+in the way that most charged indiscretion. Open, above board, frank,
+generous, he trusted others, and, as Dr. Abbott has said, accepted "as
+true, without inquiry or investigation, statements which a man of more
+practical wisdom would certainly have doubted." Good men and true found
+it in many cases difficult to understand his course. Those who believed
+in him can afford to await until the limelight of the highest of all
+courts shall pass its verdict.
+
+Of more immediate value to those interested in Plymouth Church was its
+bearing in such circumstances, and the results as manifested in its
+life. It is to be remembered that there were really three trials: 1. An
+investigation by Plymouth Church, commencing in June and closing in
+August, 1874; 2. A trial before the civil court, from January 5 to July
+2, 1875, brought by Mr. Tilton on the charge of alienating his wife's
+affections; 3. A council of Congregational Churches, called by Plymouth
+Church to review its action in regard to its pastor. The first
+investigation was presented, in its method, evidence and results, to a
+meeting of the church. After full public notice and by a unanimous vote
+of about fifteen hundred members, practically the entire resident
+membership, Mr. Beecher was awarded the perfect confidence of the
+church. The civil trial resulted in a disagreement of the jury, but the
+chief lawyer for the prosecution and the presiding judge both publicly
+affirmed their absolute conviction in Mr. Beecher's innocence. The
+Council was the largest and most representative ever known in the
+history of the Congregational Churches. Over two hundred and forty men
+from every part of the country, holding every phase of theological
+beliefs and of ecclesiastical habit, met together, and for days
+investigated, considered, questioned, with a freedom impossible in
+strictly legal procedure, and closed their sessions with formal
+reaffirmation of Mr. Beecher's innocence, no charge against him having
+been sustained by any proof.
+
+While it is thus true that Mr. Beecher and the church came forth
+triumphant, it was at heavy cost. No man could endure such a strain
+without showing the effects of it, and Mr. Beecher never recovered the
+old buoyancy. In many ways it became evident how keenly he felt the
+trial. The church showed the effect less. A few, very few, members left
+the church, but the number of dismissions was not larger than usual;
+indeed they were less than in the previous two years, and the church
+remained the more united. The admissions by letter were exceptionally
+large, as were also those by confession of their faith. More pertinent,
+however, than these evidences of life is the fact that the entire work
+of the church suffered no interruption. Prayer meetings, Sunday School,
+continued with usual vigour, and the general activities of the
+congregation were carried on as if there was nothing unusual taking
+place.
+
+It was this that aroused the attention of the country at large and
+convinced many that the basis of the real power of Plymouth Church lay
+not so much in any oratorical gifts of its pastor, as in the substantial
+Christian life of its members. Those who could hold together under such
+a strain were not likely to fall apart under the pressure of any lesser
+difficulty. Undoubtedly there was a certain amount of _esprit de corps_,
+a realisation of the absolute necessity of mutual support, but to those
+who look back on those days it is still more evident that they felt that
+more than Mr. Beecher, or even Plymouth Church, was at stake; it was
+the ability of a company of Christian men and women to hold their faith,
+and the expression of their faith.
+
+So far as their personal interest and faith in Mr. Beecher were
+concerned, nothing could illustrate it better than the action of the
+society in helping him to meet the extraordinary expense, and the visit
+to his home in Peekskill of the members of the three Sunday Schools.
+While Mr. Beecher had a most liberal salary, he was free and even
+reckless in expenditure. The result was that the cost of the trial went
+far beyond his resources. At its close, and even before he had had time
+to realise what that cost had been, the society which has charge of the
+finances of the church, met and voted that his salary for that year be
+one hundred thousand dollars. It was a great relief to him financially,
+but still more grateful as a taken of the love and confidence of the
+people. Not less touching to him was the tribute from the Sunday
+Schools.
+
+He was at the time living in his summer home at Peekskill, N. Y. Without
+any knowledge on his part, until the very day, it was arranged by the
+teachers and officers of the Plymouth, Bethel and Mayflower Schools that
+the scholars should go to Peekskill to congratulate him on the outcome
+of the trial, and emphasise the feeling of the church already expressed
+in the salary grant. The steamer _Blackburn_ was chartered and about
+three hundred joined in the excursion up the North River. Mr. R. D.
+Jaques, an old, active and honoured member of the church, describing the
+scene, says that Mr. Beecher met them standing under a tree, his hat off
+and his long hair flowing in the wind. The visitors formed in line so
+that each could shake his hand. As the little ones came, Mr. Beecher
+would lift them up in his arms and kiss them. Then the house was thrown
+open and they were welcomed to every part of it. Refreshments were
+provided and the social festivities continued until the time came to
+return. It was a happy company that sailed down the river, but it is
+doubtful whether anyone was happier than the host, as he realised what
+the visit meant of their love and honour.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CHURCH TESTED_
+
+
+On March 8, 1887, a little less than forty years after he had been
+called as pastor of Plymouth Church, Henry Ward Beecher died. The end
+came suddenly. There was no lingering sickness, no wasting of his
+powers. If the impassioned delivery of earlier years was somewhat
+lacking, there was still a power and vigour fully as effective. The year
+before he had been to England on a lecture tour and received an ovation
+as marked as the disapproval attending his first attempts. He had been
+in demand all over the country for addresses and lectures. The columns
+of papers and magazines were everywhere open to him, and while it may be
+true that his popularity was not of the intense sort that it had been at
+times, when he was almost the idol of the people, it probably was of a
+more substantial character. It is probable, too, that at no time in its
+history had Plymouth Church been more closely identified with him, or
+the opinion been so prevalent that neither could prosper without the
+other. The services were as fully attended as ever, and church work had
+settled into the harmonious routine which always bodes good for a
+church's life.
+
+All this was suddenly broken up. On Wednesday evening, March 2, Mr.
+Beecher suffered an apoplectic stroke and on the following Tuesday he
+died. No one who attended the services, held almost continuously during
+that week, can ever forget them. The dominant tone was one of the
+personal loss of a friend. There was grateful recognition of a
+magnificent service done for humanity, and for the building up of the
+Kingdom of God, but the greater work was almost lost sight of in the
+individual remembrances, the personal testimonies to the man who had
+helped men. On Sunday of that week came the regular communion service of
+the church. The usual sermon was omitted and only the Lord's Supper was
+commemorated. There were several evening meetings, mostly for prayer and
+mutual sympathy.
+
+The manifestation of public sympathy surprised even those who knew best
+how widespread was the interest in the beloved pastor. As the coffin lay
+in the church on Thursday there was an unceasing line of those who
+wished to show their regard for him. On Friday the funeral services were
+conducted by Rev. Charles H. Hall, D. D., pastor of the First
+Presbyterian Church, to which Plymouth Church had succeeded in ownership
+of its site. As it was manifest that Plymouth Church could not possibly
+hold the crowds that wanted to come, simultaneous memorial services were
+held in other churches. Most of the business houses were closed, as were
+also the public offices of the city and the schools. Everywhere there
+was manifest the recognition that a great man had gone.
+
+[Illustration: LYMAN ABBOTT]
+
+Who would take his place? Could anyone take his place? Was it not true
+that the relations between him and his church were so intimate, so
+vital, that the sundering of them by his death would inevitably involve
+the dissolution of the church? These were the questions asked everywhere
+by the public and probably in the consciousness of the members of the
+church itself, at least of a considerable number. Fortunately there was
+one already identified with the church for many years, who had come to
+it as a boy, had been very intimately associated with Mr. Beecher, and
+had entered most fully into his spirit and life. Dr. Lyman Abbott had
+already won for himself an independent position in the church and the
+literary life of the country. Glad to call himself a disciple of Mr.
+Beecher, he had been by no means a copyist, and held his own place. Far
+more than would have been possible for anyone not so intimately
+acquainted with the life of the church, he was able to fill the gap at
+least for the time being, and it seemed the natural thing when he was
+called to fill the pulpit and guide the church activities until it could
+decide on some permanent arrangement.
+
+Probably there has never been seen a finer instance of loyalty to a
+church's best traditions than the experience of the following months. As
+was inevitable, the audiences fell off very materially. Still the church
+was fairly well filled and for the first time in years the ushers had a
+reasonably comfortable time. Yet examination proved that the loss was
+only of the strangers. Not a pewholder withdrew. There was no diminution
+in the active work of the church. Prayer meetings, Sabbath School,
+mission services continued as before. Even the finances did not suffer.
+It was naturally impracticable to keep up the high premiums on pews.
+Hitherto the Tuesday evening succeeding the first Sunday in the year had
+been a sort of gala time, when loyalty to Plymouth and its pastor and
+good-natured rivalry had combined to bring from the more wealthy members
+sums mounting into the thousands of dollars. The current year was safe,
+but anticipating the change that would be necessary, the leaders, indeed
+practically the whole church, renewed their pew leases at the same
+figure, so that there might be no question of financial disquiet for the
+new pastor, whoever he might be. Subsequently the whole method was
+changed, pew premiums giving place to the envelope system, under which
+the church has prospered greatly.
+
+The immediate question of the conduct of the church being solved, the
+more important one of a permanent successor to Mr. Beecher was taken up
+in earnest. I do not think that the possibility of disbanding was for a
+moment present in the thought of any, certainly not of the leaders. They
+set about the work carefully with a clear realisation of the
+difficulties involved, but with a determination to succeed. It is always
+difficult to succeed a man of great individuality, and this general
+rule was made even more difficult in this case by the peculiar quality
+of the personality. The very intensity of the experiences of the past
+decade and more had served to create a certain alignment, and search as
+they would and did, it was difficult to find anyone to meet all the
+conditions.
+
+It was not unnatural that the committee in charge, not, it must be
+remembered, of choosing a pastor, but of recommending one, or more, for
+the choice of both church and society, should look beyond the sea. More
+than one church had done so and with conspicuous success. Broadway
+Tabernacle had called Wm. M. Taylor, and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian, John
+Hall. Plymouth Church, at that time at least, was not likely to look to
+Scotland, nor to Ireland. There was absolutely nothing of the
+Presbyterian in its make-up. It was Independent, through and through. To
+the Congregationalists of England therefore it must look, if it were to
+go beyond its own immediate fellowship.
+
+It seemed as if just the man was found in Rev. Charles A. Berry of
+Wolverhampton. A friend of Mr. Beecher, an earnest and very effective
+preacher, a man of great evangelistic power, he won the hearts of
+Plymouth people, and the recommendation of the committee was followed by
+a unanimous and most urgent call to him to become the pastor. How deeply
+he appreciated, not so much the honour, though such he esteemed it, as
+the token of affectionate confidence, was manifest both in his
+correspondence with the church and in the delay in announcing his
+answer. That he would have been glad to come is certain, equally so that
+he felt that duty to a work of peculiar quality and special need called
+him to stay with his own people. They were as dismayed at the
+possibility of losing him as Plymouth Church would have been had Mr.
+Beecher been called to another pulpit.
+
+Mr. Berry's declination of the call brought Plymouth Church face to to
+face with a most difficult situation, at least it seemed so to many. In
+truth it was not so difficult as it seemed. Dr. Abbott had filled the
+pulpit with acceptance and had conducted the affairs of the church with
+rare tact. The pastoral work, which had for some years been practically
+in the hands of Rev. S. B. Halliday, went on as usual. Now that Mr.
+Berry was not to come, who could so well meet the need as the one who
+had stood them in good stead in the time of stress? It was therefore
+perfectly natural that thoughts should turn to Dr. Abbott, and when they
+had once started equally natural that he should be called. Accordingly,
+in the spring of 1888 he was invited to be pastor. He accepted, and
+after a summer's rest in Europe commenced the active work of the
+pastorate in September.
+
+During the summer months the preaching services were omitted, but the
+prayer meetings and mission work were continued. The general condition
+of the church may be indicated by the impression made upon one who came
+in during the closing part of the interregnum to take up the pastoral
+work for a few months, dropped by Mr. Halliday, who had gone to build up
+a Beecher Memorial Church in the outskirts of Brooklyn. Coming fresh
+from foreign missionary service, with no experience in American church
+life, Rev. Edwin M. Bliss bears most earnest testimony to the vigour and
+power of the church life of Plymouth, even during those months when many
+were away. Repeatedly he told inquirers that those who imagined that
+Plymouth Church would go to pieces were absolutely mistaken; that there
+was evident a strong church on a firm foundation.
+
+Truly there could be no better testimony to the substantial quality of
+Mr. Beecher's leadership than the experience of that year and a half of
+church life under such radically different conditions.
+
+
+
+
+_CHURCH THOUGHT AND LIFE_
+
+
+A layman is ordinarily not supposed to trouble himself very much about
+theology, but to leave that as the special prerogative of the ministers.
+This was certainly true of the great majority of the lay members of
+Plymouth Church. At the same time they were by no means indifferent to
+theology. They could not be so long as Mr. Beecher was pastor, and Dr.
+Abbott's positive opinions on theological questions, while not obtruded,
+were never hidden. It must be remembered, too, that the constitution,
+articles of faith and covenant were drawn up by laymen. Henry C. Bowen
+was undoubtedly the moving spirit, but the others heartily concurred.
+The articles of faith were as follows:
+
+     "1. We believe in the existence of One Ever-living and True God,
+     Sovereign and Unchangeable, Infinite in Power, Wisdom and Goodness.
+
+     "2. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be
+     inspired of God; to contain a revelation of His will, and to be the
+     authoritative rule of faith and practice.
+
+     "3. We believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are
+     revealed in the Scriptures as existing, in respect to attributes,
+     character and office, as three Persons, equally Divine; while in
+     other respects they are united, and are, in a proper sense, One
+     God.
+
+     "4. We believe that our First Parents were created upright; that
+     they fell from their original state by disobedience, and that all
+     their posterity are not only prone to sin, but do become sinful and
+     guilty before God.
+
+     "5. We believe that God so loved the world that He gave His only
+     begotten Son to die for it; that Christ appeared in the flesh; that
+     He set forth a perfect example of obedience; that He purely taught
+     the truths needful for our salvation; that He suffered in our
+     stead, the just for the unjust; that He died to atone for our sins,
+     and to purify us therefrom; and that He rose from the dead and
+     ascended into heaven, where He ever liveth to make intercession for
+     us.
+
+     "6. We believe that God offers full forgiveness and everlasting
+     life to all who will heartily repent and believe in the Lord Jesus
+     Christ; while those who do not believe, but persevere in sin, shall
+     finally perish.
+
+     "7. We believe in the resurrection of all the dead; in a final and
+     general judgment, upon the awards of which the wicked shall go into
+     everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal."
+
+These were adopted by the church as they stand on April 17, 1848, by a
+rising vote. They represent the platform on which Mr. Beecher accepted
+the pastorate of the church, and have remained essentially the doctrinal
+basis of the church under the pastorates of Dr. Abbott and Dr. Hillis.
+
+It will readily be seen that in general the position of Plymouth Church
+was essentially that of the New England churches, and when, after being
+trained in orthodox Windsor, Conn., I came to Brooklyn, I found myself
+in much the same atmosphere. At the same time there was nothing
+hidebound. There was no attempt to draw lines too tight; indeed, there
+was little drawing of lines. Principles were stated, and applied.
+Description took the place of definition.
+
+One result was the intensifying of certain convictions, and of these the
+chief was that the test of belief was the life. Mr. Beecher's breadth of
+sympathy on all public questions, manifested particularly in the slavery
+discussion, came out if possible more clearly in regard to doctrinal
+matters. He made it a principle to seek for the best in every man, and
+was very loath to believe evil of anyone. So when men differed from him
+in theology his tendency always was to seek for the truth that was
+contained in that view, and give it all possible emphasis. In his
+preaching he did not feel obliged to guard himself against every
+possible misconception, and would speak on a topic or present a truth,
+as if for the moment at least, that was the one topic, the one truth, to
+be considered. The result was that he was claimed by very nearly every
+denomination in the country. When this was done by Universalists or
+Unitarians, the old-line Congregationalists were troubled, and
+Presbyterians thanked God that they could not be held responsible for
+his views.
+
+When Dr. Abbott became pastor the same condition continued, perhaps
+emphasised, as Dr. Abbott is broader in his theology than Mr. Beecher
+ever was, while still preserving Mr. Beecher's general attitude toward
+divergent beliefs. Under Dr. Hillis theological matters are subordinated
+to general aggressive church work, although now as always there is the
+most cordial welcome to all of every form of Christian statement who
+emphasise Christian life.
+
+The effect of all this upon the church itself, in its membership, has
+been to make it exceedingly liberal. Men are taken for what they are,
+not for what they believe, and this principle accepted in one respect is
+easily extended to others. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose
+that broadness of theology is the same thing as looseness of doctrinal
+belief.
+
+Plymouth Church is loyal to the faith in which it was born and nurtured,
+and there are not a few who do not accept many of the forms of statement
+current to-day. They do not therefore condemn those who do, realising
+that the very principle of intellectual independence, which has always
+been so powerful an element in the church life, inevitably involves
+difference of opinion. Many who might not accept all Dr. Abbott's views
+have received great benefit from his preaching, emphasising, as he
+always has, life rather than doctrine.
+
+In its ecclesiastical organisation and relations Plymouth Church was
+thoroughly independent, scarcely even Congregational. Rule 1 of its
+ecclesiastical principles says: "This church is an independent
+ecclesiastical body; and in matters of doctrine, order and discipline is
+amenable to no other organisation." It did not propose to stand
+absolutely alone, however, as is shown from Rule 2: "This church will
+extend to other evangelical churches, and receive from them, that
+fellowship, advice and assistance which the laws of Christ require." In
+its general customs, as to membership, ordinances, meetings, etc., it
+conformed to those of the Congregational churches, with which those who
+were its first members had been connected, and when it installed its
+first pastor, as in each succeeding instance, it called in the
+Congregational churches to assist. So also in its time of greatest
+stress it recognised the obligations of its fellowship with the
+Congregational churches by calling the largest Congregational council
+ever convened in America. At the same time, if it seemed to it right and
+wise to emphasise the broader fellowship with those of other faith it
+did so, whether Congregationalists at large liked it or not. So in its
+benevolences, it gave where it chose. If it liked to give through the
+medium of what were known as the Congregational Societies, it did; if it
+didn't like to, it didn't. Every once in a while from some source, near
+or more remote, generally more remote, protest would come that Mr.
+Beecher and his church were not carrying their full share of
+denominational burdens; there was courteous attention, but a very
+definite giving to understand that the church would do as it thought
+best.
+
+The independence of the organisation manifested itself in individuals.
+Those who wished their gifts to go through a certain channel were
+perfectly at liberty to send them there, and no one felt aggrieved
+because others did not see their way clear to do the same.
+
+Another effect, both of the ecclesiastical independence and the broad
+humanitarian theology, was manifest in the social life, to which
+reference has been made many times, not too often however, for it was
+and is one of the chief features of Plymouth life.
+
+In the northeast corner of what is now the Sunday School room were
+located the social parlours. They were handsomely furnished, and there
+every Monday evening Mr. Beecher held an informal reception, when all
+members of the church or congregation were cordially welcomed. The
+prominent members of the church were present, including such men as
+Messrs. Howard, Bowen, Claflin, Sage, Storrs, Freeland, Wheelock,
+Fanning, Mason, Caldwell, Ropes, Southwick, Murray, Leckler, Sloat,
+Corning, Hutchinson, Burgess, Dr. Morrill Studwell and others, and this
+was often an opportunity to welcome distinguished visitors. One such
+occasion I remember well, when a large number of distinguished people
+gathered to welcome Mr. Beecher's sister, Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe.
+She had just returned from England, where she had been introduced to
+Queen Victoria as the first American authoress; the papers had announced
+that two million copies of her book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," had been sold,
+and the congratulations and social enjoyment were great.
+
+The same characteristics that distinguished the regular church life were
+manifest in all its departments, as the Sunday School and Bible classes.
+In all there was free play for individual ideas and development. One
+Bible class in particular I would mention, that conducted for many years
+by Mr. Wilbur, and which had more than one hundred members. In a
+variety of ways, by freedom of discussion in the class, by excursions,
+receptions, entertainments of various kinds, it bound the young people
+together, helped greatly to build up the church, and particularly
+contributed to its social life. How firmly it was established is
+witnessed by the fact that it has never weakened, even in the changes
+that have come in the membership, or the official direction of the
+church. With three pastors so different in many respects as Mr. Beecher,
+Dr. Abbott and Dr. Hillis, there has been no difference in the general
+type of church life.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CHURCH STAFF_
+
+
+It is only of recent years that the Congregational and Presbyterian
+churches have come to include in the regular staff of church officers,
+assistant pastors or pastor's assistants. For a long time Mr. Beecher
+and Plymouth Church followed the prevailing custom, relying upon
+volunteer service for such extra work in the line of parish visitation
+as was beyond the pastor's power. As the church grew, however, and as
+the demands upon its pastor for outside work in the form of public
+addresses, lectures, etc., increased, it became evident that something
+must be done to meet the emergency. Fortunately, just the right man was
+found. Rev. S. B. Halliday had seen considerable service in mission work
+in New York City, was a man of genial character, great sympathy,
+kindhearted, and painstaking in the performance of his duties. He came
+to Brooklyn in 1870 and remained there in pastoral duty until after Mr.
+Beecher's death. His work was chiefly among the poorer class, but there
+were many families of means that welcomed him to their homes. Perhaps
+the one word that best expresses the impression that he left on those
+who knew him best, is--godly. He was a good man, one who in life and
+thought lived near God. Mr. Beecher thoroughly appreciated him, and he
+idolised Mr. Beecher. It was scarcely surprising that when Mr. Beecher
+died he should find it hard to adapt himself to changed conditions. He
+had hoped that Mr. Berry would accept the call to the pastorate, but
+when that failed, he resigned his position and went into East New York,
+then on the outskirts of Brooklyn, where he took charge of a weak
+Congregational Church. It was due to him that the name "The Beecher
+Memorial Church" was given to it, and it was significant of the honour
+in which both Mr. Beecher and Mr. Halliday were held that men of every
+form of faith, Christian and non-Christian, and from many different
+countries, contributed toward the building which was erected a few years
+later. When Mr. Halliday died it was like the severing of another link
+of the chain binding Mr. Beecher to the Christian life of Brooklyn.
+
+When Dr. Abbott became pastor the question of an assistant came up
+again. At first Dr. Abbott was unwilling to have one, but as the
+necessity became more apparent, and also as there appeared one who
+seemed in every way fitted for the work, Rev. Howard S. Bliss was called
+and commenced his duties soon after Dr. Abbott was installed. The son of
+the well-known founder of the Syrian Protestant College at Beirut,
+Syria, a man of pleasing ways, tact in dealing with people, and a fine
+speaker, he won the most cordial regard and affections of the church
+people. He remained for many years, through Dr. Abbott's pastorate,
+leaving Plymouth only to take the pastorate of a flourishing church
+in New Jersey, whose traditions made it easy for one naturally
+sympathetic with and trained in the liberal yet practical and aggressive
+atmosphere of Plymouth Church, to develop a vigorous church life. Mr.
+Bliss has since been called to the presidency of the college at Beirut
+to take up the work as it was laid down by his aged father.
+
+[Illustration: NEWELL DWIGHT HILLIS]
+
+During Dr. Hillis' pastorate there have been two assistant pastors,
+Revs. Willard P. Harmon and George J. Corey. Both have well sustained
+the traditions of the church, have made themselves many friends, and
+have done much to develop the newer life which under changed conditions
+has become a necessity. Mr. Harmon left to enter the full pastorate.
+Mr. Corey is the present assistant.
+
+Comparatively few who are not themselves directly connected with the
+business affairs of a church probably realise how much of the orderly
+conduct of the church depends upon the sexton. To many people he is
+simply the man who looks after funerals, sees that the furnace fires are
+properly managed, the church swept, etc. In Plymouth Church the sexton
+was always a man of considerable importance, and I feel it a duty which
+I owe to the church, not less than to them, to speak of their faithful
+work. Not only have they conducted the ordinary duties of a sexton, but
+have acted in a clerical capacity to the board of trustees in collecting
+pew rents, and in other business of the church. In this they have had a
+most important share in the comfort of the congregation and the success
+of the church.
+
+Plymouth Church has been in charge of five different sextons during its
+existence. Mr. McFarlane was its caretaker in its early years. Owing to
+his bluff manner he was never very popular with the young people, and
+one instance I shall never forget. One evening Charles Dickens was to
+lecture in the church. As the price of the tickets was from one to two
+dollars, there were not many of the boys at that time who could afford
+to pay it. We were bound not to be left out, so a plan was devised to
+overcome the difficulty. Accordingly we perched ourselves on a
+window-sill outside, where by raising the sash slightly we could hear
+and see the lecturer. All went well for a time and we were
+congratulating ourselves, when the old sexton discovered us. Then there
+was a scampering up Orange and down Henry to Fulton Street with
+McFarlane close after. I was one of the unfortunate boys who were
+caught, and the pounding which I received made such an impression upon
+me that I can see and hear Charles Dickens to this day.
+
+After Mr. McFarlane came Mr. Weld, who was the sexton for many years,
+during the most exciting period of the church's history, and when it was
+thronged by the greatest crowds. Mr. Weld was faithful to his trust,
+never ruffled, kind to everyone and popular with all, and remained at
+his post until old age and sickness called him away. His funeral was
+large, attended by a great number of the members of the church. When his
+body was carried down the aisle Mr. and Mrs. Beecher, arm in arm, headed
+the mournful procession. If some great artist could have transferred the
+scene to canvas and called it the funeral of the old sexton, it could
+have taken its place among the other great paintings of church history.
+
+Mr. George Day, one of the oldest members of the church and who is still
+living, followed Mr. Weld, but remained in office only two years, being
+succeeded by Mr. Smith, who filled the position for a long time in a
+most acceptable manner. After him came Mr. Charles T. Halsey, who has
+charge at the present time. I wish especially to mention my obligations
+to him for assistance in verifying names and dates.
+
+In close relation to the pastors and assistant pastors have been the
+clerks of the church. Perhaps the one who attained the widest fame in
+this capacity was Mr. Thomas G. Shearman, whose term of service was long
+and included the period of the trials. At the ecclesiastical council he
+made his knowledge of Congregational polity and history very manifest,
+and contributed not a little to the convincing of the churches of the
+denomination that Plymouth Church, while standing firm in its
+independency, was yet willing and glad to recognise to the full the
+fellowship of other churches, and desirous of doing all that it might
+to make that fellowship cordial. The present clerk, Horatio C. King, is
+but another illustration of how men of ability and position have
+delighted to serve Plymouth.
+
+The Sunday School has always been a most important part of Plymouth
+Church, and the list of superintendents shows how it has been regarded
+by all. At the first organisation Mr. Bowen was made superintendent, on
+September 5, 1847, with an attendance of ten teachers and twenty-eight
+scholars. The following May there were twenty-five teachers and one
+hundred and forty scholars, and twenty years later, in 1867, the
+attendance was considerably over one thousand. Mr. Bowen was followed by
+Luther Eames, Edward Corning, Henry E. Morrill, George E. Bell,
+Rossiter W. Raymond, and George W. Bard well, who is now in charge.
+
+My own recollections centre particularly about Dr. Morrill, during whose
+service of ten years, from 1851 to 1861, I became a member of the
+school. All have done noble service. Professor Raymond has perhaps been
+specially successful. His clear thought, simple expression, hearty
+sympathy, great personal tact, have endeared him to all, teachers and
+scholars, and done much to build up the school and church.
+
+To speak of the deacons and trustees would be simply to repeat the names
+of those already mentioned as prominent in the work of the church, for
+on one or the other of these boards very nearly all have served at some
+time. It has been, too, no mere formal service. Men of high position in
+business and professional life have given freely of time and labour to
+serve the interests of the church.
+
+Mention should be made of the Bethel and Mayflower Missions. The Bethel
+Mission School was established in 1841, in Main Street, near the
+Catherine Ferry, then to rooms above the market on James Street, then to
+42 and 44 Fulton Street. Almost as soon as Plymouth Church was formed
+its members interested themselves in the school, but there was no
+official relation until 1866, when it was voted to adopt the school as
+one of the regular institutions of the church. This was accepted by the
+school, and the connection continued until 1904, when it was dropped.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FORT SUMTER EXPEDITION_
+
+
+When it became evident that the North had won the victory and that the
+defeat of the Confederacy was at hand, President Lincoln decided to
+celebrate the event by replacing the same old flag that had waved over
+Fort Sumter before the war had commenced, and had been lowered on the
+14th of April, 1861, after a brave struggle by Major Anderson, only when
+compelled to do so by the guns of General Beauregard. By the President's
+order, the Secretary of War directed that on "April 14th, 1865, at
+twelve o'clock noon, Major General Anderson will raise and plant upon
+the ruins of Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbour, the same United States
+flag which floated over the battlements of that fort during the Rebel
+assault four years previous." At the request of Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Beecher
+was invited to deliver the oration upon that occasion. As soon as it
+became known that he had accepted, a large number of his friends wished
+to go with him, but how to get there was the problem. The _Arago_, the
+government steamer, was full, and all the other steamers available had
+been chartered by the government for service in the war. After a
+diligent search it was found that the Neptune Steamship Company would
+take one of their propellers, running between New York and Providence,
+off the route, and charter it for a party.
+
+A committee was formed consisting of Mr. Edward Cary, editor of the
+_Brooklyn Union_, Mr. Edwin A. Studwell and myself as chairman. The
+steamship company agreed to carry one hundred and eighty passengers for
+the sum of eighteen thousand dollars, which I paid them, the trip to be
+made in nine days.
+
+As soon as all the arrangements were completed, Mr. Beecher announced
+the program from the pulpit and through the press. Nearly all the
+prominent clergymen and citizens of Brooklyn applied for tickets. It
+became necessary to refuse a large number, as the steamer could not
+accommodate more than one hundred and eighty people. On the 10th of
+April, 1865, we left the foot of Wall Street in, one of the Fulton Ferry
+boats, which had been kindly offered to take the party to the _Oceanus_,
+lying at the foot of Robinson Street, New York. A more patriotic party
+never left the city of Brooklyn. All the way to Charleston, those who
+were not seasick (for the steamer rolled fearfully) were engaged in
+holding meetings and singing patriotic songs. Speeches were made by the
+clergymen, including Messrs. Cuyler, Putman, Gallagher, Chadwick,
+Corning, French and others; also by prominent citizens of Brooklyn,
+including Messrs. Low, Bowen, Smith, Lambert, Frothingham and others.
+The singing was led by Mr. Bradbury, while among the songs were "We are
+out on the ocean sailing," "John Brown's Soul is Marching on," "We'll
+Hang Jeff Davis to a Sour Apple Tree." Arriving at Charleston Bar on the
+afternoon of the 13th of April we passed into the harbour, and as we
+went by Fort Sumter the entire company assembled upon the upper deck and
+sang "Old Hundred."
+
+Just before the _Oceanus_ left the dock in New York we received a
+despatch from the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, that Lee with his
+entire army had surrendered to Grant. Our steamer was the first one to
+carry the news of Lee's surrender to the people of the South. As the
+_Oceanus_ slowly neared the dock at Charleston, we could see the shores
+were lined with people, and as we came within hailing distance, Captain
+Young shouted through his trumpet, "Lee has surrendered!" At once there
+went up a mighty shout from that black mass--it was like the roar of
+Niagara. "God bless Massa Lincoln!" could be heard above the din, then
+came "My country, 'tis of thee," "Hail Columbia," sung as only coloured
+people can sing. The band on the _Blackstone_, which was anchored near,
+played "The Star-Spangled Banner," and in the evening all the men-of-war
+in the harbour were illuminated to celebrate the news of the victory.
+
+The next morning all was bustle and activity, getting ready to go down
+to the fort, and every available sailing craft was brought into service
+to carry the people of Charleston to the ceremonies of the day. At
+eleven o'clock we were assembled inside the walls of Sumter, as
+distinguished a gathering as ever assembled since the signing of The
+Declaration of Independence. High officers of the Army and Navy, United
+States Senators, members of Congress, officers of the Government,
+clergymen and distinguished citizens from all over the United States,
+and a number from England.
+
+At the hour of noon Major Anderson, who had been a long time in feeble
+health, came upon the platform. Sergeant Hart took from a mail-pouch the
+old flag and fastened it to the halyards. Major Anderson, taking hold of
+the rope, said, "I thank God that I have lived to see this day and
+perform probably the last act of duty of my life for my country." (He
+died soon after.) As he slowly raised the flag over the ruined walls of
+the fort, from Forts Moultrie, Ripley, Pickney, Putnam and Johnson,
+Cummings Point and Battery B, and from every United States gunboat in
+the harbour there broke forth a mighty salute. The thunder of the cannon
+fairly shook the earth and the clouds of smoke enveloped the fort in
+almost midnight darkness. When they rolled away Old Glory waved
+peacefully as though it had never been fired upon by rebel cannon. The
+audience sang "Victory at last."
+
+Mr. Beecher came forward to the front of the platform to deliver the
+oration. There was a cold wind blowing in from the sea, the wind playing
+havoc with the leaves of his manuscript. As he commenced he took off
+his hat, but immediately arose the cry, "Put on your hat, Mr. Beecher."
+He obeyed and went on with his address, holding the close attention of
+everyone for over an hour. It has taken its place in the history of
+memorable addresses delivered on great occasions. The history of the
+country will place it second to none among the most patriotic and able
+orations.
+
+The next two or three days were spent in and about Charleston, visiting
+the scenes of desolation caused by the war. The only carriages to be had
+were donkey carts. It was a usual sight to see George Thompson of
+England and Charles Sumner jogging along, or William Lloyd Garrison and
+Senator Wilson together, Henry Ward Beecher and Fred Douglass in a
+donkey cart driven by a former slave. Mass meetings were held in the
+abandoned churches and public buildings of the city, mostly attended by
+the coloured people.
+
+On the third day the _Oceanus_ passed out of Charleston harbour, saluted
+by all the ships and forts. The flag on Sumter was dipped as we passed
+by; all went well until we rounded Cape Hatteras and were bearing into
+Fortress Monroe. Passing a pilot boat, the captain shouted, "What's the
+news?" The reply came back over the water, "The President is dead." We
+could not and did not believe it. Soon after, passing another pilot
+boat, to a similar question the answer came, "Mr. Lincoln has been
+assassinated." Then we realised the truth. With saddened hearts we
+sailed up to Fortress Monroe, which was already draped in black. Here
+our party separated, some coming direct to New York, the rest going to
+Washington to take part in the ceremonies attending the funeral of Mr.
+Lincoln.
+
+I have spoken more fully of the Sumter excursion because it was an
+important national event, and because it was so closely identified with
+Plymouth Church and Brooklyn. If it had not been for Mr. Beecher there
+would have been no _Oceanus_ voyage.
+
+[Illustration: HENRY WARD BEECHER'S STATUE, BROOKLYN, N. Y.]
+
+
+
+
+_QUAKER CITY EXCURSION_
+
+
+The plan of the _Quaker City_ Excursion, made famous by Mark Twain,
+originated in Plymouth Church, when Mr. Beecher contemplated writing a
+Life of Christ. He expressed a desire to visit the sacred places of
+Palestine, where our Lord lived and where He was crucified, and wanted
+several members of Plymouth Church to go with him. A committee was
+formed to arrange for the journey, composed of Captain C. Duncan, John
+T. Howard and Rufus R. Graves. A very beautiful and substantial
+side-wheel steamship, the _Quaker City_, was chartered for the journey,
+and the number of passengers was limited to one hundred and fifty. The
+price of the passage for each person was fixed at twelve hundred and
+fifty dollars. Mr. Beecher engaged passage, but at the last moment
+decided not to go.
+
+The Secretary of State furnished us with letters commending us to the
+attention of the foreign governments which we might visit, and on the
+eighth day of June we sailed out of New York harbour. Our first stopping
+place was at the Azores, then we went to Gibraltar and Marseilles, where
+time was given to the passengers to visit Paris and London; next to
+Genoa, from which port we made visits to Milan, Venice and Lake Como.
+The next stopping place was Leghorn, where we turned aside to Florence
+and Pisa and visited Garibaldi, who was then at his home. From Leghorn
+our course took us to Naples, giving time to see Rome, Vesuvius and
+Pompeii; then on through the Straits of Messina, across the Ionian Sea,
+through the Grecian Archipelago to Athens, Greece; through the
+Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora to Constantinople. After one week's
+stay in that Oriental city, the route lay through the Bosphorus, across
+the Black Sea to Sebastopol. After visiting the famous battlefields of
+the Crimea, we sailed to Odessa, in the northwest corner of the Black
+Sea, ours being the first American steamship which ever entered that
+harbour. While staying there a telegram was received from the Emperor of
+Russia inviting us to visit him at his palace, Livadia, at Yalta. Yalta
+is a very beautiful place on the slope of a mountain, overlooking the
+Black Sea, about two hundred miles east of Odessa, and is the summer
+home of the imperial family of Russia. The Grand Duke Michael's palace,
+Orianda, the Grand Duke Vladimir's, Worondow, and their grounds join
+those of the Emperor. The invitation was accepted. Mrs. Griswold's story
+of the visit as given in the "Pilgrimage" is as follows:
+
+     "On the way from Odessa to Yalta, several meetings were held by the
+     gentlemen in the saloon for the purpose of preparing an address to
+     be presented to the Czar; at the same time the ladies were gathered
+     in groups conversing about the coming event.
+
+     "This morning we dropped anchor at Yalta. The Governor-general
+     conveyed to us a message from the Emperor 'that we were welcome,
+     and he would be pleased to receive us the next day at twelve
+     o'clock.' Word also came that carriages and horses would be in
+     readiness to convey the party to the palace, which is about two
+     miles from the landing place.
+
+     "All was astir on board preparing for the great occasion. The
+     porters are overtaxed in getting out the stored-away trunks for the
+     passengers, as the most _recherche_ wardrobes must be selected. The
+     ladies' purchases through Europe are now brought into requisition.
+     Paris dresses, laces, coiffures, and jewelry are to be worn for
+     the first time. At ten and a half o'clock we saw the spacious
+     rowboats belonging to the Emperor nearing our ship. How gaily they
+     were decked out with scarlet cloth and fringe hanging over the
+     sides almost touching the water; each boat was rowed by twelve men
+     dressed in white caps and uniform. They approached the vessel's
+     side with extreme caution, owing to the heavy sea, which was
+     rolling in. As the boat would rise upon a wave and sink away, one
+     person stepped in after another until it was filled, when another
+     boat would take its place. In this way all were safely landed. We
+     left the boat by crimson-carpeted steps leading up from the water
+     into a picturesque canopied landing. The ladies occupied the
+     carriages and the gentlemen rode on horseback. We formed quite a
+     procession, numbering over sixty persons.
+
+     "The gates were thrown open to admit us to the palace grounds. A
+     company of mounted Cossacks were drawn up on each side of the gate,
+     and we passed through in military order, escorted by the Grand Duke
+     Michael, brother of the Emperor, who had met us on the way.
+
+     "At precisely twelve o'clock we formed in front of the palace. The
+     smoothly cut lawn around us was like a velvet carpet, with a
+     profusion of surrounding flowers. Immediately the Emperor and the
+     Empress appeared, accompanied by their daughter Marie, and one of
+     their sons, the Grand Duke Serge, followed by a retinue of
+     distinguished persons.
+
+     "The American Consul who had come with us from Odessa stepped
+     forward and read a short address to his Imperial Highness Alexander
+     II, Czar of Russia, which had been prepared and signed by the
+     passengers. The Emperor replied to it by saying 'that he thanked us
+     for the address and was very much pleased to meet us, especially as
+     such friendly relations exist between Russia and the United
+     States.' The Empress further replied by saying 'that Americans were
+     favourites in Russia,' and she hoped her people were the same with
+     the Americans.
+
+     "The Emperor is tall and well-proportioned, with a mild yet firm
+     expression. The impression of the beholders is that he is one born
+     to command. He wore a white cap and a white linen suit, the coat
+     confined with a belt around the waist and ornamented with gilt
+     buttons and elaborate epaulets.
+
+     "The Empress is of medium height, fair complexion, and although
+     delicate looking she appears young for one of her age. A bright,
+     welcoming smile lit up her face. Her dress was white foulard silk,
+     dotted with blue and richly trimmed with blue satin. She wore a
+     small sleeveless jacket, a broad blue sash, and around her neck was
+     a tie made of swiss muslin and valenciennes lace. On her head was a
+     straw hat trimmed with blue velvet and black lace. Her hands were
+     covered with flesh-covered kid gloves, and she carried a light drab
+     parasol lined with blue silk.
+
+     "The Grand Duchess was attired in a dress of similar material to
+     that of her mother, only this was more tastefully arranged with
+     blue silk and fringe, a belt of the same material as the dress,
+     fastened by a large rosette, and a straw hat also trimmed with blue
+     silk.
+
+     "The Grand Duke Serge is quite young, and a well-appearing youth.
+     He was dressed in a scarlet blouse and white pants.
+
+     "Individual introductions followed. Several of the ladies,
+     including myself, had an opportunity of conversing with the
+     Empress. All of the Imperial family speak English very well.
+
+     "We were escorted through the buildings by the Emperor and Empress,
+     entering a door which was on either side a bower of flowers.
+     Almost all the apartments were thrown open. The floors were inlaid
+     and polished, and the furniture was curious and costly. The Emperor
+     took special pains to show us the chapel, where he and his family
+     worshipped. It was very handsome, and connected with the main
+     building.
+
+     "Every effort was made by the Imperial family to welcome us, and
+     really the Pilgrims seemed to act as much at home as though they
+     were accustomed to calling on Emperors every day.
+
+     "I could not realise that we were being entertained by a ruler of
+     more than eighty million people, and whose word was the supreme law
+     of the most powerful nation on the globe.
+
+     "At eight o'clock in the evening the anchor was lifted and we
+     sailed by the Czar's palace, which was brilliantly lighted, and
+     amid the booming of cannon, and the shooting of rockets, and a blue
+     light illuminating our ship we bade farewell to a scene which I
+     shall treasure as one of the brightest remembrances of my life."
+
+From Yalta the steamer sailed across the Black Sea, through the
+Bosphorus, down the coast of Asia Minor, to the Gulf of Smyrna,
+anchoring in the harbour of Smyrna. A delay was made to give time to
+visit the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. Passing the coast of the
+Isle of Cyprus the next landing place was Beirut, where several days
+were spent, affording the pilgrims opportunity to visit the Mountains
+of Lebanon, the ruins of Baalbec, and the city of Damascus. From Beirut
+we sailed down the coast of Palestine, passing Tyre and Sidon. The
+steamer anchored off the harbour of Jaffa. Three weeks were given to
+visit Jerusalem, Bethany, the River Jordan, the Dead Sea, Jericho, and
+other places in the Holy Land. At Jerusalem one of the Plymouth Church
+passengers, Mr. Moses Beach, purchased an olive tree at the foot of the
+Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane, had it cut down and
+transported to Jaffa, where it was placed on board the _Quaker City_,
+brought home, and through the generosity of Mr. Beach was made into
+furniture which now stands in Plymouth pulpit. The next landing place
+was Alexandria, Egypt, giving an opportunity to visit Cairo and the
+Pyramids. From Alexandria the voyage was continued homeward, stopping at
+Malta, Gibraltar and Bermuda.
+
+It was a great journey, as it afforded a majestic and sublime panorama
+of the different nations, kindreds, and tongues of the world, and may
+well take its place among other great events of Plymouth Church.
+
+
+
+
+_PERSONALIA_
+
+
+A great deal of the power of church life, as well as of personal life,
+centres about personal items. Without seeking to arrange them
+chronologically or even to associate them topically, I wish to gather up
+in this chapter some of the incidents that do not well belong in the
+preceding chapters. Some of them it is easy to locate, others have lost
+their setting, as the years have gone by, and stand out with an
+individuality that is their own. It is no reflection on Mr. Beecher's
+successors, noble and true men, that he figures so prominently in them.
+The memory of those early days when, as a country lad, I came to
+Brooklyn, naturally centres around the man who from my boyhood, through
+early manhood and into middle age had a mighty influence upon my life.
+
+One event I recall, in the very first year of my new life. In itself it
+was no more significant or important than many others, but it meant much
+to me, opening up as it did a broader vision of world-wide interest, and
+particularly of the close connection between things called secular and
+religious. The slavery question had a profound religious bearing, and
+touched the very core of Plymouth Church life, yet even that does not
+stand out more vividly in my memory than the scene when Louis Kossuth
+landed at the Battery from an American man-of-war, and rode up Broadway
+escorted by a hundred or more prominent citizens. We boys knew little
+about him, but none the less eagerly we hurried along, barely escaping
+the horses' feet, and none the less lustily we joined in the shout.
+Later, through Mr. Beecher's references to him and his work, and by
+seeing him in Plymouth Church, we came to know that the fight for
+liberty was the same, whether in the South or in Europe, and whether it
+was for black men that we knew or for Hungarians of whom we knew
+nothing, scarcely even the name. Another lesson that we learned was that
+the whole world is kin, and that even far-off lands cannot suffer
+oppression and wrong without other lands suffering with them. So
+Plymouth pulpit became a platform for the presentation of every form of
+appeal to the best Christian consciousness of the church and through the
+church of the nation.
+
+Another scene, after I had grown to manhood, illustrates the same
+chivalry that was bound to assert the claims of any person or any class.
+Mr. Beecher was always an advocate of women's rights. He could never see
+why women should be debarred from so many of the privileges, or duties,
+of social life. During the first Lincoln campaign there appeared upon
+the lecture platform a woman who brought a woman's plea for the cause of
+liberty and human rights. No one who ever heard Anna Dickinson speak
+could forget her, or failed to be moved by her eloquence. Of course Mr.
+Beecher was her friend, and welcomed her assistance in the contest that
+was growing more and more severe. She drew great crowds whenever she
+spoke.
+
+I was then president of the Central Republican Club, and we engaged Miss
+Dickinson to speak in the Academy of Music, where we were then holding
+meetings. Some days before the meeting was to take place the secretary
+of the board of directors of the Academy called at my office with a
+notice that the directors could not allow Miss Dickinson to speak in
+that building.
+
+I did not know what to do. The meeting had been extensively advertised.
+I finally decided to go and see Mr. Beecher. As I recited the facts to
+him I could see the expression of indignation and the colour come to
+his face. He thought a moment and said, "Wait until next Sunday
+morning."
+
+The next Sunday the church was packed. When Mr. Beecher gave the notices
+and came to Miss Dickinson's lecture, he called the board of directors
+to account for this action in refusing to allow a woman to speak in the
+Academy of Music. One of the directors, who was present, being ignorant
+of the situation, took it up and denied the action of the directors.
+Then said Mr. Beecher, "I take back all that I have said." I was there
+in the west gallery, and at once decided not to allow a
+misrepresentation like that to pass, and, mounted on the backs of two
+pews, I recited to the audience all of the facts and the official
+notice which I had from the directors, that the Academy could not be
+used for this woman to speak in.
+
+[Illustration: INTERIOR OF PLYMOUTH CHURCH]
+
+When I had finished, the congregation broke into great applause. Mr.
+Beecher then went on with his remarks, scoring the directors of the
+Academy, and created such a sentiment in the community that the
+directors rescinded their action, and the great mass meeting, with Miss
+Dickinson as speaker, took place.
+
+Since then, not only the Academy of Music, but other public buildings
+throughout the country have been open for women to speak in, upon any
+subject.
+
+Stories of Mr. Beecher's sayings might be gathered by the thousand,
+indeed they have been, and published in a book for the use of
+ministers, teachers, and public speakers. Fortunately or unfortunately
+the reporter was not quite so ubiquitous then, especially in the earlier
+days, as now, but still there was a sufficient amount of newspaper
+enterprise, and I often wish I had kept a record of the incidents and
+trenchant remarks that were gathered up. A good many, however, never got
+into the papers. Whether or not the following did I cannot say.
+Certainly I did not get them from the press.
+
+One day the evening papers announced that a terrible accident had
+happened to Mrs. Beecher, that she had been thrown out of her carriage
+in lower Fulton Street, been dashed against the steps of the Long Island
+Bank, and so seriously injured that she was not expected to live, and
+some said that she had been killed. That evening at the prayer meeting
+no one expected to see Mr. Beecher. He came as usual and the people
+crowded around him asking about Mrs. Beecher, as she had been reported
+killed. He seemed quite disturbed by the persistent inquiries of those
+around him. In a half impatient manner he said, "It would have been
+serious with any other woman."
+
+The same cool, imperturbable bearing so often manifest in his
+experiences in England came out again and again during the stirring
+scenes in this country. When the Civil War broke out and the riots in
+New York took place for several days the city was almost in the hands of
+the mob. It was given out that Plymouth Church was to be attacked the
+next Sunday evening. Crowds of rough-looking men came over the ferry
+and mixed with the congregation. John Folk, superintendent of the police
+force of Brooklyn, with forty of his men was in the lecture room and
+back of the organ to protect Mr. Beecher, in case of an attempt to reach
+him, amid the intense excitement of the audience. Mr. Beecher came upon
+the platform calm and cool and proceeded with the services as usual.
+During the sermon a stone crashed through the upper windows from the
+outside. Mr. Beecher stopped, looked up to the windows, and then to the
+great congregation, and said "Miscreant," and calmly went on with his
+sermon.
+
+He was always glad when he could be, so to speak, off duty, and be free
+to do whatever occurred to him to do, whether anybody else would ever
+have thought of it or not. One Sunday evening when his pulpit was
+occupied by some other pastor he was seen sitting in the third gallery.
+When asked why he was up there, he replied "that he wanted to see how
+the preacher looked from that point of view."
+
+The boys on the Heights all knew Mr. Beecher and liked to meet him
+because he always had a word with them. In coming to church one day he
+met a group of boys. They hailed him in this fashion: "There goes Mr.
+Beecher, he is a screecher." When he reached the church it seemed to
+please him to tell the story to the congregation.
+
+Whenever Mr. Beecher crossed the ocean he was very sea-sick, and after
+landing he would say that those whom God abhorred He sent to sea. This
+was probably the reason why at the last moment he decided not to to take
+the trip in the _Quaker City_, referred to in a previous chapter. The
+expedition would never have been organised but for Mr. Beecher, and yet
+it had to go without him.
+
+While in a very real sense Mr. Beecher was a true cosmopolitan, and a
+genuine citizen of the United States, he was specially fond of New
+England, was grateful that that section was his birthplace, and always
+glad when one opportunity or another called him there to lecture or
+preach. The New England people fully reciprocated the feeling and in
+turn Mr. Beecher used to declare that "New England was the brain of the
+nation." Little wonder that so many New England boys found their way to
+Plymouth Church.
+
+In a similar way he was very fond of Brooklyn as the city of homes. He
+was interested in New York, with its bustle and rush, as the "work
+shop," but Brooklyn was the "boarding house," and many a semi-homeless
+boarder found a warm welcome in Plymouth Church. Perhaps it was these
+people that he had in mind when Plymouth Church could not hold half the
+people who desired to attend the services, and he appealed to the
+pewholders to stay away evenings and give their pews to strangers,
+inaugurating thus a custom which has continued to the present time.
+
+While preaching upon the greatness of God's work as compared with the
+works of man, he said man can tunnel mountains, build ships to cross the
+sea, span the world with the telegraph, cross the continent with the
+iron horse, build cathedrals and capitols, machines to fly in the air,
+and explore the depths of the sea, but with all of man's greatness and
+skill, "he cannot make a fly."
+
+In a vivid description of a thunder storm illustrating some part of his
+sermon he closed with a most beautiful piece of word painting in
+describing the passing away of the clouds after the storm, picturing the
+sun shining upon the edges of the clouds making a pathway as he said for
+"Angels to walk to and fro when they came down from Heaven."
+
+Intensely practical as he was in his conception of religion, Mr.
+Beecher had a very profound sense of the future life, and there was
+always a sub-stratum of that thought in his preaching. In a sermon on
+the Darwinian theory he said, "I do not care where I came from; it is
+where I am going to that I am interested in."
+
+In a sermon on Heaven, he said that everyone had a right to make their
+own Heaven. The one that inspired in them the greatest hope and most
+beautiful thoughts and gave them the greatest happiness was their
+Heaven. Speaking of the end of life, he said that when he died he would
+like to pass out of life suddenly, like a cannon ball shot out of a
+cannon.
+
+
+
+
+_FUTURE PLYMOUTH_
+
+
+What will become of Plymouth Church when Mr. Beecher passes away? was a
+question often asked in the early days. The answer to that has already
+been given. It was a severe test to which the church was put, but it
+stood it nobly. Again when Dr. Abbott was pastor the same question was
+asked. Ten years of successful life is the sufficient answer to that.
+Now again the question comes up under the pastoral care of Dr. Hillis.
+
+My answer to this last question as to the others is, that the life of
+Plymouth Church does not depend upon any one man, however great he may
+be. It would be difficult to find three men more different, each from
+the other, than the three who have filled Plymouth pulpit. Yet after all
+the general type of the church life has not changed, nor has its
+attitude toward the surrounding city and the wider national life taken
+on a different character. The emphasis now, as always, is on Christian
+living, in the assurance that out of that living will come Christian
+thinking. Each in his own way, but each with the same purpose and the
+same result, has preached the gospel of life. The form of that life has
+varied, but the variation has been occasioned by the need of adaptation
+to the general type of church life, as illustrated on every hand.
+Plymouth has simply shown its ability to meet new conditions in itself.
+
+So also with regard to the broader relation to public life. It is now,
+as it always has been, the natural and the expected thing that every
+great cause, for righteousness and peace, should send its advocates to
+Brooklyn and that they should have a welcome in Plymouth pulpit. A
+significant illustration of this occurred but recently at the opening of
+the great Peace Congress. The two churches that were identified with it
+more than any others were Plymouth and Broadway Tabernacle. Probably no
+pastor in the country is more widely known for his practical interest in
+public affairs than is Dr. Hillis, and wherever he goes from the
+Atlantic to the Pacific he is welcomed both for himself and as the
+pastor of Plymouth Church. The simple fact is it is the same old
+Plymouth. It has grown up with the country, has had its share in the
+making of the country, whether in the strife of war or in the urgency
+for peace, and has made for itself a name that will stand, like Faneuil
+Hall in Boston, or Independence Hall in Philadelphia, for all time to
+come.
+
+This permanency, however, will be as its strength has been in the wise
+management of the church in its various departments. The problem of a
+city church located as Plymouth is must be to-day very different from
+that which faced its founders. Brooklyn has gone 'way beyond the
+Heights, and while strangers still find it easy to reach, the permanent
+membership extends over a wide territory and must of necessity be more
+or less transitory. This uncertainty brings to view the necessity of
+permanence of financial basis. They are wise, strong men who are in
+charge, as is shown by the fact that notwithstanding the changes that
+are inevitable, the church is free from debt and is accumulating
+permanent funds which will be of great value. Running expenses of all
+kinds, pastors' salaries, music, etc., are met from current income from
+pew rents, leaving the church free to put additional sums into permanent
+form. Then there is a Beecher endowment fund of almost fifty thousand
+dollars, and a Beecher memorial fund of the same amount. Constantly sums
+of money are coming into the church treasury from legacies or special
+gifts, and these are either invested or applied to improvements such as
+it is judged will increase the effectiveness of the church work. Among
+these is a Beecher memorial building soon to be erected adjoining the
+church. The alteration of the front entrance is contemplated, and other
+work which will prove advantageous to the society. Memorial stained
+glass windows are to be put in, contributed by members.
+
+[Illustration: CHAIR USED BY HENRY WARD BEECHER IN PLYMOUTH CHURCH]
+
+Perhaps still more important is the development of the church
+activities. In Mr. Beecher's time the great feature of church life was
+the sermon. To-day it is church organisation. Some seem to think that
+the preaching of to-day is inferior to that of a generation ago. While
+it may be true that no single man stands out as did Mr. Beecher, Dr. R.
+S. Storrs, or Dr. William M. Taylor, it seems to me that the average of
+preaching is higher. Dr. Hillis is not Mr. Beecher, but he is Dr.
+Hillis, and Plymouth people never go from Plymouth Church without the
+thought of a good and great presentation of truth. However that may be,
+one thing is very noticeable: the growth in Plymouth, as elsewhere, of
+church societies. The women have their societies for Home and Foreign
+Missions, there is a Young Woman's Guild, and a Henry Ward Beecher
+Missionary Circle, a Young Men's Club, and an organisation of older men
+known as Plymouth Men. The year that Mr. Beecher died The Plymouth
+League was formed and had a successful career until a few years ago,
+when it was dropped.
+
+So Plymouth has kept abreast of the times, using any means that seemed
+to promise usefulness, ever ready to change where change was adjudged
+wise, ready to drop anything that in the shifting conditions had
+outlived its usefulness, loyal to its past, yet realising that the
+highest loyalty is to a future ideal rather than a past achievement. Mr.
+Beecher was no iconoclast, and at the same time, the past, however great
+and grand, as such, had no attraction for him. His eye was set on the
+future, a future that included the individual life and the corporate
+life. Present-day socialism had scarcely dawned during his day, but were
+he living now he would be found in line with the broadest and the
+freest conceptions of society, and true to his belief that the church
+should lead. This not because it is an organisation, including wise men,
+or divinely ordered, but because it expresses in the fullest and best
+way the divine principles that must govern society. That this idea of
+his so dominated the church in its early life and has continued to
+control it to the present day is the true basis for confidence as to its
+future.
+
+Plymouth Church will stand just so long as it represents this ideal, and
+applies it to all classes and conditions of men, without regard to race
+or creed. To-day, as of old, men of every form of belief or no belief
+find a welcome and find help, and many go forth with old ideas changed,
+new ambitions stirred, a clearer vision of what it means to live a
+Christian life. If the time ever comes when that is not true, then
+Plymouth Church will be a relic of the past, a curiosity, to be visited
+by strangers as Plymouth Rock or Westminster Abbey. That that time will
+ever come I do not believe. However much the centres of population may
+change, the needs of men never change, and even if other churches should
+follow their constituencies to other sections, Plymouth will remain, a
+living monument to the truth and the life that has been from its origin
+its power.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sixty years with Plymouth Church, by
+Stephen M. Griswold
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