BEECHER.
BEECHER.
taught God AS the Father of the whole human
race — a i)itying. loving Father. Frequently he
brought to the platform on which he preached
some ptxjr victim of the cruel laws of slavery, and
held an auction to procure the price of ransom.
In 1H4.S tlie Plymouth church adopted a strictly
evangelical creed. In 1841) the original edifice was
destroyed by fire, and a new one was erected with
a seating capacity of three thousand, the regular
members at the time of Mr. Beechers death num-
bering 2.400. Mr. Beecher early became distin-
guished as a lecturer and public si>eaker, and so
numerous were the calls made uix)n him that he
was freiiuently obliged to decline engagements at
five Imndred dollars a night. On the organiza-
tion of the Republican party he affiliated himself
with it. He delivered many political sermons,
and was particuLarly active in 1856 in addressing
political meetings throughout the northern states.
He paid his first visit to England in 1850, to re-
cuperate his health. In 1861 Mr. Beecher became
the editor of the New York Independent. He
was the pioneer in catholicity of thought in re-
ligioas journalLsm, his editorial writing being
extremely characteristic; he chose, as .subjects,
matters interesting to the people, believing in
God's action in the common affairs of life, and
wrote so as to awaken inspiration, treating of
his subjects from the Christly standpoint of re-
sponsibility for and helpfulness to others. He
wrote at this time his famous article, " Shall we
Compromise?" being absolutely against any
measure of compromise himself ; and he bitterly
denounced Webster for his retrogression. In 1863
he visited Europ>e and did inestimable service
to the northern caase by his speeches before large
audiences in England, Scotland and Ireland.
He took an active part in the presidential cam-
]>aign of 1864. when Mr. Lincoln was the candidate
for a .second term. In April, 1865, he delivered
an anniversary addrass at Fort Svunter, at the
request of the government. In 1870 Tlie Chris-
tian Union was established in New York, and Mr.
Beecher became its editor. During the years
1872. 1873 and 1874 he delivered three courses of
lectures on preaching in the Yale divinity school.
In 1874 his .sfmietime friend, Theodore Tilton, the
editor of the Independent, brought gross charges
of immorality against him, from which he was
exonerated by the church, and on the civil trial
the jury failed to agree. In 1878 Mr. Beecher
openly stated tliat the doctrine of eternal punish-
ment was opposed to his belief, and in 1882 he
withdrew from the Congregational a.ssociation of
churches, followed by the entire congregation of
Plymouth church. He gave his hearty .support to
Mr. Cleveland in the presidential campaign of
1884. by which action he antagonized many of his
political friend*. In 1886 he again visited Eng-
land, where he was overwhelmed with kind atten-
tions, and where he delivered niunerous addresses.
Many of the pajiers contributed by him to the
New York Independent, the New York Ledger,
etc., were afterwards collated and issued in book
form. The following is a list of his more
important works: "Lectures to Young Men"
(1844, 2d ed.. 1850); "Star Papers; or. Experi-
ences of Art and Nature" (1855); "New Star
Papers" (18.58. These were republished in Eng-
land under the title "Summer in the Soul");
" Freedom and War : Discourses Suggested by the
Times " (1863) ; " E.ves and Ears " (1864) ; " Aids
to Prayer " (1864) ; " Norwood ; or. Village Life in
New England" (1867): "Overture of Angels"
(1869) ; " Lecture-Room Talks " (1870) ; " Jesus the
Christ; Earlier Scenes " (1871) ;" Yale Lectures
on Preaching" (1872-'74) ; "A Simmier Parish"
(1874); " Evolution and Religion " (1885). The
second volvmie of '"Jesus the Christ " was published
after his death. He edited the Plymouth " Collec-
tion of Hymns and Tunes" (N. Y., 18.55), and " Re-
vival Hj-mns " (Boston, 1858). Twenty volimies
of his sermons were published, as well as many
separate addresses and sermons : ' ' Army of the
Republic," " The Strike and its Lessons," " Doc-
trinal Beliefs and Unbeliefs " (1882) ; " Com-
memorative Discourse on Wendell Phillips," " A
Circuit of the Continent " n884) ; " Letters to the
Soldiers and Sailors" (1866-*84). He received a
place in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans,
New York university, in October. 1900. See the
"Authentic Biography,' by William C. Beecher
and the Rev. Samuel Scoville in collaboration
with Mrs, Beeclier. A mural tablet was erected
in his honor in Plymouth church, Brooklyn, Jan.
13, 1893. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., March 8,
1887.
BEECHER, James Chaplin, clergyman, was born in Bo.ston, Mass., Jan. 8, 1828; son of Lyman and Harriet (Porter) Beecher. He was educated under his father at Lane seminarj', Cincinnati, Ohio, and after graduating at Dartmouth, in 1848, pursued his studies in theology at Andover, and was ordained a Congregational minister. May 10, 1856. He went as missionarj' to Canton, China, and was chaplain of the Seamen's Bethel in that place and in Hong Kong until 1861. He then returned to the United States to take part in the civil war, and was commi.ssioned as chaplain of the l.st New York infantry, serving in 1861-'62. He was then conmiissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 141st N. Y. regiment, .serving about a year, when he was transferred to the 35th U. S. colored troops, promoted as colonel and served from 1863 to 1866, when he was mustered out of the volunteer ser- vice as brevet brigadier-general. He returned to the ministry, and was settled in Oswego, N. Y., from 1867 to 1870; in Poughkeepsie from 1870 to
