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SIXTY YEARS WITH
PLYMOUTH CHURCH
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[Illustration: STEPHEN M. GRISWOLD]
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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.
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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
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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
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_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_