Show IN CONCLUSION Beecher as a Writer and Speaker The Tilton Scandal It is doubtful if Mr Beecher would ever have been much of a speaker had it not been for the unremitting care and attention given to his elocutionary training while he was at school at Mt Pleasant by Professor John E LovelL This gentleman taught the lad correct cor-rect enunciation and gesticulation and thereby there-by gave to the world a great orator His achievements on the lecture platform before during and after the war were so conspicuous as to need but passing mention here He began writing when in college He edited for a time an antislavery sheet in Cincinnati and a horticultural paper in Indianapolis Soon after removing to New York he began contributing to The Independent of which he was editor in chief from 1851 to ISM In 1810 he became editor of The Christian Union In addition to his contributions to these papers he wrote a series of Eyes and Ears Papers and a novel called Norwood for The New York Ledger Many volumes of his sermons have been published His writings which have been collected in book form are Sermons from 1SG9 to 1874 Speech El lingwoods report at Manchester England A Summer Parish sermons and morning services of prayer at the Twin Mountain house ill August 1874 Yale Lectures on Preaching 18727374 Lectures to Young Men Morning and Evening Exercises Star Papers Experiences of Art and Nature Na-ture Pleasant Talk About Fruits Flowers and Farming Lecture Room Talks The Overture of Angels and The Life of Christ Vol 1 The last mentioned work has not been finished and it was because of his breach of contract in neglecting it that he was sued not long ago He was at work on it when he was stricken down The circumstances of the Tilton scandal are well known Tilton who succeeded Beecher as editor of The Independent had some trouble with his wife and Beecherof whose church both were membersadvised her to get a separation Tilton then charged undue intimacy between the pastor and Mrs Tilton There was a church investigation and Beecher was upheld Then in 1874 four years after the alleged wrong was done Tilton brought f t M Beecher for 1flO 000 PT11S s for alienating the affections ot his wife The trial which began in January 1875 lasted four I months Judges Nelson McCue and Reynolds presided MI Beechers counse Iwere the best in the country They were William M Evarts Roger A Pryor Thomas G Shearman John K Porter and Benjamin F Tracy Pitted against them on the side of Mr Tilton were William A Beach W A Fullerton and Samuel D Morris The jury was locked up a week and failed to agree the last ballot standing 9 to 3 for Beecher when they were discharged The testimony during the progress of the trial of the most was extraordinary and contradictory con-tradictory character and many of the phrases used during its progress and in the documents docu-ments put in evidence have since become proverbial A tripartite agreement which was brought out was among the unique features of the case Tilton is now in Europe with his daughters Mrs Tilton has disappeared disap-peared from view Mr Beechers popu laritv Was ns great after as before the trial I jloulton the mutual friend whom eV j t xly will remember is dead Of Mi Beechers liberal religious and tern perance views his famous bread and water speech and a hundred other matters with which his name will always be associated it is needles to speak His lost trip to Europe was a social and oratorical success and on his returmi he was received with enthusiasm Tin re will always be conflicting views re gn ling his sincerity and moral woilh but no will deny that he occupied a very large place in the history of religion politics and journalism in America I |