Chapter 2 Early Beecher History

Thomas Kennicut Beecher was the son of Lyman Beecher, eminent theologian, preacher and reformer who was said to have been the father of more brains than any other man in America.' His children were distinguished as educators, preachers, and authors, with Henry Ward Beecher, preacher, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of 'Uncle Tom’s Cabin' being the best known.

A newcomer to Elmira once said to a native, 'Was this Thomas K. Beecher really a great man or have you simply built him up into one?' The answer was, 'The least you can say is that he was an extraordinary man, for no ordinary man can so impress himself upon a whole community that for years after his death he is more talked about, and is a more vivid personality to many people. than any other man who has ever lived, or is living now, in that community.

Twenty-four years after Mr. Beecher’s death another man wrote, 'I regret never to have seen Mr. Beecher. He did before I knew Elmira, but I have found him the most alive man in town.' Today, forty-six years after his death (the same number of years as his ministry in The Park Church) Elmirans say to each other, 'Now I’ll tell you a Beecher story.' Legends do not grow up around small men.

Those living today who remember Mr. Beecher speak of his modesty, his humanity his sincerity, his kindness, his goodness. They tell of his lack of pompousness and pretense, his remarkable simplicity and humanness.

Another evidence of the impact of the personality of this man is the fact that from his first coming to Elmira the formal church records began to be full of direct quotations, something that had not happened before. The words 'Mr. Beecher said' appear frequently. The full flavor of these quotations cannot be given out of their context so for the time being, we shall merely say that they were wise and pithy, and often humorous. Especially could Mr. Beecher be depended upon to be humorous if a meeting showed signs of getting too solemn.

This combination of simplicity. wisdom and humor suggests Mr. Beecher's great contemporary, Abraham Lincoln. whom he met in his youth. This meeting between Lincoln and Beecher was in Illinois where young Thomas Beecher was attending Illinois College in Jacksonville. a college of which his brother Edward was president. Lincoln was an unknown lawyer at the time. Thomas K. Beecher said afterward that in those days Lincoln was hardly fit company for a Beecher but that he, Thomas, risked it and was not hurt thereby.

Mr. Beecher was like Lincoln, too, in that he had periods of spiritual depression: when asked once whether such periods were consistent with his Christian faith he said, 'If I were not a Christian, wickedness would not depress me so."

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It is said that Mrs. Beecher could usually bring him out of his gloom by telling him, in a kind of nursery rhyme style, how much his people loved him and how many were his blessings.

Mr. Beecher was remarkably versatile. He had a strong interest in the natural sciences, especially chemistry and astronomy. He was interested in everything mechanical, especially clocks, and was a skilled workman with every kind of tool. For many years he had charge of the Elmira town clock in the tower of the Richardson Building at the corner of Railroad Avenue and West Market Street. He kept it on correct time by means of sun readings which he took with a kind of elementary sextant which he kept at his home on East Hill. He took readings of the clock from his house through a telescope.

Mr. Beecher helped found an academy of science in Elmira. The members of this group read papers to each other and corresponded with scientists in other American cities and in Europe.

During his long service in the ministry Mr. Beecher took Tuesday as his day of rest from clerical duties. But it was never a day of idleness. He often worked as a carpenter, plumber or paper hanger. Sometimes such work was in his own home on East Hill, sometimes for a friend, sometimes for a widow who was short of funds, or for some one else in need.

We have read that Deacon Robinson talked with Mr. Beecher about coming to Elmira. Behind that simple statement lies a dramatic story. When Deacon Robinson met Thomas K. Beecher, the young minister was walking out of a board meeting in his church in Williamsburg (now a part of Brooklyn,

N. Y.) to avoid being 'fired.' An impasse with his board had arisen because he knew that certain members of the board were guilty of unethical business practices, and had rebuked them.

A short time after Deacon Robinson had talked with Mr. Beecher, the following letter was received in Elmira —

Mr. Jervis Langdon and Dear Brethren:

I promised you a final response on Thursday of this week. Until that day I cannot force matters elsewhere to a conclusion; or can I at that day make a final answer unless I hear yes or no from you to the following questions:

1. — Although I owe nothing and can borrow unlimitedly yet I HAVE no money. Nor will I ever run in debt, God helping me. Hence, you see, that ere I can live upon your gifts, they must be GIVEN. I ask, therefore, can you and will you pay at the rate of $1,500 per annum, monthly and in advance?

Yes or no.

2. — Can you and will you make me a gift of $40 to pay expenses of moving self, library and furniture? Yes or no.

3. — Do you fully understand that you make me no promises (I cannot allow you to) so I make you none, except to

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keep busy and preach for you as truly as I can. You are free —I am free. We must owe nothing but to love one another. In brief do you fully understand that at the end of any month you may request me to leave without hurting my feelings, or I may leave you (of course, giving you my reason) without forfeiting your confidence?

Do you understand this, yes or no?

4. — Do you fully remember that I do not think that good can be done by a preacher’s preaching? It must be by Christians working that good is done, if at all. Do you remember that MY choice is to work with my hands and do good on a small scale; and I come to you full of doubt as to whether it is possible for any church to be benefited by any services of mine as preacher and teacher?

Do you remember this, yes or no?

a. — Do you remember that while in good faith I profess to you that I am sound and evangelic in doctrine, yet I have no ambition to found, or foster or preserve a church as such? My exclusive aim is to help men as individuals to be Christians. No church prosperity dazzles; no church poverty or adversity troubles me.

Do you remember this, yes or no?

You can answer these questions by telegraph, by number, yes or no, and as I keep a copy of the substance of this letter I shall understand. If you can answer all of them Yes I think the way is clear. I am not absolutely positive in the matter, but shall know everything except your reply tomorrow, and if I am not disappointed by you will preach for you on Sunday next.

Pardon my plain speech. Truth is at the bottom of all enduring love, and if it should prove that God intends to be more gracious to me than I dare expect in these matters of prosperity and give me a home in your hearts and homes for all my life I shall be more thankful than you. For though I speak bold words, yet my heart is very tender and very tired and would fain find rest in just some such place as Elmira.

I ask these questions not through suspicion — not from cautious bargain-driving, but because in my heart I am aching with the sight of the irregularity, superficiality and easy discontent which marks so many churches.

As a CHURCH, I can do nothing for you; as individuals I can love and work for you as long as you will let me, and I am not without hope that SOME how, good may be done in Elmira, even though my work in the pulpit soon wearies you and comes to an end.

I have mislaid the letter you sent me and cannot recall the address of the chairman of your committee, but Christians never

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stand upon ceremony and you will pardon that I send to J. M. Robinson, whose ‘miltonian’ name holds fast in my memory while others fade. Address your dispatch T. K. B., Independent Office, No. 22 Beekman Street, New York and inclose the $40 above mentioned so that I can send it back to New York the moment I reach Elmira.

Yours truly, Thomas K. Beecher.

New York, Sept. 18, 1854.

That the people of The Park Church were not offended by such an unconventional letter in a day when convention for its own sake was highly esteemed, suggests at once that Thomas K. Beecher chose his church well. Time proved it.

He came to Elmira at a time of considerable emotional strain in his own life. His experience in the Williamsburg church had been disillusioning, and he had recently lost his beloved young wife Olivia, daughter of President Day of Yale College. Many times in after years he said that he came to Elmira full of grief and found love and understanding.

He came, as we have seen, as a supply, but the Rev. William Bement did not return and Mr. Beecher stayed on for forty-six years. During all these years, no formal installation was ever held, and no written contract of any kind was ever entered into by him and the church. He liked it that way, and used to say that he was free to go and the church was free to dismiss him on thirty days notice.

Soon after coming to Elmira, he made other statements as unconventional as his letter. Said he to his congregation, 'I cannot make pastoral calls. I am not constructed so that I can. But I am yours all times of the day and night when you want anything of me. If you are sick and need a watcher, I will watch with you. If you are poor and need someone to saw wood for you, I will saw wood for you. I can read the paper for you if you need anybody to do that. I am yours but you must call upon me the same as you would on a physician.'

At another time — 'Brethren, I do not mean by any words tonight to forbid you of this household to indulge in a church squabble, if you wish. I only think it fair to say that with the first sound of conflict, no matter who is right or wrong, your pastor will have taken his departure. I shall never be a party to a church squabble anywhere or remain in a church where one exists.

Mr. Beecher also had what was then considered unconventional ideas in the presence of death. He believed in the cremation of the body and simple memorial services at any time the bereaved wished rather than a conventional funeral service, He discouraged the long, elaborate funerals which were somewhat the vogue at the time and said, 'I have done everything in my power to free my people from the pagan fear of death, and when I go to the house (for we do not have public funerals) I find the mourners sitting around and I greet them pleasantly, and we speak appreciatively of the deceased and of his work. and then I read some comforting passages and we sing hymns of heaven and have a short prayer and carry the body away.'

He went about the city on week days in ordinary, even shabby, clothing,

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and met all manner of men in a simple man-to-man fashion. He played whist, billiards and baseball, and enjoyed light as well as serious music. He had been known to dine with publicans and sinners. He liked to be called 'teacher of the church' rather than minister or pastor, and was so free from all the conventional trappings and attitudes that many people of the time thought necessary to a 'man of cloth' that he scandalized some of his fellow ministers. He was expelled for a time from the ministerial association.

Feeling that the church building was not adequate for his ideas of a 'church home' he rented rooms downtown to supplement the church building. An account of this is given in the Fiftieth Anniversary booklet —Mr. Beecher hired rooms in Ely’s block, inviting the sewing society to meet there on common ground, instead of going from house to house. There also were held the Wednesday prayer-meeting and Friday evening lecture. . . -

From Ely’s block we went to the new place especially prepared above Mr. Langdon’s office.

That was fine! Water at will, gas lighted by the electric spark of a rubber cap, place for ‘shadow pictures’ and other entertainments for the children, young and old, convenient dressing room, a library which kept itself reasonably well by a blank book and pencil for borrowers to make their own record.

In 1857 Mr. Beecher married Miss Julia Jones of Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was a granddaughter of Noah Webster of dictionary fame, and had been an intimate girlhood friend of Mr. Beecher's first wife. Early records say that she was considered the most beautiful young woman in Bridgeport; other records say that she was called 'the Belle of Bridgeport.'

She had a brilliant mind, was original and witty, had plenty of common sense and a great fund of energy. 'My strong, courageous, energetic Julia,' said Mr. Beecher. 'to whom belong nine-tenths of the achievement of our long life in Elmira.' Her energy seems to have been wearing at times even upon her strong and active husband for it is reported that once when a friend inquired about his health, he said, 'As well as anyone married to a steam engine can be.’

Until his marriage Mr. Beecher lived at the Gleason Sanitarium, then known as 'The Water Cure.' Dr. Rachael Gleason, one of the founders of the sanitarium, persuaded him that the sanitarium was not a sufficiently cheerful place for a young bride so the Beecher home across from the sanitarium was built. This home was designed and to a considerable extent built by Mr. Beecher himself. The church paid for it and gave it to him.

Under the dynamic leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Beecher the Sunday School flourished. In those days the entire Sunday School had the same lesson which Mr. Beecher taught to the teachers on Friday evenings. He bluntly told the teachers that those who could not be faithful in attending teachers’ meetings should resign. He worked out liturgies made up of scripture readings and hymns for use in Sunday School. He believed in the value of committing scripture to memory. Careful records were kept of attendance, home work on the lesson, and memorizing the lesson text. There was great emphasis on

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punctuality, and accuracy in memorizing. Marks were given — Perfect — Satisfactory — Imperfect. One who remembers those days says, One felt utterly crushed and ashamed at the sound of the mild, negative term ‘imperfect’.'

Testaments, Bible dictionaries, other good books, growing plants, and even geranium slips in bouquets were among the rewards given for good records.

Mr. Beecher had a broad idea of religious education. He gathered about him a group of boys to whom he taught many things about bridges, buildings and mechanics, as well as things about righteous living, the latter as much by example as by precept. These boys became leaders in the church and the community.

So famous did the teaching in The Park Church Sunday School become that many parents not members of the church sent their children there. The first Sunday of each month was 'Children’s Sunday' in church. The whole Sunday School attended and the sermons were addressed to the children, but grown-ups enjoyed them top.

In 1860 the people of The Park Church went on record as believing in 'educational conversion.' They declared that if a child was 'continually' taught by teachers in Sunday School and parents at home, by constant example and precept, they would come naturally to 'manifest' their Christianity in daily living 'even as older Christians.'

This point of view is common today and is known by the appropriate words 'religious education.' The fact that The Park Church people used a queer hybrid term 'educational conversion' suggests that their point of view was less common than it is today.

During the Civil War Mr. Beecher left Elmira for a short term of service as chaplain of the 141st New York Volunteers. After his return from the front he was active in ministering to the Confederate prisoners in the Elmira Prison Camp. He preached the first sermon heard in the camp and a contemporary record says that it was 'practical, sensible and liberal.' Another record says that Mr. Beecher’s sermons were the most popular of any the prisoners heard.

There were a few people who found Mr. Beecher’s originality a little hard to take at first, but he soon began to be known, loved and respected throughout the whole community. Through countless deeds of kindness, and a charity that left no one out, he became 'Father Beecher' and then Father Tom to numberless men, women and children.