LESSON 23
THE MEMORY OF OUR FATHERS

Lyman Beecher, 1775-1863, a famous congregational minister of New England, was born in New Haven, graduated from Yale College in 1797, and studied theology with Dr. Timothy Dwight. His first settlement was at East Hampton, L. I., at a salary of three hundred dollars per year. He was pastor of the church in Litchfield, Ct., from 1810 till 1826, when he removed to Boston, and took charge of the Hanover Street Church. In the religious controversies of the time, Dr. Beecher was one of the most prominent characters. From 1832 to 1842, he was President of Lane Theological Seminary, in the suburbs of Cincinnati. He then returned to Boston, where he spent most of the closing years of his long and active life. His death occurred in Brooklyn, N. Y. As a theologian, preacher, and advocate of education, temperance, and missions, Dr. Beecher occupied a very prominent place for nearly half a century. He left a large family of sons and two daughters, who are well known as among the most eminent preachers and authors in America.

We are called upon to cherish with high veneration and grateful recollections, the memory of our fathers. Both the ties of nature and the dictates of policy demand this. And surely no nation had ever less occasion to be ashamed of its ancestry, or more occasion for gratulation in that respect; for while most nations trace their origin to barbarians, the foundations of our nation were laid by civilized men, by Christians. Many of them were men of distinguished families, of powerful talents, of great learning and of preeminent wisdom, of decision of character, and of most inflexible integrity. And yet not unfrequently they have been treated as if they had no virtues;while their sins and follies have been sedulously immortalized in satirical anecdote.

The influence of such treatment of our fathers is too manifest. It creates and lets loose upon their institutions, the vandal spirit of innovation and overthrow; for after the memory of our father shall have been rendered contemptible, who will appreciate and sustain their institutions? “The memory of our fathers” should be the watchword of liberty throughout the land; for, imperfect as they were, the world before had not seen their like, nor will it soon, we fear, behold their like again. Such models of moral excellence, such apostles of civil and religious liberty, such shades of the illustrious dead looking down upon their descendants with approbation or reproof, according as they follow or depart from the good way, constitute a censorship inferior only to the eye of God; and to ridicule them is national suicide.

The doctrines of our fathers have been represented as gloomy, superstitious, severe, irrational, and of a licentious tendency. But when other systems shall have produced a piety as devoted, a morality as pure, a patriotism as disinterested, and a state of society as happy, as have prevailed where their doctrines have been most prevalent, it may be in season to seek an answer to this objection.

The persecutions instituted by our fathers have been the occasion of ceaseless obloquy upon their fair fame. And truly, it was a fault of no ordinary magnitude, that sometimes they did persecute. But let him whose ancestors were not ten times more guilty, cast the first stone, and the ashes of our fathers will no more be disturbed. Theirs was the fault of the age, and it will be easy to show that no class of men had, at that time, approximated so nearly to just apprehensions of religious liberty; and that it is to them that the world is now indebted for the more just and definite views which now prevail.

The superstition and bigotry of our fathers are themes on which some of their descendants, themselves far enough from superstition, if not from bigotry, have delighted to dwell. But when we look abroad, and behold the condition of the world, compared with the condition of New England, we may justly exclaim,“Would to God that the ancestors of all the nations had been not only almost, but altogether such bigots as our fathers were.”

STUDY GUIDE

A. Vocabulary Practice—Answer the following questions related to the reading.

1. Veneration is deep respect for someone. According to the writer, why should we have veneration for “our fathers” (people who lived before us)?

2. Anecdotes are short stories about people. Why does the writer say some anecdotes about our fathers are unfair?

3. To ridicule someone is to make fun of them in a bad way. Why does the writer say of our fathers “... to ridicule them is national suicide”.

4. Obloquy is when people are spoken of in a negative way. In what ways were “our fathers” spoken of negatively?

5. A bigot is a person who is intolerant of another's beliefs, race, religion, etc. According to the writer, were “our fathers” bigots?

B. True or False—Write T (true) or F (false) and explain your answer.

[ ] 1. The writer thinks “our fathers” should be remembered with respect.

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[ ] 2. The writer said that “our fathers” were not perfect.

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[ ] 3. The writer thinks “our fathers” did many great things.

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[ ] 4. The writer thinks ancestors of other nations were better than “our fathers”.

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[ ] 5. The writer thinks it is good to be superstitious.

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[ ] 6. The writer thinks the condition of New England is better than other parts of the world.

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C. What do you think? With a partner, give your opinion about the following questions.

1. Did the writer give good examples about why he thinks “our fathers” should be remembered with respect? Explain.

2. What is the mood of this writing? Is it sad, happy, or angry? Explain.

3. Do you think the writer is religious? Explain.

4. Do you think your ancestors were better than people today? Explain.

5. Do you like this reading? Why or why not? Explain.