Reprint of the original, first published in 1873.

A man in the city hotel, and not a little feared because of his brutality, had done something more brutal than usual, and, the facts coming to Mr. Beecher's knowledge, in his sermon on the following Sunday he expressed in no gentle terms his abhorrence of the act, and in very strong language rebuked the man.... As he passed the hotel there were several standing by, evidently waiting for some development. At that moment the man came down the steps with a pistol in his hand. "Did you say thus and so in your sermon yesterday?" "I did." "Did you intend those remarks for me, or were you meaning me?" "I most certainly did." "Then take it back right here, or by -- I'll shoot you on the spot." "Shoot away" was the reply... -from Chapter X Liberal preacher, abolitionist, social reformer, and proponent for women's suffrage, HENRY WARD BEECHER (1813-1887), brother of Uncle Tom novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, was one of the most fiery personalities in American public life in the 19th century. This stunningly comprehensive and frank 1888 biography-begun by Beecher himself and completed just after his death by his son WILLIAM CONSTANTINE BEECHER (1849-1928) and son-in-law REV. SAMUEL SCOVILLE (1834-1902)-omits not one moment of controversy in Beecher's life. From his arming of antislavery forces in the run-up to the Civil War with rifles that came to be dubbed "Beecher's Bibles" to the shocking sex scandal that dogged him in the 1870s, this is the no-holds-barred life of a man passionate of spirit and strong of will. OF INTEREST TO: students of American history, social activists, readers of biography

The name of Plymouth Church has been for many years a household word in countless communities at home and abroad, and yet little was known of its definite history. To be sure, everybody knew that Henry Ward Beecher preached from its pulpit, but, prior to the late Silver Wedding, few people could have answered correctly as to the number of years of his ministry in Brooklyn. Mr. Harvey S. Weld supplied the writer with the facts and data which have been the foundation of this work. The Manuals -- embracing the religious and historic annals of Plymouth Church -- and various other works relevant to the subject, have been carefully explored and annotated, and their documents and treasures have been profusely spread before our readers in the following pages. Many things are hereafter spoken of which, perhaps, relate more properly to the life of the pastor than to the history of the church, for, although the effort has been made to speak only of that which related properly to the church, the life of the one and the history of the other are so closely interwoven, that it has been impossible to untwine the cord that binds them together. - Preface.