Imagination is the secret and marrow of civilization.

Henry Ward Beecher was a fascinating man — and, during the latter half of the 19th century, one of the most famous men in America. A clergyman and social reformer, he was a vocal supporter of women's suffrage and the abolition of slavery. His oratory abilities, meanwhile, saw him called upon by President Abraham Lincoln, who sent Beecher on a tour of Europe to build support for the Union cause. Rather than being a staunch traditionalist, Beecher was always open to new ideas. His sermons and writings helped Darwin’s theory of evolution gain acceptance in America. He also frequently extolled the virtues of imagination, both in matters of faith and daily life. “The soul without imagination,” he wrote, “is what an observatory would be without a telescope.”