Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-12-31
White House Piety.

The New York correspondent Of
Boston paper says;
The fact that General Grant passed
Sabbath at West Point and did not attend
church, though the post chaplain
officiated near him, has been commented
on by the press generally. 1t is some
what q singular fact that, as far as It 10
known, no President of the United
States, since the days of Washington,
has been a communicant in church
John Adams was the representative OF
the liberal community of his day. Jeffer-
son was styled free-thinker. An attempt
was made, when Jefferson was q young
man, to make the Episcopal Church the
established religion of Virginia. John
Leland, o travelling Baptist minister,
preached sermon in the presence OF
Jefferson on what he called "incestuous
connection of the Church and State"
This sermon converted Jefferson to that
doctrine. His persistent opposition to
State religion caused him to be stigma
tized as an infidel. Mrs. Madison was
eommuuicant at the Episcopal church.
Her husband was not Monroe was q
member of an Episcopal parish, but not
a communicant. John Quincy Adams,
although a member of the Unita-
riep parish ia Massachusetts, held
pew in the Second Presbyterian
church in Washington, of which be
was trustee, and there be worshiped
until his death. In violent snow storm
saw him walking to church one Sunday,
with the snow up to his loins, and be was
one of the seven who composed the con-
gregation that morning. He never COM
muned in the church. Gen. Jackson was
q regular attendant on Sunday morning.
He worshiped in the second Presbyte.
rian church until his quarrel with the
pastor about Mrs. Eaton. He then left
for the Fourtb-and a-half street church,
and took his cabinet with him. He al
ways came early and entered his pew,
which was on the right side of the church
as be entered. Earnest and devout
attention he gave to the sermon. 1t was
discussion at the close of the sermon to
rise in his pew and make very courteous
bow to the minister, and then walk out,
the audience waiting in their pews till be
had reached the vestibule. Van Buren's
home church at Undertook was reformed
Dutch. At Washington, when he went
to church, he attended St. Johns (Epis-
copsD in the morning. Mrs. Polk was
devout and earnest Christian woman,
and belonged to the Presbyterian church.
Mr.. Polk accompanied his family every
Sunday morning to the Four and
a-half street church. Mrs. Polk usu-
ally attended the second Presbyterian
church in the afternoon, where
she held a pew. The President seldom
accompanied her at the second service.
Gen. Taylor was not professor of reli-
gion. When he attended church he sat
in the Presidents pew at St Johns.
President Pierce wes a member of the
Congregational Society, in Concord New
Hampshire, but not of the church. He
was very regular in his attendance on
Fourth street, near the White House.
This. was his religious home during his
long senatorial life. He was not mem
ber of the church. BE came to worship
usually on foot and unattended. His
pew was on the side, about two-itirds of
the way from the door. He usually
walked up the aisle with a cat-like
step, went to the extreme end of the
pew, curled himself up in the corner, and
seldom moved till the service closed. he
rarely spoke to any one, and hastened
from the church to the White House.
Mrs Linceln was a communicant at the
New York avenue Presbyterian church.
Mr.. Lincoln was not. But be was a reg
ular attendant ct worship. johnson
seems to have no religious home, but
rather inclined to the Lutherans. Gen.
Grant is not professor of religion. He
is trustee Of the National Methodist
church at Washington, and is frequent
attendant on the preaching of that