The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-12-10
On Presidents and Religion.
A New York correspondent Of Boston

I "A New I 0rk c0rfeSp enueAb u DOStoA
paper writes:
The tact that Gen. Grant passed Sab
bath at West Point and did not attend
church, though the Post Chaplain official
ed nelr him, has been commented ON by
the press generally. 1t is somewhat sin
/ gular fact that as lar as it is known no
! President of tho the United States since
the days of Washington has been COM
municant in church. John Adams vas
! the representative of the liberal COM
munity of his day Jefferson was styled
freethinkcr. An attempt was made when
/ Jefferson was young man to make the
/ Episcopal church the established religion
Of Virginia. John Leland, travling Bap-
list minister, preached a sermon in the
presence of Jefferson Oil what he called
the "incestuous connection OF the Church
and State" This sermon converted JEFF
ferson to that doctrine His persistent
opposition to a State religion caused him
to be stigmatized as an intidel. Mrs. Mad
ison was a communicate at the Episcopal
Church Her husband was not. Monroe
was a member of an Episcopal parish, but
not coinmunicant. John Quincy Adams
though member eff d Unitarian parish in
Massachusetts, held a pew in the Second
Presbyterian Church in Washington, of
lwhicEshe was trustee, and there he wor-
shipped until his death In violent
snow storm | saw him wading to church
one Sunday, with. theisnow up to his loins
and he was one of the seven persons who
composed the congregation that morning
He never communed in the church. Gen.
Jackson was regular attendant Oh Sun
day mornings. He wofshipped in the
Second Presbyterian Church until his
quarrel with the pastor about Mrs. Eaton.
He then left for the AZ Street church and
took his cabinet with him. He always
came early and entered his pew, which
was on the right side of the church as he
entered Earnest and dovout attention
he gave to the sermon. 1t was his CUSTOM
at the close of the sermon, to rise in his
pew and make a very courteous bow to
the minister, and then walk out, the au
dience waiting in pews till lie had reach
ed the vestibule. Van Burens home
church at Undertook was Reformed
Dutch. At3Washington, when'he went to
church, he attended st. Johns, Episcopal,
in the morning Mrs, Polk was devote
and earnest Christian woman, belonging
Mr. Polk accompanied his family every
Sunday morning to the AZ street Church.
Mrs Polk usually attended the Second
Presbyterian Church in the afternoon,
where she held. a pew. The President
seldom accompanied her at the second
service. General Taylor was not a pro-
fessor of religion When he attended
church he sat in the Presidents pew at st.
Johns. President Pierce wasa member
ofgthe Congregational society in Concord
~ H., but not of the church. He was
very regular in his attendance at the
Presbyterian church in Washington on
the morning of each Sabbath. Buchanan
attended the small Presbyterian church on
Z street, near the White House This
was his religious home during his long
Senatorial life. He was not a member of
the church. He came to worship usually
on foot and unattended. His pew was on
the side about two-thirds of the way from
| the door. He usual y walked up 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
fastened from the church to the White
House Mrs Lincoln was communicate
at the New York avenue Presbyterian
/ Church. Mr.. Lincoln was not. But he
was regular attendant at worship. John
son seems to have no religious home but
rather inclined to the Lutherans. Gen.
Grant is not professor of religion. He
lis a trustee of the National Methodist
Church at Washington, and is a frequent
attendant on the preaching of that church.