, 1883-02-09

a-u a, ccr..".,"a n.o ,.,o',

o.. Hn,. HgLO0 vts 3 IrUl"T Ci
tta Episcopal Church lprE before La
hecam" President |in was % commune
cant t,o. Beside his wrll-Inown Inhl,-
@, worship in The Episcopal Church 10
A.os.udia, W., where his pew IL a.'l
preserved in much the same antjlua'a2
style that it hud when he waa aocus-
toned TO occupy it, the fact is well at.
.,s,cd, and has often been published,
rast ,l,lpg the Revolutionary war lis
wGs accustomed to join in observing tho
Jord's Supper whenever bis engage.
mept4 with the army permitted m op.
pcrtunity. Many instances have been
given to the public, md it isp1rticulHr!y
gratifying TO know that he who was
" first in war, first in peace and first II
the hearts Of his couptrymen set such
an example to onr public men, both III
his public and .riyate life, Us man, -
gentleman and Christian.
II is 70 be regretted that SO many ot
olr Presidents have fuiled TO follow in
au respects that example, but some Oi
ihom were not wanting in respect 70 re-
.gion. John Adams and his sop John
Quincy were Unitarisns, as WAS also
.Millard Fillmore. Ths two latter were
regular attendants on the Unitarian
Church in Washington. Ny impression
ie that the two former. and possibly MI.
Fillmore, were communicates, but oi
this l am not surs. OF the religious
sentiments Of Thomas Jefferson the
world has thought itsel; well assured,
but they have been made the subject OF
controversy. The general opinion is
that he was a sympathizer with tho views
oi Paine, and repudisted Christianity.
The religious sentiments of Presidents
Madison and Monroe are also envsloped
in some uncertainty, and their most or
dent admirers have not claimed that
they were members or communicates in
any Christian church. Passing John
Quincy Adams, already mentioned, ws
come to President Jackson. The world
knows what he WAS in religion, as we'll
rs whst he was in politics, for few mors
positive characters have ever appeared
in our history. He was out and out
Presbyterian Of tho stanchest sort, and
in his later days a communicant; al
though it is believed that he did not
Join the church until after he had retired
from public life Martin Van Buren
was inclined, think, to tho Dutch Re
formed Church, with which no wor-
shipped when ut home in Undertook,
but, SO far as I an aware, was not a
commandment.
President Harrison, who. succeeded
Mr.. Van Buren,, aud died after being
month in office, was communicate in
the Episcopal Church for considera.
ble period before no became President.
He was member OF Christ Church in
Cincinnati, and for long tins after his
death his name (engrayed on = silver
plate) remained on his pew door, and
may remain there still. His decided
Christian sentiments and character arc
well known, and in Cincinnati, near
which he lived, his momory is held IL
high yenerltion among oil classes Of
people.
President Harrison is the only one in
the long lilt OF Presidents Of tho United
States who, on entering upon the duties
Of that office, ever announced "a con-
i-ssion OF faith for himself. Hi. n-
augural address, his only official paper.
is probably well remembered Ly ths
older citizens OF the country. He said
he deemed the occasion, on taking the
oath OF Office, a fitting one for the IN.
nouncenient OF his belief in the divine
origin and Obligations of the Christian
religion" IL WIS a grand thing for q
President OF the United States, when
standing up before the American peo-
pls to take the oath OF Office as thoir
Chief Magistrate, to make such an ex.
plicit declaration. 1t was lesson Tor
young men and politicians. Perhaps sll
our Presidents have been believers IA
God las their state papers show, bus
no one has given more explicit tessi.
mony Tor Christianity than this.
Il is probably true that not ons :!
those who occupied the Presidential
chair between Gen. Harrison and Gen.
Garfield WAS q communicate. Yetn
ly sll of them, ten in number-includ-
Inn tbpqa uhp Al =, i. -. L. II