The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-02-27
WashiugtOn's Religion.

"A Writer In Inc Episcopal Rec0rdcr
has the following: AS l read, a few
days ago, of the death of the Rev.
Richard M. Abercrombie, rector of st.
Matthew's Protestant Episcopal church
in Jersey City, memories of my boy
hood arose He was born not far from
my fathers house, in Philadelphia,
and was the son of the Rev, DR.. James
Abercrombie,a fine scholar and preach
er, who had, in early life, correspond
ed with the great photographer, Sam
uel Johnson, and in later years was
the assistant minister of Christ's and
st. Peters churches, in Philadelphia,
where my maternal ancestors had
worshiped for more than one gener.
alton. One day, after the father had
reached fourscore years, the lately de-
ceased son took me into the study of
the aged nan and showed me a letter
which President George Washington
had written to his father thanking him
for the loan of one of his manuscript
sermons. Washington and his wife
were regular attend ants upon his
ministry while residing IN Philadel-
phia.
The president was not a communi-
cant, Notwithstanding all the pretty
stories to the contrary, and after the
close OF the sermon on sacramental
Sundays had fallen into the habit of
retiring from the church while his
wife remained and communed. Upon
one occasion DIR. Ambercrombie allud-
ed to the unhappy tendency of the ex-
ample of those dignitied by age and
roc,tipp f,,rp;nr fko;, i>on1,, ,, %ho
celebration of the Lords supper. The
discourse arrested the attention of
Washington, and after that he never
came to church with his wife on COM
munion Sunday. DR.. Ambercrombie,
in a letter which appears in the fifth
volume of Sprague's 'tAnnals of the
American Pulpit" mentions that he
did not find fault with the sermon, but
respected the preacher for his moral
courage.
There is a story about Washington
being found in the woods in winter
time in prayer by the owner of the
house which he used as his hcad-quar-
tiers at Valley Forge which I would
like to believe if it were not so i'm
probable, and if it had not been first
put in print by the eccentric and not
very accurate Episcopalminister, Nor
gan l.. Weems. John Potts, Of Potts
grove, had several sons and daught-
ers. One, James, studied law at the
Temple, London, and was a Judge of
the court of common pleas in Philadel-
phia at the beginning of the war Of
the Revolution, and, being a tory,
eventually went to Halifax Jonathan,
another son, studied medicine at Edin-
burgh, and espoused the cause of the
colonies, and was the medical director
general of the middle department an
other son was a Quaker and a neutral,
and owned the house at Valley Forge
which is still known as W~ashington's
headquarters, and the three were
brothers of the grandmother of the
writer of this article. With a capac-
ious and comfortable house at his dis
posal, it Is hardly possible that the
shy, silent, cautious Washington
should leave such retirement and en-
ter the ~leafless woods in the vicinity
of the winter encampmentsof an army
and engage in audible prayer. The
alleged scene has been often produc.
ed by the painter and engraver, but l
fear it is only a myth.