The Washington critic., 1886-07-27
WASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, JULY 81, 1886.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

ent about Presidents and churches:
President Cleveland has proven one
of the most constant of the church
going Presidents, and many of the
Presidents have been habitual attend
ants at Sunday worship. General
Washington, while President, attended
generally the Episcopal churches of
Philadelphia. John Adams, the first
Cf the Washington Presidents, Uni
tartan in belief, found no church of his
denomination in the fields out of which
the. capital was rising and attached
himself to none Of the orthodox con.
gregations here Jeffersons creed is
contained in the fourteenth article of
the Virginia bill of rights Ma lison
attended st. Johns Church, as did
Monroe, but in 1910 the vestry of
Christ Church, East Washington,
Commodore Tinsley, chairman, ap.
proprlated pew No. 1 to the use
of the President of the United
States Mr. Monroe, in reply, request
ed the Commodore to express to the
vestry his thanks for their polite atten-
tion." John Quincy Adams was one
of the founders of the Old Unitarian
Church, at the building now used by
the Police Court, and attended services
there. General jackson attended the
-Four anda.half Street Presbyterian
Church, the same now attended by Mr..
Cleveland this church having been
erected during his administration. He
was also an attendant at st. Johns
Church. Mr.. Van Buren, attended st.
Johns Church. General Harrison dur
ing his short term attended the f street
Presbyterian Church, whose congrega.
tion having disposed of their church to
be Willard's Hall, are now a portion of
the New York Avenue Church congre.
cation. Mr.. Tyler, observing Virginia
customs, was an attendant at st.
Johns p. Il. Church. Mr.. Polk
attended both the L Street and
the Four.and.a half Street Presby-
terian Churches. General Pierce
attended st. Johns Church and the f.
Street Presbyterian Church. Mr.. Buch.
anan attended ST. Johns Church. Mr..
Lincoln gave an impetus to the New
York Avenue Church by taking pew
there, Mr. johnson kept pew in
st. Johns Church. General Grant
established the fame OF the Metropoli
tan M. L. Church by becoming one of
its trustees and taking pew there.
Mr.. Hayes attended the Foundry NJ. E.
Church. General Garfield was one of
the founders of the Vermont Avenue
Christian Church, from whose pulpit
he had sometimes preached. Mr..
Arthur occupied St. Johns pew, and
Mr.. Cleveland in sitting under the
ministrations of the Four and half
Street Church pulpit renews the era of
Jackson In this regard.
w.
Says Washington correspondent Of
the Hartford Times: / wandered, few
days ago, into the building where are
kept the flags which were taken from
the Union forces and recovered at
Richmond, and also the captured Con-
federate flags. There are hundreds,
and some of them have curious his
tories. Closely packed upon the tiers
of shelves which line the sides of the
rooms, and depending from the ceiling,
they present every varied mark of hard
usage, mutely telling their story of
pain and death. A breeze stole into the
room, and as 1t gently swayed the faded
folds they seemed "the old wave of
battle to remember" was interested
In the Confederate flags, and took down
some that were stored on the shelves;
and there were the Stars and Bars,
and, embroidered on them by the
daughters of the sunny South, senti-
ments calculated to nerve the brave
"Sons of Alabama" her sister
States-to unheard of deeds of valor.
But over these hung an air of gloom,
g., NJ, al nf II
seemed lilee escaping from a haunted
house to leave them and return to the
peaceful sunshine of the present.
Nv
zone winter when l was in Con-
gress," said the late William Allen of
Ohio C"Old Bill Allen') to Western
journalist, 81 was going to Washington
by stage coach over the old National
Road, and one of my fellow passengers
was Joe Smith. The Prophet was q
good story.teller and could be quite
companionable when he tried. He was
full of low cunning. though, and took
rather dislike to him. AT the time,
the Mormons were living in Illinois
and they exercised the right Of suffrage
just as Smith told them to. He would
have revelation and would tell them
to vote either the Democratic or Wing
ticket, as suited his purpose, and they
would do as he told them to man
without question. We arrived in
Washington in the afternoon, and after
l had changed my clothes | went up
to the White House and saw my friend.
the President, Andy Jackson-God
bless his memory! Martin Van Buren
was then in the direct line of success.
sion ON the Democratic side of the
House and Henry Clay was the great
leader of the Wings. In the evening
wanted to see Van Buren, so | went to
the National Hotel, where | was told
lie was. Where do you suppose |
found him? In the parlor making
himself as agreeable as he could to
that internal imposter Smith, and who
other kneeY Henry Clay, by Cad.
BY heavens / was mortified at
the sight. TO think that the then fore.
most men in American politics should
find 1t necessary for their purposes to
demean themselves as they were doing.
1t was as much as could do to choke
my choler down and keep from telling
them what | thought of the matter,
Let me tell you that it was the Hessian
character of their politics as much al,
most as hatred Of polygamy that drove
them from Nauvoo and Illinois. They
had no sympathy with either party and
never voted except solidly and for a
directly specified bribe-which was
invariably u favor"
~"