Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-10
GREELEY THREATENED TO PRAY.
An Incident of the First Meeting of the
Free Soil Party in Saratoga

rree SOIL Party IN Saratoga.
To those who have come to Saratoga for
numbex of years it has become full of
"reminiscences and of memories freshly
awa-cAed by the old haunts. We looked
at spot on the piazza of one of the large
hotels at which group of men were won't
to gather in the evening long years ago.
The writer was the youngest of the com
pany, and, though not the Oldest, the
chiefest of them was DR.. Horace Bushnell.
OF Hartford, then in his splendid prime.
The Free Soil party was starting into ex
istence, and to consolidate and enlarge the
party IN the state of New York a conven-
ton was held in Saratoga, followed by a
mass meeting in the woods adjacent to
congress spring. Horace Greeley was the
anlnatlng spirit of the movement, and on
the platform of the mass meeting the white
coat and the white face Of the famous
edltor were conspicuous The managers
OF the Infant party. which was setting I'M
us banner as party of high moral
IDEAS, sought for it the benefit of clergy.
ana asked DR.. Bushnell to open the meet
Ing IN the woods with prayer He declined,
and advised the gentleman who brought
the request to secure the services of Rev.
DIR. Cheever, who was then in Saratoga.
and who, he thought, had taken MP posi-
ZION on the growing antislavery contro-
versy in advance Of his own, and therefore
could more earnestly pray in their behalf
Both divines were, however, on the plat
form at the mass meeting, as the people
gathered about it. For some reason not
explained, DIR. Cheever slipped away from
the platform into the surrounding woods
Dr. Bushnell saw the movement. and
went into the woods in another direction
meanwhile all preliminaries were attended
10, president and secretary elected and
installed in their places, ard when the
president stepped forward and said. "Tbe
meeting will be opened with prayer by the
Rey. DR.. Cheever, of New York. - and
turned TO where, as he supposed, DR..
Cheever was sitting, DIR. Cheever was not
there. To relieve his embarrassment some
one near, who was ignorant of the situa-
tlon, spoke few words in his ear. and. ac
ceptlng the information as correct, he
turned again to the audience and said:
Dr. Chcever is not present, but have
me pleasure of saying that prayer will be
ford"
He looked on the rank of men bebind
hlm, but DIR. Bushnell was not to be seen
The chairman recovered from the donble
EMBARRASSMENT sufficiently to say:
AS our friends OF tLs l.l..-y seem 70
luctant to favor us with t,lir services we
Will have TO proceed without PRAYER"
In the evening of the same day the usual
group assembled in a corner of the piazza
OF Congress Hall. Dr. Bushnell was there
but SAID nothing of the afternoons meet
ing or OF his quiet disappearance from the
scene. Suddenly some one came bustlinc
along, and in quick, emphatic tones said:
DIR. Bushnell, do you know what Hor
ace Greeley says of you?"
No" said DR.. Bushnell, land care lit
tie"
Well y said the man, "he says that the
next time you and others refuse to pray
for their Free Soil meetings there vigor-
Gus oath of the wrathful editor was in
serted he will pray HIMSELF
Il hope he Will, - said DR.. Bushnell, land
for himself too. "-Presbyterian.