Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-05-04

SAchntoo u oAlJ I'VE days, ne udu no
misgivings, but calmly said: Il am not
afraid to die. I am ready. have en-
deavored TO do my duty" What more
than this can any Christian say?
President Willard Fillmore who fol
lowed IN, was a man Of unostenta-
tioui. p aty. He always showed great
reverence for the Bible. and by affilia-
ton, if not by actual membership. was
Baptist. His wife was the daughter
Of Baptist clergyman. President
Franklin Pierce. who followed Fill
more, was a communist Of the Episco-
pal church, and Nathaniel Hawthorne,
In his biography of him, says that he
had "a wide-embracing sympathy for
all forms Of Christian worship and
reverence for individual belief as
matter between the Deity and mans
soul with which no other has right
To interfere"
President James buchanan was all
his life man of reverent and pure
character, but it was not until after
he had retired from tine presidency
that be made a formal profession of
faith and became a member of the
Presbyterian church.
Now we come to President Lincoln,
whom Col. Ingersoll sa IS held reli-
gious views akin to those If Voltaire
II IS no doubt true that he never at
any time in his life was member of
church in good and regular standing
Yet from his earliest youth and ali
through his great career he is on
record as holding and expressing con-
victions which are essentially Chris
tian, tinged, perhaps, with shade of
spiritualism. Writing about his IA
Tiers death, he affirmed his belief
that the broken family circle would be
reunited beyond the grave. He spoke
often and most reverently of his
angel mother" Both his parents, by
the way, were members of the Baptist
church.
He never would touch intoxicating
liquor and never was heard to use a
profane word. He believed in dreams
and omens and thought his wife had
the gift of prophecy. One dream that
he had shortly after his first nominal
ton was interpreted by Mrs Lincoln:
to mean that he would be twice elected
but would not live through his second
term-a prophecy that was sadly full
filled. Time and again he declared his
belief in the teachings Of the Bible
and in the Intervention of the Almighty
in the affairs of nations as well as of
individuals. He held that slavery was
wrong, because Christ and the New
Testament taught liberty
When he was leaving Springfield in
March, 1861, to take his seat as presi- /
dent, he spoke to his neighbors and /
said: "A duty devolves upon me which +
is perhaps greater than that which has
deyolved upon any other man since the /
days of Washington. He never would I
have succeeded except for the aid of /
Divine Providence, upon which he at
all times relied. / feel that / cannot /
succeed without the same Divine aid /
which sustained him. In the same Al T
mighty Being place my reliance for
support. and | hope that my friends |
viii all pray that 1 may receive that
Divine assistance, without which can
not succeed, but with which success is 4
certain.
While one of the great battles Of the I
war was in progress he retired to his [
room with his Bible and was overheard |
praying with as much earnestness and T
faith as the most devout church member .
could show. Yet on one occasion he /
is reported as saying positively he was I
not Christian, though he wished he +
could be TO a lady connected with T
the Christian commission he frankly /
said al later day that he hoped he /
was a Christian and that it was his in /
tention AT a suitable opportunity to +
make z public religious profession lie /
lied. however without making it, but /
.lergymen of nearly every denomina-
ton stood around his coffin and eulo- I
gized him with warmth which showed /
that they We're certainly far from class
flying him with the great French sbep-
tic. Noltaire
President Andrew johnson was at |
times fervidly pious, and many of his |
speeches on occasions of great public /
excitement were freely embellished |
with references to the Deity and quo
tations from Scripture, but if he ever
was a member of any particular de-
of Christians his biogra- |
piers do not say SO, lie seems TO have |
had Methodist leanings On one occa- |
sion, while he was governor Of Ten
nessee, he is reported to have asked |
Iol. Moody Methodist clergyman
serving with the union army ii that
state, To pray with him. The chaplain
prayed and Mr.. Johnson said to him: