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

H.
TON
Where many presidents have worshiped. Mr.
Cleveland among them
cy held its two hundredth anniversary
in 1899 John Quincy Adams wrote a
special hymn for the occasion, and we
get some idea both Of his quality AZ a
poet and his faith as a Christian from
its lines:
Alas, how swift the moments tiy.
How fash the years along
Scarce here. yet gone already by
The burden OF a song.
See childhood youth and manhood pass,
And age with furrowed brow;
Time was, time shall be-turu the glass
But where in time is now?
Time is the measure but OF change
No present hour is found;
The past, the future FIJI the range
or times unceasing round
Where. then, is now: In realms above
With God $ atoniug Lamb,
III regions OF eternal love.
Where sits enthroned / AM
Then, pilgrim, leu thy Joys and tears
On time no longer lean.
Hut henceforth all thy hopes and fears
From earths affections wean
To God let votive accents rises
with truth with virtue Iiye
So ali the bliss that time denies
Eternity shall give
fl IS said Of President John Quincy
Adams that when his hair he'd been
whitened by the frosts of four score
winters he was st.ll accustomed to re-
peat every night before he slept the
prayer which his mother had taught
him in infancy, the familiar Now |
lay me down 10 sleep" He died like
England's great earl Of Chatham, from
stroke of paralysis while he was
speaking from his place ia iae nation
al legislature.
A far different figure in the presi-
dental panorama Is that 81 Andrew
Jackson, whose wild boyhood filed his
good Presbyterian mother with the
darkest fears both for his tempora.
and spiritual welfare Ills early man
hood and his mature life Were admit
teddy unchristian. His profanity was
marvellous. He swore great, strange
oaths such as were never heard before
or since. and he kept it mp until he
was quite an old man At Salisbury.
i. 6. -here he lived as a youth, it is
recorded that he was the most roar
Ing, rol)icking. game cooking horse
racing, card playing miscellaneous fell
low that ever lived In the iowa
AT a series of revival meetings held
near The Hermitage after his retire
ment from the presidency Gen. Jackson
was converted and made public profess
sion of repentance and faith in Christ.
In the modest little church near his
mansion. buried in the forests of Ten
nessee. Old Hickory knelt humbly at
the altar and was baptized and became
a member of the Presbyterian church.
After that he conducted family prayers
in his home every day. On June $.
1915, he felt that death was near and
summoned his family around him. Tie
took leave Of each member of il separ-
ately and then spoke for nearly half an
hour with great earnestness on the
subject of religion, closing with these
words, NV dear children and friends
and servants | hope ana trust to meet
Won all iu lIcayeu, both white and
blael<
A. to President Martin Van Buren's
Religious status his biorraphers are
.inuujaIg silent Tbe}. alI ~av Of him
however that he was "a man If irre-
proachable morality, President Viii
linn Henry Harrison was of the old
aristocratic stock of Virginia and an
Episeopal;an ON suudry occasions he
placed himself upon record as man Of
strong Christian convictions. Tie de-
vlined t. fight duel because he said
IA sense 80 higher obligations than
human laws ar human opinions can i'm
pose had determined him never to
do ~
President John Tyler was another of
the old Virginia s,nool Of statesmen,
and he. too, was an Episcopaliau.
Then came President James X. Polk
He made no profession of faith until
he was stricken with death ON his
way to his home in Nashville, Tenn.
he was seized with the cholera and
rapidly sank. Before the end came he
received the rite Of baptism at me
hands OF n Methodist Clergyman. or
his successor, President Zachary Tav-
lor. nothing definite is said bv his
biographers. and it seems tolerably
| certain that he was not d regular com
munlcant If any church. His wife was
dcyout Episcopalan, and II seem,
i that he gave It general assent and sup
port ii thc same faith lleNras, Is j.
i wei known. thoroughly iaiterat5
4 man and il IS not likely that be evei
/ troubled his mind 10 inquire into tht
4 difference between the treed> Of tht