Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1901-09-13
CHARITY WINS LOVE.
Valuable Lesson to Be Drawn from
the Lives of Two Men.
Dr. Sunderland, Poor Preacher,
Mourncd by n Multitude, shyIock,
Rich ms Crocsus, Dcspiscd by
His FeIIow-Men.
Especial Washington letter.

IN well known in this city, recent
ly died; and the death of the
poor man was mourned by many
thousands of our people.
The poor man was Rev. Byron Sun
derland, for 40 years the active pastor
of the First Presbyterian church, and
for the past ten years pastor emeritus
of that congregation. He was visit
ing his daughter, at Catskill, N. Y,
when death came suddenly, although
not unexpectedly. The eminent min
lister was in the eighty-second year of
his age and had been looking for the
summons for several years, because
of the fact that he had long since
passed the three score years and ten,
and he realized that his soiourn here
might not last much longer.
Presidents Pierce, Buchanan, Lin
coin, johnson, Hayes, Cleveland and
Harrison were often in his congrega-
tion. 1t was he who officiated at the
marriage of President Cleveland, the
ceremony being performed in the
white house. During his two terms in
the presidency President Cleveland
and his wife were regular members
of his church. In those days he side
walks and streets were thronged
every Sunday morning by citizens and
strangers who took that occasio to
see the president and his popular
wife as they stepped from their car
riage across the sidewalk and entered
the portals.
Midway between the capitol and
treasury, in the very heart of the
city, is Four-and-a-hal street, a
beautiful thoroughfare extending
from the arsenal to the city hall; a
street once the most popular in the
national capital because it was the
residence street of the richest and
| greatest men, the senator's, repre-
| sentatives and members of the cab
| met. There the First Presbyterian
church was built more than half a
| century ago. But when President
| Cleveland became a member of the
| congregation the church was sur
rounded by the offices of lawyers and
claim agents while the fashionable
people had moved far to the north
western part of the city. 1t was the
personality and popularity of DR.
Sunderland which kept the old church
in the forefront of religious denomi.
nations here.
DIR. Sunderland was lifelong re-
publican, an abolhtionist and an
ardent union man, lifting his voice in
season and out of season in behalf
of the then oppressed race. Despite
this well-known fact, and the further
fact that the preacher was still
ardently a partisan outside of hi:
pulpit, President Cleveland became &
regular member of the church, ant
often said concerning his church go
ing that il was not alone the infiu
ence of !;:c wife but the eloquence o
the preacher tnat kept him in tn,
congreg cation so regularly. He sait
that he never listened to DR.. Sunder
land without learning some impor
tant substantive facts, while at th
same time every sermon was elevat
ing and encouraging in its tone, ant
full of the inspiration of the orator
own pure and lovely life.
The positive character of DR.. Sun
derland often caused dissatisfaction
and occasionally disatfection in hi
church, and yet so gentle and sympa
thetic was his nature, so impulsiv
and warm, that the large majority o
his church always stood with him. o.
one occasion, during the civil wal