The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1902-07-22
j he Contribution of the Pres.
byterian Church
To American Independence.
tBY Rev. FREDERIC l.. BuLLARD.

Tribute upon tribute ~ The service
of Calvinism in the cause of liberty
will he found upon he pages of Ban.
croft. Similar glowing testimonials
adorn the histories of Green, Hume,
Froude, Macaulay, Hallam, Carlyle,
Motley and FIske. R,ius Choa,e
traced the battle of Bunker Hill and |
the Declaration of independence to
Geneva. D'Aubigue, ofSwi,zerland,
and Castelar,, ofSpaln, alike attribute
the republican institutions of thr
Western continent to the influence uf
John Calvin. And Tame has said:
"These Calviniss founded the United
States" No wonder King James
said: "Prest ytery agree,h as well
with monarchy IA God and the devil"
If Presbyterian doctrine made our
ancestors patriots by conviction, ex.
perience of persecution made them
actual revolutionists. The established
church for seventy five years op.
pressed the dissenters in New York
c"rfscating their property, imprisnn.
ing their ministers, and defrauding
them III various ways, although just
before the Revolution the able Pres
byterian LAWYERS Of the province Sc
cured the return of the property In
Virginia similar efforts were made To
force Episcoracy upon the people.
Nor could the Scotch Irish, so mum.
orous in Pennsylvania and the Caro-
linas, forget for an instant how Eng
land had prosecuted the Irish church.
The fierce participate of the Scotch.
Irish in the revolutionary struggle
was due, not merely to a sudden blaze
ofpassion caused by recent oppression,
but to a long smJuldering hatred.
Prosecuted by popes and kings and
bishops for period of two hundred
years. the Presby were foremost
IN the agitation for declaring indepen.
dence and in the war for its aquisi.
ton.
Turning to the specific after these
general statements, we first mentlnn
the pastoraISletter sent out by Gener.
al Synod in 1775, containing these
splendid sentences: os
"Be careful to maintain thea,union
which at present subsists through all
the colonies. In particular, az the
Continental Congress. now sitting at
Philadelphia, CONSISTS of delegates
chosen in the most free and unbiased
manner by the people, let them not
only be treated with respect aud en-
Outraged in their difficult service, not
only let your prayers be offered up to
God for his direction in their proceed.
ings, hut adhere firmly to their reso
luti0ns, and let il be seen that they
able to bring out the whole s.ieng tn
of this last country to carry them i'll
To execution"
The visitor to the thriving city OF
Charlotte, North Carolina, will notice
at once the granite obelisk standing
in front of the court house, and bear
ing upon its base the inscription "To
the signer: of the Mecklenburg Dec
isralion of Independence" In the
streets of this old town battle was
fought IN 1880 when Lord Corvallis
who in person commanded the British
troupe, said he found himself in u ver-
;ible "horneis' nest" and the hornets
nest became the symbol Of the city,
appears upon the monument below
the inscription. Washington Irving
tells us that this region was settled by
hardy ScOlch-Irish Presbyterian who
combined "the impulsivencss OF the
lrishman with the logged resolution
Of the Covenanter."
In Revolutionary DAYS the people
of Charlotte were the most cultivated
Of the province, and there had been
located the Presbyterian college,
chartered by the legislature but dis
allowed by the crown. in 1875 meet.
ings were held m Charlotte from time
f0Iime to discuss the issues with
Great Britain. At the suggestion ut
Thomas Polk, commander Of the
county militia, two delegates from
each of the COMPANIES met in Char
lotie on May 10, with power to take
such action as should seem most adj
vanfageous to the cause of the colon
les On the day of their meeting,
the news Of the battle OF Lexington,
fought month before, reached them.
a thropg Of people had come t. wit |
ness the proceedings Of the committee /
and the speakers addressed their argu-