The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-11
Copyright, 1909, by John Elfreth Wat
kins.)

succeed the late Dr. Edward Everett
hale as chaplain of the Senate is a
graceful compliment to Mr. Taft and al
thc same time a deserved recognition
OF this eloquent Unitarian divine.
DR.. Pierce Will receive $1,000 a wear
from the government for offering the
PRAYER at the opening of each session of
The Senate, and this remuneration will.
OF course, be in addition TO his salary
as pastor of All Souls church. Wash.
lngton. DIR. Pierce is forty.tbree wears
the Jnnior of his predecessor, Dir. Hale.
ils forty'hrst birthday will occur We'd
nncsday next. Both were graduated at
PBarnar4mDr; B;arSa 4; Hale in 1899 and DR..
Plerce torty-two years later; and both
were born IN New England. Dr. Hale
N Boston and DR.. Pierce in Providence.
mat Uncle Sam employs ninety two
ciergymen is fact which viii surprise
nearly every one. They receive all the
way from $4400 10 5000 year, and all
bear the title of '.chaplain. - Sixty
two belong to the army. twenty-four 10
me navy. four TO the federal peniten-
tlarIes and two to Congress.
Iwcnty-one are Roman Catholics,
IWcnty-one are Methodists. nineteen are
Gplscopahans, ten are Baptists. eight
are Rresbyterians and four are Congre-
Satlonallsts. while the Unitarians. Uni
Ncrsalists and Disciples of Christ are
sU
therans, Dutch Reformed church and
United Brethren in Christ each by one
minister of their faith
The two chaplains of Congress are
elected by their respective houses as arc
the sergeant-at-arms and other officers,
and both receive the same salary
Blind Chaplain of the House.
The chaplain of the House, the Rev
HenrN Noble Coudcn, is n Cniversalist,
lie was born back in Indiana sixtv-siX
years ago, and when 4 lad in his teens
entered tho Civil war in one of whose
BATTLES he lost tlN sight of both his
eyes. lie entered the Ohio State
school for the Blind. and after being
graduated there was educated for tho
Umversahst ministry III the divinity
school of st. Lawrence university. He
has been chaplain OF the House since
1888. lie is n distinguished looking
man OF tall, erect, slender physique and
although his hair is white, looks young
or than his years. He and Senator Gore
are daily led 10 the Capitol by their
faithful wives
Noted Unitarian Chapiains.
The Senate never had q Unitarian
chaplain prior TO DR.. Hale. The House
OF Representatives in the earlier years
had two chaplains Of that faith-thc
KEY, Jared Sparks, from 1921 TO 1922,
and the Rev. William Henry Claiming,
from 1867 TO 1869 The first of these, |
the noted DR.. Sparks. had a Unitarian
church in Baltimore when chosen chap
lain of the national House in 1921, and
after serving his term resigned his Bal |
timore pastorate and bought the North |
American Review. He became profcs. |
sor at Harvard in 1889 and president Of |
that college IN ls49. His memorial ser.
mon in the House of Representative on
the death Of William Pickney was one |
of the most eloquent masterpieces OF |
rellglous oratory ever heard in the halls |
OF Congress, and was printed in 1922.
Thousands of us now have framed |
upon our wall the popular motto, "My |
symphony which was written by Will |
liam Henry Charming, the second Of |
these four Unitarian chaplains of Con-
gress. He was the nephew of the noted |
clergyman William Ellery Charming, the |
leader OF the Unitarian movement in |
this country, and was a graduate of |
Harvard, the alma mater of Sparks. |
After being pastor of Unitarian |
churches in several American cities and
IN Liverpool, England, he was called
early in the Civil war to the Unitarian |
church in Washington, whose pulpit is !
now occupied by DR.. Pierce. IL was |
while his church was being used as a
military hospital that he was chosen
chaplain of the House of Representa-
tives. He spent his last days in Enc.
land, where his elder daughter became !
the first wife OF Edwin Arnold. the poet |
VINO later married a Japanese.
Divided on Chaplain Question.
On the question of opening prayers
IN congress the fathers Of the republic |
we're divided. On tho opening day of
the nrst continental congress Cushing
moved that the session be tins opened |
but Jay and Rutledge objected on the !
ground that the colonies were too much |
alylded IN religious sentiment. Samuel |
Adams, howover, arose at this point and |
protested that it i'll became men pro
Tossing to be Christians to say that they |
were of so wide a difference OF belief |
that they could not, as one man. bow
their knee IN prayer TO the Almighty. |
He then moved that the Rev. Mr., |
Dusbe. an Episcopal minister of Phila. !
delphia, should open the next mornings |
session with prayer, and the motion car.
ried.
This same minister was regularly clee-
tod chaplain Of congress five days after
the Declaration OF Independence, and |
the following December two chaplains |
were appointed for the continental con-
gress.
That the two chaplains Of congress
should be Of different denominations
and that they should interchange week
= -tiic cSuhtp Lhd pam BoiuS ONSI ~ \
The house, and vice versa-was n preco
dent laid down by, the first con ngress,
under the Constitution.
The first congressional chaplains re-
ceived $500 apiece, or just half the pres
cut salary. The first senate chaplain
was Dr. Provost, an Episcopahan, who
served from 1879 to 1890. while the
first chaplain Of the house was the
Rev. William Linn, whose term extended
between the same years. In the early
60's there was Il protest because the
old rule had been violated by congress,
choosing two chaplains Of the same
faith By this time the salary had been
raised to $3.50 year,
Each Sect's Share,
OF the elections Of chaDiains in con
gress. 80 havc Como to Methodists. 81
to Episcopalians, 24 to Presbyterians
- to Baptists, to Cougregationalists,
to Unitarians. 9 to Luthcrans and / |
each to Universalists, Disciples OF
Christ and Catholics. The senate has
,norn Eniccono1ioO oba y,11juc than