The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-17

7 bolt from orthodoxy. but the world
seoms to have forgotten IT, AS late
as 1870 he was "A delegate to a con-
Ventton whose object was to revise the
Constitution OF Massachusetts SO as to
confer equal rights. political and re-
ligious. on others besides nominal
Christians. He WAS unsuccessful, but
! no one thinks the worse of him nova
days on occount OF tho stand he took.
OF quite a different character. from q
religious viewpoint. was our only 9TH
err Congregationalist President, John
Quincy Adams. son OF the Theological
iy-inlcpendent Jchn. IN his time
PuritaniSm had become so modified in
its doctrinal expression and practice
that he found no difficulty in accepting
1t at full value. Man of the world that
he was. he never cmancipated himself
from the old Puritan influence. lie had
its moral heroism. It's dcvout tcmpera-
| mcnt. its invincible courage. Some
I how. one cannot read of him and his
! donEs without recalling Oliver Crom-
well. His invariable habit OF read
| ing five chapters OF tho Bible every
day despite his absorbing and never
ending round of duties tells the story
, of his religious Willingness.
Franklin Pierce and Chester a.
Arthur were Episcopalians, with the
of the list of twenty-siX who are ac-
| credited to that reli gious body. 1t may
| be said of them that SO far as their
| religious status is concerned the men
| of this group have been credit to
| the church which gave them spiritual
shelter. There Is nothing inconsistent
with their religious profession record
ed against them and the criticism that
( no one of them escaped is essentially
| political.
! Six men affiiated with the Presby-
terrain church have been tenants of the
| White House for an aggregate of
| thirty-two years out of the one hun
drcd and twenty-tw two that have elaps-
cd since the Inauguration of Wash
| ington. The first of these. Andrew
Jackson, did not come into the fold
until the latter part OF his life, and the
| second. James *. Polk. was baptized
into the church on his dcuthbcd Al
| though It was the dearest wish OF his
I mothers heart that her son should be-
| come n Presbyterian minister. Jackson
declared that he never found time to
investigate tho claims OF religion un-
! til he was past seventy. Then he sat
down deliberately and tried to answer
| the question, How shall a man be at
peace with his Maker?" He solved the
! matter t. the satisfaction Of his con-
science by uniting with the Presby-
terrain church at the little chapel
| which he had built for Mrs. Taylor
| near The Hermitage, his beautiful Ten
| ncssec home.
James Buchanans Calvinistic religi-
Gus nature was as truly q matter Of
| heritage as was WashinEton's AnEli-
! canisn. The Scotch Irish ancestry that
was his tolerated no other form OF re-
| liSious expression. and he became an
| active member OF tho communion In
carly boyhood. The purity of his prl-
ratc life and his spotlcss integrity as
/ a statesman were proofs of the infiu-
! encc OF his creed. Although he may
have shown himself to be lacking In
will-power and moral energy. NJ enc
J my has ever accused Buchanan of dis
loyalty to his religious convictions
or Il vastly different religious ten
permanent was his successor, Abraham
Lincoln. The son of Baptist parents,
| cvcntful career without Identifying
himself publicly with any religious de-
nomination, yet in tho trucst and
broadcast sense he was the most spir-
itual -mindcd President VIC havo ever
| hikl. not even excepting Washington
| with his constant public avowal of his
| dependence on Providence or James \.
| Garfield, who made his religion his
| only rule Of life. Lincoln was convinced
| firmly of the efficacy of prayer. and Inc
| once admitted to friend that he spent
| ono hour out of the twcnty-four OH
/! his knees. II am often driven 10 my