The Washington herald., 1912-12-08
Wilson May Occupy Pen
Once Used BY Lincoln
Many Persons BeHepe Pres
ident Will Attend Nep
YorkApenue Presbyterian
Church, of Which Rep. DR..
Radcliffe Is thePaStor.

since the announcement fortnight ago
that President-elect Wilson and his fam
fly VIII in all likelihood attend either
the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
or the New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church. little else has been discussed in
church circles here, where the particular
church to be honored by the presence
for four years of the Chief Executive
Of the nation is always a matter Of inter
est.
Mr.. Wilson is the son of a Presbyterian
clergyman and an elder in the Presby-
terian Church of Princeton, n. J.
II is believed here that there is scarce
ly a doubt that Mr.. Wilson will settle
ION the New York Avenue house of wor-
ship. This is because of its nearness to
the White House, its remarkable history
as the Church of the Presidents" as
{ 1t Is known, and because of the fact that
the Rev. DR.. Wallace Radcliffe, its pas
tor for seventeen years. is so intimately
wound up in national and Presbyterian
life.
II Mr.. Wilson does attend this church
in all probability he will occupy the "Iin-
coin pew" used by President Lincoln
during his whole life in Washington and
by a long list of illustrious statesmen
and foreign visitors since.
The pew is on the right hand side of the
middle aisle, about six seats from the pull
pit On its end is a small tablet of silver
reading Abraham Lincoln, 1s6l-1S55." At
present Mrs. Radcliffe occupies it.
At the one hundredth anniversary OF
the Church Of the Presidents" which
was celebrated nine years ago. MIR. Roose-
welt, then President. sat in this pew and
later made an address standing in II, in
which he said in part:
"A man would be a poor citizen of this
country If he could sit in Abraham Lin
IL
of the associations borne in upon him,
and 7 wish to thank the people of this
church for that reverence for this historic
past. for the sense of historic continuity
which has made them keep this pew un-
changed in this church so long as our
country endures. This evening I sit in
this pew of Abraham Lincoln, together
with Abraham LinColns private secre-
cary, who, for my good fortune, now
serves as Secretary Of State in my Cabi-
net"
National Tone 10 Services.
There is a national tone to every serv-
ice held in the old fashioned, steeple-
less. red brick edifice, only two and one
half blocks from the White House, which
has been the place Of worship of more
Presidents than any other one church
here.
Dr. Radcliffe prays for president Will
lam Howard Taft'' by name: also the
Senate. Congress and all other public
officials that they will give us right
eous legislation" The church has its
own special hymn, which is sung every
Sunday morning. This IS the Russian
national anthem adapted to the words,
Give Peace in Our Time. o Lord"
DR. Radcliffe. while he does not preach
partisan politics. never hesitates to speak
out on any question wherein he thinks
moral issue is involved. In his centennial
sermon he said: In the large and COM
prehensIve sense. politics must be
preached: the large duties Of citizenship,
the absolute obligations of patriotism,
especially in times of necessity and peril.
must be preached in the faithful message
uf Christ"
DR.. Radcliffe has been the close friend
Of each occupant of the White House
since ne has been in Washington and so
close is he to President Taft that the
present Chief Executive invites him over
10 his private office often for a consulta-
ton on any government matter which az
fccts the churches or foreign missions.
Mr.. Taft calls-Dr. Radcliffe Our John
Knox" When the two men are together.
As is often the case, Mr.. Taft invariably
wraps his arm about Dr. Radcliffe.
one Of the closest friends DR.. Radcliffe
ever had was the late Justice John NJ.
Harlan, VINO during All Iile years he was
in Washington was an elder in the Lin
coin Church and the teacher OF
large Bible class Senator FrYe and Sen
:.tor FIkins were other prominent parish
toner's and personal friends of DR.. Rad
life The minister's friends here say
that Dr. Radcliffe is too prominent in
himself ever to be known only as will
sons pastor" Rather may Mr.. Wilson
be called ''RadCIiffe's parishioner.
Church hOnOTPd DR..
Radcliffe with highest Office by electinG
him moderator of its General Assembly
in 1895. He is now a member OF It's eS-
ecutiye commission. and moderator OF the
Presbyterian Synod OF Baltimore. He Is
a delegate to the Pan-Presbyterian ALI
ance, which will meet in Aberdeen, Scot
land. next summer.
There is no clergyman in this city more
active in movements for its moral uplift
For years he has been chairman OF the
Sabbath observance committee, and with
him have worked Roman Catholic priests
as we'll as pastors of Protestant COM
munions DR.. Radcliffe has long been
prominent in the movement TO get more
chaplains appointed for the army and
navy. Seldom is there a convention in
town that it is not DR.. Radcliffe who Is
called upon to offer prayer.
Eight Presidents WOrshiped There.
II Mr.. Wilson does 0ecl0e 10 20 10 Ille
New York Avenue Church he will be
the ninth President who has been in
regular attendance there. The other eight
were John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jack
son. William Henry Harrison, Franklin
Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lin
coin, Andrew johnson, and before his
Presidency Benjamin Harrison. After his
election Mr Harrison went to the Church
of the Covenant, which is a child Of the
New York Avenue Church. The latter
IS the Oldest church in the city.
President Pierce and his wife attended
church twice every Sunday. He and Mrs
Pierce also entertained the Sabbath
school of this church at a special party
in the White House. Andrew Jackson
withdrew because of a disagreement with
the then pastor. the Rev. John n. Camp
bell, due to the Peggy O'Neal episode
The pastor undertook TO challenge the
Presidential pewholder. The President
left the church. Mr.. Campbell was later
called 10 Albany. n. Y.
II was the Rev. DR.. Phineas d. Cur
lev who was pastor Of the church when
MIR Lincoln attended 1t. II is well known
that the latter never made a formal pub
lie profession of religion. In the church,
however, it is we'll known that he wanted
10 do 90, but desisted because OF the
rnfsIuterpretaton which would be placed
upon it while he was President. Not
onIv did Mr.. Lincoln worship every Sun
day. but he was a frequent attendant
at the weekly prayer meetings, coming
in the side door and sitting quietly In a