The Washington herald., 1920-06-26
e q Newsof . Wasbnskn Gbucbeors e q g
Stuyof Ne,o York Avenue Presbyterian Church Linked
Closely With History of the Capital and the Nation


Presbyterian Church. known as the
mother of Professionalism in WASH
ington.. |
The church's eventful history has
been washington's history and its
story an important chapter in the
romance of the growth of that irst
shabby group OF little bouses on
the banks of the Potomac into the
present city of stately buildings
and well planned pleasant streets.
The first pastor. DIR. James Laurie,
came to Washington when the gov
ernment was moved here from
Philadelphia. bringing with him his
young wife, a cousin of Sir Walter
Scott. and a handful Of Scotch-Irish
Presbyterisns. Young and brimming
with enthusiasm, this fiery Scotch
divine gave to the new church that
vitality that enabled it to weather
the years of disappointment and
hardship that were to follow. James
Laurie was a Scotch Covenanter
and a stickler for good old Presby-
terian orthodoxy. IL is said of him
that on one Sabbath when there
happened to be an eclipse OF the
sun he refused to permit his house.
hold to break the Holy Day by even
looking at II.
First Church Very Poor.
The first church was formally
opened in 1908 in a little building
an the corner of Fourteenth and +
he
gregation that the pastor was forced
to come early to the meeting-house
on Sabbath mornings in order to
kindle a fire for his people. In 1907
SUFFICIENT funds were collected To
build a few yards away a new-brick
building which was destined TO re-
main in service until the erection
nearly half a century later of the
present church. For fifty years DIR.
Laurie continued in charge OF the
church then known as the street
Church, during the greater part On
the time being forced to supplement
his meager salary by holding posi-
tion in the Treasury Department.
The Peggy O'NeaI Incident.
The + street church grew stead
lily, and in the meanwhile the Sec
-ond Presbyterian Church of WASH
lnEIOn was eSIdDllShCu" AhS NV
church became popular. ana durins
the administration of John Quincy
Adams was attended regularly by
the household from the White
House. When President Jackson
followed President Adams he also
made the Second Church his church
home, a fact that eventually was
responsible for the disruption OF
the membership. Attending with
the President were practically all
of the Cabinet members and when
the famous Peggy O'Neal married
Secretary of War Eaton she too
came to the Second Church. Her
fellow members protested threaten
ing to leave unless pretty Mistress
tEaton took her departure. In the
trouble that followed the President
hotly defended his Secretary's pretty
wife, bringing upon himself the as
pleasure of the pastor, DR.. John NJ.
Campbell. DR.. Campbell attempted
to reason with the President. VINO
in a rage withdrew his membership.
Practically the entire congregation
by this time had been drawn INTO
the quarrel and sympathizins with
the President withdrew, leaving DR..
Campbell without a congregation.
II was a death blow to the Second
Church. Deserted by it's congrega-
tion and finally by it's minister the
church struggled along until 1853.
when il was decided to unite Its des-
tinIes with those of the + street
church under the new name of the
New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church. The + street property was
sold and work begun Immediately
upon the present church building on
New York avenue. The frst pastor
tho Raw
DIR. Gurley. who afterward became
President Lincoln's pastor.
The Lincoln Pew stiIl stands.
The Lincoln pew still stands In
the New York Avenue Church, even
as in the days when the martyr
president worshipped there. In 1888
the church was re-pewed. but the
Lincoln pew was untouched.
DIR. Gurley was a close friend OF
President Lincoln. He knelt in
nrayer at the bedside of the gyms
President and later accompanied the
body to Springfield, on the way
writing the hymn that was sung at
the burial. Explaining his friend
shin for DIR. Gurley one day Presi-
dent Lincoln said: |He doesn't
preach politics, but gospel
The church is sometimes called
aThe CnurCn Oh IN Sotu-
memoration of the fact that II was
indeed the martyred Presidents
church. Again n is called the
.church of the Presidents" because
II has been honored by the regular
attendance of more Presidents OF
the United States than any other
church in Washington. Among
these were John Quincy Adams, An
drew jackson, William Henry Har-
rfson, Franklin Pierce, James Buch-
anan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew
Johnson and Benjamin Harrison
The present pastor Is the Rev. DR..
Wallace Radcliffe, who recently
eelebrated the twenty-fifth anniver-
sary of his pastorate, and the fifty
fourth year as an ordained minis
ter, DR.. Radcliffe is a native of
Pennsylvania and graduate of
princeton University. He came to
washington in 1895 from the Fort
street Presbyterian Church of De-
troit.
During his pastorate he has re-
ceiyed into the church 1,4S6 men, |
hers. Under his able management
the church has raised for it's own
purposes s355,733. and for benevo-
ience s27s5s6e.