The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-02-02
Was Gen. Washington
Religious?

asked about George Washington was
as to the quality of his religion. Some
so-called modern biographies have
! called into question the statments
that Washington was religious man.
In an interesting article in the current
issue of the National Republic, under
the caption, "Was Washington Relig-
ious," Mr.. Albert R. Beatty goes into
detail to refute in an interesting way
the statements of those who would
question the sincerity of Washing
toms Christianity.
In part, Mr.. Beatty says:
perhaps no aspect of the meritori-
Gus life of George Washington has
caused as much controversy among
his innumerable biographies and has
suffered as much at their hands as
that of his religious habits and be-
lief. Many have tactfully avoided the
subject, passing over it hastily with
but few vague sentences, and fire.
quently asking, but failing to answer
satisfactorily, the question: Was
Washington religious? Others, par
ticularly those who have taken it upon
themselves to 'humanize' him, have
inferred, without any apparent sub
stantial evidence, that he was not re-
| ligious, was lukewarm as a church
man, and at times, actually enter
tanned non-Christian views. Two or
three have classed him as an atheist,
but have not advanced a single act or
declaration by Washington that would
tend to support their ridiculous asser-
tions. On the other hand, number
have attempted to depict him as
devout gentleman and an orthodox be-
lever in and worshipper of Jesus
Christ. Is it little wonder that the
average reader is in a quandary as to
what writer's statements he should
accept as facts.
ITO ascertain the true extent of his
piety and Christian character, / was
privileged to spend some time with
the unusual Westinghouse collec-
ton of the late Edward Amber Arm
strong, at Princeon, New Jersey,
which is recognized as one of the
most notable of it's kind in the coun-
try today. From this remarkable as
semblage of original letters and docu-
ments entirely in the handwriting of
or dictated and signed by the Father
of his Country, and hundreds of vol
umes and a vast amount of histori-
cal data about him and his contem-
poraries, as we'll as parish records
made available to me by the present
rectors of Pohick Church, at Lorton,
Va, and Christ Church, at Alexandria,
Va, which were attended by General
Washington while he was at Mount
| Vernon, was the material for this
present article obtained.
"Anyone who has carefully perused
the letters, manuscripts and docu-
ments penned by the General, and has
studied his daily habits and perform
ances as recorded by himself, men,
| bers of his immediate family and rep
utable witnesses, will find no difficulty
| in determining his status as a be-
lever in Divine Providence and Chris
tianity. There is abundant evidence
that he was true Christian in every
sense that the word implies; and, as
one prominent minister wrote to me
the other day, the world would be bet
ter if the religion of his detractors
were as good.
Born on February %, 1882, at
Wakefield, Bridges Creek, Westmore-
land county, Virginia, the first-born
of Augustine Washington and Mary
Bell Washington, the boy who was
destined to become the guiding star
of his country, was impressively
christened according to the form of
baptism of the Church of England on,
as the record contained in the Wash
ington family Bible shows, the 3rd of
April following Beverly Whiting
and Captain Christopher Books were
the godfathers, and Mrs. Mildred
Gregory was the godmother.
"The religious training of Washing
ton came in very early life, for his
parents were pious people. While
information about his father in this
respect is meagre, save that he was
vestryman and an ardent churchman,
it is known that Augustine Washing
ton was of a serious tendency, and
that most of the few books which he
possessed were of a religious nature.
Before his death, on April II, 1884,
when young George was but eleven
years of age, he did much to counsel
his son, who was mature for his years,
in the way that he should 60"