Year: 1872

~ ~ w
meeting to giving three cheers for
the President, even though the COM
plimsnt had just been paid to Queen
Victoria!


President Grant has had a place
and a pew in the sanctuary, and is q
faithful hearer Of the Word Of Life.
And ! know that to his pastor he
gave this reason for not nominating
q prominent sporting editor, strong.
ly urged upon him, to certain
foreign position: 81 could not SO
offend the Christian sentiment of
this country" The selection OF
such men as George H. Stuart and
Felix Brunot for the Indian Com
mission is another illustration Of
the same regard for Christian
people. AS . Christian minister,
and in the name Of Christian men
and women all over the country, l
thank him for it.


President Grant, too, is domes-
tic man. He loves his family and
loves to be with them. l had oc-
casion to ask him to be present at a
peace meeting lately held in this
rcity. His reply was: Sunday
morning, or evening? Sunday
evening l always want to spend
with NV family. Still. I will be
there if can" And the same
thing was illustrated in New York,
in his declining a military demon
stration in his honor, that he might
see his daughter on board the
steamer for Europe. And l want
to say in this connection, that what
wine he drinks at the White House
is prepared for him by his wife and
under the advice of his physician.
He is not q teetotaler, but he is a
very moderate eater and drinker.
He has no habit of drinking to
which lie is slave. One who has
access to him at all times, and who
has seen him on all occasions, in
Washington and at Long Branch
assures me of this. And it only
corroberatcs the result Of my own
observation of the man. He is a
man, who, more than most men, is
an illustration of the Apostle James.
"If any man offend not in word the
same is able also to bride the whole
body" A man who can put the
curb upon his tongue as President
Grant has done is not likely to be
slave to any habit of eating and
drinking. am quite sure too, that
the Vicc-President, who is a teeto-
taller, and an eloquent advocate of
that principle, has expressed similar
confidence in the Presidents self
government and power to govern
himself.


A friend lately wrote me from
Vermont, inquiring whether the
current stories that political enemies
are circulating respecting President
Grants social habits have any
foundation. So far as can observe
SO far I can learn from men, them
selves teetotalers, who have frequent
access to him, there is not one
shadow of foundation for them. L
wish President Grant were = tee
totaler. / wish he did not smoke
as the Vice President does not.
But, if he only takes so much wine
as his medical adviser prescribes;
if, further, he only does what is so
much the custom in fashionable
circles in Washington, and what
some self styled advocates of tenn
perance even feel at liberty to do
namely, occasionally drink glass
of wine at weddings or at the house
of q friend-much as all strict tenn
perance people must lament, it is
not such fault as to make them
overlook his great virtues and SER
vices, his modesty, his purity of
life, and his avowed friendship for
whatever is good. AS to whether
he will renominated at Philadelphia
let the politicians canvass the politi-
cal aspects of the subject; but let
no Christian men, temperance men,
be too eager to believe reports
which are wholly calumnious, and
which are only intended to break
the unity and strength of the moral
and religious elements in the Re
publican party. If Republicans
arc not all tetotalers, is it worth
while to adopt the suicidal policy
of helping to power men to whom,
in fact, whlskey drinking is rather
a recommendation than Il disquali-
fication? Judge Blank, possible
candidate for President, may be
tetotaler and a professed christian;
but have Republicans any votes to
throw away on men who have not
the ghost Of a chance to be elected,
however their private virtues might
adorn the Presidential office?