15 page printout NOTE: This file is incomplete. Reproducible Electronic Publishing can defeat censorship. This disk, its printout, or copies of either are to be copied and given away, but NOT sold. Bank of Wisdom, Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 **** **** The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents CHAPTER II PRESIDENTS WHO WERE PRESBYTERIANS ANDREW JACKSON Born, March 15, 1767. Died, June 8, 1845. President, 1829-1837. The story of the early religious background of the United States is of interest 'When we consider the beliefs of its people. The wilds of America were early settled by representatives of the then most prominent forms of the Christian faith. While a large number of them emigrated to find on this western continent religious liberty, most of them, if strong enough, sought to to establish, by law, the Church they brought with them. In New England, with the exception of Rhode Island, Congregationalism was the State Church. In New York, it was at first the Dutch Reformed. Later, the English governors sought to establish the Church of England but the opposition was so strong that they were not successful except in theory. In New Jersey, the same attempt was made, though there was not an Episcopal church in the colony at the time. Pennsylvania granted liberty to all "who confess and acknowledge the one Almighty and eternal God"; but the holders of office "shall be such as profess faith in Jesus Christ." The constitution of Delaware, formed in 1776, declared that all persons professing the Christian religion "ought forever to enjoy equal rights and privileges," but to hold office the acknowledgement of the trinity and the inspiration of the scriptures was mandatory. Maryland was first settled by Catholics. Then the Puritans arrived, obtained power and persecuted them. Later the Church of England was established. The so-called freedom of conscience law of Maryland is a myth. It granted liberty to trinitarian Christians only, the Jew, the Unitarian and the unbeliever being excluded. it punished blasphemy by boring the tongue with a red-hot iron, The first act favoring absolute religious liberty passed in America, and, for all we know to the contrary, in the modern world, was enacted in Rhode Island. There, 20 years before Maryland was settled, Roger Williams proclaimed freedom to all, Christian, Jew, Pagan and infidel. In 1647, two years before the Maryland law, which did not provide freedom at all, these sentiments of Williams were enacted into a statute. In Virginia, the Church of England was established, and the penalties for heresy and non-conformity were very severe, even up to the Revolution. The same establishment was set up in the Carolinas. Georgia, under the benevolent Oglethorpe, had no established Church, but Romanists were excluded. When, in 1752, the colony lost its charter, the Church of England was made the State Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 44 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents Church. [NOTE: For a full and accurate history of religious laws in the thirteen colonies, see 'The Rise of Religious Liberty in America' by Sanford H. Cobb. Published by Henry Holt & Co., New York City.] Among the early settlers was a large proportion of those holding the doctrines of John Calvin. The Puritans of New Engrand, the Dutch settlers of New York, the Scotch and the Ulsterites all held Presbyterian doctrines, though all did not hold to the Presbyterian form of church government. Hence, it is natural that this Church should leave its impress upon the people of the United States and upon some of its statesmen, as it did upon Andrew Jackson, the seventh President. His parents emigrated from the North of Ireland and settled in South Carolina. Although he was not a communicant until after he retired from the Presidency, he was a believer in the Christian religion, as taught by John Calvin, and a fairly regular church attendant. Andrew Jackson is one of the most picturesque characters in American history. As a boy, he fought in the Revolution, was taken prisoner, and had his arm cut to the bone by the sword of a British officer because he refused to clean the oincer's muddy boots. A planter, frontier lawyer and judge; a congressman and senator from Tennessee immedlately after that State's admission to the Union; a militia general, Indian fighter, hero of the Battle of New Orleans, he became, after a bitter struggle, President of the United States, the first "man of the people" to hold this high office. He was so accustomed, to the wild life of the frontier that he did not feel at home anywhere else. He has been described, when young, as "reckless, impetuous, quarrelsome, and passionate in temper; thoroughly disinclined to learning of any sort, his favorite pursuits being racing, gamins' and cock-fighting; but he was Possessed of invincible determination, dauntless courage and excelled in marksmanship and riding, qualities which later served him well." He fought during his lifetime two duels, in one of which he "killed his man," and in the other received a slight wound himself. His political enemies many times published lists of his fights and escapades. John Parton, one of the best of Jackson's biographers, describes the circumstances under which he joined the Church, as they were related to him by the Rev. Dr. Edgar, who received the ex-President into the fold: "Ere long a 'Protracted meeting, was held in the little church on the Hermitage farm. Dr. Edgar conducted the exercises, and the family at the Hermitage were constant in their attendance. The last day of the meeting arrived, which was also the last day of the week. General Jackson sat in his accustomed Seat, and Dr. Edgar preached. The subject of the sermon was the interposition of Providence in the affairs of men, a subject congenial with the habitual tone of General Jackson's mind. The preacher spoke in detail of the perils which beset the life of man, and how often he is preserved from sickness and sudden death. Seeing General Jackson listening with rapt attention to his discourse, the eloquent preacher sketched the career of a man who, in adidition to the Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 45 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents ordinary dangers of human life, had encountered those of the wilderness, of war, and of keen political conflict; who had escaped the tomahawk of the savage, the attaeks of his country's enemies, the privations and fatigues of border warfare, and the aim of the assassin. How is it, exclaimed the preacher, that a man endowed with reason and gifted with intellioence can pass through such scenes as these unharmed, and not see the hand of God in his deliverance? While enlarging upon his theme, Dr. Edgar saw that his words were sinking into the General's heart, and he spoke with unusual animation and impressiveness." We judge from this that Dr. Edgar had learned, his business well, as those who are familiar with the psychology of conversions can testify. The biographer continues: "The services ended, General Jackson got into his carriage and, was riding homeward. He was overtaken by Dr. Edgar on horseback. He hailed the Doctor and said he wished to, speak with him. Both havinog alighted, the general led the clergyman a little way into the grove. 'Doctor,' said the general, 'I want You to come home with me tonight.' 'I cannot come tonight,' was his reply: 'I am engaged elsewhere.' Dr. Edgar said he had promised to visit that evening a sick lady, and he felt bound to keep his promise. General Jackson, as though he had not heard the reply, said a third time and more pleadingly than before, 'Doctor, I want you to come home with me tonight. 'General Jackson,' said the clergyman, 'my word is pledged; I cannot break it; but I will be at the Hermitage tomorrow morning very early.' The anxious man was obliged to be contented with this arrangement, and went home alone. He retired to his apartment. He passed the evening and the greater part of the night in meditation, in reading, in conversing with his beloved daughter and in prayer. He was sorely distressed. Late at night when his daughter left him, he was still agitated and sorrowful. What thoughts passed through his mind as he paced his room in the silence of the night, of what sins he repented and what actions of his life he wished he had not done, no one knows or ever will know." Those who have studied the human mind, in relation to the emotions will think all of this has a natural interpretation. Many a man and woman view their past careers, think of their errors and realize they must be corrected or their lives will be failures. Many have abandoned their vices and bad habits owing to the fear of losing their health and the respect of their neighbor's and friends. Some give up their vices through sheer disgust with them. Self condemnation is not the exclusive property of supernaturalism. Thoughtful people are coming to recognize that the facts of religion can be traced to natural causes. The chief aim of the religion of General Jackson's day, as represented by Dr. Edgar, was to save the soul through faith in the supernatural attributes of Christ. It was the teaching of the Presbyterian Church of that day, and is yet the teaching of its ereed, that good conduct cannot save in lieu of faith. Such has been the teaching of all other orthodox Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 46 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents Churches. They have merely followed the teaching of Paul that faith can be counted for righteousness, Martin Luther said, "If any one says that the Gospel requires works for salvation, I say flat and plain, he is a liar." Jackson's biographer concludes the story of the General's conversion: "In the morning the Rev. Dr. Edgar appeared soon after sunrise. General Jackson told the joyful history of the night and expressed a desire to be admitted into the Church with his daughter that very morning. The usual questions respecting doctrine and experience were satisfactorily answered by the candidate. Then there was a pause in the conversation. The clergyman said at length: 'General, there is one more question it is my duty to ask you. Can you forgive all your enemies?' The question was evidently unexpected, and the candidate was silent for a while. 'My political enemies,' said he, 'I can freely forgive; but as for those who abused me when I was serving my country in the field, and those who attacked me for serving my country -- Doctor, that is a different case. "The Doctor assured him it was not. Christianity, he said, forbade the indulgence of enmity absolutely and in all cases. No man could be received into a Christian Church who did not cast out of his heart every feeling of that nature. It was a condition that was fundamental and indispensable. "The Hermitage church was crowded to the utmost of its small capacity; the very windows were darkened with the eager faces of the servants. After the usual services the General rose to make the required public declaration of his concurrenre with the doetrines, and his resolve to obey the precepts of the Church. He leaned heavily upon his stick with both hands; tears rolled down his cheeks. His daughter, the fair young matron, stood beside him. Amed a silence the most profound the General answered the questions proposed to him. When he me was formally pronounced a member of the Church, and the clergyman was about to continue the service, the long restrained feelings of the congregation burst forth in sobs and exclamations which compelled him to pause for several minutes. The clergyman himself was speechless with emotion, and abandoned himself to the exaultation of the hour. A familiar hymn was raised in which the entire assembly joined with a fervor which at once expressed and relieved their feelings." The conversion of General Jackson gives us an idea of the emotional religion so prevalent a century ago, and which still linger among us today. Once the question was put to Bishop White, one of the pastors of George Washington, "What is your opinion of revivals?' The Bishop answered, "They have one great evil, in that they cause some to mistake their animal for their spiritual nature." Those who want evidence of this should read the chapter in Henry A. Wise' 'Seven Decades of the Union,' in which he tells of Tangier Island, loceated in Chesapeake Bay, and a part of Virginia, where revivals were a regular feature of the island's life, After Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 47 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents a visit from a prominent evangelist the ministers of Pittsburgh met and resolved that they would give no more countenance to traveling evangelists. It must be remembered that General Jackson was of a very emotional nature, and all his life was imbued with strong passions. In all his career these prevailed. Sometimes he was desperately right, while at other times he was equally desperately wrong. He was not a thinker, a student or even a reader, except of the news though he had been admitted to the bar, it is sald he never read a law book through. He was emphatically a man of action and in that sphere he shines in American history. Later he forgot that he had agreed to forgive his enemies, and shortly before he died he said the greatest mistake he had ever made was when he did not hang John C. Calhoun, the leader of the South Carolina nullifiers. To the end of his life he delighted to show his friends the pistol with which he had killed Charles Dickinson in a duel. It must be remembered that those who have led rough, irregular lives in their youth often become fanatically religious in old age. "Old Hickory," as he was called owing to his unbending naature, except for his military exploits, does not stand as well in history as he stood in the estimation of his contemporaries. Yet in his commendable qualities many think it would not be an evil to have men of his stamp in public life today. JAMES KNOX POLK Born, November 2, 1795. Died, June 15, 1849. President, March 4, 1845 -- March 4, 1849. When James Knox Polk, of Tennessee, was nominated by the Democratic party for President, in 1844, after he had been in Congress 14 years, Speaker of the House of Representatives for two terms and Governor of his own State, he was but little known outside of it. His selection was a surprise even to his own party. Governor Letcher, of Virginia, exclaimed, "Polk, great God, what a nomination!" Stephen A. Douglas remarked, "From henceforth no private citizen is safe!" The Whigs sang in a campaign song: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Such a nominee, As James K. Polk of Tennessee." He was nominated because the current issues were the annexation of Texas and the extension of slavery, two things he could be depended upon to accomplish. From 1840 to 1860 is known in our history as the era of weak men in the White House. All were mere politicians and "trimmers," when a real principle was broached. As was the case with a President in our time, the arduous duties of his office caused President Polk to break down in health. He left Washington an incurably sick man and died within a few months after he had returned to his home in Tennessee. The Polk family, like most families of Scotch ancestry, was Presbyterian. Mrs. Polk was of the same faith and prohibited dancing and card playing in the White House. During the Tyler Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 48 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents administration the Presidential mansion was the scene of gaiety and grand entertainments; but on the inauouration of President Polk it was said the reign of the Cavalier ended and that of the Puritan began. Yet the President was not a member of any Church and had never been baptized. While he was an habitual attendant of the Presbyterian Church, with his wife, his own private opinions leaned toward Methodism. McCormac's 'Life of Polk,' the only one in existence so far as we know, on page 721, contains the following statement: "The Polk family,, as well as Mrs. Polk, were Presbyterians, but the ex-President was not a member of any church. He went regularly with his wife to the Church of her choice, though his preference was for the Methodist denomination. A few days before his death his aged mother came from Columbia bringing her own pastor in the hope that her son might accept baptism and unite with the Presbyterian Church. But the son recalled a promise once given to the Rev. Mr. McFerren, of the Methodist Church, that, when he was ready to join the Church, the Rev. McFerren should baptise him. Having thus formally embraced Christianity, he felt prepared to meet the 'great event."' Theodore Parker says that on his deathbed he acknowledged that his good works had been as "filthy rags." But he was safely on board 'the old ship of Zion before she weighed anchor and spread her sails for the Elysian fields. JAMES BUCHANAN Born, April 22, 1791. Died, June 1, 1868. President, March 4, 1857 -- March 4, 1861. James Buchanan was the last of the pre-Civil War Presidents. He had been in the House and Senate for 20 years, had been Secretary of State and Minister to England. Born in pennsylvania and descended, from Scotch emiogrants, he was a Presbyterian by inheritance; but like Presidents Jackson and Polk he never joined the Church until he retired to private life. All his life, however, he had been a regular attendant, and a contributor to all Churches, including the Catholic. In August, 1860, his last year in the White House, President Buchanan was stopping at Bedford Springs, a summer resort in Pennsylvania, where the Rev. Dr. William M. Paxton, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of New York City, was also a guest. Having had some previous acquaintance with the reverend doctor he one day invited him into his room, where he opened his heart. He said: "I think I may say that for 12 years I have 'been in the habit of reading the Bible and praying daily. I have never had any one with whom I have felt disposed to converse, and now that I find you here I have thought you would understand my feelings, and that I would venture to open my mind to you upon this important subject, and ask for an explanation of some things I do not clearly understand." Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 49 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents He then asked Dr. Paxton what a religious experience is, and wanted to know how a man might know he was a Christian, to which the doctor gave replies that satisfied him, Thereupon the President said: "Well, sir, I thank you. My mind is now made up. I hope I am a Christian. I think I have had some of the experience which you describe, and as soon as I retire from my office as Presiclent, I will unite with the Presbyterian Church." Dr. PaxtGn here became excited. It is not often a minister has an opportunity to gather a President of the United States into the fold. Then he was an old man, and might die, as did President Harrison, who so sorely disappointed the Rev. Dr. Hawley. Therefore he exclaimed, "Why not now, Mr. President? God's invitation is now and you should not say tomorrow." President Buchanan replied with deep feeling and a strong gesture: "I must delay, for the honor of religion. If I were to unite with the Church now, they would say hypocrite. from Maine to Georgia." Here he was different from some statesmen of today who seem to take no interest in religion until they get into politics, when "the honor of religion" does not disturb them. Shortly after the 4th of March, 1861, President Buchanan kept his word and was received into the Presbyterian Church of Lancaster, Pa., his home city. He was fortunate in living 80 years ago instead of today. Now he would not be permitted to serve his term in office. He would be compelled to run successfully the clerical gauntlet before he could be elected. GROVER CLEVELAND Born, March 18, 1837. Dired, July 24, 1908. President, March 4, 1885 -- March 4, 1889. March 4, 1893 -- March 4, 1897. The first Democratic President to be elected after the Civil War was the son of the Rev. Richard Cleveland, a Presbyterian minister. Like many other mininsters, the Rev. Mr. Cleveland supported a large family on a small salary. His children were therefore obliged to work as soon as they were able. Grover worked in a store in Fayetteville, N.Y., where his father held his last charge before his death. In this place, we are informed by a living sister of Mr. Cleveland, he joined the church of which his father was the pastor. Later he went to New York City, where he taught for a while in a school for the blind. Here he became acquainted with Fanny Crosby, the noted hymn writer. He moved from New York City to Buffalo, where he studied law, was admitted to the bar, entered politics and laid the foundation of his later eminence. While in Buffalo, he kept his name on the roll of his father's old church in Fayetteville. That he was a member of the Church in Buffalo is doubtful. While living there, he had the reputation of being a blunt, honest man of the world, whose attendance at the house of Bacchus was more regular than his attendance in the house of God. Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 50 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents He loved to play pinochle in favorite salgons, and had he not been a drinking man would perhaps not have been elected Mayor of Buffalo,' from which office he stepped into the Governor's chair and afterwards into the Presidency. He happened to be in a saloon drinking a glass of beer and eating a lunch, when in came a number of Democratic politicians looking for a candidate for mayor. One of them in a joking manner said, "Let us nominate Grover." The joke became serious, He was nominated and elected; then nominated and elected governor by the greatest majority a governor ever received; and in less than four years after he stood in front of the saloon bar, was inaugurated President of the United, States. Those who, like the present writer, recall the presidential campaign of 1884 between James G. Blaine and Grover Cleveland, remember the bitter, abusive, acrid personalities of that year. Mr. Blaine had a vulnerable public record, and his opponents flaunted the Mulligan letters" with all their strength. His private life, however, had been beyond reproach. When he was nominated, Mr. Cleveland was an almost unknown man outside of his own State, but his public record as sheriff, mayor and governor commended him to the people of the United States. His adversaries then launched an attack upon his private life. one charge was that he had not done his duty to his country during the Civil War by enlisting in the army, but had hired a substitute. The fact was that owing to two brothers having enlisted, he had to remain home as the sole support of his mother and two sisters. When the draft came, he borrowed $300 to hire a man to go in his stead. The second charge was not so easily met. A certain Rev. George H. Ball, of Buffalo, charged him with seduction and bastardy. This preacher of that "charity that thinketh no evil" prayed God not to strike him dead because he had voted for Cleveland for governor. The friends of Mr. Cleveland prepared to issue a denial, but he would not, permit them. He said, "It is true. Tell the truth!" He held that while he was willing to defend all his public acts, his parivate acts did not concern the public. He was quite justified in this view. Another minister, the Rev. Mr. Burchard, in his "Rum, Romanism and Rebellion" speech, quite neutralized the attack of the Rev. Mr. Ball on the youthful morals of Mr. Cleveland, who was elected, the first Democratic President in a quarter of a century. The illegitimate child of which so much was said afterwards became a prominent professional man and an honored citizen of Buffalo. His father was twice elected President of the United States, the Rev. Mr. Ball received much free advertising, and when the smoke cleared away no one was injured beyond recovery. After Grover Cleveland entered the White House, he gave more attention to the Church, as he also did to matrimony, marrying his ward, Miss Frances Folsom, a young lady of great personal charm. It was not until his second term, on which he entered March 4, 1993, that he became prominently religious. A wave of piety swept over the country during this year of the great panic, as had happened in the two former periods of financial distress, in 1857 and 1873, The Churches registered their protests against the inaugural ball, which, almost from the foundation of the government, had been an occasion of greatl gaiety. The new President was prompt to unite with the Churches in voicing his disapproval. Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 51 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents This was also the year of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The Churches had been organizing for three years to prevent the doors from opening on Sunday. Religious societies had met in conventions and pledged themselves not to attend unless the Sabbath was strictly observed. The question was carried into the courts. The ministers demanded that Cleveland call out the military, if necessary, to shut the gates, but while he sympathized with the Sabbatarians he did not go that far. In the fall, he recognized Jesus Christ in his Thanksgiving Proclamation, something no other President had ever done. The pace for religious legislation having been set during the administration of President Harrison, President Cleveland was now looked upon as the patron saint of the "National Reformers" and other theocratic organizations. During Cleveland's second administration, a Sunday law was introduced for the District of Columbia, as was also the "Christian amendment," placing God in the Constitution and making Christianity the official religion of the State. The late William Jennings Bryan was preparing to advocate such an amendment when he died. Nor can the sincerity of Mr. Cleveland be doubted. while he had not been a "practical Christian" at all times, he seemed to revert to the priety, of his youth as he grew older. This happens to many who have never given the foundation of religion their attention. On January 7, 1904, after the death of his oldest daughter Ruth, he wrote to a friend: "I had a season of great trouble in keeping out of my mind the idea that Ruth was in the Cold, cheerless grave instead of in the arms of her Saviour. It seems to me I mourn our darling Ruth's death more and more. So much of the time I can only think of her as dead, not joyfully living in heaven. God has come to my help and I have felt able to adjust my thought to dear Ruth's death with as much comfort as selfish humanity will permit. One thing I can Say: not for a moment since she left us has a rebellious thought entered my mind." His sister writes that she knew "his boyhood's faith brightened his dying hours." The grief of a father for the death of a loved child is not a proper subject for discussion, and we can be pleased to think that under the circumstances he found consolation. We could say the same had he been a Buddhist, a Mohammedan, a Mormon or a Confucian. Yet President Cleveland was not a Puritan, and if he were alive today, he would not stand well on the Anti-Saloon League's card-index. He liked beer, fished on Sunday and kept a store of good liquor for himself and his friends. John S. Wise, in his 'Recollections of Thirteen Presidents,' says there were two men in American history who above all others were attacked by venomous personal abuse, Grover Cleveland and Robert G. Ingersoll. This was because of their holding unpopular ideas. Fifty years ago, to be a Democrat in some sections was synonymous. with being a traitor, an enemy of your country, its prosperity and happiness; while to say openly that you did not Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 52 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents accept the orthodox Christian religion was to place yourself outside the pale of social recognition and to be looked upon as having hoofs and horns. Years ago, I knew an old man in a rural community who was an outspoken "Infidel." A woman who knew him remarked: "I do not see why some people are so bitter at Mr. ________. He does not appear to be any different from other men." Since the partisan prejudices that swayed the minds of his contemporaries have become extinct, history has been just toward President Cleveland. Now, regardless of party, he is considered to have been one of our most efficient Presidents. BENJAMIN HARRISON Born, August 20, 1833. Died, March 13, 1901. President, March 4, 1889 -- March 4, 1893. Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, waw a great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison, who signed the Declaration of Independence, and a grandson of William Henry Harrison, the ninth President, at whose house he was born, in 1833. He was a Presbyterian, an elder in the Church, and the first President who was unquestionably a communicant in an orthodox Church at the time he was elected. Grover Cleveland was a communicant in his youth and late in life, but there is no evidence that he was such when he was first elected. President Harrison was deeply religious, a believer in divine providence, and thought himself an object of its particular care. Knowing this, during his administration the Churches were successful in introducing bills in Congress to promote religion by law. On May 21, 1886, Senator Henry W. Blair, of New Hamphire, introduced a "National Sunday Rest Bill," the preamble of which read, "A bill to secure to the enjoyment of the first day of the week, commonly Sunday, as a day of rest, and to promote its observance as religious worship." A great outcry was raised against this bill as worded, and on December 9, 1889, Senator Blair re- introduced it, making the title read, "A bill to secure to the people the privilege of rest and religious worship, free from the disturbance of others, on the first day of the week." Except that it granted exemption from the penalties those "who conscientiously believe in and observe any other day than Sunday as the Sabbath or day of religious worship," its provisions were not different from the first. Not since 1829 had a bill for the enforcement of a Sunday law been introduced in the national legislature. As the bill entered into the realm of conscience and the field of religious controversy, it was not reported from the committee room and died a natural death. Similar bills have been since introduced and have met the same fate. Four days after introducing his Sunday bill, Senator Blair introduced an "Educational Amendment" the Constitution of the United States, section 2 of which read: "Each State in this Union shall establish a system of public schools, adequate for the education of all the children living therein, between the ages of six and 16 years inclusive, in the common branches of knowledge and in virtue, morality, and the principles Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 53 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents of the Christian religion." This, like his Sunday bill, was very deceptive, and, like it, was laid on the table. Senator Blair having failed, Mr. W.C.P. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, who was later to acquire an unsavory reputation, introduced, on January 6, 1890, a Sunday bill for the District of Columbia, which also failed. President Harrison's well-known orthodox predilection encouraged the sponsors of these bills. Religious legislation has always been unpopular, except with the extremists in the Church, yet it is an ever present danger. General Harrison had an undistinguished though honorable record as an officer in the Civil War, and was Senator from Indiana for one term. He was a splendid platform speaker, and publicly had a great influence over the masses. In private he had the reputation of being cold and distant. WOODROW WILSON Born, December 28, 1856. Died, February 3, 1924. President, March 4, 1913 -- March 4, 1921. Our World War President was Presbyterian through a long line of Scotch and Irish ancestors on both his father's and mother's side. His father, the Rev. James Ruggles Wilson, was a Presbyterian minister who was born in Ohio, of Irish ancestry. His mother's father, the Rev. Thomas Woodrow, after whom he was named, came from Scotland, and was a graduate of the University of Glasgow. each held a high position in the Church, and both are known in its history. The father of the future President moved from ohio to Virginia early in the 50's. Woodrow Wilson was born at Staunton, Va,; later the Wilson family moved to Augusta, Georgia. While in Ohio the Rev. Wilson seemed to take no particular interest in the then all- absorbing question of slavery. But in 1861, he was a delegate to the National Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, held in Philadelphia, where a resolution was passed reading out of the Church all slave-holders. The Rev. Mr. Wilson at once took up the cudgel for his adopted section, and invited southern Presbyterians to meet with him in Augusta, where he organized the Southern Presbyterian Church. He cast his fortunes with the South during the war and became a chaplain in the Confederate Army, while his brothers were fighting in the Union Army. After the war, when upon a visit to Ohio, he was asked if he was a reconstructed rebel, his reply was, "No, only a whipped one." When his son was first proposed as a teacher in Princeton University, objection was raised against him because of his southern antecedents. The Rev. Joseph Ruggles Wilson was an interesting characte. He had all the geniality of the Celt, and was far from being puritanical. He loved a good dinner, enjoyed smgking his pipe, and sometimes took a nip of "Old Scotch." This, of course, was before the crusade for Prohibition had captured the Protestant Churches. His Irish wit, combined with his knowledge and interesting conversation, made him a social favorite, as those who remember him when he passed his latter years at the home of his son will recall. Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 54 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents The maternal uncle of the World War President also had an interesting history, which is recorded in the chronicles of his adopted country. The Rev. James Woodrow was originally a printer and publisher, and sometimes, to hasten work, it was necessary for his printers to work nights. He would permit no Sunday work. At midnight Saturday he compelled his employes to cease their labors, but promptly at two minutes after 12 on Monday morning they resumed. In this way the work was accomplished, but the old scotch custom of Sabbath keeping was not invalidated. Yet while he was a very religious man, and conformed to the standards of the Presbyterian Church, he finally got into trouble, and had to leave the Church. He believed in and preached Evolution. A minority in the Church defended him, but he was ousted from the Presbyterian seminary in Columbia, S.C., where he was a teacher of the natural sciences. Andrew D. White, in 'The Warfare Between Science and Theology in Christendom,' vol. 1, pp. 317-318, thus speaks of his case: "This hostile movement became so strong that, in spite of the favorable action of the directors of the seminary, and against the efforts of a broad-minded minority in the representative bodies having ultimate charge of the institution, the delegates from the various synods raised a storm of orthodoxy and drove Dr. Woodrow from his post. Happily, he was at the same time professor in the University of South Carolina in the same city of Columbia, and from his chair in that institution he continued to teach natural science with the approval of the great majority of thinking men in that region; hence, the only effect of the attempt to crush him was, that his position was made higher, respect for him deeper, and his reputation wider." Dr. Woodrow was a real man, and would not compromise as many ministers have done. He finally left the Church and became the president of a bank. He was a member of a number of learned scientific societies both in Europe and America. His trial for heresy, in the 1880's, aroused national attention. Nearly 40 years later, when his nephew was President of the United States and the Fundamentalists had renewed the old battle against Evolution, some one wrote to President Wilson asking whether he believed in Evolution. He replied: "Of course, like every other man of education and intelligence I do believe in organic EvolutiGn. It surpises me that at this late date such questions should be raised." It is good that while these Scotch Presbyterians are often very stubborn in maintaining their opinions, when they change them, they are equally stirbborn in defending their new ones. It will, at this point, be pertinent to consider President Wilson's views upon the relation of science to certain problems. He once said that college instructors could "easily forget that they were training citizens as well as drilling pupils"; that a college should be "a school of duty." When he was once attacked for being hostile to science, he replied: "I have no indictment against what science has done: I have only a warning to utter against the atmosphere which has stolen from laboratories into lecture rooms and into the Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 55 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents general air of the world at large. Science has not changed the nature of society, has not made history a whit easier to understand, human nature a whit easier to reform. It has won for us a great liberty in the physical world, a liberty from superstitious fear and disease, a freedom to use nature as a familiar servant, but it has not freed us from ourselves. We have not given science too big a place in our education; but we have made a perilous mistake in giving it too great a Preponderance in method over every other 'branch of study." on the subject of the relation of science to religion, there are three sets of opinions: those of the Fundamentalists, who reject science; of the Rationalists, who reject the claims of religion; of the modernists, of whom President Wilson was one, who accept science in the physical world, but will not be bound 'by its laws in the spiritual. Mr. Wilson was the first president of Princeton University who was not a minister. When he moved there, he found two presbyterian Churches, the First and the Second. He thought but one was needed, and tried to unite them. He joined the Second and was elected an elder, but afterwards left it and gave his support to the First. His entire family attended church services, but the children did not go to Sunday School. Mrs. Wilson taught them the sunday school lesson and the Westminster catechism at home. President Wilson often led the chapel exercises in the college, but his talks took a practical trend. For instance, he once took as his text a verse from Paul's address to Agrippa: "Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision." (Acts, 26:19.) He then enlarged upon the necessity of all having a vision, or a purpose in life. President Wilson was not a Puritan. His daughter says that, like his father, he was a mixture of dignity and gaiety. He liked to play whist, euchre and backgammon, was a remarkable mimic and could tell endless dialect stories. Shortly after his entrance into the White House, in 1913, his Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, suggested over the telephone that he make his administration a temperance, or white ribbon, affair, and, conforming to the custom in President Hayes' day, not serve wine. Mr. Wilson replied he would not do this for three reasons: first, it had been the custom to serve wine at public dinners, except in one administration, since the foundation of the government; second, he was not a Prohibitionist, and, third, he liked a drink sometimes himself, The Volstead Act was passed and went into effect without his signature. Yet anomalies are associated with both Bryan and Wilson. The first, an apostle of peace, rests in a military cemetery. The second, of the sturdiest Presbyterian stock, found his last resting place in a gorgeous Episcopal cathedral. Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 56 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents CHAPTER III. PRESIDENTS WHO WERE UNITARIANS In point of numbers the Unitarian Church has always been among the minor religious bodies. Yet its influence upon the intellectual, moral and literary forces of the united states has been far greater Proportionately than its numerical strength. No other Church has Contributed to this country so many distinguished men and women in all departments of human activity. A few words touching the history of this Church, particularly in America, will enable us better to comprehend the subject. From the earliest history of the Christian Church there was controversy over disputed theological questions. Among these none occupied greater attention than the nature of God. Some held to his unity, others to the trinity. Those holding the first view were almost successful in making it the dogma of the whole Church. They were specially strong in the West. They were called Arians, after their leader Arius; sometimes Socinians and later Unitarians. The Council of Nice" the first ecumenical council of the Church, held in the city of that name in southeastern France, was assembled to consider two questions: the canon of the Bible, and the "Arian controversy," as the question of the Godhead was then called. This council sent Arius into exile and condemned his doctrines. Afterwards, he died suddenly, and, as his friends maintained, through the treachery of his enemies. Wherever Unitarianism penetrated, it was persecuted and stamped out. The last two heretics burned at the stake in England (in 1612), Bartholomew Legate and Edward Wightman, were put to death for denying the trinity. A special law for the punishment of this offense by death was passed during the Commonwealth. In the toleration act of, 1689 all dissenters except Unitarians were granted freedom of worship. In spite of persecution they grew, and one of the most distinguished writers on Christian evidence, Dr. Nathaniel Lardner, was a Unitarian, and Unitarian views were held by John Milton, the poet, Sir Isaac Newton, the scientist, and John Locke, the philosopher. In the last quarter of the 18th Century they had two distinguished advocates in Richard Price and Joseph Priestley, the latter, the discoverer of oxygen. In Birmingham, a mob attacked the house of Dr. Priestley, burned it to the ground, destroying all his valuable scientific apparatus. He was driven out of the city and took refuge in the United States, where he died in Pennsylvania, in 1804. Some of his descendants are still among us. In 1813 toleration was granted the Unitarian Church. The invasion of Unitarian thought among the puritanical churches of New England began in the last quarter of the 18th Century, There was an intellectual and moral revulsion against the doctrines of origional sin, predeesteination, hell, and the blood atonement. King's Chapel, built in 1749, the oldest Episcopal church in New England, became Unitarian. James Truslow Adams, in his 'New England in the Republic,' p. 220, quotes from G.W. Cooke's 'Unitarianism in America,' p. 75: Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 57 The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents "In Boston a visitor wrote in 1791 that the ministers there were so diverse in their views that they could not agree in any one point in theology. Ten years later there was but one minister in that city who accepted the doctrine of the Trinity." In 1810 the great controversy upon the subject was still on, and by 1,925 Unitarianism had captured a large number of the New England @@@@ book p. 54 on to 65 must be scanned again, print does not scan well. Bank of Wisdom Box 926, Louisville, KY 40201 58