80
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
February 1928
« OME of the recent biographers of Washington have attempted to ignore or dismiss as insig nificant, the spiritual side of his nature. Some would even make him an Atheist. Here are some facts that seem to have escaped these biographers: He was received into the church through baptism on April 5, 1731, when nearly 2 months old. The vows of those who devoted their children to God in holy baptism, as ad ministered by the Church of England, were very solemn and the age was distinguished by rigid punctuality respecting du ties enjoined by those vows. When 13 years o f age,
Was George Washington a Believer? S ome R ecent S tories C oncerning the F ather of O ur C ountry
The day after he took command of the American Army in the War of the Revolution, the following order was issued: “ The general requires and expects of all officers and soldiers, not engaged in actual duty, a punctual at tendance on divine service, to implore the blessings of heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.” At the end of the war, Washington returned to Mt. Vernon on Christmas Eve. The next day found him in
his accustomed seat in Christ Church, Alexandria, listening to the rector who had served as chaplain of the Third V ir ginia Regiment. When the holders signed an agreement to subject the pews to an annual rental by a volun tary subscription o f five pounds each for supporting the minis try, the name o f “George Wash ington” heads the list. The orig inal can be seen in the vestry book of Christ. Church. A. N ewly D iscovered L etter A letter written by George Washington on December 28, 1796, to Brig.-Gen. Paviance Peers has been discovered by Miss Julia Peers among the e f fects of her father, the late George Peers. The letter reads: “ Fellow Citizens and Bro thers of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania: I have: received your address with all the feel ings of brotherly affection min gled with those sentiments for the society which it was calcu lated to .excite, To have been in any degree an instrument in the hands o f Providence to promote order and union and erect upon a solid foundation the true prin ciples of government is only to have shared with many others
Washington wrote a beautiful poem about the significance of Christmas and stood sponsor for a child in holy baptism. In the war against the French, when* Gov. Dinwiddie failed to respond to his applica tion for a chaplain for the trpops, y o u n g Washington wrote to the President o f the Council: “ Common decency, sir, in a camp calls for the services of a divine, which ought not to be dispensed with.” Washington o c c a s io n a lly read the service himself, and it is well known that he read the burial office at the funeral of General Braddock. Up to the time of the Revo lution, Washington was a' regu lar attendant at services in Pohick Church in Truro Parish, which was a little nearer Mt. Vernon than Alexandria. As a member o f the vestry, he sur veyed the parish and persuaded the other members to adopt a
Keystune View Uo. W h ere W a s h in g t o n A ttended C h u r c h CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, WHICH HAS BEEN CAREFULLY PRESERVED AND IS IN PRACTICALLY THE SAME CONDITION AS WHEN GEORGE WASHINGTON DROVE OVER FROM HIS MT. VERNON ESTATE FOR SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
more central location for a new church building. Rev. Lee Massey, rector at -Pohick, said: “ I never knew so constant an attendant on church as Washington. And his behaviour in the House of God was ever so deeply reverent that it produced the happiest effect on my con gregation and greatly assisted me in my pulpit labors.” The vestry book o f Truro Parish shows that during the eleven years from February, 1763, to February, 1774, the vestry held thirty-one meetings, at twenty-three of which George Washington is recorded as being present. Irt order to attend he frequently had to take long horse back rides over muddy roads. O f the eight absences, one was for sickness, two wefe on account of service in the Legislature, and three for absence from Virginia. Washington left home for Philadelphia in September, 1774, as a member of the First Congress. Entries in his diary for four successive Sundays thereafter show he went to service regularly, both morning and afternoon.
in a labor, the result o f which, let us hope, will prove through all ages a sanctuary for brothers and a lodge for the virtues. “ Permit me to reciprocate your prayers for my tem poral happiness and to supplicate that we may all meet hereafter in that eternal temple whose builder is the Great Architect o f the Universe. G. Washington.” W ash ington B aptized A Bulletin of William Jewell College contains an address delivered by Dr. Lemuel C. Barnes at the dedi cation o f the John Gano College Chapel, in memory of the ’ “ fighting chaplain” o f the Revolutionary."War, who was not only a Baptist minister but a warm, personal friend o f General Washington. In this address Dr. Barnes reviews the evidence that he has collected, bear ing upon the alleged immersion of George Washington by Mr. Gano during the war period. This exceedingly
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