New York World--Boston Globe--Chicago Herald--Manford's
Magazine--Herald and Review--Chambers's Encyclopedia--
Encyclopedia Britannica--People's Library of Information--
The World's Sages--Every-Day Life of Lincoln--Hon. Jesse W.
Weik--Chas. W. French--Cyrus O. Poole--A Citizen of
Springfield--Henry Walker--Win. Bissett--Frederick Heath--
Rev. Edward Eggleston--Rev. Robert Collyer--Allen Thorndike
Rice--Robert C. Adams--Theodore Stanton-Geo. M. McCrie--Gen.
M. M. Trumbull--Rev. David Swing, D.D.--Rev. J. Lloyd Jones--
Rev. John W. Chadwick.
The matter selected for this chapter is of a miscellaneous nature,
consisting of the statements of those who, for the most part, are not
known to have been personally acquainted with Lincoln. It embraces the
opinions of journalists, encyclopedists, biographers, and others. If
their words cannot be accepted as the testimony of competent witnesses,
they may at least be regarded as the verdict of honest jurors.
NEW YORK WORLD.
In the New York _World_, fifteen years ago, appeared the
following: "While it may fairly be said that Mr. Lincoln entertained many
Christian sentiments, it cannot be said that he was himself a Christian
in faith or practice. He was no disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. He did
not believe in his divinity and was not a member of his church. He
was at first a writing Infidel of the school of Paine and Volney, and
afterward a talking Infidel of the school of Parker and Channing."
Alluding to the friendly attitude he assumed toward the church and
Christianity during the war, this article concludes:
"If the churches had grown cold--if the Christians had taken a stand
aloof--that instant the Union would have perished; Mr. Lincoln regulated
his religious manifestations accordingly. He declared frequently that he
would do _anything_ to save the Union, and among the many things he did
was the partial concealment of his individual religious opinions.
Is this a blot upon his fame? Or shall we all agree that it was a
conscientious and patriotic sacrifice?"
BOSTON GLOBE.
As evidence of Lincoln's piety, we are referred to a picture where
Lincoln, with his son Tad, is supposed to be reverentially poring over
the pages of the Bible. The history of this picture, however, has often
been explained, and its apparently religious character shown to be quite
secular. The Boston _Globe_, in a recent issue, says: "The pretty little
story about the picture of President Lincoln and his son Tad reading
the Bible is now corrected for the one-hundredth time. The Bible was
Photographer Brady's picture album, which the President was examining
with his son while some ladies stood by. The artist begged the President
to remain quiet and the picture was taken. The truth is better than
fiction, even if its recital conflicts with a pleasing theory."
CHICAGO HERALD.
During February, 1892, the Chicago _Herald_ published an editorial
on Lincoln's religion. Being one of the latest contributions to this
subject, and appearing in one of the principal journals of Lincoln's own
state, it is of especial importance. It is a candid statement of what
nearly every journalist of Illinois knows or believes to be the facts.
From it I quote as follows: "He was without faith in the Bible or its
teachings. On this point the testimony is so overwhelming that there
is no basis for doubt. In his early life Lincoln exhibited a powerful
tendency to aggressive Infidelity. But when he grew to be a politician
he became secretive and non-committal in his religious belief. He was
shrewd enough to realize the necessity of reticence with the convictions
he possessed if he hoped to succeed in politics.
"It is matter of history that in 1834, at New Salem, Ill., Lincoln read
and circulated Volney's 'Ruins' and Paine's 'Age of Reason,' giving to
both books the sincere recommendation of his unqualified approval.
About that time or a little later he wrote an extensive argument against
Christianity, intending to publish it. In this argument he contended
that the Bible was not inspired and that Jesus Christ was not the son of
God. He read this compilation of his views to numerous friends, and
on one occasion when so engaged his friend and employer, Samuel Hill,
snatched the manuscript from the author's hands and threw it into the
stove, where it was quickly consumed. A Springfield friend said of him
in 1838, 'Lincoln was enthusiastic in his Infidelity.' John T. Stuart,
who was his first law partner, declares: 'Lincoln was an avowed and open
Infidel. He went further against Christian belief than any man I ever
heard. He always denied that Jesus was the Christ of God.' David Davis
stated that 'Lincoln had absolutely no faith in the Christian sense
of the term.'
"These authorities ought to be conclusive, but there is further
testimony. This latter is important as explanatory of Lincoln's frequent
allusions in his Presidential messages and proclamations to the Supreme
Being. To the simplicity of his nature there was added a poetic
temperament. He was fond of effective imagery, and his references to the
Deity are due to the instinct of the poet. After his death Mrs. Lincoln
said: 'Mr. Lincoln had no faith and no hope in the usual acceptation of
those words. He never joined a church.' She denominates what has been
mistaken for his expressions of religious sentiment as 'a kind of poetry
in his nature,' adding 'he was never a Christian.' Herndon, who was his
latest law partner and biographer, is even more explicit. He says: 'No
man had a stronger or firmer faith in Providence--God--than Mr. Lincoln,
but the continued use by him late in life of the word God must not be
interpreted to mean that he believed in a personal God. In 1854 he asked
me to erase the word 'God' from a speech which I had written and read to
him for criticism, because my language indicated a personal God, whereas
he insisted no such personality ever existed.' So it must be accepted as
final by every reasonable mind that in religion Mr. Lincoln was a
skeptic. But above all things he was not a hypocrite or pretender. He
was a plain man, rugged and earnest, and he pretended to be nothing
more. He believed in humanity, and he was incapable of Phariseeism. He
had great respect for the feelings and convictions of others, but he was
not a sniveler. He was honest and he was sincere, and taking him simply
for what he was, we are not likely soon to see his like again."
MANFORD'S MAGAZINE.
There are two Christian publications that have had the fairness to admit
the truth respecting Lincoln's belief. _Manford's Magazine_, a religious
periodical published in Chicago, in its issue for January, 1869,
contained the following: "That Mr. Lincoln was a believer in the
Christian religion, as understood by the so-called orthodox sects of the
day, I am compelled most emphatically to deny; that is, if I put
faith in the statements of his most intimate friends in this city
[Springfield]. All of them with whom I have conversed on this subject,
agree in indorsing the statements of Mr. Herndon. Indeed, many of them
unreservedly call him an Infidel." "The evidence on this subject is
sufficient, the writer says, to place the name of Lincoln by the side
of Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, and [Ethan] Allen, of Revolutionary
notoriety, as Rationalists; besides being in company with D'Alembert,
the great mathematician, Diderot, the geometrician, poet, and
metaphysician; also with Voltaire, Hume, Gibbon, and Darwin."
Referring to the Infidel book, written by Lincoln, the writer says: "This
work was subsequently thrown in Mr. Lincoln's face while he was stumping
this district for Congress against the celebrated Methodist preacher,
Rev. Peter Cartwright. But Mr. Lincoln never publicly or privately
denied its authorship, or the sentiments expressed therein. Nor was he
known to change his religious views any, to the latest period of his
life."
The article concludes with these truthful words:
"Mr. Lincoln was too good a man to be a Pharisee; too great a man to be
a sectarian; and too charitable a man to be a bigot."
HERALD AND REVIEW.
This work, in an abridged form, originally appeared in the _Truth
Seeker_ in 1889 and 1890. After its appearance, the Adventist _Herald
and Review_, one of the fairest and most ably conducted religious
journals in this country, said:
"The _Truth Seeker_ has just concluded the publication of a series of
fifteen contributed articles designed to prove that Abraham Lincoln,
instead of being a Christian, as has been most strongly claimed by some,
was a Freethinker. The testimony seems conclusive.... The majority of
the great men of the world have always rejected Christ, and, according
to the Scriptures, they always will; and the efforts of Christians to
make it appear that certain great men who never professed Christianity
were in reality Christians, is simply saying that Christianity cannot
stand on its merits, but must have the support of great names to entitle
it to favorable consideration."
CHAMBERS'S ENCYCLOPEDIA.
Alden's American Edition of "Chambers's Encyclopedia," one of the most
popular as well as one of the most reliable of encyclopedias, says: "He
[Lincoln] was never a member of a church; he is believed to have had
philosophical doubts of the divinity of Christ, and of the inspiration
of the Scriptures, as these are commonly stated in the system of
doctrines called evangelical. In early life he read Volney and Paine,
and wrote an essay in which he agreed with their conclusions. Of modern
thinkers he was thought to agree nearest with Theodore Parker" (Art.
Lincoln, Abraham).
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA.
By whom the article on Lincoln in "Chambers's Encyclopedia" was written,
whether by one of Lincoln's personal friends, or by a stranger, I
know not. The article in the "Britannica" was written by his private
secretary, Colonel Nicolay. In this article his religion is briefly
summed up in the following words: "His [Lincoln's] nature was deeply
religious, but he belonged to no denomination; he had faith in the
eternal justice and boundless mercy of Providence; and made the Golden
Rule of Christ his practical creed" (Am. Ed., vol. xiv, p. 669).
This statement at first glance presents a Christian appearance, and the
reader is liable to infer that the writer aims to state that Lincoln was
a Christian. But he does not. He aims to state in the least offensive
manner possible that he was not--that he was simply a Deist. A person
may have a "deeply religious" nature, and not be a Christian. He may
have "faith in the eternal justice and boundless mercy of Providence,"
and yet have no faith whatever in Christianity. He may make "the Golden
Rule of Christ [or Confucius] his practical creed," and at the same time
wholly reject the dogma of Christ's divinity. The above statement is
substantially true as applied to Lincoln, and it would be equally true
if applied to that prince of Infidels, Thomas Paine. His nature was
deeply religious; he had faith in the justice and mercy of Providence;
and he, too, made the Golden Rule his practical creed.
PEOPLE'S LIBRARY OF INFORMATION.
Mrs. Lincoln was nominally a Presbyterian, and frequently, though not
regularly, attended the Rev. Dr. Gurley's church in Washington. Lincoln
usually accompanied her, not because he derived any pleasure or benefit
from the services, but because he believed it to be a duty he owed to
his wife who, in turn, generally accompanied him when he went to his
church, the theater. "The People's Library of Information" contains the
following relative to his church attendance:
"Lincoln attended service once a day. He seemed always to be in
agony while in church.... His pastor, Dr. Gurley, had the 'gift
of continuance,' and the President writhed and squirmed and gave
unmistakable evidence of the torture he endured."
THE WORLD'S SAGES.
In "The World's Sages," Mr. Bennett writes as follows concerning
Lincoln's belief: "Upon the subject of religious belief there is some
diversity of claims. All his friends and acquaintances readily admit
that in early manhood and middle age he was an unbeliever, or a Deist.
In fact, he wrote a book or pamphlet vindicating this view. His most
intimate friends that knew him best, claim that his opinions underwent
no change in this respect; while a certain number of Christians have,
since his death, undertaken to make out that he had become a convert
to Christianity" (World's Sages, p. 773). "When the contradictory
character of the evidence is taken into consideration, together with the
fact that his nearest and most intimate friends would be most likely
the ones to know of Mr. Lincoln's change, had any such taken place, the
incredibility of the asserted change is easily appreciated" (Ibid,
p-774).
THE EVERY-DAY LIFE OF LINCOLN.
In the Emancipation Proclamation appears the following paragraph,
which contains the only allusion to Deity to be found in this immortal
document: "And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice,
warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the
considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God."
The appearance of the above paragraph in the Proclamation is thus
accounted for in Francis F. Brown's "Every-Day Life of Lincoln," and
agrees with Judge Usher's and Chief Justice Chase's account of it:
"It is stated that Mr. Lincoln gave the most earnest study to the
composition of the Emancipation Proclamation. He realized, as he
afterward said, that the Proclamation was the central act of his
administration, and the great event of the Nineteenth Century. When the
document was completed, a printed copy of it was placed in the hands of
each member of the Cabinet, and criticisms and suggestions were invited.
Mr. Chase remarked: 'This paper is of the utmost importance, greater
than any state paper ever made by this Government. A paper of so much
importance, and involving the liberties of so many people, ought, I
think, to make some reference to Deity. I do not observe anything of the
kind in it" (Every-Day Life of Lincoln, pp. 549,550).
The amendment suggested was allowed by the President, and Mr. Chase
requested to supply the words he desired to be inserted. The paragraph
quoted was accordingly prepared by him and included in the Proclamation.
This fact is also admitted by Holland in his "Life of Lincoln" (p. 401).
HON. JESSE W. WEIK.
Judge Weik, of Greencastle, Ind., who was associated with Mr. Herndon
in the preparation of his "Life of Lincoln," in a lecture on "Lincoln's
Boyhood and Early Manhood," delivered in Plymouth Church, Indianapolis,
Feb. 4, 1891. said:
"As a young man he sat back of the country store stove and said
the Bible was not inspired, and Christ was not the Son of God"
(Indianapolis News, Feb. 5, '91).
CHARLES WALLACE FRENCH.
One of the last biographies of Lincoln that has appeared is "Abraham
Lincoln The Liberator," written by Charles W. French. After citing with
approval some of Mr. Herndon's statements regarding Lincoln's belief,
Mr. French says:
"The world was his [Lincoln's] church. His sermons were preached in
kindly words and merciful deeds" (p. 91).
CYRUS O. POOLE.
I quote next from a monograph on "The Religious Convictions of Abraham
Lincoln," written by Cyrus O. Poole. Referring to Arnold's and Holland's
biographies of Lincoln, Mr. Poole says: "Most sectarians now think,
write, and act as if they had a copyright to apply 'Christian' to
everything good and God-like about this President; yet no one presumed
to call him a Christian until after his death. It may be a soul-saving
process like the ancient one of Pope Gregory in the sixth century. It
is related that one day he was meditating on an anecdote of the Pagan
Emperor Tragan's having turned back, when at the head of his legions on
his way to battle, to render justice to a poor widow who flung herself
at his horse's feet. It seemed to Gregory that the soul of a prince so
good could not be forever lost, Pagan though he was; and he prayed
for him, till a voice declared Tragan to have been saved through his
intercession. And thus, through the prayer of a Christian Pope, a pagan
of the first, was materialized into a Christian in the sixth century,
and was, of course, transferred from hell to heaven. Now behold how a
modern politician [Arnold] can play theologian in Christianizing Abraham
Lincoln.
"There is now hope for Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas
Jefferson, as well as the chieftains, Red Jacket, Tecumseh, and Black
Hawk."
Respecting Lincoln's message to his dying father, Mr. Poole, himself
a firm believer in the doctrine of immortality, says: "This prophetic
affirmation of a continued existence, is the only written evidence of
his views on this momentous question that can be found."
In addition to the above, I cull from the same work the following brief
extracts:
"He lived in a remarkably formative and progressive period, and was
in all matters fully abreast with his time. As a truthful thinker, he
greatly excelled any of the statesmen of his day."
"Lincoln, like Socrates, was a man so natural, so thoughtful, rational,
and sagacious, that he clearly saw that the popular traditional theology
of his day and age was not religion."
A CITIZEN OF SPRINGFIELD.
A gentleman residing in Springfield, Ill., who was intimately acquainted
with Lincoln from the time he located in that city up to the time he
removed to Washington, a period of nearly twenty-five years, in a letter
dated Aug. 20, 1887, writes as follows: "I will say in regard to Mr.
Lincoln's religious views that he was not orthodox in his belief, unless
he changed after he left Springfield. He was heterodox--did not believe
in the divinity of Christ--in short, was a Freethinker. Now I do not
want to be brought into public notice in this matter."
In deference to this writer's request his name is omitted, and this
omission destroys, to a great extent, the value of his testimony. It
is inserted not because it adds any particular weight to the evidence
already adduced, but as a specimen of a very large amount of evidence
of the same character that must be withheld simply because the persons
writing or interviewed shrink from publicity. A chapter, yes, a volume,
of this anonymous testimony might be given. At least a hundred personal
friends of Lincoln, living in and about Springfield, privately and
confidentially assert that he was an Infidel, but will not permit their
names to be used. Twenty years ago a majority of them would not have
objected to their statements being published: but the relentless war
waged by the church against those who have publicly certified to the
facts has sealed their lips.
HENRY WALKER.
I now present to the reader another citizen of Springfield, one who is
not afraid to publicly express an honest opinion. Mr. Henry Walker, who
has resided in that city for many years, writes as follows concerning
Lincoln's religious belief: "After inquiring of those who were intimate
and familiar with him, I arrive at the conclusion that he was a Deist."
"There is a rumor current here that he once wrote an anti-Christian
pamphlet, but his friends persuaded him not to publish it."
Mr. Walker was not personally acquainted with Lincoln. His conclusion
is simply based upon the information obtained from those who were
acquainted with him. His statement, like the preceding one, is
introduced not so much because of any especial value attaching to it as
mere testimony, but because it fairly represents the common sentiment of
those who have investigated this subject, and particularly those who
are on familiar terms with Lincoln's old associates in Illinois. The
knowledge of our anonymous witness was shared by Dr. Smith, Mr. Arnold,
and Mr. Edwards; the opinion expressed by Mr. Walker was the opinion
privately entertained by Dr. Holland, it is the opinion privately
entertained by Mr. Bateman, yes, and unquestionably the opinion
privately entertained by Mr. Reed himself.
WILLIAM BISSETT.
An article on Lincoln's religion written by Mr. Wm. Bissett, of Santa
Ana, Cal., and recently published in the _Truth Seeker_, contains
some evidence that deserves to be recorded. Mr. Bissett narrates the
following: "In the Spring of 1859 we moved into Livingston county, Mo.,
near Chillicothe. We at once became acquainted with a man by the name
of William Jeeter. Mr. Jeeter was a native of Kentucky, and if I mistake
not, was born and raised in the same part of the country that Mr.
Lincoln was but about that I am not sure. Mr. Jeeter told me that
Lincoln and himself settled in Illinois when they were young men, and
boarded together for a number of years. He says he knew every act of
Lincoln's life up to the time he (Jeeter) left Illinois, a few years
before Mr. Lincoln's nomination for the Presidency. I was helping Jeeter
build a house for himself when we received the news of Mr. Lincoln's
nomination; that is why we came to speak so particularly about him.
"Mr. Jeeter told me that Mr. Lincoln was not a believer in the Christian
religion; that is, he did not believe the Bible was an inspired work,
nor that Jesus Christ was the son of God. 'Nevertheless,' said Mr.
Jeeter,' he was one of the most honest men I ever knew. If I had a
million dollars I wouldn't be afraid to trust it to Lincoln without
the scratch of a pen, I know the man so well.' Mr. Jeeter was a strong
believer in the Christian religion and a mem-bier of the Cumberland
Presbyterian church, and a very fine and reliable man."
FREDERICK HEATH.
The following is from an article on Lincoln by Mr. Frederick Heath, of
Milwaukee, Wis.:
"Two years ago I was associated with Major Geo. H. Norris, a wealthy
orange-grower of Florida, in that state, and was in a degree his
_confidant_. In earlier years, while a lawyer in Illinois, Major Norris
(he was at one time mayor of Ottawa, Ill.) was quite closely associated
with Mr. Lincoln, and he gave me to understand that Mr. Lincoln was an
extreme skeptic. They were thrown together a good deal at Springfield,
where they were trying cases before the supreme court. Lincoln would
frequently keep them from sleep by his stories and arguments, and
frequently spoke of religious matters in a way that showed he was
convinced of the delusion of faith. I wish I could quote the Major's
words as to Lincoln's remarks on religion, but will not venture to frame
them, as this is a subject that demands truth and exactness."
REV. EDWARD EGGLESTON.
When Lincoln went to New York in the winter of 1860, to deliver his
Cooper Institute address, he had occasion to remain over Sunday in that
city. At the suggestion of a friend, he visited the famous Five Points,
and attended a Sunday-school where the spawn of New York's worst
inhabitants to the number of several hundred were assembled. Importuned
for a speech, he made a few remarks to the children, and the fact was
published in the papers. The idea of this Infidel politician addressing
a Sunday-school was so ludicrous that it caused much merriment among
his friends at Springfield. When he returned home one of them,
probably Colonel Matheny, called on him to learn what it all meant.
The conversation that followed, including Lincoln's explanation of
the affair, is thus related by the noted preacher and author, Edward
Eggleston: "He started for 'Old Abe's' office; but bursting open the
door impulsively, found a stranger in conversation with Mr. Lincoln. He
turned to retrace his steps, when Lincoln called out, 'Jim! What do you
want?' 'Nothing.' 'Yes, you do; come back.'
"After some entreaty Jim approached Mr. Lincoln, and remarked, with a
twinkle in his eye, 'Well, Abe, I see you have been making a speech to
Sunday-school children. What's the matter?' 'Sit down, Jim, and I'll
tell you all about it.' And with that Lincoln put his feet on the stove
and began: 'When Sunday morning came, I didn't know exactly what to do.
Washburne asked me where I was going. I told him I had nowhere to go;
and he proposed to take me down to the Five Points Sunday-school, to
show me something worth seeing. I was very much interested by what
I saw. Presently, Mr. Pease came up and spoke to Mr. Washburne, who
introduced me. Mr. Pease wanted us to speak. Washburne spoke, and then I
was urged to speak. I told them I did not know anything about talking to
Sunday-schools, but Mr. Pease said many of the children were friendless
and homeless, and that a few words would do them good. Washburne said
I must talk. And so I rose to speak; but I tell you, Jim, I didn't know
what to say. I remembered that Mr. Pease said that they were homeless
and friendless, and I thought of the time when I had been pinched
by terrible poverty. And so I told them that I had been poor; that I
remembered when my toes stuck out through my broken shoes in winter;
when my arms were out at the elbows; when I shivered with the cold. And
I told them there was only one rule.
"That was, always do the very best you can. I told them that I had always
tried to do the very best I could; and that, if they would follow
that rule, they would get along somehow. That was about what I said'"
(Every-Day Life of Lincoln, pp. 322, 323).
The foregoing is significant. Lincoln was not an advocate of
Sunday-schools. He had probably never visited one before. As generally
conducted, he regarded them as simply nurseries of superstition. He
could not indorse the religious ideas taught in them, and he was
not there that day to antagonize them. As a consequence, this ready
talker--this man who had been making speeches all his life--was, for
the first time, at a loss to know what to say. He could not talk to them
about the Bible--he could not tell them that "it is the best gift which
God has given to man"--that "all the good from the Savior of the world
is communicated to us through this book"--that "but for this book we
could not know right from wrong"--he could not tell them how Jesus had
died for little children, and all this, because he did not believe it.
But he obeyed his own life-long rule, did the best he could under the
embarrassing circumstances, and gave them a little wholesome advice
entirely free from the usual Sunday-school cant.
REV. ROBERT COLLYER.
Robert Collyer states that Lincoln, just before he was elected
President, visited the office of the Chicago _Tribune_, and picking up a
volume of Theodore Parker's writings, turned to Dr. Ray and remarked: "I
think that I stand about where that man stands."
ALLEN THORNDIKE RICE.
The lamented Allen Thorndike Rice, whose brilliant editorial management
of the _North American Review_ has placed this periodical in the front
rank of American magazines, in his Introduction to the "Reminiscences
of Lincoln," says: "The Western settlers had no respect for English
traditions, whether of Church or of State. Accustomed all their lives to
grapple with nature face to face, they thought and they spoke, with all
the boldness of unrestrained sincerity, on every topic of human interest
or of sacred memory, without the slightest recognition of any right
of external authority to impose restrictions, or even to be heard in
protest against their intellectual independence. As their life developed
the utmost independence of creed and individuality, he whose originality
was the most fearless and self-contained was chief among them. Among
such a people, blood of their blood and bone of their bone, differing
from them only in stature, Abraham Lincoln arose to rule the American
people with a more than kingly power, and received from them a more than
feudal loyalty."
So eager is the church for proofs of Lincoln's piety that the most
incredible anonymous story in support of this claim is readily accepted
and published by the religious press as authentic history. By this means
the masses have gradually come to regard Lincoln as a devout Christian.
It is evident that Mr. Rice had these fabulous tales in mind when he
wrote the following: "Story after story and trait after trait, as varying
in value as in authenticity, has been added to the Lincolniana, until
at last the name of the great war President has come to be a biographic
lodestone, attracting without distinction or discrimination both the
true and the false."
ROBERT C. ADAMS.
The noted author, Capt. Robert C. Adams, of Montreal, Can., says: "It is
significant that in political revolution it is the Freethinker who is
usually the leader. Franklin, Paine, Jefferson, Washington, were the
chief founders of the American Republic, and _Lincoln presided at its
second birth_ Mazzini and Garibaldi are the heroes of United Italy;
Rousseau, Voltaire, and Victor Hugo have been the chief inspirers of
Democratic France "(_New Ideal_).
THEODORE STANTON
In the _Westminster Review_ for September, 1891, Mr. Stanton had an
article discussing the moral character and religious belief of Abraham
Lincoln. Of his religious belief, he says: "If Lincoln had lived and died
an obscure Springfield lawyer and politician he would unquestionably
have been classed by his neighbors among Freethinkers. But, as is
customary with the church, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, when
Lincoln became one of the great of the world an attempt was made to
claim him. In trying to arrive at a correct comprehension of Lincoln's
theology this fact should be borne in mind in sifting the testimony.
"Another very important warping influence which should not be lost
sight of was Lincoln's early ambition for political preferment. Now, the
shrewd American politician with an elastic conscience joins some
church, and is always seen on Sunday in the front pews. But the shrewd
politician who has not an elastic conscience--and this was Lincoln's
case--simply keeps mum on his religious views, or, when he must touch on
the subject, deals only in platitudes."
After citing the testimony of many of Lincoln's friends, Mr. Stanton
concludes: "A man about whose theology such things can be said is of
course far removed from orthodoxy. It may even be questioned whether he
is a Theist, whether he is a Deist. That he is a Freethinker is evident;
that he is an Agnostic is probable."
GEO. M. CRIE.
In the _Open Court_ for Nov. 26, 1891, Mr. McCrie contributes an article
on "What Was Abraham Lincoln's Creed?" Concerning Lincoln's allusions
to God, he says: "A Deity thus shelved or not shelved, according to the
dictates of political expediency, or of individual opinion as to the
'propriety' of either course is no Deity at all. He is as fictional as
the 'John Doe' or 'Richard Roe' of a legal writ, and anyone making use
of such a creation--the puppet, not the parent, of his own Egoity--is
supposed to know with what he is dealing. Orthodox religionism may well
despair of Abraham Lincoln as of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin,
or President Jefferson."
GEN. M. M. TRUMBULL
Gen. Trumbull, of Chicago, in the _Open Court_ of Dec. 3,1891,
writes: "The religion that begs the patronage of presidents doubts its
own theology, for the true God needs not the favor of men.... Some of
his [Lincoln's] tributes to Deity are merely rhetorical emphasis, but
others were not. Cicero often swore 'By Hercules,' as in the oration
against Catiline, although he believed no more in Hercules than Abraham
Lincoln believed in any church-made God."
REV. DAVID SWING, D.D.
In a sermon on "Washington and Lincoln," the most eminent and popular
divine of Chicago, Dr. Swing, said:
"It is often lamented by the churchmen that Washington and Lincoln
possessed little religion except that found in the word 'God.' All that
can here be affirmed is that what the religion of those two men lacked
in theological details it made up in greatness. Their minds were born
with a love of great principles.... There are few instances in which
a mind great enough to reach great principles in politics has been
satisfied with a fanatical religion.... It must not be asked for
Washington and Lincoln that, having reached greatness in political
principles, they should have loved littleness in piety."
REV. JENKIN LLOYD JONES.
The Rev. J. Lloyd Jones, one of Chicago's most eloquent divines, in a
sermon preached in All Souls Church, Dec. 9, 1888, gave utterance to the
following:
"Are there not thousands who have loved virtue who did not accept Jesus
Christ in any supernatural or miraculous fashion, who if they knew of
him at all knew of him only as the Nazarine peasant--the man Jesus? Such
was Abraham Lincoln, the tender prophet of the gospel of good will upon
earth; Charles Sumner, the great apostle of human liberty; Gerrit Smith,
the St. John of political reform; William Ellery Channing, our sainted
preacher; Theodore Parker, the American Luther, hurling his defiance at
the devils of bigotry; John Stuart Mill and Harriet Martineau--yes, to
take an extreme case, the genial and over-satirical Robert G. Ingersoll,
are among those who love goodness and foster nobility, though they have
no clear vision into futurity and confess no other lordship in him of
Nazareth save the dignity of aim and tenderness of life."
REV. JOHN W. CHADWICK.
In an address delivered in Tremont Temple, Boston, May 30, 1872, the
Rev. John W. Chadwick, of Brooklyn, N. Y., referring to the proposed
religious amendment to the Constitution of the United States, said: "Of
the six men who have done most to make America the wonder and the joy
she is to all of us, not one could be the citizen of a government so
constituted; for Washington and Franklin and Jefferson, certainly the
three mightiest leaders in our early history, were heretics in their
day, Deists, as men called them; and Garrison and Lincoln and Sumner,
certainly the three mightiest in these later times, would all be
disfranchised by the proposed amendment.
"Lincoln could not have taken the oath of office had such a clause been
in the Constitution."