Show GREELEY threatened TO PRAY an incident ut of a r oto ilet of t ilia arco 6 boll 0 11 barty in saratoga to those who w ho have come to saratoga tor for a number of years it has become fal nil I 1 of reminiscences anil and 0 of memories freshly awakened hy tho old haunts AV c looked looke U at ft a spot on the piazza 0 of one 0 of tho the largo large hotels at which ft a group of men were wont to gather IK in the evening long iong years ago tho the writer was tha the youngest of 0 the com pany an and though not the oldest the of them was dr horace bushnell Bus linell of hartford artford ir then in his fils splendid prime prinie the freo free soil soll party was starting into existence and to consolidate and enlarge the party part y in the detate of new york a convention was held in saratoga Sar atoma followed by a mass meeting la in tho the weds woods adjacent to congress fe pring horace greeley wag was the animating spirit of the movement and on the platform of the mass meeting tho white coat and the white face of the famous editor were conspicuous the managers of the infant party which was fetting up its banner as a party of high moral ideas bought sought for it tho the benefit of clergy and asked dr bushnell to ope open n the meeting in the woods with prayer 1 he le declined and advised the gentleman who brought the request to secure the tile services of kev liev dr cheever who was then in saratoga and who lie thought had bad taken up a tion on tho the crowing iti antislavery controversy in advance of his own and a nd therefore could more earnestly pray in III their beh beli alf both divines were however on the platform at tho the mass inam meeting as the people gathered about it for F or some reason not riot explained eap exp bained dr cheever che ver slipped dipped r away avray from the platform into tho the surrounding woods dr bushnell saw the tile movement and we went nt into tho the woods in another direction meanwhile chile all preliminaries were attended to toa 1 president and secretary elected and installed in their places ard when the president stepped forward and said the meeting will vill be opened with prayer by b y the t h e kev rev dr Clie Clice ever ver of new york and turned to where as ho lie supposed suppose dr cheever was sitting frit ting dr cheever was ivas not there to relieve his embarrassment some one near who was ignorant of tho the situation spoke a few words in his car and an d accepting c the information as correct he lie turned again to the and audience lence and a nd said dr cheever is not pre present tent but I 1 have the pleasure of saying that prayer will be made in do by tho the rev dr bushnell of hartford he ile looked on the rank of men behind him but dr bushnell was not riot to bo be seen the chairman recovered from tho the double embarrassment sufficiently to say As our of the tile clergy seem reluctant to favor us with their service swe we will 1111 have to proceed without prayer in the evening of the same day the usual group assembled in a corner of the tile piazza plazz a of congress hall dr bushnell was ivas the there but said nothing of the afternoons mere meeting or of liis his quiet disappearance disappear an cc from the scene suddenly some ono one came bustling along and in quick emphatic tones said dr bushnell do you know what horace greeley of you 1 I no said dr and I 1 care little 11 well said the man ho he says that the tile next time you and others refuse to pray for their free soil meetings hero here a vigorous oath of the wrathful editor was ivas inserted se ted he lie will pray himself 1 I hope bobill bo will said dr Du bushnell shuell and for himself too presbyterian |