It was the very antithesis of insincerity. His whole spirit abounded with buoyant good nature, and the tranquillity of his temper, unflagging patience, generous disposition and never-failing courtesy rendered him equally agreeable in all the relations of his life and particularly was he companionable in the retirement of his home and in the presence of intimate friends. Although a slaveholder he was not an ad mirer of the system. He earnestly wished that it might be totally eradicated, but he did not favor immediate emancipation which might involve the retention of the negro population in the locality where they had served their term of bondage. He strenu ously supported a scheme then attracting some attention for voluntary deportation, which was proposed by what was known as the Colonization Society. In his will he made provision for one of his slaves, his body servant, whom he designates as "my faithful servant, Robbin." He directed his emancipation if the latter should choose to "conform to the laws on that subject requir ing that he should leave the State, or if permission can be obtained for his continu ing to reside in it." * Л word should be said as to his religious convictions. Indeed, in times past so much has been said that if the half were true he had no religion at all. But would you not call a man religious who said the Lord's Prayer every day? And the prayer he learned at his mother's knee went down with him to the grave. He was a constant and lib eral contributor to the support of the Epis copal Church. He never doubted the fact of the Christian revelation, but he was not convinced of the fact of the divinity of Christ till late in life. Then, after refusing privately to commune, he expressed a desire to do so publicly, and was ready and willing to do so when opportunity should be had. The cir cumstances of his death only forbade it. In all his life previously he was a constant at1 Mr. Chief Justice Potter.
tendant upon the worship of the church. He kneeled down in the presence of all the peo ple. He was an example of reverence to all his children. He encouraged their joining the church. Like many men, he waited until his mind was convinced, but, unlike many men, he was open to conviction — and God gave it to him with all the joy it afforded. But he was never professedly Unitarian, and he had no place in his heart for either an ancient or a modern agnosticism.1 The Chief Justice was not a communicant of any church, but was a regular attendant upon the services of the Episcopal Church. Until near the close of his life he entertained views held by the Unitarian denomination, but they were finally changed, and he was about to join himself with the church in which he had so long worshipped when over taken by his last sickness, and although he finally felt in full accord with the doctrines of that branch of the Christian church, he was prevented by sickness from formally entering into membership communion with it.» Chief Justice Marshall was a steadfast be liever in the truth of Christianity, as re vealed in the Bible. He was brought up in the Episcopal Church; and Bishop M cade, who knew him well, tells us that he was a constant and reverent worshipper in that church, and contributed liberally to its sup port, although he never became a communi cant. All else that we know of his personal relitrion is derived from the statements (as handed down by the good Bishop) of a daughter of the Chief Justice, who was much with him during the last months of his life. She said that her father told her he never went to bed without concluding his prayer by repeating the Lord's Prayer and the verse beginning, "Now I lay me down to sleep," which his mother had taught him when he О
1 Reverend W. Strother Jones, D.D., Trenton, NewJersey; a great-grandson of Chief Justice Marshall. • Mr. Chief Justice Potter.
