Young Men’s Christian Association of Albany, New York
Albany, undated
To the honorable William H. Seward, Secretary of State, United States of America.
At a meeting of the board of directors of the Young Men’s Christian Association of the city of Albany, State of New York, the following expression was adopted with reference to the recent national calamity:
- I.
- God has laid his hand on us, as a nation, sorely, in removing by a sudden and terrible death our beloved Chief Magistrate, Abraham Lincoln. We bow beneath the stroke with resignation, yet with deep sorrow. We supplicate His grace to sanctify the mysterious dispensation to our people, that we may be enabled to look unto Him in the hour of darkness, and confide the interests of this great nation to His paternal care.
- II.
- The hand of the assassin has sought also to lay low the President’s chief adviser, William H. Seward, the honored son of our own State. We see in these crimes the legitimate fruit of that treason whose seed was planted in secession, and whose growth it has cost the nation four years of bitter struggle to uproot. We believe that God has a great work for Christians to do, in educating the rising generation to right sentiments of loyalty to our government and its free institutions.
- III.
- As members of the Young Men’s Christian Association, we renew to President Johnson the pledge we made to his lamented predecessor. We will pray God to sustain him in the arduous duties of his office, and give him wisdom, so to direct the affairs of the government in this time of peculiar perplexity, that our nation’s integrity may be secured, and peace in righteousness once more smile on our land.
- JOHN E. PAGE, President.
- JAMES H. THOMAS, Secretary.