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Powell, George May (1835-1905) Politics in the Pulpit

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00687.195 Author/Creator: Powell, George May (1835-1905) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph manuscript signed Date: Circa 1885-1905 Pagination: 7 p. ; 20.6 x 14.2 cm. Order a Copy

Because the pulpit is the center of ethics, politics should be openly discussed, a practice not often used in the U.S. He uses examples of the poor pay of coal miners, partisan ring rule, and historical political preacher/leaders of the Revolution. "The pulpit is the pivot on which our national life is turning."

Powell was a Lincoln supporter and served as a statistician in the Treasury Department during the Civil War. Active in religious work as a young man, he was the secretary and manager of the Evangelistic Press Association and led a topographical corps through Egypt and North Africa to create Sunday School maps of Palestine and the Holy Land. Powell participated in the American Forestry Commission, the Grange and Patrons of Husbandry, the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and the National Geographic Society. He was active in Sabbath reform work.

Powell, George May, 1835-1905

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