4

father was not a religious man and although he did not openly scoff
at Christianity as so many of his contemporaries {insert: did,} he. made no
effort to provide his children with a religious up-bringing and
Leonidas had little chance of finding elsewhere what he failed
to find at home. Just at theat time {struckthrough: fate was directing} {added: there came} into
Polk's life the influence and friendship of a man who until the
end of his career was to exercise a very great influence {struckthrough: on} {added: upon} him.

In 1825 John C. Calhoun, then Secretary of War{added: ,} appointed
as Chaplain of West Point the Rev. Chas. P. McIlvaine. He
hesitated to accept the post for two reasons, his you{struckthrough: ng; added: th,} and the
well known prevalence of unbelief at the Academy. But a sense
of duty impelled him to go. He found {insert symbol: that} religious conditions of
the Point had not been painted in too gloomy terms. The officers
were polite and friendly but no one of them wouldprofess the
least interest in religion. He saw the cadets only in Chapel
and was unable to{struckthrough: c} gain the friendship of any of them{added: ,} for they
avoided him studiously for fear that they might be considered
{added: "}religious.{added"} Even in chapel they spent their time reading or
sleeping{added: ,} but {struckthrough: he} {added: McIlvaine} was known throughout his life as a great preacher
and no doubt he touched the hearts and minds of the cadets more
than they were willing to admit. {Struckthrough: Many} {Added: Several} accounts have been given
of Polk's conversion but I have {struckthrough: in my possession} an account {added: of it}
written by McIlvaine{added: ,} then Bishop of Ohio{added: ,} to Bishop Quintard
bearing the date of December 1868 and these are the true facts:

It seems that a certain cadet had promised his father
when he wnt to the Point that he would call on the Chaplain.
Through neglect and fear of {added: the} disapproval of his fellow students
he put it off until after his father's death and then{added: ,} on a
Sunday evening{added: ,} knocked {struckthrough: on} {added: at} the Chaplain's door. {Added: In the more than a year he had been there this} was the