CLEAR LINES LAST:

The Intellectual Origins of Ronald Reagan's Faith (Paul Kengor, Ph.D., April 30, 2004, Heritage Lecture)

It is interesting that for a man not considered an intellectual, two authors were fundamental to influencing Reagan's most intimate thoughts. Ronald Reagan's two favorite books--not coincidentally--both happened to have a profound effect on him spiritually. One was a 1903 book titled That Printer of Udell's, by a minister-novelist named Harold Bell Wright. The other was by Whittaker Chambers, who, in 1952, penned his book, Witness. [...]

As an adult, Ronald Reagan was asked his favorite book as a child growing up in Dixon, Illinois, in the 1920s. He said the book that "made a lasting impression on me at about the age of 11 or 12, mainly because of the goodness of the principal character," was one "I'm sure you never heard of." The book was That Printer of Udell's: A Story of the Middle West, written by Harold Bell Wright in 1903.

He also mentioned this work in his memoirs when speaking of his "heroes." He called Udell's a "wonderful book about a devout itinerant Christian," which "made such an impact on me that I decided to join my mother's church." In a letter he wrote from the White House to Harold Bell Wright's daughter-in-law, he added:

It is true that your father-in-law's book, indeed books, played a definite part in my growing-up years. When I was only ten or eleven years old, I picked up Harold Bell Wright's book, That Printer of Udell's [Reagan's underline for emphasis]... and read it from cover to cover....

That book ... had an impact I shall always remember. After reading it and thinking about it for a few days, I went to my mother and told her I wanted to declare my faith and be baptized. We attended the Christian Church in Dixon, and I was baptized several days after finishing the book.

The term, "role model," was not a familiar term in that time and place. But I realize I found a role model in that traveling printer whom Harold Bell Wright had brought to life. He set me on a course I've tried to follow even unto this day. I shall always be grateful.

Udell's first words are "O God, take ker o' Dick!" This was the final plea of the broken-hearted, dying mother of the novel's protagonist, Dick Walker. Little Dickie's mother was a committed Christian who suffered at the hands of a horrible creature--an alcoholic, abusive spouse. In the opening scene, Dick's mom succumbs as his father lies passed out on the floor in a drunken stupor.

Young Dick escapes. He immediately runs away from home, and eventually becomes a tramp in Boyd City. No one will hire him, including the Christians he appeals to in a brave, moving moment when he wanders into a church, attracted by the music, words, and warmth his late mom had described to him. The young vagabond goes inside for inspiration and guidance. He knows from what his mother taught him that this is a good place--a place of refuge and stability that he can count on. Like Reagan, Dick's mom conditioned him to find comfort in God. At church--with God--he found an anchor.

This church scene is a pivotal part of the book. Here he learns about the church, himself, and "fake" versus "real," or "practical," Christianity. A practical Christian is one that would give Dick a job. And one such Christian does just that: A man named George Udell hires him as a printer, beginning for Dick somewhat of a Horatio Alger path to personal and spiritual improvement and fulfillment. Dick becomes a prominent player in the church and the community--a man of action.

That Printer of Udell's is an evangelical novel. Today, it might only find a spot in fiction sections of Christian bookstores. It features chapters with titles like "Philippians 4:8." This section of the New Testament emphasizes the importance of prayer for "everything" and, in Christ's words, exhorts Christians: "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice." Reagan himself would later say that the novel made him "a practical Christian."

The novel's clear lines of right and wrong left a mark on Dutch Reagan. More than fifty years after reading Udell's, he reminisced that it--and other books from his youth--left him with "an abiding belief in the triumph of good over evil." These books, he said, contained "heroes who lived by standards of morality and fair play." There was no doubt about good and bad guys, and no moral equivalency.

Don't most of us have such a book?

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 8, 2004 7:27 AM