Bessie's Religion
In the year 1914, Bessie converted to the evangelical Christian church of charismatic preacher Paul Rader. She later brought her husband Albert into the fold, and the two of them shared a close personal relationship with Rader, to the point of purchasing a home for him next door to their own mansion in Chicago, and Albert paying Rader's personal salary out of his own pocket so that Rader could remain above any possible suspicion of dipping into the funds donated to his church for good works.
Bessie was at least outwardly devoutly religious. She hosted her own religious radio show in Chicago directed towards the spiritual needs of the working woman, and also wrote articles for a religious newsletter published by Paul Rader. Bessie used a good deal of her time she spent at Scotty's Castle to write sermons that she would preach on Sundays. Among the employees hired to work on the construction of the castle, Bessie had a reputation for being overly staid, and possibly a bit crazy. Her sermons were said to be a "Torment", and were frequently more than two hours long. Bessie styled her preacher persona after that of evangelical darling Aimee Semple McPherson, wearing flowing white and red robes and a tiara during her sermons, and always carrying a Bible with a red ribbon in it.
Read more about this topic: Bessilyn Johnson
Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“Religion is this. They act as in religion that is to say they neither wait nor stay away. Religion is best as it is. If they like it at all they like it all, not only more than once but often.”
—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)