“The essay displays Machen’s love of freedom, his insightful vision, and his Christian concern for his fellow man. The trip itself shows his largeness of spirit, true ecumenicity, and his remarkable concern for the wider church. The dissolute 1920s and 1930s were not worthy of Machen. Neither are we. He was a man born too late, or (from our perspective) perhaps far too early. We could use a Machen today.” — read this piece by Brad on Machen’s summer of 1932 at the Heidelblog. The trip included a frenetic preaching schedule and Alpine climbing that included the Matterhorn.
Ironically, Mencken’s tribute to Machen contained this line: "Dr. Machen himself was to [William Jennings] Bryan as the Matterhorn is to a wart."
Machen himself later commented on the 1932 trip in
The Christian Faith in the Modern World, a compilation of 1935 radio addresses:
"To me nature speaks clearest in the majesty and beauty of the hills. One day in the summer of 1932 I stood on the summit of the Matterhorn in the Alps. Some people can stand there and see very little. Depreciating the Matterhorn is a recognized part of modern books on mountain climbing. The great mountain, it is said, has been sadly spoiled. Why, you can even see sardine cans on those rocks that so tempted the ambition of climbers in Whymper’s day. Well, I can only say that when I stood on the Matterhorn I do not remember seeing a single can. Perhaps that was partly because of the unusual masses of fresh snow which were then on the mountain; but I think it was also due to the fact that unlike some people I had eyes for something else. I saw the vastness of the Italian plain, which was like a symbol of infinity. I saw the snows of distant mountains. I saw the sweet green valleys far, far below, at my feet. I saw the whole glorious round of glittering peaks, bathed in an unearthly light. And as I see that glorious vision again before me now, I am thankful from the bottom of my heart that from my Mother’s knee I have known to whom all that glory is due."
The OPC has kept the Machen-Mountains ethos alive. And excellent info at the PCA Historical Center.
Thanks, Brad! When I read Machen's biography I was fascinated to see this side of his life. He truly was an extraordinary man.