Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-05-22

ascended the pulpit and said:
There is God in history" But, to my
mind, one of the greatest of all marvels is
that myriads of men, each doing bis own
will, are all marching (unwillingly, it may
he towards the realization of the divine
idea. AS seeming antagonizing forces in
the heavens result in sublime harmony,
cannot think that it was mere coincidence
that the revival of letters and of tho arts,
the discovery of printing and OF the poiari-
ty of the needle Just succeeded the reforma-
ton of religion and just preceded tie dis
coyery of America. It looks as if the new
ideas and the new instruments of that era
demanded new world for their develop
ment. and as fulcrum for the new levers
which were to lift the old world out OF the
old routine and bring it under the influence
of serener heavens and OF an aWaklng
spring. The minds of meditatlve men were
expec,ant of great changes and OF new
world as the scene of them. The Old faple
of the Islands of the Blessed" OF the "Gol-
den Gardens of the Hesperldes," OF the
Lost Atlantis of Plato, and OF the "lngeno
Tellus" of Seneca were revived, ana more
remarkable still, James Harrington a little
later predicted and pictured a coming Tree
republic fairer than had yet been seen, which
he thought could not be realized IN Eng
land, but was reserved for the descenoan's
Of Enslishmen in a new Atlantis beyond the
| seas.
The discovery of America overturned the
yeographical systems of the ancients; the
opening of her mines produced revolution
in commerce the plantations Of her colo
MES gave land to the landless, home to
the adventurer, and an asylum to the exile
from ell lands, where each might lind
freer life and lresher nature. 1t disclosed
in omen field where truth and error might
have fair fight, and where Church and
State, which bad been so long leaning on
each other might, in contemplation OF
new world, fresh as it were from the hands
of the Creator, outgrow the letters which
impeded their progress, and ny tollsome
marches through the slough of despond and
over mountains of difficulty, with bleeding
feet at last reach that serene height on
which, according to the laureled poet of
England, Freedom sat of DID," and under
her inspiration accomplished q revolution
which had no parallel in the annals OF the
| world, and reared civil fabrics which had
no model on the face of the globe. AS COM
ing events cast their shadows before, it was
| I'll that events of so much magnitude should
have their appropriate heralds and attend.
auts.
Ia January, 1906 three frail barks left
| Downs, Eng, and af.er circuiLous voyage
were driven by storm into the capes OF
| Virginia on April 26, not knowing whittier
they went. They landed OIL the south cape
and erected cross, calling 1t Cape Henry,
after the son of King James.
| The speaker then spoke OF the explora'
| ton of the James, and the settlements found
ed at Cape Comfort NOW known as Old
Point Cumfoit), keconghtown Hampton) g.,
and, continuing their explorations up the
river, finally on the 18th OF May came to
"Paspehas county," where they moored
their ships to the trees in six fathoms OF
water, and on the 14th of May they landed
and laid the foundation of the first perma'
nent plantation of Englishmen on the con
liueut-the site of the first city, the first
parish and the first church, aud tho scene
of the first baptism, the nrst marriage, the
| first Holy Communion in His Majesty's An
Gent Colony and Dominion of Virginia, and
of the first Represen tative Assembly III
| America.
The speaker then gave au Interesting ac
count of The expedition up the river by Cap:
tains Newport, Smith. Archer and Percy to
discover the head of the river; their inter
views with the Indians at Weynoke their
arrival at the foot of the falls, where the
passage was Constructed By great, craggy
stones; the erection on Whit Sunday, May
"A, on the is|et at the foot of the falls, of Il
cross with this inscription, Jacob Rex,
1907" and in fit of loyalty, but with
wret ched taste, they changed the name of
he former Imperial Powhatan to Royal
James, prcclaiming King James of Eng land
| to have most right to 1t.
! The first public service was held 2lst OF
June in grove at Jamestown. The pulpit
| was plank nailed TO two trees. The seats
were unhewn logs. The congregation mum.
bered about one hundred. Fifty five were
set down as gentlemen and the remainder
as laborers, mechanics, bricklayers, smiths
and barber. The minister, Rev. Herbert
Hunt, read the first church service, preach
ed the first sermon, and administered the
first Holy Communion to worsbippers kneel
ing upon their mother earth. The wilder
ness whose awful silence had hitherto been
unbroken save by the warhoops of the To-
dams, the scream of the eagle and the voices
of other wild birds and beasts, now resound
ed with the word of God and thus was in
augurated the Colonial Church of Virginia.
Dr. Slaughter then gave an interesting
history of the Colonial Church in Virginia
from 1854 to 1716, when Governor Spots
wood and his Knights of the Golden Horse
Shoe first lifted the blue veil which had
hitherto hidden from the eyes of the white
man the Valley of Virginia. How the wave
Of people poured through the passes, and
meeting tide of Scotch-Irish and Germans
from Pennsylvania blended with it; and the
course of the empire continued its west
ward way How in 1874 the county of
Orange, whose bounds were nominally the
utmost limits Of Virginia. was divided and
the counties of Frederick and Augusta were
formed. These in process of time were
broken up into other counties to keep pace
with the people, until the procession ter
minated in the county and parish of Ken
lucky.
Over Tidewater and Piedmontese sections
there still stand venerable monuments of
the grand march of the Colonial Church.
The ruined tower at Jamestown; old st.
Luke's, in Isle of Wight; St. Pau's, Nor
folk; st. Johns, Hampton; Christ, Williams
burg; Blandford, and Woods, and others too
Il III, l.,