Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-06-11
The EXERCISES IN HE EVENING

bieRatlOE Win the blessing.
THE EXERCISES IN THE EVENING.
Regular Service Followed by Hon.
William Writ Henry's Address.
Long before the appointed hour for the
commencement of the evening services
the church was again filed TO overhowing.
MANY. prominent persons from other sec
tons OF the city we're in attendance, in
| Guiding Mayor Ellyson. Mr.. Joseph G.
Dickerson, president of the Board Of Al
dermen Messrs. PeytOn Darlington, John
L. Williams. Rufus Yarbrough, James
Lyon, and James Aston Cabell Several
members of the Council were in attend
ance.
II was expected that Bishop White
would be present. but he was indisposed
and unable 70 attend. Assistant Bishop
Randolph was also expected. but on ac-
count OF having to leave the city was also
absent
The clergy participating in the exercises
( were Rev. L. w. Burton, the rector, Rev.
DR.. Powers, Rev. j. j. Clopton, and Rev.
/ Everard Meade.
Promptly at 8 o'clock Mr.. Burton an
/ nounced the opening hymn, 20 God, our
/ help In ages past" which was sung with
/ pathos by the immense assembly. This
was followed by the usual evening service.
The ofertory, as in the morning, was for
| the mission work of Weddell- Memorial
| chapel.
THE ORATOR PRESENTED.
/ In a few sentences Rev. Mr.. Burton pre-
( sented TO the audience the distinguished
/ orator of the occasion, Hon. William Writ
Henry, LII. d., whose address was a chaste,
! instructive, and interesting as well as high
! ly entertaining effort, and will be o valu-
able contribution TO Virginia history. He
| opened by saying:
| Few buildings in our land have with
| stood the varied casualties of time for
/ 100 years; very few have remained for $50
years We would fain believe that q
/ special Providence has watched over and
preserved this frail wooden structure since
] l74l, when il was erected, and kept il as a
sacred shrine where piety and patriotism
| have mingled their devOtiOns. 10 ls most
| appropriate that this generation should be
reminded of its history by these exercises,
and their veneratiOn be quickened in re-
/ calling the important events in Church
and State of which 1t stands as a witness.
! In attempting to perform the part allotted
/ 10 me on this interesting occasion shall
! be forced to take but hurried view of the
civil events aud of the distinguished actors
! IL them which have made this the most
/ memorable building which remains in our
/ State. Any attempt to do full justice to
! the subject would far transcend the limits
! cf an address and would reach the proper
! tions of a volume.
/ Mr.. Henry now quoted from the vestry-
book the record Of a meeting held Decem-
Der 20, 1888, at which, as fully published IN
last Sundays DISPATCH. it was decided to
build church 60 feet long by 20 broad.
The correspondence between Richard Ran
dolph, gentleman, and W. Byrd relative TO
the site, as well as the proceedings OF sub
sequent vestry-meetngs, was also out
lined. Continuing, the speaker said:
CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY.
These entries mark the erection and en-
largement of the venerable building. the
whose existence we are this day met to
celebrate.
Let us turn the clock of time back $50
years and contemplate for few moments
our surroundings.
Frederick H., afterward known as Fred
erick the Great, had just mounted the
throne of Prussia and without provOca-
ton had made an attack upon Austria,
! which proved TO he the signal for gen
eral European war lasting seven years and
known in history as the war of the Austrian
| succession. as il involved the right OF Maria
Theresa to the throne of Austria The dis
solute Louis XIV. was king Of France and
the corruptiOns of the nobility and priests,
together with their expressions of the
peasantry. were fast klndling the sulphu-
rous flames which burst forth IN terrible
revolution in the last of the century. His
nephew, Philip of Anjou, was king OF Spain,
and thus the two kingdoms were linked
together by Bourbon rulers. Peter the
| Great was in his grave and his daughter
Elizabeth ruled over the people he had
elevated &c. a position among the great
kingdoms of the world.
George ii. was in the midst Of his long
reign in England and was taking sides
with his nephew, Frederic of Prussia. The
strife raging in Europe had extended TO
| America. where the English were at war
with the Spanish and French. Thus all
the world, so far as Virginia was brought
in contact with 1t, was at war.
The political armament of England was
UNDERGOING important changes; The cor
rupting influence of the celebrated Sir
Robert Walpole was on the decline, and
| William Pitt was rising into prominence,
and already acknowledged to be the great
est of British orators, was soon TO prove
himself the greatest of English ministers.
Dissent from the established Church
was growing apace, the first step towards
religious liberty having been taken IN the
act of Parliament, 1853, granting religious
| liberation. John Wesley and George
Whitefeld were stirring the religious
world to its depths, and founding what is
now one of the strongest OF religious de-
nominations.
yIRGTNIA's LITERATURE.
In nothing was Virginia more depend
! ent on England than IN literature. Pope
and Swift had finished their hfe-work,
and were rapidly Fastening TO their
graves. Samuel johnson was growing IN
reputation, but still struggling with pow
erty. Defoe Richardson, Fielding,
Thompson. Ramsey, Addison, and steele
had won commanding positions IN English
literature. and delighted the Nirginians
no less than the residents of England with
the productions of their pens.
Hogarth was giving TO the world those
inimitable drawings satlrlzlng vice when
have immOrtalized HIM.
Du Fay had by his experiments lately
brought into notice the study OF cleo
tricity. soon to be taken up and greatly
enlarged by BENJAMIN Franklin, and de-
stined TO grow in importance TIL now man.
kind utilize the subtle fluid IN the genera
ton of heat, light, and locomotlon.
Kepler and Newton had not been long
in their graves, the first having with al
most incredible labor and patience dis
covered the laws which regulate the mo-
tions of the heavenly bodies, and the sec
ond having added the great discoverle'
extorted from Nature her dearest secret
and laid the foundation for the wonderful
knowledge we have of astronomy anc
natural philosophy; ~
John Locke had performed the same
office for moral philosophy III his memora
bile ESSAY on the human understanding
and Bishop Butler had erected an impene
trable buiwark to Christianity IN bis I'M
mortal Analogy"
AN INTERESTING PERIOD.
At home we find ourselves in the mids
of a most interesting period william
Gooch was Governor of Virginia. whlel
contained say 375, 600 inhabitants, OF whom
about l75,OO0 were slaves: lie had JUS
agreed that the Scotch-Irish might SETTLE
he valley and enjoy religious liberty, uTn
der which agreement a bold strain OF ina
hardy race soon poured down the valley
and overlooked the Alleghanies, not only
protecting the eastern settlements IRON
the savage foe. but i'll few years control
ling the political destinies of the Colony;
a band of 400 Virginians commanded 10y
the Governor. had just returned from th'
disastrous expedition against the city
Gortharini. where the discord between
IJro;roi Vernon. commanding the EngllSt