The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-04-24
THEIR RELIGIOUS LIFE.
EET. G. n. BRYdN on rms FEATURE
or THE COLONY.
Highly Instructive Address Before the As
GINA Antiquities-ClosinG Lecture.

attendance was lliec IN view OF tho fact
that there were quite a number Of coun-
tcr Attractions in the city.
Hon. ". w. Henry. who first address
ed The audience. in a few appropriate
remarks introduced the Rev. C.. Braxton
Bryan. of Hampton. who delivered a
highly interesting ana instructive lecture
ON The subject. Religious Life IN the
colony Iio commanded the undivided
attention of those present for about an
hour and "a quarter speaking in part as
Follows
THE ADDRESS
After a brief introduction the reverend
gentleman said he chose the topic OF
Religious Life In Colonial Virginia. be-
cause lately every other phase OF Colo
NAL life had been fully and ably treated
The religious life Of Colonial Virginia
was hat "a phase of tho life of the Church
or England modified by the circumstances
or tho colony and the conditions Of the
now world. hc said
lie thought that 10 get q Just idea
Of 10 ono should remember the difference
in the religious world in the days Of
Queen Elizabeth and King James l., and
these days
The state Of religion I'm England in
these days was reviewed hy tho speaker
and he told of the parties into via ch lre-
fish ChrstendOm was broken up hy tho
reformation and which were then I'm the
field namely the reformed English
Church Of Romanlsts. and the luritans
or Prcsbytcrlaus.
lilo did not think our fathers tangled
tho skcin of human lfc but b. came into
their hands tangled skcin 10y inheri-
lance. and we may ask ourselves is our
thread yet quite straight?
II was an heroic age heroic i'm its
characters its questions its struggles
and It's remedies inc continued, and out
Of this complex state the first elements
or our own beloved State were launch
"a December 10. 1000.
Tie Thought that this beginning repre-
sentod tho ruling and conservative eie-
monts oI the country from which IL anne
and that 10 continued 10 do so longer. and
On greater degree than any other colony
Mr. Bryan believed that surely the
greatest contrasts are exhibited between
our religious ideas and our wrctchcd tail-
ures in realizing them.
Robert Hunt was the chosen pastor. an
honest. religious. courageous divine, as
Smith declared had great and salutary
Influence with the cOlonists, sharing all
hazards and hardships with them.
THE EARLY SCENES.
The speaker told of the early scenes Of
Vireinia's religious story and OF
the first celebration of the Holy
Communion on our shores on
July o. 1907. the third Sunday
after Trinity and how they had morning
prayer daily and how when the starving
time came they kept the wine for ;he
Holy Sacrament. lie also told of the
deeds Of Smith and Percy and DE La
War;. and of Dale.
Then he spoke Of the good and devoted
cicrgymen who followed Hunt for ffifen
years. OF Whitaker and Richard Buckle.
and Meas4 Keith Wickham. Macock.
Glover. and Bargrave In most interesting
fashion.
Mr.. Bryan referred TO the foundations
OF the religious life of tho colony, show
Ga how they were laid. and spoke OF the
forces which weakened and disintegrated
tho work Of religion In Virginia. result
,r.. in a low condition Of religious life
throughout the colony, and I'm an almost
complete reputation Of the discipline and
worship Of me Church of England.
The causes of the breaking of the ranks
were alluded 10 by the lecturer who
dwelt briefly upon the Indian massacre
of March 1922 and its effects. pointed
out the influence and results Of the negro
problem as 10 faced tho colonial people,
ard referred TO the difficulties and bur
dcns that were the outcome Of efforts 10
Christianize the negro. "'rhe Church may
have been open 10 the negro, said the
speaker "but the negro was not open
90 the Church"
II was impossible that the introduction
~ negro slavery into an English com
munity which had no such inheritance
could be other than heavy strain ON
the morals and religion Of the commun-
ity said De-.
THEIR ISOLATED LIFE.
The speaker also dweit at some length
upon the strong negative force arising
from the isolated character of the life
of tho planters. contrasting the life I'm
English cities and villages with that i'm
urimeval Virginia and he showed how
the freedom of out-Of-door Ifc. and the
oasv-coing manners and customs Of the
Nirginians devel0r ed q noted hospitality
and afforded the Englishman OF low de-
gree not only a new field for work, but
one whore by industry and endurance he
might become q free holder As the low
CT classes took plantations and abodcs
farther and farther back from the rivers
they were learning independence IN a
rough school but not much more. All
sorts ~ mixed emigration came TO Nir-
rluia. the quality being varied chiefly 10y
The political cXigoncics az home Fewer
Romanisis than any other sort came.
and The most determining quality of set-
tiers We're the Royalists who came during
the CrOmwellian period and afterwards
"Whtn We inquire what provision was
made for the religious welfare Of this
very mixed and generally scattered and
secluded population. 10 becomes evident
that from the nrst 10 WAS scant and pre-
Carious. 10 was no easy thing for any
bishop 10 get missionaries FOR Virginia.
The problem became more difficult every
way as the colony took permanent char
acter The clorgymcr who came flom
England, Scotland. ireland. and France
received their m'arios ia tobacco n uni
form rates OF 1000 pounds per year. but
with a varied money yaiu. from 80 90
80 pounds sterling. Everything turned ON
the tobacco. The preachers and parishes
were ratel TO some extent at least ace
cording 20 the capacity az the tobacco
land.
4 Low STANDARD.
Nj. Bryan referred to the writched
quality NJ many who came 20 Virginia
0s Ciergymeu. The work was unor-1n
tied. aul there was little discipline. The
Conscience Of The nart)ns and Wariens
regulated the ecclesiastical Jaws passed
IN the FIRST years OF fhc House Of Bur-
fesses 20 no little extent The Commits
sary Blair hal ID healthy influence. His
energy secured the building of the coll
legc. and IN 1928 DE made returns Of an-
swers from twonty-oisht parishes 20 ques-
lions put by the Bishop OF London t0 tie
ministers.
A. some length the lecturer dwoit uuon
the disadvantage IN the way OF location.