The times., 1898-10-17
PILGRIMS TO JAMESTOWN
The Visit of the Episcopal
Bishops and Clergy.
THE ADDRESS OF DIR. McKIM
Impressive Services Are Held
In Which Pccahontns Lisped Her
First Vows of Faith in the God
Of the White Men.

Richmond, Va, Oct I6-UniqG. in the
history OF junkets was the pilgrimage of
the Episcopal bishops and clergy to the
sits of the first Protestant Episcopal
church in America.
From The lime the steamer left the
dock at Richmond yesterday morning and
started down The james River until
jamestown was reached. ninety miles be-
low, the delegates from the Episcopal
convention in Washington were in the
midst of panorama of scenes connected
with some Of the most notable events in
the colonial and later history of this
country. The battleiields of Grant dot
the river on either side between the capi-
tai and famous City Point, and. passing
that the vista opens upon more distant
past connected with the early settlement
OF this port Of America.
The climax of Interest for the day was
reached when the party arrived at James
town and stood upon the spot made
sacred by the Iabors and sufrerings of
the earliest church pioneers. Here devo-
tioual ceremonies were held around the
-uins of the edificc constructed of English
brick in l6l0-the church where Pocahon-
las was baptized and married, and where
the first communion was celebrated in
the English language in the Western
Hemisphere.
Pieces of the ancient communion plate
We're laid out for inspection. and relies
OF the church Militant of those days,
when a Christian carried his halbred and
gun as carefully as his bible, were dis
played.
Ii was = solemn and impressive cere-
mony Around the humble altar in the
woods. almost as crude as the first one
there erected and amid surroundings al
most rs primitiye-for Jamestown's site is
now a waste within comparative wilder
ness-ihe greatest dignitaries of the rich
and powerful Episcopal Church OF Amer
ica barred their heads in invocation fol-
lowing much the same ritual that was
used 81 years ago. Irnpressiveness was
lent to the ceremony by its simplicity, and
the anthem found echo in the leafy
branches. as TWO centuries ago.
Nothing remains of the original church
except = Gismantled tower. overgrown
with ig.. Nothing remains Of the settle
Inent except this and the ruins OF the old
House OF Burgesses, where the first leGis-
latiVe body in America assembled. the
tract Of land upon which jamestown IS
located is now an island, and the graves
of the first thousand or more persons who
died of starvation, disease and the arrows
of-the Indians have been washed into the
river The island is not populated. and
looks like the surrounding wilderness of
forest. The cottage of the careJaker and
his little patch of corn are all that break
the monotony OF the wild landscape.
Bishop Randolph officiated at the cere-
monies and made a brief speech of well
come. lie was followed by DR.. McKim, of
Washington. to whom had been delegated
the task of summarizing the history of
the early American church.
We come pilgrims today to a sacred
shrine" said DR.. Mckim. This spot
ought to be to every Christian AMI to
every American holy ground, for here. 2 /
years ago was planted by the right hand
of the Lord our God a vine of civilization.
liberty and religion which has spread
over this whole land.
If you seek the beginnings of Anglo
Saxon dominion on this Western cont
nent they are here If you would find
the seed plot of representative free gov
.rnment in America 1t is here. If you
would discover the earliest spring and
source of American Christianity, II Is
here"
Describing the fist religious service of
the church in America DR.. Mckim said:
.It was on May Ia. 1907, VIXEN, after a
little vessel-the Susan Peasant. the
Godspeed. and the DiscoveTy-un Ter COM
mand of Sir Walter Raleighs stout o.d
captain Christopher Newport, came TO
anchor in the James River.
The first act of the weather beaten
mariners was TO worship God according
to the rites of the Church of England.
They hung an old sail to three or -FOUR
trees to shadow them from the sun, and
there they gathered los souls all told,
and gave thanks the Rev. Robert Hunt
conducting the service.
That was the first Protestant church
on American soil Its walls were wales
of wood its seats were unhewed trees,
its ulllpit a bar of wood nailed to two
neighboring trees.
at was not long before the church OF
the torn sail was replaced by a structure
which John Smith thus describes: "A
homely thing like 4 barn, set upon
crutches, covered with RATS, sedge and
earth. of such workmanship as could
neither well defend from wind nor rain
I'm this rude structure it was the rule
TO have daily common prayer every
morning and evening, every Sunday two
services and every three months the holy
communion.
In 1910 by command of Lord De La
War; the second church was built, which
IS thus described by an old chronicler:
1t is IN length score AOolSr
breadth twenty-four. and shalle have a
chancel in it of cedar, pulpit of the
same width. front hewn hollow like q
cauye, with two bells al the west end
The captain general doth cause it TO be
kept passing sweet, and trimmed up with
divers flowers with a section belonging tc
It And every morning at the ringing of q
bell about ten of the clock every man ad'
dresseth himself to prayers, and SO a,
foure of the clock. before supper.
Every Sunday. when the lord governor
and the captain general goeth TO church
he is accompanied with all the counsellors
other officers and all the gentlemen, witt
q guard of Halberdiers in his lordship's
livery, faire red cloaks to the number OF
fifty boath on each side and behinde him
and being in the church. his lordshiE
hath his seat in the quier in a greene
velvet chaire. with cloathe with velvet
cushion spread on the table before him
on which he knealeth, and on each side
set his COUNSEL. csptaines and officers
each in their places