The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-09

SNIA ANN $4,000 was AJSyS1 49, 01-
the Colonial Danes n their guests
on the occasion of their third annual
pilgrimage TO old St. Philips church at
Old Brunswick. The only vestige left
of a town is the ruins of the church
building once called St. Philip. Every
trace or sign of q residence or other
building has disappeared. and no living
man can recall such or streets. The
massive walls of the church are intact
and as solid as they were one hundred
an seyenty-ive years ago, and the di-
mansions of the building are rs feet
from east to west and so feet wide.
The town and all its once busy popula.
ton now are sleeping their long, last
sleep. and many are forgotten. They
lived well but not always for self. but
rave much thought to posterity.
They are the men who laid the foun-
dation of a great empire, and while no
sign of their ~habitations are left, they
left a more endurable monument. The
veStigeS of liberty they left have grown
and expanded and today their posterity
is enjoying the fruits of the seed they
planted so we'll.
At 9:45 yesterday morning the steam
er Wilmington left her wharf with q
joyous party Of nearly two hundred in
all bound for the historic ground. At the
wharf of Mr.. a Sprunt, the steamer
stopped to take aboard Hon. II. CT. Con-
nor and a party of guests. The desti.
nation was reached in about an hour
all were soon winding their way over
the rampartS. across the traverses OF
through the artillery embrasures OF
Fort Anderson. the massive sand en-
bankments of which pass across the
site Of the sleeping town n surround
the ruins of old ST. Philip. 1t is ever a
pleasure to visit this site, and upon
reaching the once consecrated grounds.
each and all inspected the building.
examined the old tombs and deciphered
the quaint epitaphS of ancestors and
relatives. 1t may be interesting to
quote here hat on the tombstone OF
Rebecca Dry, who died after a short
welded life Of three years at the age
of II. is inscribed his Latin sentence
memmor sustulerit, ultimus suor-
UNI moriatur," but Notwithstanding
this threat her tomb has been desecrat-
ed, though now restored so far as posi-
BILE.
The guard of honor from the Will
mington Light Infantry, under the COM
mand of Sergeant Edwin A. Nets and
consisting Of Corporal Allen Higgins,
Privates John Peschau, James o. Reil-
ly, Alex. Mcclure, Will Bissinger and
James S. Hooper, guarded carefully the
entrance to the church.
At noon the procession was formed
outside under the triple east window
and passing around the building to the
western door, singing the hymn, Lift
the Strain of High Thanksgiving" en-
tered and passing up what was once the
center aisle till the unmarked site the
chancel was reached, separated n
permitted the clergy to pass through
and take their places near where the
altar once stood. The three clergymen
were Rev. DR.. Carmichael, representing
Colonial families of Virginia, Rev. DR..
Bratton. from st. Mary's school at Ra-
leigh, representing the Colonial families
of South Carolina, and Rev. DR.. Hors-
field. of ST. James church., Wilmington,
representing North Carolina, one of
his ancestors having come from Beth
lehem Penn, with a large band-of Mo-
ravians and settled at Salem N. c.
The services began with an earnest,
fervent prayer by Rev. DR.. Horsfield.
followed by the Lords Prayer, the
reciting, antiphonally, of the 105tn
Psalm. and the Apostles Greed was
then most solemnly REPEATED by the large
congregation.
DR.. Horsfeld introduced the Rev. Dr..
Bratton, who spoke very briefly, calling
attention to the fact that the first per
manent building erected in this cOun-
try by the old settlers was a church to
the Glory of Collaborating a lesson
for posterity that God must be first,
for without God there is no home, Nc
country. He spoke on the religious as
pect of the work of those who builded
so we'll. and left the historical part to
other hands. After the singing of the
hymn God Bless Our Native Land"
the Benediction vas pronounced by Rev.
DR.. Carmichael.
The Tablet which is placed on the
east a of h building just north of
the triple window was then unveiled by
young Miss Florence Kidder, by whorn
these two being descendants of old king
Roger Moore and Nathaniel Moore,
brothers of that Colonel Maurice Moore,
gentleman n soldier Of the king. who
decided to the parish Of st. Philip the
LAND on which the church stood and
Gods acre surrounding, in which rests
the dust of the ancestors of so many
of Wilmington's people. The inscription
on the Tablet, which has been given
already in the columns of The Messen-
ger. was then read by Colonel A. M
Waddell-and after the singing of the
Old North State, the president Of the
Society of Colonial Danes, Mrs. Kate
QefSOSSeC MedreS, III the most CudEIblLe
manner and in the chastest language
introduced the orator of the day the
Hon. II. G.. Common. president Of the
North Carolina Historical society
After expressing his thanks 10 tn;
ladies for the invitation which so kind
ly suggested q personal compliment. tc
address them. he spoke Of the story o.
the Cape Fear, it's nerocs and their
brave deeds, which have enlisted the elo'
auent words and scholarly ems of ths
Hon. George Davis. Alfred Moore Wad-
dell. Edwin A. Alderman, James Sprun'
and others, that it was a happy
thought n appropriate act for thoss
representing an ancestry Of noble mer
should annually commemorate theii
lives and services within those n
able walls which they builded with
pride-a reasonable loyal pride OF an
cestry which avoids being humble tt
the naughty or naughty to the humble.
developes and perpetuates the noblest
| attributes of character. He said tina
poor indeed are those people who have
no pride in the past. 10 memories, no
| monuments, caring naught for what ha'
been and little for what will be.
| He feared tina much Of the finer DUAL