The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-26
THE MOST INTERESTING CHURCH IN AMERICA.
 A.> yXrallaa..~-I--
~OId Brutou" In

That modern 'ImproG ements" ape
 not always for tfe better is demon
 strated by the innovations of 1s40
 made in old Bruton Church." Will
 liamsburg, Virginia. This ancient edi-
 flee is easily the most interesting and
 venerable place of worship in the Unit
 ed States, both from the historic value
 of its location and from the character and service of the men who within it's
 hnilowed walls humbly rendered the
 offering of praise to Almighty God
 and implored the Divine blessing upon
 the momentous undertakings whosts,
 tremendous consequences and respon- abilities filled their souls with awe
 and reverence. It has been said that
 the parish dates back to 1892 when the
 Jamestown colony was only twenty
 five years old. but this statement must
 be viewed with extreme distrust. Very
 little is known of the early history of
 Williamsburg or the Middle Planta-
 tion' as it was first called; very little,
 that Is. of 8 time as early as the date
 given. Bishop Meade, the great au-
 thority on the churches and parishes
 of Virginia, says there certainly was a
 church in Williamsburg in 1865, for an
 entry in the vesty book of Middlesex
 parish of that year directs the erection Of church in that parish. after the
 iA'tdCi VI tnc OUc III WlllldH1SDurR. W The
 vestry book of "Old Bruton" began in
 1c74 and continued until 1769 a few
 years before the Revolution: and un-
 like most vestry books of the present
 furnishes an outline of the principles
 and practices which expressing the
 most forcible traits of American char
 acter has made our country the lead
 ing nation of the world. Referring to
 Bishop Meade we find that the yes tries of the old parishes were the de-
 positaries of power in Virginia. They
 not only governed the Church by the
 election of ministers, the levying of
 taxes, the enforcing of laws. but they
 made laws in the House of Burgesses;
 for the Burgesses were the most intel ligent and influential men of the par fsh and were mostly vestrymen." The
 Bishop furthermore declares that "in the history of the vestries we may fairly trace the origin, not only of that
 religious liberty which afterward de- veloped itself in Virginia. but also of the early and determined stand taken by the churchmen of Virginia in be- half of civil liberty. The vestries, who
 were the intelligence and moral
 strength of the land. had been trained up in the defence of their rights against Governors and Bishops, Kings, Queens and Cabinets. They had been slowly fighting the battles of the Revolution for hundred and fifty years. Taxation and representation were only other words for support and election of ministers. The principle was the same. It is not wonderful, therefore, that we find the some men who took lead in the councils and ar- mics of the Revolution most active in the recorded proceedings of the ves- tries" In 1878 the vestry resolved to build a new brick church at Williams burg. Free donations were solicited before levy was resorted to. At the head of the list of donors appears the name of John Page for twenty pounds, and the ground for the church and graveyard. The minister. MT. Row land Jones, gave five pounds A pew was put in the church for the minis- ter. and the generous Mir. John Page, and also MT. Edward Jennings. were allowed the same honor.
 In 1899 the capital was removed from
 Jamestown to Williamsburg and Sthe authorities were convinced that a still larger and more stately temple was suited for the distinction and