Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-03-08
THREE HUNDRED
YEARS IN AMERICA
SUBSTANCE OF DIS( CURSE BY
BY REV. j. BAL :RETT.
Marking the Anniversary Of the
Work of his Church of
Appropriations of Federal
Government for Celebration
Jamestown Exposition the event.

course preached in st. Paul's church
Sunday Feb. "a, by the Rector Rev.
j. Barrett, marking the anniversary
of the work Of his church.
Isaiah Xvi: TO-. "Rejoice with
Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye
that love her
Three centuries ago when all Europe
was dreaming Of the rich prospects
which they fancied lay beyond the
restless waters of the great Atlantic,
London merchants thought of these
distant shores as new field for trade
Bishops and clergy thought of the
naked savages as heather to be con-
verted: while statesmen had in mind
a possible sphere for new states and
empires.
A company was formed with arch
bishops, peers, merchants and high
officers of state, with view to civilize
the strange land and develop Its re-
sources And SO in December of
1906, colony of substantial church
men with wives and children, to the
number Of sos souls was gathered on
board of d feet of three vessels which
under the command of Newport, Win
field and Captain John Smith set sail
for the New World.
This squadron of vessels as you
know drifted into the Chesapeake Bay
during the month of April IN 1907,
and after further cruise of so miles
up the beautiful river which they
named after the reigning king of
England, the adventurous colonists
debarked and laid the foundations Of
jamestown, the first permanent Eng
llsh settlement In America.
The first act upon landing, was to
knee down in that wild forest while
the good chaplain Hunt read the ser
vice for Thanksgiving from the Book
of Common Prayer. Subsequently
when rude church was built, FIR.
Hunt described it as a pen of poles
over which a sail was stretched for a
roof. Here in this primitive House
of God the Holy Eucharist was first
celebrated in America according to
the Anglican Rite, June Fl, 1907.
This settlement was marked off
from the other settlements soon to
follow, by two things, first it was a
royal colony and secondly it was a
Church province. 1t was simply a
little English parish, bringing its
priests, its prayer book, is customs
and its thoughts, and setting them
down IN the midst of an unoccupied
land. Thus the English Episcopal
church is seen in America In Vlr-
ginia, in 1907 seven years before the
Dutch came to New Amsterdam,
thirteen years before the famous May
flower and the first Puritans had
reached the shores of Massachusetts,
and twenty seven years before Lord
Baltimore had brought his first colony
of Roman Ca vhoIIcs to Maryland.
And here in this English Church
colony, the foundations for our Repub
lican form of government were laid by
Churchmen for IN 1919, year before
the famous Puritans had left the old
world, these colonists in Virginia had
sent their representatives. to an elective
assembly which was duly opened with
prayer by priest of the Episcopal
church
Of hoe
borne so important and prominent a
part in laying the foundations of
English civilization and Christian
morality in the new world. It is
natural that we should seek as church
men and patriotic citizens to COM
memorate the event of 300 years ago
this April, coming. Our feelings as
religious society can be no less jubi-
liant than those expressed by the
prophet, when we think of how God
had increased the work and hopes of
that humble little and which landed
In jamestown three centuries ago
"Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad
with her all We that love her
The federal government has appro-
prIated a considerable sum with which
to celebrate this anniversary. In the
Hampton Roads, where the grim en-
counter took place between the Moni
tor and the Merrimac, there will be a
scene this summer of the most mag
nificent naval display. the world has
ever witnessed IN the time OF peace
For the Hampton Roads, which front
the site where the jamestown Exposl
ton will be held from April until
November, will be the scene of the
gathering of at least one hundred war
ships flying the flags of every i'm
portant nation of Europe, Asia and
America. And while this impressive
scenic drama is being enacted on the
sea. there will be equally novel and
interesting scenes on land at the in
ternationsl encampment, where the
great armies of all nations will be
brilliantly represented. There will
he parades and sham battles of infan-
try, artillery and cavalry. The usLa
exposition features also will not b.
lacking, but they Will be richly supple
mented by the novel, historical and
picturesque features of the State Of
Vuginia's educational exhibition.