The Washington herald., 1907-03-22

ABOUT seven miles from AioutiA DA ll1Als !
He gave both money and labor TO its |
building. and was yestryman there for
long while II was begun in 1854, and fin- |
ished Ia l773 During part of the last
century it was in decay, but history-lov- |
ing people will save il from further dis
solution. II was in this church that the |
eccentric Mason Weems preached. Weems |
was the biographer of Washington. who /
is accused of manufacturing the cherry |
tree story, yet whose book was immense !
Is popular. and still has a good sale.
Washington also had a membership in
Christ Church. Alexandria. the best pre-
served Of an the old Virginia fanes Here
the first President paid the highest price /
for a pew, and this has been kept by
some member of his family. ever since. 1t |
was in this churehyard that Washington
and his neighbors gathered on Sunday |
mornings in ia and gTavely discussed
the advisability of revolving against Eng /
land. II was here that he came nine /
years later, the conquering hero, the re- /
tired leader Of a victorious army, and
worshped as simply, and as quietly as
any other citizen.
On the receipt of the news that the !
British army had retired from America, |
a great service of Thanksgiving was helc |
in Christ Church. Wreaths and notices |
adorned the wall and the minister |
preached from the text. yea. thou shalt |
see thy childreu's children and peace |
upon Israel" The decorations were kept
in place until Washingtoas return in /
time for the Christmas celebration the |
next week. The church WAS kept open
for daily prayer during the period of the |
War of 1872. while the English ships
swung an anchor at the wharyes. de- !
manding all the city's portable property |
for its ransom. Perhaps the prayers
saved It. for the vessels eventually drew
away without damage tu the town. Christ /
Church seems TO have had an early faith |
IN the executive ability of women for /
TWO OF the early sections We're women !
marching sedately down the aisles. and |
locking the pew doors with all the dignity /
OF their masculine predecessors. This |
church was said TO have been designed by I
one James Wren, a descendant of Sir |
Christopher Wren.
Washington also held membership in |
Falls Church. a little farther up the riv-
er On account OF its lying between the
lines in the civil war the rector was
would be safest to pray for 'the Presi- |
dent of the United States" or the pres !
ident Of the Confederate States" as the
prayer-books of the opposing factions de- /
creed So he wisely substituted "the gov /
eFnor OF Virginia, and so saved himself /
from suspicion and possible arrest The
King of England was himself interested 4
In the building of this little church. the /
Dilchs TOT which were brought over from
London. !
The present Old North Church. in Bos-
ton, is the successor to the one in 4
which Paul Revere is said to have hung
his signal lights on that April night of 4
long ago. The first sermon was preached
in the old church in 1850. bat the ediace
was demolished by the British because
II harbored "a nest of traitors" 1t was I
trom the pulpit of the present church
that the first crusade against LIQUOR in |
This country was begun. the leader being /
Henry Ware. Emerson was a member /
OF this congregation.
st. James Episcopal Church. Goose
Creek, S. c., has the distinction of |
being not only the oldest church in /
South Carolina, but OF being the only
one in which hatchmeuts stiH hang on !
the wall back Of the pulpit It was a /
custom long ago TO carry the Indictments /
OF the dead on Uneir collins and then
place them among the church memorials /
In this church aTmorial bearings are
those of the lizard family. The present
church building was erected in I7l4. and the /
British coat-of-arms is still on the wall.
II has been preserved so far by the 4
Iund bequeathed it by the Rev. Richard /
Ludlow, an early rector. It was in this
church that daring Archie Campbell. a /
British officer. calmly held a pistol I'm /
the face Of the patriot rector. one hun /
dred and twenty-five years ago, and had l
that trembling worthy read the marriage /
service for him and the patriot bride with
whom he had eloped
The First Presbyterian Church, on John
Marshall place. Washington D. c., is
remembered as the one 70 which Presi- /
dent Jackson transferred his allegiance
when the New York Avenue Church re-
fused TO recognize the eligibility Of the
daShing Peggy O'Eeil Eaton for member
ship IN its diguitied list President Jack
son had disrupted his Cabinet on account
OF this pretty daughter of an innkeeper.
but found he could not manage the
church Presidents Polk, Pierce and /
buchanan also attended the First Church /
at times. while Lincoln was a member
Of the New York Avenue Church.
Sir Thomas Dale, high marshal of Vir-
ginia, had always been eager for an op-
portunity to found "a colony of his own.
and when that opportunity came. in 16l1. I
he teok $50 German colonlsts up the
James River and built Henrioopolis. later
abbreviated to Henrlco. Across the river
ne had his own plantation. Bermuda
hundred. To this settlement came Poca-
hontas, as prisoner, in 1912. Here she
was instructed and baptized by the Rev. /
Alexander Whitaker. and here she was
afterWard married 20 John Rolfe For
over a century the annals of old Heurico Il
parish and its churches are fragmentarv Il
II Is known. though, that the salary Of Il
the preachers was fixed by law at l. L
pounds of tobacco and sixteen barrels of /
corn year, and that when one Of these L
parsons had 10 sue for his salary the |.
case became famous as "the parsons Il
cause" The young lawyer who sprang Il
into fame in its prosecution was Pat /,
rick Henry.
The Henrico Church was on what is
now the Dutch Gap Canal. At Bermuda
Hundred was a small chapel known as
the Ferry Chapel In 1876 a new church Z
was planned 10 take its place. and be- I
cause the tithes were small and the to- |,
baccO crop not always a success, the rec
tor, the Rev. George Robertson, offered Ii
ing drawn the congregation away Among
10 serve without pay until the debt was |,
lifted. trusting 10 the stony soil of the |;
church glebe for q living. This brick .