Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-12
ANCIENT LUTHERAN CHURCH At 1eApPE
TIE CRADLE or lUTHEHANI5h
IN AMERICA

voce or any representation in the matter
of taxation: enforcement by military
power of the orders of the crown when
these orders contifcteo with the Iegai
rights of the people, and OF multitude OF
other acts that had embittered the people
He traced step by step the aggressions of
the government, and named one by one
the privileges that had been withdraWn
from the people. With every Withdrawn
of privilege the freedom OF the people had
been restricted more and more. Absurd
laws had been brought into use, the only
purpose of which seemed to be to harass'
embarrass and madden the people. In
his own case. for example, how rldhcuious
it was to compel him to go to London ana
go through the form of being admitted 10
the Church of England ministry before ne
would be permitted to become pastor Oh
the Lutheran church at Woodstock. re
told OF the effort made by the colo
nists to protect themselves, first by ap-
peals to the governments sense OF JUS
tice, then by blunt refusal to submit 10
acts that invaded their legal rights ana
then by threats Of armed resistance In
words that aroused the coolest he told
his parishioners that, although the brunt
of the contest was being borne by the
Enelish-speaking colonfsts, the German
colonists of the Blue Ridge valley ana
the German colonists throughout the new
world were no less concerned. A strus-
gle for freedom was one OF sacred cAai
acter Invasion Of the rights OF the
noODle
and he believed there was no WltnoraWai
from the stand taken either by the crown
or by tie colonists. Each had gone Zoo
far to accept anything except complete
surrender by the other. surrender py
the coloniStS meant coHdilioh h'lio
short of slavery.
I'm the language Of Holy Writ, SAID ne
there is a time for all things, time TO
preach and a time to pray, but those
times are passed away. There Is time,
N
time now has come.
Then he pronounced the benedicuon.
For thirty seconds or more there was
stiffness such as the little church never
had known before in times when the con-
gregation were present. Then, slowly
and reverently, the pastor took of his
priestly robes, and stood before the con-
gregation in the uniform of continental
colonel. Laying his clerical dress on the
pulpit rail and drawing MS sword, ne de-
seconded from the pulpit
Beat the drums, Beat the drums for
recruitsr' he called to boys he had sta
toned at the church door.
AS the sound of the drumbeats was
heard there was scene in that rude little
church at Woodstock such as the Ameri-
can revolution. rich as it is in glorious
examples of patriotic devotion OF the peo-
pie affords no parallel. Thrilled to the
highest degree by the impassioned words
of the young clergyman, men struggled
through the crowded aisles or climbed
over the benches in their eagerness 10
shake his hand and to he ranked among
his followers. Old men brought forward
their sons, wives their husbands and wild
owed mothers their boys to place them
under the pastors parental care 20 ngnt
the battles of their adopted country. Won
derful, indeed was the record made that
day in that frontier church. Nearly 300
men of that congregation enl sted that
Sunday under the banner of John Peter
Gabriel Muhlenbe-g and the gown the
young clergyman laid on the pulpit rail
never was worn again.
A fine Amer can was Peter Muhlenberg
Che dropped the John and Gabriel from
his name after leaving the ministry.