The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-27
2 ~ ~
THEATRE HORROR
AGAIN RECALLED
Monumental Holds Memorial
Ose Hundred Years After
Great Fire.
BIG ENDOWMENT NEEDED
Shifting Population Puts Church
in Need of Increased
Support.
] ENDOWMENT NEEDED

10 pay a tribute to the memory of
the men, women and children who
persisted In Richmond's disastrous
theatre fire, great audience gathered
! at Monumental Church last night, ex-
actly 100 years after the calamity
services OF unusual beauty and i'm
pressivencss, and addresses by the
Governor of the State and Mayor Of
the city added to the purely denomi.
national nature of the occasion and
hlted It into an event OF wide public
interest.
With barrier of century of rnpid
progress serving somewhat to soften
II. the picture OF the theatre fire
which was directly responsible for
the erection of Monumental Church
was brought again before the minds
OF the audience by the speakers, its
heroes and It's victims holding tho
same tense interest that they did on
the morning of December "a. 1911,
when n horriied city awoke to take
toll Of its most fearful calamity. The
addresses went into recorded history
for the story of tho accident and told
OF the founding of the church as a
monument to It's victims.
Whnf Endowment Fund.
Coupled with the strictly memorial
part OF the services was the appeal
OF the speakers on behalf OF the con-
gregation for cooperation OH the part
oil the public In the work of raising
u 1und OF $4,000 as u permanent en-
dowment for the church to enable II
to, maintain It's services upon the high
plane which has made It famous Tor
almost century. These pointed out
that Monumental Church has no
culiar claim on the citizens of Rich
mohd. since 1t was selected by the city
TO perform service which 1t as a
municipality found II Impossible TO
fulfil.
In consequence OF the continued emil
grafton towards tho West End and
the suburbs. the care OF the church
is year by year falling more and more
upon people of comparatively restrict-
ed means. If nothing Is done to COM
pensatc for this, II was stated the
church has been brought face to face
with the problem OF securing addi-
tional income or lowering the stand
ard of its services.
Following devotional exercises, con-
Quoted BY Rev. r. a. Gibson. Rev.
James W. Morris. rector of Monu-
mental Church, who presided over the
exercises. presented Governor Mann.
S.
Ancient History Recalled.
Whatever differences may have
obtained among the citizenship of the
day on the question of theatres said
the Governor, there can be no question
as TO the Scnuineness OF the grief
which tho stricken city felt. Every
body Joined hcroically in an effort 10
alleviate suffering. and to, do what
they could to help tho relatives OF
the dead. lie recalled Virginia of 100
years ago with only $4,000 people,
and Richmond of the same date with
population OF 1859. as compared With
tho state and city OF 1911 To the
influence and sterling service OF
Monumental ChuSch. the Governor as
crieed large part in the great prog
ress which has taken place since that
time.
Richmond has suffered more than
any other city in the country from
great calamities," said Mayor Richard
son, who made the second address of
the evening. Repeated massacres by
the Indians in it's earlier history, and
| calamity by instruction, cholera, fire
sword and carnage in its later days,
has made of Richmond truly a city
born of tribulation. Among the worst
OF all It's numerous calamtics. how
ever. was the theatre fire of 1911
denly ushered before their Maker"
Mayor Richardson went into the
! early history of the city and gave a
picture of conditions at the time OF
the fire. The BaptIsts. Mcthodists and
Quukers, he said, were the only de.
| nominations that had regular churches
The Catholics. Episcopalians and Jews
had no houses of worship. OF all the
scots. the Episcopalians were In the
not Il IL.
| Ing place being st. Johns Church
then seventy years DID, and located in
an almost inaccessible district
Citizens Aroused.
The sudden calamity, said the Mayor
had the effect of turning the minds oil
q none too religious citizenship to
| thoughts of Immortality, and 1t was al
! once resolved to erect a public me
! mortal to the victims of the fire. Re.
sponses to a request for subscription,
were SO liberal that the plans were
modified and 1T was decided to build c
i church as n permanent monument
This resulted in the Episcopalians being
requested to undertake the work, be-
! cause of objections that were raised
to the city engaging In the venture.
Rev. James w. Morris. repeated tn.
early history of the church and spok,
of its unique relation to the city
Monumental Church, he said, carno
move 1t was ordained for purS3se
and its very existence and individual
| ity depend upon its remaining wher,
| 1t is. To move elsewhere would NEAR
to lose Its name and its character. L,
remain, however. Is becoming rapid.
more difficult with its present Income
and 1t Is imperative that an endow
ment fund of $4,000 be established a
once In order to preserve its services
in the high dignity which has beer
maintained for nearly century. HI
expressed the hope that the fund viii
BIO In hand by 1911. when the churcl
[ will celehratn its hundredth anniuer