Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-02

streets Just opposite. ON tho north
west corner, was the homie of Justice
Daniel. OF tho Supreme Bench. Tcrpsi-
chore Hall took fire and burned to tho
ground. and Justice Daniels wifo was
frightened to dS2th by the flames.
Parson Blair (my grandfather) and
IarSon Buchanan, of tho Church OF
england. both greatly beloved. preached
Tor many years OH alternate Sundays in
the hall of tho House of Delegates, but
that was long. long before my day.
My first recollection of a church was
when, as child, I was taken by my
coiored nanny to n Baptist church on
Eleventh Street, just where our alloy
entered the street. This CONGREGATION,
some years later. built a church on tho
southwest corner of Main and Sixth
streets. and was known as the Second
bapt'st. and. very much later still, il
erected handsome church, of Grecian
! architecture. on the southeast corner
or FRANKLIN and Adams Streets The
FIRST Baptist Church has ever main
tanned Its prominence. This church first
"orshipcd in what afterwards became
the African Church, at the northeast
corner OF Broad and College Streets.
being given to the negroes after tho
white congregation built at the corner
of Broad and Twelfth Streets.
The Monumental Church. under tho
ministry of Bishop Claiming Moore.
and until after n large part of its con-
greEation moved to ST Paurs. was
mead and shoulders above all other
churches in Richmond, and, so far as
churches so. it might have been called
"a grand affair 4 stranger or one in
cftt
holding the wealth and the fashion and
the pomp and pride of the elite OF Rich
mond. in their rhythmical uprisimgs and
downsittinGs. in their prayers and
songs of praise. in their responses. etc.
could not fail to be profoundly i'm
pressed with the solcmnity of the occa-
sion. and he might easily imagine that
if God were ever moved by the prayers
of sinful mortals. He must surely he
moved by the Sunday morning services
conducted by Bishop Charming Moore.
Congregations were generally devoted
TO their pastors. and to criticize an
others pastor was to incur odium. but.
usually, the pastors had little or no
weight beyond tho confines OF their
flocks. DR.. Moses D. Hoge was a nota-
bile exception; he was eloquent and n
student, and his influence extended far
beyond the limits OF his city--to tho
state and abroad. Pastorates were gen
orally lengthy
Fire companies wcrc over a diversion,
in those days, when diversion was as
rare as hens teeth" Fire lighting
was then always hard work. though
regarded as play by tho young. Tho
hose WAS carried on light reels by hand
and attached to tho fire plugs. and there
was great rivalry between the COM
panics 10 he the quickest TO accomplish
this. And there wore numbering
engines. with great brakes on either
side 10 he worked by hand. with long
ropes by which to pull them. When
going downhill these heavy machines
needed only to be guided--which, how
ever. was not. always easy-but when
the alarm was uptown the task was
the reverse of "facilis desccnsus." The
ropes were then manned by bowling
crowds, and tho cumhrous engines were
laboriously pulled up the steep hills. /
to find. perhaps, that tho alarm was
false or that the more agile hose reels
had cNtinguished the flames.
Civilization. so-called. moved at
snaifs pace in Richmond in these early
days, but il did move. Therefore, Fra