Arizona republican., 1916-03-18
b|SYOP SPEAKS ON
 "ST. AUGUSTINE
1t. Rev. J. W. Atwood De- livcr> Interesting Lee
 turc on Early Church

The second of series of six Lenten lectures on the general topic of The History of the Church, was delivered yesterday afternoon at Trinity Cathe dral House by Rt. Rev j. W. Atwood, Episcopal Bishop of Arizona. The sub iect of yesterdays discourse was The Mission of St Augustine"
 Thirteen centuries have rolled on in their silent course since that event ful day when in obedience to the com mand Of Pope Gregory the Great. the Monk Augustine landed on the shores of Kent" said Bishop Atwood. in open inG Continuing he said:
 "The year 597 is q memorial year in the history of the English church and nation. The history of the church of England may be said to have begun with the coming of St. Augustine The British church at this period was strong in Scotland and Ireland. but had not vet made any impression upon the Anglo SaXons who had overrun most of what We now know as modern Eng land, driving out for the most part the
 
 probably left some of the original in habitantS of the island who mingled with and therefore lost their identity in those who had conquered them. If the question be asked why the earlier church. established in England, which had shown such wonderful missionary spirit in the conversion of Ireland and Scotland during this period, did not send missionaries among the Northern barbarians who had taken possession of the land, the answer is an easy one. With the natural hostility existing be- tween the two races it would seem inn possible in this moment of the down fall and humiliation of the Brtons, to expect them to attempt the evanseliZ- ing of the Anglo SaXons even if the latter had been willing to receive them.
 Their religion may have survived to q very slight extent, though We have no positive record of it's existence in the few and isolated cases where the Britons were allowed to remain among the conquerors and possibly to minsle with them. as in former age rem nants of the Ten Tribes of Israel set tied and amalgamated in Samaria with the AsSyrian invaders who had de- stroyed their national life and taken possession of their land For over 100 years had the religion of Christ been superseded by that of the northern gods, WOden, Thor and Freia, whose memory is still retained in the days of the week, for Wednesday is the day of Woden, the War-God Thursday is the day of Thor, the god of rain and storm and air; Friday is Freia's day, the god of peace and joy and fruitful ness The former civilization had passed away and the influence of the church had been almost utterly lost. Not en- tirely for when Ethelbert, king of Kent. the most powerful of the petty kings of England at this time. had married French princess she had brought to her new English home the Christian faith in which she believed and to her had been given for place of worship the ancient church known as St Mar tins which had been built in the time of the Roman occupation of the island. and which survived the shock of the Anglo saxon conquest
 And today the noble cathedral church of Canterbury the center of i English christianity, dominating the city with it's massive and uplifting ar chitecture. with it's ancient and illus triOus history or the splendid ruins of : St Augustine's famous monastery. can hardly surpass in interest the oldest i of the parish churches of England. which, by the name of St Martins still crowns the hill where the early Brit 1 ons Worshipped, where lueel artha | prayed, and Luithard her -nop- i chaplain, ministered at the altar, and where Augustine first celebrated mass. In it's walls still lie some of the stones of the earlier structure and the an 1 cient font is pointed out by tradition as the one from which Ethclbert re- l celVed baptism at the hands of St. Au- gustnc."
 The seven years work of Augustine in England was outlined clearly anc interestingly by Bishop Atwood Con tinuine he quoted
 'Auedstine.' it has been said" was Ill mo sense one of the worlds heroes lie dld not oVertOp his contemporaries III moral Sranduer as he did in physica stature. He Was not a Gregory in wise statesmanship, d Columbus in mission ary steadfastness, a Francis Xavier ir burning enthusiasm for souls or q Pat tersOn in single minded conservation O llfe let the fame of Augustine is en- during and widespread wherever the Church of England or it's branches arc
 found established, and like the Anglo
 saxon race, it's great church has pene- tfatcd to the four corners of the globe Augustine builded better than he knew for little could he dream as the enc
 drew near he lay down to sleep in tn, northern porch of the great monaster,
 that was then rising on it's foundation
 stones on Canterbury that his mission | arN laborS were to be carried on by Oth CTS until all of England should comics the faith of Christ, and then the stor-
 winch he told, the truth he Ina, preached, the religion he had taught | would be taken up and carried acros the sea to rise with new energy ant | force triumphant in the dawnins If
 oi thls great Christian republic to groy ana increase with it's mighty power q
 developments Amid the burning sand
 of India to the forest glades of Africs 1 under the southern cross in distant an bdrbaric islands of the sea. the cross fl
 ChilSt was destined to be set up b
 the people and the church to whom h
 had given himself when he turned wit q Wavering and reluctant heart ava
 from his own people and church on tn
 Roman hills to help form new ma
 tlonal church in d great nation that wa
 about to be born. Surely we in Americ
 and England, who read the story of ou
 own religious history have no right
 sheer and scoff. nor lose faith in th