Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-08-06
ANNAPOLIS SOLDIERS
AT Church SERVICE
Religion and Patriotism Marked
The Ceremony.
HONORED By BIBLE CLASS
Major Riley and Troopers Also To Be
Guests At Social In Armory
Tonight

Inc large auult0rlum Oh First Meth
odist Episcopal Church including the
galleries, was crowded last night
with Annapolitans who desired to
| honor the members of the local COM
/ panies of the First Maryland Infantry.
Chairs were placed in the aisles and
in the rear of the church, to give seat
| ing room for the many who came
Mayor Strange. the members of the
City Council and many of the county
officers were present. Not only were
the three companies of National
Guardsmen well represented but
many of the marines and sailors sta
toned in Annapolis at the present
time were in evidence. The church
was tastefully decorated with Ma
tional and State flags well as with
the flags Of the Allies. Flowers also
added to the attractiveness of the
scene. The service took the form of a
farewell in honor of Major Hugh r.
Riley. his staff Company NJ. the Ma
chime Gun and Supply Companies of
the First Regiment, and was held un-
Ger the auspices of the Mems Bible
Class of First Church. No pains wcra
spared by the members of the Glass
in trying to make the event a great
one and fitting recognition of The
local soldier boys and surely their
efforts were magnificently rewarded
by the way the entire city responded
fns1 In fha
Rev. H. Wilson Burgan, pastor of
the churcn, presided A fervent and
| touching prayer was offered by Rev.
Dr. Walter G.. Mcneil, of Washington,
d. c., former pastor of the church.
After the singing of America" by
The congregation and a patriotic an
them by the First Church choir, Rev.
DIR. William Page Dame, Chaplain of
the Fifth Maryland Regiment, was in
troduced His sermon was forceful
and freighted with good advice to the
boys in khaki They gave him close
attention as did all present. His text
was Acts % 2S, And the chief cap
tain answered. with great price OBJ
tanned | this freedom. But Paul said,
am free born" In the sermon he
quickly passed over the price paid for,
and conditions of, Roman freedom,
and in detail pictured the sacrifices
made by the Revolutionary heroes to
secure American freedom. He spoke
of the priceless heritage which is ours
en- account of their supreme sacri-
l,1 hot x.rbfI
eur fathers paid dearly for the free
dom of our country their sons today
found themselves free-born. He set
over against the glories of democracy
the rule of autocracy and described
vividly the present world war as a
conflict Of the one against the other
RE urged the boys to believe IN the
cause for which they would fight, to
understand that they were fighting for
O treat cause, and that if they fell in
the struggle it woud be too great a
cost for the priceless liberty given
to the worli by the struggles of men
who loved liberty and democracy
Continuing he urged the soldiers to
be true to God and seek the liberty
which comes through personal fellow
ship with Jesus Christ. Following the
sermon, Professor John B. Rippere,
President of the Mems Bible Glass,
presented to Major Riley on behalf of
the Glass. an Officers New Testament.
bound in pigskin. Rev. DIR. James H.
Hyatt. agent of the Maryland Bible
Society. was introduced and spoke on
"The Bible in the Military Camp"
He exhibited three war Testaments.
One in the Japanese language carried
by a japanese soldier through the
Russo Japanese War, another carried
bv a soldier throughout the Civil War.
The third was a French testament
carried by a French soldier in the
present war The testament had been
pierced through by bullet from a
German machine gun on January 10,
1917, and II penetrating the testa-
ment in the pocket of the soldier it
had saved the soldiers life. He also
showed the bullet At the close of the
address all the men in uniform were
asked to stand and copies of the Army
end Navy Edition of the New Testa-
ment, bound in khaki cloth, were pre-
sented to each one Of them in the
name of the Maryland Bible society.
Each Testament contained two mes
sages. One was from President
woodrow Wilson to the soldiers and
sailors of the United States. and read
s-follows:
This book speaks both the voice OF
God and the voice of humanity, for
there is told in the most convincing
story of human experience that has
. ever been written, take it all in all,
and those who heed that story Will
know that strength and happiness and
success are all summed up in the ex-
| hortation, Fear God and keep His
| commandments
Out of eighty seven organizations
which appealed TO President Wilson
for message to be placed in war tes-
taments, the Maryland Society was
the only one so honored. Governor
Harrington, at the request of the