Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1922-03-30
A TRIP TO LANCASTER, PA.

On Monday of this week Rev. DR.. P.
r.. Heimer, Roger Gesbert and Will
liam Six, made a trip in Mr.. Gels
bert's machine to Lancaster in the in
terest of the coming 175th anniversa-
ry-June 4th-of the organization of
the old Monocacy Church. The trip
was made without snishap in about
three hours going and coming respec-
lively, the speedometer recording the
distance 721a miles from the Thur
mont square to the Lancaster square.
We first stopped to see Rev. DR..
Stuart Cramer and the First Reform
ed Church which was organized in
1876 and is the oldest church organ
ization in Lancaster and visited by
Michael Schlatter when on the journey
to Monocacy in Tat. This historic
church is beautifully designed and has
many sacred memorials of the past
of which we can not speak in this ar
ticle except to mention an exquisite
bronze tablet costing 5000 fifty years
years ago when placed and which
would now cost $1,000. This tablet
has a bust of Zwingli and Schlatter,
and cuts of the two old churches prior
to the present building, and complete
history of the church from the time
of her organization. 1t was in this we
were especially interested and can only
note this feature here.
We then called on the Rev. Geo. A.
Whitmore, former pastor of the Thur
mont charge, to pay him a friendly
visit and consult him in reference to
the old Monocacy Church concerning
which he made considerable research.
The reverend gentleman is improv-
ing in health slowly tho far from well.
He was much pleased and interested
with our call, and we invited him to
the anniversary services and will be
present if able. We wish him Gods
blessings and hope to see him with us
on the historic occasion.
We next paid short visit to Rev.
DR.. John C. Bowman, who is well
known here and who is the President
Emeritus of the Theological Seminary.
He is preparing for an extended trip
to Europe this summer. DR.. Bowman
has always been an esteemed friend
and counsellor of the writer, and we
wish him many happy and useful days
After viewing the College and Semi
nary buildings and grounds, which ev-
erv member of the Reformed Church
should see for loyalty and Inspirations
sake, we called on DR.. George w. Rich
ards, president of the Seminary and
the church's greatest church historian
and one of the most outstanding men
in the religious life of America today.
We procured his services for June attn
to preach the Historic Communion
Sermon in the morning in the Crea-
town Reformed Church, and to deliver
the Historic Address in the afternoon
on the site of the old log church. You
want to hear him and meet him.
We also procured the old Michael
Schlatter Communion set-chalice and
flagon-used at the first Communion
on May 9Th, 1747, by the Rev. Mr..
Schlatter, when he organized the
church. These are very sacred vessels
and possibly the oldest of their kind
in the church, surely the oldest In TINS
section of the church. The date, 1747,
is stamped on the fagon. This set
an d the one discovered by the writer
few years ago, dated 1852, will be
used at the Historic Communion on
June 4th, at the morning service. This
latter service, a wing-shaped chalice
and finely preserved fiagon, are very
rare and very highly priced.
We invite your interest in and pres
ence at the Historic Anniversary.
P. E. Heimer