Evening star., 1942-01-02
Churchill PaysVisit
To Mount Vernon
And Lincoln Shrine
Proys With President
In Woshineton's Pew
At Alexandria Church
By BLAIR BOLLES.

Great Britain. He attended EplSCO-
palian services in Christ Church,
Alexandria, where George Washing
ton once was vestryman. He laid
a wreath on George Washingtons
tomb at Mount Vernon and he paid
a visit to the Lincoln Memorial.
Mr.. Churchill was accompanied
on his respectful rounds yesterday
by President and Mrs. Roosevelt,
Ambassador Halifax of Great
Britain and Lady Halifax, Maj. Gen.
Edwin M. Watson, U. S. A., the
Presidents military aide; Capt. John
Beardall, U. S. N, the Presidents
naval aide, and Comdr. c. R.
Thompson, R. NJ, the Prime Min
ister'S aide. Their progress from
the White House to Mount Vernon
and back was accomplished in
long caravan of cars for whose
passage the roads were kept clear
by soldiers and police.
What a wet day." the Prime
Minister remarked to Mrs. Roose-
velt at Mount Vernon after he had
laid his wreath on the tomb of
President Washington. He stood in
the rain before the tomb with his
hat-Anthony Eden style-doffed,
and let the photographers catch
him in a dozen poses. He fused
with the wreath, of iris and camelias
draped with the red-White- and blue
of both the United States and Eng
land, when he put it on the tomb
until it was in what he considered
perfect alignment.
RelaXes at White House.
The Prime Minister arrived in
Washington from Canada by train
at am. He went to the White
House for a brief relaxation. and
shortly before II he and the Presi-
dent and the others in their party
drove off for Alexandria and the
services at Christ Church. The
posting of sentries outside the
church had apprised Alexandria
something was up, despite efforts to
keep the prospective prime minis
terial appearance at Christ Church
a secret, and large crowd was in
the street to witness Mr.. Churchill's
arrival.
Mr. Churchill, Mr.. Roosevelt and
Mrs. Roosevelt sat in the pew where
in far distant days Washington sat
"a pew for which Washington paid
almost 5000 year rent. The church
was not quite filled Two hundred
and fifty parishioners, specially in
vited, were in their peWs for the ex-
traordinary occasion. President
Roosevelt had been to Christ Church
before, but not the Prime Minister
of England.
The parishioners admitted for the
services were those who have been
most faithful in regular attend
ance at Christ Church. The church
seats fewer than 500 in all The list
was made up by the Rev. Edward
Randolph Welles, the rector, and
submitted to the Secret Service for
scrutiny. Many of those on the
list had no idea when they retired
to bed Wednesday night that Prime
Minister Churchill would go to
church in Alexandria the following
morning, much less that they would
60 to church with him.
Secrecy Is Observed.
At 5 am. yesterday ecclesiastical
Paul Reveres, the vestrymen of
Christ Church, were sent to the
homes of the selected to inform
them that the British were coming
to Alexandria six hours hence and
that they were invited to take part
Some of the awakened fortunate
found it difficult to understand what
message was being given them.
This procedure was part of the
scrupulous scheme of precaution ar
ranged in order to keep within the
narroWest bounds the preliminary
intelligence of Mr.. Churchill's COM
ing.
The sweet music of the process
sional hymn, Refresh Thy People
on Their Toilsome Way" was filling
the church as the Prime Minister
and the President and their party
entered. The invited parishioners,
already in their peWs, watched the
two great men make their slow ways
down the aisle to the front of the
church--the old red brick church,
built in 1773, simple church, ap-
propriate to the purpose of today"
as the Rev. Mr. Welles told the
people there.
Our President has appointed this
first day of 1912 as day of prayer,
of asking forgiveness for our Short
ComingS of the past, of conservation
to the tasks of the present, of ask
ing Gods help in days to come"
the Rev. Mr. Welles said in his SER
mon. He preached from near the
church ceiling, so high was the
winestem pulpit.
Pardon for Shortcomings.
I'VE are to pray for three gifts
from God: Pardon, power and peace.
Pardon for past shortcomings,
power for the present task of
achieving victory and peace-endur-
ing peace-by Gods help in days
to come"
The Rev. Mr. Welles devoted much
of his sermon to vigorous express
Slolio dOouG IIlC UClliSCICIlg
of our day and prayed that we in
America would develop "a deep
spiritual unity that will make us
ready, even eager, to sacrifice our
material goods, and when necessary
even life itself. for the moral prin-
ciples for which this war is being
fought.
BY far our greatest sin In past
and present as a Nation is the sin
Of international responsibility. We
want our country and our people
to have power and prestige, pleas
ures and possessions, but we balk
at the international responsibility
which those privileges impose.
Nationally we have been like
the priest and the Levite in the
story of the Good Samaritan-we
have passed by on the other side
when we have seen other nations
in need or peril, or we have given
them aid at the end of a 30O0-mile
pole, fearful of involving ourselves
in danger or drastic sacrifice. We
have wanted other nations to pay
the supreme price for human liberty