Evening star., 1946-04-22
Easter Throngs
Jam Churches,
Outdoor Rites
President Worships
At First Baptist
Before Leaving City

OeIoIe IeuVIn9 lily
The District yesterday celebrated
Its first peacetime Easter Sunday
since 1941 with hope for the future
and determination that the want
of peoples overseas would be met in
the months to come.
Thousands gathered at sunrise
services on the heights of Fort Lin
coin, in Arlington Cemetery amphi-
theater and on green lawns at other
outdoor places of worship to hail the
day of Christ's resurrection. Tenn
peratures were in their lower 40s at
these services and many wearers of
Easter flnery were shivering.
Later in the morning, Protestant
and Catholic churches were crowd
ed with worshipers. At several
churches even extra services were
unable to accommodate those wish
ing to attend.
President Attends Church.
President Truman attended the
$50 am. service at First Baptist
Church in an unannounced visit.
He entered the church just before
the service began, and took his seat
halfway down the aisle in the CEN
ter row of pews so unobtrusively
that many were unaware that the
Chief Executive was present.
Senator Green of Rhode Island
also attended the services. Mr..
Truman, accompanied only by a
bodyguard of Secret Service men,
left Immediately after the service.
He was escorted to his waiting car
by Senator Green and the Rev. Dr.
Edward Hughes Pruden, pastor of
First Baptist Church.
Mrs. Truman and Miss Margaret
Truman attended the 7 am. serv-
ice at St. Margaret's Episcopal
Church. Neither wore new Easter
costumes. Mrs. Truman's outfit was
all black, with a pert hat tipped
over one eye She wore beige gloves
and had black accessories. Miss
Truman wore gold-colored three
quarter length sport coat over a
blue dress, with a small brown hat
and brown pumps.
President Leaves on Trip.
Mr.. Truman and his party board
ed the presidential yacht Williams
burg in midafternoon for a week
away from the White House. The
yacht is due off Norfolk, Va, to-
morrow morning, where the Presi-
dent will transfer to the 45,000-ton
aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roose-
velt and will pass through the Vir-
ginia Capes to spend two days view
ing maneuvers of the 9th Fleet.
He plans to return to the yacht
Tuesday afternoon and reach Wash
ington next Sunday after cruising
on Chesapeake Bay.
approximately 100000 worshipers
massed solidly on the heights of
Fort Lincoln and heard Francis D.
Stevens of the United States Navy
Band sound reveille at 5:23 am. as
the sun rose. The crowd, estimated
by police at this record breaking
figure, then watched a detachment
of WAVES raised the Stars and
Stripes to the top Of the white flag
pole. The throng then sang the ma
tional anthem.
Fur coats on women and over
coats on men were noticeable as well
as Easter clothes. The Rev. DR..
Walter w. Van Kirk, executive Sec
retarX of the Department of Inter-
national Justice and Goodwill, The
Federal Council of the Churches of
Chriss in America, told the gather
ing Easter speaks to the heart as
well as to the mind" and is day
of hope not only for individuals
but for the world"
DR.. Kirk, who recently returned
from trip to Japan to study the
effect Of the war on Christian
churches in that country, asserted
there Is hope in Japan, Norway,
Holland, Russia and other countries
where the Christian community
gathers to do homage to Christ" He
declatfd the Christian gospels of
reconciliation and service must be
spread if the unrest, hunger and
conflicting ideas of government are
to be solved without disaster.
H. M. Stackhouse Presides.
The meeting, sponsored by the
Organized Bible Glass Association,
was presided over by Howard M.
Stackhouse, general chairman of the
event. The invocation was delivered
by DR.. Page NICK. Etchison, YMCA
religious work director and presi-
dent of the sponsoring organization.
The benediction was given by Navy
Chaplain John w. Moore. Repre-
sentative Clifford Davis, Democrat,
of Tennessee read the Scripture les
son and the Rev. DR.. Horace E.
Cromer, superintendent, Methodist
Washington East District, said the
prayer.
Men of religion and science, of
devotion and enlightenment do not
die, even though they have been
put to death by men, cloaked in
the garb of creed and class, who
feared and fought creative and
emancipating ideas" Bishop G..
Bromley Oman, Methodist Bishop
of New York and president of the
Federal Counfil of the Churches of
Christ in America, told an overflow
gathering of $4,000 persons at the
sunrise service in Arlington Gem
etery. The Methodist religious leader
asserted; men conquer the tomb
who have won the victory in the
garden of decision and the cross of
sacrifice"
The 1eth annual Easter sunrise
service, held under the auspices of
the Grand Encampment of Knights
Templar of the United States, was
presided over by Sir Knight Charles
Noah Orr, most eminent grand
commander of the organization and
ma iority leader of the Minnesota