Show old christ church philadelphia PA august 17 1890 few western people v ho come to philadelphia take time to look up the antiquities liau li of th the quaker city yet rn only I 1 y a few steps away from tb the a buy busy market estreet free I 1 it t is 0 often man possible sible to come within bight sight of old buildings which transport ort as at once away back to alie colonial at period old christ church is on strond street treat between market and arch surrounded rounded ur entirely by beores and business busin blocks the population of this having moved west long aeo ngo today to day it is difficult to believe that fi fifty fly or a hundred years agone this was one of the most aristocratic sections of the city but service it still kept up in the old church as it has been ever since the sacred edifice is an I 1 imposing tin picturesque structure cf of dja lall ted zed brick with a tall steeple which ca can be seen far out over the delaware the architect of christ church was john Ile artley the earne same who erected independence hall A certain resemblance may way be noted in the two famous buildings particularly in the bates bases of the spires the gable end of christ church is turned toward the street in this gable may be notices no a vacant niche prior to the revolution thia this nicho niche contained a eta statue too of king george but at the out outbreak brear of hostilities the image was removed it has never been replaced by anything else A massive iron railing encloses the church yard at the tide side through which Is reached the entrance to the build building ing the steeple is near the farther end and over a rambling arched brick wing the ea trance door brings us no in front of the antique gallery alery little tattle in the church has rise V been e en mo modernized zed new fashioned pews cushions and carpets are the chief innovations near the gallery stands the quaint looking wooden font A card attached tells us that at this same font bishop white was baptized indeed the whole his tury cf bishop white is identified with that of christ church he lie waa was born in its very shadow even as a child tradition saith he seemed to feel that be he would live to be the first american bishap ordained in england oue oae historian lelas that billy white used tn borrow brrow the girls aprons for gons to piny play bishop in it was from a bouse house in this neighborhood that the two young men friends tri endi william white and Benis benjamin min franklin assisted aai atel the escape of a roma romantic young woman who eloped with the then obscure painter benjamin west her parents objected to the we match because they taw paw only the doerty of the swain being quite unable to discern bis his future fame only one square pew pow remains in christ church this is oa on the lefthand eide side cf of the middle aisle near the front this square pew pow v ay as occupied by general washington when Preal president dent of the united status states and a resident of philadelphia while george washington was an attendant of christ church benjamin frank franklin tin was a vestryman and francis alop kinson organist on the broad step in fronton front of the altar is the memorial tablet covering the remains of bishop white lie ile died at the age of 95 93 and was interred beneath the floor of the ch church h in which bo he bad had officiated aude and with he bad been otherwise connected the greater part of bis his life christ church in philadelphia delp hla is generally considered the mother church of the protestant episcopal church in america if not quite the oldest it lt at least gave to the colonies the first bishop regularly 1 ly ordained in england it t was i in n clarist church just after the revolution that american episcopalians Episcopal lians ians held a convention formally separated sepe rated themselves from the church of england and prepared the american america book of common prayer it is to bishop white and III his 8 eoa eo a adjustors dju that americans owe the prayer for the president oft of the he united states also the mission of the athansia Athan siao creed and certain emendations in the marriage a arvice the first arst colonial congress w was as opened by prayer by the kev liev jacob dache ache then rector recto r of christ church it is ead sad to relate that this good man afterwards turned tory and begged washington to abandon a cause so desperate as that of independence pen dence for i he the colonies the communion service still need used in I 1 brist church was presented by queen anno anne in earl early cut colonial on i I 1 11 I 1 I 1 lays a the graveyard grove yard belonging belonging i t to 0 uh christ r i a t church la 19 at some distance from it occult occupying 1 n r g a great part of the quare booble bounded d by tind and arch in III this corner rest tho the rem remaina alnet of benjamin franklyn the graveyard is surrounded by a high brick wall quito quite as picture picturesque aque in ita its way aa as the church itself the wall is 0 of I 1 red and black bricks arranged in a eort sort of checkerboard checker board pattern a I 1 in true colonial style bosia besides a which it is babilt in regular panels with tall poets posts between in the corner cornet of this wall facing arch street is inverted a section of iron railing through which can be been seen the flit aray tablet covering covering tho the brave grave ot of the vac treat american a philosopher like so many oll graveyards of the east thia this enclosure la is nearly filled with time darkened moss streaked tottering headstones head beads stoner and low son sunken ten ahlers ah lah lets lots ith bore hore and there a tall spreading tree I 1 ora or a clump vf M shrubbery near t the he center 0 of I 1 too the ground is a mora more pretentious monument kaiking the laet last resting place of general mercer who was slain at princeton this is a low gray broad based abeli obelisk k I 1 of the style seen BO so frequently in I 1 revolutionary evolutionary mimori a 0 altogether chr chrict lot church is well worth visiting by anyone it combines in irk a unique manner the history of church and state BO so far as the two can be combined in this country at all M B II 11 |