Although America’s oldest silver communion service is right here in New Bern at Christ Episcopal Church, there are thousands of lo cal citizens who have never seen it. They have no one to blame but themselves. We know from person al experience that the Rev. Charles E. Williams, who has long served as rector of this historic place of worship, is happy to display the treasjjred service to anyone genu inely interested. Still in use, it was a gift from King George II of England in 1752. Especially created by royal com mand, each piece of the pei'fectly fashioned service bears the Royal Arms of Great Britain, and four Hall Marks, in a shield. Any expert could t^ke a quick look at these identifications, and vouch for the authenticity of the various pieces. The first tiny Hall Mark consists of the initials, M.F., and indicates that the silversmith who made the service was Morde- cai Fox of England. The next Hall Mark is the letter “R” for “Rex” or King, and this indicates that the order for the service came from George II him self. A “passant gardant” in the form of a lion is proof that the sil ver was of a standard’required by law, and a crowned leopard's head shows that the plate was hall mark ed in London in the government office. The inspector who determined for the king that sufficient silver was used in fashioning the com munion service took nothing foi» granted. A close examination will disclose a small auger hole, where a sample of the metal was extract ed for careful testing. King George died eight years after the gift was presented to Christ Episcopal Church, having reigned as a monarch of the Han overian line from 1727 until 1760. Incidentally, one of the great works of English literature — Thomas Grey’s “Elegy in a Coun try Churchyard” — was written while King George was on the throne. It was Fox, designer of the Christ Church communion service, who also created a similar set for presentation to Old South Church in Boston. He later made an alms basin that is the property of Trin ity Church in New York City. The priceless Christ Church ser vice remains unmarred, despite its hectic early history. It has been said that Ro^al Governor Josiah Martin tried to take it with him, when he left New Bern with con siderable speed back in 1775. He was foiled in his plans. Having remained intact through the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, the set was again en dangered by a conflict when the War Between the States broke out. The Rev. A. A. Watson was rector of Christ Church at that time. He took the set post haste to Wil mington. It was later transported to Fayetteville, and placed in the care of Dr. Joseph Huske. According to the story, it was hidden beneath a pile of rubbish in a closet there. Federal troops didn’t discover it, and eventually the service was returned to Christ Church. It has been here ever since. Not only did King George ft give the local church its commun ion set, but presented also its Bi ble and its Books of Common Pray er. The lapse of time since these gifts arrived from England seems doubly impressive when measured by literary figures of the era. For instance, Charles Dickens wasn’t born until 60 years after the communion service was presented. And it wasn’t until 98 years after the set was put into use that Rob ert Louis Stevenson saw the light of day. (Continued on back pa^ai The NEW BERN 5 Per Copy VOLUME 2 NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1959 NUMBER 25 STIJX WINNING RIBBONS—Mary bad a little lamb in one of our favorite Mother Goose rhymes, but it wasn’t 10-year- old Mary Dunn of route 1, New Bern. She prefers a heifer like Big Susie, capable of capturing purple and blue rib bons in the Coastal Carolina Junior Dairy Show.,Last year the young lady came up with a champion and this year she did it again. It’s getting to be a habit.—Photo by Billy Ben ners. Local Males Also Following Trend Toward Less Clothing Most New Bern males, when they run out of something alleged ly funny to say, poke fun at the female of the species for wearing less and less clothes. The accusa tion may be true, but look who is talking. Like the pot that calls the ket tle black, local men are wearing less than ever themselves, and are in no position to wisecrack about the fair sex in this respect. For example, Mr. New Bernian no longer starts from scratch by donning heavy woolen undemear with the first cool days in Septem ber. He doesn’t even put the long handles on when the icy blasts of Winter arrive. Decidedly not. He wears the same skimpy shorts that served a worthy purpose in July and Au gust, and it’s next to sure bet that he won’t even add an undershirt. Gone are the days when no self- respecting gentleman would think of climbing into his best Sunday shirt without seeing to it that he had on other suitable wrappings underneath. Wearing an undershirt today doesn’t prove that your’re cultur ed, and careful not be downright uncouth. It only labels you as a square who is living in the wrong century. In fact, you might even end up in a museum or have a his torical marker placed upon your bosom. And, while you’re smirking about the limited attire of local la dies, you might remember that you’re the guy who used to wear a vest. Going out minus a vest was enough to make a fellow feel half naked. Even when the hot days arrived, you still wore one of the things to Sunday school and church, and on all other special occasions. Now the only reason you condescend to wear a coat in church is the fact that the average place of worship has been air conditioned to coax WATERY ROW TO HOE—Pushing onward through waist-deep water, ■ farther in South Viet Nam follows his two water buffaloes and plow through a rice field. Heavy rains have flooded a wide area of the country. you into the pews. When was tne last time you. wore a pair of garters to hold up your socks, like you did in the so- called good old days? And what happened to the arm bands that held up your shirt sleeves? It’s still debatable whether do ing away with vests was a wise thing. Admittedly, they were most ly good for spilling soup and gra vy on them, but the soup and gra vy now go on your best tie and your last clean shirt. Besides, when vests went out of style, it like wise spelled the end of that grand and glorious masculine ornament—- the gold watch chain. In all probability, the departiu^ of his watch chain started many a good man on the road to being a mouse. Next to a cheap cigar, nothing made a gent feel more important and influential. With those shiny links missing from his midsection, he lost his sense of security, and ceased to be the true master of his house. The next thing he knew he had been, reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and was doing the dishes with monotonous regularity. Aside from this lowered station in life, doing away with the vests and undershirts, and most especi ally long-handled underwear, may have brought on other complica tions. To be specific, those pesky little varmints that the doctor calls a virus. Back in the days when men saw fit to wear more, there weren’t any viruses, and very few germs. At least, if they were around they apparently couldn’t get to you in. a vitid spot. Come to think of it, (Continued on Back Pago)