Let its altar reach the skies.”
They all joined in the chorus.
“Firm united let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
As a band of brothers joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.”
Almost on the river, toward the southern end of the town, was the church which the chauffeur called “Old Swedes Church,” and whose correct name, Mrs. Morton said, was “Gloria Dei.”
“How old is it?” asked Dicky who was beginning to understand that they were on a historical pilgrimage. They all laughed at his seriousness, and his mother answered.
“This building is only a little over two centuries old—but it’s on the site of an old wooden church that was built in 1646. It was a Swedish church, originally, and then the whole congregation turned Episcopal.”
“It doesn’t look as if they lived around the church in any great numbers,” said Tom, gazing about him.