New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-06-28

A SINGULAR PERsoNAGE.-s' Rhod erick,'' the
gives the following account of a very singula,
parsonage:
There resides in Baltimore county, not fan
from our city, very singular and extraordin.
airy parsonage, who thus far has passed through
lite unobtrusively His history yet remains IL
be written, and few, if any there is that could
do 1t justice. He has lived the life almost Of 0
hermit, seldom appearing outside the walls of his
hermitage, except when special occasions re.
CURE There IS marked singularity in his
dress, general appearance and manner Though
upon the turning point Of fifty, he had remained
bachelor. Humble in his professionals
SIMPLY repairer of clocks-he is proud, and
LOOKS down upon those of high rank and wealth
with a degree OF contempt. He is lord of his owl
castle, and lnhabits 1t soius-has no friends, nC
companions, and wants none He eschews wo
men, considering them useless expense, and a
source OF multifarious vexation Wealth. To his
philosophy, is an absorbing evil, and money il
any shape, except SO far as it contributes tt
higher eDjoyments, mere dross.
ans singular person has existed in the same
nut, same locality, for mary years, and still his
nearest nelghoors know him not. He spends
only SO much of his time at physical labor
Intending clocks) as will procure plain scanty
. living, and obtain other requisites to mental en-.
Joyment. de visits Baltimore about twelve times
year on loot, and then so arranging in point o,
time, that his entrance and exit are made in the
night. his passion is books and culture Though
IN seeming poverty, he has well selected libra.
ny OF several hundred volumes, containing all
the classics, besides other works. His visits to
Daitinore are generally of a literary character,
Always taking home books of rare quality
10 see him, the beholder would suppose he
nn1at Il,
human nature. In this, however, the few who
were fortunate enough to form his acquaintance
fonnd themselves mistaken Contrary 10 nj
expectations, he proved scholar of superio,
hnish, gersed In the classics thoronphly and
master OF Latin, Greek, French. German. Ital
IAN, Spanish, Hebrew, and many other Ian.
guages, all acquired without a tutor. He is
also familiar with the various sciences. accom-.
pushed IN manner, address, etc. He converse,
freely, tiuently, and sensibly, upon the most alb
struse and complicated subjects; is well posted
IN pohtlcs, and knows the history of the pas
ana current events accurately He delights
particularly in Oriental literature and possesses
a fund of information thereto He processes
alilanee with no religion, and yet observes a
code OF scrupulous morality.
ms best costume is extremely antiuuated
paris OF II having been in use probably twenty
years, and all together, if put up at auction,
WOULD not command ten dimes. The Casual nh.
server 81, would suppose him poor mendicant, and
,eet inoiiheu 10 extend the hand of charity; vet
ne 10 sufinlseo 70 be comfortable in the worlds
lore, and proves himself enviably rich IN alI
that appertains to a refined and highly chit.
waited intellect. His name do NOT feel at lib
erty to mention at present | have piyen Vol.
the outlines of reality, which, up to this period
has probably never been thought of beyond the
ordinary routine of life. The Learned Black
smith," John McDonogh, Peter the Hermit aud
stephen Girard, we're not more peculiar than
the hero Of this brief epistle.
Within the past year he has mastered the
the arts OF stenography and photography, and
reads and writes them with ease.