The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-02-03
EMPORIA NEWS.
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FISday, February 5, 1871.
NOTES BY THE WAY.

Reading is manufacturing city of
$4,000 Inhabitants, nestled among the
hills. She has just recently walked up
IRON the dream of ages, and, like lad,
she is pressing her way to renown and
greatness. During the year just closed
she has built three large school-houses,
such as would be pride TO any city, |
and added about eight Protestant
church ediflces TO her former number, |
also four new market-houses, and |
number of workshops, one of which |
measures l75 by 200 feet.
Reading is the county seat of Berks
county. Old Berks, the key of the key
stone. She has had long night but
thwmorning cometh. A few quotations
from history may assist the enquirer,
who is looking up the cause for the
wide spread reputation of this county.
The first settlements were made in
1750. Two years later there were 1872
dwelling houses in Reading. The his
torian says: ''The Protestant inhabi-
taAts are very uneasy at the behavior
of the Roman Catholics, who are very
numerous" A petition praying for
protection, was sent TO the general as
sembly of the State, signed by five JUS
tees, in which IL is stated that sit is q
great unhappiness that the Papists
should keep fire arms in their houses,
against which the Protestants are not
prepared, who are, therefore, subject
to massacre whenever the papists are
ready"
The Catholics still hold this commu-
nifty with an iron grasp. They have
two large churches in the city thronged
with image worshippers. They have
their own schools and school-houses,
where science is mixed with the super
stitious notions of the dark ages and
then taught to their children.
The priests and nuns teach that the
bread and wine used in the sacrament,
is changed by conservation into the real
body and blood of Christ. And their
people believe it and argue it with
their Protestant friends. In visiting
among our old friends we found poor
woman, who is about 81 years of age,
who said, 81 have twenty-five dollars
in the bank that l am saving to give
TO the priest when / die, to pay
him for reading twenty-five masses for
me, for you know we are great sinners
and after we are dead we cannot help
ourselves"
Low grog shops are numerous in this
city and a very large proportion of the
keepers are persons who belong to the
Catholic church. They are drunkards
and drunkard makers. They stop their
work long enough to go to the priest
and confess, and receive absolution, and
then they resume their work. The
membership is also numerous in the
old German churches, and there is but
shade of difference between them and
tho former, The moral atmosphere is
filled with the death damps of dark
ness.
Farming in this region is uphill
is lined. Lime, when spread on the
ground, costs 20 cents, and it takes fifty
bushels per acre, this has to be repeated
every five years, or the farm rms
down.
How men live and get rich here is
mystery. A few facts, however,
may assist in the solution. l found n
man, aged 66 years, who was shaving
himself with razor that he purchased
in his youth, and he SAID IL was in use
between so and 60 years before he got
it. The same man had clock in his
house, that kept good time, that had
been running for 70 years. 4 neighbor
of his, who is about IS years of age, APP
peared in church short time ago in the
presence of his grand children's chill
dren dressed in the wedding coat of his
youthful days. Mr.. NJ. Onesil, who is
living on the old homestead of his faith
or, informs me that he had III his hand
last September land turtle bearing the
date of 177G, also the name of the
two men who first settled the land. He
said he had the same turtle in his hand
30 years ago and he had seen it every
few years since that time. The men
whose name it bears have been dead
more than 80 years. 1t still lives.
j. McANULTY.
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 9Th, 1871.