The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-16
Letter from the vasEey. sss
rrs 4 81 the 1siahmdnd ispasssssl
III 81 n,trl,x. saIifE embef . 1911

f,sM 81 i yery iiIst complaint against the pres.
sHf Hail service from4 sarriso Hbug 10 Slaun.
Tor. Letters ard newspapers are mol . re- Z.
-sefeed at any point on the alley raliroa 2,
nntseyen FIVE miles from aunton,y until
fForI one tofnree tiays after they IRE mailed
in Richmond, Though -shey- arEiVe-in ,Staunton-
ON the same day. Harman's stage coaches,
when fbey carried the malls, delivered the:
sRichmond mail matter at every hamlet as tar.
down BE Hafffsonb burg on the very day itieft
Richnoud, These sWide.awak people Ike
+ To Keep even with the current of events, but
now q I'D themselye compelled TO be always
Eat, least q day behind time. ~ ,s,..,ii
The three subjects chiefly occupying the
minds Of this people just now seem to,be
\ The circus, "the extension" and religious
lnl bat ,ssH 81. ..l.:! tasa
49,, TEE GREAT FARMERS MoYEMENT b
shows actiYe9 signs of life. Grangers and
oranges increase and multiply all through
The Valley, land they appear TO be more: 10.
esrnest Than those over Ithe mountains.
Almost every neighborhoodl hasa grange,
generally embracing lin its membership the
most intelligent OF the community. Your
correspondents have probably informed your
readers OF q 3.u3s2:p't2i'i n 81
THE RAILROAD SENSATION
Of this week, butI wish to add that it wasn't
much after all. Some counties sent dele
gates, and those that did not were supplied
With Representatives from among the BY.
/. ISLANDERS, who had come TO, town on free
passes: to be ready FOR an emergency and to
swell the numbers of the grand convention
that Il to make an impression upon the Lee
gislature next winter. Judge Shelley, the
counsel Of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company, successfully engineered the meet
ing in spite Of the eloquent appeals OF Judge
Cochran against granting any more priVi-
leges to railroads unless they should first sur
render their right of exemption from local
taxation. -. .s.4..s.
Everybody believes the Baltimore and
Ohio company owns the Valley road, and
the cars and timetables are marked ''B. d. y.
R.R., Valley Bfanch';; but NJ. 6. Hartman
said in the convention that be felt it his duty
as director of the road to deny emphati-
cally that the Baltimore and Ohio company
owned even controlling interest in the
Valley road, though they were permitted to
control It, because they We're managing it
well. Themerchants of Harrisonburg COM
plain that they find it cheaper tofhave goods
shipped to them from Baltimore to Staunton
burg, than to have them shipped direct to
nations are made by all the way, stations.
1t is generally understood here, as at
Richmond, that we. are to have a great bat
tie in the Legislature next winter between
Garrett and Malone over the proposed
=" Valley extension" but the senseless blus-
teripg about the secession Of the Valley in
case the charter is not granted is only in
durged in by very few, whose zeal has run
away with the little Judgment they have
had. -, 49,
: 1t looks as If all the people in the Valley
had come to town to-day to see
THE CIRCUS.
The Virginia and other hotels are crowd
ed, and even. the small boardiDs!houses that
usually exc out q precarious existence by oc-
caslonaly picking up a traveller, have abun-
dant customers. Every style of vehicle
that has been-inventeds since the ark rested is
here to-day, and the livery stables can't hold
all the "critters." Your New York CORE
spondent lately complained, with bitter.
ness that betrayed the depth of bis feelings,
that no good whiskey could be found in
Gotham. Could he visit this beautiful town,
where Bumgardner, Hanger, and Mountain
Dew abound, his sorrow would be turned
to gladness, and he might wax fat and live to
good old age upon the nectar that Jupiter
sips. But Pm afraid there is some bad wbls-
key here, TOO, if Imay judge from the num-
Der Of rusics whose latent pugnacity has to-
day been developed in degree so great as to
require their confinement in the city Jail.
Though Pm neither c0lporteur nor
travelling preacher, venture to jot down
few
RELIGIOUS ITEMS
for the Dispatch Qhe favorite newspaper in
the Valley, which have obtained from
venerable divine of the Presbyterian persua-
sion, whose acquaintance Tve had the honor
to make.
My friend tells me that the Rev. C.. NJ.
Howard, of Illinois, has been accomplishing
wonderful religious work in the Valley
during the last two or three months, by con.
Quoting, IN his own peculiar way, special
meetings. After astonishing successes in
field, in Rockbridge, where two hundred and
More lately he has been quite as successful
at Timber Ridge, an important old church
located near Rockbridge Baths, and formerly
deceased) and the church in which the Rev.
Dr.. Alexander, OF Princeton, n. j., was
reared. Mr.. Howard is native of Florida
but for some years has resided in Illinois,
whence he came to this Notwithstanding re-
gion to recuperate his physical energies. he
has, however, decided to connect himself
with Lexington Presbytery at its next ses-
sion.
The Rev. DR.. Pratt, of Lexington, has
gone to assume the presidency of the Cen.
trail University of Kentucky, and the people
of his old charge have now before them the
names of the Rev. Drs. Preston, LeftWicb,
and Martin, from which to choose pastor.
AS each of these diyines has many admirers
in the congregation, the choice will proba-
bly, fall upon one of them.
The spirit Of church improvement seems
to be aroused among the Valley Presbyte-
rians. Cooks Creek church was recently
improved by repaintiHg and frescoing, in
time for the fall meeting OF Lexington Pres
bytery, when there was a great gathering of
the people within the walls of the handsome
little church. This church is peculiarly for
tunate in having an enterprising and ener-
getic pastor (Rev. W. It. PRICE, and a good
choir; the latter blessing not very com.
mon, I observe, in country places. Old
Stone church, of which the Rev. William
Brown, of Richmond, was pastor for twenty
three years, has made wonderful progress
within the last few years. Though thor
oughly repaired and reprinted, it yet retains
its antique appearance. A new plank fence
now surrounds the splendid grove of 200 old
oaks, and the old place looks as fresh and
probably better than it did hundred years
ago when was bow.
Last week the people bad grand festival
for the benefit of their church. Tables were
set in the grove, and taStefulIy arranged