The New York herald., 1874-08-23
Poor Mary Pomeroy!

Poor Mary Pomeroy!
There are some sorrows which are lost in
indignation, and even the pity for the hard
fate Of poor Mary Pomeroyis transformed into
q sterner feeling when the author OF her
wrongs is remembered Her life was pure
and peaceful. her home was happy, and the
future seemed as bright as the past. The
seducer came and all the rest is known the
temptation, the fall, the anguish of remorse.
the fear Of exposure, the threats of the be-
trayer and the hopeless misery Of the be-
trayed Then followed sharp-eyed suspicion
and burning shame, illness and resignation,
and, at last, an early grave, where the broken
heart beats no more. 1t is sad story,
and none the less sad that it has been told
again and again since the beginning
of the world. Yet there are stories far
sadder than this, and it may be for the best
that dishonor and death came hand in hand
to this ruined girl, and that the cold world
which pauses for one moment at her grave
can say "Poor Mary Pomeroy r without
shudder or a sneer.
But it must be remembered that had it
not been for the Rev. John s. Glendenning
Mary Pomeroy might now be living and
happy. This was not one of the common
cases of seduction in which the woman tempts
the man and the burden of guilt is borne by
both. From an open and coarse temptation
she would have escaped. But she was ap-
preached by the man in whom, according to
the dangerous teachings of our society,
she had the most reason to trust. The Rev.
Mr.. Glendenning was the pastor of her
church, her spiritual guide, admitted to her
confidence, and naturally permitted by her
family to have opportunities to win her affec-
tions which would not have been granted to
another. He was admitted into this unsus-
pecting family in double trust first, as her
lover, who was to shield her from harm and,
second, as the servant Of God. Because he
was clergyman she could not suspect his de-
signs. Those arts which would be detected
at once in carnal layman when practised by
priest are not so easily perceived. Cody
men have this advantage over ordinary rakes-
that the liberties they take with young women
are apt to be attributed to an inno-
might arouse jealousy by simply squeez-
ing woman's hand; but as we have
been told, great clergyman may
clasp an ankle without exciting anything more
than temporary uneasiness. The Rev. Mr..
Glendenning knew this great advantage which
he had by reason of his profession, and un-
scrupulously used it. While with one hand
he pointed the upraised eyes of poor Mary
Pomeroy to heaven, with the other he was
gradually drawing her along "the way to hell,
going down to the chambers Of DEATH"
The clerical seducer is for these reasons the
most contemplate of criminals, and the Rev.
Mr.. Glendenning appears to be one of the
worst of the infamous tribe. 1t was easy for
Mary Pomeroy to believe in the promise of
marriage which he gave, for how could one so
ignorant Of the world imagine that clergy
man could lie? tits possible to understand that
when he made that promise he had little
thought of the sorrow and evil he would
create by breaking it. But the more carefully
his conduct is examined the baser it appears
Crime accumulates upon crime. The seduc-
ton could have been forgiven had he offered
to repair it. Even the desertion might have
been atoned had he not attempted to blast the
reputation of the woman he had killed.
Here was the crowning act Of heartless
cruelty-that he should declare to his church
that Mary Pomeroy was woman of noto-
riously bad character, who conspired to ruin
his clerical career. The grave has received
his victim; but even now he would blacken
the memory forever of the woman he de-
stroyed and disown the child that the dying
mother unthinkingly disgraced with his name.
The citizens Of Jersey City could not
properly permit this crime to pass unnoticed,
and the action of the indignation meeting
held last night was as just as it was emphatic.
Many of the leading men Of the
community were present, and the char
acter Of the resolutions and the
manner of their adoption show how pro-
foundly the public has been moved. The
Rev. Mr.. Glendenning is ordered to abandon
the city as his residence, and warned that q
refusal will be considered defiance to
society. There is little danger that he
will disregard this just sentence He
has stepped down and out, and il
is to be hoped will never enter a Christian
pulpit again. Yet if the Rev. Mr.. Glenden-
ming should ever insult humanity and religion
by resuming the holy Office he has betrayed
we will give him this text for his sermon:-
''It is impossible but that offences will come
but woe unto him through whom they come!
It were better for him that milestone were
hanged about his neck, and he cast into the
sea, than that he should offend one of these
little ones" And when he has uttered these
words let him remember how he wronged
poor Mary Pomeroy, and then preach his
sermon il he can.
The SupERFLUoUs COMMITTEE. folly
of appointing committee from Plymouth