Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-01-16
COMMUNICATED.
CuARLEsTowN, W. VA,
B January 4. 1875.

AO'O'
Editor Shepherdstown Register
Dear Sir-What grand common
wealth must have been the State of
Franklin What terror its navy to
the surrounding barbarians ! Its pow
er, wealth and external commerce,
dwarfs into utter insigni6cance that of
Tyre in its palmiest day under the
vile wretch Pygmalion. But sir, where
I was or is the State of Franklin, some Of
your readers might ask
Well sir, short time before the es-
tablishment of our Federal Government
the inhabitants of the Eastern portion
of the Territory of Tennessee, set up
Government for themselves and called
! it the State of Franklin. But specie
and the notes of specie paying banks
being scarce the Legislature passed the
following law which beats all hollow
John A. Thompson's financial theory as
illustrated by his bridge, or to be more
classical, his pans assinorum. But TO
the Jaw.
BE IT ENACTED by the General As
sembly of the State of Franklin, and il is
hereby enacted by the authority OF the
same, that from the first day of January,
A. u. 1889, the salaries of the civil officers
of this Commonw wealth be as follows, to-
wit
"His Excellency the Governor per an
mum, 1000 deerskins; his honor, the Chief
Justice 800 do, do, the Attorney General
500 do, do, Secretary to his Excellency
the Governor 800 raccoon, do, the Treas
urer of the State 450 otter do, Clerk Of
the House of Commons 200 raccoon do,
members of Assembly per diem, 3 do, do,
Justices fee for signing warrant one
muskrat do, to the Constable for serving
Il warrant one mink do.
Enacted into law this 18th day of Oc-
tober, l7SS, under the great seal OF the
State.
Witness His EXcellency, &C.,
Governor, Captain General, Commander
in-Chief, and Admiral in and over said
State.
What State that would be for some
of our modern clergy and missionaries !!
History, as far as | can learn, does not
inform us what kind of skins the clergy
and common people received their dues
in. But suppose in something of the
same kind, with chickens, turkeys,
ducks, geese, hay, straw, fodder, saus-
age, butter and eggs, and soft soap add
BY the way-it is pretty well under
stood who struck Billy Patterson, and
what allied Hannah, but what ails the
clergy is problem more difficult of So
luton than that of the automic or pro-
toplastic theory. In England they are
being graded or classified into Right
Reverend, rather reverend, quite rever
end and almost reverend.
A reverend Mr.. Coombs, in Wash
ington City, few days ago, cut his
throat because he was caught stealing
and it was not the first time he was
caught at it. Benefit of clergy saved
him in the first case. Another preacher
year ago in Cincinnati, was also caught
stealing books from a public library.
In case OF preachers and women out of
gallantry and reverence it is called
kleptomania, very well it is all the same
with stealing. Then another of Pitts
burg took a trip to the West, and in
Chicago obtained money on a forged
draft, took something stronger than
ale, visited the faro banks, and at last
was arrested in brothel. Then there
was the case of Houston in Baltimore,
and at this time there is case on the
Church docket in Baltimore of Rev.
Mr.. -, Cambelite, | believe, from
Bethany, in our Northern Pan Handle.
Then the Catholic priest of Philadel-
phia, who lately embezzled some $780,
900 or more, violated his VOWS of cell
bacy and was arrested in Baltimore in
the act of fleeing the country.
1t is hardly necessary TO mention
Beecher and Clendenning and the fel-
low at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the
learned negro divine and school teacher
of Charlestown, who taught his dusky
pupil how to love, but not how to love
wisely, and who, with fan in hand,
on a hot summer day, could sing shoe
fly don't bodder me, and tell you exact
ly how the streets of the New Jerusa-
lem were laid of, but had done forgot
how to check off ground for corn alto
gedder II seems to me, Mr. Editor,
that the question what ails the clergy |
in these times of evolution, develope-
ment, revolution, natural selection, aDi !
survival of the iittest is very peril
nent one.
How many clergymen are in the
United States l don't know, nor can |
find out, for the statistics are not within
my reach. In England there are 1870
lawyers, 35,4s3 clergymen, and 35,905
physicians, the number of each profes-
sion being nearly the same. How well
there, ones property, body, morals and
soul ought to be protected, but alas
1t would be very gratifying to your
readers if some one skilled aud practic-
ed in delving into statistics, would find
out the number of clergymen in the ma
tion, the number of crimes committed
by them, and their relative number
compared with any other classes. 1t
strikes me, that considering their COM
parative number, with the great body
of the people, the exhibit would not be
as favorable to them as class as we
would wish, have right to expect and
as persons generally inclined to believe.
Well may the good man and patriot,
cry out o tempora, o mores when the
clergy of a nation give, in their exam
pie, the lie to their precept- If half the
nation were rum-sellers they could not