New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-02-10
AN ENGLISH PRIESTESS.
MARY GIRLING AND HER FOLLOWERS.
A REMARKABLE RELIGIOUS MovEMENr-ThE SIM
pr rroas on HER OWN PARIsu HER PIRST ADJ

lPR0a AN OCCASIONAL CORksSfoSDbNror thh Inipo'"'
- MARLEsFoRD, Eng, Dec. 23.-For the last three
years and more we have heard, every now and then
Of the eccentric actions of the mischieyous i'm
postor whom designate as the Latest English
Priestess1 and the newspapers inform us that
she aud her infatuated partisaus are just az
present in sore distress. Of the woman herself no
account, so far as know, has appeared in PRINT.
Seeing that she was born and hasspent good part
of her life within mile of the spot where write,
have only had to question few Of tho people about
mo in order to obtain particulars of her antecedents
which may be received as tolerably authentic.
This person, Mrs. Mary Girling. is native Of the
parish of Little Glemham, in East Suffolk, and is
now from IS to IS years OF age. Her maiden name
was Clouting Her parents were honest peasants;
and her mother still lives hard by. as do many of
her kindred, not one of whom she has succeeded in
misleading In early life her character was far from
reputable. Her husband, sailor is now at Ipswich,
with their two surviving children, both of them
daughters From being sae3woman in connection
with an unlicensed still this woman gradually got
to DO q scrpture-reader. This was abOut 10 years
ago. Subsequently she tineratcd under the patron
age of the Wesleyans az preacher: but about four
years ago she set up as beresiarchess on her own
account. Her husband and family she has forsaken,
az not being of the true faith One of her most con-
spicous whimseys is that tho good of the soul de-
ponds largely on exercising the muscles Of the legs
and arms Since King David danced. and so the
daughter of Jephthah. cannot do better argues
Mrs. Girng, than defer to such venerable prece-
dents. Farther according to her teaching, she and
her adherents are not to die in their beds, but are
promised conveyance beyond the stars without put
ting off the flesh; aud tho members Of her band
who, awkwardly enough, have occasionally ended
their days as was to be expected, have, it is alleged
been buried privately. In her Interpretation OF the
Bible far from showing ingenuity, she does not
manifest nationality even. Like herself. all those
who have attached themselves to her are grossly
illiterate and it is wholly to her zeal and earnest
ness real OF affected, that she owes her not neon
siderable success in deluding. The main drift Of
her rhapsodies ia communistic milenarianism, of
which she appears to consider Bloomerism as an i'm
portant element.
In partial contradiction to the old saying about
the local honor denied to prophets the smpetons OF
her own parish and Of the parishes lying next or
near to it, were numbered among her earliest and
most steadfast followers. Little Glemham, Marles-
ford, Stratford, st. Andrews, Benhall, Parham,
Hachestou, Easton and DalinghoO furnished the
nucleus Of her sect. by contributing ten or twelve
families or parts Of families. Among these original
disciples was thriving farmer who cultivated two
hundred acres. Abandoning his farm, he sold all
he possessed. made over the proceeds to Mrs. Cir
ling and, with his wife and children, Joined her in
her wanderings. &c. too, did the wife OF well-to-
do shopkeeper of this vicinity taking her daughter
with her. after plundering her husband of well-nigh
all his savings To these followers she points with
great PRIDE
With sbrewd judgment, Mrs. Girling was not long
l,oIr IN, nnJn Enla rOin M
for herself the apostolic permission to lead about
sister," she relieved the tedium of her progress
thither by leading about brother. another womans
husband. Her other dupes also accompanied her,
and their ranks were soon augmented. For some
time the journals told US Of her haranguing under
railway arches and in such places for want of a
hall; and then she disappeared for while from
public notice But now, just before Christmas, we
catch sight of her again. aud in such circumstances
as must test her fortitude rather severely.
As to numbers the Girlingte Community is stated
to have included, at one time. 160 persons. BY the
most recent accounts however, this aggregate has
been reduced by so or thereabouts and of those that
are left, only 20 are men. Most of them are poor
enough but there is o single exception. Among
those who have lately joined Mrs. Girling is a
wealthy maiden lady. of the name of Wood. Sup
Piled with funds by Miss Wood, the Girlingites
we're enabled, little less than two years ago, to
purchase an estate consisting of 50 of land and
a large.house situated about five miles from Lynn
ington, on the borders of the New Forest, in Ramp-
shire. But the estate, from the time it was pur-
chased, has been incumbered by mortgage, inter-
est has recently fallen due and could not be paid,
cattle have been seized in satisfaction of an execu-
tion and an eoctment has at last followed Mrs.
Girling and her flock the children excepted, after
refusing the shelter offered them, and passing q
whole night in the open air. amid snow, hail and
rain, singing, praying and dancing, were conveyed
by the police to barn. An attempt has been made
to commit the woman lunatic but 1t has fallen
through. Lunatic not it is pity that she cannot
be Withdrawn from sight; since. in such an event,
the victims of her craft or folly, as the case may be-
would in all probability disperse to their homes or
else be consigned to the union. These miserable
creatures call themselves Bible Christians, but are
generally called by Others who would seem to be
unaware that their uncouth motions are meant for
dancing, Shakers.
When the Girliugites wero told tho other day by
the sherif7s officers that they must vacate their
house and remove their goods and chattels, they
responded by doggedly sitting with folded hands.
But direct resistance to the law is by no means po-
cular here in England to such unlettered enthus-
asts as have been spoken of above Mr.. Mackonochie
is 30 far forth in the same boat with them. This
gentleman it may be necessary to premise, Is an ex
treme Ritualist Certain Of his fantastic practices
have lately been prohibited by the Court Of Arches,
and he has been judicialy suspended from his func
tions for six weeks. But all this is to him as the
idle wind He still persists in his minisrations and
he goes on enacting his pet pantom1mo exactly as
before for he urges, "the Court of Arches is not
spiritual court" But 1t is court established by the
law of the land and he is clergyman of the Church
Of England solely by virtue Of tho same law of tho
land His attitude is, therefore, unintellgible, ox-
cept on one assumption; and this assumption. on
his part is that whatever suts his pleasure Is to DO
recognized as lawful and whatever thwarts it may
L. nnoroL "a lnrrlass To snv truth q sfrnr hrif