Smyrna times., 1877-08-29
Ministers at the Sea-Shore.

says:
Probably for many years there have
never been so many ministers at one time
present at the New Jersey coast seaside
summering places, as there are now. Ocean
Grove, Atlantic City, Cape May and Sea-
Grove fairly swarm with them. We like to
see our clerical friends enjoy themselves.
They come to the seaside for absolute re
pose or for moderate recreation, and they
are entitled to it. We notice that, as
omit the prefix REV" to their names
This they do in order that the resident
deacons or other church officers shall not
suspect their identity and therefore i'm
perfume them to preach. At Atlantic City
and Cape May this harmless ruse is pretty
generally successful Those who do write
themselves down as Reverends'' are
generally either anxious to experiment
in a seaside pulpit or else run away with
the absurd idea that sensible landlord is
going either to reduce the charge for their
entertainment, or to set a higher value
upon a preachers dollar than upon the
dollars of anyone else. The Doctor of
Divinity who comes to the seaside to
luXuriate in its attractions spends money.
The zone horse" preacher who sticks his
title into the face of everyone who ex-
amines the hotel register is generally the
kind of person in whose mind the idea Of
/ receiving is ever uppermost, and into which
no idea of giving ever enters. No hotel
keeper could evade the visitation of a
sheriff if he filled his house with that kind
of ministers who ask to be boarded at a
discount of one-third of the usual rates,
and who expect that the best Of everything
shall first be placed before them. There
arc clerical gentlemen who might recon-
mend personal friends to certain houses OF
ent ertainment whose excellence they have
tested, but would scorn in consequence 10
demand for so doing reduction of their
personal bills. We could name a hotel
keeper at Atlantic City whose house was
largely occupied by halfpricc ministers Of
various denominations. They wanted and
received the best of everything, and were
ungrateful even then. Rev. DR.. Foggo Of
Christ Episcopal church, in Philadelphia
happened to get into this crowd, and was
the only one among them who declined tc
enact the role of a clerical semimendicant
as did the others, but insisted upon paying
the prices required from other people. Il
is hardly necessary to say that that Autumn
that hotel keeper became a sheriff's victim
and was "sold out"
The local preachers of the Methodist
church sling the title of Reverend which by
courtesy is accorded to them. While W.
are using no personality, and producing NJ
coat that will not fit the back of him whC
is entitled to it, all railroad officers will
tell you that time and again they are ap
piled to for passes over their roads, eithe
gratuitously or at half rates by fellows whc
thus claim the ministerial prefix. Tn,
New Constitution of Pennsylvania ha
rendered the free pass business illegal, anC
in that direction the game of these i'm
posters is up. They practice it still upol
| hotel keepers where they can.
These local preachers are engaged il
, worldly occupations or professions. A larg
Q majority of them-you, if you are loca
1 preacher very certainly would-regard witt
r contempt the upstarts among their numbe
e who would use lines of travel or the accom-
a modations of hotels on such terms as W
t have above referred to.
n To see so many first.class clergymen nov
n enjoying themselves at the seaside we re
a joice. So far from being milksops many G
o them are entirely the reverse. The Catholi
e gentlemen probably experience more robus
Q enjoyment than those of any other demon
G ination. The champion blue-fsher an
k yacht-sailer on the whole sea cost tn
s summer is Rev. DR.. Willets, of Philade
t phia, while at the game of ten-pins Bal
n tist divine has so far been the vanquishe
o of every opponent. Let them all max
e hay while the sun shines-in other WORD
il enjoy the salt breezes and the surfsport
r while the dog star is above them.