The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-28
A Dish of Spiteful Gossip.

''The Rev. DE-. e. +. Deems does no.
scemto have made a success of his SUN
mer school Of philosophy at Greenwood
Lake. The lectures are tbinly attended
and the refreshments furnished TO the
guests are criticised AS being console
rably below par. Discussions of the
ologv and of eat9bles are alike thin
The alleged school was started IN op
position to the Concord School. which
Emerson Alcott and other famous New
Englanders have made ! success, and
also IN the interest Of the railroad com
pany and hotel keepers that centre al
Greenwood Lake. DR.. Deems has
been probably the most successful theo-
logical car~pet-begger that our city has
had. He came here from North Caro-
lima at the close of the war and made
a start in journalism. Then he gather
ed a small congregation in a hall, an4
some means attracted the notice Of old
Commodore Vanderbilt through his
young wife, who was a southerner.
Then old Commodore bought a church
whose congregation has moved vi
town, and loaned il TO DIR. Deems. who
still breaches in it. During the weary
months while the Commodore WAS dy-
in. DR.. Deems attended to his spiritual
interests, and was remembered TO the
extent OF thirty thousand dollars in his
will. Meanwhile, DR.. Deems edited
= religious newspaper, which followed
the fortunes of Gildcroy's kite. and
afterward editor Of Firank LesLe's SIM
dag Magoziae, of which the only thing
religious vas its title. Nor he breaks
out as the head OF a summer school Of
philosophy and the paron Of the hotels
and railroads. His adventures as a
theological carpet>bagger in this city
would fill a volume. NoNew England
Yankee has ever been able to keep
himself So constantly and v~ariously and
v~ariously before the public as this little
Southern adventurer. In the matter
OF dsllars and cents he has certainly
made it pay"
"A distracted admirer of the Chicago
Inter Ocenu has visited Utica and DIS
covered ConklIng TO be an unascended
angel. He failed to Interview Roscoe's
married daughter now living in this
city, to whom the cherubic Senator
refused to make any present on the
occasion of her marriage, though he
had just ordered from a New York
house a massive silver tankard as a
gift to Senator Bruce's chocolate col
ored baby. 1t WAS this beautiful and
brilliant daushter-ahd only child-of
the Oneida county statesman who once
said to her mother: Mother, | cant
help that man being my father, but
you might have helped him being your
husband -
speaking of Conkllng, | must note
that yesterday | paid a visit to the
scene of his escapade at N~arraganset
Pier. Ex-senator sprague is still in
preston of his beautiful residence,
C~anonchet, and proposes to hold the
FORT. He is 4 little rustier and a little
older and a little seedicr than when |
last saw him, and in trying hard to save
/ small wreck from the millions which
won him Kate Chase's love. From
the piazza OF the Tower Hill House -
that stands a little way back from the
ocean, overlooking the Sprague estate
the lane where Senator Sprague laid
in wait for Conkling his shotgun was
pointed out TO me also was the detour
" which the long-legged New York
Senator tianked charge of buckshot
that was in readiness for him. Sprague
went down the Pier in search OF his ad-
versary Conkling took refuge at the
Tower Hill House. He entered the
front door in great haste; he didn't
stop to register as was %unually his Gus
tom; he fed by the back dool, and the
conductor OF my train told me how
hurriedly he received the Senatorial
fugitive, and chuAled over the recital.
At a distance from N~arraganset Pier
thousands of good Republicans doubt
il there was any truth in this little
episode; but it has become part of the
village history, and every step taken
lives in local tradition. 1t was Il funny
episode, but it came very near being
tragedy. Sprasue was in earnest, and
WAS specially primed for the occasion
Conkling's audacity, however, almost
beat the life out of the story; and if
Tom Plat had exhibited as much
courage at Albany he might perhaps
now have been III MiIler's place.
Let us hope that outsiders will not
take as gospel truth all that the New
York Republicans say of one another.
If both sides are to be believed the en-
tire party is up made of unnlitited
scoundrels. This is not true. Cha.uncey
NJ. Depew is a good fellow; 50 is Sharpe.
Warner Miller is a Sunday school SUI
perintendent, and his only faults art
that he Hobbies the wood pulp mpnopo.
ly, buys votes and compels his EN- ploye:
to vote the Republican ticket. Ltphan
is the soul of responsibility and good
natured dignity. If he will only hole
his tongue in the Senate and look wise
no one will discover how little his heaC
contains.
Oar city is nearly depleted of clergy.
men. Seven left on one steamer this
week, and Newport and the New Eng
land shores are fairly overrun with them
Fortunately for the sinners left behind
the weather has not been so hot as t.
con~scicntiously compel them to retreat
to the beer saloons on Sundays for re
freshment, spiritual or otherwise. L
the absent parsons could hear what i
said about them by people who lave tC
work twelve months in the year and SIX
days In each week they might under
stand why it is that they fail to reach
the masses
'tHow ARE You MY J. FRIEND a
tabaI a hrirht lOnkiDU man s.0E