Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-11
ENGLISH PARSONS.
Something Of Interest About n Pecu-
larry Brllish IMsillutiOm. =

ENGLISH PARSONS.
som ctlliuR Of Interest About n Pecu-
larry British Institution.
Capt Mayne Reid in New York Tribuhc.l
Some, goodly number of them, are of
the gentry class, younger SONS deprived
of inheritance by the heartless law of en-
tail, to whom any genteel employment is
acceptable, and the church is ali this.
The clergy themselves, too, usually have
always SO when the livings belong to
them. But it is from the middle classes
that the clergymen of England's state
church are now chiefly recruited, and
every day more and more their motive
being almost as mean as tits easily under
standable.
The middle class Englishman, who has
gained wealth and is aspiring to social
position, knows that one of the surest
stepping-stones, readiest for ascent of the
social ladder, is to have son in the
church. If the father himself is rich, he
can purchase an advowson, and make the
son either rector or vicar. But If only
of moderate means, and nothing beyond a
curacy be obtainable, even this opens to
the parvenu family prospect of intro
duction to that society they were not born
in, but long to become part of. AS for the
curatc himself, he enters it Mt once and,
though his pay be but ESQ per annum,
there is paradise before him, not heav-
enly, but one altogether earthly, in his
becoming rich by matrimony, and &c soon
after rector. In almost every Iarish
there is woman of wealth, often wid-
ow, on the lookout for husband and for
this alliance none is deemed more eligible
or stands better chance OF etfecting it
than he who administers in the church.
Even the uniform of the army officer, be-
dizened though it be, takes not precedence
of the surplice. The number of young
curates aware of such chances, and specu-
lating in them, We're the truth known, is
anything but tinconsiderable.
The respect paid to the parson depends
very much on his character rs a man and
on how he comports himself. To be popu-
lar he must needs do some service beyond
that of his Sunday duties in the church ;
show interest in the welfare Of his par
ishoners, especially the poorer ones visit
their sick, and contribute something sub
stantial toward their comfort or cure.
Many do all this, at the expense of their
own limited incomes, while their wives
and daughters are often active, often
Jealous, in such administration, as also
in the training and education of children.
So, in the sense of these civilizers alone,
these parish clergymen are laborers well
worthy of their hire the great drawback
being that their pay is not voluntary on
the part of the people, but forced con
tr;h t, viii ~, oil ,,,uat ol1 ns ,,unl,
as any Of the dissenters who never enter
the church, and hate the very sight of it.
Still another per cruria is, that these
duty-doing parsons are rather the excep'
ton than the rule, while some equally
assiduous with parochial work make
| themselves offensive as medllers in fam
lily affairs. There is yet another class ol
clergymen, though few in numbers, who
altogether neglect their parishioners
leaving them, -go-lucky. to take
care of their Christianity, as of them
selves. know son who do not ever
reside in their parishes, but far away
and who never appear in them during the
week, but only in their churches on Sun
day, to run perfunctorily through th'
service, then off again on Monday morn
ing by the earlies. train. There are
moreover, parishes where the parson fair
ly fultils his duty, whose churches or
Sunday present an array of empty pews
l have driven through country villag
on Sunday morning, while the bell
were tolling ior church, to see at almos
every cottage door the owner in week
day apparel-the orthodox smock-smok
ing his pipe with one or two of his con
frercs, none of them having though
about entering the sacred ediffce. Insid
it would be found only the squire, witt
his family anu servants, those of tn
clergyman himself, and some six or eigh
"tradesmen" (shopkeepers) with theirs
} who by absenting themselves might ris
the loss of the squire's or parsons cus
tom. Add to these half-score aged an
decrepit paupers, in receipt of "outdoo
relief who must show themselves ther
or forfeit the charity dole of two shilling
and sixpence per week, throw in the pal
, ish clerk, with the sexton, and you hav
the congregation as it is in many an Eng
, lish country church. The truth is, thu
England's poorer people, though nom
nally of the Episcopalian faith, care yer
little about it, or indeed about an
J other.
/ 1t is in such parishes that the non col
formist clergy have their harvest. Entt
| dissenting chapel and how different I'll
= scene There all is earnestness and a,
tivity, with crowd assembled to displa
| it, while the clergyman administering
, often man who can both preach an
D pray with eloquence far excelling that ,
= the university graduate. 1t may be lie,
. grammatical, but coming direct from I'll
heart, goes home to the hearts of h
l hearers, carrying with it "A conviction Fl
t beyond what is produced by the refine,
: sometimes fnical, discourse from the pu
: pit OF the parish church. These dissen
4 ing ministers labor, and have long labo
Z ed under grievous social disadvantages
Among high class Episcopalians it
5 thought the correct thing to scout an
3 scorn them. Even Roman Cathol
4 priest takes precedence of them in ii
= consideration of 'society :" for there
e no danger of his doing anything to lev
h class distinctions, or interfere with al
h cient privileges, but quite the revers
+ But, Notwithstanding this petty spi