Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-02-20

that honored elder Of the Stauntor
Presbyterian church.. and man thar
whom, since John Preston and Others
founded Staunton, has died within Its
limits more useful, more respected OF
more honored, t~-,l ci-itt 'lif Y q Y
u THE LATE SAMUEL CLARKE.
1t is because of his last marriage on
the day of ---, 1S-, intend to
indulge in bit of history hope your
readers will bear with me in reading
patiently, and, as hope, vindicate me
as the historian, because of a part have
been made to play in the matters grow
tne out of 1t and without my seeking.
i His last father in-law was a citizen OF
an adjoining county and married an
Ionly daughter of a most worthy and re-
lspected citizen of this county. By her
he had one son and four daughters We
i will here premise that whilst his family
was respectable one, it was not whit
more so than that of the honored hero OF
the Revolution, we have, in feeble
way, attempted to do justice to. Years
before the marriage of Jas. Baskins to
his second daughter, his wife and son
died, and his eldest daughter, who was
being more literally educated than either
of her sisters, received fall from a
horse, or out of vehicle. that for years
made her as helpless as child. During
these years this secon d sister, in the full
est acceptation of the term, was a mother
to her and the two younger sister,, aud
most successful house wife in managing
every thing pertaining to woman's
| sphere. She elected enthusiastic en- :
comiums from every quarter, and yet
her innate modesty never limited to her
that she was doing anything more than
a duty in filling, In her humble way, q
mothers place. The father, apart from
being an elder for forty years in one of
the Oldest churches of the county, had a
neat little temple erected at home, in
which, unconsciously it may have been
to himself, he was constant, devout,
and faithful worshiper. 1t was to that
god, so popular in these late days, that
claims among his worshipers the Van-
derbilts, Goulds, Astors, Keenes, and
others,
THE GOD MAMMoN.
Well, poor Jimmie Baskins, q good
fellow, good citizen, good soldier, who
laDguished months in Fort Delaware,
and was the father-in law of an eminent
South Carolina clergyman, had not a
solitary vice mortal man ever had heard
of, but was no worshiper at the shrine
of this popular sod. The daughter had
for some years been of age, and whilst
she may have thought her father would
have preferred another kind of son-in-
law, did not dream of iDcurring his and
this sisters undying i'll will In one of
several of her letters to friend 1 have
before me, she seems not to have dream>
ed that their feelings of opposition could
have ever carried them to the length her
experience has proved. They were
married, when, alas! the doors of the
pateInal mansion,
AS THE HEARTS OF FATHER AND SISTER,
were closed to her forever These let
ters from South Carolina and Texas,
their present home, in their sad, heart
rending, fiial utterances, in which she
bewails the fact that neither her father
or sister would meet her in StauntOn
and say to her farewell, and that they
had forgiven her, (she lived a year or
more in neighboring village after their
marriage,) have all the sentiment of the
humble. sincere, devout christian No
where, in all of them, is there the faint
est utterance of reproach, but perfect
abnegstiOn of all the wealth and pos
sessions at home. and of her willingness
to return here and do menial service in
Der friends kitchen, if she could he
reconciled to father and sister, and have
their forgiveness and blessing Had til e
father have taken Mr.. B by the hand,
an accomplished clerk apd skillful, well
trained merchant, his influence could
have secured for him a clerkship in one
of our banks or set him up as q mer-
chant, and have seen him an honored,
useful, prominent member of society.
Time passed. About the time of his
daughters marriage their came into his
immediate vicinity a keen, shrewd
business man from an adjoining county,
who married most estimable lady-the
only daughter and heir of his nearest
neighbor. He belonged to that class
which. unfortunately for themselves,
slapped
THEIR OLD MOTHER VIRGINIA'IN THE
| FACE
in our late unpleasantness. Thereby
they have inherited for themselves that
reputation for themselves that will adj
here to them through generations un-
born in all the South, that whilst it is
expressly designated by single word,
that we shall have to refer to presently,
that can be summed up by one equally
forcible. that came into use directly af-
ter the Revolution, to wit, Glory" He
soon manifested himself as a most de
vout worshiper of that little god we re-
ferred to, mammOn, and as such at once
had the entire to the ancient elders
heart. He was soon his most intimate
friend and associate, and like him pre-
sently became an elder in the same
church. Time passed both of the otner
daughters married. The third to wor-
thy and pious gentleman, also an elder,
but no devotee to mammon The fourth
daughter married gentleman in an
other county, who seemed to hold the
warmest place in his father-in laws
heart He, too, has successfully wor-
shipped mammOn, and that strange god
in Virginia. the introduction of the past
few years. the High Priest of Repudia-
ton, "Mahone," and also of the jolly
god. We do not know that he has ever
crossed the threshold of church, but if
SO, like his great anti-type referred to
by one of the Apostles in that most
terse and expressive sentence,
HE CARES NOT FOR ANY OF THOSE
THINGS.
| The ancient elder was weakening rap.
idly in mind and body. In evidence,
much to the surprise and disgust of
| uluCtccHGu~LW 0uJlGtUS vi lis T6ldllNSe
and friends, he was carried to the late
exciting election in a close carriage, and
voted the Malone ticket. This was all
brought about by the neighboring elder
we have referred to who, besides being
a devotee of mammon, was an enthu-
siastic admirer and supporter of Ma
hone In the Richmond Dispatch, of
the 11th, before US, we find, in an ably
written article, this sentence:
WHAT IS A SCALAWAG?
A man who deserts his own people, his
own section, his own principles, and
allies himself with the carpet bsggers
and negroes This Malone and those
who follow him have done. Malone is
therefore the very soul of scalawagism
in Virginia.
Therefore the elder must not object to
bear the designation of his master, as
like master, like man." is trite
maxim. His neighbor, the ancient
elder, finds his end approaching. The
i rr,linn roooinn 10 ctranr in death Hoo.o