The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-29
THE CLERICAL GLASSES.
Recent Cases in Which Clergymen Have
Shown Their Depraved Dispositions.
New York Times.

| New York Times
TIE GOSHEN RIOT.
1t is high time that something were done
to put an end to the violence of the clerical
classes. The riot which took place in a
church in Goshen last Sunday ought to
awaken spirit of public Indignation suf-
hciently stern and strong to compel clergy
men to keep the peace.
AS the story goes, the superintendent OF
the Sunday-school connected with the church
in question is man not more than twenty
years old. To his duties as superintendent
he adds that of teaching class of young
ladies. The exact amount of Biblical, theo-
logical and religious teaching generally,
which the young ladies receive from this
temporarily ghostly father is not known,
but 1t may be assumed that he teaches out of
the depths of his vast experience, and hence
his teachings must be almost priceless.
The rector OF the church does not like the
| superintendent, and alleges that the latter
not only treats the clergyman with contempt
but encourages his pupils to follow his per-
| nlclous example Last Sunday the rector
entered the chapel while the Sunday-schooI
| was in session and undertook to remove the
superintendent's young ladies from his class.
Naturally, this was resented by the superin-
| tendent, who took the rector by the throat,
and the two thereupon fell over most of the
Sunday school, or, at all events, impressed
| the scholars that such a calamity was close
at hand. Finally the belligerents were sepa-
| rated after much effusion of hair, and the
clergyman triumphantly carried off the
superintendent young ladies. This, in sub
stance, IS the story of the Goshen clerical
riot as it appears in the columns of an es-
teemed contemporary. If it is nota strictly
true, it is certainly quite in keeping with the
| well-known desperate character of our cleri.
| call classes. iaainegsb e.
OF the Goshen Sunday-school superin-
tendent little is known except that he has
been openly and shamelessy connected with
Sunday schools for several years. The rector
is member of prominent gang ofHclergy4
men, and it was quite in keeping with his
character that he should be guilty of being
taken by the throat by the Superintendent.
That any clergyman should venture to criti-
else the conduct of a Sunday-school
superintendent of the mature esq
| OF twenty years is an evidence
of the aggressive ruffianism OF the clergy,
But that the Goshen clergyman should take
the superintendent's young ladies away from
him was perhaps the most atrocious outrage
of the century. The clergy must be taught
that as the Sunday-school is something OF
infinitely more consequence than the church.
the superintendent is far greater man than
the rector, and the swift and severe punish
ment OF the reckless rector who thrust his
throat into the hands of the Sunday.schoot
! superintendent will teach other clerical
roughs to desist from aggression and outs
rage.
| JOSEPH COOK AND THE DRUMMER.
Another terrible scene of clerical violence
has startled respectable people. Mr. Joseph
Cook, person known to the Boston police as
habtual preacher and lecturer belonging
to the Congregational gang, has had SAN
culinary conflict with travelling salesman"
in Monmouth, I'll.
Mr. Cook, who had visited Monmouth with
| the nefarious purpose of delivering lecture,
happened to sit at the hotel supper table in
| close proximity to person of the class orig
iually known as "bagmen;" later as ''drum-
mers," still later as commercial travellers"
| and at present as travelling salesmen" The
travelling salesman" in question ordered
raw meat, whereupon Mr. Cook asked him IL
he was Western man and if all Western
men were in the habit of eating raw meat.
AS will be seen, this inquiry was plainly in
tended to provoke bloodshed. The travel
ing salesman" felt that an insult was intended
| by the suggestion that he might be aWestern
man. and an additional sting was added to
this insult by the knowledge on the part of
the travelling salesman" that he actually
lived in indianapolis. Moreover, he suspected
that Mr.. Cook meant to imply that no gentle'
, man eats raw meat and hence that the tray
cling salesman" was not gentleman. Deter
/ mined to show that he was gentleman, the
travelling salesman" cursed Mr. Cook with
great eloquence, and when the latter re-
minded him that in civilized communities
gentlemen do not swear at the supper table
| in the presence of ladies' the travelling sales
man" insisted upon fighting Mr.. Cook and
was finally put out by the servants. As he
announced his intention of lying in wait for
| Mr.. Cook and shooting him on sight, Mr..
Cook brutally sent for policeman and gave
him instructions to arrest any travelling
salesman" who might try to commit MUIR
| der
There is but one exteruating circumstance
in this black catalogue of the outrages per-
petrated by Mr.. Cook upon meek and quiet
| gentleman. Mr.. Cook might have over
whelned his antagonist with Monday lee
ture, prelude and ALL but he restrained him-
self. For this he is certainly entitled TO
| credit. On the other hand, his inhumau
conduct in making a jocose remark to a
"traveling salesman" the indecent way in
man" 70 curse him, and the cold-blooded
brutality with which he applied to the police
for protection againsta "traveilng salesman"
who threatened to kill him, admit of no de-
Tense. If he did not actually thrust his eye
against the fist of the travelling salesman"
or bring the full weight of his massive intel
lect into collision with the travelling sales
mans" boot, he nevertheless acted ina way
that must excite the scorn and Indignation
| of that large class of persons who are always
anxious to find minister of the gospel in
the wrong, and who will have their belief
that the Christian religion is a myth greatly
strengthened by the fact that a presumably
drunken "bagman" swore at and tried TO
assault man who writes REV" before his
| name