The Springdale news., 1889-09-27
MAKES HIS OWN GODS.
h penn.yIvanian Who Worships Three
 Hundred Home Made Gods.

Hundred Home Made Gods.
 A most remarkable character has lust been uuearthed here. He is a thor ough idolater and daily bows down to gods of his own manufacture, within sound of the church-going bells, as rev ently and devoutly as the most pi0us Hindoo or Zulu. He has made a relig- ion entirely his own, and has evolved put of it some three hundred or more gods, who dwell in and speak through the same number of idols of clay. which form the chief furniture of his house. He is constantly making the acquaint- ance of new supernatural beings, and IS soon as he does so he proceeds to make an image, which is supposed to represent the outward and physical ha- 5iliments of the new divinity. All of his gods are hollow and are from time to time filled with such food as he thinks their peculiar nature demands. Among others he has q god of medicine. This is filled with pills and odd prescriptions, and ' this divinity and always, he says, with beneficial results. He has a god of sewing machines. which is filled with blank contracts for the purchase of machines on the installmont plan. He claims that the worship of this god will help any one to get sewing machine, though no instances of it's successful use are given. He has one image which he calls the god of preachers, and says ii has congrega- tion of 300 in it's stomach. He has one god which he says Is inhabited by his own celestial spirit, and another which contains the spirit of his mother
 The god Of the Reading Railroad Company occupies a prominent posi- tion among his collection. The interior of this god is filled with cabbage, and it's particular mission is 10 keep cows off the track and prevent accidents generally. There Is god of horses, filled with hay and oats; a god of fruit, filled with apples; god of the weath CT, that regulates storms and floods; god of watermellons; a god of truth, which is in the shape of . hand, and gods which represent almost every thing imaginable.
 He has these images setup on shelves in his cellar and his garret, and xor- ships them constantly. according to6is needs. His name is William Christoph Clemmer, and his house is at GIL Lo- eust street. where he lives with his wife and six children He is a brick maker by trade, and works regularly at one of the brickyards of the city, occupying all of his spare time with his idols. which he fashions out of clay obtained at the briekyald. He is Pennsylvania Dutchman, and can not speak English, Is unlettered and can scarcely read, so that alt his strange ideas about the deities which ke wor- ships are evolved from his own imag- nation. 4 great many of his gods are supposed to contain tho spirits Of his friends. living and dead, but he has gods also which represent those whom he considers his enemies. These he has set apart by themselves, and they are treated with great deference and consideration. so as to pIacate them and ward off as much as possible any harm they may intend toward him.
 Clemmer's mania does not seem to interfere at all with his regular occu- patton, though the purchase of food for them cuts down somewhat the sup ply of his family. He is allowed to have his way in the matter, however, lest if he should be thwarted he might become violent. The images are very rude and inartistic, but there is con siderable expression in the faces of some of them and in all cases the out ward lineaments are supposed to be a reflection of the particular spirit with in. He has been three years in mak- ing the collection and it is his am bition to build temple on Mount Penn as d permanent home for bis deities. where they can be worshiped and consulted by every body. He pretends that he has revelations every lay from some of his gods, and that they regulate every action of his life and tell him what to do in every emergency
 Clemmer allows no one to meddle with the idols when he is not at home, but when he is there he is glad to show and explain them to any one, and endeavors to impress every one with his peculiar beliefs, having no doubt that all the world will sooner or later see the necessity of consulting his gods Reading (Pa) Cor. Philadel- phia Press