The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-09-19

unpleasant to the church people as to him
who held it.
The vestry exercised parental and in some
respects executive control, but could lot pass
sentence upon offenders For example, they
could summon witnesses against those who
were charged with living together in guilt,
and could admonish them ifthe evidence JUS
titled it and in certain other cases of immor-
atty they were empowered to execute the SEN
tence of the county court.
| The rector was ec Obic5O chief vestryman, and
so far as the churcn's temporal affairs were
concerned, he was nothing more. His infiu-
ence as such was probably, on the whole, not
materially increased by his other and higher
office. He had, however, one formidable ad
vantage, being appointed by the Governor,
without any agency whatever on the part OF
the vestry or the parshioners, they had to
take him, however objectionable-and still
worse, had to keep him as long as his Rever-
ence and his Excellency might desire to aff1ict
then in this terrible way. His support was
secure-being fixed by the act of 1892 at 40
pounds of tobacco per poll. The collection
of this tax went memorable on, whether there
was a rector or not, and the amount thus &C.
cumulated during vacancy was diverted
| into different channel, at the discretion of
the vestry, being appropriated by them to
the building and repairing of churches,
chapels and vestry-houses, improving the
grounds, or it could, if the yestry SO chose,
be invested in glebe lands for the general use
| of the church.
During the seventeen years vacancy be-
fore referred to, very considerable fund
must have accumulated in this way, and
naturally eXcites inquiry as to what could
have become of it all, since there seems to
have been, up to this time, no investment
made in gebe land, and there was certainly
no church erected. There can be little doubt,
think, that it was with this fund that the
second church was built 1t would seem to
be amply sufficient for the purpose. as we
learn from tradition that the church was not
a very pretentious one. The vestry book
shows that in 1921 the number of taxabes
was 450, and we may perhaps safely say that
| during that long vacancy in the rectorship
| the number of taxables averaged at least $50,
which, at 40 pounds per poll, would amount
to 5000 pounds year. Take from this
500 pounds per quarter for the services of
reader and we have left 1000 pounds,
| which in seventeen years would be 6S, 900
| pounds, worth at 4 pence, about eleven hum
dred dollars, without including interest that
may have accumulated by investing this
amount.
As regards the liberal gift by Mr.. Eaton of
the tract on Winters run, we only know that
its benefits had been long since lost to St.
Georges by act of Assembly passed in 1719.
| by which the entire tract was confirmed to
the Rector or Minister of st. Johns Parish"
Although the tract was embraced within
the bounds of st. Johns when the original
division was made ofthe county into parishes
| Tin 1922 it seems hardly fair, under the
| terms of the bequest, that all, or indeed more
than one-haf OF it, should be taken from st.
Georges without compensation; yet so far as
we know such was the case. For the seven
years Immediately succeeding, however, the
palpable injustice of the act was not felt,
| financially speaking, as during that period
the same rector had charge Of both churches,
and of course got the proceeds of the glebe.
By no means the least interesting passages
in the vestry proceedings are those (few in
number, however) which give US basis for
calculating approximately the number of in
| habtants in the parish, and without which
| we should have 10 content ourselves as best
| we could with wild conjecture upon that i'm
portant point in a community's history. For
| example, we learn that in 1920 the taxables
numbered 3S1. AS these averaged about one
fourth the entire population, there were, in
round numbers, about 800 men, women and
children in the parish. In the very next
year the vestry direct "FraDcis Holland, Shec-
| IF, to assess the $50 taxables at ten pounds
about twenty per cent. in a single year
making the whole population about 1900.
The amount thus raised was, no doubt, in
tended for the completion of the church and
westinghouse, which latter had already been
| begun, as we shall presently see. Hence the
sum which had accrued during the long va
! capcy could not have been sufficient for these
purposes.
The earliest record of the nam s of the YES
try present at a meeting 1721) gives the fol-
| lowing: REV. DR.. Evan Evans, Mr.. Roger
Mathews, Mr.. John Clark, Joseph johnson
! Gregory Farmer" A record of the same
year furnishes sample of the kind of immor-
alities which it was the duty of the vestry to
face and frown down-the power to punish
| being withheld. Several appeared and &C.
knowledged their fault. Also There follow
the names of a man and woman acknow-
| lodged they were the chief instruments OF
| forging the banns of matrimony published
between Henry Williams and Susanna Terren
by the name of Susanna Norris" 1t may not
| be amss to state that an act Of 1876 required
"the publication of the banns for three
weeks at the church, chapel, county court or
meeting house when the building may be
! full" with heavy penalties for infringements,
upon the officiating priest, minister, pas
tor or magistrate, as well as upon
the contracting parties. By the act OF
| establishment, if there was resident minister
a magistrate could not perform the ceremony.
The forgers of the "banns'' in the present
case were no doubt admonished. and were
probably reported to the grand jury, though
there Is no record of the fact
In 1921 the vestry agreed with Benjamin
Brown to underpin the church with brick
and-a half wall, the vestry house with
brick, and to make back and harth and to
| Of ho q
is to level the church and to dol with well
burnt brick, no samon bricks to be made use
of &c, "to be finished in tenn weeks, in pen
alty of 900 tobacco. Nails is to be for him
for the lathing of the chimney in the vestry
house He is to have 1000 tobacco-two
this year and two next crop.
MARK WHITAKER,
by order of the vestry."
1t must be recollected that although there
was in those days roaring fire in the vestry
house on each day of service, there was neith-
err fire place nor stove in the church, and OF
course, no fire Not only so, but as soon as
the church was opened the few who may
have crowded into the little vestry house
were summarily elected, the door locked and
tina key went into the sections pocket, where
il remained until the services were ended.
"Sep. 10, 1871. Present Rev. Evan Evans,
Mr.. John Clark, Mr. Garritt Garrison, Mr..
VIM. Osborn, Mr.. Roger Mathews"
"Mr Joseph johnson absent and fined &C
cordng to law"
civilian Hollis was sworn church warden
for the year"
"In consideration that the Hon'ble John
Hall ESQ, hath upon all occasions been an
eminent benefactor of st. Georges church,
the vestry have, on his request, assigned to
him and his heirs the pew ON the east side OF
the pulpit, he furnishing and adjoining the
same at his own cost"
measures taken Thy the vestry] to pay
Esquire Hall for ornaments he has furnished
for the church"
The Rev. Evan Evans, D. D., one of the
most eminent and worthy of st. Georges
long line of rectors, is the only one OF ante
revolutionary days, of whose career we have
anything like satisfactory account. He was
born in Wales and graduated at Oxford and
after receiving the degree of Doctor of Divin-
ity from one of the English universities was
sent in 100 to Philadelphia by the Bishop
of London (who had jurisdiction of the colo
NAL churches,) az missionary to the strug-
Cling churches ofPennsylvania. He was the
second minister in charge of old Christ
Church, in Philadelphia, built in 1898. In
two years, by his Jealous and effective labors,
500 members were added TO the congregation.
Meanwhile he preached once every fort
night, in their native tongue, to the Welsh,
who had settled in considerable numbers in
y