The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-08
OFFER PARS0N WEEMS.
cr MC4RTY TELLS OF THE FTD-
DLTNG RECTOR or PoHIcK.
uleeraphcr Of Washington and Marion
inHis Daily Life-Amusing
Anecdotes.


..-c Is the Life OF Washington" by
,-.sms. in which the rector of Mount
,..-.on parish, as the author styles him
Il. portrays a character so sublimated
y. &c purity that the picty is all meek
Pc. without grandeur and reduced to such
decree Of foniinini;y as to cause sa-
i'd Frenchnan TO eXclaim. when La
,..,.fe showed him Che beck. "But e IS
ii. the Father OF His Country; 1t is the
r~aadmother."
mis- character Of Washington was so
..-,.ior chat the succe oding generations re-
-,~lea as profanely iconoclastic certain
-ts,cred stories that the mightest man
. his time. soldier and statesm9r had
ne habits Of mere ordinary morias. and
..td play cards. drink punch ard hunt
y .,rard Just like other accomplished
,~e- 4 his day. That he had rpbraided
c,reral Charles Lee at The Bate of Mon
,,orth IN terms more profane than criti-
,ol and had been violently enraged at
re news Of St. Clair's defeat were
stories cravely discussed and vanished
over as Il the reputation Il Washington
serenlei entirely on the exact propriety
ana refinement Of his language. His
ncirh bors and kindred in Truro parish. as
% Is properly called. smiled at Parson
Wecms' piece Of enterprise IN concoiving
IN IDEAL Of perfect petty and achieving
me naturalization OF the model by in
lerting the Ratchet story and stealing
rom Or. Beatty the little episode Of the
rane produced in cabbage plants TO inn
--.ss the youthful mind with the mi
-1.alous power Of Providence. But the
larson might have said. with Walter
5 1tt That he never intended harm by
line ne ever wrote. and he honestly be-
lsyed that a little artistic romance to
i.ichten the moral effect Of history was
G.. honest as a Biblical parable. He was
b.. amiable and charitable as he vas eccen-
tric. and in the goodness of his heart went
r. FAR as 10 play the violin for a Punch
and Judy show at Colchester, taking the
place OF the sick fiddler, and. when dis
covered, explaining with pathetic elo-
c.erce the sad plight Of the poor Boz
leuians that moved him TO save the per-
frmance from failure.
in a letter 10 the gentleman who fur
r,shed him with the materials for his
Life OF Marion" he enthusiastically de-
c.ares his intention OF making the pur-
rcsed history a great military romance"
that Will astonish and charm the entire
.ountry. And IL did charm the people, but
astonished most Of all the men who fur
u.shed the facts.
The parson was an accomplished vio-
yrst. and the scenes where his music is
sun played by country fiddlers, the hos
p.tahle mansions and happy plantations
we're we'll suited to his genial diSpo-
si,ion and pleasant ways that secured
him a standing welcome wherever he
went In fact. he constituted a social IL
Elimination when he came in a light
"carryan." armed with his romantic his
tories 10 sell and sermons and music free.
The hour could not be so festive, how
ever as 10 detain him from a call Of duty
from the poorest creature in the parish.
rs the following words. quoted from an
old negro woman's description OF her hus-
bands death, may proves
The poor creetur was little out OF his
head. and asked me If the corn was in
tassel In tassel.' says I. God help you.
you had some yesterday for dinner And
then he talked Of Parson Weems and Po-
hick church. til 1t was good as any ser
mon. Dear sweet honey, he was a friend
20 the Gospel and loved the Church Of
England and never went 10 Quaker meet
inr. Alack. my poor husband, he died
next day. I knowed his time was come.
for the Whip Poor WIN cried all night
by the cabin. and I couldn't drive him
away"
This melancholy bird Of in-omen is de-
scribed by classic poet Of that time as
follows:
'Hic avis repetens. Whip Poor VIII. voce
JOcosa,
Quae tota verno tempOre nocte CAN'T"
Mount Vernon and Gunston Hall, the
home Of George Mason, were equi-dis-
tart from Pohick church, five miles each
way, while the quaint and rambling man
sion OF Pohick, Weems' favorite resort,
vas two miles eastward on a bluff where
oace stood an Indian village Of that name.
I- is at the junction OF Pohick and AccO-
rnck creeks. where they form beautiful
bay Of the same name and make with
the Potomac river a letter X, GunstOn
being on the neck Of land TO the right
and Belvoir Lord FairfaX's home. on the
left. as viewed from the long portico fac
ing the river, where the parson, inspired
ty the smiling ladscape, would enchant
e. mixed audience with the gems OF his
repertoire. Not only were the white and
the colored part of the audience, who
we're specially privileged by the parson
request, entranced by the music, but the
long boatmen" miles away when they
heard the strain borne over the waters
listened like the tabled mariners TO the
sirens Happily one OF the youngsters
II the family was genius enough 20 learn
and preserve the best of the parsons
Pieces At the close Of the civil war
POhick church presented a sad aspect TO
the few pilgrims who searched the his
tory OF the neighborhoOd further than
Mount Vernon. Its thick walls had de-
tied the abuses Of war. but the windows
We're broken, and an owl made her perch
by day on the high pinnacle Of the hogs
head-shaped pulpit, 10 which the reclOIs
" Truro used 10 climb by a spiral stair.
ha alternately
the pickets Of both armies. and the sol
dlers would make an impromptu truce
Il their own, as they did at Mount Yer
non, and engage in a friendly conversa-
ZION or a game Of cards. stalking coffee
against tobacco But when the retreat
sounded at sunset the heroes would IN
gloriously "skedaddle," as they recalled
he ghosts that stalked by moonlight
around the old pile. and which some pro-
fane persons declared 10 be Rebel spies
q nd blockade runners disappearing as
robins. Some Northern gentlemen re-
AFFILIATED the church, and to-day IL pre-
Eents the appearance on SaDDath morn
l1g Of a respectable country church, WIN
G. congregation. however, very uniefeh
from the one when Colonel Washington
rad been at the head Of the vestry for
many years and given the administrauon
" the parish affairs his careful and busl-
ness-nke attention. In l05 the vestry was
Constituted as follows: George Washing
ton George Mason. Daniel McCarty, VII
liam Payne. Thomas Henderson and ilVe
others. The salary OF the rector was 100
and Of the clerk 1870. The first Pohick
church stood q mile south Of the present
one on the bank OF Pohck creek, and was
built about 172O Near II Is the grave OF
Lieutenant Herries, one OF Captain Johh