Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-08-25

usaees and fas hion prevailing in old
England, and the creed and rituals of
the church were not lost sight of, but be-
yond this there did not seem to be,
Judging through the lapse oftime, much
fervent, religious zeal among the iaity
Or clergy. It was customary after
church services, says Fontaine in his
account of the manners and customs Of
those early times in Virginia, for the
congregation to fill their pipes with the
fragrant plant and indulge in friendly
smoke.
At that time all the clergymen of the
different parishes Of the province were
appointed by the governor on the re-.
commendation OF the bishop of London,
and the annual stipend of each one OF
them was sixteen thousand pounds Of
tobacco made and provided by legial&-
tive enactment. The value of this SAL
ary, however, was variable by reason
of the changes in the market price
consequent on the quantity shipped 10
Europe and also on account of the
quality or kind of tobacco. In some
parishes only "Oronoco" could be rails
ed, which was inferior TO ''sweet scent
ed" Many poor clergyman's house
hold was filled with joy at tidings OF
his promotion from an Oronoco parish
to sweet scented parish as they are
described in the old vestry books. But
there were many parishes WI ere lit le
or no tobacco could be grown TO ad-
vantage and these were left withou,
regular mipistrations.
The Virginia settlers were social and
conyiviai to q wonderful degree. They
had none of the gloomy austerity and
morbid piety of the New England pu
Titan. Our popular evangelizing meth
DDS had not yet sprung up among
them nor were they veXed by the ex-
postulations of our temperance socie
ties. No gathering was there among
them of any kind. whether civil or re-
ligious, where foreign or home made
drinks more or less intoxicating did not
form a part of the programme at the
evening party, at the horse race,
the fox chase, the barbecue,
at the election, the mastering
and even at the funeral. On every
occasion indeed the fagon and the cup
were in order. "They were a gay, hap
py people; q race of sportsmen, cock
fighters and fox hunters, bright, humor
GUS and sociable; in the saddle by day
and feasting and dancing by nigh ;
and we leave them with the impression
that the hounds were always bayine
in Virginia, that the sun shone all day
long, and all night the 6ddles scraped
aud the darkies sung. But these man
were the strongest intellects of their
century. With no pretensions or show
of book learning, they seem to have
possessed themselves of all the essentia
information of their time. They had q
soundness of judgment, a breadth o.
grasp, a lofty ambition. and a higf
strung sense Of honor which made them
master minds.
"Some subtle combination ofclimate,
life, and thought produced this result
which, like all such things, becomes
difficult in the lost analysis; and III :
fortunately the Virginians, while the,
were great makers of history, were not
writers Scraps, relics and ruins are all
that remain of their curious and inter
esting civilization, and for many phase;
of their life, we have only the one sided
comments and criticisms on its exceses." "
1Continued w. h. ,.