The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-02-18

He Leaves the Ministry.
In 1890 Weems was without
charge and during the next
two years he presided occasion
ally over the neighboring parish
of Westminster. Finally, feeling
that he was a failure as a minis
ter, he decided to turn his talents
to other work. During his service
as a preacher he was a strong
advocate of temperance and
showed other signs of becoming
a reformer. In that character he
reprinted from the English orig
inal popular medical pamphlet,
the nature of which gave it a
wide sale but scandalized some of
the conservative churchmen.
This not only FASTENED his de-
cision to leave the ministry but
pointed the way to another ca
reer-that of becoming a publish
er and bookseller.
Back in 1874 an Irishman
named Mathew Carey had come
to Philadelphia and established
a newspaper, to which venture
he soon added the publication
of books and magazines. In 1893
Weems met Carey and formed a
business association with him
which continued for more than
three decades.
So "Parson" Weems became
an itinerant bookseller and soon
his travels were taking him all
along the Atlantic seaboard.
Moreover, he was making more
money in this business than he
had ever made before. So in 1795,
when he married Fanny Ewall,
the daughter of Col. Jesse
Ewall, prosperous planter near
the Potomac river port of Dunn
fries, Va, he was able to install
her in comfortable home which
he had bought in Dumfries. At
ter the death of his father-in-law,
Weems and his wife moved into
BelAir, the Ewall mansion, and
there he made his home, what
time he was not out on his book
peddling trips.
Important to this story are the
facts that the Ewalls were close
ly related to the Balls, the fam
lily of George Washington's moth
er, that Colonel Ewall's sister
married DR.. Craik, Washington's
personal physician, and that
Washington himself occasionally
visited Colonel Ewal at Bel Air
which was only Is miles from
Mount Vernon. But more impor-
tant still is the fact that from
a seller of books Weems' ambi-
ton led him to become a writer
of books-or, more accurately,
of pamphlets.
WashingtOn's Endorsement.
His first venture in that field
was taken about a year after his
marriage. He collected a SYM
postum of the utterances of Ben
jamin Franklin and other expo
nents of the homely virtues of
life, which he published under
the title of ''The Immortal Men
tor, or Mans Unerring Guide to
a Healthy, Wealthy and Happy
Life" Washington, because of his
friendship for the Ewall family,
wrote an Endorsement of the
book. More than that, he per-
mitted Weems to display this
Endorsement on the title page of
the pamphlet and the magic of
approval by the "Father of His
Country" had much to do with
the successful sale of Weems'
little book.
When Washington retired from
the Presidency Weems put out
another book. 1t was called "The
Philanthropist: or a Good Twen-
ty-Five Cents worth of Political
Love Powder for Honest Adams
ties and Jeffersonites' and it
was a protest against the par
tisan political spirit which was
dividing the country. Along with
Weems' plea for harmony among
the citizens of the country in
this book were sketches of the
nations fighting men during the
revolution, designed to stir up
patriotic sentiments in his read
erS.
Because of the double purpose
of this book Washington indorsed
it also, with these words: "Much
indeed is it to be wished that the
sentiments contained in your
pamphlets, and the doctrine it
endeavors to inculcate, were
more prevalent-Happy would it
be for this country at least, if
they were So"
This was in August, 1899. With
in four months Washington lay
dead at Mount Vernon. In JAN
uary, 1900, Weems wrote to his
friend and business associate,
Carey, as follows: