larly by the younger members, than are written; and as debates always take place, in which every one is at liberty to join, I think it should sir, what is your opinion? I wish you would be called the Literary Say-ciety? Now, good join us; for if you did, I think I would have one at least for you appear to be a sensible -[what an old blarneyer this must be, man thought I who would help me carry my points, which I assure you, my very dear sir, [very dear humbug, I roared,] would add much to the intellectual culture of our young men. I am about writing a book myself, and the only able title. I also want a few scraps of poetry trouble I think I will have is in giving it a suitfor it, and as your lady is such a fine poet, so my wife informs me, [if Poll's poetry was pub going to ask remission of their sins, if for such a purpose they went, or wearing spyglasses to minutely examine and criticise their fellow-members while in church. Driving to the house of prayer, too, on the Sabbath day, to show off fast horses and fine carriages, they stigmatized; and the want of all charitable feeling for those whose fate it was to toil on, day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, in order to gain a scanty livelihood for themselves and their families, they soundly denounced; and they did not hesitate to ask the question if these welldressed, well-scented, kid-gloved, spy-lished as an appendix to this would-be author's glassed, purse-proud gentry, with their haughty wives and extravagant daughters -most of them the descendants of hardworking poor men, who never owned two coats together, and seldom could jingle one dollar against another-believed that our good Lord came down from heaven to die for them and none others; and if they thought themselves the chosen few who alone are to inhabit the golden mansion in Paradise. The remainder of the population was then and is now made up of small sects, and people who profess no religion at all. Some of them are, I regret to say, gross infidels, who throw their shafts of satire not only at the aristocrats who To church repair, Not for the doctrine, but the music there, but also at those professors of religion who practice as much as they profess. All this I learned in that great gossip-shop, the cabin of the steamboat, the day after I had heard the distinguished preacher preach the fashionable sermon in the fashionable church. The same evening, while seated in my sanctum, poring over a number of my old favorite, THE NATIONAL, and occasionally turning round to answer the interrogatories of a bright-eyed young Twitcham, my bonny little girl, radiant with smiles, entered, and presented me with a note, which, she said, a gentleman had given her, with instructions to hand it to her papa. The note ran thus: DEAR SIR,-As you are a stranger in this vicinity, I wish, as your next-door neighbor, to inform you that we have here a Literary Rendezvous which meets weekly, at which all the talent of the place congregate-and that talent is by no means mean. I call it a Say-ciety, for there are more old pieces rehearsed, particu book, it would, beyond doubt, be a literary curiosity,] perhaps she would be kind enough to accommodate me. The book is to be on a subject I have devoted much time and study-it is to be astronomical, and will give the cause of the difference of the appearance of the stars in summer from winter weather, and explain the reason why comets have long tails! [What a jackass! I ejaculated, must this fellow be.] Do you see, my dear sir, what a great blessing to the advancement of science my work will be. think of a title ?-for it will, I assure you, be To be sure you do! And wont you help me a great book. [Not a doubt of it, I again exclaimed.] Allow me to propose you as a member of our too Say-ciety-the word Rendezvous savors much of a different organization. As the weekly meeting takes place to-night, let me hope you and your good lady will be present-as an interesting paper, taken from the Constellation, will be rehearsed by a young lady-and an original essay on Metaphysics will be delivered by a distinguished gentleman. Assuring you of my most profound esteem and deliberate consideration, I remain your most distinguished and affectionate servant, THERMOPYLE RHINEBACK. P.S.-The Say-ciety will meet at eight o'clock. precisely. "Shade of all that is modest!" I exclaimed, as I laid down the "affectionate epistle," written after "deliberate consideration," of this "distinguished and affectionate servant," the worthy Thermopylæ Rhineback. What manner of man, I asked myself, can this confiding creature be? First, he asks me to join an association of which I have never before heard, for the ostensible purpose of helping him to have its name changed. Then, in the same breath, he tells me, not that he has written a book, but that he purposes writing one, and coolly asks me to assist him in giving it a title; (I wonder much he did not request me to supply him with the material;) and not satisfied with monopolizing my time, he, like a gallant fellow, sprang up, mounted a form, and running his black nose between the village barber, an intolerable spouter, and lawyer Snooks, with whom the said barber was studying law, set up one of the prettiest howls I have ever heard him howl before. However, after some trouble in coaxing and with a "bit-o' blarney," worthy of even the most gallant son "of the green isle beyond the sea," tickles me about the poetic talent of "my lady," and asks me if she will write some verses for him to enrich his brilliant work on brilliant and fiery orbs. Now this part of the letter was and is too good a joke to be lost. Mrs. Twitch-bullying him, (lie down there, sir; that's am write poetry! Thermopalyæ, my affectionate friend, I remarked, as soon as I had ceased laughing, for once you are mistaken. Mrs. T. was not brought up in one of those modern schools, where the stern realities of life are shut out from the eyes of the pupils, and where they are taught to believe that none but the vulgar speak such words as bread, potatoes, or, worse still, pork and beans! No, Thermopyæl, Mrs. T. is a most admirable housewife; her dishes I love; they even say I love herself; they say queer things, Thermopalyæ, in villages; but her poetry, never, I beseech you, mention a word about again. a good Cæsar, do lie down; poor fellow, there,) he once more settled himself at my feet, and the young lady proceeded to deliver her oration. She was a most remarkable creature, and at the time I speak of had not seen more than fifteen summers. With fine features, brilliant eyes, and well-knit frame, there, at that youthful age, she stood, and few could have played her part better. Her enunciation was perfect, her attitude charming; and, at the close of her address. as she gazed upon her old father, who is the philosopher of the village, and a really clever man, to see, I suppose, if she had pleased him in its delivery, I again regretted that I thought so lightly of the Literary Rendezvous, and I joined in the hearty plaudits showered upon her. 66 But the great event of the evening, the Essay on Metaphysics," was still to come. The president once more called the meeting to order, (literary characters are sometimes very noisy,) and the essayist, a thin-faced creature, with an expressionless eye, and a strange-looking head, In this strain I mused for some time, till, lighting a cigar, I took up my hat, and with my old Newfoundland friend, brave Cæsar, started to take my customary evening walk. I had scarcely left the house before I saw a group of persons near me, and without knowing where they were bound, I unconsciously followed in their wake, and in a few moments I stood before the Athenæum of our village, where all our great men hold forth, and was talk-in which at the first glance one could pering to no less a personage than the noble Thermopyla Rhineback, who, as soon as he beheld me, at once introduced himself, and begged of me to enter. I assented, and took a seat beside him. So well pleased was I with his vivacious manner that I began to have some remorse for judging so harshly of him when I first read his letter, and determined to ask his pardon, on the first favorable opportunity, for the unchristian name (“an Old Jackass") I called him on perusing said letter. Indeed, my conscience smote me so hard that I believe I would have done so at that moment had not the president arose, called the meeting to order, and introduced the lady who was to open the exercises. On presenting herself she was received with warm applause, in which I heartily joined, to the great annoyance of Cæsar, who had the audacity to enter the learned circle, and lie down at my feet; but no sooner had he heard the clapping of hands than he ceive there were many confused ideas, rose, holding in his hand a roll of manuscript. He was neat as "ye taylor man" could make him; but yet he could not be termed a dandy, for he eschewed kid gloves. He was the pink of a village lecturer, and a candidate for a professorship in our head academy. As he folded his arms and surveyed the audience, he looked exceedingly grave; like a man who had some important revelation to make, and dreaded to approach the subject. A painful silence prevailed; the Solon raised his spy-glass, cocked it to his eye, took another squint at the audience, and then, in a nasal twang, commenced: “Ladies and gentlemen,-My subject to night is Metaphysics.' It is a wonderful subject, my friends; that it is you will not doubt. The dictionary in which I looked says that it embraces "the science of the principles and causes of all things existing." So you see the vastness of the discourse. I wish I knew, or could tell you all about it. But I will do my best, my friends: Had I the skill of Captain Dick, I could tell you all about meta-phisick; I haven't the brains of Corporal Bray, But please to listen to what I say!'" This was too much; I screamed; Cæsar jumped on his legs, and howled; all who were in the room lost their gravity, even the military men alluded to. The lecturer was confused, but as I well knew that myself and Cæsar were the cause of all the uproar, I applauded as loudly as my lungs would permit. The audience followed suit, and the essayist continued to read from his manuscript one of the strangest, most absurd, and stupid pieces of rigmarole I ever had the misfortune to listen to. Although I did not understand one sentence of all he read, and question whether he himself understood it, yet was he repeatedly cheered, and when at length (after an hour to me of the most distressing agony) he had concluded, he was applauded vociferously, during which, with my noble friend Cesar, who still continued to bark, I managed to escape through the mass of professional men (quack doctors, briefless lawyers, dentists without practice, and village litterateurs,) who were awaiting their turn to read or speak, and resolved never to enter the Say-ciety again. Nor have I been asked. Indeed, it is so long since I heard anything of it that I do not believe it is now in existence. Next day myself and Cæsar were the criticism of the village. We were both pronounced to be unmannerly dogs, and it was said that I could neither understand nor appreciate the learned and elaborate discourse. Never was there a more truthful statement made. I was too stupid to understand it; yet, wonderful to relate, I have yet to see the man who did. My friend Rhineback always evaded the subject, and never once since, although we have met daily, has he asked me to join the Rendezvous, nor of his great book on astronomy have I heard one word. We had, at the time I write of, another strange institution in our charming, enchanting, and most happy of happy villages. It was an accommodating institution, especially for those of belligerent dispositions. It was a district court, at which all the difficulties of the villagers were settled every Saturday evening, to save them the necessity of losing their time during the week. Now I regret to say, indeed it pains me much to chronicle the fact, that some of the villagers were never in their glory only when they had a case before the right worshipful justice, that most potent of all potent magnates, and wonderful was the interest taken by the friends of the contestants, and strange were the decisions sometimes rendered. Having heard so much about this weekly court, which was held in the building where the Literary Rendezvous met, I was, of course, anxious to see it. Accordingly I strode out one Saturday evening to hear an important case, which I learned was to be tried. The plaintiff was one Patrick Oulaghan, an Irishman, versus Hans Swartz, a German. Pat was working for Hans, whọ was proprietor of a small boarding-house. He employed a very stupid-looking colored man (Pat called him a nigger) to do the cooking; and as there was no spare bed in the house, Hans insisted that Jonathan Jim Slingsby, for such was the colored man's name, should sleep with Pat. The blood of all the Oulaghans flew into Pat's cheeks; his Hibernian ire was roused, and to the horror of the German, Pat threatened to take the "nigger up by the heels and beat his (the German's) brains out," which threat he would undoubtedly have put into execution, had not Jonathan Jim Slingsby, who up to that time had been an inactive spectator, very prudently walked off, and stowed himself away in an outhouse. Words grew still warmer. Pat rattled away in Irish at Hans, who returned his abuse in German. Finally, after shaking Hans rather violently, he was ejected from the premises, minus his salary, which Hans positively refused to pay him. Next day Pat took an action against him for the recovery of said salary, and Hans prosecuted him for shaking him by the collar, and threatening to beat his brains out with the colored man's head, he holding said colored man up by the heels. Such was the nature of the case, and great anxiety was manifested by the villagers to hear it. The court-room was thronged, and precisely at seven o'clock the judge took his seat on the bench, and the jury were sworn. What a dignified judge that was! The Chancellor of England, seated on the woolsack, gazing at Britain's great seal, was not more dignified that day than was Judge Sly. By name and nature he was sly, cunning and sly. What he lacked in education, for he was deplorably ignorant, he made up in slyness; and to those who were unacquainted with him, he would pass as a deep-thinking sage; for he seldom spoke, and when he did it was in monosyllables. He would charge a jury in ten words, which no one could hear, and sentence a prisoner in five. I give him credit for his brevity; but his arrogance was intolerable. The case was opened in due form, and the plaintiff's counsel, as loquacious and as admirable a specimen of the village advocate as I have ever met, although I have fallen in with hundreds of them, particularly out West, called Mr. Oulaghan, who, with a sheepish, but nevertheless knowing glance at the jury, proceeded to say, "In troth, yer honor, if ye'd only wish to know how that Dutch varmint threated me, as dacent a boy as iver came from the County Tyrone, the son of as dacent a man and woman as there's in Americke -you'd❞— "There, Mr. Oulaghan," said Hans's counsel, a pompous little creature from a neighboring village; "we don't want to hear anything about yourself or your father. Tell the jury what you know of the case." Oulaghan's counsel protested against the interruption of the witness, and referred the judge to Blackstone on witnesses, while the other lawyer, in an unintelligible jargon, appealed to the court, and in support of his argument mentioned the extraordinary fact that he was sustained by both Blackstone, Edward Everett, Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster, Judge Story, of New-Orleans, once a great lawyer, and he had no doubt but that he would be sustained by his honor. His honor nodded, but said nothing; and Pat proceeded: you be's a good mans, and Jonathan be's another good mans, and you be's two good mans, and can sleep together; den he flame like fire, an sez he dash me brains out with nigger, and den Jonathan ran away, and den he shook me, and den with the six boorders I put him out. He tored my coat, and his vages vill pay for it."" Jonathan Jim Slingsby was called, and most eloquent was he in describing the wrongs Hans suffered at the hands of Pat, whom, he said, if he was judge, he “would send to Sing Sing; and then, golly, he'd knock no gemman's brains out. Ha! ha! ha!" The case on both sides was closed; the brilliant lawyers, after displaying their oratorical powers to the greatest advantage before the villagers, now ascending into the heavens, and calling upon even Mars and Jupiter, and a comet, which was at that time expected to throw its longtailed light over our hemisphere, left the cross case in the hands of the cross-looking judge and the weary-looking jury. Judge Sly merely said, and from the time the trial commenced until that moment, he had not spoken even one word, "Gentlemen of the jury, you have heard both sides of the case. I have been examining several of the great authorities the counsel have cited; therefore I say, if Mr. Oulaghan threatened to beat the brains out of Mr. Swartz with a colored gentleman, find him guilty, and if Mr. Swartz defrauded Mr. Oulaghan out of his wages, find him guilty to pay Mr. Oulaghan, and the court will settle the remainder." The jury retired to their room. A gravelooking old man was sworn not to permit any one to tamper with them, and after an absence of about fifteen minutes they returned, and when the usual question was asked them the foreman handed to the aforesaid old man, who acted as clerk, a 66 "You see, yer honor, this Dutchman wanted me to sleep with that darkey, (point-piece of paper, from which, amid breathing to Jonathan Jim Slingsby,) and ye see less silence, he proceeded to read. when I refused, he talked a lot of "gibberish" to me, and I took him quite genteely by the collar, and gave him a shake, and then dropped him down, and jist for that, ye see, the thief of the world wants to keep me money." "Vat's dat you say?" said Hans, turning round to Pat; "he be's von bad mans, Mr. Judge, and Jonathan be's von very nice mans, and I sez to him, 'Pathrick, We, the jury, in the jury room assembled, find that Patrick Oulaghan, an Irishman, refused to sleep with Jonathan Jim Slingsby, a colored man, at the request of Hans Swartz, a Dutchman, and that said Oulaghan frightened said Jonathan J. Slingsby so much that he hid himself in an out house all night, and shook said Swartz so much that he was put in bodily fear, and tore his coat; and we recommend Oulaghan to be fined, but not imprisoned, for so doing. And the said jury further find that said Swartz acted right in ejecting from his premises said Oulaghan, but believe that he should be made pay him half his wages to defray the expenses of this suit, the other half to go toward mending his coat. (Signed by the jury.) The judge rose, and said: “Mr. Oulaghan, a jury of your countrymen (he was Irish, and they were from different sections of the Union) have found you guilty of threatening to beat Mr. Swartz's brains out with a colored man, of shaking him and tearing his coat. The sentence of the court is that you, Patrick Oulaghan, pay a fine of three dollars, or be imprisoned until it is paid. And you, Mr. Swartz, have been, by the said jury, found guilty, although they did not say it, of asking Mr. Oulaghan to sleep with Mr. Slingsby when he did not feel inclined to do so, and ejecting him from your premises without paying him the wages due him. You owe him six dollars. Therefore the sentence of the court is that you keep three of them to pay for the mending of your coat, and that you give the other three to Mr. Oulaghan to pay his fine. I, by virtue of my authority as judge, and according to law, impose upon him and you these sentences." BISHOP ASBURY ON CELIBACY. HE doctrine of the celibacy of the clergy finds no countenance in the inspired word. The priests of the Jewish church were not only not forbidden to marry but had wives and children. The solitary instance of Paul, who was careful to say that he spoke without Divine authority on the subject, and was only prompted to speak as he did on account of the necessities of the case, furnishes no warrant to the Christian Church to prohibit its ministers from marrying. The injuction of the apostle to the ministers of the New Testament, sanctioned by his own example, to form no matrimonial alliances, was specific in its nature, and grew out of, and was adapted to the exigency of the times. It was considered, on account of "the present distress," not expedient for those whose duty it was to "preach the Gospel to every creature," and who were constantly exposed to privation, persecution, and death, to enter into the married state. The reasons which governed Asbury in the course he pursued in this respect are best stated by himself: If I should die in celibacy, which I think quite probable, I give the following reasons for what can scarcely be called my choice. I was called to preach in my fourteenth year. I be gan my public exercises between sixteen and seventeen. At twenty-one I entered the traveling connection. At twenty-six I came to America. Thus far I had reasons enough for a single life. It had been my intention to return to Europe, but the war continued, and it was ten years before we had settled, lasting peace. This was no time to marry or be given in marriage. At forty-nine I was ordained Superintendent or Bishop in America. Among the duties imposed upon me by my office was that of traveling extensively, and I could hardly ex The judge sat down, impressed with the idea that he had played a most wonderful part. Oulaghan grumbled, and Swartz, through his counsel, handed the three dollars to Oulaghan's counsel, who presented it to the clerk of the court. The judge thanked the jury, and amid enthusiastic cheers both plaintiff, defendant, and villagers left the court-room, while the judge and counsel remained puffing cigars, to di-pect to find a woman with grace enough to enlate upon the results of this curious trial. A few years only have passed since Judge Sly pronounced that profound sentence, and wondrous are the changes which have taken place since then. Saturday evening courts are abolished, and another judge presides daily on the bench once occupied weekly by old Judge Sly. Fain would I here dwell upon the many strange adventures of the past at political and other meetings, but my limited space forbids me. I may, on another occasion, ask you to lend me your ears, as I have a thousand and one side-shaking anecdotes to narrate, while I give you another chapter on "The Village I Live in." able her to live but one week out of the fiftytwo with her husband, besides what right has any man to take advantage of the affections of a woman, make her his wife, and by voluntary absence subvert the whole order and economy of the marriage state by separating those whom neither God, nature, or the requirements of civil society permit long to be put asunder. It is neither just nor generous. I may add to this that I had but little money, and with this little I administered to the necessities of a beloved mother till I was fifty-seven. If I have done wrong I hope God and the sex will forgive It is my duty now to bestow the pittance I have to spare upon the widows and fatherless girls and poor married men. me. But there were other reasons. In addition to the support of an aged mother out of his pittance of salary, amounting to |