The parson of the parish is the proper type and most becoming form of the English clergyman as the captain of his ship is of the English naval11 officer. Admirals of the Red and Admirals of the Blue, and Commodores with authority ashore12, are very fine fellows, and may perhaps be greater in their way than the captain can be in his; but for real naval efficiency and authority the captain of the ship on his own quarter-deck stands unequalled. And so it is{57} with the parson of the parish in his own glebe. He is pure parson and nothing else, and in the daily work of his life, if he does that daily work diligently13, he cannot but feel that he is devoting himself to those duties which properly belong to him. Whether a bishop14 in the House of Lords may so think of himself, or a bishop speaking from a platform, or a bishop in the turmoils15 of correspondence, or even a bishop dispensing16 his patronage17, may be more doubtful. And the easy dean may doubt whether such ease was intended for him when he took upon himself to bear the arms of St. Paul. And the fellow of a college, even though he be tutor as well as fellow, may feel some qualms18 as to that word reverend with which he has caused the world to address him. But the parson in his parish must know that he has got himself into that place for which he has been expressly fitted by the orders he has taken. The curate, who is always a curate, to whom it is never given to exercise by his own right the highest clerical authority in his parish, cannot be said to have fulfilled the mission of his profession satisfactorily, let him have worked ever so nobly. He is as the lieutenant{58} who never rises to be a captain. But the parson requires no further exaltation for clerical excellence19. The higher he rises above parsondom, the less will he be of a clergyman. He may become a peer of Parliament, or the head of a chapter, or a local magistrate20 over other clergymen, as is an archdeacon; but as simply parish parson, he fills the most clerical office in his profession.
The parson of the parish in England, a few years since, was almost necessarily a man who had been educated at Oxford21 or Cambridge. An English parish might indeed have an Irishman from Trinity College, Dublin; and, now and again, an outsider was admitted into the fold as a shepherd. There was a small college in the north to fit northern candidates for northern congregations, and the rule was not absolutely absolute; but it prevailed so far that it was felt to be a rule. And thence came an assurance, in which trust was put more or less by all classes, that the parson of the parish was at least a gentleman. He was a man who had lived on equal terms with the highest of the land in point of birth, and hence arose a feeling that was very general in{59} rural parishes, and as salutary as it was general, that the occupant of the parsonage was as good a man as the occupant of the squire22’s house. It would be interesting to us to trace when this feeling first became common, knowing as we do know that for many years after the Reformation, and down even to a comparatively late date, the rural clergyman was anything but highly esteemed23. We are told constantly that the parson left the dining-room when the pudding came in, and that he by no means did badly for himself in marrying the lady’s maid. We most of us know the character of that eminent24 divine Dr. Tusher, who lived in the reign25 of Queen Anne. Then came the halcyon26 days of British clergymen,—the happy days of George III. and George IV., and the parson in his parsonage was as good a gentleman as any squire in his mansion27 or nobleman in his castle. There is, alas28! a new order of things coming on us which threatens us with some changes, not for the better, in this respect. There are theological colleges here and there, and men and women talk of “literates.” Who shall dare to say that it may not all be for the best? Who will venture to prophesy{60} that there shall be less energetic teaching of God’s word under the new order of things than under the old? But, as to the special man of whom we speak now, the English parish parson, with whom we all love to be on familiar terms,—that he will be an altered man, and as a man less attractive, less urbane29, less genial,—in one significant word, less of a gentleman,—that such will be the result of theological colleges and the institution of “literates,” no one who has thought of the subject will have any doubt.
And in no capacity is a gentleman more required or more quickly recognized than in that of a parson. Who has not seen a thrifty30 household mistress holding almost unconsciously between her finger and thumb a piece of silk or linen31, and telling at once by the touch whether the fabric32 be good? This is done with almost an instinct in the matter, and habit has made perfect in the woman that which was born with her. Exactly in the same way, only much more unconsciously, will the English rustic3 take his new parson between his finger and thumb and find out whether he be a gentleman. The rustic cannot tell by what law he judges, but he knows the article, and the{61} gentleman he will obey and respect, in the gentleman he will believe. Such is his nature. While in the other, who has not responded favourably33 to the touch of the rustic’s finger, the rustic will not believe, nor by him will he be restrained, if restraint be necessary. The rustic in this may show, perhaps, both his ignorance and servility, as well as the skilled power of his fingering,—but such is his nature.
But the adult parson of the parish in England,—the clergyman who has reached, if I may so say, the full dominion34 of his quarter-deck,—is still customarily a man from Oxford or from Cambridge, and it is of such a one that we speak here. He has probably been the younger son of a squire, or else his father has been a parson, as he is himself. Throughout his whole life he has lived in close communion with rural affairs, and has of them that exact knowledge which close communion only will give. He knows accurately35, from lessons which he has learned unknowingly, the extent of the evil and the extent of the good which exists around him, and he adapts himself to the one and to the other. Against gross profligacy36 and loud sin he can inveigh37 boldly, and he{62} can make men and women to shake in their shoes by telling them of the punishment which will follow such courses; but with the peccadilloes38 dear to the rustic mind he knows how to make compromises, and can put up with a little drunkenness, with occasional sabbath-breaking, with ordinary oaths, and with church somnolence39. He does not expect much of poor human nature, and is thankful for moderate results. He is generally a man imbued40 with strong prejudice, thinking ill of all countries and all religions but his own; but in spite of his prejudices he is liberal, and though he thinks ill of men, he would not punish them for the ill that he thinks. He has something of bigotry41 in his heart, and would probably be willing, if the times served his purpose, to make all men members of the Church of England by Act of Parliament; but though he is a bigot, he is not a fanatic42, and as long as men will belong to his Church, he is quite willing that the obligations of that Church shall sit lightly upon them. He loves his religion and wages an honest fight with the devil; but even with the devil he likes to deal courteously43, and is not averse44 to some occasional truces45. He is{63} quite in earnest, but he dislikes zeal46; and of all men whom he hates, the over-pious young curate, who will never allow ginger47 to be hot in the mouth, is the man whom he hates the most. He carries out his Bible teaching in preferring the publican to the Pharisee, and can deal much more comfortably with an occasional backslider than he can with any man who always walks, or appears to walk, in the straight course.
It almost seems that something approaching to hypocrisy48 were a necessary component49 part of the character of the English parish parson, and yet he is a man always on the alert to be honest. It is his misfortune that he must preach higher than his own practice, and that he is driven to pretend to think that a stricter course of life is necessary than that which he would desire to see followed out even in his own family. As the mealman in the description of his flours can never go below “middlings,” knowing that they who wish to get the cheapest article would never buy it if it were actually ticketed as being of the worst quality, so is the parson driven to ticket all his articles above their real value. He cannot tell his people what amount of religion will{64} really suffice for them, knowing that he will never get from them all that he asks; and thus he is compelled to have an inner life and an outer,—an inner life, in which he squares his religious views with his real ideas as to that which God requires from his creatures; and an outer life, in which he is always demanding much in order that he may get little. From this it results that a parish parson among his own friends differs much from the parish parson among his parishioners, and that he is always, as it were, winking50 at those who know him as a man, while he is most eager in his exercitations among those who only know him as a clergyman.
The parish parson generally has a grievance51, and is much attached to it,—in which he is like all other men in all other walks of life. He not uncommonly52 maintains a mild opposition53 to his bishop, upon whom he is apt to look down as belonging to a new order of things, and whom he regards, on account of this new order of things, as being not above half a clergyman. As he rises in years and repute he becomes a rural dean, and exercises some small authority out of his own parish, by which, however,{65} his character as a parish parson, pure and simple, is somewhat damaged. He is great in the management of his curate, and arrives at such perfection in his professional career that he inspires his clerk with mingled54 awe55 and affection.
Such is the English parish parson, as he was almost always some fifty years since, as he is still in many parishes, but as he will soon cease to become. The homes of such men are among the pleasantest in the country, just reaching in well-being56 and abundance that point at which perfect comfort exists and magnificence has not yet begun to display itself. And the men themselves have no superiors in their adaptability57 to social happiness. How pleasantly they talk when the room is tiled, and the outward world is shut out for the night! How they delight in the modest pleasures of the table, sitting in unquestioned ease over a ruddy fire, while the bottle stands ready to the grasp, but not to be grasped too frequently or too quickly. Methinks the eye of no man beams so kindly58 on me as I fill my glass for the third time after dinner as does the eye of the parson of the parish.
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1 incumbent | |
adj.成为责任的,有义务的;现任的,在职的 | |
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2 rustics | |
n.有农村或村民特色的( rustic的名词复数 );粗野的;不雅的;用粗糙的木材或树枝制作的 | |
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3 rustic | |
adj.乡村的,有乡村特色的;n.乡下人,乡巴佬 | |
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4 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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5 intelligible | |
adj.可理解的,明白易懂的,清楚的 | |
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6 abominable | |
adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
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7 impersonal | |
adj.无个人感情的,与个人无关的,非人称的 | |
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8 derivable | |
adj.可引出的,可推论的,可诱导的 | |
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9 tithes | |
n.(宗教捐税)什一税,什一的教区税,小部分( tithe的名词复数 ) | |
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10 genial | |
adj.亲切的,和蔼的,愉快的,脾气好的 | |
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11 naval | |
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的 | |
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12 ashore | |
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
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13 diligently | |
ad.industriously;carefully | |
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14 bishop | |
n.主教,(国际象棋)象 | |
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15 turmoils | |
n.混乱( turmoil的名词复数 );焦虑 | |
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16 dispensing | |
v.分配( dispense的现在分词 );施与;配(药) | |
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17 patronage | |
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 | |
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18 qualms | |
n.不安;内疚 | |
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19 excellence | |
n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德 | |
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20 magistrate | |
n.地方行政官,地方法官,治安官 | |
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21 Oxford | |
n.牛津(英国城市) | |
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22 squire | |
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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23 esteemed | |
adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 );敬重;认为;以为 | |
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24 eminent | |
adj.显赫的,杰出的,有名的,优良的 | |
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25 reign | |
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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26 halcyon | |
n.平静的,愉快的 | |
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27 mansion | |
n.大厦,大楼;宅第 | |
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28 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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29 urbane | |
adj.温文尔雅的,懂礼的 | |
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30 thrifty | |
adj.节俭的;兴旺的;健壮的 | |
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31 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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32 fabric | |
n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织 | |
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33 favourably | |
adv. 善意地,赞成地 =favorably | |
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34 dominion | |
n.统治,管辖,支配权;领土,版图 | |
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35 accurately | |
adv.准确地,精确地 | |
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36 profligacy | |
n.放荡,不检点,肆意挥霍 | |
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37 inveigh | |
v.痛骂 | |
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38 peccadilloes | |
n.轻罪,小过失( peccadillo的名词复数 ) | |
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39 somnolence | |
n.想睡,梦幻;欲寐;嗜睡;嗜眠 | |
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40 imbued | |
v.使(某人/某事)充满或激起(感情等)( imbue的过去式和过去分词 );使充满;灌输;激发(强烈感情或品质等) | |
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41 bigotry | |
n.偏见,偏执,持偏见的行为[态度]等 | |
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42 fanatic | |
n.狂热者,入迷者;adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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43 courteously | |
adv.有礼貌地,亲切地 | |
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44 averse | |
adj.厌恶的;反对的,不乐意的 | |
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45 truces | |
休战( truce的名词复数 ); 停战(协定); 停止争辩(的协议); 中止 | |
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46 zeal | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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47 ginger | |
n.姜,精力,淡赤黄色;adj.淡赤黄色的;vt.使活泼,使有生气 | |
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48 hypocrisy | |
n.伪善,虚伪 | |
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49 component | |
n.组成部分,成分,元件;adj.组成的,合成的 | |
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50 winking | |
n.瞬眼,目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
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51 grievance | |
n.怨愤,气恼,委屈 | |
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52 uncommonly | |
adv. 稀罕(极,非常) | |
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53 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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54 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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55 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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56 well-being | |
n.安康,安乐,幸福 | |
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57 adaptability | |
n.适应性 | |
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58 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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