A "LITTEL ANECDOTE"

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1553, 9 May 1887, Page 3

A "LITTEL ANECDOTE"

The Rev Joßeph Berry, m his Jubilee leotme (Bays the Wellington " Evening Presa "), pictured the social state of the clergy at the commencement of the present reign, and related a little anecdote intended to illustrate the vast change ; that had taken place m clergymen since that time. Two gentlemen, be said, were strolling along the Btreot of a country town one Sunday morning early m the century, when they were passed by a gentleman attired m a sporting jacket, m a gig, and followed by a troop of sporting dogs. " Who's that?" enquired the first gentleman, who was a Btranger, " Oh," replied the second, who belonged to the town, " that's oar parson 1 He ! will .put a sarplice over that shooting jacket and deliver the morning sermon, and then he will go and have an aftarnoon's shooting !" And this, continued Mr Berry, was really the caso. The Bermon over, the paroon Bet out, but went first to tha house of a Roman Catholic priest, who joined him m hta gig "to have a little shooting. " The parson and the prleit then drove off to the Presbyterian manse to have the minister's company also, and he would have been glad to join the jovial shooting party bat for one resson — he was too drunk 1 Needless to say, the rev leoturer's reoital of this story was reoaived with considerable mirth.