The Great Snohomish Church Hunt: Why Our Clergy Keep Fleeing

A correspondent from this place, writing to The Intelligencer, says that we need another lawyer, a church and a minister. This is no doubt, judging by the past, but that another lawyer would make a good living, and the Intelligencer would be a good customer, and could be plucked of his plumes, by him, sooner than any other man in this community.

As to the church we endorse the sentiment. Now that no are so soon to have a millinery establishment here, it is necessary that our ladies should have some place to go to air their feathers and see what their neighbors have got new to wear. There was a lot donated, money subscribed and some work done some time ago, towards erecting a church edifice; but the itinerant preacher who had the matter in hand proved himself unworthy and left, forgetting to come back.

Several of us have been sent here to spy out the land, but they were wholly incompetent, did not understand this community, had not sufficient backbone to labor in so large and hard a field, so they took themselves off in search of green, and of course easier cultivated vineyards, already improved, and that would yield them an easy living. A man to succeed here, as a clergyman, must be a man of education. He will have to preach sound, common sense and good morals, instead of dogmas and eristics.

He must not expect to settle down into a nicely feathered nest, but roll up his sleeves and take hold of the enterprise of founding a church in good earnest, and make take care to let people know that he has come to live among us, take a hand in pushing along our laudable enterprises, and not for the sake of a luxurious living; such a man, if free from bigotry, and full of zeal will be well received in this community. One young gentleman did visit us not long since, preached to a good congregation, was liked, and would have been sustained had he remained. But he did not, and with that single exception, no man has come among us with enough energy, common sense, education and native ability, to ever become anything greater than a drone in our busy community.

Attempts have been made to saddle on to us several itinerants of no ability, who are behind this community and the age; but to such we all turn from with disgust. Those men who have crept into the ministry, because too lazy to work and not smart enough to get bread and butter without it, and are sent into new settlements, will have to chop cord-wood or work in a logging camp if they come here. It is not the sense of the community that a pearl preacher or poor teacher is better than none. We want only the very best; and until one at the right moment willing to settle permanently among us we shall continue to do as we have in 'august, get along with none.