Sir Roger at Church by- JOSEPH ADDISON

 A Brief Life-Sketch

Joseph Addison was born in 1672 in a Wilshire Rectory. His father was a clergyman. He was a educated at Charterhouse and Oxford. There he earned fame. He was known at first as a poet. In 1699 he obtained a pension of 300 a year on Which he travelled abroad and fit himself for diplomatic work. On returning to England he gradually rose to the high office. In 1705, he became Commissioner of Excise. Later on he was elected to the Parliament He died in 1719. 
       Joseph Addison was famous in his days as a poet and a dramatist, but to the readers of the succeeding generations he has appealed as an essayist rather than as a poet or a dramatist. During his own times Addison won an unrivalled position as a poet by 'The Campaign' (1704) in which he eulogised Marlborough and pictured him on a scale of epic grandeur. The most famous passage of the work is that in which he compares the General to the angel that rides the storm. For this work Addison got the valuable appointment of Commissioner of Appeals. Similarly Addison's 'Cato' produced in 1713, won for him a place among the dramatists of the age. But to the readers of the present generation 'Cato' has little merit, and shows that Addison, whatever his other qualities may be, is no dramatist. The tragedy of Cato is written in laborious blank verse in which wooden characters indulge in dull speeches. Addison also attempted an opera 'Rosamond' (1707), which was a failure.

His Works 

1) The Campion (1704)- it is a poem on the Battle of Blenheim. 
2) The Spectator (1711-14) - It is a periodical. In it Addison printed his best work. In the pages of the Spectator, with Steele and others he contributed a lot to the essays. As a periodical essayist Addison wanted to place a picture of society. He also intended to indulge in some social reforms through the essays published in The Spectator.
       3) Cato : A Tragedy (1713) - It is a dull and pompous play. 
       4) Tatlor (1709) . Addison was the founder of Tatlor. Both the Tatlor and 'Spectator' had a very short life of only two years.

  

 At Church

Sir Roger at Church 

Introduction to the Essay 

In the entitled, Sir Roger at Church Addison throws light on a number of peculiarities and oddities of Sir Roger by studying his behaviour in the church. In the Essay, the essayist shows that Sir Roger is  queer mixture of good sense and eccentricity. The purpose of writing this essay is to improve the manners and morals of his age. The essayist presents Sir Roger as a model for other squires to follow. Other squires should also maintain good relations with the clergy of their parish, as is the case with Sir Roger. He throws light on the between squires and their chaplains.The feuds leave a very adverse effect on the congregation. In the essayist's opinion such quarrels should be avoided. Harmonious relations are conducive to religion and orality and, therefore, they must be cultivated at all costs. The Essay aims at reforms in the attendance at church. The essayist desires peaceful relation between the Squire and the parson in a village to ensure good attendance at church and improvement of the faith of the people.

I am always very well pleased with a country Sunday, and think, if keeping holy the seventh-day were only a human institution, it would be the best method that could have been thought of for the polishing and civilizing of mankind. It is certain the country people would soon degenerate into a kind of savages and barbarians, were there not such frequent returns of stated time, in which the whole village meet together with their best faces, and in their cleanliest habits, to converse with one another upon indifferent subjects, hear their duties explained to them, and join together in adoration of the Supreme Being Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week, not only as it refreshes in their minds the notions of religion, but as it puts both the sexes upon appearing in their most agreeable forms and exerting all such qualities as are apt to give them a figure in the eyes of the village . A country fellow distinguishes himself as much in the churchyard, as a citizen does upon the Change, the whole parish-politics being generally discussed in that place either after sermon or before the bell rings.
        My friend Sir Roger, being a good churchman, has beautified the inside of his church with several texts of his own choosing. He has likewise given a handsome pulpit-cloth, and railed in the communion-table at his own expense. He has often told me, that at his coming to his estate he found his parishioners very irregular; and that in order to make them kneel and join in the responses, he gave every one of them a hassock and a common-prayer book : and at the same time employed an itinerant singing-master, who goes about the country for that purpose, to instruct them rightly in the tune of the Psalms; upon which they now very much value themselves, and indeed outdo most of the country churches that I have ever heard.

       As Sir Roger is landlord to the whole congregation. he keeps them in very good order, and will suffer nobody to sleep in it besides himself; for if by chance he has been surprised into a short nap at sermon upon recovering out of it, he stands up and looks about him, and if he sees anybody else nodding either wakes them himself, or sends his servers to them. Several other of the old Knight's particularities break out upon these occasions. Sometimes he will be lengthening out a verse in the singing psalms, half a minute after the rest of the congregation have done with it : sometimes when he is pleased with the matter of his devotion, he pronounces amen three or four times to the same prayer; and sometimes stands up when everybody else is upon their knees, to count the congregation, or see if any of his tenants are missing.
     I was yesterday very much surprised to hear my old friend, in the midst of the service, calling out to one John Matthews to mind what he was about, and not disturb the congregation. This John Matthew it seems it remarkable for being an idle fellow, and at that time was kicking his heals for his diversion. This authority of the knight, though exerted in that odd manner which accompanies him in all circumstances of life, has a very good effect behaviour; besides that general good sense and worthiness of his character make his friends observe these little singularities as foils that rather set off than blemish his good qualities.
     As soon as the sermon is finished, nobody presumes to stir till Sir Roger is gone out of the church. between a double row of his tenants, that stand bowing to him on each side; and every now and then inquires how such an one's wife, or mother, or son, of father do, whom he does not see at church; which is understood as a secret reprimand to the person that is absent. 
    The Chaplain has often told me, that upon a catechising-day, when Sir Roger has been pleased with a boy that answers well, he has ordered a Bible to be given him next day for his encouragement; and sometimes accompanies it with a flitch of Bacon to his mother. Sir Roger has likewise added five pounds a year to the clerk's place : and that he may encourage the young fellows to make themselves perfect in the church service, has promised upon the death of the present incumbent who is very old, to bestow it according to merit.
    The fair understanding between Sir Roger and his Chaplain, and their mutual concurrence in doing good, is the more remarkable, because the very next village is famous who live in a prepetual state of war. The parson, never comes to church. The Squire has made all his tenants atheists and tithe-stealers : while the person instructs them every Sunday in the dignity of his order, and insinuates to them in almost every sermon, that he is a better man than his patron. In short, matters have come to such an extremity, that the Squire has not said his prayers either in public or private this half year; and that the parson threatens him, if he does not mend his manners, to pray for him in the face of the whole congregation.
       Feuds of this nature, though too frequent in the country, are very fatal to the ordinary people; who are so used to be dazzled with riches, that they pay as much deference to the understanding of a man of an estate, as of a man of learning; and are very hardly brought to regard any truth, how important soever it may be, that is preached to them, when they know there are several men of five hundred a year who did not believe it.  

Summary of Essay 

     Country Sundays are special occasions for the country people. In the village, on a Sunday, people come to church in their best dresses and their most cheerful moods. Sunday has a refining influence on the characters and manners of the villagers. On this day, the villagers forget the selfishness and the boredom which were generated by their worldly activity throughout the week. Each tries to outshine the other. Each wants to appear good and become popular and distinguish himself. On this day, the parish politics is freely discussed and so their wits are sharpened and their manners are refined. Hence, country-Sunday has great educational value. Church gatherings in the country have the effect on the country folk as the Exchange has on the town dwellers.
     Sir Roger is a religious-minded person. He devotes considerable attention to matters pertaining to the church. He sees to it that his tenants attend church regularly. He has got the church decorated with quotations from the Bible which he has selected himself. He has given a handsome pulpit-cloth and fenced off the altar at his own expense. He has gifted Parishoners with Common Prayer book and a hassock to kneel on in church to encourage them to attend church regularly. He also appointed a singing master to teach them to sing the hymns properly. Further, in order to encourage the boys of the village, he awards prizes to those who answer well during the catechism. In fact, in order to encourage them further, he has given out that the post of the Church-clerk, when it falls vacant, would be filled in on the basis of merit. All this shows Sir Roger's Prudence and good sense. His oddity and eccentricity is seen in the way in which he exercises his authority. He allows no one to sleep in the church during church service except himself. If he falls asleep during the sermon, on waking up he looks around and if he finds someone dozing off, he immediately wakes up that person of sends his servants to wake him up. He keeps on singing a verse long after it has been sung by the rest of the congregation. If he likes a particular prayer, he says 'Amen' a number of times at the end of the prayer. Often, when the rest of the congregation kneels, he stands up to count the number of the people's presence. By doing so, he wants to know the person who is absent. If he finds anyone disturbing the service, he shouts to him not to disturb the congregation. 
       He has perfect understanding with his Chaplain. Indeed , it is all the more remarkable because in the very next village this cordial relation between the squire and the chaplain is absent. Both of them are  all the time indulging in some dispute. The parson seems to preach at the squire who stays away from church . The squire, in order to take his revenge against the parson, has stopped attending the church. This has a bad effect and the villagers who follow the higher classes in their behaviour, have slowly lost faith in religion and are turning atheists. As they see that the squire has no respect for the parson, they do not pay the tax that they should for the upkeep of the parson. When the villagers find that the rich squire and the parson quarrel, they prefer the squire and lose their faith in religion.