That Brooklyn is a City of Churches has long been known to people of
average intelligence. The following item, however, taken from a daily
paper, is very suggestive of the old saying, "The nearer the church,"
etc.

"JOHN BEATY bit off WM. HARPER'S face in April last, at a church fight
in Brooklyn, and then went to sea. Last night he came back, and was
arrested by officer Fox, who will take him before Justice WALSH to-day.
HARPER is disfigured for life."

The matter-of-fact way in which the expression, "a church fight" is used
by the writer of the above item, seems to indicate that tabernacular
conflicts are rather the rule than the exception in "deeply religious"
Brooklyn. We were not prepared to expect, though, that theological
controversy ever ran further in Brooklyn than to the extent of "putting
a head on" one's antagonist, though now it appears that biting his face
off is more the thing. The statement that "HARPER is disfigured for
life," goes for nothing with us, as that depends altogether on what sort
of looking man he was previous to the removal of his features by means
of a dental apparatus.

* * * * *

[Illustration: THE "STERN PARENT.

_Daughter_ "WELL, TO TELL THE TRUTH, I DID NOT THINK MUCH OF THE CLOSE
OF THE SERMON."

_Father_. "PROBABLY YOU WERE THINKING MORE OF THE CLOTHES OF THE
CONGREGATION."]