Teachers are, for the most part, smarter or at least better educated than the average citizen. After all, they’re tasked with the education of the minds of tomorrow. Apart from that, in this era, one’s knowledge was almost synonymous with one’s travels and notable accomplishments. It took more than a Google search in those days to acquire knowledge; in order to gain insight on a particular place or thing, you either went to the place or acquired the item in question.

A parson is the priest of an independent parish church, that is, a parish church not under the control of a larger ecclesiastical or monastic organization. The term is similar to rector and is in contrast to a vicar, a cleric whose revenue is usually, at least partially, appropriated by a larger organization.