The characters refer to Reverend Tallmadge as "the Reverend" and address him as "Reverend Tallmadge." At the time, "the reverend" was merely an honorific, akin to "the honorable" before a judge's name. Thus, a clergyman would have been referred to as "the Reverend Mr. Tallmadge" and addressed simply as "Mr. Tallmadge."