,,john ,,wesley1 ,,jr4    ,the ,story of
 an ,experiment    ,,by    ,,dan ,b4    
,,brummitt    #aiba    ,,to  ,,thomas   
,,kane1 ,,layman1  ,,whose ,,long ,,life
 ,,of ,,noble ,,service  ,,is ,,bearing 
,,fruit ,,in ,a ,,new ,,christian       
,,conscience ,,towards ,,the ,,support  
,,of  ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,christ',s     
,,kingdom ,,in  ,,all ,,the ,,world     
,,an ,,introduction ,,to ,,the          
,,educational1 ,,missionary  ,,and      
,,benevolent  ,,work ,,of ,,the ,,church
          ,,contents    ,,chapter       
,,the ,,genesis ,,of ,,the ,,experiment 
,i4 ,,an ,,institute ,,panorama  ,,ii4  
,,john ,,wesley1 ,,jr4',s ,,bringing    
,,up  ,,iii4 ,,campus ,,days  ,,iv4     
,,exploring ,,main ,,street  ,v4 ,,here 
,,the ,,alien2 ,,there ,,the ,,little   
,,brown ,,church  ,,vi4 ,,is ,,he ,,not 
,a ,,man ,,and ,a ,,brother8  ,,vii4    
,,the ,,first ,,american ,,civilization 
,,viii4 ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,east     
,,this ,,experiment ,,teacheth--8       
,,illustrations      ,,the ,,cartwright 

,,institute  ,,the ,,wesley ,,foundation
 ,,social ,,center  7,this one is at    
,illinois ,university7  ,,main ,,street 
,,the ,,tenements ,,of ,,many           
,,delafields  ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,high   
,,lights ,,of ,,main ,,street  ,,one    
,,of ,,the ,,cannery ,,colony           
,,there',s ,,hope ,,for ,,the ,,negro   
,,in ,a ,,school ,,like ,,this  ,,the   
,,mexican',s ,,home ,,in ,,the          
,,southwest  ,,the ,,mexican',s ,,church
 ,,in ,,the ,,southwest  ,,dr4 ,,joe    
,,carbrook ,,does ,,such ,,work ,,as    
,,this ,,in ,,china        ,,the        
,,genesis ,,of ,,the ,,experiment       
,after years of waiting for time and    
place and person1  the ,rev4 ,walter    
,drury1 an average ,methodist  preacher1
 was ready to begin his ,experiment4    
,the process of getting adjusted to its 
conditions was ended4 ,he believed      
that1 if he had health and nothing      
happened to his mind1 he might count  on
 at least eight years more at ,first    
,church1 ,delafield--a ten-year         

pastorate is nothing wonderful in       
to-day's ,methodism4 ,the right preacher
  makes his own time limit4    ,he would
 not think himself too good for         
,delafield1 but neither did he  rate    
himself too low4 ,he just felt that he  
was reasonably secure against           
promotion1 and that he need not be      
afraid of demotion4 ,there are such     
men4 ,they are a boon to bishops4       
,the unforeseen was to be reckoned with1
 of course1 the possible  shattering of 
all his plans by some unimagined        
misfortune4 ,but the man  who waits     
until he is secure against the unknown  
never discovers  anything1 not even     
himself4    ,walter ,drury had at last  
found his man1 or1 rather1 his boy1 here
 in  ,delafield4 ,it was necessary to   
the ,experiment that its subject should 
be  a decent young fellow1 not          
particularly keen on formal religion1   
but  well set-up in body and mind2      
clean1 straight1 and able to use the    
brains he had when need arose4    ,john 

,wesley1 ,jr41 was such a boy4    ,would
 the result be worth what he was putting
 into the venture8 ,that  would depend  
on one's standards4 ,the church doesn't 
doubt that the more  than twice ten     
years' experiment of ,helms in the south
 end of ,boston has  been worth the     
price4 ,and ,helms has for company a few
 pioneers in other  fields who will tell
 you they have drawn good pay1 in the   
outcomes of  their patience4    ,still1 
,walter ,drury was a new sort of        
specialist4 ,the thing he had in  mind  
to do had been almost tried a thousand  
times2 a thousand times it  had been    
begun4 ,but so far as he knew no one    
preacher had thought to  focus every    
possible influence on a single life     
through a full cycle of  change4 ,he    
meant his work to be intensive3 not in  
degree only1 but in  duration4    ,at   
the end of ten years6 ,if1 then1 he had 
not shown1 in results beyond  question1 
the direction of the church's next great
 advance1 at least he  would have had   

the measureless joy of the effort4 ,no  
seeming failure  could rob him of his   
reward4    ,now1 do not image this      
preacher as a dreaming scattergood2 he  
would do  as much as any man should1    
that is to say1 his utmost1 in his      
pulpit and  his parish4 ,the ,experiment
 should be no robbing of collective     
,peter to  pay individual ,paul4    ,but
 every man has his avocation1 his       
recreation1 you know--golf1 roses1      
coins1 first editions1 travel4 ,walter  
,drury1 being a confirmed bachelor1     
missed both the joys and the demands of 
home life4 ,no recluse1 but1  rather1 a 
companionable man1 he cared little for  
what most people call  amusement1 but he
 cared tremendously for the human scene 
in which he  lived and worked4 ,he would
 be happy in the ,experiment for its    
sheer  human fascinations4 ,that it held
 a deeper interest1 that if it succeeded
  it would reveal an untapped reservoir 
of resources available for the  church  
and the kingdom of ,god1 did but make   

him the more eager to be at  it in hard 
earnest4    ,the church to whose work he
 had joyfully given himself from his    
youth  had grown to be a mighty and a   
highly complex machine4 ,some thought it
  was more machinery than life1 more    
organization than organism4 ,but        
,walter ,drury knew better4 ,it was a   
wonderful machine1 wheels within        
wheels1 but there was within the wheels 
the living spirit of the  prophet's     
vision4    ,partly because the church   
was so vast and its work of such        
infinite  variety1 very few of its      
members knew what it did1 or how1 or    
why4 ,it  was all over the land1 and in 
the ends of the earth1 for people joined
  it2 and they lived their lives in the 
cheerful and congenial circle of  its   
fellowship4 ,but the planetary sweep of 
its program and its  enterprises was to 
most of them not even as a tale that is 
told4 ,they  were content to be busy    
with their own affairs1 and had small   
curiosity  to know what meanings and    

mysteries might be discovered out in    
places  they had never explored1 even   
though just 'round the corner from the  
week-by-week activities of the familiar 
home congregation4    ,walter ,drury1 at
 the end of one reasonably successful   
pastorate1 had  stood bewildered and    
baffled as he looked back over his five 
years of  effort against this persistent
 and amiable passivity4 ,it was not a   
deliberate sin1 or he might have        
denounced it2 nor a temporary numbness1 
or he might have waited for it to       
disappear4 ,all the more it dismayed    
him4    ,at the beginning of his        
ministry he had set this goal before    
him1 that  every soul under his care    
might see as he saw1 and see with him   
more  clearly year by year1 the church's
 great work2 its true and total         
business4 ,he had not failed1 as the    
,annual ,conference reckons failure4    
,but he knew he had been less than      
successful4 ,the people of his          
successive appointments were receptive  

people as church folk go4 ,then  who was
 to blame1 that sermons and books and   
,advocates and pictures and  high       
officials and frequent great assemblies1
 always accomplishing  something1 always
 left behind them the untouched1 unmoved
 majority of  the people called         
,methodists8    ,it was all this and    
more of the same sort1 which at last    
took shape in  ,drury's thought and     
fixed the manner and matter of the      
,experiment4 ,this  boy he had found1   
with a name that might be either        
prophecy or mockery1  he would study    
like a book4 ,he would brood over his   
life4 ,mind you1 he  would take no      
advantage1 use no influence unfairly4   
,he would neither  dictate nor drive4   
,he would not trespass even so far as to
 the outer  edges of the boy's free     
personality4 ,for the most part he would
 stay in  the background4 ,but he would 
watch the boy1 as for lesser outcomes   
,darwin watched the creatures of wood   
and field4 ,without revealing all  his  

purpose he would set before this boy    
good and evil2 the lesser good  and the 
greater4 ,he would use for high and holy
 ends the method which  the tempter     
never tires of using for confusion4 ,he 
would show this boy  the kingdoms of the
 children of ,god1 and the glories of   
them1 and would  promise them to him1   
not for a moment's shame but for a      
life's devotion4    ,as to the          
particular form in which the result of  
the ,experiment might  appear he cared  
little4 ,he had a certain curiosity on  
the subject  naturally1 but he knew well
 enough that the ,experiment would be   
useless  if he laid interfering hands on
 its inner processes4 ,that would be    
like  trimming a whitethorn tree in a   
formal garden1 to make it resemble a    
pyramid4 ,he was not making a thorn     
pyramid in an ,italian garden2 he       
wanted an oak1 to grow by the common    
road of all men's life4 ,and oaks  must 
grow oak-fashion1 or not at all4        
99       99       99       99       99  

,four years of the ten had passed4 ,that
 part of the history of ,john  ,wesley1 
,jr41 which is told in the following    
pages1 is the story of the  other six   
years4        ,,chapter ,i      ,,an    
,,institute ,,panorama    ,if anybody   
expects me to stay away from ,institute 
this year1 he has got  a surprise       
coming1 that's all4    ,the meeting was 
just breaking up1 after a speech whose  
closing words had  been a shade less    
tactful than the occasion called for4   
,but the last two  sentences of that    
speech made all the difference in the   
world to ,john  ,wesley1 ,jr4    ,the   
,epworth ,league of ,first ,church1     
,delafield1 was giving one of its       
fairly frequent socials4 ,the program   
had gone at top speed for more than  an 
hour4 ,all that noise could do1         
re-enforced by that peculiar emanation  
by youth termed pep1 had been drawn upon
 to glorify a certain  forthcoming event
 with whose name everybody seemed to be 
familiar1 for  all called it simply the 

,institute4    ,pennants1 posters1 and  
photographs supplied a sort of pictorial
 noise1  the better to advertise this   
evidently remarkable event1 which1 one  
might gather1 was a yearly affair held  
during the summer vacation at the  seat 
of ,cartwright ,college4    ,the yells  
and songs1 the cheers and games and     
reminiscences1 re-enforced  the noisy   
decorations4 ,at the last1 in one of    
those intense moments of  quiet which   
young people can produce as by magic1   
came a neat little  speech whose purpose
 was highly praiseworthy4 ,but1 to ,john
 ,wesley1 ,jr41  it ended on the wrong  
note4 ,another listener took mental     
exception to  it1 though his anxiety    
proved to be groundless4    ,it was a   
recruiting speech1 directed at anybody  
and everybody who had  not yet decided  
to attend the ,institute4    ,the       
speaker was1 if anything1 a trifle more 
cautious than canny when he  came to his
 in conclusion1 and his zeal touched the
 words with  anti-climax4    ,of course1

 he said1 since ten1 or at most twelve1 
is our quota1 we  are not quite free to 
encourage the attendance of everybody1  
particularly of our younger members4    
,they have hardly reached the age  where
 the ,institute could be a benefit to   
them1 and their natural  inclination to 
make the week a period of good times and
 mere pleasure  would seriously         
interfere with the interests of others  
more mature and  serious minded4        
,now1 the pastor of the church1 the     
,rev4 ,walter ,drury1 would have put    
that differently1 he said to himself4   
,if it produced any bad effects it      
would need to be corrected1 certainly4  
,just then1 amid the inevitable         
applause1 and the dismissal of the brief
  formal assembly for the social        
half-hour1 something snapped inside of  
,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 and it was the     
feeling of it which prompted him to     
say1 ,if anybody expects me to stay away
 from ,institute this year1 he  has got 
a surprise coming1 that's all4    ,you  

see1 ,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 had just been 
graduated from high school1  and his    
family expected him to go to college in 
the fall1 though he  faced that         
expectation without much enthusiasm4 ,he
 felt his new freedom4  ,he addressed   
his rebellious remark to the ,league    
president1 ,marcia  ,dayne1 a sensible  
girl whom he had known as long as he had
 known anybody  in the church4    ,last 
year everybody said ,i was too young4   
,they all talked the way he  did just   
now4 ,but they can't say ,i am too young
 now1 and with that easy  skill which is
 one of the secrets of youth1 he managed
 to contemplate  himself1 serenely      
conscious that he was personable and    
right4    ,the girl turned to him with a
 gesture of surprise4    ,but ,i thought
 your father had agreed to let you take 
that trip to  ,chicago you have been    
saving up for4 ,will he let you go to   
the ,institute  too8    ,chicago can    
wait1 said ,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 grandly4
 ,dad did say ,i could  go to ,chicago  

to see my cousins1 or ,i could go       
anywhere else that ,i  wanted4 ,well1 ,i
 am going to the ,institute4 ,it's my   
money1 and1 besides1  ,i am tired of    
being told ,i am too young4 ,a fellow's 
got to grow up some  time4    ,that's   
all right1 said ,marcia1 but what's your
 special interest in  the ,institute8   
,do you truly want to go8 ,how do you   
know what an  ,institute is like8       
,her voice carried further than ,marcia 
thought1 and a man who seemed a  little 
too mature to be one of the young       
people1 turned toward her4 ,he  was     
smiling1 and any time these four years  
the town would have told you  there     
wasn't a friendlier smile inside the    
city limits4 ,he was in  business dress1
 and suggested anything but the parson  
in his bearing1  but through and through
 he looked the good minister that he    
was4    ,marcia moved toward him with an
 unspoken appeal4 ,she wanted help4 ,he 
was  waiting for that signal1 for he    
depended a good deal on ,marcia4 ,and he

  was still worried about that unlucky  
speech4    ,well1 ,marcia1 are you      
telling ,j4,w4 what the ,institute      
really is8 he  asked4    ,no1 ,mr4      
,drury1 ,i'm not4 ,i'm too much         
surprised at finding that he's  about   
decided to go4 ,you're just in time to  
tell him for me4 ,i want him  to get it 
right1 and straight4    ,well1 the      
pastor responded1 ,i'm glad of that4 ,if
 he's really going1  he'll find out that
 definitions are not descriptions4 ,now1
 our ,saint  ,sheridan used to say that 
an ,institute was a combination of      
college1  circus1 and camp meeting4 ,i  
would venture a different putting of it4
 ,an  ,institute is a bit of young      
democracy in action4 ,its people play   
together1 for play's sake and for       
finding their honest human level4 ,they 
study together1 to become decently      
intelligent about some of the real      
business of the kingdom of ,god1 and how
 the church proposes to transact  that  
business4 ,they wait for new vision     

together1 the ,institute being a  good  
time and a good place for seeing life   
clear and seeing it whole4    ,yes1 said
 ,marcia1 that's exactly it1 only ,i    
never could have found  quite the right 
words4 ,do you think ,j4,w4 will find it
 too poky and  preachy8    ,tell him to 
try it and see1 as you did last year1   
said ,pastor ,drury4    ,i'll risk that1
 said ,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 in his newly 
resolute mood4    ,he knew when to stop1
 this preacher4 ,particularly concerned 
as he was  about ,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 he
 saw that this was one of the many times
 when  that young man would need to work
 things out for himself4 ,marcia would  
give what help might be called for at   
the moment4 ,the boy was turning  toward
 the ,institute2 so far so good4        
,to-night was nearly four years from the
 beginning of his interest in  this     
young fellow with the ,methodist name4  
,he was a special friend of  the family1
 though no more so than of every family 
in the town which  gave him the         

slightest encouragement4 ,to a degree   
which no one suspected  he shared this  
family's secret hopes for its son and   
heir2 and he  cherished hopes which even
 the ,farwells could not suspect4       
,unless he was  much mistaken he had    
found the subject for his ,experiment4  
,that mention of the ,farwells needs to 
be explained4 ,of course ,john  ,wesley1
 ,jr41 was only part of the boy's name4 
,in full he was ,john  ,wesley ,farwell1
 ,jr41 son of ,john ,wesley ,farwell1   
,sr41 of the ,j4,w4  ,farwell ,hardware 
,co4 ,as a little fellow he had no      
chance to escape  ,junior1 since he was 
named for his father4 ,there were many  
,jacks and  ,johns and ,johnnies about4 
,his mother1 good ,methodist that she   
was1  secretly enjoyed calling him ,john
 ,wesley1 ,jr41 and before long the     
neighbors and the neighborhood children 
followed her example4    ,a little later
 he might have been teased out of it1   
but at the  impossible age when boys    
discover that queer names and red hair  

and  cross-eyes make convenient excuses 
for mutual torture1 it happened that  he
 had attained to the leadership of his  
gang4 ,for some reason he took  pride in
 his two ,methodist names1 and made     
short work of those who  ventured to    
take liberties with them4 ,in all other 
respects he played  without reserve     
boyhood's immemorial game of give and   
take2 but as to  his name or any part   
thereof he would tolerate no foolishness
 and no  back talk4 ,when he reached the
 high school period1 however1 most of   
his  intimates rarely called him by his 
full name1 having1 like all high  school
 people1 no time for long names1 though 
possessed of infinite  leisure for long 
dreams4 ,straightway they shortened his 
name to ,j4,w41  which to this day is   
all that his friends find necessary4    
,very well1 then2 this is ,j4,w4 at     
eighteen2 a young fellow worth  knowing4
 ,take a look at him2 impulsive1        
generous1 not what you would  call      
handsome1 but possessed of a genial eye 

and a ready tongue1 a  stubby nose and a
 few scattered freckles4 ,a fair        
student1 he is yet far  from            
bookishness1 and he makes friends       
easily4    ,of late he has been paying  
furtive but detailed attention to his   
hair  and his neckties and the hang of  
his clothes1 though still in small      
danger of being mistaken for a tailor's 
model4    ,with such a name you will    
understand that he's a ,methodist by    
first  intention2 born so4 ,he is a     
pretty sturdy young ,christian1 showing 
it in  a boy's modest but direct        
fashion1 which even his teammates of the
  high-school football squad found it no
 trouble to tolerate1 because they  knew
 him for a human1 healthy boy1 and not a
 morbid1 self-inspecting  religious     
prig4 ,pastor ,drury1 you may be sure1  
had taken note of all  that1 for he and 
,j4,w4 had been fast friends since the  
day he had  received the boy into the   
church4    ,the morning after the       
,institute social ,j4,w4 announced at   

breakfast his  sudden change of plan4   
,if you don't mind1 ,dad1 ,i've about   
decided to go to the ,institute  instead
 of ,chicago4 ,there is a bunch of us   
going1 and ,mr4 ,drury will be  there4  
,uncle ,henry's folks might not want to 
be bothered with me now1  and anyway ,i 
don't know them very well4 ,but ,i can  
go to the ,institute  with the church   
crowd2 and there will be tennis and     
swimming and plenty  of other fun       
besides the big program4 ,which was     
quite a speech for ,j4  ,w4    ,john    
,wesley1 ,sr41 didn't know much about   
the ,institute1 but he had an  endless  
regard for his pastor1 and the mother   
was characteristically  willing to      
postpone her boy's introduction to the  
unknown and1 in her  thought1 therefore1
 the menacing city4    ,so1 after the   
brief but unhurried devotions at the    
breakfast table1  which had come to     
serve in place of the old-time family   
prayers1  parental approval was         
forthcoming4 ,and thus it befell that   

,j4,w4  selected for himself a future   
whose every experience was to be        
affected  by so slight a matter as his  
impulsive choice of a week's holiday4   
,that  choice expressed to him the new  
freedom of his years1 for he had not    
even been conscious of the quiet        
influence which had made it easier than 
he knew to decide as he had done4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,it was a mixed and lively company that 
found itself crowded around the         
registrar's table at the ,institute one 
,monday evening in ,july1 with ,j4  ,w4 
and his own particular chum1 ,martin    
,luther ,shenk1 better known as  ,marty1
 right in the middle of it4    ,j4,w4   
wondered where so many ,epworthians     
could have come from4 ,did they  really 
hanker after the ,institute1 or had they
 come for reasons as  trivial as his    
own8 ,he put the question to ,martin    
,luther ,shenk4    ,marty1 do you reckon
 these are all here for real ,epworth   
,league work1  or does the ,institute   

want anybody and everybody8    ,marty   
had been scouting a little1 and he      
answered3 ,no1 to both  questions1 ,i   
should say4 ,some have come just to be  
coming1 and others  seem to be here for 
business4 ,but ,i saw ,joe ,carbrook    
just now1 and if he  is an ,epworth     
,leaguer ,i am the ,prince of ,puget    
,sound4 ,you know how he  stands at     
home4 ,wonder what he came for4    ,just
 then ,joe ,carbrook himself came up4   
,he was from ,delafield too1  member of 
the same ,league chapter as the two     
chums1 but he had rarely  condescended  
to league affairs4 ,having had two      
rather variegated years  at college1 he 
felt he must show his sophistication by 
holding himself  above some of those    
simple old observances4    ,s'pose you  
are here for solemn and serious work1   
you two1 he remarked  mockingly1 as he  
saw the boys4 ,i just met ,marcia       
,dayne1 and she told me  you were       
registering4 ,well1 ,i'm here too--drove
 up in my car--but you  don't catch me  

tying myself down to all that study     
stuff4 ,i'm looking  for fun1 not work4 
,nothing new for you in that1 ,joe1 said
 ,marty4 ,but ,i should think you  might
 try the study stuff1 if only for a     
change1 after you have spent  good money
 on gas and tires4 ,and you have to pay 
for your meals1 you  know4    ,well1 ,i 
studied hard enough last month in       
college cramming for the  final exams1  
so ,i could get within gunshot of enough
 sophomore credits1  and ,i'm through2  
with study for a while4 ,if ,i find a   
few live ones in  this crowd1 ,i guess  
we can enjoy ourselves without          
interfering with any  of you grinds1 if 
you must study1 and ,joe ,carbrook went 
off in search  of his live ones4        
,j4,w4 and ,marty were in no hurry to   
register4 ,the crowd milling around  in 
the office was interesting1 and ,j4,w4  
was still wondering how many of  them1  
himself included1 would get enough      
,institute long before the week  was    
over4 ,besides1 it was yet an hour      

before supper4    ,think of it1 ,marty4 
,all these people come from ,epworth    
,leagues just  like ours1 from          
,springfield1 and ,wolf ,prairie and    
,madison and all over  this part of the 
,state4 ,what for1 ,i'd like to know8   
,will you look at  those pennants8 ,wish
 we had brought one or two of ours2 we  
could add to  the display1 anyway4    ,i
 have two in my suitcase1 said ,marty4  
,we'll have them out this  evening at   
the introduction meeting4 ,and maybe    
you'll find out 'what  for' by that     
time4    ,the introduction meeting in   
the chapel after supper was for the most
  part informal4 ,yells and songs and   
the waving of pennants punctuated the   
proceedings1 as is quite the proper     
thing in an ,epworth ,league  gathering4
 ,some people1 who see only what is on  
the surface1 cannot  wholly understand  
the exuberance of an ,epworth ,league   
crowd4 ,but it has  roots in something  
very real4    ,the dean of the          
,institute managed1 amid the roystering 

and the intervals  of attention1 to set 
things up for the week4 ,a few          
regulations would  need to be laid down2
 and these would be fixed1 not by the   
faculty or by  the dean1 but by the     
,student ,council4 ,would each district 
group please  get together at once1 and 
select some one to represent the group  
on this  council8    ,this request being
 obeyed amid considerable confusion1    
with ,marcia ,dayne  appointed from the 
,fort ,adams ,district1 and the council 
excused to draft  the basic laws for the
 week1 the faculty was introduced1 one  
by one4    ,each teacher was given the  
opportunity to describe his or her      
course1 so  that out of the eight or    
nine courses offered every delegate     
might  select two besides the two which 
were required of all students1 and so   
qualify for an ,institute diploma4      
,j4,w4 found himself enjoying all this  
hugely4 ,it appealed to his growing     
sense of freedom from schoolboy         
restraint4 ,if he did go to any of the  

classes1 it appeared that he could pick 
the ones he liked4 ,up to now he  had   
entertained no thought of any serious   
work1 but the faculty talks  about these
 courses made him think there might be  
worse ways of spending  the week than   
qualifying for an ,institute diploma4   
,the whole thing  seemed to be so easy  
and so friendly4 ,of course he could see
 that the  study would not be much1 even
 if he signed up for it1 being just for 
a  week1 but it might not be bad fun4   
,morning ,watch was an experience to    
,j4,w4 ,he was surprised to find        
himself staying awake in a              
before-breakfast religious meeting1 and 
was  even more surprised to be enjoying 
it4 ,something about this big crowd of  
young people stirred all his pulses1 and
 the religion they heard about  and     
talked about seemed to ,j4,w4 something 
very real and desirable4 ,he  thought of
 himself as a ,christian1 but he        
wondered if his ,christian life  might  
not become more confident and           

productive4 ,in this atmosphere one     
almost felt that anything was possible4 
,meal times turned out to be times of   
orderly disorder4 ,j4,w4 and his        
friends were at a table with other      
groups from the ,fort ,adams ,district1 
and he quickly mastered the raucous roar
 which served the ,district for a  yell4
 ,before the end of the second day his  
alert good nature made him  cheer       
leader1 and thereafter he rarely had    
time to eat all that was set  before    
him1 though possessed of a boy's healthy
 appetite4 ,it was simply  that the     
other possibilities of the hour seemed  
more alluring than mere  food4    ,from 
the first day of the class work ,j4,w4  
found himself keen for all  that was    
going on4 ,there was variety enough so  
that he felt no  weariness1 and the     
range of new interests opened up each   
day kept him at  constant and           
pleasurable attention4 ,without knowing 
just how1 he was  catching the          
,institute spirit4    ,he walked away   

from the dining hall one noon with his  
pastor-friend1 and  he talked4 ,he had  
to talk to somebody1 and ,walter ,drury 
contrived to  know of his need4    ,why1
 ,mr4 ,drury1 he said1 eagerly1 ,i'm    
just finding out how little ,i  know    
about the church and real ,christian    
work4 ,i thought ,i was something  of an
 average ,methodist boy1 but if the     
people at home are no better  than ,i   
am1 ,i can see how being a preacher to  
such a bunch is a man's  job4           
,correct1 ,j4,w4 said the minister4 ,i  
find that out many a time1 to my        
humbling4 ,but honestly1 now1 are you   
learning things you never knew  before8 
,ye-es1 ,i am1 ,j4,w4 answered1 and     
then1 again1 ,i'm not4 ,it seems to me  
as if ,i had always known a lot of what 
we are getting in these classes1  though
 there is plenty of new stuff too4 ,but 
until now ,i didn't get much  out of    
what ,i knew4 ,i've always liked to hear
 you1 but you're different4  ,as for    
most of the things ,i've heard1 ,i just 

thought of it as religious  talk1 church
 stuff1 you know4 ,it didn't seem to    
matter1 but here it is  beginning to    
matter in all sorts of ways1 and ,i can 
see that it matters  to me4    ,how1 for
 instance8    ,well1 take the class in  
home missions2 ,americanization1 they   
call it4  ,maybe you noticed that the   
first thing the teacher did was to      
divide the  class right down the middle1
 and tell those on the left hand--yes1  
,i'm  one of the goats--that for the    
rest of the week they were to consider  
themselves aliens4 ,the others were to  
play native-born ,americans4 ,and so    
the study started1 but believe me1 we   
aliens have already begun to make  it   
interesting for those natives4 ,some of 
'em want to come over on our  side      
already1 but they can't4 ,a few of us   
have found some immigration  dope in the
 college library1 and it is pretty      
strong4 ,we'll show up  those ,pilgrim  
,fathers before the week is out4 ,they  
think they have done  everything an     

alien could ask when they let him into  
the country1 and  then they work him    
twelve hours a day1 seven days a week1  
or else let  him hunt the country over  
for any sort of a job4 ,they rob him by 
making  him pay higher prices than other
 people for all he has to buy4 ,they    
force him to live in places not fit for 
rats1 and on top of everything  else    
they call him names1 so that their kids 
stick up their noses at his  children in
 the school grounds4 ,after all that    
they expect he'll become  a good citizen
 just by hearing ',the ,star-,spangled  
,banner' at the movies  and watching the
 flag go by when there's a parade4      
,say1 ,mr4 ,drury1 it makes me sick1    
and1 if ,i feel that way just to be     
pretending ,i'm a ',wop' for a week1 how
 do you suppose the real aliens  feel8  
,excuse me for talking like this1 but   
honestly1 something like that  is going 
on in all these classes2 ,i wish we     
could take up such things in  the       
,league at home4 ,and he forced an      

embarrassed little laugh4    ,pastor    
,drury laughed too1 and said of course  
they could1 as he linked  arms with     
,j4,w41 and they passed on down the     
road4 ,the preacher talked  but little1 
contriving merely to drop a question now
 and then2 and ,j4,w4  talked on1       
half-ashamed to be so gabby1 as he put  
it1 and yet moved by  an impulse as     
pleasant as it was novel4    ,and       
foreign missions1 ,mr4 ,drury4 ,you     
won't be offended1 ,i hope1 but  somehow
 as far back as ,i can remember ,i have 
always connected foreign  missions with 
collections and ',greenland's ,icy      
,mountains' and little  naked           
,hottentots1 and something--,i don't    
know just what--about the ,river        
,ganges4 ,but here--why1 that ,china    
class just makes me want to see ,china  
for myself and find out how much of the 
advantages of ,american life over       
,chinese has come on account of         
religion4    ,well1 why not1 ,j4,w48    
,maybe you will go to ,china some day1  

and have a  hand in it all1 suggested   
the pastor1 to try him out4    ,the boy 
shook his head4    ,no1 ,i don't think  
so4 ,i am certainly getting a new line  
on foreign  missions1 but ,i don't think
 there's missionary stuff in me4 ,i'll  
have  to go at the proposition some     
other way4    ,then ,pastor ,drury set  
him going on another subject4    ,what  
do you think of the young folks who are 
here8 he asked4    ,well1 at first ,i   
thought they were all away ahead of our 
bunch at home1  and some of them are2   
but you soon find out that the majority 
is pretty  much of the same sort as     
ours4 ,i think ,i've spotted a few      
slackers1 but  mighty few4 ,most of the 
crowd seems to be all right1 and ,i've  
already  made some real friends4 ,but do
 you know which one of them all is the  
most interesting fellow ,i've met8      
,the pastor thought he did1 but he      
merely asked1 ,who8    ,why1 that ,greek
 boy1 ,phil ,khamis4 ,he is from        
,salonika1 you know4 ,he  knows the old 

country like a book1 and he's going back
 some day1 maybe  to be some kind of    
missionary to his people1 in the very   
places where  the apostle ,paul         
preached4 ,honest1 ,i never knew until  
he told me that  his ,salonika is the   
town of those ,christians to whom ,paul 
wrote two of  his letters2 those to the 
,thessalonians--',thessalonika1' you    
know4 ,well1  you ought to hear ,phil   
talk4 ,he came over here seven years    
ago1 and  learned the ,english language 
from the preacher at ,westvale4    ,yes1
 ,i have heard about him1 said ,mr4     
,drury4 ,they say he lived in the       
parsonage and paid the preacher for his 
,english lessons by giving him a  new   
understanding of the ,greek ,new        
,testament4 ,not many of us have found  
out yet how to get such pay for being   
decent to our friends from the  other   
side4    ,well1 he is a thoroughbred1   
anyway2 and do you notice how he is     
right  up in front when there is        
anything doing8 ,the only way you can   

tell he  isn't ,american born is that he
 is so anxious to help out on all the   
unpleasant work4 ,when ,i look at ,phil 
it makes me boil to think of  fellows   
like him being called ',wop4'    ,by    
this time the two had swung back into   
the campus1 and ,j4,w4 found  himself   
drafted to hold down second base in the 
,faculty-,student ball  game4 ,but that 
is a story for others to tell4    ,on   
the steps of the library ,marcia ,dayne 
and some other girls were  holding an   
informal reception4 ,joe ,carbrook1 with
 one or two of his  friends1 was finding
 it agreeable to assume a superior air  
concerning  the ,institute4 ,the        
impression the boys gave was that their 
coming to the  ,institute at all had    
been a great concession1 but that they  
were under  no illusions about the      
place4    ,all this is all right1 ,joe  
was saying1 for those who need it1 but  
what's the good of it all to us8 ,for   
instance1 what do you get out of  it1   
,marcia8    ,what do you think ,i want  

to get out of it8 ,if you cared for the 
young  people's work at home1 ,i should 
think you could see how 'all this1' as  
you call it1 would help you to do better
 work and more of it at  ,delafield4    
,as you ought to know pretty well1      
,marcia1 ,joe replied1 back home they   
think ,i don't care much for the young  
people's work4 ,it is a little too  prim
 and ready-to-wear for me1 if you'll    
excuse me for saying so4 ,no fun  in it 
at all1 though ,i'll admit some of the  
classes here have more life  in them    
than ,i looked for4    ,one of the other
 girls1 who knew him well enough to     
speak with large  frankness1 came to the
 defense of them all1 saying3 ,well1    
,joe1 ,i don't  see that you get very   
far with what you call fun4 ,it's mostly
 at the  expense of other people1       
including your father1 who pays the     
bills4  ,besides1 since you came home   
from college this spring1 you seem to   
have  run out of nearly all the bright  
ideas you started with4 ,i wonder if it 

ever strikes you that being a sport1 as 
you call it1 is mostly being a  nuisance
 to everybody8 ,some of us long ago got 
over thinking you clever  and original4 
,you must be getting over it yourself1  
by now1 surely4    ,many thanks1 dear   
lady1 for them kind words1 ,joe         
responded1 as he  bowed low in mock     
acknowledgment2 you make yourself quite 
plain1 ,miss  ,alma ,wetherell4 ,he     
flung back the insult jauntily1 as he   
and his  companions moved on1 but at    
least one of the group suspected that   
the  words had struck home4    ,you who 
know the ,general ,secretary could      
easily forgive ,j4,w4 his  delight in   
the class of which the program said the 
subject was  ,methods4 ,this is the only
 hour in an ,institute which the        
,epworth  ,league takes for its own     
work4 ,rightly enough1 it is a crowded  
hour1  with the whole ,institute        
present1 and usually it is an hour of   
unflagging interest4    ,j4,w4 and      
,marty were enjoying their first        

,institute too much to be late  at any  
classes4 ,they were merely a little     
earlier at this class2 to miss  any of  
it would be a distinct loss4    ,now1   
what the ,general ,secretary talked     
about was no more than the  everyday    
work of the ,league--how it meant the   
young people of the church  and their   
work for and with young people for the  
sake of the future4 ,but  he had a way  
with him4 ,he said the ,league was a    
great scheme of self1  with the ish left
 off4 ,in the ,league one practiced     
self-help1 and  enjoyed the twin        
luxuries of self-direction and          
self-expression1 and  came sooner or    
later to that strange new knowledge     
which is  self-discovery4 ,he explained 
how ,epworthians as such could live on  
twenty-four hours a day1 the plan being 
an ingenious and yet simple  financial  
arrangement for keeping the ,league work
 moving1 both where you  are and where  
you aren't1 even around the world4 ,he  
had innumerable  stories of the         

devotional meeting idea1 the            
,win-,my-,chum idea1 the  stewardship   
idea1 the ,institute idea1 the life     
service idea1 the  recreation idea1 the 
study-class idea1 and every other       
,league idea so  far invented4    ,but  
all this is merely a hint of what the   
,general ,secretary meant to the        
,institute1 and particularly to the     
delegates from ,delafield4 ,even ,joe   
,carbrook had been impressed4 ,he heard 
the ,general ,secretary the morning     
after that little exchange of           
compliments on the library steps1 and   
for  an hour thereafter let himself     
enjoy the rare luxury of thinking4 ,the 
results were somewhat disconcerting4    
,it's funny1 said ,marty1 as the four of
 them1 the other three being  ,joe1     
,marcia1 and ,j4,w41 sat under a tree in
 the afternoon1 but ,i believe  that man
 could make even trigonometry           
interesting4 ,i thought ,i'd heard  all 
that could be said about the devotional 
meeting2 but did you get  that scheme   

for leaders he sprung this morning8     
,watch me when we get  back home1 that's
 all4    ,you needn't suppose you are   
the only one who got it1 said ,marcia4  
,everybody was trying to watch the      
,general ,secretary and to take notes   
at the same time1 and ,i don't believe  
you are any quicker at that than  the   
rest of us4 ,of course all of us will   
use as many of his ideas as we  can     
remember1 when we get home again4       
,joe ,carbrook1 with a new seriousness  
which sat awkwardly on him1  confessed  
that he could not understand just what  
was happening4 ,it was  evident that he 
was ill at ease2 ,marcia had noticed it 
every time she  had seen him since that 
encounter with ,alma ,wetherell4    ,i  
guess you folks know ,i am not easily   
caught2 but ,i'm ready to admit  that   
man has hold of something4 ,yes1 and    
,i'm half convinced that this           
,institute has hold of something4 ,i    
wish ,i knew what it is4 ,if ,i could   
really believe that all ,i hear and see 

at this place is part of being  young   
and part of being a ,christian1 ,i might
 be thinking before long  about getting 
into the game myself4 ,the trouble is   
you three and the  other ,leaguers ,i've
 watched at home are just you three and 
the others1  and that's all4 ,i know1   
and you know1 what you can do4 ,you'll  
take all  these ideas of ,league work   
and use them1 maybe2 but what ,i can't  
see is  how you will pick up the ,big   
,idea of this place and get back home   
without losing it4    ,we can't1 said   
,marcia1 not without all sorts of help1 
visible and  invisible4 ,you1 for       
instance2 if you would really get into  
the game1 as  you say1 nobody could     
guess how much it would mean to our     
,league4 ,and it  might mean more to    
you4    ,marcia's right about that1 said
 ,j4,w4 ,the ,big ,idea of this place1  
that  you speak of1 is a lot too big for
 us to take home alone4 ,maybe you'll   
think ,i'm preaching1 but ,i don't care1
 if ,i say that for ,god to handle      

alone1 it is not big enough4 ,he makes  
the stars1 and gives us his ,son1       
without any help from us4 ,nobody else  
can do that4 ,but he won't make our     
,league at home a success without us2   
and all of us together can't do it      
without ,him4 ,i'm not saying ,i know   
how to do it1 even then1 but that's  the
 way it looks to me4 ,why1 ,joe1 he said
 with sudden intensity as he  faced ,joe
 ,carbrook1 if you ever get hold of the 
,big ,idea1 and the ,big  ,idea gets    
hold of you1 something is sure to       
happen1 something bigger  than any of us
 can figure out now4 ,i know you have it
 in you4    ,all four showed a surprised
 self-consciousness over ,j4,w4's       
unexpected  venture into these rather   
deeper conversational waters than usual1
 and  there was more surprise when ,joe 
,carbrook began to talk about himself4  
,he laughed to hide a touch of          
embarrassment1 but with little mirth2   
and  then he said1 ,well1 ,j4,w41 that's
 not all foolishness1 though ,i don't   

see why you should pick on me4 ,why not 
,marty8 ,of course1 ,i came here for    
fun1 and ,i have had some1 though not   
just the sort ,i expected4 ,and ,i've   
had several jolts too4 ,i might as well 
admit that if ,i could just only  see   
how you hitch all of this ,league and   
church business to real life1 ,i  would 
be for it with all ,i've got4 ,the      
trouble is1 while ,i've never been      
especially proud of my own record1      
neither have ,i seen much excuse yet    
for what you 'active members' have been 
busy with4 ,i have been playing  my way1
 and you have been playing yours2 but it
 all seems mostly play to  me4 ,all the 
same1 ,i guess ,i am getting tired of my
 kind4 ,if ,joe could  ever have spoken 
wistfully1 you might have suspected him 
of it just  then4    ,clearly1 thought  
,marcia ,dayne1 in the silence that     
followed1 something  big was already    
happening4 ,but how to help it on she   
could not tell2 so1  with a desperate   
effort to do the right thing1 she       

contrived to turn the  subject ,it      
seemed to her it had become too         
difficult to go further just  now       
without peril to ,joe's strange new     
interest1 as well as to a very  new and 
tremulous little hope that had begun to 
sing in her own heart4    ,the shift of 
the talk was a true ,institute change1  
and would have been  most disconcerting 
to anyone unfamiliar with the ways of   
young  ,christians2 but ,marcia was sure
 that what had been said would not be   
forgotten1 and she knew there would be  
another time4    ,it was this that made 
her say1 ,i wish you boys would suggest 
what sort  of stunt our district should 
give on stunt night2 you know the time  
is  getting short4    ,that's a fact1   
exclaimed ,marty1 sitting up4 ,stunt    
night is to-morrow1  and our delegation 
has to fix up the stunt for the ,fort   
,adams ,district4  ,let's get to work on
 something4 ,we've been mooning long    
enough4    ,for though ,marty never     
thought as quickly as ,marcia1 he too   

felt some  instinct of fear lest by an  
unfortunate word they should break the  
spell  of ,joe ,carbrook's interest in  
the ,big ,idea1 and promptly the four   
were  deep in a study of stunts4    ,to 
the uninitiated1 stunt night at the     
,institute is without rime or  reason1  
but not to those in charge who are      
looking ahead to ,sunday4 ,they  know   
that the converging and cumulative      
psychic forces which the  ,institute    
invariably produces must be tempered1   
along about midway of  the week1 by some
 sharp contrast in the communal life4   
,otherwise1 the  group1 like            
over-trained athletes1 will grow        
emotionally stale before  the week is   
done1 and at the end of that is let-down
 and flatness4 ,hence  stunt night4     
,in the early ,institute years it was   
easy1 as in some places it still is1    
for stunt night to be no more than      
clowning1 witless and cheap2 but  there 
is a distinct tendency to exercise the  
imagination in producing  more          

self-respecting efforts4    ,cartwright1
 happily1 is one of the forward-looking 
,institutes1 and stunt  night1 crowded  
with most excellent fooling1 produced   
two or three  creditable and            
thought-provoking performances4 ,one of 
them deserves  remembering for its own  
sake4 ,besides1 it is a part of this    
story4    ,the home missions class      
furnished the inspiration for it1 and   
called it  ,scum o' the ,earth1 an      
impromptu immigration pageant4 ,a boy   
who had  memorized ,schauffler's poem   
stood off stage and recited it1 while   
group  after group of immigrants in the 
motley of the steerage passed slowly    
through the improvised ,ellis ,island   
sifting process4 ,it was all            
make-believe1 of course1 all but one    
tense moment4 ,then ,phil ,khamis       
stepped on the platform1 incarnating in 
his own proper person the poet's        
apostrophised ,greek boy3    ,stay1 are 
we doing you wrong1    ,young fellow    
from ,socrates' land8  ,you1 like a     

,hermes so lissome and strong1    ,fresh
 from the master ,praxiteles' hand8  ,so
 you're of ,spartan birth8              
,descended1 perhaps1 from one of the    
band--  ,deathless in story and song--  
,who combed their long hair at          
,thermopylae's pass8  ,ah1 ,i forget the
 straits1 alas6    ,more tragic than    
theirs1 more compassion-worth1  ,that   
have doomed you to march in our         
'immigrant class'   ,where you're       
nothing but 'scum o' the earth6'    ,the
 audience was caught unaware4 ,it had   
been vastly interested in the           
spectacle1 as a spectacle1 the more     
because the unusual ,americanization    
class which produced it had attracted   
general attention4 ,but1 ,phil  ,khamis1
 everybody's friend1 standing there1 an 
immigrant of the  immigrants1 smiling   
his wistful friendly smile1 was a       
picture as  dramatic as it was          
unexpected4 ,first there were           
ejaculations of  astonishment and       
surprise4 ,then came the moment of      

understanding1 and a  shining-eyed      
stillness fell on all4 ,then1 what a    
shout6 ,j4,w4 led off1  the unashamed   
tears falling from his brimming eyes4   
,on ,saturday morning ,j4,w4 was sitting
 beside ,phil ,khamis at ,morning       
,watch4 ,the leader had asked for       
answers to the question ,why did ,i come
  to the ,institute8 getting several    
responses of the conventional sort4     
,suddenly ,phil nudged ,j4,w4 and       
whispered1 ,shall ,i tell why ,i came8  
and  ,j4,w4 with the memory of stunt    
night's thrill not yet dulled1 said     
promptly1 ,sure1 go ahead4    ,when     
,phil got up an attentive silence fell  
upon them all4 ,the ,greek boy  had made
 many friends1 as much by his engaging  
frankness and anxiety to  learn as by   
his perpetual eagerness to have a hand  
in every bit of hard  work that turned  
up4 ,since the stunt night incident he  
was everybody's  favorite4    ,friends1 
he said1 in his rather careful1 precise 
way1 ,i am here for a  different reason 

than any4 ,when ,i was in ,america but a
 little time a  ,methodist preacher made
 himself my friend4 ,i could not speak  
,english1  only a few words4 ,he took me
 to his home4 ,he taught me to talk the 
,american way4 ,he find me other        
friends1 though ,i could do nothing at  
all  for them to pay them back4 ,now ,i 
am ,christian--real1 not only baptized4 
,the young people of the church take me 
in to whatever they do4 ,they  call me  
',phil' and never care that ,i am a     
foreigner1 so when ,i heard  about this 
,institute ,i say to myself1 ',it is    
something strange to me1  but ,i hear   
that many people like those in my church
 will be there4' ,i  cannot quite       
believe that1 but it sounded good1 and  
,i wanted to come and  see4 ,and now ,i 
know that many people are young people  
like those ,i first  knew4 ,they treat  
me just the same4 ,it makes me love     
,america much more2  and if ,i could    
tell my people in the old country that  
all this good has  come to me from the  

church1 they could not believe it4      
,still1 it is  true4 ,everything ,i have
 to-day has come to me by goodness of   
,christian  people4    ,there were some 
half-embarrassed ,amens1 and more than  
one hitherto  unsuspected cold required 
considerable attention4 ,all the way to 
breakfast ,phil held embarrassed court1 
while his hand was shaken and his       
shoulder was thumped and he was told1   
solo and chorus1 by all who could  get  
near him1 that ,he's all right6--,who's 
all right8 ,phil ,khamis6    ,but ,j4,w4
 was walking slowly toward the dining   
hall1 alone4 ,as he had  listened to    
,phil1 at first he thought1 ,good old   
scout1 he's putting it  over1 but by the
 time the ,greek's simple words were    
ended1 ,j4,w4 was  looking himself      
straight in the eye4 ,young fellow1 he  
was saying1 you  have come mighty near  
feeling glad that you have had so many  
more  advantages than this stranger1 and
 yet can't you see that what he says    
about himself is almost as true about   

you8 ,all you have to-day--this         
,institute1 your religion1 your church1 
your friends1 the kind of a home  you   
have and are so proud of--everything has
 come to you by what ,phil  calls the   
goodness of ,christian people4    ,and  
then it was breakfast time1 with an     
imperative call on ,j4,w4 from the      
,fort ,adams table for that new yell we 
fixed up last night1 and the  minutes in
 which he had talked with himself were  
for the time forgotten4  ,but the memory
 of them came back in the days after the
 ,institute was  itself a memory4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,the ,saturday night camp fire at this  
,institute1 contrary to the usual       
custom1 was not co-ed4 ,the boys went   
down to the lake shore and sat  around a
 big fire on the sand4 ,the girls had   
their fire on the slope of  a hill at   
the other edge of the campus4    ,nor   
does this ,institute care for too much  
praise of itself4 ,its  traditional     
spirit is to work more for outcomes than

 for the devices  which produce         
complacency4 ,it stages only a few      
opportunities of telling  ,why ,i like  
this ,institute4    ,so1 at the camp    
fires a man talked to the boys and a    
woman to the girls1  not about the      
,institute1 but about life4 ,these      
speakers knew the strange  effect an    
,institute week has on impressionable   
and romantic youth2 they  knew that by  
this time scores of the students were   
either saying to  themselves1 ,i've got 
to do something big before this thing's 
over1 or  were vainly trying to put the 
conviction away4    ,the woman who      
talked to the girls happened to be a    
preacher's wife4  ,this gave her a      
certain advantage when she told the     
listening girls that  the greatest of   
all occupations for them was not some   
special vocation1  but what ,ida        
,tarbell has called the business of     
being a woman4 ,it was  good preparation
 for the next day's program1 with its   
specific and  glamorous appeal1 for it  

put first the great claim1 so that      
special  vocations could be seen in     
clear air and could be fairly measured4 
,pastor ,drury1 who talked to the boys1 
was talking to them all1 as ,j4,w4  very
 well knew1 but every word seemed for   
him2 as1 indeed1 it was1 in a  sense    
that he did not suspect4 ,he was not    
surprised that his pastor  should       
present the ,christian life as          
effectively livable by bricklayers  and 
business men as surely as by            
missionaries4 ,he had heard that before4
  ,but to ,j4,w4 the old message had a  
new setting1 a new force4 ,and never    
before had he been so ready to receive  
it4    ,the songs had sung themselves   
out1 as the fire changed from roaring   
flame and flying sparks to a great bed  
of living coals4 ,from the world's      
beginning a glowing hearth has been     
perfect focus for straight thought  and 
plain speech4 ,the boys found it so this
 night4    ,the minister began so simply
 that it seemed almost as if his voice  

were  only the musings of many1 just    
become audible4 ,i know1 said he1 that  
to-morrow some of you will find         
yourselves1 and will eagerly offer your 
lives for religious callings4 ,we shall 
all be proud of you and glad to  see it4
 ,but most of you cannot do that4 ,you  
are already sure that you  must be      
content to live 'ordinary ,christian    
lives1' ,it is possible that  to-morrow 
you may feel a little out of the        
picture4 ,and those who are  hearing a  
special call might regard you1 quite    
unconsciously1 of course1  as not       
exactly on their level4    ,now1 suppose
 we get this thing straight to-night4   
,there is no great nor  small1 no high  
nor low1 in real service4 ,the          
differences are only in the  forms of   
work you do4 ,the quality may be just as
 fine in one place as in  another4 ,the 
boy who goes into the ministry1 or who  
becomes a medical  missionary1 will have
 peculiar chances for usefulness4 ,so   
also will the  boy who goes into        

business or farming or teaching1 or any 
other  so-called secular occupation4    
,just because he is not called to       
religious  work as a daily business he  
dare not think that he has no call4     
,god's  calling is not for the few1 but 
for the many4 ,and just now the man who 
puts his whole soul into being an       
out-and-out ,christian in his daily     
business and in his personal life as a  
responsible citizen must have the       
genuine missionary spirit4 ,he must live
 like a prophet1 that is1 a  messenger  
from ,god4 ,he must know the ,christian 
meaning of all that  happens in the     
world4 ,and he must stand for the whole 
,christian program4  ,otherwise1 not all
 the ministers and missionaries in the  
world can save  our civilization4 ,it is
 your chance of a great career4 ,you who
 will make  up the rank and file of the 
,christian army in the next twenty-five 
years--do you know what you are8 ,you   
are the hope of the world6    ,as the   
group broke up in the dim light of the  

dying embers1 ,j4,w4  stumbled into ,joe
 ,carbrook1 and the two headed for the  
tents together4  ,they had been on a    
much more friendly footing since        
,thursday4    ,say1 ,j4,w41 said ,joe1  
abruptly1 what's the matter with me8 ,i 
came to  this place without knowing just
 why2 thought ,i'd just have a good     
time1  ,i suppose2 but here ,i am being 
bumped up against something new and big 
every little while1 until ,i wonder if  
it's the same world that ,i was  living 
in before ,i came4 ,do you suppose      
anybody else feels that way8 ,is  it the
 place8 ,or the people8 ,or what8    ,i 
don't just know1 said ,j4,w41 trying to 
keep from showing his  surprise4 ,i feel
 a good deal that way myself4 ,i think  
it's maybe that  this is the first time 
we've ever been forced to look squarely 
at some  of the things that seem so     
natural here4 ,at home it's easy to     
dodge4 ,you  know that1 only you've     
dodged one way and ,i've done it        
another4    ,but do you feel different1 

the way ,i do1 ,j4,w48 ,do you feel like
 saying  to yourself3 ',looka here1 ,joe
 ,carbrook1 quit being a fool4 ,see what
 you  could do if you settled down to   
getting ready for something real4 ,like 
being a doctor1 now4' ,do you feel that 
way8 ,you don't know it1 but  ,i've     
always thought ,i could be a doctor1 if 
,i could see anything in it4  ,and then 
the other side of me speaks up and says3
 ',joe ,carbrook1 don't  kid yourself4  
,you know you haven't got the nerve to  
try1 even if you had  the grit to stick 
it through4' ,is it that way with you1  
,j4,w48 ,you've  paid more attention to 
religion and all that than ,i ever did4 
,and what  you said on ,thursday about  
the ',big ,idea' has kept me guessing   
ever  since4    ,no1 ,joe1 my trouble's 
not like yours4 ,i know ,i can't be a   
doctor1 nor a  preacher1 nor a          
missionary4 ,i've got nothing of that in
 me4 ,but what we  heard to-night at the
 camp fire came straight at me4 ,as ,i  
tried to say  the other day1 if you get 

the ',big ,idea' of the ,institute1     
,christian  service looks like a great  
life4 ,but me--,i've no hope to be      
anything  particular2 just one of the   
crowd4 ,and ,i never quite saw until    
to-night  how that might be a great life
 too4    ,as they were parting1 ,j4,w4  
ventured a bold suggestion4 ,say1 ,joe1 
if you  think you could be a doctor1 why
 not a missionary doctor8    ,joe's     
answer was a swift turning on his heel1 
and he strode away with  never a word4  
,probably made him mad1 thought ,j4,w4  
,i wonder why ,i said it4 ,joe's the    
last boy in the world to have any such  
notion4 ,but--well1 something's  already
 begun to happen to him1 that's         
sure--and to me too4    ,on ,sunday the 
little world of the ,institute assumed a
 new and no less  attractive aspect4    
,everybody was dressed for ,sunday1 as  
at home4 ,classes  were over2 and games 
also2 the dining room became for the    
first time a  place of comparative      
quiet1 with now and then the singing of 

a great old  hymn1 just to voice the    
,institute consciousness4    ,the       
,morning ,watch talk had been a little  
more direct1 a little more  tense4 ,and 
before the ,bishop's sermon came the    
love feast4 ,now1 the  ,methodists of   
the older generation made much of their 
love feasts1 but  in these days1 except 
at the ,annual ,conference1 an          
occasional ,institute  is almost the    
only place where it flourishes with     
something of the  ancient fervor4       
,many changes have come to ,methodism   
since the great days of the love  feast2
 changes of custom and thought and      
speech4 ,but your ardent young          
,methodist of any period1 ,chaplain     
,mc,cabe1 ,peter ,cartwright1 ,jesse    
,lee1  ,captain ,webb1 would have       
understood and gloried in this          
,institute love  feast4 ,it spoke their 
speech4    ,our group from ,delafield   
will never forget it4    ,nearly all of 
them spoke2 ,marcia ,dayne first because
 she was usually  expected to lead in   

everything of the sort1 then ,marty1    
then ,j4,w41 and1  last of all and most 
astounding1 ,joe ,carbrook4    ,marty   
looked the soldier1 and he put his      
confession into military terms4  ,he    
spoke about his ,captain and waiting for
 orders1 and a new  understanding of    
obedience4    ,before ,j4,w4 got his    
chance to speak1 the leader read a night
 letter from  an ,institute far away1   
conveying the greetings of six hundred  
young  people to their fellow           
,epworthians4    ,j4,w4 could not bring 
himself to speak in terms of personal   
experience4  ,he was still under the    
spell of last night's camp fire1 and his
 brief  encounter with ,joe ,carbrook1  
but without quite knowing what could    
possibly come of all that4 ,and the     
telegram gave him an excuse to speak  in
 another vein4 ,you must remember that  
up to now he had been wholly  local in  
his ,league interests4 ,he had gone to  
no conventions1 he was not  a reader of 
,the ,epworth ,herald1 and to him the   

,central ,office was as  though it had  
not been4    ,i wonder if anybody else  
feels as ,i do1 he said1 about this     
,league of  ours8 ,until this last week 
,i never thought much about it4 ,but    
we've just  heard that telegram from an 
,institute bigger than this1 a thousand 
miles  off4 ,and there's fifty-five or  
sixty ,institutes going on this year1   
besides the winter ,institutes1 the     
conventions1 and all the other          
gatherings4 ,we seem to belong to a     
movement that enrolls almost a  million 
young people1 with all sorts of chances 
to learn how it can do  all sorts of    
,christian work by actually doing it4   
,this isn't the only  thing ,i've found 
out here1 but it makes me want to see   
the whole ,league  become as good as it 
is big4 ,i don't want to be dazzled by  
the size of  it1 because ,i know how    
many other members are just as little   
use as ,i've  been4 ,only when ,i get   
home ,i hope ,i'm going to be a         
different sort of an  ,epworthian1 and  

,i can't help wishing that we all felt  
that way about  being more good in the  
,league4 ,we can make it a hundred times
 more  useful to the church and to our  
,master4    ,many others spoke like     
that1 some of them because they could   
find  nothing more intimate to say1 some
 here and there those who1 like ,j4,w41 
could not quite trust themselves yet to 
talk of their deeper personal           
experiences4    ,and then ,joe ,carbrook
 arose4 ,he spoke easily1 as ,joe always
 did1 but it  was a new ,joe ,carbrook1 
and only the ,delafield delegation      
understood how  amazing was the change4 
,this ,institute has made me all sorts  
of trouble1 he said4 ,i had  nothing    
else to do1 and without caring anything 
about it1 except to get  some new fun   
out of it1 ,i came along1 intending to  
stir up some of you  if ,i could1 and ,i
 knew ,i could4 ,but ,i've seen what a  
fool ,i was4 ,every  day ,i've seen that
 a little more distinctly4 ,and last    
night1 just as ,i  was leaving one of   

the boys after the camp fire he said    
something about  what ,i might do with  
my life4 ,i don't know how seriously he 
meant it4  ,maybe he doesn't1 either4 ,i
 went off without answering him4 ,there 
wasn't  any answer1 except that ,i knew 
,i wasn't fit even to think about it4   
,and  then1 thank ,god1 ,i met a man who
 understood what was wrong with me4     
,he's  our pastor4 ,i haven't been      
anything but trouble to him at home1 but
 that  made no difference to him4 ,and  
he introduced me1 down yonder by the    
lake1 to a ,friend ,i had never known   
before1 some one infinitely             
understanding1 infinitely forgiving4 ,he
 showed me that before ,i could  find   
what ,i ought to be ,i'd have to come to
 terms with that ,friend4 ,and  ,i have4
 ,whatever happens to me1 whatever ,i   
may find to do1 ,i want now  and here   
for the first time in my life to confess
 ,jesus ,christ as my  ,saviour and     
,lord6    ,the ,bishop preached a great 
sermon1 but it is doubtful whether the  

,delafield delegation rightly           
appreciated it4 ,they were too much     
occupied with the incredible fact that  
,joe ,carbrook had been converted1  and 
had openly confessed it4    ,more was to
 come4 ,the afternoon meeting1 long     
established in the  ,institute world as 
the ,life ,work ,service1 was in the    
hands of a few  leaders who knew both   
its power and peril4 ,an invitation     
would be given  for all to declare their
 purpose who felt called to special     
,christian  work4 ,the difficulty was to
 encourage the most timid of those who1 
despite their timidity1 felt sure of the
 inner voice1 and yet prevent a         
stampede among those who1 without any   
depth of desire1 were in love with      
emotion1 and would enjoy being          
conspicuous1 if only for the brief      
moment  of the service4    ,for once a  
woman made the address--a wise woman1   
let it be said1 who  made skillful and  
sure distinctions between the ,christian
 life as a life  and the work of the    

,christian ,church as one way of living 
that life4    ,it would have been a     
successful afternoon in any case1 but   
three  incidents helped the speaker4    
,when she asked those to declare        
themselves  who had decided for definite
 ,christian work1 young people in all   
parts  of the room arose1 and one after 
another they spoke1 for the most part   
simply and modestly1 of their hope and  
purpose4 ,and ,joe ,carbrook was  among 
them6    ,he said very little1 the nub  
of it being that he had always thought  
of  being a doctor1 but not until a     
chance remark made by ,john ,wesley1    
,jr41  last night had the idea appeared 
to him important4 ,just to make one more
  among the thousands of doctors in     
,america was one thing1 he said4 ,it    
was quite another to think of being the 
only physician among a great1  helpless 
population4 ,but to be a missionary     
doctor a man had to be first  a         
missionary4 ,and how could he be a      
missionary if he were not a  ,christian8

 ,well1 as he had confessed at the love 
feast1 that was settled  last night1 and
 as soon as it had been attended to be  
knew there was  nothing else in the way4
 ,so he must work now toward being a    
medical  missionary4    ,joe's          
declaration stirred the whole assembly4 
,and while the influence of  it was     
still on them1 ,j4,w4 saw ,martin       
,luther ,shenk1 his classmate and       
doubly his chum since a memorable day of
 the preceding ,october1 get up  and    
quietly announce his purpose of becoming
 a minister4 ,and ,i hope1  said ,marty1
 that ,i may find my lifework in some of
 the new home mission  fields we have   
been learning about this week4    ,at   
that point the leader felt more than a  
little anxious4 ,these two  decisions1  
with all their restraint1 had in them   
something infectious1  and she feared   
lest some young people1 not holding     
themselves perfectly  in hand1 might be 
moved to sentimental and unreflecting   
declaration4    ,if there had been any  

such danger1 ,marcia ,dayne dispelled   
it4 ,she was  all aglow with a new joy  
of her own1 whose secret none knew but  
herself1  though one other had almost   
dared to hope he could guess4    ,may ,i
 speak8 she asked4 ,i have no decision  
to make for myself4 ,last  year ,i took 
the ',whatever1 whenever1 wherever'     
pledge1 and ,i intend to  keep it1      
though ,i am not yet sure what it will  
mean4 ,but ,i know a boy  here who will 
not talk unless somebody asks him1 and  
there's a reason  why ,i think he should
 be asked4 ,please1 mayn't we hear from 
,john ,wesley  ,farwell1 ,jr41 about his
 kind of a call8    ,j4,w41 taken       
unawares at the mention of his name1 was
 still at a loss  when the leader       
seconded ,marcia's invitation2 and the  
knowledge that he  was expected to say  
something unusual did not make for      
self-control4 ,but  he understood       
,marcia's purpose1 and tried to pull    
himself together4    ,miss ,dayne is    
president of our home ,chapter1 and she 

had a lot to do  with my coming to the  
,institute1 he began4 ,she has heard me 
talk since  ,i found out a little about 
the ,institute1 and ,i told her this    
morning  something of what ,joe         
,carbrook and ,i had discussed last     
night after the  camp fire4    ,well1 to
 get to the point1 ,i think she wants me
 to say1 and ,i'm saying  it to myself  
most of all1 that for nearly all of us  
young people1  ,christian lifework must 
mean making an honest living1 doing all 
we can  to make our religion count at   
home1 and then backing up with all we've
  got1 by prayer and money and brains1  
all these others like ,joe ,carbrook    
and ,marty ,shenk1 who are going into   
the hardest places to put up the        
biggest fight that's in them4 ,we've    
just got to do it1 or be quitters4  ,as 
,phil ,khamis said at ,morning ,watch   
yesterday1 ',everything we have has     
come to us by the goodness of ,christian
 people4' ,we aren't willing to be  the 
last links of that chain4    ,we don't  

want any special recognition1 but ,i    
hope the ,bishop and the  ,general      
,secretary and the ,dean and all the    
rest of the ,league leaders  will know  
they can count on us just as we know    
they can count on these  friends of ours
 who have just become life service      
volunteers4    ,nobody knows what might 
have happened if some one had not spoken
 like  that1 but as the group of new    
volunteers stood about the platform at  
the  close of the meeting1 the other    
young people1 instead of wandering off  
and feeling themselves of no            
significance1 came crowding about them1 
to  say to them1 boy-and-girl fashion1  
something of what ,j4,w4's little       
speech had suggested4 ,out of some four 
hundred ,epworthians enrolled in  the   
,institute1 about forty had made        
definite decisions2 but certainly  not  
less than two hundred more had also     
faced the future1 and in some  sort had 
made a new contract with themselves and 
with ,god4    ,the ,institute ended     

there1 except for a simple vesper       
service after the  evening meal1 and on 
,monday morning the whole company was   
homeward  bound4    ,the ,delafield     
delegation had separated4 ,the larger   
group went home by  train1 but ,joe     
,carbrook's insistence was not to be    
withstood1 so ,j4,w4  and ,marty1       
,marcia ,dayne and ,pastor ,drury were  
,joe's passengers for the  fifty-odd    
miles between ,institute and home4      
,they sang1 they cheered1 they yelled   
the ,institute yells4 ,they lived  over 
the crowded days of the week that had so
 swiftly passed4 ,but most  of all they 
deeply resolved that so far as they     
could help to do it  while they were at 
home the ,league ,chapter of ,delafield 
should be made  over into something of  
more use to the church to which it      
belonged4    ,it was ,marty who put     
their purpose into the fewest words4    
,we1 and the  others who have been to   
the ,institute1 don't think we know     
every little  ,league thing1 said he1   

and we don't think we are the whole     
,league  either4 ,but every time anybody
 in our ,chapter starts anything good1  
he's  going to have more and better help
 than he ever had before4    ,which     
thing came to pass1 as may one day be   
recorded4 ,the ,rev4 ,walter  ,drury    
kept his own counsel1 but he knew that  
more had happened than the  putting of  
new life into the ,league4 ,the         
,experiment had progressed  safely      
through some most difficult stages4     
,,chapter ,,ii      ,,john ,,wesley1    
,,jr4',s ,,bringing ,,up    ,those words
 of ,phil ,khamis at ,morning ,watch    
kept popping into ,j4,w4's  head in the 
days following the                      
,institute--,everything ,i have to-day  
has  come to me by the goodness of      
,christian people4    ,i know that must 
be true1 he would say to himself1 but   
it's worth  tracing back4    ,the       
preacher was coming over to supper one  
night1 as he loved to do2 and  ,j4,w4   
made up his mind to bring ,phil's idea  

into the table talk4 ,he was  on even   
better terms with the preacher than he  
used to be4    ,j4,w4's mother hadn't   
said much about the ,institute1 though  
she had  listened eagerly to all his    
talk of the crowded week1 and she was   
vaguely ill at ease4 ,she had hoped for 
something1 she did not know just  what1 
from the ,institute1 and she was not yet
 sure whether she ought to  feel        
disappointed4    ,but she provided a    
fine supper1 to which the menfolk paid  
the most  practical and sincere of all  
compliments4 ,and since nobody had      
anything  else on for the evening1 there
 was plenty of time for talk4    ,the   
mother had a moment aside with the      
minister1 and there was a touch  of     
anxiety in her question3 ,do you think  
the ,institute helped my boy8    ,and   
the pastor had just time to whisper     
back1 ,it helped him much1 but  he gave 
even more help than he got ,you have    
reason to be proud of him4 ,i  am4 ,he's
 growing4    ,it was not very definite1 

but it brought no small comfort to the  
mother's heart4    ,this ,institute idea
 seems to be everywhere1 said ,j4,w41   
,sr41 to the  pastor1 but how did it get
 started8 ,i used to be in the ,epworth 
,league1  but we had nothing like it    
then4    ,that's not so very much of a  
story1 said the pastor4 ,we have the    
,institute idea because we had to have  
it4 ,and so the ,league gave it form    
and substance4    ,well1 ,j4,w41 ,jr41  
chimed in1 ,i think it's about time more
 people knew  about it4 ,i've wanted to 
ask you to explain it ever since we came
 back  from the ,institute4    ,the     
pastor nodded4 ,i know2 but remember    
even you were not really  interested    
until you had been at an ,institute4 ,do
 you think our  ,institute just         
happened1 ,j4,w48    ,i know it didn't1 
,j4,w4 replied4 ,somebody did a lot of  
planning and  scheming4    ,yes1        
returned the pastor1 but did you notice 
that a large part of its  work touched  
subjects familiar to you1 the local     

,league activities1 for  instance--the  
devotional meeting1 and ,mission ,study1
 and stewardship1  and the scope of the 
business meeting which not so long ago  
elected you  to membership8    ,yes1    
you're right1 though ,i don't see       
anything remarkable in that4 ,it  was a 
,league ,institute1 wasn't it8          
,certainly4 ,but still1 if there had not
 been any local ,chapter1 there  could  
have been no ,institute1 don't you see8 
,what ,i mean is that the  ,institute   
came because your ,chapter needed it1   
and you needed it2 not  because the     
,institute needed you4 ,it's merely a   
matter of tracing  things back4         
,j4,w41 ,jr41 thought of ,phil's words4 
,sure enough1 he responded1  tracing    
things back makes a lot of difference4  
,i've been going over  what ,phil       
,khamis said at the ,morning ,watch--you
 remember8 ,how everything  he has      
to-day has come to him by the goodness  
of ,christian people4 ,at  first ,i     
thought that was no more than a         

description of his particular  case1    
because ,i knew how true it was4 ,but   
when you begin to trace things  back1 as
 you say1 what's true about ,phil is    
true about all of  us--anyway1 about me4
    ,how is that1 son8 ,mrs4 ,farwell   
asked gently4    ,well1 ,i mean1 ,j4,w4 
smilingly answered her1 though flushing 
a little  too1 the ,institute1 that     
seemed to me something new and          
different1 is  really tied up to what   
you folks and the whole church have been
 doing  for me as far back as ,i can    
remember4    ,and so they talked1       
parents and pastor and ,j4,w41 quite    
naturally and  freely1 of the long chain
 of interest which had linked his life  
to the  church's life1 back through all 
the years to his babyhood4    ,j4,w4 had
 been in the ,league only a year or two1
 but it seemed to him  that he had been 
in the church always4 ,and the memories 
of his boyhood  which had the church for
 center1 were intimately interwoven with
 all his  other experiences4    ,as his 

father said1 ,i guess1 pastor1 if you   
tried to take out of ,j4,w4's  young    
life all that the church has meant to   
him1 it would puzzle a  professor to    
explain whatever might be left4         
,j4,w4 had been born in the country1 on 
a farm whose every tree and fence       
corner he still loved4 ,his first       
recollections of the church as part of  
his life had to do with the ,sunday     
morning drive to the little             
meetinghouse1 which stood where the road
 to town skirted a low hill4 ,it  had   
horse-sheds on one side1 stretching back
 to the rear of the church  lot1 and    
some sizeable elms and maples were      
grouped about its front and  sides4 ,it 
was a one-room structure1 unless you    
counted the space  curtained off for the
 primary class1 as ,j4,w4 always did4   
,for back of  this curtain's protecting 
folds he had begun his career as a      
,sunday  school pupil and had made his  
first friends4 ,at that time even       
district  school was yet a year ahead of

 him1 with its wider democratic joys and
  griefs1 and its larger freedom from   
parental oversight4    ,when ,j4,w4 was 
six1 going on seven1 the family moved to
 ,delafield1  though retaining ownership
 of the farm1 and for years ,j4,w4 spent
 nearly  every ,saturday on the old     
place1 in free and blissful association 
with  the ,shenk children1 whose father 
was the tenant4 ,it was here that he and
  ,martin ,luther ,shenk1 already       
introduced as ,marty1 being of the same 
age1 had sworn eternal friendship1 a vow
 which as yet showed no sign  whatever  
of the ravages of time4 ,there were     
three other children1 ,ben  and ,alice  
and ,jeannette4 ,now1 ,jeannette was    
only two years younger than  ,j4,w4 and 
,marty1 but through most of the years   
when ,j4,w4 was going every  week to the
 farm1 she was only a girl1 and far     
behind the two chums by  all the        
exacting standards which to boys are    
more than law4 ,but there  came a       
time----    ,j4,w41 ,sr41 reveling in   

reminiscences before so patient a       
listener as the  preacher1 though it was
 an old story1 rehearsed how he had     
served for  years as superintendent of  
the country ,sunday school1 and how     
,mrs4  ,farwell was teacher of the      
,girls' ,bible ,class4 ,their home had  
always  been ,methodist headquarters1 he
 said1 as old-time ,methodists usually  
say1 and with truth4    ,when they moved
 to town the change brought no loss of  
church interest2  the ,farwells merely  
transferred it entire to ,delafield     
,first ,church  7,first being more a    
title than a numeral1 since there was no
 second74    ,but ,first ,church had not
 a few progressive saints4 ,they wanted 
the best  that could be had1 so ,j4,w41 
,sr41 ,sunday school enthusiast that he 
was1  found himself in a new place of   
opportunity4 ,the ,board of ,sunday     
,schools  at ,chicago had been asked to 
help ,delafield get itself in line with 
the  best ideas and methods1 and ,j4,w41
 ,sr41 found the beginnings1 at least1  

of ,sunday school science in active     
operation4 ,at first1 like a true       
country man1 he was a little inclined to
 counsels of caution1 but in  his       
country ,sunday school work he had      
acquired such strong opinions  about old
 fogies that he dreaded being thought   
one himself4    ,and that's how it      
happened1 he said with a laugh1 that ,i 
was soon  reckoned among the            
progressives4 ,in that first year ,i    
helped 'em win  their fight for separate
 departments1 and before long we had the
 makings  of a real graded ,sunday      
school4 ,don't you remember1 mother1 how
 proud  you were when young ,j4,w4 there
 was graduated from the ,primary into   
the  ,junior ,department8    ,all this  
was before ,pastor ,drury's time1 of    
course1 but he had gone  through the    
same experiences in other pastorates1   
and needed not to have  anything        
explained4    ,how long have we had a   
teacher-training class in our ,sunday   
school8 he  asked4    ,that called out  

the story of the struggles to set up    
what many openly  called a useless and  
foolish enterprise4 ,the ,sunday school 
was  chronically short of teachers1 and 
yet ,j4,w41 ,sr41 and the other         
reformers insisted on taking out of the 
regular classes the best  teachers in   
the school1 and a score of the most     
promising young people4  ,this group    
went off by itself into a remote part of
 the church4 ,it  furnished no          
substitute teachers4 ,it wasn't heard of
 at all4 ,and loud  were the complaints 
about its crippling the school4    ,but1
 pastor1 you should have seen the       
difference when the first dozen  real   
teachers came out of that class2 we were
 able to reorganize the  whole school4  
,our ,john ,wesley got a teacher he'll  
never forget4 ,and1 of  course1 we kept 
the training class going2 it's never    
stopped since4 ,the  ,board of ,sunday  
,schools has given us the courses and   
helped us keep the  class up to grade in
 its work1 and you know what sort of    

teachers we  have now4    ,the pastor   
did1 and was properly thankful4 ,in some
 of his other  pastorates it had been   
otherwise1 to his sorrow4    ,speaking  
of the ,board of ,sunday ,schools1 the  
elder ,farwell resumed1  for this was a 
hobby he missed no chance to ride1 it   
made all the  difference with us in our 
work for a better ,sunday school--gave  
us  expert backing1 you know4 ,and ,i   
notice by its latest annual report--yes1
  ,i always get a copy1 though ,j4,w4   
thinks it dry reading--that it is       
helping ,sunday schools by the thousand1
 not in this country only1 but  wherever
 in the world our church is at work4 ,of
 course you know how it  starts ,sunday 
schools1 and how often they grow into   
churches4 ,well1 it  didn't quite do    
that here1 but this church is a sight   
better and bigger  because we began to  
take the ,board's advice when we did4   
,it was a good  thing for our boy1 and  
many another boy and girl1 that the     
,board woke us  up4    ,it hasn't all   

been easy work1 though1 the minister    
suggested4 ,i  remember that when ,i    
came ,i found there was a good deal of  
discontent  over the ,graded ,lessons4  
,sure there was1 said ,j4,w41 ,sr4 ,we  
had all been brought up on the  ,uniform
 ,lessons1 and most of us thought they  
were just right4 ,besides1  we rather   
enjoyed thinking of ourselves as keeping
 step with the whole  ,sunday school    
world--all over the wide earth everybody
 studying the same  scripture on the    
same ,sunday4 ,and that was a big idea  
to get into the  minds of ,christians of
 every name everywhere4    ,yes1 but1   
,dad1 put in ,j4,w41 what was the good  
of it if the lessons  didn't fit        
everybody8 ,did people think that the   
kids in the primary and  their mothers  
in ma's class ought to study the same   
lesson8 or did they  think they could   
fit the same lesson to everybody by the 
different notes  they put into the      
,quarterlies8    ,well1 son1 his father 
replied1 ,i reckon we thought both ways4

 ,and ,i'm  not so sure yet that it     
can't be done4 ,but if one thing more   
than  another reconciled me to the      
,graded ,lessons1 it was that they made 
being  a ,sunday school teacher a good  
deal bigger job than it had ever been4  
,it  was harder work1 because every     
lesson had to be studied by the teacher1
  and in a different way from what was  
thought good enough in the old  days4   
,and ,i'm for anything1 ,graded ,lessons
 or whatever1 that'll make  people take 
,sunday school teaching more seriously4 
,then ,mrs4 ,farwell ventured to take up
 the story4 ,it was about that time1  in
 the very beginning of the ,drury       
pastorate1 that ,j4,w4 joined the       
church on probation2 much to her        
surprise and humbling4    ,i hadn't even
 thought of it1 she said1 though ,i     
should have been the  first one4 ,he had
 been getting ready in the ,junior      
,league1 as ,i very  well knew1 but one 
day1 as you may remember--,brother      
,drury did1 for  that day was the real  

beginning of this story--you made an    
invitation  at the end of a real simple 
sermon1 and if ,j4,w41 ,jr41 didn't get 
right  up from my side and walk straight
 to the front6    ,after that there had 
been a probationers' class1 with ,j4,w4 
and perhaps  twenty others meeting the  
pastor every week for straight religious
  teaching1 so that at ,easter1 when    
they came up for membership1 what with  
their ,sunday school and ,junior ,league
 training1 and what with the  pastor's  
more personal instruction1 they were    
able to pass a pretty fair  examination 
on the great ,christian truths1 and on  
the general scheme of  the church's     
work4    ,for a time mother was a trifle
 disappointed that ,j4,w4 hadn't waited 
for  the big revival we had the next    
year1 said ,j4,w41 ,sr41 but ,i think   
she  was glad afterward4    ,yes1 ,i    
was1 the mother said4 ,you see1 ,i had  
been brought up to  believe in revivals1
 and ,i do yet1 but we had no such      
chance to get the  right ,christian     

start when we were little children1 as  
,j4,w4 has had1 if  you'll let his      
mother say so1 and that made a revival a
 good deal more  important to us when   
our church did get ready for one4 ,but  
the other way  is all right too4 ,i'm   
mother enough to be glad ,j4,w4 hasn't  
known some of  the experiences the boys 
of my time went through1 and the girls  
as well4  ,he's no worse a ,christian   
for having been right in the church ever
 since  ,i put him in short dresses1 are
 you1 son8 ,and ,i will say that his    
father  was always with me in holding to
 the promises we made when he was       
baptized4 ,we've not done what we might1
 but we've never forgotten that  those  
promises were made to be kept4    ,j4,w4
 felt none of his old shrinking from    
such talk1 especially since the         
,institute1 and yet he had the healthy  
boy's reluctance to discuss  himself in 
company4 ,but this was interesting him1 
outside himself4    ,he turned to the   
pastor4 ,that's what ,i meant when ,i   

told you what ,phil  said4 ,i'm all for 
the church1 and church people and church
 ways2 why  shouldn't ,i be8 ,i've never
 known anything else4 ,i remember well  
the one  thing ,i didn't like when it   
first came along2 and that was the new  
sort  of ,christmas celebration ,dad and
 the others planned when ,i was ten or  
eleven4 ,you know what ,christmas means 
to such kids1 and ,i guess we were  all 
selfish together1 because we didn't use 
our heads4 ,well1 the ,sunday  school   
proposed that instead of us all getting 
something we should all  give something4
 ,it looked pretty cheap to us little   
fellows at first1  and our teacher had  
all he could do to hold us in line4 ,but
 let me tell  you1 every boy was for it 
when the time came4 ,we found that we   
could  have as much fun giving things   
away as we could grabbing things1 and1  
anyway1 nobody really cared for those   
mosquito net stockings filled with  nuts
 and candy and one orange4 ,it was only 
the idea of getting something  for      

nothing4 ,that first 'giving            
,christmas1' ,i remember1 our class     
dressed up as delivery boys1 and we came
 on the platform with enough  groceries 
for a small truck load1 that we had     
bought with our own money4  ,the        
orphanage got 'em next day4 ,and one    
class was dusty millers1  carrying sacks
 of flour1 and another put on a stunt of
 searching for  ,captain ,kidd's        
treasure1 and they found a keg of       
shining coins 7new  pennies1 they       
were7--more than a thousand of 'em4     
,everything went to the  orphanage1 or  
the hospital2 and then when the ,board  
of ,sunday ,schools  began to get us    
interested in other ,sunday schools and 
in missions--,i  remember a scheme they 
call a ',partnership ,plan' that was    
great2 ,i don't  know what happened to  
it--,i got right into the game every    
time4    ,how do you happen to know so  
much about the ,board of ,sunday        
,schools1  ,j4,w48 asked ,mr4 ,drury4   
,oh1 that's easy4 ,you know how it is in

 our ,sunday school3 they don't  make   
one or two of us young fellows serve as 
librarians and secretaries  and such and
 miss all the class work3 they have more
 help1 and we all  get into class for   
the lesson4 ,well1 two years ago ,dad   
told me you had  nominated me for       
something at the annual ,sunday school  
meeting4 ,it was  only a sort of        
assistant secretary's job1 but very soon
 ,i began to catch  on1 and ,i've seen a
 lot of the letters and leaflets that   
come from the  ,board in ,chicago4      
,well1 let me tell you that ,board of   
,sunday ,schools is  a whale of a       
machine4 ,why1 it's the whole church at 
work to make better  ,sunday schools1   
and more of 'em4 ,they have ,sunday     
school workers in all  sorts of wild    
places1 and ,sunday school missionaries 
in foreign lands4  ,yes1 and last year  
,i happened to meet one of their        
secretaries1 at your  house1 you may    
remember4 ,but you'd never think he was 
just a secretary1  he was so keen and   

wide awake4 ,he knew the ,boy ,scouts   
from ,a to ,z1 and  that got me1 'cause 
,i'm not so old that ,i've forgotten my 
scouting4 ,and  he knew baseball1 and   
boys' books1 and all that4 ,don't you   
think1  ,brother ,drury1 if more of the 
fellows knew what the real ,sunday      
school  work is they would take to it   
like colts to a bran mash8    ,they     
couldn't help it1 said the pastor4 ,and 
you may have noticed that  your father  
and the other people of our ,sunday     
,school ,board are trying  to get them  
to find out some of the things you have 
found out4 ,for  instance1 you know what
 the two organized classes of           
high-school  freshmen are doing1 and the
 other organized classes4 ,seems to me  
their  members are finding out that     
,sunday school is something big and     
fine4    ,that they are1 ,mrs4 ,farwell 
agreed1 and you mustn't forget my       
wonderful class of young married women1 
and the men's class of nearly a         
hundred4 ,i think our ,sunday school has

 really begun to change the ideas  of a 
lot of people4 ,just think how little   
trouble we have now with what  ,graded  
,lessons we have1 and how happy all our 
teachers are because they  have the     
helps they need for just the sort of    
pupils that are in their  classes4      
,that's so1 said ,j4,w41 ,sr4 ,i don't  
suppose even old ,brother ,barnacle1    
'sot' as he is1 would vote to go back to
 the times when the  superintendent     
reviewed the lesson the same way the    
teachers taught it1  from a printed list
 of questions4 ,seems as if ,i can hear 
,henry ,j4 ,locke  yet--his farm joins  
ours down by the creek--when he         
conducted the  reviewing at ,deep       
,creek4 ,he would hold his quarterly at 
arm's length to  favor his eyes1 and    
then look up from it to the school and  
shoot the  question at everybody1 ',and 
what did ,peter do then1 ,,hey8' ,he    
sure did  come out strong on ,peter2 but
 ,i'll say this for him1 that he never  
skipped a question from start to finish4

    ,all three laughed a little over    
,henry ,j4 ,locke1 and then the pastor  
said  he mustn't stay much longer4 ,but 
he did want to back up ,j4,w4's belief  
that what ,phil ,khamis had said was    
true of everybody--we are all  debtors4 
,look at this young ,j4,w4 here1 will   
you1 he said to the father and  mother1 
for once letting himself go1 with a name
 he's proud of1 and a  home life that   
many a ,fifth ,avenue and ,lake ,shore  
,drive family would be  glad to pay a   
million for1 if such goods were on sale 
in the stores4 ,i'm  going to tell him  
something he already knows4 ,young man1 
and there was  a gleam in the pastor's  
eye that was not all to the credit of   
the work  he was praising1 you owe a big
 debt to the ,sunday school4 ,i'm not   
jealous for the church1 or for any other
 part of it1 but by your own  admission 
the ,sunday school has had a lot to do  
with your education4  ,very well2       
remember it is a part of what ,phil     
said1 and what you are  because of the  

,sunday school you have become by the   
goodness of  ,christian people4 ,i don't
 think you'll forget it1 seeing that you
 have  two of that sort of people in    
your own home all the time4    ,and     
then1 with a fine naturalness the little
 group knelt by the chairs1  and two of 
the four1 he who was pastor of the whole
 flock and he who  with simple dignity  
was priest in his own household1 gave   
thanks to ,god  for the manifold        
goodness of ,christian people1 of which 
they were all  partakers every day4     
,as he went home1 ,walter ,drury thought
 of the long days that stretched  out   
ahead before he could see the outcomes  
of the great ,experiment1 but  this     
night had seen a good night's work done 
in the laboratory1 and he  was content4 
,one tale of the past had been much in  
,j4,w4's thought that night1 but        
nothing on earth could have induced him 
to talk about it1 especially  since the 
happenings at the ,institute4 ,only one 
other person knew all of  its           

inwardness1 though the preacher guessed 
most of the secret pretty  shrewdly1 and
 everybody was familiar with its        
outcome4    ,it was the story of ,marty 
,shenk's conversion4    ,these two had  
been ,david and ,jonathan from their    
little boy days1 no  less friends       
because they were so unlike2 ,marty1 a  
quiet1 brooding1  knowledge-hungry      
youngster1 and ,j4,w4 matter-of-fact1   
taking things as  they came and asking  
few questions1 but always the leader in 
games and  mischief2 each the other's   
champion against all comers4    ,marty's
 father1 tenant-farmer on the ,farwell  
farm1 was steady enough and  dependable1
 but never one to get ahead much4       
,before the ,farwells moved  to town he 
had rarely stayed on the same farm more 
than a year or two1  but1 as he said1   
,j4,w4 ,farwell was different1 and      
anybody who wanted to  be decent could  
get along with him4 ,so1 for many       
,saturdays and  vacations of boyhood    
years ,j4,w4 and ,marty had roamed the  

countryside1  and were letter-perfect in
 their boy-knowledge of the old farm4   
,marty came in to high school from the  
farm1 and often he stayed with  ,j4,w4  
over the weekend4 ,his school work was  
uneven--ahead in mathematics1  and the  
sciences1 and something below the       
average in other studies4  ,that1       
however1 has no place in this story4    
,of course he and ,j4,w4 were thick as  
thieves4 ,except when class work made   
temporary separations necessary1 they   
lived the high-school life  together4   
,that meant also1 for these two1 the    
social life of the church1  which       
occasionally paid special attention to  
the students4    ,so you might find them
 at ,epworth ,league socials1 ,sunday   
school class  doings1 in the ,sunday    
school orchestra--violin and b-flat     
cornet  respectively--and1 most         
significant of all in its effect on all 
the  later years1 they went through     
,win-,my-,chum week together4 ,the hand 
of  the pastor was in that1 too4        

,marty was not a ,christian4 ,j4,w4 had 
been a church member for years1 and     
early in his course he had faced and    
accepted all that being a ,christian    
seemed to mean to a high-school boy4    
,there had been hard places to get over2
 some of the boys and girls were        
merciless in their unconscious tests of 
his religion4 ,some were openly         
scornful1 and others sought by indirect 
and furtive means to break his          
influence in the school4 ,for he had no 
small gift of leadership1 and he  cared 
a good deal that it should count for the
 decencies of high-school  life4 ,by    
senior year the sort of trouble that a  
,christian boy encounters  in school was
 almost all ended1 but it had been more 
through his dogged  resistance to       
opposition than because of any special  
zest in ,christian  service4    ,and    
then came the announcement of           
,win-,my-,chum week1 with ,j4,w4        
confronted by two stubborn facts4 ,he   
had only one real chum1 and that  chum  

was not a ,christian4 ,pastor ,drury had
 let fall a remark1 a month  before the 
,week1 to the effect that any ,christian
 who had a chum could  dodge            
,win-,my-,chum week1 but he couldn't    
dodge his chum4 ,when the week  was     
past1 the chum would still be on hand4  
,think as he would1 there was no honest 
way of escape from whatever those  facts
 might require of him1 so ,j4,w41 long  
accustomed to go ahead and  take what   
came1 had known himself bound by the    
obligations of this  matter also1 days  
and days before the activities of       
,win-,my-,chum week  began4    ,the two 
were out one ,saturday on the north     
road4 ,they had been up to the  woods on
 ,barker's ,hill for nuts1 and with good
 success4 ,the day was  warm1 the way   
was long1 and there was no hurry4 ,when 
they came to the  roadside at the wood's
 edge they sat on a fallen tree and     
talked4 ,at  least ,marty did4 ,for     
,j4,w4 was not himself4    ,it was his  
chance1 and he knew it4 ,but a thousand 

impulses leaped to  life within him to  
make him put off what he knew he ought  
to say4 ,the  fear of being             
misunderstood--even by ,marty--the      
knowledge that ,marty1 in  the qualities
 by which boys judge and are judged1 was
 quite as good as  himself2 and1 above  
all1 his sense of total unfitness to be 
a pattern of  the ,christian life to    
anybody1 filled him with an uneasiness  
that  actually hurt4    ,and ,marty soon
 discovered that something was amiss4   
,willing as he was to  do his full share
 of the talking1 he became aware that   
except for  inarticulate commonplaces he
 was having to do it all4    ,what's the
 matter with you all at once1 ,j4,w48 he
 asked4 ,you're not  taken suddenly     
sick1 are you8 ,you were all right when 
we were among the  trees4 ,are you sick8
    ,j4,w4 laughed shortly4 ,no1 old    
man1 ,i'm not sick4 ,but ,i'm up against
 a  new game1 for me1 and ,i'm not in   
training4    ,sounds interesting1 said  
,marty1 but sort of mysterious4 ,is it  

anything ,i can do team-work on8    ,it 
surely is1 but first ,i've got to say   
something1 and ,i want you to  promise  
that you won't think ,i'm putting on1 or
 butting in1 because ,i'm  not2 nothing 
like it4 ,will you8    ,will ,i promise8
 said ,marty1 much bewildered4 ,course  
,i'll promise not  to think anything    
about you that you don't want me to     
think1 but ,i must  say ,i don't know   
within a thousand miles what you're     
driving at4 ,out  with it1 and even if  
you're the train bandit who held up the 
,cannonball  or if you've plotted to    
kidnap the ,board of ,education1 ,i'll  
never tell4    ,marty's quizzical humor 
was not making ,j4,w4's enterprise any  
easier4 ,he  had always supposed that   
what the leaflets called personal       
evangelism  had to be done in a spirit  
of solemnity4 ,but how was he to acquire
 the  proper frame of mind8 ,and        
certainly there was nothing solemn about
 ,marty  just now4 ,yet the thing had   
gone too far2 it was too late to        

retreat4 ,he  tried to think how ,mr4   
,drury would do it1 but saw only that if
 it was  ,mr4 ,dairy's business he would
 go straight to the center of it4       
,desperately1 therefore1 he plunged in4 
,well1 ,marty1 he said1 speaking now    
with nervous haste1 what ,i'm up        
against is this4 ,what's the matter with
 your being a ,christian8    ,he will   
never forget the swift look of blank    
amazement that ,marty turned  on him1   
nor the slow-mounting flush that        
followed the first astonished  start4   
,for ,marty did not answer1 and turned  
his face away4 ,j4,w4 was sure  that in 
his blundering bluntness he had offended
 and probably angered  his closest      
friend4 ,the distress of that thought   
served at least to  drive away all the  
self-consciousness which thus far had   
plagued him4    ,say1 ,marty1 he        
pleaded1 putting his hand on the other's
 arm1 forget  it1 if ,i've hurt your    
feelings4 ,i know as well as you do that
 ,i'm not  fit to talk about such things

 to anybody1 and1 honest1 ,i meant      
nothing  but to say what ,i knew ,i'd   
got to say4    ,then ,marty turned      
himself back slowly1 and ,j4,w4 saw the 
troubled look  in his eyes4 ,in a voice 
that trembled despite his proud effort  
at  control1 he said1 ,old man1 you     
needn't apologize4 ,you did surprise me1
  ,i'll admit2 ,i wasn't looking for    
anything like this4 ,it's all right1    
though1 and ,i'm certainly not mad about
 it4 ,but1 say1 ,j4,w41 let me put      
something up to you4 ,why did you never 
think to ask me that question  before8  
,why1 it was this way1 ,j4,w4 began1    
somewhat puzzled at the form of the     
question1 and still thinking he must set
 himself right with ,marty4 ,you  know  
the ,epworth ,league is planning for    
those special meetings                  
soon--',win-,my-,chum ,week'--and ,i've 
been asked to lead one of the  meetings4
 ,but you can see that ,i wouldn't be   
ready to lead a meeting  like that      
unless ,i had put this thing of being a 

,christian up to you1  anyway4 ,you're  
the only real chum ,i've got4 ,mr4      
,drury said something a  little while   
ago that made it mighty plain4    ,yes1 
said ,marty1 ,i can see that4 ,but why  
did you never say anything  to me about 
it when there wasn't any meeting coming8
 ,haven't we always  shared everything  
else1 since away back8 ,this is the one 
subject that  you and ,i have kept away 
from in our talk of all we've ever      
thought  about1 and ,i was wondering    
why4    ,well1 ,i don't exactly know1   
,j4,w4 replied4 ,it may have been that  
it  never seemed to be any of my        
business2 that it was the preacher's    
business1 or the ,sunday school         
teacher's1 or somebody's4 ,and you know 
,i've always been surer of what you     
really are than ,i have of myself4 ,i   
think ,i was always afraid you would    
either make fun of me or believe ,i  was
 letting on to be better than you were4 
,but when the ,league got into  this    
,win-,my-,chum plan1 why1 the name      

itself was an eye-opener4 ,and ,i've    
seen lately that a fellow's got to be a 
,christian1 out and out1 or his         
religion is no good4 ,and when ,i heard 
the preacher say1 not long ago1  that a 
fellow might dodge ,win-,my-,chum week1 
but he couldn't forever  dodge his chum1
 ,i knew ,i had to speak to you4 ,but   
you're sure you're not  offended8       
,let me admit a thing to you1 ,j4,w4    
,i've never said so before1 but ,i've   
been wanting somebody to ask me to be a 
,christian for a long time4 ,i was  a   
coward about it1 and wouldn't let on4   
,i've been wanting to find out  what    
,i've got to do1 but ,i wouldn't ask4   
,do you think ,i could be a  ,christian8
    ,i know you could be a long way     
better ,christian than ,i am1 ,j4,w4    
answered with unwonted feeling4 ,and if 
you did take ,jesus ,christ to be  your 
,master1 it would be more than just your
 getting religion4 ,you would  be the   
biggest kind of stand-by for me and for 
other people ,i know of4  ,it's the one 

thing you need to be a hundred per cent 
right4 ,i'm a pretty  poor ,christian1  
myself1 ,marty1 partly because ,i don't 
know how to think  much about it1 but   
you'd be dead in earnest to get all that
 there is in  the ,christian life1 and  
maybe ,i could follow along behind4     
,you've always  helped every other way1 
and ,i've always wanted you to help me  
be a  genuine ,christian4    ,marty put 
his hand on ,j4,w4's shoulder and looked
 him straight in the  eye3 ,you've got  
me rated a lot too high1 he said4 ,how  
can ,i help you8  ,but we two have been 
pretty good chums so far1 haven't we8   
,well1 there's  a lot to settle before  
,i can be sure ,i'm a ,christian1 but it
 means  everything for you to think ,i  
can be of some use4 ,and ,i promise you 
this1 ,j4,w41 ,i'll not let up until ,i 
am a ,christian1 and we'll stick        
together all the more1 when ,i am1 us   
two4 ,is that ago8    ,it was a go4     
,j4,w4 was ready and far more than ready
 to call it a go4 ,it  had been easier  

than he had expected1 but then it had   
all been so  different from the vague   
and formal thing he had been afraid of4 
,he  could hardly believe1 but he had   
one request to make4 ,i know you'll     
settle whatever has to be settled1 he   
said1 a bit unsteadily1 but when  it's  
all done1 and you tell people about it1 
as ,i know you will1 please1  ,marty1   
don't bring me into it4 ,publicly1 ,i   
mean4 ,let's just have this             
understanding between ourselves4 ,i can 
lead my meeting now1 but there's  no    
need to say anything about me4 ,besides1
 ,i made a mess of it4    ,it may be the
 best mess anybody ever stirred up for  
me1 ,j4,w41 but ,i  won't say anything  
to worry you1 if the time comes for me  
to say  anything at all4 ,and ,i believe
 it will4    ,it did4 ,marty and the    
pastor had two or three long interviews4
 ,from the  last of them the boy came   
away with a new light on his face and a 
new  spring in his step4 ,evidently     
whatever needed to be settled1 had been 

settled4    ,he kept his promise to his 
chum1 but that did not prevent him from 
choosing the night when ,j4,w4 led the  
meeting to stand up at the first        
opportunity and make his straightforward
 confession of love and loyalty1  since 
,god had made him a sharer in the life  
that is in ,christ4 ,then for  a moment 
,j4,w4 feared ,marty might forget their 
agreement1 but ,marty said  simply1 ,and
 part of the joy that is in my heart    
to-night is because  there is a new tie1
 the only other one we needed1 between  
myself and my  old-time chum1 the leader
 of this meeting4    ,in the back of the
 room ,walter ,drury1 quietly looking   
on1 sent up a  silent thanksgiving4 ,the
 great ,experiment was going well4      
,,chapter ,,iii      ,,campus ,,days    
,so it was that ,j4,w4 and ,marty had   
come into the inner places of each      
other's lives4 ,of all the developments 
of ,institute week1 naturally the  one  
which filled ,j4,w4's thoughts with a   
sort of awed gladness was  ,marty's     

decision to offer himself for the       
ministry4 ,joe ,carbrook's              
right-about-face was much more dramatic1
 for ,j4,w4 saw1 when the decision  was 
made1 that ,marty could not have been   
meant for anything but a  preacher4 ,it 
was as fit as you please4 ,as to ,joe1  
previous opinion had  been pretty       
equally divided2 one side leaning to the
 idea that he might  make a lawyer1 and 
the other predicting that he was more   
likely to be a  perpetual and profitable
 client for some other lawyer4    ,in   
the light of the ,institute happenings1 
it was to be expected that the  question
 of college would promptly become a     
practical matter to four  ,delafield    
people4 ,marty was greatly troubled1 for
 he knew if he was to  be a preacher1 he
 must go to college1 and he couldn't see
 how4 ,j4,w4 felt  no great urge1 though
 it had always been understood that he  
would go4  ,marcia ,dayne had one year  
of normal school to her credit1 and     
would take  another next year1 perhaps2 

but this year she must teach4    ,joe   
,carbrook spent little time in debate   
with himself2 he let everybody  know    
that he was going to be a missionary    
doctor1 and that he would go  to the    
,state ,university for the rest of his  
college course4    ,but what about the  
religious influence of the ,university8 
,marcia ,dayne  had ventured to ask him 
one evening as they walked slowly under 
the elms  of ,monroe ,avenue4    ,i     
don't know about that1 ,joe answered1   
and maybe ,i'm making a  mistake4 ,but  
,i don't think so4 ,to begin with1 there
 isn't any question  about equipment at 
the ,state ,university4 ,they have      
everything any church  school has1 and  
probably more than most church schools1 
for what ,i want4  ,and they work in    
close relationship to the medical       
school4 ,that's one  thing4 ,the big    
reason1 though--,i wonder if you'll     
understand it8    ,i believe ,i could   
understand anything you might be        
thinking about--now1  ,joe4 ,and        

,marcia's voice had in it a note which  
stirred that usually  self-possessed    
young man out of all his easy composure4
    ,i'll remember that1 ,marcia1 he    
said in the thrill of a swift elation4  
,i'll remember that1 because ,i think   
you do--understand1 and some day        
,i--but ,i've got at least five years of
 plugging ahead of me1 and----    ,you  
were going to tell me about your big    
reason for going to the ,state          
,university1 ,marcia broke in1 though   
she wondered afterward if her  instinct 
had not played her false4    ,yes1 ,joe 
said1 with a little effort4 ,well1 this 
is it4 ,you know ,i  didn't make much of
 a hit at college2 ,i pulled through    
sophomore year1  but that's about all1  
and ,i doubt if the faculty will pass   
resolutions  of regret when ,i don't    
show up there in the fall4 ,the         
religious  influences of a church school
 didn't prevent me from being a good    
deal  of a heathen1 though ,i will say  
that was no fault of the school4 ,maybe 

,i  ought to go back and face the music4
 ,it wouldn't be so bad1 ,i guess4 ,but 
,i feel more like making a clean1 new   
start1 in a new place4 ,the ,state      
,university wouldn't be any worse for me
 than ,i should be for it1 if  nothing  
had happened to change my point of view4
 ,so1 that isn't the  issue4 ,but if the
 ,state ,university life is able to beat
 me before ,i get  to sawing bones at   
all1 ,i'd make a pretty missionary      
doctor if ,i ever  landed in foreign    
parts1 wouldn't ,i8    ,marcia could    
find nothing to say2 perhaps because her
 thoughts were busy  with other and more
 personal aspects of ,joe's plans for   
the future4    ,and as ,joe's people    
were completely oblivious to everything 
except the  startling change that had   
come over him1 and were abundantly able 
to  send him to three universities at   
once if necessary1 ,joe ,carbrook was as
  good as enrolled4    ,marty and ,j4,w4
 did not find the future opening up     
before them so easily4  ,marty1 for all 

he could not imagine the way opening    
before such as  himself1 was all        
eagerness about the nearest ,methodist  
school1 which  happened to be the one   
where the ,institute had been held1     
,cartwright  ,college4 ,it was named1 as
 may be supposed1 in honor of ,peter    
,cartwright1  that pioneer ,methodist   
preacher who became famous on the same  
sort of  schooling which sufficed for   
,abraham ,lincoln1 and once ran against 
,lincoln himself for ,congress4 ,j4,w4  
was not specially eager to look for a   
college education anywhere4 ,why should 
he be1 since he was expecting to  go    
into business8    ,the two had many a   
discussion1 ,marty arguing in favor of  
college for  everybody1 and ,j4,w4      
admitting that for preachers and        
teachers and  lawyers and doctors it was
 necessary1 but what use could it be in 
business8    ,but say1 ,j4,w41 you're   
not going to be one of these 'born a    
man1 died a  grocer' sort of business   
men1 urged ,marty4 ,broad-minded--that's

 your  future1 with a knowledge of more 
than markets4 ,and look at the personal 
side of college life4 ,haven't you heard
 ,mr4 ,drury say that if he hadn't      
anything else to show for his four years
 at college than the lifelong           
friendships he made there it would have 
been worth all it cost8 ,and you  have  
reason to know he doesn't forget the    
studies4    ,that's all right1 ,marty1  
,j4,w4 rejoined4 ,i don't need much     
convincing  on that score4 ,i can see   
the good times too2 you know ,i'd try   
for all  the athletics ,i could get     
into1 and ,i guess ,i could keep my end 
up  socially4 ,but is all that worth my 
time for the next four years1  studying 
subjects that would be no earthly good  
to me in business1 in  making a living1 
,i mean8 ,the other boys in hardware    
stores would have  four years the start 
of me4    ,but don't you remember1      
,j4,w41 what our commencement speaker   
said on  that very point8 ,he told us we
 had to be men and women first1 no      

matter  what occupations we got into4   
,and he bore down hard on how it was a  
good  deal bigger business to make a    
life than to make a living4 ,in these   
days  the most dangerous people1 to     
themselves and to all of us1 are the    
uneducated people4    ,yes1 ,i remember1
 ,j4,w4 admitted4 ',cultural and social 
values of  education1' he called that1  
didn't he8 ,and that's what ,i'm not    
sure of4  ,it seems pretty foggy to me4 
,but1 old man1 you're going1 that's     
settled1  and maybe ,i'll just let dad  
send me to keep you company1 if ,i can't
 find  any better reason4    ,that's all
 very well for you to say1 ,j4,w41      
,marty retorted1 with the  least little 
touch of resentment in his tone4 ,you'll
 let your dad  send you4 ,my dad can't  
send me1 though he'll do all he's able  
to do1 and  how ,i can earn enough1 to  
get through is more than ,i can see from
 here4    ,but ,j4,w4 asserted1         
confidently3 ,there's a way1 just the   
same1 and ,i  think ,i know how to find 

out about it4 ,i haven't been a second  
assistant  deputy secretary in the      
,sunday school for nothing4 ,you        
reminded me of  the commencement        
address2 ,i'll ask you if you remember  
,children's ,day8  ,it came the very    
next ,sunday4    ,yes1 ,i remember it2  
but what of it8    ,well1 my boy1 we    
took up a collection for you6    ,we    
did8 ,not much we did1 and anyway1 do   
you think ,i'd accept that sort  of     
help8 ,i'm not looking for charity1 yet1
 and ,marty showed the hurt he  felt4   
,steady1 ,martin ,luther6 ,i wouldn't   
want you to get that collection  anyway2
 it wasn't near big enough4 ,but don't  
you know that every  ,children's ,day   
collection in the whole church goes to  
the ,board of  ,education1 and that it  
has become a big fund1 never to be given
 away but  always to be loaned to       
students getting ready to be preachers  
and such8  ,it's no charity2 it's the   
same broad-minded business you want me  
to go  to college for4 ,i can see that  

much without getting any nearer to      
college than the ,delafield ,first      
,church ,sunday ,school4 ,you borrow the
  money1 just as if you stepped up to a 
bank window1 and you agree to pay  it   
back as soon as you can after you       
graduate4 ,then it goes into the  ,fund 
again1 and some other boy or girl       
borrows it1 and so on4 ,more than       
twenty-five thousand students have      
borrowed from this fund4 ,about  fifteen
 hundred of 'em got loans last year4    
,ask the preacher if ,i'm not  giving   
you this straight4    ,marty had no     
immediate way of testing this unusual   
wealth of  information1 so he said1     
,well1 maybe there's something in it4   
,i'll talk  to ,brother ,drury about it1
 anyway4    ,that observing man was     
quite willing to be talked to4 ,when    
,marty  presented himself at the study a
 few days later he found the pastor as  
well prepared as if he had been         
expecting some such interview1 as1      
indeed1 he had4    ,he told ,marty the  

story of the ,student ,loan ,fund--how  
it originated in  the celebration of the
 ,centenary of ,american ,methodism1 in 
#ahff1 and how  it had been growing all 
through the years1 both by the annual   
,children's  ,day offering and by the   
increasing return of loans from former  
students4    ,then he explained that    
this ,fund1 and many other educational  
affairs1  were in the hands of the      
,church's ,board of ,education4 ,this   
,board1 ,marty  heard1 is a sort of     
educational clearing house for the whole
 church1 and  especially for ,methodist 
schools of higher learning4 ,it helps   
young  people to go to college1 and it  
helps the colleges to take care of the  
young people when they go1 of course    
always using money which has come  from 
the churches4 ,it has charge of a group 
of special schools in the  ,south1 and  
it sets the scholastic standards to     
which all the church's  schools and     
colleges must conform4 ,besides looking 
out for these  interests it helps the   

school to provide courses in the ,bible 
and  ,christian principles1 and it      
furnishes workers to serve the colleges 
in  caring for the religious life of the
 students4    ,marty listened carefully1
 and with no lack of interest1 but when 
the  minister paused the boy's mind     
sprang back to his own particular       
concern4    ,but1 ,mr4 ,drury1 can any  
student borrow money from that fund8    
,well1 no1 said the preacher1 not every 
student4 ,only those who are  preparing 
for the ministry or for other careers of
 special service4 ,they  have to show   
that the loan will help them in         
preparing to be of some  definite       
,christian value when they graduate4    
,that won't affect you2 you  can borrow1
 not all you could use1 perhaps1 but    
enough to be a big help4  ,how much do  
you expect to need8    ,why1 answered   
,marty1 ,i hardly know4 ,i hadn't really
 thought it  possible ,i could go4 ,but 
dad says he'll let me have all he can1  
and they  tell me a fellow can get work 

to do if he's not particular about easy 
jobs4 ,i'm pretty sure ,i could manage1 
except for tuition and books1  but----  
,then you may as well consider it       
settled1 said the pastor1 ,cartwright   
,college will welcome you on those      
terms1 or ,i'll know the reason why4    
,and ,i think you can count on ,j4,w4   
going with you4    ,j4,w4 was not hard  
to convince4 ,his parents were all for  
it4 ,the pastor  had no intention of    
overdoing his own part in the affair1   
and contented  himself with a suggestion
 that disposed of ,j4,w4's main         
objection4    ,j4,w4 had been saying to 
him one day1 ,i know ,i should have a   
good time  at college1 but ,i should be 
four years later getting into business  
than  the other boys4    ,that depends  
on what 'later' means1 replied ,mr4     
,drury4 ,you would not  need four years 
to catch up1 if college does for you    
what ,i think it  will4 ,besides1 you're
 intending to be a ,christian citizen1  
,i take it1  and that will be even more 

of a job than to be a successful        
hardware  man4 ,colleges have been      
operating these many years1 to give     
young people  the best possible         
preparations for a whole life4 ,remember
 what ,john  ,milton said3 ,i care not  
how late ,i come1 so ,i come fit4' ,you 
want to  come to your work as fit as    
they make 'em1 don't you8    ,and ,j4,w4
 owned up that he did4 ,i don't mean to 
be a dub in business1  and ,i've no     
right to be a dub anywhere4 ,me for     
,cartwright1 ,brother  ,drury6          
,another day's work in the laboratory4  
,walter ,drury knew how to be  patient1 
yet every experience like this was a    
tonic to his soul4 ,and now  he must be 
content for a time to let others carry  
the work through its  next stages1      
though he would hold himself ready for  
any unexpected  development that might  
arise4    ,so it befell that ,j4,w4 and 
,marty started to ,cartwright1 and a    
week later  ,joe ,carbrook went off to  
the ,state ,university4    ,the day     

after they had matriculated1 ,j4,w4 and 
,marty were putting their  room to      
rights--oh1 yes1 they thought it would  
be well to share the same  room--and as 
they puttered about they reviewed the   
happenings of the  first day4 ,they had 
made a preliminary exploration of the   
grounds and  buildings1 revisiting the  
places which had become familiar during 
,institute week1 and living over that   
crowded and epochal time4    ,marty1    
scouting around for something to do1 had
 discovered that he could  get work1    
such as it was1 for ten hours a week1   
anyway1 and maybe more1  at thirty to   
fifty cents an hour4 ,he had a little   
money left after  paying his tuition1   
and the college registrar assured him   
that the loan  from the ,board of       
,education would be forthcoming4        
,therefore the talk  turned on money4   
,that tuition bill sure reduced the     
swelling in my pocketbook1 ,marty1      
remarked ,j4,w41 as he examined his     
visible resources4    ,what do you think

 it did to mine8 ,marty observed        
quietly4 ,i'm still  giddy from being   
relieved of so much money in one        
operation4 ,and yet ,i  can't see how   
they get along4 ,look at the big faculty
 they have1 and all  these buildings to 
keep up and keep going4 ,when ,i think  
of how big a  dollar seems to me1 the   
tuition looks like the national debt of 
,mexico2  but when ,i try to figure out 
how much it costs the college per       
student1  ,i feel as though ,i were     
paying lunch-counter prices for a       
dining-car  dinner4 ,how do they do it1 
,j4,w48    ,who told you ,i was to be   
looked on in the light of a ,world      
,almanac1 my  son8 ,i could give you the
 answer to that question without getting
 out of  my chair1 but for one small    
difficulty--,i just don't know4 ,tell   
you  what--it's a good question--let's  
look in the catalogue4 ,i'd like to     
find information in that volume about   
something besides the four  centuries of
 study that loom before my freshman     

eyes4    ,so they looked in the         
catalogue and discovered that           
,cartwright ,college  had an endowment  
of #a1gej1jjj1 producing an income of   
about #hj1jjj a  year1 and that the     
churches of its territory gave about    
#be1jjj more4  ,they learned also that  
most of the buildings had been provided 
by  friends of the college1 with the    
,carnegie ,library mainly the gift of   
the  millionaire ironmaster4 ,they      
learned also that about #ejj1jjj of the 
endowment had been raised in the last   
two years1 under the promise of  the    
,general ,education ,board1 which is a  
,rockefeller creation1 to provide  the  
last #abe1jjj4 ,the college property was
 valued at about half a  million        
dollars4    ,and there you are1 ,martin 
,luther1 my bold reformer1 said ,j4,w41 
cheerfully4 ,the people who put up the  
money have invested about two and  a    
half millions on you and me1 and the    
other five hundred students1 say  about 
#bej a year per student4 ,and we pay the

 rest of what it costs to  give us a    
college career1 #abe to #age a year1    
depending on our taste in  courses4 ,i  
remember ,i felt as if the ,john ,wesley
 ,farwell family had  almost gone broke 
when dad signed up for #a1jjj on that   
last endowment  campaign4 ,i thought the
 money gone forever1 but ,i see now he  
merely  invested it4 ,i've come to      
,cartwright to spend the income of it1  
and a  little more4 ,five or six people 
have given a thousand dollars apiece to 
make a college course possible for each 
of us4 ,there's some reason in  college 
endowments1 after all4    ,and ,marty   
said1 ,one good ,i can see in this      
particular endowment is that  anybody   
but a selfish idiot would be glad to    
match four years of his  life against   
all the money and work that ,christian  
people have put into  ,cartwright       
,college4    ,i hope you don't mean     
anything personal by that remark1 ,j4,w4
 said1  with mock solemnity1 because    
,i'm inclined to believe you're more    

than  half right4 ,it reminds me again  
of what ,phil ,khamis said4 ,i'm        
beginning  to think ,i'll never have a  
chance to forget that ,greek's          
,christian  remark about ,christians4   
,by being off at school together ,j4,w4 
and ,marty gave each other  unconfessed 
but very real moral support in those    
first days when a lone  freshman would  
have known he was homesick4    ,but     
another antidote1 both pleasant and     
potent1 was supplied by the  ,epworth   
,league of ,first ,church4 ,it had      
allied itself with the college          
,y4,m4,c4,a4--and for the women         
students1 with the ,y4,w4,c4,a4--in     
various  ways1 but particularly it      
purposed to see that the first few      
,sundays  were safely tided over4    ,so
 the two chums found themselves in one  
of the two highly attractive  study     
courses which had been put on in        
partnership with the ,sunday  school4   
,it was in the early afternoon of one of
 the early ,sundays that  ,j4,w4 called 

,marty's attention to a still more      
alluring opportunity4    ,looky here1   
,marty1 it's raining1 ,i know1 but ,i've
 a feeling that you'd  better not write 
that letter home until a little further 
on in the day4  ,what's to stop us from 
taking a look at this ,league fellowship
 hour  we're invited to1 and getting a  
light lunch8 ,we don't need to stay to  
the ,league meeting unless we choose1   
though we're members1 you know4         
,marty picked up the card of invitation 
which ,j4,w4 had flipped across the     
table to him1 and read it4    ,well1 he 
commented1 it reads all right4 ,let's   
try it4    ,out into the rain they went 
and put in two highly cheerful hours1   
including one in the devotional meeting1
 so that when ,marty at last sat  down  
to write home1 he produced1 without     
quite knowing how1 a letter  that was   
vastly more heartening when it reached  
the farm than it would  have been if he 
had written it before dark4    ,joe     
,carbrook set out for the ,state        

,university in what was for him a       
fashion quite subdued4 ,before his      
experience at the ,institute he would   
have gone1 if at all1 in his own car1   
and his arrival would have been  notice 
to the sporty crowd that another        
candidate for initiation into  that     
select circle had arrived4    ,but ,joe 
was enjoying the novelty of thinking a  
little before he acted4  ,though he     
would always be of the irrepressible    
sort1 he was not the same  ,joe4 ,he had
 laid out a program which surprised     
himself somewhat1 and  astonished most  
of the people who knew him4    ,he knew 
now that he would become1 if he could1 a
 doctor2 a missionary  doctor4 ,no other
 career entered his mind4 ,he would     
finish his college  work at the ,state  
,university1 and then go to medical     
school4 ,he would  devote himself       
without ceasing to all the studies he   
would need4 ,not for  him any social    
life1 any relaxation of purpose4 ,grimly
 he told himself  that his play days    

were over4 ,they had been lively while  
they lasted2  but they were done4    ,of
 course that was foolish4 ,if he had    
persisted in any such scholastic        
regimen1 the effort would have lasted a 
few days1 or possibly weeks2 and  then  
in a reaction of disgust he might easily
 have come to despair of  the whole     
project4    ,fortunately for ,joe and   
for a good many other people1 his       
purpose of  digging into his books and  
laboratory work and doggedly avoiding   
any  other interest was tempered by the 
happenings of the first week4           
,doubtless he would have made a         
desperate struggle1 but it would have   
been useless4 ,not even conversion can  
make new habits overnight1 and in  his  
first two years at college ,joe had been
 known to teachers and  students alike  
as distinctly a sketchy student1 wholly 
inexpert at  concentrated effort4       
,and so1 instead of becoming first a    
grind and then a discouraged rebel      
against it all1 he had the immense good 

fortune to be captured by an  observant 
,junior whom he had met while they were 
both registering for  ,chemistry ,,iii4 
,you're new here1 said the ,junior1     
,heatherby by name1 and ,i've had two   
years of it4 ,maybe you'll let me show  
you the place4 ,i'm the proud           
half-owner of a decidedly second-hand   
',hooting ,nanny1' you know1 and ,i     
rather like bumping people around town  
in it4    ,that was the beginning of    
many things4 ,joe liked it that         
,heatherby made  no apologies for his   
car1 and before long he discovered that 
the other  half-owner1 ,barnard1 was    
equally unaffected and friendly4 ,it was
  something of a surprise1 though1 to   
learn that ,barnard was not a  student1 
but the youthful-looking pastor of the  
,university ,methodist  ,church1 of late
 known as the ,wesley ,foundation4      
,i'm not up on ,methodism as ,i should  
be1 said ,joe to ,barnard1 a day or  two
 later1 and ,i may as well admit that ,i
 never heard before of this  ,wesley    

,foundation of yours4 ,is it a church   
affair8    ,well1 rather1 ,barnard      
answered4 ,it is just exactly that4 ,you
 know1 or  could have guessed1 that a   
good many of the students here are from 
,methodist homes--about a fourth of the 
whole student body1 as it  happens4 ,and
 our church has been coming to see1     
perhaps a bit slowly1  that although the
 ,state could not provide any religious 
influences1 and  could certainly do     
nothing for denominational interests1   
there was all  the more reason for the  
church to do it4 ,that's the idea under 
the  ,foundation1 so to speak1 and the  
work is now established in nine of the  
great ,state ,universities4    ,yes1 ,i 
see1 ,joe mused1 but just what is the   
,foundation's duty1 and  how do you do  
it8    ,barnard laughed as he said1 ,we 
do pretty near everything1 in this      
,university4 ,we have a regular         
,methodist church1 with a membership    
made  up almost entirely of faculty and 
students4 ,the town people have their   

own ,first ,church1 over on the ,west   
,side4 ,our church has its ,sunday      
school1 its ,epworth ,league ,chapter1  
and other activities4 ,we try to come   
out strong on the social side1 and in a 
little while1 when our ,social  ,center 
building is up--we're after the money   
for it now--we can do a  good deal more4
 ,there is plenty of demand for it4     
,that's all church work1 of course4 ,i  
suppose you have no relation to  the    
,university1 though1 ,joe asked1 studies
 and all that8    ,yes1 indeed1 and     
we're coming to more of it1 but         
gradually4 ,we are  already offering    
courses in religious subjects1 with     
teachers recognized  by the ,university1
 and credit given4 ,it's all very new   
yet1 you know1  but we're hoping and    
going ahead4    ,i should think so1 said
 ,joe with emphasis4 ,but where does the
 money  come from for all this8 ,it must
 be ,methodist money1 of course2 who    
puts  it up8    ,oh1 the usual people1  
said ,barnard4 ,a few well-to-do        

,methodists have  provided some of it1  
but the really big money has to come    
from the  churches--collections and     
subscriptions and all that4 ,this sort  
of work  is being done in forty-odd     
other schools1 where the ,wesley        
,foundation is  not organized4 ,the     
money comes officially through two of   
the benevolent  boards4    ,yes8 queried
 ,joe4 ,i've often heard of 'the        
benevolences1' but ,i never  thought of 
them as meaning anything to me4 ,how do 
they hook up to a  proposition like     
that8    ,well1 said ,barnard1 the      
,board of ,education1 naturally1 is     
interested  because of the ,methodist   
students who are here4 ,and the ,board  
of ,home  ,missions and ,church         
,extension is interested because at     
bottom this is  the realest sort of home
 mission and church extension work4     
,do these boards supply all the money   
you need8 was ,joe's next  question4    
,no1 not all at once1 anyway1 ,barnard  
answered4 ,we're needing a good  deal   

more before this thing really gets on   
its feet2 and when our people  know what
 work can be done in ,state schools1 and
 what a glorious chance  we have1 ,i    
think they'll see that the money is     
provided4 ,the students  are there1 half
 a hundred thousand of them1 and the    
church must be there  too4    ,well1    
,joe said1 ,i admire the faith of you4  
,and ,i want to join4 ,you  know1       
although ,i'm a mighty green hand at    
religious work1 ,i've got to go  at it  
hard4 ,there's a reason4 ,so please     
count me in on everything where  ,i'm   
likely to fit at all4 ,i didn't tell    
you1 did ,i1 that ,i'm headed for       
medicine8--going to be a missionary     
doctor1 if they'll take me when ,i'm    
ready4 ,maybe your ,foundation can do   
something with me4    ,barnard thought  
it could1 and the next two years        
justified his  confidence4 ,joe         
,carbrook1 as downright in his new      
purpose as he had been  in his old      
scornful refusal to look at life        

seriously1 quickly found a  place for   
himself in the church and the other     
activities of the  ,foundation4 ,it     
saved him from his first heedless       
resolution to study an  impossible      
number of hours a day1 and from the     
certain crash which would  have         
followed4 ,it gave him not a few        
friends1 and he was soon deep in  the   
affairs of the ,league and the church4  
,besides1 it made possible some  special
 friendships among the faculty1 which   
were to be of immense value  in later   
days4    ,while ,joe ,carbrook was      
fitting himself into the life of the    
,university  and the ,wesley            
,foundation1 the chums at ,cartwright   
were quite as busy  making themselves a 
part of their new world4 ,as always1    
they made a  good team1 so much so that 
people began to think of them not as    
individuals1 but as necessarily related1
 like a pair of shoes1 or collar  and   
tie1 or pork and beans4 ,and1 though the
 old differences of  temperament and    

interest had not lessened1 the two had  
reached a fine  contentment over each   
other's purposes4 ,j4,w4 was happy in   
,marty's  preacher-plans1 and ,marty    
believed implicitly in the wisdom of    
,j4,w4's  understood purpose to be a    
forthright ,christian layman4    ,but it
 was not all plain sailing for ,j4,w4   
,nobody bothered ,marty2 he was  going  
into the ministry1 and that settled     
that4 ,among the students who  went in  
for religious work were several who     
could not quite share  ,marty's         
complacence over ,j4,w4's program4 ,they
 thought it strange that so  active a   
,christian1 with the right stuff in him1
 as everybody  recognized1 should not   
declare himself for some religious      
vocation4    ,and from time to time men 
came to college--bishops1 secretaries1  
specialists--to talk to the students    
about this very thing4 ,there was a     
student volunteer band1 in which were   
enrolled all the students looking  to   
foreign mission work4 ,the prospective  

preachers had a club of their  own1 and 
there was even a little organized group 
of boys and girls who  thought seriously
 of social service in some form or      
another as a career4    ,now1 ,j4,w41   
before the end of sophomore year1 had   
come to know all1 or  nearly all1 of    
these young enthusiasts4 ,some of them  
developed into  staunch and satisfying  
friends4 ,if he had run with the sport  
crowd1  which was always looking for    
recruits1 or if he had been merely a    
hard  student1 working for ,phi ,beta   
,kappa1 he might have been let alone4   
,but1  without being able to wear an    
identifying label1 he yet belonged with 
those who had come to college with a    
definite life purpose4    ,just because 
nobody seemed to realize that being a   
,christian in business  could be as     
distinct a vocation as any1 ,j4,w4 was  
at times vaguely  troubled1 in spite of 
his confident stand at the ,institute4  
,he wondered  a little at what he had   
almost come to feel was his callousness4

 ,not  that he was uninterested2 for    
,marty he had vast unspoken ambitions   
which  would have stunned that          
unsuspecting youth if they had ever     
become  vocal2 and he never tired of the
 prospects which opened up before his   
other friends4 ,he kept up an           
intermittent correspondence with ,joe   
,carbrook1 and found himself thinking   
much about the strange chain of         
circumstances which promised to make a  
medical missionary out of ,joe4 ,he     
more than suspected that ,joe and       
,marcia ,dayne were vastly interested in
  each other's future1 and he got a lot 
of satisfaction out of that4 ,they      
would have a great missionary career4   
,no2 he was not unfeeling about all     
these high purposes of the boys and     
girls he knew2 and if he could just get 
a final answer to the one  question that
 was bothering him1 his college life    
would need nothing to  make it wholly   
satisfying4 ,he had early forgotten all 
his old reluctance  to put college      

before business4    ,marty knew         
something of what was passing in        
,j4,w4's mind1 and it  troubled him a   
little4 ,he thought of tackling ,j4,w4  
himself1 and by this  time there was    
nothing under the sun they could not    
discuss with each  other freely4 ,but he
 did not quite trust himself4    ,at    
last he made up his mind to write to    
their pastor at home4 ,he knew  that for
 some reason ,mr4 ,drury had a peculiar 
interest in ,j4,w4 and was  sure he     
could count on it now4    ,i know       
,j4,w4's bothered1 he wrote1 but he     
doesn't talk about it4 ,i  think he has 
been disturbed by hearing so much about 
special calls to  special work4 ,we've  
had several lifework meetings lately1   
and the needs  of the world have been   
pretty strongly stated4 ,but the stand  
he took at  the ,institute is just as   
right for him as mine is for me4 ,can't 
you  write to him1 or something8        
,walter ,drury could do better than     
write4 ,he turned up at ,cartwright that

  same week4    ,it happened that three 
or four prospective preachers and       
,christian  workers had been in their   
room that afternoon1 and ,j4,w4 was     
trying to  think the thing through once 
more4 ,he recalled what his pastor had  
said  at the camp fire1 and his own     
testimony on ,institute ,sunday in the  
life-service meeting1 after ,marcia     
,dayne had put it up to him4 ,but he    
was making heavy weather of it4 ,and    
just then came the pastor's knock at    
the door4    ,there was a boisterous    
welcome from them both1 with something  
like  relief in ,j4,w4's heart1 that he 
would not1 could not speak4 ,but he     
could  get help now4 ,for the sake of   
saying something he asked the usual     
question4 ,what in the world brings you 
to ,cartwright8    ,oh1 said ,pastor    
,drury1 ,i like to come to ,cartwright4 
,your ,president's  an old friend4      
,besides1 why shouldn't ,i come to see  
you two1 if ,i wish8  ,you are still    
part of my flock1 you know4    ,so they 

talked of anything and everything4 ,by  
and by ,marty said he must  go over to  
the library1 and pretty soon ,j4,w4 was 
telling his friend the  pastor all that 
had been disturbing him4    ,it all     
began in the summer before ,i came to   
college1 at the ,institute  here1 you   
know1 when you spoke at the camp fire on
 ,saturday night4    ,i remember1 the   
pastor replied4 ,you hadn't taken much  
interest in  your future work before    
that8    ,no real interest1 ,i guess1   
,j4,w4 admitted4 ,i'd always taken      
things as  they came1 and didn't go     
looking for what ,i couldn't see4 ,i was
 enjoying  every day's living1 and      
didn't care deeply about anything else4 
,why1  though ,i've been a ,methodist   
all my life1 you remember how ,i knew   
nothing at all about the ,methodist     
,church outside of ,delafield1 except   
what little ,i picked up about its      
,sunday schools by serving as an        
assistant to our ,sunday school         
secretary4 ,and when ,i began to hear1  

at  the ,institute1 about home missions 
and foreign missions1 about ,negro      
education and other business that the   
church was doing1 ,i saw right off  that
 it was up to us young people to supply 
the new workers that were  always       
needed4 ,but1 even so1 only those who   
had a real fitness for it  ought to     
offer themselves1 and ,i thought too    
that something else would  be needed4 ,i
 wasn't any duller than lots of other   
church members--even  the older ones    
didn't seem to know much more about the 
church outside  than ,i did4 ,you would 
take up collections for the             
benevolences1 but if  you told us what  
they meant1 we didn't pay enough        
attention to get the  idea clearly1 so  
as to have any real understanding4 ,i   
suppose the  women's societies had more4
 ,i know my mother talks about          
,industrial  ,homes in the ,south1 and  
schools in ,india--she's in both the    
societies1  you know--but that is about 
all4    ,and it seemed when ,i began to 

find out about things1 ,mr4 ,drury1 that
 if  our whole church needed workers for
 all these places1 it needed just as    
much to have in the local churches men  
and women who would know about  the work
 in a big way1 and who would care in a  
big way1 to back up the  whole work as  
it should be backed up4 ,so1 when you   
spoke at the camp  fire it was just what
 ,i wanted to hear1 and when ,i was     
called on1 ,i made  that sort of a      
declaration the next day at the life    
decision services4    ,yes ,i remember  
that too1 said ,mr4 ,drury1 and ,i      
remember telling ,joe  ,carbrook that   
you had undertaken as big a career as   
any of them4    ,that's what ,i kind of 
thought too1 said ,j4,w41 simply1 but   
rooming  with ,marty ,shenk--he's going 
to make a great preacher too--keeps me  
thinking1 and ,i know about all the     
students who are getting ready for      
special work1 and lately ,i've been     
wondering----    ,about some special    
sort of work you'd like to do8 ,mr4     

,drury prompted4    ,no2 not that at    
all4 ,i'm just as sure as ever ,i'm not 
that sort4 ,if  only ,i can make good in
 business1 there's where ,i belong4 ,but
 can a  fellow make good just as a      
,christian in the same way ,i expect    
,marty  ,shenk to make good as a        
,christian preacher8    ,the pastor     
stood up and came over to ,j4,w4's      
chair4 ,my boy1 ,i know just  what you  
are facing4 ,it is a pretty old         
struggle1 and there's only one  way out 
of it4 ,god hasn't any first place and  
second place for the  people that let   
him guide them4 ,a man may refuse his   
call1 either to go  or to stay1 and then
 no matter what he does it will be a    
second best4  ,but you--wait for your   
call4 ,for my part1 ,i think probably   
you've got  it1 and it's to a very real 
life4 ,if you and those like you should 
fail1  we should soon have no more      
missionaries4 ,and if the missionaries  
should  fail1 we should soon have no    
more church4 ,god has little patience   

with a  church that always stays at     
home1 and ,i doubt if he has more for a 
church that doesn't stand by the men and
 women it has sent to the  outposts4 ,it
 is all one job4    ,there was much more
 of the same sort1 and when ,j4,w4      
walked with his  pastor to the train the
 next morning1 the only doubt that had  
ever  really disturbed him in college   
was quieted for good4    ,walter ,drury 
went back to ,delafield and his work1   
surer now than ever  that the           
,experiment was going forward4 ,he knew1
 certainly1 that all this  was only the 
getting ready2 that the real tests would
 come later ,but he  was well content4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,it was early football season of the    
junior year4 ,the ,state ,university    
took on ,cartwright ,college for the    
first ,saturday's game1 everybody well  
knowing that it was only a practice romp
 for the ,university4 ,always a  big    
time for ,cartwright1 this year it was a
 day for remembering4 ,joe  ,carbrook1  

who had been graduated from the         
,university in ,june1 and was  now a    
medical student in the city1 drove down 
to see the game4 ,for  loyalty's sake he
 joined the little bunch of ,university 
rooters on the  east stand4 ,otherwise  
it was ,cartwright's crowd1 as well as  
,cartwright's  day4    ,to the surprise 
of everybody1 neither side scored until 
the last  quarter1 and then both sides  
made a touchdown1 ,cartwright first6 ,a 
high  tricky wind spoiled both attempts 
to kick goal1 and time was called with  
a score at #f-f4 ,cartwright had held   
,state to a tie1 for the first time  in 
history6    ,joe came from the game with
 the chums and took supper with them4   
,the  whole town was ablaze with        
excitement over its team's great showing
  against the ,state1 and the talk at   
table was all of the way ,cartwright's  
eleven could now go romping down the    
schedule and take every other  college  
into camp1 including1 of course1 ,barton
 ,poly1 their dearest foe4    ,the boys 

were happy to have ,joe with them1 he   
looked so big and fine1  and had the    
same easy1 breezy bearing as of old4    
,nor had he lost any of  that frank     
attitude toward his own career which    
never failed to  interest everybody he  
met4 ,after supper they had an hour     
together in the  room4    ,those boys in
 the medical school surely do amuse me1 
he laughed4 ,when  ,i tell 'em ,i'm to  
be a missionary doctor1 which ,i do     
first thing to give  'em sort of a shock
 they don't often get1 they stand off   
and say1 ',what1  you6' as if ,i had    
told 'em ,i was to be a traffic cop1 or 
a trapeze  artist in the circus4 ,some  
of 'em seem to think ,i'm queer in the  
head1  but1 boys1 they are the ones with
 rooms to let4 ,when the others talk    
about hanging out a shingle in ,chicago 
or ,saint ,louis or ,cleveland or  some 
other over-doctored place1 ,i tell 'em  
to watch me1 when ,i'm the  only doctor 
between ,siam and sunrise6 ,won't ,i be 
somebody8 ,with my own  hospital--made  

out o' mud1 ,i know--and a dispensary   
and a few native  helpers who don't know
 what ,i'm going to do next1 and all the
 sick  people coming from ten days'     
journey away to the foreign doctor6 ,and
  then his mood changed4 ,that's what'll
 get me1 though2 all those  helpless1   
ignorant humans who don't even know what
 ,i can do for their  bodies1 let alone 
having any suspicion of what ,somebody  
,else can do for  their souls6 ,but it  
will be wonderful2 next thing to being  
with him in  ,galilee6    ,there was a  
pause1 each boy filling it with thoughts
 he would not speak4    ,where do you   
expect to find that work1 ,joe8 ,j4,w4  
asked him4    ,the answer was quick and 
straight3 ,wherever ,i'm sent1 ,j4,w41  
boy1 he  said4 ,only ,i've told the     
candidate secretary what ,i want4 ,i met
 him  last summer in ,chicago1 and      
there's nothing like getting in your bid
  early4 ,he's agreed to recommend me1  
when ,i'm ready1 for the hardest1       
neediest1 most neglected place that's   

open4 ,if ,i'm going into this          
missionary doctor business1 ,i want a   
chance to prove ,christianity where     
they won't be able to say that          
,christianity couldn't have done it     
alone4  ,it can6    ,then1 with one of  
those quick turns which were ,joe       
,carbrook's devices  for concealing his 
feelings1 he said1 ,and how's everything
 going at  this ,methodist college of   
yours8 ,your boys put up a beautiful    
game  to-day1 and they ought to have    
won4 ,how's the rest of the school8     
,both the boys assured him everything   
was going in a properly  satisfactory   
fashion1 but ,marty had caught one word 
that he wanted ,joe  to enlarge upon4   
,why do you say ',methodist college'8   
,it is a ,methodist college2 but is     
there anything the matter with that8    
,joe rose to the mild challenge4 ,don't 
think ,i mean to be nasty1 he  said1 but
 ,i can't help comparing this place with
 the ,state ,university1  and ,i wonder 
if there's any big reason for such      

colleges as this4 ,you  know they all   
have a hard time1 and the ,state spends 
dollars to the  church's dimes4    ,yes1
 we know that1 don't we1 ,j4,w48 and    
,marty appealed to his chum1            
remembering the frequent and            
half-curious talks they had on that very
  contrast4    ,j4,w4 said ,sure1 but   
plainly meant to leave the defense of   
the  ,christian college to ,marty1 who1 
to tell the truth1 was quite willing4   
,there's room for both1 and need for    
both1 said that earnest young man4      
,each has its work to do--the ,state    
,university will probably help in       
attracting most of those who want       
special technical equipment1 and the    
church colleges will keep on serving    
those who want an education for its  own
 sake1 whatever special line they may   
take up afterward3 though each  will say
 it welcomes both sorts of students4    
,this suited ,joe2 he intended ,marty to
 keep it up a while4 ,so he said1  ,but 
why is a church college1 anyway8 ,and he

 got his answer1 for ,marty  too was    
eager for the fray4    ,the church      
college1 he retorted with the merest    
hint of asperity1 is  at the bottom of  
all that people call higher education4  
,the church was  founding colleges and  
supporting them before the ,state       
thought even of  primary schools4 ,look 
at ,oxford and ,cambridge--church       
colleges4 ,look at  ,harvard and ,yale  
and ,princeton and the smaller ,new     
,england  colleges--church colleges4    
,look at ,syracuse and ,wesleyan and    
,northwestern and ,chicago4 ,look at    
,vanderbilt1 and most of the other      
great schools of the ,south4 ,they are  
church colleges1 founded1 most of  them1
 before the first ,state ,university1   
and many before there was any  public   
high school4 ,the church college showed 
the way4 ,if it had never  done anything
 else1 it has some rights as the pioneer
 of higher  learning4    ,j4,w4 had been
 getting more interested4 ,he had never 
heard ,marty in  quite this strain1 and 

he was proud of him4    ,that's a pretty
 good answer he's given you1 ,joe1 he   
said with a  chuckle4 ,now1 isn't it8   
,it is1 admitted ,joe4 ,i reckon ,i knew
 most of what you say1 ,marty1 but  ,i  
hadn't thought of it that way before4   
,now ,i want to ask another  question1  
only don't think ,i'm doing it for      
meanness2 ,i've got a reason4  ,and my  
question is this3 granting all that the 
church schools have done1  is it worth  
all they cost to keep them up now2 in   
our time1 ,i mean8    ,i think it is1   
,marty answered1 quieter now4 ,they do  
provide a  different sort of educational
 opportunity1 as ,i said4 ,then1 they   
are  producing most of the recruits that
 the churches need for their work4      
,since the churches began to care for   
their members in the ,state             
,universities1 a rather larger number of
 candidates for ,christian service  are 
coming out of the universities1 but     
until the last year or two  nearly all  
came1 and the very large majority still 

comes1 and probably  for years will     
come1 from the church colleges4 ,and    
there's another  reason that you ,state 
advocates ought to remember4 ,our       
,methodist  colleges in this country    
have about fifty thousand students4 ,if 
these  colleges were to be put out of   
business1 ten of the very greatest      
,state  ,universities would have to be  
duplicated1 dollar for dollar1 at public
  expense1 to take care of the          
,methodist students alone4 ,when you    
think of  all the other denominations1  
you would need to duplicate all the     
,state  ,universities now in existence  
if you purposed to do the work the      
church  colleges are now doing4 ,and if 
you couldn't get the money1 or if the   
students didn't take to the change1 the 
country would be short just that  many  
thousand college-trained men and women4 
,the whole ,methodist ,church1  with the
 other churches1 is doing a piece of    
unselfish national service  that costs  
up into the hundreds of millions1 and   

where's any other big  money that's     
better spent8    ,when ,marty stopped he
 looked up into ,joe's good-natured     
face1 and  blushed1 with an embarrassed 
self-consciousness4 ,you think you've   
been  stringing me1 don't you8    ,now1 
,marty1 ,joe spoke genially1 don't you  
misunderstand4 ,i said ,i had  a reason4
 ,i have4 ,my folks have some money they
 want to put into a safe  place4 ,and   
they like ,cartwright4 ,i do too1       
but--you know how it is4 ,i  want to be 
sure4 ,anyhow ,i'm glad ,i asked these  
questions4 ,you've given  me some highly
 important information2 and1 honestly1  
,i'm grateful4 ,you  surely don't think 
,i'm small enough to be making fun of   
you1 or of  ,cartwright4 ,if ,i seemed  
to be1 ,i apologize on the spot4        
,believe me8 and  there was no mistaking
 his genuine earnestness4    ,of course 
,i believe you1 old man1 ,marty         
rejoined1 just a wee bit  ashamed4      
,forgive me too1 but ,i've been reading 
up on that college thing  lately1 and   

it's a little different from what most  
people think4 ,so you  got me going4    
,i'm glad he did1 said ,j4,w4 ,it makes 
me prouder than ever of  ,cartwright    
,college4 ,and1 as he got up he said1 as
 though still at the  game1 ,the        
'locomotive' now6 and gave ,cartwright's
 favorite yell as a  solo1 while ,marty 
and ,joe grinned approval and some      
students passing in  the street answered
 it with the skyrocket4           99    
99       99       99       99    ,there 
is material for a book1 all mixt of     
interest varying from very  light comedy
 to unplumbed gloom1 in the life of two 
boys at college--any  two2 and some day 
the chronicles of the ,delafield ,duo   
may be written2  but not now4    ,senior
 year1 with its bright glory and its    
seriously borne  responsibilities4 ,it  
found ,marty a trifle less shy and      
reticent than  when he came to          
,cartwright1 and ,j4,w41 ,jr41 a shade  
more studious4 ,marty  would miss ,phi  
,beta ,kappa1 but only by the merest    

fraction2 ,j4,w4 would  rank about      
number twenty-seven in a graduating     
class of forty-five4  ,marty had        
successfully represented his college    
twice in debate1 and ,j4,w4  had played 
second on the nine and end in the       
eleven1 doing each job  better than     
well1 but rarely drawing the spotlight  
his way4    ,curiously enough1 you had  
but to talk to ,marty1 and you would    
learn that  ,j4,w41 ,jr41 was the finest
 athlete and the most popular student in
  school4 ,conversely1 ,j4,w41 ,jr41 was
 prepared to set ,cartwright's debating 
record1 as incarnated in ,marty1 against
 that of any other college in the       
,state4 ,what was more1 he cherished an 
unshakable confidence that the  ,rev4   
,martin ,luther ,shenk would be one of  
the leading ministers of his            
,conference within five years4    ,and  
so they came to commencement1 with the  
,shenk and the ,farwell  families1      
,pastor ,drury1 and ,marcia ,dayne in   
the throng of visitors4 ,mr4  ,drury    

rarely missed commencements at          
,cartwright1 and naturally he could  not
 stay away this year4 ,the ,farwells    
thought ,marcia might like to see  her  
old schoolmates graduate1 and the boys  
had written her that they  wanted       
somebody they could trot around during  
commencement week who  might be trusted 
to join in the ,i knew him when chorus  
without being  tempted to introduce     
devastating reminiscences4 ,and ,marcia1
 being in  love with life and youth1 had
 been delighted to accept the combined  
invitation4 ,she was not at all in love 
with either of the boys1 nor they  with 
her4 ,they thought they knew where her  
heart had been given1 and  they counted 
,joe ,carbrook a lucky man4    ,tell us1
 ,marcia1 said ,j4,w41 ,jr41 one        
afternoon1 as the three of them  were   
down by the lake1 how it happens you    
went to the training school  instead of 
the normal school last year4    ,that's 
just like a man1 said ,marcia4 ,here am 
,i1 your awed and  admiring slave1      

brought on to adorn the crowning event  
of your  scholastic career1 and you     
don't even remember that ,i finished the
  normal school course in three years1  
and graduated a year ago6    ,marty     
rolled over on the sand in wordless     
glee4    ,aw1 now1 ,marcia1 why----     
,j4,w41 ,jr41 boggled1 fairly caught1   
but soon  recovering himself4 ,you must 
have been ashamed of it1 then4 ,i do    
remember something about your getting   
through1 now you mention the fact1  but 
why didn't ,i receive an invitation8    
,answer me that1 young lady6    ,oh1 we 
educators don't think commencement      
amounts to so much as all  that4 ,with  
us1 you know1 life is real1 life is     
earnest1 and so forth4  ,but ,i'll tell 
you the truth1 ,j4,w4 ,i knew you       
couldn't come1 either of  you1 and ,i   
was saving up a little on commencement  
expenses2 so ,i left  you--and a good   
many others--off the list4 ,i needed the
 money1 that's  the simple fact2 ,and   
the reason you didn't see me at home    

last summer  was because ,i was busy    
spending the money ,i had saved on your 
invitations and other expensive things4 
,marty usually waited for ,j4,w41 but   
the idea which now occurred to him      
demanded utterance4 ,say1 ,marcia1 ,i   
think it's fine of you to be  studying  
dispensary work and first aid4    ,how  
did you know8 ,marcia demanded4         
,never mind2 ,i saw ,joe ,carbrook in   
,chicago when we went through on our    
way to the ,buckland-,cartwright debate1
 and ,i guessed a good deal more  than  
he told me1 which wasn't much4          
,marty1 said ,marcia1 her face aglow and
 her brave eyes looking into  his1      
there's nothing secret about it4 ,when  
,joe gets through medical  school we    
shall go out together to whatever field 
they choose for him4  ,the least ,i can 
do is to get ready to help4    ,is that 
why you've been going to training       
school8 asked ,j4,w4 ,they had  so long 
been used to such complete frankness    
with each other that the  question was  

taken as meant4    ,yes1 ,j4,w41 it is1 
said ,marcia4 ,joe has been doing       
perfectly splendid  work in his medical 
course1 and they say he will probably   
turn out to be  a wonderful all-round   
doctor--everybody is surprised at his   
thoroughness1 except me4 ,i know what he
 means by it4 ,but1 of course1 he  has  
little time for training in other sorts 
of religious work1 and so1  ever since  
last ,june1 ,i've been dividing my time 
between a settlement  dispensary and the
 training school4 ,why shouldn't ,i be  
as keen on my  preparation as he is on  
his1 when we're going out to the same   
work8    ,you should1 ,marcia--you      
should1 ,j4,w4 agreed1 vigorously1 and  
we're  proud of you2 aren't we1 ,marty8 
,i remember thinking two years ago what 
fine missionary pioneers you two would  
make4 ,only trouble is1 we'll  never    
know anything about it1 after we've once
 seen your pictures in  ,the ,epworth   
,herald among the recruits of the year4 
,if you were only  going where a feller 

could hope to visit you once every two  
years or  so6    ,marcia looked out     
across the lake1 but she wasn't seeing  
the white sails  that glided along above
 the rippling blue of its waters4 ,in a 
moment she  pulled herself together1 and
 observed that there had been enough    
talk  about a mere visitor4 ,what of you
 two1 now that your student             
occupation's gone8    ,tell her about   
yourself1 ,marty1 said ,j4,w4 ,she knows
 what ,i'm going to  do4 ,and for the   
moment it seemed to him a very drab and 
unromantic  prospect1 in spite of his   
agreement with ,mr4 ,drury that all     
service  ranks alike with ,god4         
,marty was always slow to talk of       
himself4 ,it isn't much1 he said4 ,the  
district superintendent is asking me to 
fill out the year on the ,ellis  and    
,valencia ,circuit--the present pastor  
is going to ,colorado for his  health4  
,so ,i'm to be the young circuit-rider1 
and he smiled a wry  little smile4 ,he  
had no conceit of himself to make the   

appointment seem  poor2 rather he       
wondered how any circuit would consent  
to put up with a  boy's crude preaching 
and awkward pastoral effort4    ,but    
,j4,w41 ,jr41 was otherwise minded4 ,a  
country circuit for ,marty did not      
accord with his views at all4 ,marty was
 too good for a country church1  he     
argued1 mainly from his memories of the 
bare little one-room  meetinghouse of   
his early childhood4 ,in his periodical 
trips to the farm  he had seen the old  
church grow older and more forlorn1 as  
one family  after another moved away1   
and the multiplying cars brought the    
town and  its allurements almost to the 
front gate of every farm4    ,so ,j4,w4 
had tried to say ,no1 for ,marty1 who   
would not say it for  himself4 ,it was  
one of the rare times when they did not 
see eye to eye4  ,but it made no        
difference in their sturdy affection2   
nothing ever could4  ,and ,marty would  
take the appointment4    ,commencement  
over1 for the first time in many years  

the chums went their  separate ways1    
,marty to his circuit1 and ,j4,w4 home  
to ,delafield4 ,then  for a little while
 each had frequent dark-blue days1      
without quite  realizing what made his  
world so flavorless4 ,but that passed1  
and the  young preacher settled down to 
his preaching1 and the young merchant to
  his merchandising2 and soon all things
 seemed as if they had been just  so    
through the years4    ,to ,j4,w4 came   
just one indication of the change that  
college had made4  ,pastor ,drury1      
though he found it wise to do much of   
his important work  in secret1 thought  
to make use of the college-consciousness
 which most  towns possess in ,june1 and
 which is felt especially1 though not   
confessed1 by the college colony4 ,the  
year's diplomas are still very new  in  
,june4 ,so a college night was announced
 for the social rooms1 with a  college  
sermon to follow on the next ,sunday    
night4 ,the ,league and the  ,senior    
,sunday ,school ,department united to   

send a personal invitation to  every    
college graduate in town1 and to every  
student home for the  vacation4 ,they   
responded1 four score of them1 to the   
college-night call4    ,as ,j4,w4 moved 
about and greeted people he had known   
for years he began  to realize that     
college has its own freemasonry4 ,these 
other graduates  were from all sorts of 
schools2 two had been to ,harvard1 and  
one to  ,princeton2 several were ,state 
,university alumni4 ,cartwright was     
represented by nine1 six of them        
undergraduates1 and the others          
confessed themselves as being from      
,chicago1 ,syracuse1 ,de ,pauw1 three or
  four sorts of ,wesleyan1              
,northwestern1 ,knox1 ,wabash1 ,western 
,reserve1  and many more4    ,not even  
all ,methodist1 by any means1 ,j4,w4    
perceived2 and yet the  fellowship among
 these strangers was very real4 ,they   
spoke each other's  tongue2 they had    
common interests and common experiences4
 ,he told  himself that here was a      

suggestion as to the new friends he     
might make  in ,delafield1 without      
forgetting the old ones4 ,and the       
prospect of life  in ,delafield began to
 take on new values4    ,on the next    
,sunday night not so many college people
 were out to hear ,mr4  ,drury's        
straight-thinking and plain-spoken      
sermon on ,what our town asks  of its   
college-trained youth2 and a few of     
those who came were inclined  to resent 
what they called a lecture on manners   
and duty4    ,but to ,j4,w4 the sermon  
was precisely the challenge to service  
he had  been looking for4 ,it made up   
for his feeling at commencement that he 
was  out of it4 ,it completed all which 
,mr4 ,drury had suggested at the        
,institute camp fire four years ago1 all
 that he himself had tried to say  at   
the decision service on the day after   
the camp fire2 all that the  pastor had 
urged two years ago when ,j4,w41 ,jr41  
confessed to him his new  hesitations   
and uneasiness4    ,the pastor had not  

preached any great thing4 ,he had simply
 told the  college folk in his audience 
that no matter where they had gone to   
school1 many people had invested much in
 them1 and that the investment  was one 
which in its very nature could not be   
realized on by the  original investors4 
,the only possible beneficiaries were   
either the  successive college          
generations or the communities in which 
they found  their place4 ,if they chose 
to take as personal and unconditional   
all the  benefits of their education1   
none could forbid them that anti-social 
choice2 but if they accepted education  
as a trust1 a stewardship1  something to
 be used for the common good1 they would
 be worth more to  ,delafield than all  
the new factories the ,chamber of       
,commerce could coax  to the town4      
,and to those who might be interested in
 this view of education1 ,pastor  ,drury
 said3 ,young people of the colleges1   
you have been trained to some  forms of 
laboratory work1 in chemistry1 in       

biology1 in geology--yes1  even in      
,english4 ,i invite you to think of your
 own town of ,delafield as  your living 
laboratory1 in which you will be at once
 experimenters and  part of the         
experiment stuff4 ,look at this town    
with all its good and  evil1 its dying  
powers and its new forces1 its          
dullnesses and its  enthusiasms1 its    
folly and wisdom1 its old ways and its  
new people1 its  wealth and want4 ,do   
you think it is already becoming a bit  
of the  kingdom of ,god8 ,or1 if you    
conclude that it seems to be going in   
ways  that lead very far from the       
,kingdom1 do you think it might possess 
any  ,kingdom possibilities8 ,if you do1
 no matter what your occupation in      
,delafield1 ,delafield itself may be    
your true vocation1 your call from      
,god6    ,for ,john ,wesley ,farwell1   
,jr41 it was to become all of that4     
,,chapter ,,iv      ,,exploring ,,main  
,,street    ,j4,w41 ,jr41 found small   
opportunity to make himself obnoxious by

 becoming  a civic missionary before the
 time4 ,he was busy enough with his     
adjustment to the business life of      
,delafield and ,madison county1 this    
being the declared commercial sphere of 
the ,john ,w4 ,farwell ,hardware        
,company4 ,j4,w4 always had known       
hardware1 but hitherto in a purely      
amateur and detached fashion4 ,now he   
lived with it1 from tacks to  tractors1 
ten or twelve hours a day4 ,he found    
that being the son of his  father gained
 him no safe conduct through the shop or
 with the  customers4 ,he had a lot to  
learn1 even if he was ,john ,wesley     
,farwell1  ,jr4 ,that he was the heir   
apparent to all this array of cast iron 
and  wrought and galvanized1 of tin and 
wire and steel and aluminum and  nickel1
 did not save him from aching back and  
skinned knuckles1 nor from  the various 
initiations staged by the three or four 
other employees4    ,but he was getting 
his bearings1 and not from the store and
 the  warehouse only4 ,a good hardware  

store in a country town is a center of  
democracy for town and country alike4   
,in what other place do farmers and     
artisans1 country women and city women  
meet on so nearly equal terms8  ,not in 
the postoffice1 nor in the bank2 and    
certainly not in the  department store4 
,but the hardware store's customers1 men
 and women all1  are masters of the     
tools they work with2 and whoso loves   
the tools of  his craft is brother to   
every other craftsman4    ,it was in the
 store1 therefore1 that ,j4,w4 began to 
absorb some of the  knowledge and       
acquire some of the experiences that    
were to make his work  something to his 
town4    ,for one thing1 he got a new   
view of local geography1 in terms of    
tools4  ,all the farmers from the       
bottoms of ,mill ,creek called for      
pretty much  the same implements2 the   
upland farms had different needs4 ,the  
farmers'  wives who lived along the     
route of the creamery wagon had one sort
 of  troubles with tinware2 the women of

 the fruit farms another4 ,j4,w4 knew   
this by the exchange of experiences he  
listened to while he sold milk          
strainers and canning outfits4 ,he found
 out that the people on the edge  of    
town who made garden were particular    
about certain tools and  equipment which
 the wheat farmer would not even look   
at4    ,and the townpeople he learned to
 classify in the same way4 ,he was soon 
on good terms with those store clerks   
who were handy men about the  house1    
with women who did all their own work1  
with blacksmiths and  carpenters1 with  
unskilled laborers and garage mechanics4
 ,in time he  could almost tell where a 
man lived and what he did for a living1 
just  by the hardware he bought and the 
questions he asked about it4            
,heretofore ,j4,w4 had thought he knew  
most of the people in ,delafield4  ,but 
the first weeks in the store showed him 
that he knew only a few4 ,up  to this   
time most of the people in ,delafield   
had meant1 practically1  his school     

friends1 the clerks and salespeople in  
certain stores--and  the members of the 
,first ,methodist ,church4    ,that is  
to say1 in the main1 to him ,delafield  
had been the church1 and  the church had
 been ,delafield4 ,but now he realized  
that his church was  only a small part  
of ,delafield4 ,the town had other      
churches4 ,it had  lodges4 ,when the    
store outfitted ,odd ,fellows' ,hall    
with new window  shades he learned that 
the ,odd ,fellows shared the place with 
strong  lodges of the ,maccabees and    
,modern ,woodmen4 ,and there were other 
halls4  ,j4,w4 ,farwell1 ,sr41 was a    
,mason1 but these other lodges seemed to
 have as  many members as the ,masons1  
and one or the other of them was always 
getting ready for a big public display4 
,the same condition was true of the     
country people4 ,he began to hear  about
 the ,farm ,federation1 and the ,grange1
 and the ,farmers' ,elevator1  and the  
cooperative creamery1 for members of all
 of these groups passed  in and out of  

the store4    ,one day ,j4,w4 remarked  
to the pastor who had dropped into the  
store3 ,mr4  ,drury1 ,i never noticed   
before how this place is alive with     
societies and  clubs and lodges and     
things4 ,everybody seems to belong to   
three or four  organizations4 ,and they 
talk about 'em6 ,but ,i don't hear much 
about our  church1 and nothing at all   
about the old church out at ,deep       
,creek4 ,yet  ,i used to think that the 
church was the whole thing6    ,the     
older man nodded4 ,it's true1 ,j4,w41 he
 said1 all the churches  together are   
only a small part of the community4     
,they are the best1 and  usually the    
best-organized forces we have1 ,i'm sure
 of that2 but the  church and the town  
have to reckon with these others4       
,what good are they all8 ,they must cost
 a pile of money4 ,what for8    ,that's 
what you might call a whale of a        
question1 ,j4,w4 ,john ,w4  ,farwell1   
,senior1 who had been standing by1      
listening1 essayed to answer4  ,and you 

haven't heard yet of all the            
organizations4 ,look at me1 for         
example4 ,i belong to the ,chamber of   
,commerce and the ,rotary ,club4 ,i'm on
  the ,executive ,committee of the      
,madison ,county ,horticultural         
,society1 and  ,i've just retired from  
the ,board of ,directors of the ,civic  
,league4 ,then  you must think of the   
political parties1 and the ,county      
,sunday ,school  ,association1 and the  
annual ,chautauqua1 and ,i don't know   
what all4    ,yes1 and ,i notice1 dad1  
that a good many of these1 said ,j4,w41 
,jr41  are just for the men4 ,the women 
must have nearly as many4 ,why1         
,delafield ought to be a model town1 and
 the country 'round here ought to  be a 
regular paradise1 with all these helpers
 and uplifters on the job4  ,but it     
isn't4 ,maybe they're not all on the    
job4    ,that's about it1 my boy1 his   
father agreed ,i sometimes think we need
  just one more organization--a society 
that would never meet1 but between  the 

meetings of all the other societies     
would actually get done the  things they
 talk about and pass resolutions about  
and then go off and  forget until the   
next meeting4    ,well1 dad1 what ,i    
want to find out1 ,j4,w4 said1 as he    
started off with  ,mr4 ,drury to the    
post office1 is where the church heads  
in4 ,mr4 ,drury  is sure it has a big   
responsibility1 and maybe it has4 ,but  
what is it  willing to do and able to   
do1 and what will the town let it do8   
,it seems  to me that is the question4  
,j4,w4 heard his father's voice echoing 
after him up the street1 ,sure1  that is
 the question1 and ,mr4 ,drury added1   
,three questions in one4    ,j4,w4 found
 himself taking notice in a way he had  
not done before through  all his years  
in ,delafield4 ,as might be expected1 he
 had come home from  college with new   
ideas and new standards4 ,the town      
looked rather more  sordid and          
commonplace than was his boy's          
remembrance of it4 ,of late it  had     

taken to growing1 and a large part of   
its development had come  during his    
college years4 ,so he must needs learn  
his own town all over  again4           
,cherishing his young college graduate's
 vague new enthusiasm for a  better     
world1 he had little sympathy with much 
that ,delafield opinion  acclaimed as   
progress4    ,the ,delafield ,daily     
,dispatch carried at its masthead every 
afternoon one  or more of such slogans  
as these3 ,be a ,delafield ,booster1    
,boost for  more ,industries1 ,put      
,delafield on the ,map1 ,double         
,delafield in ,half  a ,decade1         
,delafield1 the ,darling of ,destiny1   
,watch ,delafield ,grow1  but ,don't    
,stop ,boosting to ,rubber4    ,these   
were taken by many citizens as a sort of
 business gospel2 any  theorist who     
ventured to question the wisdom of      
bringing more people  to town1 whether  
the town's business could give them all 
a decent living  or not1 was told to    
sell his hammer and buy a horn4 ,j4,w4  

said nothing2  he was too young and too 
recent a comer into the town's business 
life4  ,but he could not work up any    
zeal for this form of town loyalty4     
,a big cannery had been built down near 
the river1 where truck gardens          
flourished1 and there was a new         
furniture factory at the edge of the    
freight yards4 ,hereabouts a lot of     
supremely ugly flats had gone up1 two   
families to each floor and three stories
 high2 and in ,j4,w4's eyes the  rubbish
 and disorder and generally slattern    
appearance of the region was  no great  
addition to ,delafield's attractions4   
,still more did the tumbledown shacks in
 the neighborhood of the cannery  offend
 the eyes and1 to be frank1 the ears and
 nose as well4 ,it was a                
forlorn-looking lot of hovels1 occupied 
by listless1 frowsy adults and  noisy   
children4 ,here existence seemed to be a
 grim caricature of life2  the children1
 the only symbol of abundance to be     
seen1 continued to be  grotesque in     

their very dirt4 ,what clothes they had 
were second or  third-hand garments too 
large for them1 which they seemed to be 
perpetually in danger of losing         
altogether4    ,to ,j4,w41 ,delafield   
had always been a town of homes2 but in 
these dismal  quarters there was little 
to answer to the home idea4 ,they were  
merely  places where people contrived to
 camp for a time1 longer or shorter2    
none but a ,gradgrind could call them   
homes4    ,one of the factory foremen   
was a great admirer of ,mr4 ,drury1 who 
introduced him to ,j4,w4 one day when   
the foreman had come to the store  for  
some tools4 ,he had talked with ,j4,w41 
and in time a rather casual             
friendliness developed between them4 ,it
 was this same ,foreman ,angus          
,mac,pherson1 a ,scot with a name for   
shrewdness1 who gave the boy his  first 
glimpse of what the factory and the     
cannery meant to  ,delafield--especially
 the factory4    ,j4,w4 was down at the 
factory to see about some new band-saws 

that had  been installed2 and1 his      
errand finished1 he stopped for a chat  
with  ,angus4    ,this factory wasn't   
here when ,i went off to college1 he    
said4 ,what  ever brought it to         
,delafield8    ,at that ,mac,pherson was
 off to a perfect start4    ,ye see1 my 
boy1 he began1 ,delafield is so central 
it is a good town  for a good-working   
plant2 freights on lumber and finished  
stuff are not  so high as in some       
places4 ,and then there's labor4 ,lots  
of husky fellows  around here want      
better than farm wages1 and they want a 
chance at town  life as well4 ,men from 
the big cities1 with families1 hope to  
find a  quieter1 cheaper place to live4 
,so we've had no trouble getting help4  
,skill isn't essential for most of the  
work4 ,it's not much of a trick         
nowadays to get by in most              
factories--the machines do most of the  
thinking for you1 and that's good in    
some ways4 ,only the men that 'tend  the
 machines can't work up much pride in   

the output4 ,things go well  enough when
 business is good4 ,but when the factory
 begins to run short  time1 and lay men 
off1 like it did last winter1 there's   
trouble4    ,j4,w4 wanted to know what  
sort of trouble4    ,oh1 well1 said     
,mac,pherson1 strikes hurt worst at the 
time1 but  strikes are just like boils1 
a sign of something wrong inside4 ,and  
short-time and lay-offs--well1 ye can't 
expect the factory to go on  making     
golden oak rockers just to store in the 
sheds4 ,somebody has to  buy 'em4 ,but  
the boys ain't happy over four-day      
weeks1 let alone no jobs  at all4       
,his sociology professor at ,cartwright1
 ,j4,w4 recalled1 had talked a good     
deal about the labor question1 but maybe
 this foreman knew something  about it  
too4 ,so ,j4,w4 put it up to him3 ,what 
is at the bottom of it  all1            
,mac,pherson8 ,what makes the thing the 
papers call 'labor unrest'8             
,mac,pherson hesitated a moment4 ,then  
he settled himself more comfortably  on 

a pile of boards and proceeded to       
deliver his soul1 or part of it4    ,i  
can tell you2 but there's them that     
would ship me out of town if ,i  talked 
too much1 so ,i'll have to be careful4  
,john ,wesley1 you've got a  grand name1
 and the church ,john ,wesley started   
has a good name1 though  it's not my    
church4 ,i'm a ,scot1 you know4 ,but ,i 
know your preacher1 and  he and ,i are  
of the same mind about this1 ,i know4   
,well1 then1 if your  ,methodist ,church
 could find a method with labor1 it     
would get hold of  the same sort of     
common people as the ones who heard     
,jesus gladly4 ,these  working-men are  
not in the way of being saints1 ye ken1 
but they think  that somewhere there is 
a rotten spot in the world of factories 
and  shops and mills4 ,they think they  
learn from experience1 who by the way1  
is the dominie of a high-priced school1 
that they get most of the losses  and   
few of the profits of industry4 ,they   
get a living wage when times  are good4 

,when times are bad they lose the one   
thing they've got to  sell1 and that's  
their day's work2 when a loafing day is 
gone there's  nothing to show for it1   
and no way to make it up4 ,maybe that's 
as it  should be1 but the worker can't  
see it1 especially if the boss can still
  buy gasoline and tires when the plant 
is idle4 ,oh1 yes1 laddie1 ,i know  the 
working man is headstrong4 ,i'll tell   
you privately1 ,i think he's a  fool1   
because so often he gets into a blind   
rage and wants to smash the  very tools 
that earn his bite and sup4 ,he may have
 reason to hate some  employer1 but why 
hate the job8 ,it's a good job1 if he   
makes good  chairs4 ,he goes on strike1 
many's the time1 without caring that it 
hurts  him and his worse than it hurts  
the boss4 ,and often the boss thinks he 
wants nothing bigger than a few more    
things4 ,maybe he is wild for a         
phonograph and a ,ford and golden oak   
rockers of his own in the parlor1  and  
photographs enlarged in crayon hanging  

on the walls--and a steady  job4 ,but1  
listen to me1 ,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 and  
you'll be a credit to your  namesake3   
these wild1 unreasonable workers1 with  
all their foolishness  and sometimes    
wickedness1 are whiles dreaming of a    
different world1 a  better world for    
everybody4 ',twould be no harm if some  
bosses dreamed  more about that too1 me 
boy4 ,your preacher--he's a fine man    
too1 is ,mr4  ,drury--he understands    
that1 and he wants to use it for        
something to  build on4 ,that's why ,i  
tell folks he's a ,methodist preacher   
with a real  method in his ministry4    
,now ,i'll quit me fashin' and get back 
to the  job4 ,i doubt you'll be busy    
yourself this afternoon4    ,he gripped 
,j4,w4's hand1 so that the knuckles were
 unable to forget him  all day1 but what
 he had said gripped harder than his    
handshake4 ,if the  furniture factory   
was a mixed blessing1 what of the       
cannery8    ,somewhat to his own        
surprise1 ,j4,w4 was getting interested 

in his town1  but if at first he was    
inclined to wonder how he happened to   
develop all  this new concern1 he soon  
ceased to think of it4 ,so slight a     
matter  could not stay in the front of  
his thinking when he really began to    
know  something of the ,delafield to    
which he had never paid much attention4 
,it was through ,joe ,carbrook that he  
got his next jolt4 ,joe1 now spending   
his vacations in ways that amazed people
 who had memories of his wild  younger  
manner1 was in and out of the ,farwell  
store a good deal4 ,also he  spent      
considerable time with ,pastor ,drury1  
though there is no record of  what they 
talked about4    ,j4,w41 old boy1 ,joe  
asked one day1 coming away from the     
pastor's  study1 have you ever by any   
chance observed ,main ,street8    ,why1 
yes1 ,j4,w4 answered1 seeing that two or
 three or four times a day  ,i walk six 
blocks of it back and forth to this     
store door1 ,i suppose ,i  have4    ,oh1
 yes1 that way1 ,joe came back at him1  

and you've seen me1 a  thousand times4  
,but did you ever observe me8 ,my ears1 
for instance1 and  he put his hands over
 them4 ,which one is the larger8        
,without in the least understanding what
 his friend was driving at1 and         
stupidly wondering if he ever had       
noticed any difference in ,joe's ears1  
,j4,w4 stared with inane bewilderment4  
,is one really larger than the  other8  
he asked1 helplessly4    ,joe took his  
hands down1 and laughed4 ,i knew it1 he 
said4 ,you've  never observed my ears1  
and yet you think you have observed     
,main ,street4  ,as it happens1 each of 
my ears takes the same-sized ear-muff4  
,but you  didn't know it4 ,well1 never  
mind ears2 ,i'm thinking about ,main    
,street4  ,what do you know of ,main    
,street8    ,j4,w4 thought he could make
 up for the ear question4 ,so he said1  
boldly1  ,joe ,carbrook1 ,i can name    
every place from here to the livery barn
  north1 and from here to the bridge    
south1 on both sides of the street4     

,want me to prove it8    ,no1 ,j4,w41 ,i
 don't4 ,i reckon you can4 ,but ,i      
believe you're still as  blind as ,i've 
been about ,main ,street1 just the same4
 ,i know ,chicago  pretty well and ,i   
doubt if there's as big a percentage of 
graft and  littleness and               
dollar-pinching and going to the devil  
generally on  ,state ,street or ,wabash 
,avenue as there is an ,main ,street1   
,delafield4    ,you're not trying to say
 that our business men are crooks1 are  
you1  ,joe8 ,j4,w4 asked1 with a touch  
of resentment4 ,you know ,i happen to be
  connected with a business house on    
,main ,street myself4    ,sure1 ,i know 
it1 and there's ,marshall ,field's on   
,state ,street1 and ,lyon   ,healy's on 
,wabash ,avenue1 and ,hart1 ,schaffner  
,marx over by the  ,chicago ,river2 just
 the same as here4 ,but ,i--well1 of    
course1 there's a  story back of it all4
 ,mother heard a couple of weeks ago    
that one of our  old ,epworth ,league   
girls was having a hard time of         

it--she's working at  the ,racket store1
 helping to support her folks4 ,they've 
had sickness1  and the girl doesn't get 
big wages4 ,so mother asked me to look  
her up4  ,mother can't get about very   
easily1 you know1 and since ,i'm        
studying  medicine she seems to think   
,i'm the original ,mr4 ,fix-,it4 ,i made
 a few  discreet inquiries1 discreet1   
that is1 for me1 and can you guess who  
that girl is8 ,you can't1 ,i know4      
,well1 she's ,alma ,wetherell1 and      
that's  the identical girl who gave me  
such a dressing down one day at the     
,cartwright ,institute four years ago4  
,remember8 ,say1 ,j4,w41 that day she   
told me so much of the deadly truth     
about myself that ,i hated her even     
more for knowing what to say than ,i did
 for saying it4 ,but she had a big  lot 
to do with waking me up1 and ,i owe her 
something4    ,j4,w4 had not remembered 
the ,institute incident4 ,but he        
recalled that  ,alma was at ,cartwright 
that summer1 and he had seen her at     

church  occasionally since he came home 
from college4 ,she was living in town   
and  working in some store or other he  
knew1 but that was all4    ,what did you
 find out8 he asked ,joe4    ,i found   
out enough so that ,alma has a better   
job1 and things are going  easier at    
home4 ,but that was just a starter4 ,my 
brave ,john ,wesley1 do  you remember   
your college sociology and economics and
 civics and all the  rest8 ,never mind  
confessing2 you don't2 ,i didn't either4
 ,but ,i began to  review 'em in actual 
business practice4 ,first ,i told the   
right merchant  what sort of a          
bookkeeper ,i had found slaving away for
 ten dollars a  week on the dark1 smelly
 balcony of the ,racket--and he's given 
,alma a  job at twenty in a sun-lighted 
office4 ,then ,i told ,mr4 ,peters of   
the  ,racket what ,i had done1 and why4 
,he didn't like it1 but it will do him  
good4 ,that made me feel able to settle 
anything1 and ,i'm looking around  for  
my next joy as journeyman rescuer and   

expert business adjuster4  ,honest1     
,j4,w41 ,i've not seen near all there is
 to see1 but ,i'm swamped  already4     
,you've got to come along1 you and some 
others1 and see for  yourself what's the
 matter with ,main ,street4    ,not all 
at once1 but before very long1 ,j4,w4   
shared ,joe's aroused  interest4 ,pastor
 ,drury was with them1 of course2 and   
the three called  into consultation a   
few other capable and trustworthy men   
and women4  ,marcia ,dayne had come home
 for a few weeks' holiday1 and at once  
enlisted4 ,alma ,wetherell was able to  
give some highly significant            
suggestions4    ,there was no noise of  
trumpets1 and no publicity of any sort4 
,mr4 ,drury  insisted that what they    
needed first and most was not newspaper 
attention1 and not even organization1   
but exact information4 ,so for many     
days a group of puzzled and increasingly
 astonished people set about the  study 
of their own town's principal street1 as
 though they had never  seen it before4 

,and1 in truth1 they never had4    ,it  
was no different from all other small   
town business districts4 ,the  ,gem     
,theater vied with the ,star and the    
,orpheum in lavish display of  gaudy    
posters advertising pictures that were  
coming to-morrow1 and in  two weeks of  
observation the investigators learned   
what sort of moving  pictures ,delafield
 demanded1 or1 at least what sort it    
got4 ,they took  note of the ,amethyst  
,coterie's ,saturday night              
dances--,wardrobe1 #ej  cents1 ,ladies  
,free--and of the boys and girls who    
patronized the place4  ,the various     
cigar and pocket-billiards combinations 
were quietly  observed1 some of the     
observers learning for the first time   
that young  men are so determined to get
 together that they are not to be       
deterred  by dirt or bad air or foul and
 brainless talk4    ,the candy stores   
with soda fountains and some of the drug
 stores which  served refreshments took 
on a new importance4 ,instead of being  

no more  than handy purveyors of sweets1
 of soft drinks and household remedies1 
they were seen to be also social        
centers1 places for dates and  telephone
 flirtations and dalliance4 ,much of    
their doings was the merest  silly      
time-killing1 but generally the youthful
 patrons welcomed all this  because it  
was a change from the empty dullness of 
homes that had missed  the home secret1 
and from the still duller and wasting   
monotony of  uninteresting toil4    ,it 
was ,pastor ,drury who suggested the    
explanation for all these forms of      
profitless and often dangerous          
amusement4 ,he was chatting with the    
whole  group one night1 and merely      
happened to address himself first to    
,j4,w41  ,jr4    ,your great namesake1  
,j4,w41 was so much a part of his day   
that he  believed with most other great 
religious thinkers of his time that play
  was a device of the devil4 ,his belief
 belonged to eighteenth-century         
theology and psychology4 ,but even more 

it grew out of the vicious  diversions  
of the rich and the brutalizing         
amusements of the poor4 ,both  were bad1
 and there was not much middle ground4  
,but here on ,main ,street  we see      
people1 most of them young1 who feel1   
without always  understanding why1 that 
they simply must be amused4 ,they feel  
it so  strongly that they will pay any  
price for it if circumstances won't let 
them get it any other way4 ,and ,main   
,street is ready to oblige them4  ,there
 could be no amusement business if      
people were not clamoring to be  amused4
 ,and we know now why we have no right  
to say that all this clamor  is the     
devil's prompting4 ,isn't it queer that 
the church is only now  beginning to    
believe in the genuineness and          
wholesomeness of the play  instinct1    
though it is a proper and natural human 
hunger8 ,literally  everybody wants to  
play4    ,people pay more for the       
gratification of this hunger than they  
do for  bread or shoes or education or  

religion4 ,they take greater moral risks
  for it than they do for money4 ,we    
have seen people who undoubtedly are    
going to the devil by the amusement     
route1 unless something is done to  stop
 them4 ,they go wrong quicker and       
oftener in their play than in their     
work4 ,are we going to be content with  
denouncing the dance hall and the       
poolroom and the vile pictures and the  
loose conduct of the soft-drink  places 
and ,electric ,park8 ,haven't we some   
sort of duty to see that every  young   
person in ,delafield has a chance at    
first-hand1 enjoyable1 and  decent play8
    ,all agreed that the pastor was     
right1 though they were not so clear    
about what could be done4    ,but       
commercialized amusement was not all    
they found in their quiet  voyages of   
discovery up and down ,main ,street4    
,the chain stores had come to           
,delafield--not the #e and #aj only1 but
  stores which specialized in groceries1
 tobacco1 shoes1 dry goods1 drugs1  and 

other commodities4 ,alongside of them   
were the locally owned stores4          
,altogether1 ,main ,street had far too  
many stores to afford good service  or  
reasonable prices4 ,with all this       
duplication on the one hand1 and        
absentee-control on the other1 ,main    
,street was a street of                 
underlings--clerks and salespeople and  
delivery men4 ,that condition  produced 
low wages and inefficient methods1 many 
of the workers being  too young to be   
out of school and too dense to show any 
intelligence  about the work they were  
supposed to do4 ,cheap help was costly1 
and the  efficient help was scarcely to 
be found at any price4    ,the          
investigators were frankly dismayed at  
the extent and complexity of  the       
situation4 ,they had thought to find    
occasional cases calling for            
adjustment1 or even for the law4 ,but   
instead they had found a whole  fabric  
of interwoven questions--amusements1    
wages1 competition1  cooperation1       

ignorance1 vulgarity1 vice1 cheapness1  
trickery1 business  is business4 ,true1 
they had found more honest businesses   
than shady  ones1 more faithful clerks  
than shirkers1 more decent people in the
  pleasure resorts than doubtful people4
 ,but the total of folly and evil  was  
very great2 could the church do anything
 to decrease it8    ,and that question  
led the little company of inquisitive   
,christians into  yet wider reaches of  
inquiry4 ,j4,w4 and ,joe and ,marcia at 
,mr4 ,drury's  suggestion agreed to be a
 sort of unofficial committee to find   
out about  the churches of ,delafield4  
,he told them that this was first of all
 a  work for laymen4 ,the preachers     
might come in later4    ,joe invited the
 others to the new ,carbrook home on the
 ,heights into  which his people had    
lately moved4 ,the ,heights was a new   
thing to  ,j4,w4--a rather exclusive    
residential quarter which had been laid 
out  park-wise in the last four or five 
years2 with houses in the midst of  wide

 lawns1 a ,heights club house and tennis
 courts and an exquisite  little ,gothic
 church4    ,when our folks first talked
 about moving out here ,i thought it was
 all  right2 and ,i do yet1 in some     
ways1 explained ,joe4 ,but the ,heights 
is  getting a little too good for me2   
,i'm not as keen about being exclusive  
as ,i used to be4 ,i've thought lately  
that exclusiveness may be just as  bad  
for people inside the gates1 as for the 
people outside4 ,but here we  are1 as   
the ,atlantic ,city whale said when the 
ebb tide stranded it in  front of the   
,board ,walk4 ,what are we up to1 us    
three8    ,we're up to finding out about
 the town churches1 said ,j4,w4 ,maybe  
they  can help the town more than they  
do1 but we don't know how1 and so far   
we haven't found anybody else who knows 
how4    ,and ,marcia said3 ,at least we 
know some things4 ,we have the figures4 
,about one ,delafield citizen in seven  
goes to church or ,sunday school on     
,sunday4 ,church membership is one in   

ten4 ,and as many people go to the      
movies and the ,columbia vaudeville and 
the dance halls and poolrooms on        
,saturday as go to church on ,sunday1 to
 say nothing of the crowds that go  on  
the other five days4    ,joe ,carbrook  
whistled4 ,that's a tough nut to crack1 
gentle people1 he  said1 because you've 
simply got to think of those other five 
days4 ,the  chances are that four times 
as many people in ,delafield go to other
  public places as go to church and     
,sunday school4    ,what can the        
churches do8 asked ,j4,w4 ,you can't    
make people go to  church4    ,no1      
assented ,marcia1 and if you could1 it  
would be foolish4 ,we want  to make     
people like the churches1 not hate them4
 ,one thing ,i believe our  churches can
 do is to put their public services more
 into methods and  forms that don't have
 to be taken for granted or just        
mentally dodged4  ,half the time people 
don't know what a religious service     
really stands  for4    ,meaning by      

that----8 ,joe queried1 as much to hear 
,marcia talk as for  the sake of what   
she might say4    ,well1 they have seen 
and heard it since they were children4  
,when they  were little they didn't     
understand it1 and now it is so familiar
 that  they forget they don't understand
 it1 ,marcia responded1 not wholly      
oblivious of ,joe's strategy1 but too   
much in earnest to care4 ,i've  heard of
 a successful preacher in the ,east who 
seems to be making them  understand4 ,he
 says he tries to put into each service 
four  things--light1 music1 motion2 that
 is1 change--and a touch of the         
dramatic4 ,why not8 ,i think it could be
 done without destroying the  solemnity 
of the worship4 ,they did it in the     
,temple at ,jerusalem1 and  they do it  
in ,saint ,peter's at ,rome and in      
,westminster ,abbey and ,saint  ,john's 
,cathedral in ,new ,york4 ,why shouldn't
 we do it here in our little  churches8 
,make a note of it1 ,j4,w41 ordered     
,joe4 ,it's worth suggesting to some  of

 the preachers4    ,j4,w4 made his note1
 rather absently1 and offered a         
conclusion of his  own3    ,the church  
must take note of the town's sore spots 
too4 ,i've found out  that crowding     
people in tenements and shacks means    
disease and  immorality4 ,isn't that the
 church's affair8 ,angus ,mac,pherson   
has taught  me that when the jobs are   
gone little crimes come1 followed by    
bigger  ones2 and sickness comes too1   
with the death rate going up4 ,babies   
are  born to unmarried mothers1 and     
babies1 with names or without1 die off a
  lot faster in the river shacks and the
 east side tenements than they do  up   
this way4 ,maybe the church couldn't    
help all this even if it knew2  but ,i'm
 for asking it to know4    ,i'll vote   
for that1 ,joe asserted1 if you'll vote 
for my proposition1  which is this3 our 
churches must quit trying just to be    
prosperous2 they  must quit competing   
for business like rival barkers at a    
street fair2  they must begin to find   

out that their only reason for existence
 is the  service they can give to those 
who need it most2 they've got to believe
  in each other and work with each other
 and with all the other town  forces    
that are trying to make a better        
,delafield4    ,that's right1 said      
,j4,w4 ,i was talking to ,mr4 ,drury    
this morning1 and  ,i asked him what he 
would think of our starting a suggestion
 list4 ,he  said it ought to be a fine  
thing4 ,but he wants us to do it all    
ourselves4 ,just the same1 we can take  
our suggestions to him1 and then1  if he
 believes in them1 he can talk to the   
other preachers about them1  and1 of    
course1 about any ideas of his own4     
,because you know1 ,i'm pretty  sure he 
has been thinking about all this a good 
deal longer than we  have4    ,it was   
agreed that the list should be started4 
,marcia was not willing  to keep it to  
themselves2 she wanted to have it talked
 about in ,league  and ,sunday school   
and prayer meeting1 and then1 when      

everybody had been  given the chance to 
add to it1 and to improve on it--but not
 to weaken  it--that it be put out for  
general discussion among all the        
churches4    ,and then1 said ,joe       
,carbrook1 we might call it ',the       
,everyday ,doctrines  of ,delafield1'   
,if we stick to the things every citizen
 will admit he  ought to believe and do1
 the churches will still have all the   
chance  they have now to preach those   
things which must be left to the        
individual conscience4    ,that was the 
beginning of a document with which      
,delafield was to become  very familiar 
in the months which followed2 never     
before had the town  been so generally  
interested in one set of ideas1 and to  
this day you  can always start a        
conversation there by mentioning the    
,everyday  ,doctrines of ,delafield1    
,the ,methodist preacher gave them their
 final  form1 but he took no credit for 
the substance of them1 though1 secretly1
  he was vastly proud that the young    

people1 and especially ,j4,w41 should   
have so thoroughly followed up his first
 suggestion of a civic creed4    ,,the  
,,everyday ,,doctrines ,,of ,,delafield 
#a4 ,every part of ,delafield is as much
 ,delafield as any other  part ,we are  
citizens of a commonwealth1 and         
,delafield should  be in fact as well as
 name a democratic community4    #b4    
,whenever two ,delafield citizens can   
better do something  for the town than  
one could do it1 they should get        
together4  ,and the same holds good for 
twenty citizens1 or a hundred1 or  a    
thousand4 ,one of the town's mottoes    
should be1 ,delafield  ,is ,not         
,divided4    #c4 ,everything will help  
,delafield if it means better people1   
in better homes1 with better chances at 
giving their children the  right        
bringing-up1 but anything which merely  
means more people1  or more money1 or   
more business is likely to cost more    
than it  comes to4 ,we will boost for   
,delafield therefore1 but we will  first

 be careful4    #d4 ,every part of      
,delafield is entitled to clean streets 
and plenty  of air1 water1 and sunlight4
 ,it is perhaps possible to be a        
,christian  amid ugliness and filth1 but
 it is not easy1 and it is not          
necessary4    #e4 ,every family in      
,delafield has the right to a place that
 can  be made into a home1 at a cost    
that will permit of family self-respect1
  proper privacy1 and the ordinary      
decencies of civilized living4  ,every  
case of poverty in ,delafield should be 
considered as  a reflection on the town1
 as being preventable and curable by    
remedies which any town that is careful 
of its good name  can apply4    #f4     
,delafield believes that beauty pays    
better than ugliness4  ,therefore she is
 for trees and flowers1 green lawns1 and
 clean  streets1 paint where it properly
 belongs1 and everybody setting  a good 
example by caring for his own premises  
and so inciting  his neighbor to outdo  
him4    #g4 ,the only industries        

,delafield needs are those which can    
provide for their operation without     
forcing workers to be idle  so much of  
the time as to reduce apparent income1  
and so to  cause poverty1 sickness1 and 
temptation to wrongdoing4 ,the  standard
 of income ought to be for the year1 and
 not by the  day2 in the interest of    
homes rather than in the interest of    
lodging  houses and lunch rooms4    #h4 
,delafield can support1 or should find  
ways to support1 the  workers needed in 
her stores1 shops1 and factories1 at    
fair pay1  without making use of        
children1 who should continue in school1
  and without reckoning on the          
desperation of those made poor  by their
 dependence on a job4    #i4 ,amusements
 in ,delafield can be and ought to be   
clean1  self-respecting1 and available  
for everybody4 ,this calls for          
playgrounds  and weekday playtime1 as   
well as plenty of recreational          
opportunities provided by the churches1 
without money-making  features4    #aj4 

,the forms of amusement provided for pay
 can be and  should be influenced by    
public opinion1 positively expressed1   
rather than by public indifference4 ,any
 picture house would  rather be praised 
for bringing a good picture to town than
 condemned  for showing a bad one4      
,picture people enjoy praise as much as 
preachers  do4    #aa4 ,delafield's many
 organizations should tell the whole    
town  what they are trying to do1 so    
that unnecessary duplication of  plan   
and purpose may first be discovered and 
then done away with4    #ab4 ,whenever a
 ,delafield church1 or club1 or society1
 proposes  to engage in a work that is  
to benefit the town1 the plan ought  to 
be made known1 and in due time the      
results should be published  as widely  
as was the plan4 ,this will help us to  
learn by  our ,delafield failures as    
well as by our ,delafield successes4    
#ac4 ,the churches of ,delafield are    
,delafield property1 as the  schools    
are1 though paid for in a different way4

 ,neither schools  nor churches exist   
for their own sakes1 but for ,delafield1
 and  then some4    #ad4 ,every church  
in ,delafield should have a definite    
parish1  and every well-defined section 
or group should have a church4  ,the    
churched should lead in providing for   
the unchurched1 and  the overchurched   
might spare out of their abundance of   
workers  and equipment some of the      
resources that are needed4    #ae4 ,the 
first concern of all the churches should
 be to reach  the unchurched and to make
 church friends of the church-haters4   
,this goes for all the churches2 it is  
more important to get the  sense of ,god
 and principles of ,jesus into the      
thought of the  whole town than to set  
,protestant and ,roman ,catholic in     
mutually  suspicious and hateful        
opposition2 devout ,jew and sincere     
,christian must realize that            
righteousness in ,delafield cannot be   
attended to by either without the other4
    #af4 ,the churches of ,delafield    

believe that all matters of social      
concern--work1 wages1 housing1 health1  
amusement1 and morals--are  part of     
every church's business4 ,therefore they
 will not  cease to urge their members  
always to deal with these matters as    
,christian citizens1 not merely as      
,christians4    #ag4 ,every child and   
young person in ,delafield ought to be  
in  the day school on weekdays1 and in  
,sunday school on ,sunday4  ,delafield  
discourages needless absence from one as
 much as  from the other4    #ah4       
,delafield wants the best possible      
teachers teaching in all  her schools4  
,she insists on trained teachers on week
 days1 and  needs them on ,sundays4     
,therefore she believes that            
teacher-training  is part of every      
church's duty to ,delafield4    ,there's
 one thing about all this that bothers  
me1 said ,j4,w4 when they  had finished 
the final draft of the ,every ,day      
,doctrines1 not that it's  the only one2
 but some of these ,doctrines stand     

small chance of being  put into practice
 until the church people are willing to 
spend more  money on such work4 ,it     
can't be done on the present income of  
the  churches1 or by the usual          
money-raising methods4    ,that's a     
fact1 ,joe ,carbrook agreed4 ,i'd       
already made up my mind that  the       
,carbrooks would have to dig a little   
deeper1 and so must everybody  else who 
cares4    ,yes1 but how to get everybody
 else to care2 that's the trouble1      
,j4,w4  persisted4 ,dad's one of the    
stewards1 you know1 and they find it no 
easy job to collect even what the church
 needs now4 ,they have a deficit  to    
worry with every year1 almost4          
,marcia ,dayne was the only other member
 of the ,let's ,know ,delafield  group  
who happened to be present at this last 
meeting4 ,she had been  waiting for a   
chance to speak4 ,i'm surprised at you  
two1 she said4  ,don't you know the only
 really workable financial way out8     
,well1 not exactly1 ,j4,w4 admitted4 ,i 

suppose if we could only get  people to 
care more1 they would give more4 ,it's a
 matter of letting them  know the need  
and all that1 ,i guess4 ,for instance-- 
,marcia was not ready for his for       
instances4 ,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 she     
interrupted with mock severity1 as a    
thinker you have shone at times  with a 
good deal more brilliance than that4 ,if
 you had said it just the  other way    
'round you would have been nearer right4
 ,people will give if  they care1 of    
course1 but it is even more certain that
 they will care if  they give4 ,the     
thing we need is to show them how to    
give4    ,joe ,carbrook broke into an   
incredulous laugh4 ,in other words1 my  
fair  ,marcia1 you want ,christians to  
give before they care what it is they   
are  giving to1 or even know about it4  
,don't you think our church will be a   
long time financing the ,every ,day     
,doctrines on that system8    ,joe and  
,marcia never hesitated to take opposite
 sides in a discussion1  and always with

 good-humored frankness4 ,so ,marcia    
came back promptly3 ,i  know you think  
it unreasonable1 she said1 but there's a
 condition you  overlook4 ,we became    
,christians long before any of us       
thought about  studying ,delafield's    
needs4 ,and if we and all the rest of   
the ,christians  of the town had        
accepted our financial relation to the  
,kingdom and had  acted on it from the  
start1 there would always be money      
enough and to  spare4    ,oh1 yes1 ,joe 
said understandingly1 ,i see now4 ,you  
mean the tithe4    ,marcia knew1 no     
matter how1 that ,joe had begun to think
 about tithing1  and this seemed the    
opportune time to stress it a little    
more4 ,it could  help the ,every ,day   
,doctrines1 and both ,joe and ,j4,w4    
were keen for that4    ,so ,marcia      
admitted that she did mean the tithe4 ,i
 don't pretend to know  how it began1   
any more than ,i know how real homes    
were established after  the ,fall1 or   
how keeping ,sunday began2 ,i do know   

these began long before  there was any  
fourth or fifth commandment1 or any     
,children of ,israel4  ,and ,i've gone  
over all the whole subject with ,mr4    
,drury--he has a lot of  practical      
pamphlets on the tithe4 ,i believe that 
it is the easiest1  surest1 fairest and 
cheerfulest way of doing two ,christian 
things at  once--acknowledging ,god's   
ownership of all we have1 and going into
  partnership with ,god in his work for 
the world1 what the books sometimes     
call ,christian ,stewardship4    ,i'd   
like to see those pamphlets1 said ,j4,w4
    ,it's queer you haven't seen them   
before this1 said ,marcia4 ,mr4 ,drury  
has distributed hundreds of them4 ,but  
maybe that was when you were away  at   
,cartwright4 ,anyway1 ,i'll get some for
 you4    ,joe was holding his thought to
 the main matter4 ,marcia1 said he1 if  
you can make good on what you said just 
now1 pamphlets or no pamphlets1  ,i'll  
agree to become a tither4 ,first1 to    
start where you did1 how is  tithing    

easier than giving whenever you feel    
like giving8    ,now1 though ,marcia    
expected no such challenge1 she was     
game4 ,i'm not  the one to prove all    
that1 but ,i believe what ,i said1 and  
,i'll try to  make good1 as you put it4 
,but please don't say 'give' when you   
talk  about tithing1 or even about any  
sort of financial plan for ,christians4 
,the first word is 'pay1' ,giving comes 
afterward4 ,well1 then2 tithing is  the 
easiest way1 because when you are a     
tither you always have tithing  money4  
,you begin by setting the tenth apart   
for these uses1 and it is no  more      
hardship to pay it out than to pay out  
any other money that you  have been     
given with instructions for its use4    
,not bad1 at all1 said ,joe4 ,now tell  
us why it is the surest way of  using a 
,christian's money4    ,by this time    
,marcia was beginning to enjoy herself4 
,it is the surest  because it almost    
collects itself4 ,no begging2 no        
schemes4 ,you have  tithing money on    

hand--and you have1 almost              
always--therefore you don't  need to be 
coaxed into thinking you can spare it4  
,if the cause is a real  claim1 that's  
all you need to find out4 ,and when you 
begin to put money  into any cause      
you're going to get interested in that  
cause4 ,besides1  when all ,christians  
tithe there will be more than enough    
money for every  good work4    ,j4,w4   
had not thought much of the tithe except
 as being one of those  religious fads1 
and he knew that every church had a few 
religious  faddists4 ,but he had long   
cherished a vast respect for ,marcia's  
good  sense1 and what she was saying    
seemed reasonable enough4 ,he wondered  
if  it could be backed up by evidence4  
,joe smilingly took up the next         
excellence of the tithe which ,marcia   
had  named4 ,let me see2 did you say    
that the tithe is the fairest of all    
,christian financial schemes8    ,not   
that1 exactly1 ,marcia corrected4 ,i    
said it was the fairest way of          

acknowledging ,god's ownership and of   
working with him in partnership4  ,and  
it is4 ,it puts definiteness in the     
place of whim4 ,it is proportional  to  
our circumstances4 ,it is not difficult4
 ,mr4 ,drury says that forty  years'    
search has failed to find a tither who  
has suffered hardship  because of paying
 the tithe4    ,well1 ,joe1 ,j4,w4 put  
in1 if ,marcia can produce the evidence 
on these  three points1 you may as well 
take the fourth for granted4 ,if tithing
 is  the easiest1 surest and fairest    
plan of ,christian ,stewardship1 seems  
to  me it's just got to be cheerful4    
,i'm going to look into it1 and if she's
  right1 as ,i shouldn't wonder1 it's up
 to you and me to get our finances  onto
 the ten per cent basis4    ,joe was    
never a reluctant convert to anything4  
,when he saw the new way1  his instinct 
was for immediate action4 ,let's go over
 to ,mr4 ,drury's1  he proposed1 and see
 if we can't settle this thing to-day4  
,i hope  ,marcia's right1 and he looked 

into her eyes with a glance of something
  more than friendly1 and if she is ,i'm
 ready to begin tithing to-day4         
,pastor ,drury1 always a busy man1      
reckoned interviews like this as urgent 
business always4 ,not once nor twice1   
but many times in the course of a  year1
 his quiet1 indirect work resulted in   
similar expeditions to his  study1 and  
as a rule he knew about when to expect  
them4 ,he produced the  pamphlets1 added
 a few suggestions of his own1 and let  
the three young  people do most of the  
talking4 ,they stayed a long time1 no   
one caring  about that4    ,as they were
 thanking the pastor1 before leaving1   
,joe said with his  usual directness1   
,marcia was right1 and here's where ,i  
begin to be a  systematic ,christian as 
far as my dealings with money are       
concerned4    ,j4,w41 not in the least  
ashamed to follow ,joe's lead1 said1    
,same here4  ,wish ,i'd known it sooner4
 ,now we've got to preach it4    ,and   
,joe said to ,mr4 ,drury1 in the last   

moment at the door1 ,mr4 ,drury1  if we 
could all get a conscience about the    
tithe1 and pay attention to  that       
conscience1 half the ,everyday          
,doctrines would not even need to be    
stated4 ,they would be self-evident4    
,and the other half could be put into   
practice with a bang6    ,the ,delafield
 ,dispatch got hold of a copy of the    
,everyday ,doctrines  and printed the   
whole of it with a not unfavorable      
editorial comment1  under the caption   
,when ,will ,all ,this ,come ,true8     
,but ,walter ,drury1 when he saw it1    
said to himself1 ,it has already come   
true in a very real sense1 for ,john    
,wesley1 ,jr41 and these others  believe
 in it4 ,and he knew it marked one more 
stage of the ,experiment1  so that he   
could thank ,god and take courage4      
,,chapter ,v      ,,here ,,the ,,alien2 
,,there ,,the ,,little ,,brown ,,church 
,it was all very well to work out the   
,everyday ,doctrines of ,delafield4  ,to
 secure their adoption and application  

by all the churches of  ,delafield was  
another matter4 ,the unofficial         
committee scattered1 for  one thing4    
,joe ,carbrook went back to medical     
school1 and ,marcia to the  settlement  
and the training school4 ,marty was     
traveling his circuit4 ,j4  ,w4 and the 
pastor and a few others continued their 
studies of the town4  ,nobody had yet   
ventured to talk about experts1 but it  
began to be  evident that the situation 
would soon require thoroughgoing and    
skilled  assistance4 ,otherwise1 all    
that had been learned would surely be   
lost4    ,one day in the late fall a    
stranger dropped in at the ,farwell     
,hardware  ,store and asked for ,mr4    
,j4,w4 ,farwell1 ,jr4 ,he had called    
first on ,pastor  ,drury1 who was       
expecting him2 and that diplomat had    
said to him1 ,go see  ,j4,w4 ,i think   
he'll help you to get something started4
    ,j4,w41 with two of the other       
clerks1 was unloading a shipment of     
stovepipes4 ,the marks of his task were 

conspicuous all over him1 and he        
scarcely looked the part of the         
public-spirited young ,methodist4 ,but  
the visitor was accustomed to know men  
when he saw them1 under all  sorts of   
disguises4    ,j4,w41 called to the     
front of the store1 met the visitor with
 a  good-natured questioning gaze4      
,mr4 ,farwell1 ,i am ,manford ,conover1 
of ,philadelphia4 ,back there we have   
heard something of the ',everyday       
,doctrines of ,delafield1' and ,i've    
been  sent to find out about them--and  
their authors4    ,sent8 ,j4,w4         
repeated4 ,why should anybody send you  
all the way from  ,philadelphia to      
,delafield just for that8 ,he could not 
know how much  pastoral and even        
episcopal planning was back of that     
afternoon call4    ,don't think that we 
reckon it to be unimportant1 ,mr4       
,farwell1 said ,mr4  ,conover1          
pleasantly4 ,you see ,i'm from a        
,methodist society with a long  name and
 a business as big as its name--the     

,board of ,home ,missions and  ,church  
,extension4 ,the thing some of you are  
starting here in ,delafield  is our sort
 of thing4 ,it may supply our ,board    
with new business in its  line1 and what
 we can do for you may make your local  
work productive of  lasting results1 in 
other places as well as here4    ,j4,w4 
did not quite understand1 but he was    
willing to be instructed1 for  he had   
found out that the effort to promote the
 ,everyday ,doctrines was  forever      
developing new possibilities and at the 
same time revealing new  expanses of    
,delafield ignorance and need4 ,anybody 
who appeared to have  intelligence and  
interest was the more welcome4    ,they 
talked a while1 and then1 ,i'll tell you
 what1 proposed ,j4,w4  ,how long do you
 expect to be in town8 ,mr4 ,conover    
replied that as yet  he had made no     
arrangement for leaving4    ,then let's 
get together a few people to-night after
 prayer meeting4 ,our  pastor1 of       
course1 and the editor of the           

,dispatch--he's the right  sort1 if he  
does boost 'boosting' a good deal2 and  
,miss ,leigh1 of the  ,high             
,school--she's all right every way2 and 
,mrs4 ,whitehill1 the  president of the 
,woman's ,association of our            
church--that's the women's  missionary  
societies and the ,ladies' ,aid merged  
into one--she's a  regular progressive2 
and ,harry ,field1 who's just getting   
hold of his job  in the ,league2 and the
 ,sunday school superintendent4 ,that's 
dad1 you  know2 he's had the job for a  
couple of years now1 and he's as keen   
about  it as ,harry is over the ,league4
    ,they got together1 and out of that 
first simple discussion came all  sorts 
of new difficulties for ,delafield      
,methodism to face and master4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,manford ,conover was a preacher with a 
business man's training and  viewpoint4 
,he may have mentioned his official     
title1 when he first  appeared1 but     
nobody remembered it4 ,when people      

couldn't think of his  name he was the  
man from the ,board1 which was all the  
same to him4    ,after that first       
night's meeting ,conover gave several   
days to walks  about ,delafield4 ,j4,w4 
had found the shacks and the tenements1 
and ,joe  ,carbrook had introduced      
,j4,w4 to ,main ,street1 but it was left
 to  ,conover to show him ,europe and   
,africa in ,delafield4    ,there's a    
certain town in a ,middle ,western      
,state1 far better known than           
,delafield1 rich1 intelligent1 highly   
self-content4 ,its churches and  schools
 and clubs are matters for complacent   
satisfaction4 ,and you would  be safe in
 saying that not one in five of its     
well-to-do people know  that the town   
has a ,negro quarter1 an ,italian       
section1 a ,bohemian  settlement1 a     
,scandinavian community1 a good-sized   
,greek colony1 and  some other centers  
of cultures and customs alien to what   
they assume is  the town's distinctive  
character4    ,they know1 of course1    

that such people live in the            
town--couldn't help  knowing it4 ,their 
maids are ,scandinavian or ,negro4 ,they
 buy vegetables  and candy from the     
,greeks4 ,they hear of bootlegging and  
blind tigers  among certain foreign     
groups4 ,the rough work of the town is  
done by men  who speak little or no     
,english4 ,but all this makes small     
impression4 ,it  is a commonplace of    
,american town life4 ,and scarcely ever 
does it  present itself as something to 
be looked into1 or needing to be        
understood4    ,so ,conover found it to 
be with ,delafield4 ,the ,everyday      
,doctrines were  well enough1 but he    
knew a good deal of spade work must be  
done before  they could take root and   
grow4 ,he fronted a condition which has 
its  counterpart in most ,american      
towns1 each of which is two towns1 one  
being certain well-defined and delimited
 areas where languages and  ,braces live
 amid conditions far removed from the   
,american notion of  what is endurable1 

and the other the better part of town1  
sometimes  smugly called the residence  
section1 where white ,americans have    
homes4    ,conover and ,pastor ,drury   
compared notes4 ,they were of one mind  
as to the  conditions which ,conover had
 found1 conditions not surprising to the
  minister1 who knew more about         
,delafield than any of his own people   
suspected4    ,one afternoon they met   
,j4,w4 on the street1 and he led them   
into a candy  store for hot chocolate4  
,as they sipped the chocolate they      
talked2 ,j4,w41 as usual1 saying        
whatever he happened to think of4       
,say1 ,mr4 ,conover1 he remarked1 ,i    
notice in all your talk about the       
foreigner in ,america you haven't once  
referred to the idea of the  melting    
pot4 ,don't you think that's just what  
,america is8 ,all these  people coming  
here and getting ,americanized and      
assimilated and all  that8    ,i'd think
 ,america was the melting pot if ,i     
could see more signs of the  melting1   

,conover answered4 ,but look at         
,delafield2 how much does the  melting  
pot melt here8    ,then he looked across
 the store4 ,do you know the proprietor1
 ,mr4  ,farwell8 he asked4    ,yes1     
indeed2 ,nick and ,i are good friends1  
answered ,j4,w4    ,then ,i wish you'd  
introduce me1 returned ,conover4    ,oh1
 ,nick1 ,j4,w4 called1 will you come    
over here a minute8    ,nick came1      
wiping his hands on his apron4    ,nick1
 said ,j4,w41 doing the honors1 you know
 ,mr4 ,drury1 the pastor of  our church4
 ,and this is ,mr4 ,conover from        
,philadelphia1 a very good  friend of   
ours4 ,he's been looking around town1   
and wants to ask you  something4        
,nick's brisk and cheerful manner was at
 its best1 for he liked ,j4,w41  besides
 liking the trade he brought4    ,sure1 
said he1 ,i tell him anything if ,i know
 it4 ,glad for the  chance4    ,mr4     
,dulas1 said ,conover--he had taken note
 of the name on the window1  you know   
the ,east ,side pretty well1 do you8    

,then1 you know that many  ,italians    
live just north of ,linden ,street1 and 
there's a block or so of  ,polish homes 
between ,linden and the next street     
south8    ,sure ,i do1 said ,nick1      
confidently1 ,i live on other side of   
them  myself4 ,see 'em every day4       
,very well1 ,conover went on4 ,what ,i  
want to know is this3 how do the        
,italians and the ,poles get along      
together8    ,they don't have nothing   
much to do with one another1 ,nick      
replied4  ,it's like this1 the ,poles   
they talk ,polish1 and maybe a little   
,english4  ,the ,italians1 they speak   
,italian1 and some can talk ,english1   
only not  much4 ,but ,poles they can't  
talk ,italian at all1 and ,italians     
can't talk  ,polish4 ,so how could they 
get together8    ,that's just the       
question1 ,mr4 ,dulas1 ,conover agreed4 
,i'm telling  these gentlemen that it is
 harder for the different foreign-born  
people  to know one another and to be   
friendly with one another than it is for

  them to know and associate with       
,americans4    ,sure1 ,mister1 ,nick    
said1 with great positiveness4 ,sure4   
,before ,i  speak ,english ,i know      
nobody but ,greeks1 and when ,i start   
learning  ,english ,i got no time to    
learn ,polish1 or ,italian1 or whatever 
it is4  ,english ,i got to speak1 if ,i 
run a candy store1 but not those other  
languages4    ,and he went off to serve 
a customer who had just entered4        
,there you have that side1 said ,conover
 to the minister and ,j4,w4 ,the  need  
of ,english as an ,americanizing force1 
and the meed of it as a  medium of      
communication between the different     
foreign groups4 ,looks as  though we've 
got to bear down hard on ,english1 don't
 you think8    ,as ,nick says1 ',sure ,i
 do1' ,mr4 ,drury assented4 ,it will    
come out all  right with the children1  
,i hope2 they're getting the ,english4  
,but it  makes things hard just now4    
,what can the church do8 ,j4,w4 put in4 
,should it undertake to teach  ,english1

 as that preacher taught ,phil ,khamis1 
you remember1 ,mr4 ,drury2  or          
,americanization1 or what8    ,i think  
it should do something else first1 said 
,conover4 ,why should  we ,americans try
 to make ,europeans understand us1      
unless we first try to  understand them8
 ,isn't ours the first move8    ,but    
this is the country they're going to    
live in1 returned ,j4,w4 ,they  can't   
expect us to adjust ourselves to        
,european ways4 ,they've got to do  the 
adjusting1 haven't they8    ,why8       
,conover came back4 ,because we were    
here first8 ,but the ,indian  was here  
before us4 ,we told him he needn't do   
any adjusting at all1 and  see what     
we've made of him4 ,maybe these         
,europeans can add enriching  elements  
to our ,american culture4    ,i guess   
so1 but--and ,j4,w4 was evidently at a  
loss--but they've got  to obey our laws1
 you know1 and fit into our             
civilization4 ,the ,indian  was         
different4 ,we couldn't make ,indians of

 ourselves1 and he wouldn't  become     
civilized4    ,americanized1 you mean8  
and ,conover laughed a little at the    
irony of  it4    ,no1 no2 not that4 ,but
 he wouldn't meet us half way1 even1    
,j4,w4 said4    ,i think1 suggested     
,pastor ,drury1 that what ,mr4 ,conover 
means is that  we'd better be a little  
less stiff to newcomers than the ,indian
 was to  us4 ,am ,i right8    ,exactly  
right1 returned ,conover4 ,europe is in 
a general way the  mother-land of us    
all4 ,but many of her children were late
 in getting  here4 ,the earlier ones    
have made their contributions2 why may  
not the  later ones also bring gifts for
 our common treasure8    ,well1 what in 
particular do you mean8 asked ,j4,w41   
who was finding  himself adrift4 ,he had
 been quite willing in the ,institute   
days to be an  admirer of ,phil ,khamis1
 and to forget that ,phil was of alien  
birth2 but  this was something more     
complicated4    ,particulars are not so 
simple1 ,conover said4 ,but1 for        

instance3 some  ,european peoples have a
 fine musical appreciation4 ,some       
delight in  oratory4 ,some are mystical 
and dreamy4 ,some are very children in  
their  love of color4 ,some are almost  
artists in their feeling for beauty in  
their work4 ,some do not enjoy rough    
play1 and others cannot endure to be    
quiet4 ,some have inherited a passionate
 love of country1 and great  traditions 
of patriotism4    ,we can't value all   
these things in just the way they do1   
but at least  we can believe that such  
interests and instincts are worth       
something to  ,america4 ,then our       
,americanization work will be not only  
more intelligent  but far more          
sympathetic4    ,if ,i may turn to the  
immediate business1 ,mr4 ,drury said    
with a smile  of apology1 suppose you   
tell ,j4,w4 what your ,board has to     
suggest for us  here in ,delafield1 ,mr4
 ,conover8    ,conover turned to ,j4,w4 
,i wonder if you know anything about    
,centenary  ,church8 he asked4    ,that 

little old brick barn over in the ,east 
,bottoms8 ,why1 yes1 or ,i  used to2 if 
was quite a church when ,i was a        
youngster1 but ,i haven't  been that way
 lately4 ,i guess it's pretty much run  
down1 with all those  foreigners moving 
in4 ,most of the old members have       
probably moved away4  ,i know there were
 two ,methodist boys with me in high    
school who lived  down there1 but       
they've moved up to the ,heights4 ,one  
of them lives next  to the ,carbrooks4  
,mr4 ,drury should take you down that   
way one of these days1 said  ,conover1  
and you'd find that when your friends   
moved out of the church  the foreigners 
who live nearby did not move in4        
,centenary ,church is run  down1 as you 
say4    ,mr4 ,drury added1 ,and the few 
members who are left don't know which   
way  to turn4 ,they have a supply       
pastor1 who isn't able to do much4 ,he  
gets a  pitiful salary1 but they can't  
pay more1 and there's no money at all1  
nor any accommodations1 for any special 

attention to the newcomers4    ,well1   
said ,conover1 ,i'm instructed to tell  
you ,delafield ,methodists  that the    
,board of ,home ,missions and ,church   
,extension is ready to help  make a new 
,centenary ,church1 for the people who  
now live around it4 ,we  have a         
department that pays special attention  
to immigrant and alien  populations4    
,our workers know1 in general1 what is  
needed4 ,we can put  some trained people
 into ,centenary1 with a pastor who     
knows how to  direct their work4 ,i     
should not be surprised to see a parish 
house  there1 and a modernized church   
building1 and a fine array of everyday  
work being done there4    ,my1 but that 
sounds great1 ,mr4 ,drury1 doesn't it8  
asked ,j4,w41 in a  glow of enthusiasm4 
,then he checked himself4 ,it sounds    
well enough1 he  said1 but all that     
means a lot of money4 ,where's the money
 to come  from8    ,from you1 of course1
 ,conover replied1 but not all or most  
from you4  ,my ,board is a benevolent   

board--that is to say1 it is the whole  
church  at work in such enterprises as  
this4 ,that's one way in which its share
  of the church's benevolent offerings  
is used    ,but you don't mean to tell  
us1 said ,j4,w41 incredulously1 that you
 can  drop in on a place like           
,delafield1 make up your mind what is   
needed1 and  then dump a lot of money   
into a played-out church1 just like     
that8    ,oh1 it's not so informal as   
all that1 ,conover said1 ,the thing has 
to  go through the official channels1 of
 course4 ,your district  superintendent 
and ,brother ,drury and the ,bishop and 
several others have  had a hand in it   
already4 ,all concerned have agreed as  
to the needs and  possibilities4 ,but   
,delafield is also a good place to put  
on a  demonstration1 an actual1         
operating scheme4 ,i have been making   
ready for  a survey of the whole ,east  
,side1 just a preliminary study1 and    
before  anything positive is done we    
must make a more thorough inquiry4 ,we  

expect to find out everything that needs
 to be known4    ,there was only one    
anxiety ,i had about it1 ,pastor ,drury 
said1 and  that has been all taken away4
 ,i was keen to have this be a truly    
,christian demonstration--not just a    
settlement or a parish house or  night  
school classes1 but a real demonstration
 of ,christian service  among people who
 now know little about it4 ,in some     
places these  activities are being set  
going because church people know they   
ought to  do something1 and it is easier
 to give money and have gymnasiums and  
moving pictures than to make real proof 
of partnership with ,christ by  personal
 service and sacrifice4 ,take your old  
friend ,martin ,luther  ,shenk1         
,j4,w4--do you know that he's working at
 this very difficulty8 ,and  ,i hear    
he's finding1 even in the country1 that 
some people will really  give           
themselves1 while others will give only 
their money and their  time4    ,j4,w4  
thought of ,win-,my-,chum week1 and how 

he had had to drive himself to  speak to
 ,marty1 so he knew the pastor was      
right4 ,and he went home with  all sorts
 of questions running through his mind1 
but with no very  satisfying answers to 
make them4    ,coming back in a wakeful 
night to ,mr4 ,drury's casual mention of
 ,marty1  the thought of his chum set   
him to wondering how that sturdy young  
itinerant was making it go on the ,ellis
 and ,valencia ,circuit1 just as  the   
pastor guessed it might4 ,to wonder was 
to decide4 ,he would take a             
long-desired holiday4 ,a word or two    
with his father in the morning gave  him
 the excuse for what he wanted to do4   
,then he got ,valencia on the  long     
distance1 and the operator told him she 
would find the ,reverend  ,shenk for him
 in a few minutes4 ,he had started out  
that morning to visit  along the ,state 
,line ,highway1 as it was part of her   
business to know4 ,at  the third try    
,marty was found1 and he answered       
,j4,w4's hail with a shout4    ,after   

the first exchange of noisy greetings1  
,say1 ,marty1 dad's asked me  to run    
down in your part of the world and look 
at some new barn  furniture that's been 
put in around ,ellis--ventilators and   
stanchions  and individual drinking cups
 for the ,holsteins--not like the way we
 used  to treat the cows on our farm1   
hey8 ,well1 what do you say if ,i turn  
fashionable for once and come down for  
the week-end--not this week1 but  next8 
,no need to ask ,marty a question like  
that4 ,come on down4 ,make it ,friday   
and ,i'll show you the sights4 ,we've   
got something doing at the ,ellis       
,church1 something ,i want you to see4  
,then ,marty thought of a few books that
 he had left at home--,and--hello1      
,j4,w41 are you listening8 ,well1 how'd 
you like to go out to the farm  before  
you come down here8 ,jeanette has       
gathered a bundle of my books1  and ,i  
need 'em4 ,won't you get 'em for me and 
bring them along8    ,certainly1 ,j4,w4 
would4 ,the farm was home to both the   

boys1 and ,j4,w4 was  almost as welcome 
there as ,marty2 to one member of the   
family quite so1  though she had never  
mentioned it4    ,on the next ,sunday   
morning ,j4,w4 drove out of town in time
 to get to the  little old church of his
 childhood for morning service4 ,then he
 would go  home with the ,shenks for    
dinner1 spend the afternoon1 get the    
books and  come home when he was ready4 
,there was no hurry4 ,j4,w41 ,sr41 had  
given  him two ,sundays' leave of       
absence from ,sunday school4 ,the next  
,sunday  would be his and ,marty's1 but 
this would be his and ,jeannette's4     
,not that he needed to make any special 
plans for being with ,jeannette  ,shenk2
 of late he had found the half hour     
drive down to the old farm the  prelude 
to a pleasant evening4 ,sometimes he    
would make the round trip  twice1       
running out to bring ,jeanette into     
town1 when something was  going on1 and 
taking her home afterward in the        
immemorial fashion4    ,as ,j4,w4 turned

 to the church yard lane leading up to  
the old horseshed1  he noticed that     
there were only two cars there besides  
his own--and one  old-time sidebar      
buggy1 battered and mud-bedaubed1 with a
 decrepit and  dejected-looking gray    
mare between the shafts4    ,it was time
 for meeting1 and he contrasted to-day's
 emptiness of the  long sheds with the  
crowding vehicles of his childhood      
memories4 ,in  those days so tightly    
were buggies and surries and democrats1 
and even  spring wagons and an          
occasional sulky wedged into the space1 
that it was  nothing unusual for the    
sermon to be interrupted by an uproar in
 the  sheds1 when some peevish horse    
attempted to set its teeth in the neck  
of  a neighbor1 with a resultant        
squealing and plunging1 a cramping of   
wheels and a rattle of harness which    
could neutralize the most  vociferous   
circuit rider's eloquence4    ,at the   
door1 ,j4,w4 fell in with the little    
group of men1 who1 according  to ancient

 custom1 had waited in the yard for the 
announcement of the  first hymn before  
ending their talk of crops and roads and
 stock1 and  joining the women and      
children within4    ,inside the contrast
 with the older day was even more       
striking4 ,the  church1 small as it was1
 seemed almost empty4 ,the ,shenks were 
there1  including ,jeannette1 as ,j4,w4 
promptly managed to observe4 ,father    
,foltz  and his middle-aged daughter    
stood in their accustomed place2 they   
had  come in the venerable sidebar      
buggy1 just as for two decades past4    
,mother ,foltz hadn't been out of the   
house in years1 and among ,j4,w4's      
earliest recollections were those of the
 cottage prayer meetings that he  had   
attended with his father in ,mrs4       
,foltz's speckless sickroom4 ,then      
there were the four ,newells1 and ,mrs4 
,bellamy1 and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,haggard   
with their two little girls1 and a few  
people ,j4,w4 did not know--perhaps     
twenty-five altogether4 ,no wonder the  

preacher was disheartened1 and  preached
 a flavorless sermon4    ,where were the
 boys and girls of even a dozen years   
ago8 where the  children who began their
 ,sunday school career in the little    
recess back  of the curtain8 and where  
the whole families that once filled the 
place8  ,surely1 old ,deep ,creek       
,church had fallen on evil days4    ,it 
was a dismal service1 with its dreary   
sermon and its tuneless hymns4  ,after  
the benediction ,j4,w4 shook hands with 
the preacher1 whom he knew  slightly1   
and exchanged greetings with all the old
 friends4    ,well1 ,john ,wesley1 said 
,father ,foltz1 with glum garrulity1    
this ain't  the church you used to know 
when you was little4 ,i mind in them    
times  when you folks lived on the farm 
how we thought we'd have to enlarge the 
meetinghouse4 ,but it's a good thing we 
never done it4 ,there's room  enough    
now1 and the old man indulged in a      
mirthless1 toothless grimace4    ,the   
,shenks didn't invite him to dinner2    

their understanding was finer  than     
that4 ,pa ,shenk just said1 ,let me     
drive out first1 ,john ,wesley2  ,i'll  
go on ahead and open the gate1 ,and     
,j4,w4 said to ,jeannette1 ,jump  into  
my car1 ,jean2 it isn't fair to put     
everybody into ,pa ,shenk's ,ford  when 
mine's younger and nearly empty4    ,so 
that was that2 all regular and          
comfortable and proper4 ,if ,mrs4       
,newell  smiled as she watched them     
drive away1 what of it8 ,she was heard  
to say  to ,mrs4 ,bellamy1 ,i've known  
for three years that those two ought to 
wake up and fall in love with each      
other1 and they've been slower than     
,father ,foltz's old gray mare4 ,but it 
looks as though they were getting  their
 eyes open at last4    ,at the farm     
,mrs4 ,shenk hurried to finish up the   
dinner preparations1  with ,jeannette to
 help4 ,ben and little ,alice contended 
for ,j4,w4's favor1  until he took      
,alice on his knee and put one arm about
 her and the other  about her brother1  

standing by the chair4 ,and ,pa ,shenk  
talked about the  church4    ,i reckon  
,i shouldn't complain1 ,john ,wesley1 he
 said1 seeing that our  ,marty is a     
country preacher1 and maybe he'll be    
having to handle a job  like this some  
time4 ,but ,i can't believe he will4    
,his letters don't read  like it4       
,but1 ,pa ,shenk1 said ,j4,w41 don't you
 suppose the trouble here in ,deep      
,creek is because you're so near town8  
,nine miles is nothing these days1  but 
when you first came to the farm there   
was only one automobile in the          
township4 ,now everybody can go into    
town to church4    ,they can1 boy1 ,pa  
,shenk answered1 but they don't4 ,not   
all of 'em4  ,some don't care enough to 
go anywhere4 ,one-year tenants1 mostly1 
they  are4 ,some go to town1 all right  
enough1 but not to church4 ,a few go to 
church1 ,i admit1 but only a few4       
,j4,w4 started to speak1 hesitated1 then
 blurted it out4 ,maybe dad and  others 
like him are responsible for some of the

 trouble4 ,they've pulled  out and left 
just a few to carry the load4 ,you're   
all right1 of course2  you really belong
 here4 ,but a lot of the farmers who    
have moved to town  have rented their   
places to what you call one-year        
tenants1 and it seems  to me that's a   
poor way to build up anything in the    
country1 churches or  anything else4    
,tenants that are always moving don't   
get to know anybody  or to count for    
anything4 ,it's not much wonder they are
 no use to the  church4    ,there's a   
good deal in that1 ,john ,wesley1 said  
,pa ,shenk4 ,your father  and me1 we get
 along fine4 ,we're more like partners  
than owner and  tenant4 ,but it isn't so
 with these short-term renters4 ,the    
owner raises  the rent as the price of  
land rises1 and the tenant is mostly too
 poor  to do anything much after he's   
paid the rent4 ,besides1 he's got no    
stake  in the neighborhood4 ,why should 
he pay to help build a new church1 when 
he's got to move the first of ,march8   

,and the church has been as careless    
about him as he has been about the      
church4    ,that's what bothers me1     
,j4,w4 commented4 ,but even so1 ,i      
should think  something could be done to
 interest these folks4 ,they've all got 
families to bring up4    ,something can 
be done1 too1 said ,pa ,shenk4 ,you     
remember when the  people on upper ,deep
 ,creek used to come here to church1    
four miles or  so8 ,well1 now they are  
going to ,fairfield ,church--owners1    
renters1  everybody4 ,it's surprising   
how ,fairfield ,church is growing4      
,that's going  away from town1 not to   
it1 and they're as near to town as we   
are4    ,then1 persisted ,j4,w41 how do 
you account for it8    ,only one way1 my
 boy1 said ,pa ,shenk4 ,i'm as much to  
blame as any1 but  we've had some       
preachers here that didn't seem to      
understand1 and then  lately we've had  
preachers who stayed in town all the    
time except on  preaching ,sunday1 and  
we scarcely saw or heard of 'em all the 

two weeks  between4 ,they haven't held  
protracted meetings for several years1  
and ,i  ain't blaming 'em4 ,what's the  
use of holding meetings when you know   
nobody's coming except people that were 
converted before our present  pastor was
 born8    ,you say some people are going
 over to ,fairfield8 asked ,j4,w4 ,why  
do  they go there1 when they could go to
 town about as easy8    ,well1 ,john    
,wesley1 ,pa ,shenk answered1 soberly4  
,i think ,i know4 ,but  you say you're  
going to spend next ,sunday with ,marty4
 ,from what ,marty  writes ,i've a      
notion it's much the same on his work as
 it is at  ,fairfield1 except that      
,marty has two points4 ,wait till next  
week1 and  then come back and tell us   
how you explain the difference between  
,deep  ,creek ,church and ,ellis4    ,in
 the afternoon ,jeannette and ,j4,w4    
took a ride around the  neighborhood1   
whose every tree and culvert and rural  
mail-box they knew1  without in the     
least being tired of seeing it4 ,their  

talk was on an old1  old subject1 and   
not remarkable1 yet somehow it was more 
to them both  than any poet's rhapsody4 
,and their occasional silences were no  
less  eloquent4    ,but in a more than  
usually prosaic moment ,jeannette said1 
,john ,wesley1  ,i wonder if there's any
 hope to get the ,deep ,creek young     
people  interested in church the way    
they used to be8 ,i'm just hungry for   
the  sort of good times the older boys  
and girls used to have when you and     
,marty and ,i were nothing but children4
 ,they enjoyed themselves1 and so  did  
everybody else4 ,what's the matter with 
so many country churches1  nowadays8    
,to which question ,j4,w4 could only    
answer3 ,i don't know4 ,i didn't        
realize things were so bad here4 ,maybe 
,i'll get some ideas about it next      
,saturday and ,sunday4 ,your father     
seems to think ,marty is getting started
  on the right track4 ,and that reminds 
me2 don't let me go away without  those 
books he wants1 will you8    ,this is   

not a record of that ,sunday afternoon's
 drive1 nor of the many  others which   
followed on other ,sundays and on the   
days between4 ,some  other time there   
may be opportunity for the whole story  
of ,jeannette and  ,j4,w4           99  
99       99       99       99    ,as    
,j4,w4 drove up to ,ellis ,corners post 
office late the next ,friday  afternoon 
,marty waylaid him and demanded to be   
taken aboard4 ,drive a  half-mile       
further east1 he said after their       
boisterous greetings4  ,that's where we 
eat to-night--at ,ambery's4 ,then just  
across the road to  the church4 ,we've  
got something special on4    ,a box     
supper1 asked ,j4,w41 or a bean-bag     
party8 ,but he knew better4    ,marty   
told him to wait and see4 ,supper was a 
pleasant meal1 the ,amberys  being      
pleasant people1 who lived in a cozy new
 house4 ,but ,j4,w4 was  mystified to   
hear ,marty speak of ,henry ,ambery as a
 retired farmer4 ,he  knew retired      
farmers in town1 plenty of them1 and    

some no happier for  being there4 ,but  
in the country8    ,oh1 said ,marty1    
that's easy4 ,our church is the social  
hub of all this  community1 and ,i told 
the ,amberys that if they built here    
they would be  as well off as in town4  
,i'm right too4 ,they bought two acres  
for less  than the price of a town lot1 
and they have most of the farm comforts 
as  well as all the modern conveniences4
 ,you didn't notice any signs of        
homesickness1 did you8    ,no1 ,j4,w41  
hadn't1 though he knew the              
retired-farmer sort of homesickness     
when he saw it4    ,and the ,amberys are
 worth more to the church than they ever
 were1  ,marty added4 ,i'm thinking of a
 scheme to colonize two or three other  
retiring farmers within easy reach of   
this church4 ,why not8 ,they've got     
cars1 and can drive to the county seat  
in an hour if they want to4  ,that's    
better than living there all the time1  
with nothing to do4    ,by this the two 
were at the church1 a pretty frame      

building1 ,l-shaped1  with a community  
house adjoining the auditorium4 ,people 
were beginning  to arrive in all sorts  
of vehicles--cars1 mostly4 ,j4,w4 looked
 for signs  of a feed1 but vainly4 ,no  
spread tables1 no smell of cooking or   
rattle  of dishes from the kitchen4     
,what is it1 ,marty8 he asked4 ,and     
,marty laughed as he answered1          
,old-fashioned singing school1 with some
 new-fashioned variations1  that's all4 
,certainly it was something which       
interested the  countryside1 for there  
was every indication of a crowded house4
    ,j4,w4 heard the singing and noted  
with high approval the variations which 
modernized the old order4 ,he thought   
the idea plenty good enough even  for   
,delafield1 which1 for him1 left nothing
 more to be said4 ,and there  was a     
feed1 after all2 but it was distinctly  
light refreshments1 such  as ,j4,w4 was 
used to at ,delafield ,first ,church4   
,on the way back to the ,amberys'1 and  
well into the night in ,marty's  room1  

they talked about the circuit and its   
work4    ,it isn't a circuit1 rightly1  
you know1 ,marty said4 ,i preach every  
,sunday at both places1 and for the     
present--,j4,w4 grinned--,i can get     
across the whole parish every day if    
necessary4 ,but ,i'm working it a       
little more systematically than that4   
,you must be4 ,i can hardly believe even
 what ,i've seen already1 ,j4,w4        
replied4 ,when ,i was at ,deep ,creek   
last ,sunday ,i was sure it was all  off
 with the country church1 and on the way
 down here ,i passed three  abandoned   
meetinghouses4 ,so ,i made up my mind to
 persuade you out of it4  ,you know ,i  
wasn't much in favor of your coming here
 in the first place4  ,but maybe that's 
a bigger job than ,i thought4    ,you're
 right1 ,john ,wesley1 about that4 ,i   
don't budge1 if ,i can make  myself big 
enough for the job4 ,it's too           
interesting4 ,and things are  happening4
 ,there's no danger of this church being
 abandoned4    ,but what do you do1     

,marty1 to make things happen8 ,i know  
they don't  just happen4 ,i'm from the  
country too1 remember that4    ,what do 
,i do8 ,not ',i' but 'we4' ,well1 we    
work with our heads first1 and  our     
hearts4 ,then we get out and go at it4  
,take our very first social  difficulty2
 in ,delafield you have a dozen places  
to go to4 ,here it's  either the church 
or the schoolhouse--that's all the      
choice there is4  ,and the schoolhouse  
has its limitations4 ,so our folks have 
decided to  make the church1 both here  
and at ,valencia1 the center of the     
community4  ,that explains the social   
hall2 we call it ',community ,house4'   
,everything  that goes on1 except the   
barn dances over east that we can't do  
much  with so far1 goes on in the       
church1 or starts with the church1 or   
ends  at the church4 ,that's the first  
scheme we put over4 ,it was fairly easy1
  you know1 because all our country     
people are pretty much one lot4 ,we     
have no rich1 and no really poor4 ,and  

they're not organized to death1  either1
 as you are in ,delafield4    ,do you   
try to have something going on every    
night1 and nearly every  day1 as        
,brother ,drury does with us8 ,j4,w4    
asked4    ,not quite1 replied ,marty2 we
 can't4 ,we're too busy growing the food
  for you town folks4 ,but we keep up a 
pretty stiff pace1 for the  preacher2 ,i
 have no time hanging on my hands4    ,i
 should think not1 ,j4,w4 commented1 if 
you try to run everything4  ,mr4 ,drury 
always seems to have lots of time1 just 
because he makes the  rest of us run the
 works in ,delafield ,first4    ,oh1 he 
does1 does he8 said ,marty1 shortly1 who
 knew something of the  older minister's
 strategy4 ,that's according to how you 
look at it4 ,i'm  not above learning    
from him1 and ,i don't run everything1  
either4 ,but ,i'm  there1 or            
thereabouts1 most of the time4    ,how  
do you get time for your study and your 
sermons1 then1 queried ,j4  ,w41 if     
you're on the go so much8    ,marty     

turned a quizzical look at ,j4,w4 ,my   
beloved chum1 how did you and  ,i get   
time for our studies at ,cartwright8 he 
said4 ,besides1 ,i'm making  one hand   
wash the other4 ,the social life here1  
for instance1 used to be  pretty bad1   
before ,henderson came--that's the      
preacher whose place ,i  took4 ,it was  
pulling away from the church2 now it    
draws to the church4  ,henderson started
 that4 ,the people who are my main      
dependence in the  other affairs are    
mostly the same people ,i can count on  
in the ,sunday  school and ,league and  
the preaching service4 ,the more we do  
the better  it is for what we do        
,sundays4    ,then1 there's another     
,because these people and ,i know one   
another so  well1 ,i couldn't put on    
airs in the pulpit if ,i wanted to4     
,i've just got  to preach straight1 and 
,i won't preach a thing ,i can't back up
 myself4 ,i  use country illustrations2 
show them their own world4 ,it's one big
 white  mark for the ,farwell farm1 as  

you might suppose1 that ,i know the best
  side of country life1 though ,i don't 
advertise your real estate4    ,i know1 
said ,j4,w4 ,but don't you find country 
people pretty hard to  manage8 ,that's  
our experience at the store4 ,they are  
particular and  critical1 and think they
 know just what they want4    ,they do  
too1 ,marty asserted1 ,why shouldn't    
they8 ,i believe ,i can tell  you one   
big difference between the city boy and 
the country4 ,you've been  both2 see if 
,i'm right4 ,the country boy minds his  
folks1 and his  teacher4 ,but everything
 else minds him4 ,he is boss of every   
critter on  the place1 from the hens to 
the horses1 whenever he has anything to 
do  with them at all4 ,so he learns to  
think for them1 as well as for  himself4
 ,in the city the boy has no chance to  
give orders--he's under  orders1 all the
 time2 the traffic cop1 the truant      
officer1 the boss in  the shop or the   
office1 the street car conductor1 the   
janitor--everybody  bosses him and he   

bosses nothing1 except his kid brothers 
and sisters4  ,so he may come to be half
 cringer and half bully4 ,the country   
boy is not  likely to be much afraid1   
and he soon learns that if he tries to  
boss  even the boys without good reason 
it doesn't pay4 ,maybe that's the       
reason so many country boys make good   
when they go to the city4    ,and the   
reason why a city boy like me1 suggested
 ,j4,w41 would be a  misfit in the      
country4    ,oh1 you1 scoffed ,marty4   
,you don't count4 ,you're a half-breed4 
,but1 as  ,i meant to say1 you're right 
about country folks4 ,they are a little 
close1 maybe4 ,they are more independent
 in their business than town  people1   
but they learn how to work together2    
they exchange farm work1  and work the  
roads1 and they are fairly dependent on 
one another for all  social life4    ,on
 ,deep ,creek the tenant farmers are the
 biggest difficulty1 your dad  told me  
last ,sunday1 said ,j4,w4 ,they go to   
town when they go anywhere1  and not to 

church1 either4    ,i know1 said ,marty4
 ,and ,i don't much blame 'em1 from all 
,i hear4 ,but  ,henderson changed that  
considerably in this community4 ,he     
found out that  the tenants were just as
 human as the others1 only they had the 
idea  that nobody cared about them1     
because they might be here to-day and   
gone  to-morrow4 ,and1 what do you      
think8 ,i find tenant farmers around    
here are  beginning to take longer      
leases2 one or two are about like dad's 
been  with your father--more partners   
than anything else4 ,every renter family
  in this neighborhood comes to our     
church1 and only three or four fight    
shy of us at ,valencia4    ,all right1  
said ,j4,w41 drowsily4 ,go to sleep now2
 ,i've got to inspect  that ,holstein   
hotel in the morning1 and ,i know what  
country hours are4    ,the next day     
,j4,w4 drove off toward the big barns of
 his customer1 and  left ,marty deep in 
the mysteries of ,sunday's sermon4      
,marty was yet a  very young preacher1  

and one sermon a week was all he could  
manage1 as  several of his admirers had 
found out to his discomfiture1 when one 
,sunday they followed him from ,ellis in
 the morning to ,valencia at night4     
,but the twicers professed to enjoy it4 
,j4,w4's farmer was quite ready to talk 
about the new barn equipment and  how it
 was working1 and he had remarkably few 
complaints1 these more for  form's sake 
than anything else4 ,that business was  
soon out of the way4    ,but ,farmer    
,bellamy was interested in other things 
besides ventilators  and horse-forks4   
,so you're a friend of our preacher1 he 
said1 in the questioning  affirmative of
 the deliberate country4 ,well1 he's    
quite a go-ahead  young fellow2 you     
never get up early enough to find him   
working in a  cold collar4 ,maybe he's a
 mite ambitious1 but ,i don't know4     
,j4,w41 as always1 came promptly to     
,marty's defense4 ,he's not ambitious   
for himself1 ,mr4 ,bellamy2 ,i'll vouch 
for that4 ,but ,i shouldn't wonder he   

is ambitious about his work1 and maybe  
that's not a bad thing for a  country   
preacher in these days4    ,that's so1  
,mr4 ,bellamy assented4 ,but ,i doubt we
 keep him4 ,he'll be  getting a church  
in town before long4    ,now ,j4,w4 had 
no instructions from ,marty1 but he     
thought he might  venture4 ,and he had  
been introduced to a few ideas that he  
had never met  in the days when he      
objected to ,marty's taking a country   
circuit4    ,i'll tell you something1   
,mr4 ,bellamy1 he said4 ,marty is a     
farmer's  boy who loves the country4 ,if
 he has the right sort of backing1 ,i   
shouldn't wonder he stayed here a good  
long time4 ,he's got enough plans  ahead
 for this circuit of his4    ,mr4       
,bellamy laughed4 ,he has that2 if he   
waits to get 'em all going  we're sure  
of him for a while4 ,why1 he wants to   
make the church the most  important     
business in the whole neighborhood2 and1
 what's more1 he's  getting some of us  
to see it that way too4    ,yes1 ,i     

guess that's his dream1 ,j4,w4 said4    
,and it's so much better  than the      
reality up around where ,i used to live 
that ,i wouldn't head him  off if ,i    
were you4    ,head him off6 ,mr4        
,bellamy laughed again4 ,why1 do you    
know what he did  in the fall1 when some
 of us told him we couldn't do much for 
missions8  ,he phoned all over the      
neighborhood the day before he set out  
with a  ton-and-a-half truck he had     
hired for the job4 ,told us to put into 
the  truck anything we could spare4 ,and
 what do you think8 ,before night he    
drove into ,hill ,city with a big       
overload1 even for that truck1 of wheat1
  corn1 butter1 eggs1 chickens1 sausage1
 apples1 potatoes1 and dear knows  what4
 ,sold the lot for sixty-nine dollars4  
,he paid nine dollars for the           
truck--got a rate on it--and turned in  
for missions sixty dollars4 ,we've      
never given more than twenty1 in cash4  
,but that wasn't all4 ,next ,sunday he  
reported1 and before any of us  could   

say ',praise the ,lord6' says he1       
',don't think the ,lord's giving any  of
 us much credit for that stuff4 ,we owe 
him a good deal more than a few  eggs   
that we'll never miss4 ,i just wanted to
 show you that when we  country people  
really start paying our tithe to the    
,almighty our  missionary and other     
offerings will make that truckload look 
like the  crumbs from our tables4 ,i've 
proved that we're rich1 instead of being
  too poor to provide for missions4 ,and
 it's all our ,father's1 you know4      
,when we pay him our tithe we admit that
 in the only practical way1'  ,funny    
thing was the whole business had been so
 queer1 nobody got mad  over his plain  
talk4 ,some of us have begun to tithe1  
and to enjoy it4  ,yes2 that young      
feller is quite a go-ahead young feller4
    ,j4,w4 rather admired the tale of   
the truck2 it was like ,marty1 right    
enough1 to get his tithing talk         
illustrated with a load of produce2 but 
there was more than a hint of a new     

,marty1 with a new directness and       
confidence4    ,so he asked1 ,what else 
is he doing that's making a difference8 
,and the floodgates were lifted4 ,the   
,bellamy gift of utterance had a        
congenial theme4 ,for an hour the stream
 ran strong and steady1 and when  it    
would have stopped none could tell4 ,but
 ,j4,w4 remembered he had  promised to  
be back with ,marty for dinner1 and so1 
in the midst of a  story about ,marty's 
,saturday afternoon outings with the    
boys1 highly  reminiscent of their own  
old-time ,saturdays in the ,deep ,creek 
timber1  ,j4,w4 made his excuses and    
hurried away4    ,in that hour he had   
heard of the observing of special days1 
,thanksgiving  and ,christmas           
particularly2 of the rage for athletic  
equipment on every  farm which had      
youngsters1 so that the usual anaemic   
croquet outfit had  given place to      
basketball practice sets1 indoor-outdoor
 ball1  volley-ball nets1 and other     
paraphernalia4 ,some of it not much used

 now1  since winter had come1 but under 
,marty's leadership1 a skating rink     
construction gang had thrown up a dirt  
embankment in a low spot near the  creek
 and then cut a channel far enough      
upstream to flood about four  acres of  
swamp4 ,mr4 ,bellamy told about the     
skating tournaments every  afternoon of 
the cold weather for the school         
children1 and ,saturday  afternoons for 
the older young folks4 ,more people went
 than skated too1  the garrulous farmer 
asserted4 ,it was just another of that  
young  preacher's sociability schemes1  
and there was no end to 'em1 seemed like
  to him4    ,there was even more on the
 business side of country life3 how     
,marty had  joined forces with the      
,grange and the county agent and the    
cooperators  of the creamery and the    
elevator and the school teachers4 ,and  
so on1 and  so on4    ,j4,w4 would be   
the last to worry about such a program2 
it just fitted  his ideas4 ,but it made 
him a little more interested in the     

,sunday  services4 ,would ,marty's      
preaching match his community work8     
,but before ,sunday morning came ,j4,w4 
had other questions to ask4 ,he put     
them to ,marty in intervals of the      
skating races2 and again after supper1  
before going over to the church to meet 
a little group of ,sunday-school        
folk--my teacher-partners ,marty called 
them--who were learning with  him how to
 adapt ,sunday school science and the   
teaching art to the  conditions of the  
open country4    ,all of ,j4,w4's       
questions were really one big question3 
,say1 ,marty1 boy1  ,i always knew you  
had something in you that didn't show on
 the surface1  but ,i never thought it  
was exactly the stuff they need to make 
up-to-date country preachers4 ,how does 
it happen that you've blossomed  out in 
these few months as a ,moses to lead a  
'rural parish'--if that's  the right    
scientific name--out of such a          
wilderness as ,i saw at ,deep  ,creek   
last ,sunday8    ,marty made a pass at  

his chum in the fashion of the          
,cartwright days1 and  waited for the   
return punch before answering4 ,don't   
you ',moses' me1  ,john ,wesley4        
,besides1 this circuit was no           
wilderness4 ,henderson1 the  preacher   
who was here before me1 was just the man
 for this work4 ,he knew  the country1  
and believed it had the makings of even 
more attractive  life than the town4    
,too bad he had to quit4 ,but he started
 these folks  thinking the right way4   
,and then1 don't you remember ,i wrote  
last  summer that ,i was spending two   
weeks at a school for rural ministers8  
,oh1 yes1 ,i remember that1 ,j4,w4      
answered1 but that's no explanation4 ,i 
spent four years at a college for town  
and country boys1 and now look at  me6  
,two weeks is a little too short a      
course to produce miracles1 even  with  
such an intellect as yours1             
notwithstanding your name is bigger     
than mine1 ,martin ,luther6 ,now1 if    
you'd said four weeks1 ,i might almost  

have believed you1 but two weeks--well1 
it just isn't done1 that's all6    ,make
 fun of it1 will you6 said ,marty1 with 
another short-arm jab4  ,now1 listen to 
me4 ,that thing is simple enough4 ,first
 off1 ,i'd been  thinking four years    
about being a preacher4 ,on top of that1
 ,i'd been a  country boy for           
twenty-three years4 ,i know the ,deep   
,creek neighborhood  better than you do1
 because ,i had to live there4 ,you were
 just visiting  the farm your father    
paid taxes on4 ,when ,i came here ,i    
found that  ,henderson had set things   
going4 ,he told me what his dream was4  
,so1 when  ,i went to that two-weeks'   
school ,i was ready to take in every    
word and  see every picture and get a   
grip on every principle4 ,maybe you     
don't  know that it was one of many such
 schools set up by the rural work       
leaders of our ,home ,missions ,board1  
and it was a great school4 ,they had  no
 use for rocking-chair ruralists1 so the
 faculty1 instead of being  made up of  

paper experts1 was a bunch of men who   
knew4 ,it was worth a  year of dawdling 
over text-books4 ,you see1 ,i knew ,i   
could come back here  and try everything
 on my own people4 ,it was like the     
,squeers school in  ',nicholas          
,nickleby1' ',member8 ,when the spelling
 class was up1 ,squeers  says to ,smike1
 the big1 helpless dunce1 ',spell       
window1' ,and ,smike says1              
',w-i-n-d-e-r1' ',all right1' ,squeers  
says1 'now go out and wash 'em1'  ,well1
 ,i hope ,i got the spelling a little   
nearer right1 but ,i came home  and     
began washing my windows4 ,that's all4  
,j4,w4 said ,huh6 and that stood for    
understanding1 and approval1 and        
confidence4    ,as to ,marty's          
preaching1 it was a boy's preaching1    
naturally1 but it was  preaching4 ,and  
the people came for it2 ,j4,w41 remarked
 to himself the  contrast between the   
close-parked cars around ,ellis church  
and the  forlornly vacant horse-sheds he
 had seen at ,deep ,creek the ,sunday   

before4    ,the hearty singing of people
 glad to be singing together1 the       
contagious  interest of a well-filled   
house1 and the simple directness of the 
preacher were all of a piece4 ,here was 
no effort to ape the forms of a         
cathedral1 but neither was there any    
careless1 cheap slovenliness4 ,and      
assuredly there were no religious       
stunts4    ,marty preached the          
,christian evangel1 not moralized       
agriculture4 ,he made  the gospel       
invitation a social appeal1 without     
blinking its primary  message to the    
individual to place himself under the   
authority of  ,christ's self-forgetting 
love4 ,he put first things in           
front--,him that  cometh unto me1 and   
then with simple illustrations and words
 as simple  he showed that they who had 
accepted ,christ's lordship were honor  
bound  to live together under a new sort
 of law from that of the restless1      
pushing1 self-centered world3 ,it shall 
not be so among you4 ,besides1  he told 

them they could not separate service    
from profit4 ,they knew1 for  instance1 
that their farm values were a third     
higher because of the  presence of the  
church and its work1 but they would find
 that the profit  motive was not big    
enough to keep the church going4 ,they  
had to love the  work1 and do it for    
love of it4    ,that afternoon the      
friends drove over to ,valencia1 where  
at night ,marty  would preach again this
 his one sermon of the week2 and ,j4,w4 
left him  there1 turning his car        
homeward for the fifty-two miles to     
,delafield4    ,as they parted1 ,j4,w4  
gripped ,marty's hand and said3 ,old    
man1 ,i own up4  ,i thought you ought   
not to bury yourself in the country1 but
 ,i had no  need to worry4 ,i know      
preachers who are buried in town all    
right2 you  have a bigger field and a   
livelier one than they will ever find4  
,and  ,i'll never say another word about
 your two-weeks' school4 ,if the ,home  
,missions ,board had nothing else to do1

 such work as it showed you how to  do  
would be worth all the ,board costs4    
,i'm going to make trouble for ,mr4     
,drury and the district superintendent  
and the bishop and the ,board and       
anybody else ,i can get hold of1 until  
,deep ,creek gets the same sort of      
chance as this circuit of yours4 ,if    
only they knew where to find another    
,martin ,luther ,shenk--that's the rub6 
,and with a last handclasp the  chums   
went their separate ways4    ,on ,monday
 ,j4,w4 called up ,pastor ,drury and    
gave that gentleman1 who was  expecting 
it1 a five-minute summary of his day    
with ,marty4 ,i'm awfully  glad ,i      
happened to think of going over there1  
he said1 not only for  the sake of being
 with the old boy again1 but because    
,i've got some new  notions about the   
country church1 and about what we       
,methodists are  beginning to do for the
 places where ,methodism got its start4 
,and ,walter ,drury said1 ,yes1 ,i'm    
glad1 too4 ,so he was2 he could put     

down a new mark on the credit side of   
the ,experiment4        ,,chapter ,,vi  
,,is ,,he ,,not ,a ,,man ,,and ,a       
,,brother8    ,the colored ,methodists  
of ,delafield1 who called their church  
,saint  ,marks1 had always been on good 
terms with their white co-religionists4 
,mr4 ,drury and the pastor of ,saint    
,marks found many occasions of helping  
each other in their work4 ,the single   
way in which these two showed           
themselves conscious of the color line  
was that while the pastor of  ,first    
,church often preached in ,saint ,marks1
 when the pastor of ,saint  ,marks      
appeared in the pulpit of ,first        
,church1 it was to speak on some  aspect
 of his work4    ,j4,w4 knew ,saint     
,marks of old4 ,in his high-school days 
that church had  for its preacher one of
 a fast-vanishing race1 a man mighty in 
exhortation1 even though narrowly       
circumscribed in scholastic equipment4  
,his preaching was redolent of the camp 
meeting1 and he counted that  sermon    

lost which did not evoke a shout or two 
from the front benches4    ,a few of    
,first ,church's younger people often   
went to sing at ,saint ,marks  on       
special occasions1 and went all the more
 cheerfully because of the  chance it   
afforded to hear ,brother ,king ,officer
 preach4 ,where he got  that name is not
 known1 but he had no other4    ,do not 
think the young people either went to   
scoff or remained to pray4  ,if at times
 they were amused at ,brother ,officer's
 peculiarities1 so  were some members of
 his own flock1 and ,brother ,officer   
was wise enough  to assume that no      
disrespect was intended4 ,and if the    
white visitors  treated his fervent     
appeals to the unconverted and          
backsliders as part  of the program1 but
 having no slightest application to     
them1 this was  also the regular thing1 
and nobody was troubled thereat4    ,but
 while ,j4,w4 was away at college a new 
pastor had come to ,saint ,marks1  a    
college and seminary graduate4 ,and he  

had come just in time4 ,brother         
,officer was getting old1 but the       
determining factor which made the       
change necessary was that ,delafield    
happened to be near one of the  general 
routes by which thousands of colored    
people were moving  northward4 ,exoduses
 have been before2 ,kansas still        
remembers the  exodus from ,tennessee of
 forty years ago2 but this latest exodus
 had no  one starting-point nor any     
single destination4 ,it was a vast      
shifting of  ,negro populations from    
below ,mason and ,dixon's line1 and it  
swept  northward toward all the great   
industrial centers4 ,its cause and      
consequences make a remarkable story1   
for which there is no room in this      
chronicle4    ,delafield thought it     
could not absorb many more ,negroes1 but
 before the  exodus movement subsided   
the stragglers who had turned aside at  
,delafield had more than doubled the    
,negro population of the town4    ,a    
heavy burden of new responsibility was  

on the young pastor of ,saint  ,marks4  
,the newcomers had no such alertness and
 resourcefulness as his  own people4    
,they were helpless in the face of new  
experiences4 ,soon  they became a worry 
and an enigma to the town authorities2  
but  especially and inevitably they     
turned to the churches of their own     
color1 of which ,delafield could boast  
but two1 a ,methodist and a  ,baptist4  
,so ,saint ,marks and its pastor found  
both new opportunity and  new troubles4 
,one day in the early spring ,mr4 ,drury
 dropped in to the ,farwell store  and  
asked ,j4,w4 if he would be busy that   
night4 ,the road to ,deep ,creek  was at
 its spring worst1 and ,j4,w4 had       
nothing special on4 ,he said as  much1  
and answering his look of inquiry the   
pastor said1 ,there's a man  speaking at
 ,saint ,marks to-night who's a ,yale   
graduate and a ,negro4 ,he's  also a    
,methodist4 ,does the combination       
interest you8    ,why1 yes1 ,j4,w4      
answered1 it might4 ,you know ,i used to

 go with the  bunch to ,saint ,marks    
when ,brother ,officer was pastor1 but  
,i haven't been  since he left4 ,i'd    
like to see what the new preacher is    
doing1 and it  ought to be worth        
something to hear a ,negro alumnus of   
,yale4    ,william ,hightower1 it       
seemed1 was the speaker's name--a       
strong-voiced2  confident man in his    
thirties4 ,as ,j4,w41 soon discovered1  
,hightower was a  distinctively modern  
,negro4 ,where ,king ,officer had been  
almost cringing1  ,hightower's thought1 
however diplomatically spoken1 was that 
of an  up-standing mind2 where ,officer 
accepted as part of the social order the
  colored man's dependence on the white1
 ,hightower spoke of something he       
called racial solidarity4 ,it was plain 
that he meant his ,negro hearers  to    
make much of the ,negro's capacity for  
self-direction4    ,there was little    
bitterness and no radicalism in the     
speech1 but to ,j4,w4  it had a queer1  
new note4 ,he said as much to ,mr4      

,drury1 on the way home4  ,why1 that    
,hightower hardly ever mentioned the    
church1 although he was  speaking at a  
church meeting4 ,and how independent he 
was6    ,so you noticed that1 did you8  
the pastor responded4 ,to me it is one  
of the signs of a new day4    ,but do   
you think it is a good day1 ,mr4 ,drury8
 queried ,j4,w4    ,yes--perhaps2 ,i    
don't know4 ,anyhow1 it is new1 and some
 of the blame  for it is on our         
shoulders4 ,the way the ,negro thinks   
and feels to-day is  a striking proof of
 the fact1 often forgotten1 that when   
you settle old  questions you raise new 
ones4    ,maybe1 said ,j4,w4 doubtfully1
 but ,i didn't know we had settled the  
,negro question4    ,nor ,i1 agreed ,mr4
 ,drury4 ,what we--,i mean1 we          
,methodists--settled when  we began to  
deal with the ,negro right after        
emancipation was not the  race question4
 ,it was not even a missionary question1
 in the old sense1  but it was the      
question of the nature of the education 

we should give  the young colored       
people4 ,for we set out deliberately to 
give them  schooling first1 with        
evangelism as an accompaniment4 ,the    
stress was on  education1 and we decided
 at the outset on a certain sort of     
education4    ,i should think1 ventured 
,j4,w41 that any old sort of education  
would  serve2 the first teachers had to 
begin at the bottom1 didn't they8       
,yes1 and lower than any beginnings you 
know anything about1 the pastor         
replied4 ,our first workers began       
without equipment1 without              
encouragement1 and without everything   
else except a great pity for the        
freedman4 ,did you notice1 by the way1  
that the speaker to-night never  said   
'freedman' or mentioned slavery8 ,it is 
a new day1 ,i tell you4    ,i wish you'd
 explain just what you mean by that1    
,mr4 ,drury1 ,j4,w4 said4  ,i don't seem
 to get it4    ,i mean1 said ,mr4       
,drury1 that as soon as our church had  
decided to do  something for the        

emancipated slaves1 it began to work out
 a scheme of  ,negro education4 ,that   
was before ,tuskegee1 and even before   
,hampton  ,institute4 ,maybe we never   
thought of the ,booker ,washington idea1
 or  purely industrial education1 but at
 any rate we went on the theory that    
the ,negro deserved and in time could   
take as good an education as any  other 
,american4 ,so we started academies and 
colleges and even  universities for him1
 and a medical school and a theological 
seminary4    ,i can see myself that     
there's a difference between that and   
the  industrial idea1 said ,j4,w4       
,decidedly1 there is1 answered the      
minister2 all the difference which  has 
helped to bring this new day ,i'm       
talking about1 and to produce such      
,negro leaders as ,william ,hightower4  
,you see1 ,j4,w41 it's this way3 ,booker
  ,washington believed that after the   
,negro had been taught to read and      
write and cipher1 his next and greatest 
educational need was to learn  to make a

 living4    ,well1 what's the matter    
with that8 retorted ,j4,w4 ,seems to me 
it's  common sense4    ,possibly1 ,mr4  
,drury answered1 dryly4 ,but what would 
you say was the  first thing needed in  
the fight against the almost total      
illiteracy of  the freedmen8    ,why1   
teachers1 ,i suppose1 said ,j4,w4 ,and  
it would sure take a lot of  teachers1  
even to make a start4    ,mr4 ,drury    
said1 ,that's exactly the fact4 ,it has 
called for so many that  to this day    
there isn't anything like enough        
teachers1 although some of  our schools 
and those of other churches have been at
 work for fifty  years4 ,and1 remember1 
that practically all of these teachers1 
except in  a few advanced schools1 must 
be black teachers1 themselves brought up
  out of ignorance4    ,well1 said      
,j4,w41 that's my point4 ,the quicker we
 could teach the  teachers1 the sooner  
they would be ready to teach others4    
,that is to say1 ,mr4 ,drury            
interpreted1 the less we taught them1   

the  better8 ,seems to me ,i heard      
something of a small revolt in your time
 at  ,cartwright because it seemed      
necessary that a young tutor should be  
temporarily assigned to the class in    
sophomore ,english4    ,j4,w4 chuckled4 
,it was my class4 ,why1 that fellow was 
never more than  two jumps ahead of the 
daily work4 ,we knew he had to study his
 own  lesson assignments before he could
 hear a recitation4 ,we weren't  getting
 anything out of it except the bare     
text4 ,so some of the boys  made things 
lively for a few days1 and he asked to  
be relieved4    ,quite so4 ,your class  
had every imaginable advantage over the 
colored  boys and girls in our          
schools--just one teacher below par4    
,and yet you  think it would be all     
right to have all colored teachers no   
more than  two jumps ahead of their     
pupils4    ,well1 yes1 ,i see1 ,j4,w4   
said1 with a touch of thoughtfulness4 ,i
  suppose a good teacher needs more than
 the minimum text-book knowledge4  ,is  

that the ,methodist theory8    ,now     
you're talking like yourself1 ,mr4      
,drury told him4 ,yes1 that's the       
,methodist theory4 ,for the fifty years 
of the old ,freedmen's ,aid             
,society--now the ,board of ,education  
for ,negroes--it has run these  schools1
 eighteen of them now1 with five        
thousand seven hundred and two  earnest 
students enrolled1 on a double theory4  
,the first part of the  theory is that  
every child--black1 white1 red or       
yellow--ought to have  all the education
 he can use4 ,anything less than that   
would be as good  as saying that        
,america cares to develop its human     
resources only just so  far1 and not to 
the limit4 ,the other part of the theory
 is that the last  person in the world  
to be put off with half an education is 
a preacher  or a teacher4 ,the best is  
just good enough for all teachers1      
whether  they teach from a desk or from 
a pulpit4    ,i guess that's so too1    
said ,j4,w4 ,you're getting me          

interested4 ,now go  on and tell me some
 more4    ,the new pastor of ,saint     
,marks told me1 said ,mr4 ,drury1       
irrelevantly1  that they would be       
wanting some new roofing for the barn   
they're  turning into a community house4
 ,i shouldn't be surprised if you sold  
the  church a nice little bill of goods4
 ,and while you are at it1 you might    
talk to the pastor--,driver's his       
name--about this thing from his side of 
the road4 ,he knows more than ,i do4    
,j4,w4 said he would4 ,and1 though he   
would have meant it in any case1 the    
hint about roofing made certain that    
,elder ,driver would have a call in  the
 morning from a rising young hardware   
salesman4    ,by this time they were at 
the ,farwell gate1 and ,j4,w4 said      
goodnight4 ,mr4  ,drury walked home1 but
 before he got ready for his beloved    
last hour of  the day1 with its easy    
chair and its cherished book1 he called 
up his  colored colleague1 and they had 
a brief talk over the 'phone4    ,now1  

,walter ,drury had taken no one into his
 confidence about the  ,experiment1 nor 
did he intend to2 he had the best of    
reasons for keeping  his own counsel1   
through the years4 ,so ,elder ,driver   
could not know the  true inwardness of  
this telephone call2 indeed1 it was so  
casual that he  did not even think to   
mention it to ,j4,w4 when that alert    
roofing  specialist turned up next      
morning4    ,i heard you were going to  
put new roofing on that barn you are    
fixing  up1 ,mr4 ,driver1 and ,i thought
 ,i might get your order for the job4   
,maybe  you know that we do a good deal 
of that sort of work1 and we can give   
you expert service2 the right roofing   
put on to stay1 and to stay put4        
,yes1 they were thinking of that roof2  
had to1 because it leaked like a  market
 basket1 and they needed the place right
 now1 what with the many  colored       
,methodists who had come to town and had
 no home--only rooms in  the little     
houses of the colored settlement that   

had been too small for  comfort even    
before the exodus4 ,but the place would 
be worth a lot to  their work when they 
got it4    ,about how much do you think 
of spending1 ,mr4 ,driver8 ,j4,w4 asked4
  ,knowing the limited means of ,saint  
,marks1 he expected to supply the       
cheapest roofing the ,farwell ,hardware 
,company had in stock1 but ,pastor      
,driver had a surprise for him4    ,why1
 he said1 we want the best there is4    
,that building was a barn1  ,i'll admit1
 but it is strongly built1 and we expect
 to fix it pretty  thoroughly4 ,we have 
a gift from the ,board of ,home         
,missions and ,church  ,extension1 and  
we match that with as much again of our 
own money1 enough  in all to swing the  
building around off the alley1 put it on
 a new  foundation next to the church1  
and remodel it for our needs4    ,that's
 news to me1 said ,j4,w41 though of     
course ,i'm glad to hear it4  ,but ,i   
didn't know that the ,board put money   
into such work as this4  ,somehow ,i    

supposed you were under the ,board of   
,education for ,negroes4    ,no1 not for
 this sort of church work1 the colored  
pastor answered4 ,i  was 'under' the    
,board of ,education for ,negroes1 as   
you put it1 for a  long time myself1 in 
the days when it was called the         
,freedmen's ,aid  ,society4 ,and so was 
my wife4 ,but now we're doing missionary
 work1 and  that's the other ,board's   
job4    ,oh1 yes1 ,j4,w4 assented4 ,i   
might have known that4 ,and you mean    
that  you were under the ,freedmen's    
,aid ,society when you were going to    
school--is that it8    ,that's it1 said 
,pastor ,driver1 with a gleaming smile4 
,i was in two of  the schools4          
,philander ,smith ,college1 at ,little  
,rock1 ,arkansas1 and  ,clark           
,university1 at ,atlanta1 ,georgia4     
,then ,i got my theological course  at  
,gammon1 on the same campus as ,clark4  
,you say your wife was in school too8   
,yes--with an even brighter smile--she  
was at ,clark when ,i met her4  ,like   

me1 she attended two schools on that    
campus4 ,the other was ,thayer  ,home1 a
 girls' dormitory1 supported by the     
,woman's ,home ,missionary  ,society4   
,a home8 ,then how could it be a school8
 ,j4,w4 asked4    ,that's just it1 ,mr4 
,farwell1 the minister explained4 ,it   
was a school  of home life1 not only    
cooking and sewing and scrubbing1 and   
what all  you think of as domestic      
science1 but a school of the home       
spirit--just  the thing my people need4 
,thayer was1 and is1 a place where the  
girl  students of ,clark ,university    
learn how to make real homes4 ,and in   
the  college classes they learn what you
 might suppose any college student      
would learn4 ,that's why ,i said ,mrs4  
,driver went to two schools4    ,j4,w4  
recalled the ,hightower speech of the   
night before1 and the  discussion with  
,mr4 ,drury on the way home4 ,he wanted 
to go into it all  with this pastor1 who
 wasn't much past his own age1 and      
evidently had  some ideas4 ,for the     

first time he wondered too how it       
happened that in  that draft of the     
,everyday ,doctrines of ,delafield they 
had altogether  ignored the ,negro4 ,was
 that a symptom of something8 ,then he  
remembered  his errand1 and the work    
which was waiting up at the store4      
,so he said3 ,excuse me1 ,mr4 ,driver1  
for being so inquisitive4 ,i've never   
thought much about our church's colored 
work1 but what ,i heard at last  night's
 meeting started me4 ,rather curious    
that ,i should be here talking  about it
 with you the very next morning1 isn't  
it8 ,but about that  roofing1 now4 ,of  
course you'll look around and get other 
estimates1 but  anyway ,i'd be glad to  
take the measurements and give you our  
figures4 ,i  promise you they'll be     
worth considering4    ,i'm sure of that1
 ,mr4 ,farwell1 said the other1         
heartily1 and if ,i  have any influence 
with the committee--and ,i think ,i     
have--you needn't  lose any sleep over  
any other figures we might get4 ,as for 

being  inquisitive about our work here1 
,i wish more of this town's white       
,methodists would get inquisitive4 ,and 
that reminds me3 there's to be an       
,epworth ,league convention here week   
after next1 and ,i've been told to      
invite one of the ,league leaders in    
your church to make a short address  on 
the opening night4 ,you're a ,league    
leader1 ,i know1 and the first one      
,i've thought about4 ,so ,i'm asking    
you1 right now4 ,will you come over and 
speak for us8    ,now1 though ,j4,w4    
always said he was no speaker1 he had   
never hesitated  to accept invitations  
to take part in ,league conventions4    
,but this was  different4 ,he made no   
answer for a minute4 ,and in the pause  
his mind was  busy with all he knew1 and
 all he had acquired at second hand1    
about the  relations of colored         
,christians and white1 and particularly 
about what  might be thought and said if
 it should be announced that he was to  
speak  at a ,negro ,epworth ,league     

convention4 ,and then he had the grace  
to  blush1 realizing that this colored  
pastor1 waiting so quietly for his      
answer1 must infallibly have followed   
his thoughts4 ,in his swift  self-blame 
he felt that the least amends he could  
make for his unspoken  discourtesy was a
 prompt acceptance of the invitation4   
,so he looked up and said1 hurriedly3   
,mr4 ,driver1 forgive me for not        
speaking sooner4 ,i'll do the best ,i   
can2 and then1 regaining his  composure1
 ,have you any idea as to the subject   
,i'm supposed to talk  about8    ,yes1  
the colored minister replied1 not       
without a touch of curious  tenseness in
 his voice4 ,the committee wanted me to 
get a representative  from your ,chapter
 to make a ten-minute address of welcome
 on behalf of  the ,epworthians of      
,first ,church6    ,again ,j4,w4 was    
forced to hesitate4 ,here he was an     
,epworthian1 but  knowing nothing at all
 about the work of these other young    
,methodists4  ,until to-day he scarcely 

knew they existed4 ,and now he was asked
 to  welcome them to town in the name of
 the ,league6    ,but once again shame  
compelled him to take the bold course4  
,with an  apologetic smile he said1     
,well1 that's the last subject ,i could 
imagine  you'd give to any of us at     
,first ,church4 ,your young people and  
ours have  hardly been aware of each    
other1 and it seems queer that you      
should ask  me to make an address of    
welcome in your church4 ,but as ,i think
 of it1  maybe this is just what        
somebody ought to do1 and ,i might as   
well try  it4 ,trouble is1 what am ,i   
going to say8    ,we'll risk that1 ,mr4 
,farwell1 said ,pastor ,driver1         
confidently4 ,just  say what you think1 
and you'll do all right4    ,j4,w4 was  
by no means sure of that1 and the more  
he thought about his  speech in the next
 few days1 the more confused he became4 
,any ordinary  speech of welcome would  
be easy--,glad you were sensible enough 
to come  to ,delafield1 make yourselves 

at home1 freedom of the city1 our  latch
 strings are out1 command us for        
anything we can do1  congratulate you on
 the fine work you are doing1 know when 
we return  this visit and come to the   
places you represent you will make us   
welcome--and so on4 ,but it was plainly 
impossible for him to talk like  that4  
,it wouldn't be true1 and it would      
certainly not be prudent4    ,he put the
 thing up to ,j4,w41 ,sr4 ,what'll ,i   
say1 dad8 he asked4 ,you  know we       
haven't had much to do with the people  
of ,saint ,marks1 and maybe  it wouldn't
 be best for us to make any sudden      
change as to that1 even  if some of us  
wanted to4 ,but ,i've got to talk like a
 ,christian1 whether  ,i feel like one  
or not4    ,my son1 his father answered 
him1 sententiously1 it's your speech1   
not  mine4 ,but if an old fogy may      
suggest something1 why not forget all   
about  the usual sort of welcome        
address8 ,why not say something of the  
whole  program of our church as it      

affects our colored people8 ,it touches 
the  young folks more than any others4  
,welcome them to that4    ,that's all   
very fine1 ,j4,w4 objected4 ,everybody  
who's on for an  address of welcome is  
advised by his friends to cut out the   
old stuff1  but it means work4 ,and you 
know that ,i don't know the first thing 
about  what you call the whole program  
of our church for the colored people4   
,that man ,driver knows1 but ,i can't   
ask him4    ,of course not1 assented    
,j4,w41 ,sr41 but you can ask somebody  
else4  ,i'll venture ,mr4 ,drury can    
tell you where to find all you would    
want to  talk about4 ,ask him4 ,you're  
never bothered by bashfulness with him1 
if ,i  remember right4    ,j4,w4        
admitted he had already thought of that4
 ,he and ,i were talking  about this    
very thing the night before ,i went to  
see about that roofing4  ,but here's the
 point--,i'm not to represent the       
pastor1 but the young  people4 ,and ,i'm
 not so sure that what ,mr4 ,drury might

 give me1 if he  were willing1 could be 
made to fit into a ,league speech1 under
 the  circumstances4    ,i'd try it     
anyway1 said the elder ,farwell4 ,he's  
nearly always  willing1 seems to me1 and
 a pretty safe adviser most of the time4
    ,all right1 agreed ,j4,w41 ,i'll see
 him1 but he'll probably tell me to     
find things out for myself4 ,he's a good
 scout1 is ,mr4 ,drury2 the best  pastor
 ,i ever knew or want to know1 but      
sometimes he has the queerest  streaks2 
won't help a fellow a little bit1 and   
when you're absolutely  sure he could if
 he would4 ,it won't be enough to see   
him1 though2 even  if he is in a        
generous mood and gives me more dope    
than ,i can use4 ,i'd  better talk to   
some of the ,league people4 ,and still  
he gravitated  toward the pastor's      
study4 ,it was the easiest way4    ,the 
pastor was always in a more generous    
mood than ,j4,w4 gave him credit  for4  
,it was only that he never supplied     
crutches when people needed to  use     

their legs1 nor brains when they needed 
to use their heads1 nor  emotions when  
they needed to use their hearts4    ,he 
told ,j4,w4 to rummage through the one  
bookshelf in the study which  held his  
small but usable collection of books and
 pamphlets on the  ,negro1 and see what 
he might find4 ,and1 as always1 they    
talked4    ,i can tell by that preacher 
at ,saint ,marks1 said ,j4,w41 how ,i   
had the  wrong end of the argument that 
night we came from ,hightower's address4
 ,a  man with a big job like his has to 
be a pretty big man1 and he needs all   
the education he can get4    ,there's a 
principle in that1 ,j4,w41 suggested    
,mr4 ,drury2 see if this  seems a       
reasonable way to state it3 ,in dealing 
with any people1 the  more needy they   
are1 the better equipped and trained    
their leaders  should be4    ,yes1 sir1 
it sounds reasonable enough1 ,j4,w4     
admitted4 ,and yet ,i never  thought of 
it until now4 ,but you said something   
the other night that ,i  don't see yet4 

,that may be no fault of yours1 my boy1 
said the minister1 with a  laugh4 ,what 
was it8    ,why1 you said men like      
,hightower are inclined to overlook the 
work of  the church1 and that it was the
 church's own fault2 something about    
raising new questions when you settle   
old ones4    ,oh1 yes1 said ,mr4 ,drury1
 ,i remember4 ,maybe saying it's the    
church's  own fault is not just the way 
to put it4 ,say instead that you can't  
educate children1 nor yet races that are
 developing1 and expect them to  turn   
out exactly according to your notions of
 the future4 ,because1 when  their minds
 are growing they are developing1 not   
according to something  in you1 but     
according to something in them4 ,so     
every teacher1 and ,i  suppose every    
parent1 has moments of wondering how it 
ever happens that  young people learn so
 much that is not taught them4 ,and it's
 the same  way with races4    ,you mean1
 inquired ,j4,w41 that ,hightower is    
like that8    ,i mean1 ,pastor ,drury   

replied1 that everybody is like that4   
,if we had  given the ,negro no         
education at all1 we could probably have
 kept him  contented for a good many    
years with just being 'free4' ,if we had
 given  no ,negro anything but a        
common-school chance1 the race would    
have been  pretty slow to develop       
discontent4 ,but ,hightower went to     
,yale1 and ,du  ,bois went to ,harvard  
and ,germany1 and ,pickens went to      
,yale1 and so on4  ,thousands of colored
 men and women have been graduated from 
colleges of  liberal arts4 ,and so they 
are not satisfied with conditions which 
would  have been heavenly bliss to their
 grandfathers and grandmothers4    ,i   
know ,i'm stupid1 said ,j4,w41 a trifle 
ruefully1 but ,i've always  supposed    
that education was good for everybody4  
,now you seem to say that  education    
makes people discontented4    ,of course
 it does1 said ,mr4 ,drury1 that's the  
reason it is good for  them4 ,would you 
be content to call a one-room shack     

home1 and live as  the plantation hand  
lives8 ,if you would1 the world's profit
 out of you1  and your own profit out of
 yourself1 wouldn't be much4 ,real      
education  does exactly mean discontent4
 ,and the people who are discontented   
may be  uncomfortable to live with1 if  
we think they ought to be docile1 but   
they get us forward4    ,maybe you're   
right1 ,j4,w4 conceded1 and the church  
is not to be  blamed4 ,still1 if our    
work for the black man has made him     
troublesome1  and given him ideas bigger
 than he can hope to realize1 how does  
that  fit in with our ,christianity8    
,shouldn't the church be a peacemaker1  
instead of a trouble-maker8    ,now1    
,john ,wesley1 ,jr41 the other said1 in 
mock protest1 that sermon  of mine on   
',not ,peace1 but a ,sword' must have   
been wasted on you4 ,our  ,lord most    
certainly came to make peace1 and he    
spoke a great blessing on  peacemakers4 
,but he was himself the world's greatest
 disturber4 ,peace  while there is      

injustice1 or ignorance1 or any sort of 
wickedness1 has  nothing to do with     
,christ's intentions4 ,i know that the  
old-time  slave-traders of the ,north1  
and the more persistent slave-buyers of 
the  ,south1 were always asking for that
 sort of peace4 ,but they couldn't have 
it4 ,nobody ever can have it1 so long as
 ,jesus has a single follower in  the   
world4    ,well1 what has all this to   
do1 asked ,j4,w41 with our church's     
special  work for the colored people8   
,ah1 yes1 the pastor answered1 that's   
the very thing you must find out  before
 you make that address of welcome4      
,by this time ,j4,w4 had gathered up a  
pile of books1 pamphlets1 reports1  and 
papers--enough1 he thought1 to serve as 
the raw material of a ,ph4,d4  thesis1  
and he said to ,mr4 ,drury1 ,would you  
mind if ,i took this home8  ,i'll bring 
it all back1 and it's not likely ,i'll  
damage it much44    ,the asking was no  
more than a form2 for years the people  
of ,first ,church  had known themselves 

freely welcome to any book in the       
preacher's  shelves4 ,an interest in his
 books was passport to his special      
favor4 ,his  own evident love for books 
had been the best possible insurance    
that  these particular borrowers would  
be more scrupulous than the general4    
,this bit of pastoral work1 it should be
 said1 with the frequent  book-talk that
 grew out of it1 was not least among all
 the reasons why  ,first ,church people 
thought their bachelor minister just the
 man for  them4    ,so off went ,j4,w4  
with his armful1 and for a week         
thereafter you might  have supposed he  
was cramming for a final exam of some   
sort4 ,early in  his preparation he     
decided that his father's advice was    
wise1 and he put  the stress of his     
effort on the church's work and how     
,negro youth had  responded to it4 ,the 
other matter was too delicate1 he felt1 
for his  amateur handling1 and1 besides1
 he was not altogether sure even of his 
own position4    ,on the convention     

night ,saint ,marks was crowded with    
young colored  people1 some of whom came
 from places a hundred miles away4 ,they
 were  badged and pennanted quite in the
 fashion to which ,j4,w4 was accustomed4
  ,but for their color1 and1 to be      
frank1 for a little more restraint and  
thoughtfulness in their really unusual  
singing1 they were just young           
,methodists at a convention1 not        
different from ,caucasian ,methodists of
  the same age4    ,when ,j4,w4's turn  
came to speak1 the chairman introduced  
him in the  fewest possible words1 but  
with the courtesy which belongs to      
self-respect1 saying1 ,mr4 ,farwell will
 make the delegates welcome in  the name
 of the ,first ,church ,epworthians4    
,and he did4 ,he had his notes1 pretty  
full ones1 to which he made  frequent   
references1 but the quality in his      
speech which drew the  convention's     
cheers was its frank and natural        
simplicity4    ,i would have begged off 
from this duty1 if ,i could1 he began1  

but ,i  knew from the moment ,i was     
asked that ,i had no decent excuse4 ,but
 ,i knew  so little of what ,i ought to 
say that it was necessary for me to dig1
  just as ,i used to do at school4      
,the result of my digging is that ,i    
know now and ,i want you to know that   
,i know1 why ,first ,church young people
 should join in welcoming you to        
,delafield4 ,some of them don't know    
yet1 any more than ,i did ten days  ago2
 but ,i intend to enlighten them the    
first chance ,i get4    ,we ,first      
,church ,epworthians might welcome you  
for many reasons1 but ,i  have decided  
to stick to two1 because1 as ,i have    
said1 ,i have just been  learning       
something about them4    ,we welcome    
you1 then1 because you represent the    
most eager hunger for  complete         
education that exists in ,america       
to-day1 unless our new ,hebrew  citizens
 can match it4 ,no others can4 ,the     
record of our church's schools  for your
 race prove that it simply is not       

possible to keep the ,negro  youth out  
of school4 ,they will walk further1 eat 
less1 work harder1 and  stay longer to  
get an education than for anything else 
in the world4    ,not so many days ago  
,i ignorantly thought that the 'three   
,r's' was all  that ought to be offered1
 partly because the need is so great4 ,i
 hope  you will forgive me that thought1
 when ,i tell you that now ,i know what 
ignorance it revealed in me4 ,the great 
need is the strongest argument  for the 
highest education4 ,because of your     
great numbers1 and because  of your ever
 intenser racial self-respect1 the      
,negro must educate the  ,negro1 be     
physician for the ,negro1 preach to the 
,negro1 nurse the ,negro1  lead the     
,negro in all his upward effort4        
,otherwise these things will be  done   
badly1 or patronizingly1 or not at all4 
,but if you are to do your own          
educational work1 your educators must be
  fully equipped4 ,it is not possible to
 send the whole race to college1  but it

 is possible to send college-trained    
youth to the race4 ,for this  reason our
 church has established normal schools1 
colleges of liberal  arts1 professional 
schools1 homes for college girls1 so    
that the coming  leaders of your people 
may have access to the best the world   
offers in  science and literature1 in   
medicine and law1 in business and       
religion4    ,you will not mistake my   
purpose1 ,i am sure1 in saying that you 
know  better than we can guess how your 
people1 through no fault of theirs1     
have been long in bondage to the        
unskilled hand1 the unawakened mind1    
and the uninspired heart4 ,but it is    
more and more an unwilling bondage4     
,and our church1 your church1 has set up
 these schools and these  training homes
 ,i have mentioned1 as though she were  
saying1 in the words  of one of your own
 wonderful songs1 ',let my people go6'  
,and the results  are coming4 ,your two 
bishops1 one in the ,south and one in   
,africa1 your  leaders in the church's  

highest councils1 your educators1 your  
far-seeing business men1 your great     
preachers1 are part of the answer  to   
your church's passion to give full      
freedom to all her people4    ,for you  
are her people1 the people of the       
,christian ,church2 we are  all ,god's  
people4 ,it seems to me that just now   
,god is interested in  bringing to every
 race in the world the chance of liberty
 for hand and  head and heart4 ,god has 
greater things for us all to do than we 
can now  understand1 but all his        
purposes must wait on our getting free  
from  everything that would defeat our  
work4    ,our ,first-,church young      
people welcome you because with all else
 you  represent a great purpose to make 
religion intelligent4 ,you know1 as we  
do1 that piety to be vital must be mixed
 with sound learning4 ,you have  the    
missionary spirit1 which never thrives  
in an atmosphere of  resistance to      
education4 ,you are 'fellow             
,christians1' fellow workers4 ,we  are  

sharers with you in personal devotion to
 our ,lord1 and in the common  purpose  
to make him ,master of all life4        
,and1 finally1 let me say it bluntly1 we
 welcome you because we believe  in your
 pride of race1 and honor it in you as  
we honor it in our fellow  citizens of  
other races4 ,they and you have some    
things in common1 but  you will not     
misunderstand me when ,i congratulate   
you on what is  peculiar to you4 ,you   
have been fully ,americanized for more  
generations  than most other ,americans4
 ,you have no need to strive after the  
,american  spirit4 ,i have a friend of  
,greek birth1 who thinks pridefully back
 to  the ,golden ,age of ,greece1 and ,i
 envy him his glorying4 ,but your pride 
of race1 turning away from the unhappy  
past1 sees your ,golden ,age in  the    
days to come1 not in the dim yesterdays4
 ,you are the makers1 not the           
inheritors1 of a great destiny4    ,for 
that noble future which is to be yours  
in our common ,america1 you  do well to 

hold as above price the purity and      
strength of your racial  life4 ,better  
than we of ,caucasian stock1 you know   
that only so may all  the values be     
fully realized which are to be ,africa's
 contribution to  the spiritual wealth  
of ,america and the world4    ,there was
 a moment of silence1 for the           
implications of the last sentence  were 
not as plain as they might have been4   
,but when the audience caught  ,j4,w4's 
somewhat daring appeal to its racial    
self-respect it broke into  such cheers 
as are not given to the polite phraser  
of conventional  commonplaces4          
,,chapter ,,vii      ,,the ,,first      
,,american ,,civilization    ,the full  
record of ,j4,w4's commercial career    
must he left to some other  chronicler1 
but an occasional reference to it cannot
 be omitted from  these pages4          
,pastor ,drury's brother ,albert1 a     
,saint ,louis business man who knew the 
old city by the ,mississippi from the   
levees to the ,university1 was a        

citizen who loved his city so well that 
he did not need to join a  ,boosters'   
,club to prove it4 ,the two ,drurys saw 
each other1 as both  averred1 all too   
seldom4 ,on the infrequent occasions    
when they met1 as1  for instance1 during
 a certain church federation gathering  
which had  brought the minister down to 
,saint ,louis from ,delafield1 their    
visiting was a joyous thing to see4     
,lounging in the ,city ,club one day    
after lunch1 with every other subject   
of common interest at least touched on1 
,brother ,albert turned to ,brother     
,walter3 ,and how goes the church and   
parish of ,delafield8 ,you told me  long
 ago that you wanted to stay there ten  
years2 it's more than eight  now4 ,does 
the ten-year mark yet stand8    ,yes1   
,al41 it still stands1 if nothing should
 interfere1 said ,walter4  ,he had never
 told his brother the reason back of    
that ten-year mark1 and  he was not     
ready1 even yet1 for that4 ,of late he  
had taken to wondering  when and how the

 ,experiment would come to its crisis4  
,he wanted some  help just now1 and here
 might be an opening4 ,so he went on1   
,i've been  working away at several     
special jobs1 as you know ,i like to do1
 and one  of them has a good deal to do 
with a young fellow named ,farwell1     
,john  ,wesley ,farwell1 ,jr41 who'll be
 the mainstay of the best hardware store
  in ,delafield before long if he sticks
 to it4 ,everybody calls him ',j4,w41'  
and he's the sort of boy that has always
 interested me1 he's so  'average1' ,he 
paused2 his thoughts busy with the      
,experiment4    ,well1 his brother broke
 in1 after a moment1 what's this young  
,john  ,wesley ,methodist been doing8   
,it isn't altogether what he has been   
doing1 but it's what ,i'd like to  see  
him get a chance to do1 explained the   
preacher4 ,he's tied to the  store and  
to ,delafield1 so far1 and ,i've reasons
 for wanting him to see  some parts of  
this country he'll never see from ,main 
,street in our  town4    ,well1 brother 

mine1 maybe he could be induced to leave
 that particular  ,main ,street4        
,there's where we get the best citizens 
of this village4 ,has  he any objections
 to making a change--to travel1 for     
instance8    ,i don't know1 said        
,walter2 probably not4 ,he's young1 and 
has a pretty  good education4 ,i do know
 that he's ambitious to make himself the
 best  hardware man in our section1 and 
,i believe he'll do it1 in time4        
,personally1 ,i want him to travel4 ,but
 how would anybody go about  getting him
 the chance8    ,albert ,drury laughed4 
,that's easy1 only a preacher couldn't  
be  expected to see it4 ,if any country 
boy really knows the stuff he  handles1 
whether it is hardware or candy or      
hides1 he can get the chance  all right4
 ,this town wants him4 ,don't you know  
that the big wholesale  houses recruit  
their sales forces by spotting just such
 boys as your  ,john ,wesley ,farwell   
may be8 ,but what do you mean by calling
 him average1  if he's such a keen judge

 of hardware8    ,oh1 well1 he is more  
than average on hardware1 but he's so   
beautifully average human2 one of those 
chaps who do most of the real  work of  
the world4    ,all right1 old man2 ,i'm 
not sure that ,i follow you2 but1       
anyway1 ,i may  be of some use4 ,i'll   
tell you what ,i'll do2 ,i know the very
 man4 ,peter  ,mc,dougall1 who's a      
friend ,i can bank on1 is sales manager 
of the  ,cummings ,hardware             
,corporation4 ,nothing will come of it  
if ,peter is not  impressed1 but all ,i 
need to do is to tell him there's a     
prospective  star salesman up at        
,delafield1 and his man who has that    
territory will  be looking up your ,john
 ,wesley before you have time to write  
another  sermon4 ,by the way1 he added1 
what part of the country did you say you
  wanted young ,farwell to see8    ,i   
didn't say1 the preacher admitted1 but  
,i would like him to see  something of  
the ,southwest4 ,i want to see what will
 happen when he bumps  up against the   

sort of civilization that followed the  
,spanish to  ,america4    ,well1 of     
course1 you know that wholesale hardware
 houses don't run  salesmen's excursions
 to help ,methodist preachers try out   
the effect of  ,american history on     
their young parishioners1 no matter how 
lofty the  motive1 and ,albert ,drury   
poked his brother in the ribs4 ,but     
supposing  this boy is otherwise good   
stuff he'll be in the right place1 if he
 goes  with the ,cummings people4 ,a big
 share of their business is in that end 
of the world4    ,if ,j4,w4 had been    
told of this conversation1 which he     
wasn't1 he might  not have been quite so
 mystified over the letter from the     
great ,peter  ,mc,dougall1 which came a 
few weeks after the preacher's return   
from ,saint  ,louis4 ,mc,dougall he knew
 well by reputation1 having heard about 
him from  every ,cummings man who       
unpacked samples in ,delafield4 ,and to 
be invited  to ,saint ,louis by the     
great man1 with the possibility of an   

opening1  ultimately1 in our sales      
force1 was a surprise as interesting as 
it was  unexpected4 ,naturally1 ,j4,w4  
could not know how much careful         
investigation had preceded the writing  
of that letter4 ,the ,cummings          
,corporation did not act on impulse4    
,but he would have accepted the         
invitation in any case4    ,and that is 
enough for the present purpose of the   
story of ,j4,w4's first  business       
venture away from ,delafield4 ,not      
without some hesitation did he  close   
with the ,cummings offer2 but after he  
had talked it all over with  the folks  
at home1 and then all over again out at 
,deep ,creek with  ,jeannette ,shenk1   
who was both sorry and proud1 it was    
settled4 ,reaching  ,saint ,louis1 the  
canny ,mc,dougall looked him over and   
thought him worth  trying out2 so over  
he went to the stock department4 ,then  
followed busy  weeks in the buildings of
 the ,cummings ,hardware ,corporation   
down by the  river1 learning the stock4 

,he discovered before the end of the    
first day  that he had never yet guessed
 what hardware meant2 he wandered       
through  the mazes of the vast          
warehouses until his legs ached much and
 his eyes  ached more4    ,at last came 
the day when he found himself on the    
road1 not alone1 of  course1 but in tow 
of ,fred ,finch1 an old ,cummings       
salesman who had  occasionally made     
,delafield4 ,the ,cummings people did   
not throw their  new men overboard and  
let them swim if they could4 ,they had a
 careful  training system1 of which the 
stockroom days were one part1 and this  
personally conducted introduction to the
 road was another4    ,albert ,drury had
 been sufficiently interested in his    
brother's wish to  drop a hint to       
,mc,dougall1 to which that hard-headed  
executive would have  paid no attention 
if it had not fitted in just then with  
the  requirements of his sales policy4  
,but the hint sent ,j4,w4 out with      
,finch  over the longest route which the

 house worked for trade4 ,on the map    
this  route was a great kite-shaped     
thing1 with its point at ,saint ,louis1 
and  the whole ,southwest this side of  
the ,colorado ,river included in the    
sweep of its sides and top4    ,to ,fred
 ,finch it was a weary journey1 but     
,j4,w4 gave no thought to its           
discomforts4 ,he was seeing the country1
 as well as learning to sell  hardware1 
and both occupations were highly        
absorbing4 ,before long he  found too   
that he was seeing a new people4        
,storekeepers he knew1 as  being of his 
own guild2 the small towns were much    
like ,delafield1 when  you had become   
used to their newer crudeness of        
architecture and their  sprawling       
planlessness2 and the people who used   
hardware were very much  like his       
customers at home4    ,he had no fear of
 failing to become a salesman1 after the
 first few  experiences under ,finch's  
watchful eye2 his father had taught him 
a sort  of salesmanship which experience

 could only make more effective4 ,he    
knew  already never to sell what he     
could see his customer ought not to buy1
  and he knew always to contrive as much
 as possible that the customer  should  
do the selling to himself4 ,the elder   
,farwell used to say1 ,let  your        
customer once see the advantage that    
buying is to him1 and he won't  care    
what advantage selling is to you4       
,now1 as has been said before1 this is  
not a salesman's story4 ,let it  suffice
 to say that before the two got back to 
,saint ,louis ,j4,w4 knew he  had found 
his trade4 ,he was a natural salesman1  
and so ,fred ,finch  reported to ,peter 
,mc,dougall4 ,if it's hardware1 he said1
 that boy can  sell it1 and ,i don't    
care where you put him4 ,he can sell to 
people who  can't speak ,english1 and ,i
 believe he could sell to deaf mutes or 
the  blind4 ,he knows the line1 and they
 know he knows it4 ,why1 this very      
first trip he's sold more goods on his  
own say-so than on the house  brand4    

,said he knew what the stuff would do1  
and people took that who  usually want  
to know about the guarantee4 ,all of    
which ,peter ,mc,dougall  filed where he
 would not forget it4    ,but to go back
 to the trip itself4 ,along the railway 
in ,kansas ,j4,w4  began to see box-cars
 without trucks1 roughly fitted up for  
dwellings4  ,dark-skinned men and women 
and children were in occupation1 and all
 the  household functions and processes 
were going on1 though somewhat          
primitively4    ,mexicans1 said ,finch1 
as ,j4,w4 pointed out the cars4 ,section
 hands2  when ,i first began to make    
this territory you never saw them except
  right down on the border1 but they    
have moved a long way east and north4   
,i saw lots of them in the yards at     
,kansas ,city last time ,i was there4   
,j4,w4 watched the box-car life with a  
good deal of curiosity4 ,here and  there
 were poor little attempts at color and 
adornment2 flowers in  window boxes and 
bits of lace at the windows4 ,delafield 

had plenty of  foreigners1 but these    
were foreigners of another sort4 ,they  
seemed to be  entirely at home4    ,i   
suppose1 he said to ,finch1 these       
,mexicans have come to the ,states  to  
get away from the robbery and ruin that 
,mexico has had instead of  government  
these last ten years and more4    ,yes1 
,finch answered1 thousands of 'em4 ,but 
not all4 ,some of these  ,mexicans are  
older ,americans than we are4 ,we took  
'em over when we got  ,texas and ,new   
,mexico and ,california from ,old       
,mexico4 ,they were here  then1 speaking
 the ,spanish their ancestors had       
learned three hundred  years ago and    
more4 ,but they're all the same         
,mexicans1 no matter on  which side of  
the ,rio ,grande they were born4 ,of    
course those born on  this side have had
 some advantages that the peons never   
knew4    ,but do you mean1 ,j4,w4 wanted
 to know1 that they are not really      
,american citizens8    ,fred ,finch said
 no1 he didn't mean exactly that4       

,certainly1 those born  on this side    
were ,american citizens in the eyes of  
the law1 and those  who came across the 
,rio ,grande could get naturalized4 ,but
 that made  little real difference4 ,a  
,mexican was a ,mexican1 and you had to 
deal  with him as one4    ,j4,w4 was not
 quite satisfied with that explanation1 
but he preferred to  wait until he had  
seen enough so that he could ask his    
questions more  intelligently4 ,so he   
kept relatively still1 but his eyes did 
not cease  from observing4    ,as the   
trip progressed1 and the jumps between  
towns became longer1 the  young salesman
 had time to see a good deal4 ,in the   
far ,southwest he  became aware that the
 increasingly numerous ,mexican         
population was no  longer a matter of   
box-car dwellers1 more or less          
migratory4 ,it was a  settled people4   
,its little adobe villages1 queer and   
quaint as they  seemed to               
,middle-,western eyes1 were centers of  
established life4 ,and he  discovered   

that in these villages always one       
building overshadowed all  the rest4    
,one day as they were headed towards ,el
 ,paso he ventured to mention this  to  
his traveling companion4 ,seems to me1  
he said1 that none of these  little mud 
villages is too poor to have a church1  
and mostly a pretty  good church too4   
,how do they manage it8    ,now ,finch  
was no student of church life1 but he   
did know a little about  the country4   
,that's the way it is all over this     
,southwest1 my boy1 and  across the line
 in ,old ,mexico it's a good deal more  
so4 ,my guess is that  the churches and 
the priests began by teaching the people
 that whatever  else happened they had  
to put up for the church1 and from what 
,i've  noticed ,i reckon that now       
nothing else matters much to the church4
 ,it  has become a kind of poor relation
 that's got to be fed and helped1       
whether it amounts to anything or not4  
,but it's a long way from being as      
humble and thankful as you would        

naturally expect a poor relation to  be4
    ,during the ,el ,paso layover the   
two of them took a day across the       
,international ,bridge4 ,j4,w4 had      
watched the ,mexicans coming over1 and  
he  wanted to see the country they came 
from4    ,you'll not see much over      
there1 a friendly spoken customs        
official  told him4 ,it's a pretty poor 
section of desert 'round about these    
parts4 ,you ought to get away down into 
the heart of the country4    ,yes1 ,i   
suppose so1 ,j4,w4 responded1 but there 
isn't time on this trip4  ,are such     
people as these coming over to the      
,united ,states right along8    ,i      
should say they are1 said the man of    
authority with emphasis4 ,in  the last  
four or five years the ,mexican         
population of the ,united ,states  has  
about doubled2 three quarters of a      
million have crossed the ,rio  ,grande  
somewhere1 or the border further west4  
,you people from the ,east  make a big  
fuss over immigration from ,europe1 but 

you hardly seem to  know that a regular 
flood has been pouring in through these 
southwestern  gateways4 ,you will some  
day4    ,what they saw on the ,mexican  
side of the bridge was1 as the customs  
man  had said1 nothing much4 ,but ,j4,w4
 came away with a strange sense of      
depression4 ,he had never before seen so
 much of the raw material of  misery and
 squalor2 what he had observed with     
wondering pity in the  villages on the  
,american side was as nothing to the    
unrelieved  hopelessness of the south   
bank of the river4    ,that night in the
 hotel lobby ,j4,w4 noticed a           
fresh-faced but rather  elderly man whom
 he recognized as one whom he had seen  
over in ,mexico  earlier in the day4    
,with the memory of what he had seen yet
 fresh upon  him1 ,j4,w4 ventured a     
commonplace or two with the stranger1   
and found him  so genial and interesting
 that they were still talking long after
 ,fred  ,finch had yawned himself off to
 bed4    ,i thought ,i remembered seeing

 you over there1 said the unknown1 and  
you didn't look like a seasoned         
traveler2 more like the amateur ,i am   
myself1 though ,i do get about a little4
    ,i'm no seasoned sightseer1 said    
,j4,w42 this is my first time out4 ,and 
that's maybe the reason ,i've developed 
so much curiosity about the  people we  
saw to-day4 ,do you know much about     
them8    ,who8 the ,mexicans8 ,the other
 man smiled1 and then was suddenly      
serious4 ,my friend1 ,i begin to think  
,i'm making the ,mexicans my hobby4  ,i 
don't know who you are1 but if you are  
really interested in the  ,mexicans as  
human beings ,i'd rather tell you what  
,i know than do  anything else ,i can   
think of to-night4 ,it isn't often ,i   
find a traveling  man who cares4        
,well1 ,i do care1 ,j4,w4 asserted1     
stoutly4 ,they're people1 folks1  aren't
 they8 ,and it looks as though they     
could stand having somebody get         
interested in them a little4    ,ah1 ,i 
see now what you are2 you are that      

remarkable combination1 a  traveling man
 and a ,christian4 ,am ,i right8        
,why1 ,i suppose so1 said ,j4,w41 with a
 smile and a touch of the old  boyish   
pride in his name4 ,my initials1 as you 
might say1 are ',john  ,wesley1' and    
,i'm not ashamed of them4    ,and that  
means you are not only a ,christian1 but
 a ,methodist8 ,my dear  man1 we must   
shake on that4 ,i'm a ,methodist myself1
 as the stage robber  said to ,brother  
,van1 with the romantic name of ,tanner4
 ,got my first  interest in ,mexico and 
the ,mexicans when my daughter married a
 young  ,methodist preacher and they    
went down there as missionaries4 ,i make
 a  trip to see them and the babies     
about once a year4 ,but now ,i am       
getting  interested in these people as  
an ,american and1 ,i hope1 a ,christian 
who  tries to work at the business4     
,what did you say your other name was8  
,j4,w4 hadn't said1 but now he did1 and 
the two settled to their talk4  ,this   
,william ,tanner1 some sort of retired  

business man1 certainly seemed  to know 
his ,mexico4 ,and he had that most      
subtle of all stimulants  to-night1 a   
curious and sympathetic hearer4 ,by     
consequence he was eager  to give all   
that ,j4,w4 would take4    ,before long 
,j4,w4 had edged in a question about the
 church4 ,he said1 ,you  know1 ,mr4     
,tanner1 we have a pretty good ,roman   
,catholic church in my home  town1      
though ,father ,o',neill doesn't tie up 
much to what the other  churches are    
trying to do1 and some of his flock seem
 to me pretty wild1  for sheep4 ,now1   
these churches down here are all ,roman 
,catholic too1 yet  they certainly don't
 look any kin to ,saint ,ursula's at    
,delafield4 ,are  they8    ,it was the  
sort of question which ,william ,tanner 
had asked himself many  a time when he  
first came to ,mexico4 ,this is the way 
of it1 ,mr4  ,farwell1 he said4 ,the    
church came to ,mexico1 and to all      
,latin ,america1  from ,spain and       
,portugal4 ,it had a few great names1 we

 must acknowledge1  in those early      
times4 ,but in a little while it settled
 down to two  activities--to make itself
 the sole religious authority and to get
 rich4  ,it was a church of ,god and    
gold1 and as a matter of course it      
preached  that it was the supreme       
arbiter of life and death in matters of 
faith1  and extended its authority into 
every relation of life4 ,it brought from
  the lands of the ,inquisition the idea
 of priestly power1 and there was  none 
to dispute it in ,latin ,america1 as    
there was in the colonies of our  own   
country4 ,it gave the people little     
instruction1 and no  responsibility or  
freedom4 ,it made outward submission the
 test of piety  and faith4 ,and so when 
,spain lost its grip on the western     
hemisphere the  church found itself with
 nothing but its claim of power to fall 
back on4  ,well1 you know that would    
work only with the ignorant and the     
superstitious4    ,mexico1 and all      
,latin ,america for that matter1 clear  

to the ,straits of  ,magellan1 is a land
 of innumerable crosses1 but no ,christ4
 ,the church  has had left to it what it
 wanted2 that is1 the priestly          
prerogatives2  it marries1 baptizes1    
absolves1 buries1 where the people can  
pay the  fees1 and the people for       
various reasons have not cared that this
 is  all4 ,if they are afraid1 or want  
to make a show1 they call in the        
church2 if they don't care1 or if they  
are poor1 they go unbaptized1           
unmarried1 unshriven1 and do not see    
that it makes any difference4 ,they     
have no understanding of the church as a
 ,christian institution2 in fact1  ,i   
think it would puzzle most of them to   
tell what a true church ought to  be4   
,now1 all this is the church's reward   
for its ancient choice1 which1  so far  
as ,i can see1 is still its choice4 ,to 
the average ,latin ,american  the church
 is1 and in the nature of things must   
be1 a demander of pay  for ceremonial1  
and a bitterly jealous defender of all  

its old  autocratic claims4 ,that is of 
the nature of the church4    ,but ,i    
don't understand1 interposed ,j4,w4 ,if 
the people have no real  use for the    
church1 why do they support it8 ,it     
certainly is supported4    ,that1 ,mr4  
,farwell1 is the tragedy of the church  
in all these lands1  said ,mr4 ,tanner1 
soberly4 ,the church began by looking to
 its own  interests first4 ,it wanted   
great establishments and a docile       
people4 ,it  found the gospel hard to   
preach to the natives--the real gospel1 
,i mean4  ,the cruelties and greed of   
the conquest had made impossible any    
preaching of a ministering1 merciful1   
and unselfish ,christ4 ,in fact1 the    
vast majority of the priests who came   
over from ,europe brought with them  no 
such ideas4 ,the church was ruler1 not  
missionary4 ,and so far as it  dares it 
sticks stubbornly to that notion even to
 this day4 ,so it has  had to make      
practical compromise with the paganism  
and superstition it  found here4 ,many  

of its religious observances are the    
aboriginal pagan  practices disguised in
 ,christian dress and given ,christian  
names4 ,the  church has sold its        
birthright for the privilege of         
exploiting the  credulity and the fears 
of the people4 ,it has made merchandise 
of all  its functions4 ,now1 after the  
centuries have come and gone1 both      
church  and people through long custom  
are willing to have it so4 ,the people  
have their great churches1 with incense 
and lights and all the pomp of          
medaeival days4 ,but they have no living
 ,christ and no thought of him4 ,the    
priests have their trade in ceremonial  
and their perquisites1 but they  have no
 power over the hearts of men4    ,as   
his new acquaintance paused for breath  
after this long answer to a  short      
question1 ,j4,w41 remembering something 
,fred ,finch had said1 brought  the     
remark in3 ,the man who is showing me   
the ropes as a hardware man  tells me   
that all over ,latin ,america the church

 is likely to be the one  real building 
in every town and village4 ,is that also
 something that  the people are so used 
to that they don't notice it any more8  
,oh1 yes1 ,mr4 ,tanner assented4 ,i     
suppose the contrast between the  church
 and the miserable little hovels around 
it never occurs to any of  them4 ,it has
 always been so4 ,the church has built  
itself up out of the  community1 and for
 the most part it puts very little back4
 ,it conducts  schools1 to be sure2 and 
yet eighty per cent of the ,mexican     
people are  illiterate1 it has some few 
institutions of help and mercy2 but the 
whole land cries out for doctors and    
teachers and friendly human  concern4   
,is that really so8 ,j4,w4 asked4 ,do   
the people really want our              
missionaries1 or are we ,protestants    
just shoving ourselves in8 ,i can see   
that something is desperately wrong1 but
 we are mostly ,saxon1 and they  are    
,latins4 ,do these people want what to  
them must seem a queer religion  and a  

lot of strange ideas8    ,so long as    
they do not understand what we come for1
 naturally they are  suspicious4 ,when  
they find out1 they take to mission work
 and  missionaries with very little     
urging4 ,i wish you would meet my       
son-in-law1 ,mr4 ,tanner said with      
positiveness4 ,why1 the one tormenting  
desire of that man's life is to see more
 missionaries sent down into  ,mexico2  
more doctors1 more teachers1 more       
workers of every sort4 ,he  writes      
letters to the ,board of ,foreign       
,missions that would make your  heart   
ache4 ,the church at home couldn't      
oversupply ,mexico with the sort  of    
help it desperately needs if it should  
turn every recruit that way1  and       
disregard all the rest of the world's   
mission fields4    ,do you mean1 asked  
,j4,w41 who was seeing new questions bob
 up every  time an earlier one was      
answered1 do you mean that so many      
missionaries  could be used on          
productive ,christian work right away8  

,or is it that we  ought to have a big  
force to prepare for the long future of 
our work in  ,mexico8 ,now1 ,j4,w4 was  
not so sure that this was an intelligent
  question1 but he had heard that in    
some mission fields it was necessary  to
 wait years for real and permanent      
results4    ,his companion saw nothing  
out of the way in the question4 ,it was 
part of  the whole problem4 ,i mean it  
both ways1 he said4 ,what ,i've seen of 
our ,methodist work down in these parts1
 particularly its schools and one       
wonderful hospital1 makes me sure we    
could get big harvests of interest  and 
success right off4 ,we're doing it      
already1 considering our  relatively    
small force and our limited equipment4  
,but all ,latin ,american work takes    
patience4 ,i've made one trip down as   
far as ,santiago de ,chile1 and what is 
true in ,mexico is1 ,i guess1 about  as 
true in other parts4 ,the ,roman        
,catholic ,church has been here four    
hundred years1 and its biggest result is

 that the people who don't fear  it     
despise it4 ,latin ,america is called   
,christian1 but it is a world in  which 
what you and ,i call religion simply    
does not count4 ,well1 then1  that's    
what makes me talk about the need of    
persistence and patience4  ,the bad     
effects of three or four hundred years  
of such religion as has  been taught and
 practiced between the ,rio ,grande and 
,cape ,horn can't be  got rid of in a   
hurry4 ,wait till ,mexico has had a real
 chance at the  ,christ of the ,new     
,testament for three hundred years1 and 
then see6    ,j4,w4 had yet another     
question to ask before he was ready to  
call it a  day4 ,if all that you say is 
so--and ,i believe it is1 ,mr4          
,tanner--why  should so many of the     
,mexicans hate the ,united ,states8     
,they do1 for ,i've  heard it spoken of 
a good deal lately1 and ,i remember what
 was always  said when some one proposed
 that we should intervene to make peace 
and  restore order in ,mexico4 ,it would

 take ten years and a million men1 and  
all ,mexico would unite to oppose us4   
,you talk about how much the  ,mexicans 
need us and want us4 ,but a great many  
of them surely don't want  us at all4   
,i know what that means1 ,mr4 ,tanner   
admitted4 ,and it is true4 ,we are  all 
influenced by the past4 ,look at the    
history of our dealings with  ,mexico4  
,the very ideas we fought to establish  
as the charter of our own  freedom we   
repudiated when we dealt with ,mexico   
three quarters of a  century ago4 ,we   
had every advantage1 and what we wanted 
we took4  ,certainly1 we have done      
better by it than ,mexico might have    
done1 but ,i  never heard that reason   
given in a court of law to excuse the   
same sort  of transaction if it touched 
only private individuals4 ,then1 in late
  years big business has gone into      
,mexico4 ,it has had to take big        
chances4  ,it has paid better wages than
 the peon could earn any other way4 ,it 
has  a lot to its credit2 but it has    

been much like big business in other    
places1 and1 anyway1 the admitted great 
profits have enriched the  foreigner1   
not the ,mexican4    ,besides1 ,mexico  
is not the ,states4 ,as you say1 it is  
,latin in its  civilization1 not ,saxon4
 ,it does not want our sort of culture4 
,and some  of our missionaries1 both of 
the church and of industry1 have thought
  that the ,mexican ought to be         
',americanized4' ,that's a fatal mistake
 in  any mission field outside the      
,states4 ,all in all1 you can see that  
it  isn't entirely inevitable that the  
,mexican should understand our  motives1
 or appreciate them when he does        
understand4 ,but that's all the  more   
reason for bearing down hard on every   
form of genuine missionary  work4 ,it's 
the only thing that we ,americans can do
 in ,mexico with any  hope of avoiding  
suspicion or of our presence being      
acceptable to the  ,mexicans in the long
 run4 ,we've got to fight the backfire  
of our  ,american commercialism1 and the

 prejudice which is as real on the      
,texas  side of the river as it is on   
the other2 for if the ,mexican thinks in
  terms of 'gringo1' the ,american of   
the ,southwest is just as likely to     
think in terms of 'greaser4'    ,when   
,j4,w4 and ,mr4 ,tanner parted for the  
night it was with the mutual  promise   
that they would have another talk some  
time the next day1 but  the promise     
could not be kept4 ,the retired business
 man heard from some  of his business in
 the early morning1 and had just time to
 say a hurried  farewell4 ,as he put it1
 ,i thought ,i had retired1 but unless  
,i get back  to look after this         
particular affair ,i may have to get    
into the harness  again1 and that is not
 a cheerful prospect at my age4 ,so ,i  
go to  business to avert the danger of  
going back to business4    ,a little    
later the two hardware salesmen were in 
,el ,paso again1 after a  couple of side
 trips4 ,j4,w4 took advantage of a long 
train wait to hunt  up the city library4

 ,he wanted to know whether ,mr4 ,tanner
 was right in  saying that the          
,latin-,american question was much the  
same everywhere4    ,he wrote a letter  
to ,mr4 ,drury that night1 having thus  
far used picture  postcards until he was
 ashamed4 ,in the letter he took        
occasion to  mention his talk with the  
missionary father-in-law1 and his own   
bit of  reading up on the subject4      
,said he3 ,i guess that man ,tanner was 
right4 ,he did not speak much of  the   
difference between the people of one    
country and those of another1  which    
rather surprised me4 ,he said nothing of
 the two great classes1 the  rulers with
 much ,european blood1 and the peons1   
largely or altogether  ,indian4 ,there  
must be all sorts of ,latin ,americans1 
rich and poor1 mixed  blood of many     
strains1 ,castilian and ,aztec and      
,inca1 and whatever other  people were  
here when ,columbus set the fashion for 
,american voyages4 ,but  this is where  
this 'missionary father-in-law' hit the 

heart of the  trouble3 ,latin ,america  
has all sorts and conditions of men1 but
  everywhere it has the same church4    
,and it is a church that can't ever     
make good any more4 ,it might1 at the   
beginning1 but it can't now4 ,it has  a 
reputation as fixed as ,julius          
,caesar's4 ,i'm hardly ready to set up  
as  an expert observer1 being only a cub
 salesman on his first trip1 but1  ,mr4 
,drury1 ,i believe ,i can see already   
that the only chance for these  people  
to get religion and everything else     
which religion ought to  produce1 is for
 us to send it to them4 ,maybe that     
would stir up the  church down here1 and
 help to give it another chance at the  
people's  confidence1 though ,i'm not   
sure4    ,our church ought to send      
doctors2 the amount of fearful disease  
that  flourishes among the poorer people
 is just frightful4 ,if ,joe ,carbrook  
were not so set on going to the ,orient1
 he could do a big work here1 and  so   
could a thousand other doctors4 ,it     

would be so much more than mere         
doctoring2 it would be the biggest kind 
of preaching4    ,and the church should 
send teachers4 ,you know ,i believe in  
conversion2  but if the ,mexicans ,i    
have seen are samples of ,latin         
,america's common  people1 they need    
teachers who have the patience of       
,christ a good deal  more than they need
 flaming evangelists who make a big stir
 and soon  pass on4 ,because these folks
 have just got to be made over1 in their
  very minds4 ,they are not ready for   
the preaching of the gospel until  they 
have seen it lived4 ,long experience has
 made them doubtful of  living saints1  
though plenty of them pray to dead ones4
    ,this is the whole trouble1 ,mr4    
,drury1 it seems to me4 ,they've known  
only a church that had got off the      
track4 ,any religious work that  reaches
 them now has almost to begin all over  
again4 ,it has to undo  their thinking  
about prayer and faith and ,god's love  
and human conduct  and nearly every     

other ,christian idea4 ,they have a     
,christian vocabulary1  but it means    
very little4 ,they think they can buy   
religion1 if they want  it--any kind    
they want4 ,and if they can't afford it1
 or don't want it1  they don't quite    
think they'll be sent to hell for that1 
in spite of  what the priest says4 ,they
 think enough to be afraid1 but not     
enough to  be sure of anything4 ,the    
missionaries have to teach them a new   
set of  religious numerals1 if you get  
what ,i mean1 before it is any use to   
teach them the arithmetic of the gospel4
    ,i'm beginning to see that          
everything among the ,latin ,americans  
runs  back to the need of ,christian    
living4 ,the wrong notion of religion   
has  got them all twisted4 ,i know      
,delafield is a long way from being     
,christian1 but the difference between  
,delafield and such a pitiful mud       
village as ,i've seen lately has more to
 do with the sort of ,christianity  each
 place has been taught than with        

anything else whatever4 ,but ,i never   
thought of that before4    ,as ,pastor  
,drury read that letter his heart warmed
 within him4 ,he said to  himself1 ,john
 ,wesley1 ,jr41 is 'beginning to see1'  
he says4 ,please ,god  he musn't stop   
now until he gets his eyes wide open4   
,the thing is  working out4 ,he's       
groping around for something1 and some  
day he'll find  it4        ,,chapter    
,,viii      ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,east 
,for a first trip the ,southwestern     
expedition under ,fred ,finch's tutelage
  had been something of an exploit4     
,finch's report to ,peter ,mc,dougall   
was  more than verified by the order    
sheets1 and the observant ,peter1       
keeping  track of things during the     
succeeding weeks1 noticed with quiet    
satisfaction that not a single order    
,was canceled4    ,to himself he said1  
,the lad's a find1 ,i'm thinking4 ,from 
,finch's talk ,i  should say he has not 
only a natural knack of selling1 but he 
sells for  keeps4 ,and that's the idea1 

,peter4 ,anybody can sell if the buyer  
means  to call off the order by the next
 mail4 ,this ,john ,wesley boy may go   
far1  and ,i'll have to tell ,albert    
,drury the next time ,i see him that    
he's  done the house of ,cummings a real
 favor4    ,the months went by4 ,j4,w4  
kept his wits about him1 and on the road
 he  stuck to his salesman's faith that 
goods are better sold by those who  know
 exactly how they may be used and that  
they are never sold until  they are     
bought4 ,so he found favor in the sight 
of ,peter ,mc,dougall4 ,the  proof of   
that is easy4 ,peter gave him a week off
 before the end of his  first year4     
,delafield looked better to the         
homecoming salesman than it had to the  
boy coming back from college4 ,and the  
town was glad to see him4 ,he  meant    
something to not a few of its people1   
altogether outside the  interest of the 
,farwells--and ,pastor ,drury--and      
,jeannette6    ,deep ,creek was his     
first port of call1 after his first     

half-day at home4  ,he had been welcomed
 with deep1 quiet gladness by the home  
folks1 and he  had talked a little over 
the telephone with the preacher4 ,then  
time was  a laggard until he could head 
the ,farwell car toward ,deep ,creek and
 the  old farm4    ,jeannette's welcome 
was all that even he could ask1 though1 
of course1  just precisely what it was  
is none of our business4 ,in the car1   
and by  the fireplace in the ,shenk     
living room1 and around the farm1 they  
considered many things1 some of them not
 so personal as others4 ,j4,w4  told the
 story of his life in ,saint ,louis and 
on the road2 ,jeannette  listening like 
another ,desdemona to the recital4 ,and 
once again it was  not the adventure    
which supplied the thrill1 but the      
adventurer4    ,and ,jeannette told him 
the news of ,delafield4 ,how ,joe       
,carbrook and  ,marcia ,dayne's wedding 
had been the most wonderful wedding ever
 seen in  ,delafield1 with the town as  
proud of its one-time scapegrace as it  

was  of the beautiful bride4 ,how       
brother ,marty had been finding many    
excuses  of late for driving up from his
 circuit1 and how he managed to see     
,alma  ,wetherell a good deal4 ,how     
,alma was now head bookkeeper and       
cashier of  the ,emporium1 the town's   
biggest store1 and how she was such a   
dear  girl4 ,how ,pastor ,drury and     
,marty had become great friends4 ,how   
the  minister was not so well as usual1 
and people were getting to be a  little 
worried about him4 ,how the ,delafield  
church had taken up tithing1  and was   
not only doing a lot better financially1
 but in every other way4  ,how ,deep    
,creek was going to have a new minister1
 a friend whom ,marty had  met at the   
summer school for rural ministers1 who  
would try to help the  ,deep ,creek     
people get an up-to-date church building
 and learn to use it4  ,how the         
,everyday ,doctrines of ,delafield had  
been first boosted and then  forgotten1 
and now again several of them were being

 practiced in some  quarters4 ,and much 
more1 though never to the wearing out of
 ,j4,w4's  interest4 ,certainly not1 the
 news being just what he wanted to know1
 and  the reporter thereof being just   
the person he wanted to tell it to him4 
,one bit of news ,jeannette did not     
tell1 for the sufficient reason that    
she did not know it4 ,pastor ,drury and 
,brother ,marty had become great        
friends1 but what ,jeannette could not  
tell was the special bond of  interest  
which was back of the fact4 ,marty had  
long been aware that for  some reason   
the ,delafield pastor was peculiarly    
concerned about ,j4,w4  ,never did he   
guess ,walter ,drury's secret1 but he   
knew well enough there  was one4        
,these two1 the town preacher and the   
young circuit rider1 read to each  other
 ,j4,w4's letters1 and talked much about
 him and his experiences1 and  made     
,j4,w4 in general the theme of many     
discussions4    ,it has been good for   
the boy that he has had that border     

trip1 said  the pastor to ,marty a few  
days before ,j4,w4 got back4 ,don't you 
think  so8    ,marty was1 as ever1      
,j4,w4's ardent and self-effacing chum4 
,i certainly  do1 he said4 ,he's        
growing1 is ,j4,w41 and growing the     
right way4 ,we need  business men of    
just the quality that's showing in him4 
,the pastor hesitated a moment4 ,then he
 spoke3 ,marty1 when ,j4,w4 comes  home 
,i hope something will set him thinking 
about the outer world that  has no word 
of our ,christ4 ,he hasn't seen it yet1 
not clearly2 and you  know that there   
isn't any hope for that world to get out
 of the depths  until it gets the news  
of a ,helper4 ,i'm counting on you to   
help me with  ,j4,w4 if the chance      
comes4 ,just between ourselves1 you     
know4    ,i'll do all ,i can1 ,mr4      
,drury2 you may be sure of that1 said   
,marty4 ,and  he did4    ,j4,w4's       
holiday brought several young people    
together who had not met for  a long    
time4 ,marty came up again1 and spent   

the day with ,j4,w41 all over  town1    
from the store to the house and back    
again4 ,in the evening ,mrs4  ,farwell  
made a feast1 to which1 besides ,marty1 
,jeannette and ,alma and  ,pastor ,drury
 were bidden4 ,mrs4 ,farwell was much   
more to ,delafield than  the best cook  
and the most remarkable housekeeper in  
the place1 but her  son insisted that   
she was these to begin with4 ,certainly1
 she had not  been experimenting on the 
two ,j4,w4's all these years for        
nothing4    ,after dinner--talk4 ,no    
need of any other game in that company  
at such a  time4 ,there was plenty to   
talk about1 and all had their reasons   
for  enjoying it4 ,naturally1 ,j4,w4    
must tell about himself4 ,letters are   
all  very well1 but they are no more    
than makeshifts1 after all4 ,he was     
modest enough about it1 not having any  
special exploits to parade before  their
 wondering eyes1 but quite willing4 ,his
 ,western experiences being  called for1
 he was soon telling1 not of desert and 

cactus and  irrigation1 but of the      
people who had so taken his attention1  
the  ,mexicans4    ,i believe1 said he1 
that we can do something really big down
 there4  ,and it's our business4 ,nobody
 except ,american ,christians will do   
it2  nobody else can4 ,besides1 the     
,mexicans are ,christians in name1 now4 
,what  they need is the reality4 ,they  
are not impossible--just uncertain4 ,all
 ,i  heard and what little ,i saw made  
me believe they are suffering from bad  
leadership and ignorance more than from 
anything hopelessly wrong4 ,they  seem  
easy to get along with4 ,the women are  
the most patient workers ,i  ever heard 
of4 ,and the poor ,mexicans1 the        
'peons1' do want an end to  fighting and
 banditry4    ,well1 ,j4,w41 ,marty     
asked1 what's the first thing we ought  
to think  about for ,mexico8    ,i told 
you ,i don't know anything about        
,mexico1 except at second-hand4  ,but1  
,i should say1 schools4 ,schools are    
good for any land1 don't you  think1    

,mr4 ,drury8 ,and in ,mexico they are   
such great disturbers of the  old       
slouching indifference4 ,they will make 
the right kind of  discontent4 ,schools 
bring other things2 new ideas of health 
and  sanitation1 home improvement1      
social outlook1 and all that4 ,then1    
with  the schools1 ,i guess1 the        
straight gospel4 ,the ,mexicans won't   
get  converted all at once1 and they    
won't become like us1 ever4 ,but ,i'm   
about ready to say that whether missions
 are needed anywhere else or  not1 they 
surely are needed in ,mexico4 ,and      
,mexico is the first  stepping-stone to 
,south ,america2 which is next on my    
list of the places  that ought to have  
the whole scheme of ,christian teaching 
and life4    ,yes1 said ,alma1 and you  
know1 ,i suppose1 that the beginning of 
our  ,panama ,mission was an ,epworth   
,league ,institute enterprise8 ,well1 it
 was4  ,california young people assumed 
the support of the first missionary sent
  there1 and later he went on down to   

,south ,america1 with the same young    
people determined to take him on as     
their representative1 just as they  did 
in ,panama4    ,where did you get that  
story8 ,j4,w4 wanted to know4    ,oh1 ,i
 forgot1 ,alma answered him1 laughing4  
,you haven't had time to  read ,the     
,epworth ,herald in ,saint ,louis4      
,yes1 ,i have1 young lady1 ,j4,w4       
retorted1 but ,i missed that4 ,anyway1  
it's on the right track4 ,i think we've 
got to change the thinking of all       
,latin ,america about ,christianity1 if 
we can4 ,most of the men1 they say1  are
 atheists1 made so very largely by their
 loss of faith in the church2  and many 
of the women substitute an almost fierce
 devotion to the same  church for what  
we think of as being genuine religion4  
,the minister spoke up just here4 ,i    
should think it would be pretty         
difficult to treat our ,united ,states  
,mexicans in one way1 and those  across 
the ,rio ,grande in another4 ,we must   
evangelize on both sides of  the river1 

but only on this side can we even       
attempt to ,americanize4    ,that's     
right1 ,j4,w4 affirmed4 ,and even on    
this side we can't do what  we may do in
 ,delafield4 ,the language is a big     
question1 and it has two  sides4 ,but no
 matter what the difficulties1 ,i'm for 
a great advance of  missions and        
education1 starting with ,mexico and    
going all the way to  ,cape ,horn4      
,that's all very fine1 interposed       
,marty1 but what about the rest of  the 
world1 ,j4,w48 ,what about the world    
that has not even the beginning of      
,christian knowledge8 ,marty had put the
 question on the urge of the  moment1   
and not until it was out did he remember
 that ,mr4 ,drury had  asked him to help
 raise this very issue4    ,well1 ,j4,w4
 answered1 slowly1 maybe that part of   
the world is worse1  though ,i don't    
know4 ,but we can't tackle everything4  
,latin ,america is an  immense job by   
itself1 and we have some real           
responsibility there2 a  sort of        

,christian ,monroe ,doctrine4 ,ought we 
to scatter our forces8 ,the             
non-,christian world has its own        
religions1 and has had them for         
hundreds1 maybe thousands of years4     
,what's the hurry just now8 ,if we      
could do everything1 we ,protestant     
,christians1 ,i mean1 in this country   
and ,britain1 it might be different1 but
 we can't4 ,why not concentrate8        
,yes1 ,marty came back1 but not because 
,latin ,america is so nearly            
,christian4 ,what about this atheism and
 superstition and ignorance2 isn't  it  
just a non-,christian civilization with 
,christian labels on some parts  of it8 
,one thing ,i've heard1 put in          
,jeannette1 not that she wanted to      
argue1  but she felt she ought to say   
something on ,j4,w4's side if she could1
  that the religions of the ,orient1 at 
least1 are really great religions1  more
 suited to the minds of the people than 
any other4 ',east is ,east1  and ,west  
is ,west1' you know4 ,but1 of course1   

the people don't live up to  the high   
levels of their beliefs4 ,americans     
don't1 either4    ,mr4 ,drury shot an   
amused yet admiring glance at           
,jeannette4 ,what a loyal  soul she was6
 ,then said he3 ,the religions of the   
,east are great  religions1 ,jeannette4 
,they represent the best that men can   
do4 ,the  ,orient has a genius for      
religion1 and it has produced far better
 systems  than the ,west could have     
done4 ,some of the truth that we        
,western people  get only in            
,christianity the thinkers of ,asia     
worked out for themselves4  ,but ,god   
was back of it all4    ,that suited     
,j4,w4's present mood4 ,all right1 then2
 let's clean up as we  go--,delafield1  
,saint ,louis1 the ,southwest1 ,mexico1 
,latin ,america2 that's  the logical    
order4 ,then the rest of the world4     
,marty put in a protest here3 ,that     
won't do1 old man4 ,your logic's lame4  
,you want us to go into ,mexico now1    
with all we've got4 ,your letters  have 

said so1 and you've said it again       
to-night4 ,but we're not 'cleaning  up  
as we go4' ,look at ,delafield2 the town
 you've moved away from4 ,look  at      
,saint ,louis2 the town where you make  
your living4 ,are they  ,christianized8 
,cleaned up8 ,yet you are ready for     
,mexico4 ,no2 you're all  wrong1 ,j4,w4 
,i don't believe the world's going to be
 saved the way you  break up prairie    
sod1 a field at a time1 and let the rest
 alone4 ,we've  got to do our missionary
 work the way they feed famine          
sufferers4 ,they  don't give any        
applicant all he can eat1 but they try  
to make the supply  go 'round1 giving   
each one a little4 ,remember1 ,j4,w41   
the rest of the  world is as human as   
our western hemisphere4    ,i know1     
admitted ,j4,w4 ,and ,i don't say ,i've 
got the right of it4 ,i'd  have to see  
the ,orient before ,i made up my mind4  
,but those countries  have waited a long
 while4 ,a few more years wouldn't be   
any great  matter4    ,alma ,wetherell  

now joined the opposition4 ,it looked as
 though ,j4,w4 and  ,jeannette must     
stand alone1 for the old people said    
nothing1 though they  listened with     
eager ears4 ,said ,alma1 ,i think it    
would matter a lot4 ,the  more we do for
 one people1 while ignoring all the     
others1 the less we  should care to drop
 a developing work to begin at the      
bottom somewhere  else4    ,there's     
something in that1 ,j4,w4 conceded4 ,i'm
 not meaning to be  stubborn4 ,but ,i've
 had just a glimpse of the size of the  
missionary job  in one little corner of 
the world4 ,even that is too big for us4
 ,we could  put our whole missionary    
investment into ,mexico without being   
able to do  what is needed4    ,the     
missionary job1 as you call it1 is too  
big1 certainly1 for our  present        
resources1 said the pastor4 ,everybody  
knows that4    ,yes1 said ,marty1 who   
wondered if ,mr4 ,drury had forgotten   
their compact  about ,j4,w41 but why    
limit ourselves to our present          

resources8 ,they are  not all we could  
get1 if the church came to believe in   
the bigness of  her privilege4 ,i'd like
 to see for myself1 as ,j4,w4 says1 but 
,i can't4  ,why don't you get a real    
traveling job1 and go about the world   
looking  things over for us1 old man8   
,me8 ,j4,w4 said1 sarcastically2 yes1   
that's a likely prospect4 ,just as  ,i'm
 getting over being scared by a sample  
case4 ,i'll do well to hold the  job    
,i've got4    ,alma didn't know what    
,marty's game was1 but she played up to 
his  suggestion4 ,why shouldn't you go8 
she asked4 ,you've told us that         
,cummings hardware and tools are sold   
all over the world4 ,doesn't that  mean 
salesmen8 ,and aren't you a salesman8   
,they have to send somebody2  why       
shouldn't they pick on you some time8   
,j4,w4 rose to the lure1 for the moment 
all salesman4 ,nothing in it1  ,alma2 no
 chance at all4 ,but ,i would like to   
show the world the  civilizing values of
 good tools1 and ,i'd go if ,i got the  

chance4    ,jeannette's reaction was    
quicker than thinking2 ,would you go    
half way  around the world just for     
that8 she asked1 with a hint of alarm4  
,why1 yes1 ,i would1 said ,j4,w41 that  
is1 if you were willing4    ,whereupon  
everybody laughed but ,jeannette1 whose 
pale cheeks flamed into  sudden         
rosiness4    ,the minister came to her  
rescue4 ,it would be a good thing every 
way1 if  more laymen would see the      
realities of ,oriental life and bring   
back an  impartial report4 ,suppose you 
should be right1 ,j4,w41 and we found   
that  the ,orient could wait until the  
western hemisphere had been thoroughly  
,christianized4 ,think how many         
thousands--perhaps millions--of dollars 
could be directed into more productive  
channels4 ,i can see what a great       
influence such reports would have if    
they came from ,christian laymen4 ,we   
have learned to expect stories of       
complete failure when the ordinary      
traveler comes back2 and maybe the      

missionaries have their bias too4 ,but  
business men with ,christian            
ideals--that would be different4        
,now1 all this was far from unpleasant  
to ,j4,w4 ,he detested posing1 but  why 
wouldn't it be worth something to have  
laymen report on missionary  work8 ,of  
course1 though1 if the time ever came   
when the firm was willing  to trust him 
abroad1 he wouldn't have much chance to 
study missions4  ,business would have to
 come first4 ,it was no less a dream for
 being an  agreeable one4    ,there's no
 danger of my going1 he told them4 ,the 
,cummings people are  not sending cub   
salesmen to promote their big ,asiatic  
trade4 ,what could  they make by it8    
,then the talk drifted to the           
,carbrooks4 ,marty said1 ,well1 we've   
spoiled  your scheme a little1 ,j4,w41  
right here in ,delafield4 ,joe ,carbrook
 and  ,marcia are in ,china by now1 and 
,i'd like to see both of 'em as they get
  down to work4 ,you can't keep all our 
interest on this side of the  ,pacific  

so long as those two are on the other4  
,no1 said ,j4,w41 warmly1 and ,i don't  
want to4 ,i'll help to back up  those   
two missionaries wherever they go4 ,and 
his thoughts went back to  camp fire    
night at ,cartwright ,institute1 when he
 had said to ,joe  ,carbrook without    
suspecting the consequences1 ,say1 ,joe2
 if you think  you could be a doctor1   
why not a missionary doctor8    ,then he
 asked the company1 ,just where have    
these missionary infants  been sent8    
,nobody knew1 exactly4 ,they had the    
name of the town and the province1  but 
the geography of ,china is not as yet   
familiar even to those who  support the 
missions and missionaries of that vast1 
mysterious land4    ,the pastor thought 
it was two or three hundred miles inland
 from  ,foochow4 ,anyhow1 said he1 it is
 a good-sized town1 of about one        
hundred thousand people or more1 and    
,joe's hospital is the only one in  the 
whole district4 ,the man whose place he 
takes is home on furlough1  and ,i've   

looked up his work in the ,annual       
,report of the ,foreign ,missions       
,board4 ,six or eight years ago the     
hospital was a building of sun-dried    
brick1 with a mud floor and             
accommodations for about seventy-five   
patients4 ,he was running it on         
something like five dollars a day4 ,but 
it  is better now1 costs more too4 ,and 
there's a school attached1 where        
,marcia has already begun to make       
herself necessary1 or ,i'm much         
mistaken4    ,so the talk ran on1 until 
the evening was far spent1 and everybody
  wished there could be half a dozen    
such evenings before ,j4,w4 must go     
back to ,saint ,louis and the road4     
,no other opportunity offered1 however1 
and all too soon for some people  ,j4,w4
 was gone again from ,delafield4        
,walter ,drury1 seeing his chance1 set  
himself to follow up the talk of  that  
one evening4 ,it had given him a lead as
 to the next phase of the  ,experiment1 
and he wanted to try out the idea before

 anything else might  happen4    ,so he 
wrote to his brother ,albert in ,saint  
,louis4 ,i know ,i'm a bother  to you1  
the letter ran1 but you have always been
 generous1 being your  own unselfish    
self4 ,it's about young ,farwell1 ',john
 ,wesley1 ,jr41' you  know4 ,i judge    
he's a boy with a fine business future1 
and ,i've found out  from his father    
some of the reasons why he is making    
good4 ,now1 ,i don't  know much about   
business1 but it seems to me that the   
very qualities  which make ,j4,w4 a good
 salesman for a beginner would be       
profitable to  his company if they sent 
him to their ,oriental trade4 ,he's     
young enough  to learn something over   
there4 ,my own interest is not on that  
side of  the affair1 but ,i know it     
would be out of the question to suggest 
his  going unless the ,cummings people  
could see a business advantage in it4   
,if you think it is not asking too much1
 ,i wish you would talk to ,mr4         
,mc,dougall about it4 ,tell him what ,i 

have written1 and what ,i told you  long
 ago about ,j4,w4    ,albert ,drury had 
unbounded confidence in his brother's   
sincerity and  sense1 so he lost no time
 in getting an interview with his friend
  ,mc,dougall4    ,see here1 ,peter1    
said he1 ,i'll be frank with you2 ,i    
know you think  ,i'd better be if ,i'm  
to get anywhere4    ,that's very true1  
said ,mc,dougall1 with assumed severity4
    ,well1 then1 read my brother's      
letter2 and then tell me if he's wanting
  the impossible4    ,peter ,mc,dougall 
read the letter twice4 ,no1 he said1    
when he handed it  back1 he's not       
wanting the impossible4 ,he's given me  
an idea4 ,i owe you  something already1 
for finding this young fellow1 and ,i'll
 tell you what  ,i'm thinking of4 ,of   
course the boy isn't seasoned enough    
yet1 but he's  getting there fast4 ,a   
couple of long trips1 a few months under
 my own  eye here in the office1 and    
he'll be ready4 ,now1 your brother has  
hinted  at exactly what young ,farwell  

is good for4 ,that boy sells goods by   
getting over onto the buyer's side4 ,and
 he knows tools--knew 'em before  we    
hired him4 ,well1 then1 here's the idea2
 one big need of our foreign  trade is  
to show our agencies what can really be 
done with ,american  hardware and tools4
 ,it takes more than a salesman2 and    
,farwell has the  knack4 ,so there you  
are4 ,tell your brother the boy shall   
have his  chance4    ,a few months later
 ,mc,dougall sent for ,j4,w4 and put the
 whole proposal  before him4    ,but    
,i'm not an expert1 ,mr4 ,mc,dougall1   
,j4,w4 protested4 ,i haven't the        
experience1 and ,i might fall down      
completely in a new field like that4    
,we're not looking for an expert1 said  
,mc,dougall1 shortly4 ,you know  what   
every user of our stuff ought to know2  
you can put yourself in his  place2 and 
you'll be a sort of missionary4 ,how    
about it8    ,at the word ,j4,w4's      
memory awoke1 and he heard again what   
had been said  in the living room at    

,delafield when he was last at home4 ,a 
missionary6  ,and here was the very     
chance they had all talked about4    ,of
 course ,i should like to go1 if you    
think ,i'll do1 he said4    ,peter      
looked at him more kindly than was his  
wont4 ,my boy1 he said1 ,i  know        
something about you outside of business1
 though not much4 ,and ,i  think you'll 
do4 ,mind you1 your missionary work will
 be tools and  hardware1 not the        
,methodist ,church4 ,you will have to   
show people who  have their own ideas   
about tools how much more convenient our
 goods are2  handier1 lighter1 more     
adaptable4 ,what they need over there is
 modern  stuff4 ,it will help them to   
raise more crops and do better work and 
earn  a better income4 ,you've nothing  
to do with selling policies1 finance1   
credits1 and all that4 ,just be a tool  
and hardware missionary4    ,where had  
you thought of sending me8 asked ,j4,w41
 still somewhat  dazed4    ,oh1 wherever
 we have agencies that you can use as   

bases3 ,china1 the  ,philippines1       
,malaysia1 ,india4 ,you will have to    
figure on a year or  nearly that4 ,and  
you mustn't stick to the ports or the   
big cities4 ,get  hold of people who'll 
show you the country2 the places where  
our goods  are most needed and least    
known4 ,study the people and their      
tools4 ,work  out better ways of doing  
things4 ,don't try to hustle the ,east1 
but  remember that the ,east is doing a 
little hustling on its own account      
these days4 ,and talk turkey to our     
agencies--when you're sure you have     
something to talk about4    ,the rest is
 detail4 ,the trip determined on1       
preparations were hastened4  ,a month   
before the date of starting ,j4,w4 had  
time for no more than a  hurried visit  
to ,delafield1 to say good-by to the    
home folk and to the  preacher whom he  
had come to think of as ,timothy might  
have thought of  ,paul4 ,then he had    
something else to say to ,jeannette4    
,his prospects were  becoming so        

promising that he could ask her a very  
definite question1  and he dared to hope
 for a definite answer4    ,jeannette1  
troubled at the thought of his long     
absence in strange lands1  consoled     
herself by her promise1 which was his   
promise also4 ,as soon as  he came home 
again they would be married4 ,brother   
,drury should  officiate1 assisted by   
the ,rev4 ,martin ,luther ,shenk1       
brother of the  charming bride1 as      
,j4,w4 put it4    ,walter ,drury was not
 his usual alert self1 ,j4,w4 thought1  
and it hurt him  to see his much-loved  
friend touched even a little by the     
years4 ,but  the pastor brightened up1  
and grew visibly better as ,j4,w4 told  
him all  his plans4    ,just think1 ,mr4
 ,drury1 he said with animation1 ,i'm to
 be a  missionary1 after all4 ,once long
 ago ,i remember you suggested ,i might 
go  to ,china and see for myself the    
difference between their religion and   
ours2 and now ,i'm going to ,china4 ,who
 knows1 maybe ,i'll see ,joe ,carbrook  

at his work4 ,and then ,i'm to go all   
over the ,east1 to preach the gospel  of
 better tools4 ,then he became          
thoughtful4 ,don't you think that's     
almost as good as the gospel of better  
bodies--,joe's gospel8    ,surely1 ,i   
do1 said the pastor1 if you and ,joe    
preach in the same  spirit1 knowing that
 ,china won't be saved even by hospitals
 and modern  hardware4 ,they help4 ,but 
remember our understanding2 you have    
your  chance now to see the religions of
 the ,east4 ,going right among the      
people1 as you will1 you can find out   
more in a week than the average  tourist
 ever discovers4 ,i'll give you the     
names of some people who will  gladly   
help you4 ,and we shall want a full     
report when you come back4 ,god  bless  
you1 ,j4,w4    ,it was a tired preacher 
who went to bed that night4 ,this new   
adventure  of his boy's2 what would it  
mean to the ,experiment8 ,he had done   
his best  to keep that long-ago pledge  
to himself4 ,not always had the project 

been  easy2 he could not control all its
 circumstances1 but in the main it had  
gone well4    ,and now ,j4,w4 was in the
 last stage of the ,experiment ,walter  
,drury had  contrived to shape its      
larger conditions1 with the help of many
 friendly  but unsuspecting             
conspirators4 ,this tour in the interest
 of better tools  was due mainly to his 
initiative4 ,but he could do nothing    
more4 ,the  event was now out of his    
hands4 ,the relaxed tension made him    
realize  that his nerves were shaky1 and
 he had a sense of great depression4    
,but  before he went to bed he pulled   
himself together long enough to write to
  five missionaries1 including ,joe     
,carbrook1 whose fields were on or near 
the route ,j4,w4 would travel4 ,he had  
told ,j4,w4 that he would let these  men
 know of his coming1 but he did more4   
,to each one he said a word of  appeal4 
,don't argue much with this boy of mine2
 ,i want him to see it  without too many
 second-hand opinions4 ,explain all you 

please1 and let  him get as near as he  
can to the people you are dealing with4 
,if1 as ,i  hope1 he gets a glimpse of  
the work's inner meaning1 ,i shall be   
satisfied4           99       99        
99       99       99    ,the first day  
which ,j4,w4 spent in ,shanghai was a   
big day for him4 ,even  amid the        
strangeness of the scene he felt almost 
at home4 ,the people who  had the       
,cummings agency had received their     
instructions1 and were  prepared to help
 him every way4 ,he could begin an      
up-country trip at  once if he wished4  
,then he met the first of the men to    
whom ,pastor ,drury  had written1 ,mark 
,rutledge1 and at once he saw that this 
well-groomed1  alert young missionary1  
who used modern speech in deliberate but
 direct  fashion1 would be of immense   
service to him4    ,rutledge received   
,j4,w4's gospel of tools with almost    
boyish  enthusiasm4 ,i've always said1  
he exclaimed1 that if the other         
business men of ,america had as much    

sense as the tobacco folks they  would  
hasten the ,christianizing of ,china by 
many a year4 ,not that  tobacco is      
helping2 far from it4 ,but it's the idea
 of fitting their  product to this      
particular market4 ,and your house has  
evidently caught  that idea4 ,you must  
have a real sales manager in ,saint     
,louis6 ,of course  ,i'll help you all  
,i can4    ,some of the help which ,mark
 ,rutledge gave him was of a sort that  
,j4,w4  could not rightly estimate at   
the time1 but he knew it was good4 ,as  
long  as he stayed in ,shanghai1 and as 
often he came back to the city as a     
base1 he and ,rutledge were pretty      
frequently together4 ,the missionary    
kept his own counsel as to the ,drury   
letter1 merely dropping a hint now  and 
then1 or a suggestion which fitted both 
the ,cummings agency's  program and the 
pastor's desire4    ,the inland trips   
for business purposes kept ,j4,w4 busy  
for weeks2 he  found himself in so      
utterly novel a situation that he saw he

 could not  work out anything without   
careful study and expert ,chinese       
cooperation4  ,as he came and went he   
saw1 under ,rutledge's guidance1 much of
 the  inside of mission work4 ,in       
,shanghai he found a ,methodist         
publishing  house1 sending out          
literature all over ,china1 as well as  
two monthly  papers1 one in ,chinese and
 one in ,english4 ,many missionary      
boards had  headquarters here4 ,from    
,shanghai as a business center every    
form of  missionary work was being      
promoted1 reaching as far as the        
foothills of  the ,thibetan plateau4    
,hospital equipment was distributed1 and
 school  equipment1 and supplies of     
every variety4 ,he saw that it was the  
financial center too1 and mission       
finance is a special science4 ,shanghai 
seemed to ,j4,w4 to be one of the great 
capitals of the missionary world4       
,rutledge's own work1 many sided as     
,j4,w4 saw it was1 had two aspects of   
special significance4 ,rutledge was     

sending back to ,america all the        
information he could gather from the    
whole field4 ,with the skill of a       
trained reporter he showed the          
missionaries how to write so as to make 
a  genuine story seem convincing1 and   
how to subordinate the details to the   
importance of making a clear and single 
impression4    ,the other work of       
,rutledge's which caught ,j4,w4's eye   
was his activity  in behalf of the young
 people of ,china4 ,until lately nothing
 at all had  been done comparable to the
 specialized development of young       
people's  work in ,america1 but now the 
,epworth ,league was beginning to be    
utilized  and adapted to ,chinese ways4 
,funds were available--not much1 but a  
beginning4 ,leaders were being trained4 
,a larger measure of local1  ,chinese   
help was being employed4    ,j4,w4 asked
 ,mark ,rutledge about all this one day4
 ,isn't it going to  make a difference  
with the work by and by1 if you get so  
many natives  into places of            

responsibility8 ,are they ready for it8 
,no1 said ,rutledge1 they're not4 ,but  
we must make them ready4 ,you  haven't  
begun to see ,china yet1 but already you
 can see that the  country could never  
be 'evangelized1' even in the narrowest 
use of that  word1 by foreign           
missionaries4 ,and it ought not to be4  
,you mean that we ,americans ought to   
consider our work in ,china as          
temporary8 ,j4,w4 asked4    ,rutledge   
answered1 ,frankly1 ,i do1 if you let me
 put my own meaning into  'temporary1'  
,we must start things4 ,and much that   
must be done in the  long run has not   
yet been started4 ,we must stay here    
beyond my life  expectation or yours4   
,but ,china will be ,christianized by   
the ,chinese1  not by foreigners4 ,as   
far ahead as we can see the work will   
have help  from outside1 but ,i honestly
 want the time to come when we          
missionaries  will be looked upon as the
 foreign helpers of the ,chinese        
,church2 not1  as now1 controlling the  

work ourselves and enlisting the        
services of  'native helpers4'    ,then 
tell me another thing1 ,j4,w4 persisted4
 ,is our ,christianity1 as  the ,chinese
 get it1 any advance on their own       
religion8 ,or is their  religion all    
right1 if they would work it as we hope 
they may work the  ,christian program8  
,that's two questions1 said ,rutledge1  
dryly1 but1 after all1 it is  only one4 
,our ,christianity as the ,chinese get  
it is far ahead of the  best they have1 
in ideals1 in human values1 everything1 
even if they  were more consistent in   
responding to its claims than           
,christians are4  ,the old              
religions--and ,china has several--are  
helpless4 ,we are not  killing off the  
old faiths4 ,if we should get out       
to-morrow these would  none the less die
 out in time1 but then ,china would be  
left without any  religion at all4      
,instead1 she's going to have the       
,christian faith in a  form that will   
accord with the genius of the ,chinese  

mind4 ,that's my  sure confidence1 or ,i
 wouldn't be here4    ,it was necessary 
that ,j4,w4 should run down the coast to
 ,foochow1 the  base for his next       
operations in the hardware adventure4 ,i
 know ,i'm  green1 he said to ,rutledge1
 and ,i may be thinking of              
impossibilities1  but do you suppose    
there'll be any chance for me to get up 
to ,dr4  ,carbrook's place from         
,foochow8 ,i've told you about him and  
his wife1 and  ,i'd rather see those two
 than anybody else in all the ,east4    
,it's not impossible at all1 ,rutledge  
assured him4 ,carbrook's post is  not so
 very far from ,foochow1 as distances go
 in ,china1 and ,ralph ,bellew  at the  
college will help you4    ,yes1 my      
pastor at home told me to be sure and   
call on him1 said ,j4,w41  and took his 
leave of a man he would long remember4  
,the call of ,professor ,bellew was not 
delayed long after ,j4,w4 had found  his
 bearings in ,foochow1 and the          
,professor's welcome was even more      

cordial than that of the ,cummings      
agency1 though these gentlemen were1  of
 course1 the soul of courtesy4 ,if they 
were not so sure as ,peter  ,mc,dougall 
that ,j4,w4 or any other ,american could
 teach them anything  about selling the 
,cummings line in ,china1 at least they 
would not put  anything in his way4     
,one important interior town1 ,yenping1 
they had hoped ,j4,w4 might visit1  but 
unfortunately there was no one connected
 with the agency who could  be sent with
 him4 ,they understood that some of his 
missionary friends  were ready to help  
him in the general enterprise1 and      
perhaps they might  be able to suggest  
something4    ,when the difficulty was  
stated to ,professor ,bellew he said3   
,why1 that's  one of our stations4 ,it  
is a little out of the way to go up to  
,dr4  ,carbrook's place on the way to   
,yenping1 but we'll see that you get to 
both towns4    ,that's certainly good of
 you1 ,professor1 said ,j4,w41          
gratefully4 ,i've  told you about ,joe  

,carbrook1 and ,i can hardly wait until 
,i get to him4  ,as a matter of fact1 he
 had told everybody about ,joe          
,carbrook4    ,professor ,bellew was    
sympathetic4 ,i know1 he said1 and ,i   
understand4  ,when you come back1 if we 
can manage the dates1 you may find      
something  here which you ought to see4 
,the ,carbrook ,hospital--it has another
 name in the annual reports1 but  this  
will identify it sufficiently for our   
purposes--spread itself all  over the   
compound and beyond in its welcome to   
,j4,w4 ,joe and ,marcia were  first1 and
 joyfullest4 ,the school turned out to  
the last scholar1 and  even the         
hospital's walking cases insisted on    
having a share in the  welcome to the   
foreign doctor's friend4    ,tell us    
what you are up to1 said the ,carbrooks1
 when they were back in  the house after
 a sketchy inspection of the whole      
establishment2  hospital1 dispensary1   
school1 chapel1 and so forth4 ,and1     
,tell me what  you are doing with it1   

now that you have the hospital you have 
been  dreaming about so long1 said      
,j4,w4    ,but ,j4,w4 told his story    
first1 just to get it out of the way1 as
 he  said4 ,then he turned to ,marcia   
and said1 ,how about it1 ',mrs4         
,carbrook'8    ,well1 ,j4,w41 said      
,marcia1 that name is not so strange as 
it was4 ,i'm  feeling as if ,i had been 
married a long time1 judging by the     
responsibilities1 that are dumped on me 
just because ,i am the doctor's  wife4  
,and this doctor man of mine hardly     
knows whether to be happy or  miserable4
 ,he's happy1 because he has found the  
very place he wanted4  ,and he's        
miserable because he ought to be        
learning the language and  can't get    
away from the work that crowds in on    
him4    ,and you yourself1 ,marcia1     
,j4,w4 asked1 are you happy or          
miserable1 or  both8    ,she's as mixed 
up as ,i am1 old man1 ,joe answered for 
her4 ,talk about  the language6 ,i don't
 hanker after learning it1 but ,i've got

 to1 some  time4 ,if they would just let
 me be a sort of deaf-mute doctor ,i'd  
be  much obliged4 ,the work is fairly   
maddening4 ,you know1 it was a question 
of closing up this hospital or putting  
me in as a green hand4 ,of course  there
 are the nurses1 and a couple of        
students4 ,but ,i'm glad they put me    
in2 only1 look at the job6 ,never a day 
without new patients4 ,a steady  stream 
at the out-clinic4 ,why1 ,j4,w41 ,i've  
done operations alone here  that at home
 they'd hardly let me hold sponges for4 
,had to do 'em4    ,well1 ,j4,w4        
commented1 isn't that what you came for8
    ,it is1 ,marcia answered--these two 
had a queer way of speaking for each    
other--and it would be a good plenty if 
the hospital were all4 ,but we  are     
putting up a new building to take the   
place of an adobe horror1 and  ,joe has 
to buy bricks and deal with workmen and 
give advice and dispense  medicine and  
do operations1 all with the help of a   
none too sure  interpreter4 ,he's the   

busiest man1 ,i do believe1 between here
 and  ,foochow4    ,j4,w4 wanted to draw
 ,dr4 ,joe out about the work in        
general4 ,what of the  evangelistic     
work1 and the educational work1 and all 
the rest4    ,but ,dr4 ,joe would not   
rise to it4 ,i'll tell you honestly1    
,j4,w41 ,i just  don't know4 ,haven't   
had time to find out4 ,when ,i got here 
,i found people  standing three deep    
around the hospital doors1 some wanting 
help for  themselves1 and some anxious  
to bring relatives or friends4 ,i was at
  work before anything was unpacked     
except my instruments4 ,and ,i've been  
at it ever since4 ,everything else could
 wait1 but all this human misery        
couldn't4 ,and ,i don't know much of    
what the evangelistic value of it all   
will be4 ,we have a ,bible woman and a  
teacher in the school who are very      
devoted4 ,they read and pray every day  
with the patients1 and as for           
gratitude1 ,i never expected to be      
thanked for what ,i did as ,i have been 

thanked here4 ,i'll tell you one thing2 
,i didn't dream a man could be so       
content in the midst of such a hurricane
 of work4 ,i'm done to a  standstill    
every day2 ,i bump into difficulties and
 tackle  responsibilities that ,i hadn't
 even heard of in medical school1 though
 ,i  haven't killed anybody yet4 ,and   
all the time ,i remember how ,i used to 
wish ,i might be the only doctor between
 ,siam and sunrise4 ,i'm plenty  near   
enough to that1 in all conscience4 ,the 
only doctor in this town of  one hundred
 thousand1 and a district around us so  
big that ,i'm afraid to  measure it4 ,on
 one side the next doctor is a good     
hundred miles away4  ,now1 do you know  
how ,i feel8 ,oh1 yes2 insufficient     
until it hurts like  the toothache1 yet 
somehow as though ,i were carrying on   
here1 not in  place of the man who has  
gone home on furlough1 but in place of  
,jesus  ,christ himself4 ,you know ,i'm 
not irreverent2 ,i might have been1 but 
this  has taken all of the temptation   

out of me4 ,it is his work1 not mine4   
,j4,w4 turned to ,marcia again4 ,i      
thought you said this ,joe of yours was 
miserable1 ,i've seen him when he was   
enjoying himself pretty well1 but ,i    
never saw him like this4    ,i know1    
,marcia admitted1 and ,i didn't mean he 
was really unhappy4 ,but  it is a big   
strain1 and there's no sign of its      
letting up until the  regular doctor    
gets back4    ,the next day ,j4,w4      
watched his old friend amid the press of
 duties which  crowded the hours1 and he
 marveled as much as the wretchedness of
 the  patients as he did at the steady  
resourcefulness of the man whom he had  
known when he was ,delafield's          
adventurous and spendthrift idler4      
,as he looked on1 ,j4,w4 could          
understand something which had been a   
closed  book to him before4 ,no one     
could stand by and see this abjectness  
of  need1 this helplessness1 this       
pathetic faith which was almost         
fatalistic  in the foreign doctor's     

miraculous powers--it recalled that     
beseeching  cry in the ,new ,testament  
story1 ,lord1 if thou wilt thou         
canst--without being deeply1 poignantly 
glad that there were such men  as ,joe  
,carbrook4 ,it was all very well to talk
 at long range about  letting ,china and
 other places wait4 ,but on the spot    
nobody could talk  that way4    ,the    
visit might have lasted two weeks1      
instead of two days1 and then the       
,carbrooks would have hung on and       
besought him to stay a little longer4   
,torture would not have drawn any       
admission from them1 but back of all    
the joy in the work was a something that
 left them without words as ,j4,w4  and 
his little group from ,foochow set out  
for the next stopping place4  ,just     
before the last silent hand-grips1      
,j4,w4 told his friends about           
,jeannette and himself1 and promised    
,joe a wedding present4 ,you see1 he    
said1 ,i never sent you one when you    
were married1 and ,i'd like to send  you

 a double one now1 for yourselves and   
for us4 ,you send me word what  it is   
you most need for the hospital1 an      
,x-ray outfit1 or a sterilizer1  or a   
thingamajig for making cultures1        
microscope included1 and ,jeannette  and
 ,i will see that you get it4 ,i'm a    
tither1 you know1 and my salary's  been 
raised1 and ,i want to do something to  
show what a fool ,i was before  ,i knew 
what sort of a business you were really 
in out here4 ,so don't be  modest2 you  
can't hurt my feelings6    ,back at     
,foochow in the course of the slow days 
which ,chinese travel  gives to those   
who go aside from the beaten path1      
,professor ,bellew  welcomed ,j4,w4 with
 eager warmth4 ,you're back just in     
time1 if you can  stay a few days2 the  
celebration of the fortieth anniversary 
of the  college begins to-morrow4       
,j4,w4 had at least a week's business   
with the ,cummings agents4 ,he had      
found some conditions on his inland     
journey which called for much           

discussion4 ,so he had time for sharing 
in a good deal of the  celebration4 ,it 
was something to marvel at1 that a      
,christian college had  been at work in 
this great city for forty years4    ,the
 president of the college and his wife  
started the proceedings with a  formal  
reception1 at which a ,chinese orchestra
 furnished music outside  the house1 and
 ,western musicians rendered more       
familiar selections in  the parlors4    
,alumni flocked to the reception1 men of
 every variety of  occupation1 but all  
one in their devotion to their ,alma    
,mater4 ,the next  afternoon was given  
over to athletics1 and the evening to a 
lecture1  quite in the ,american        
fashion4    ,the third day being        
,sunday1 ,j4,w4 listened to an ,american
 missionary in  the morning1 who spoke  
boldly of the prime need for a college  
like this  if the youth of ,china were  
to be trained for the highest service to
  their country4 ,at night he sat       
through nearly three hours of the most  

amazing testimony meeting he had ever   
seen4 ,it was led by a ,chinese who  had
 been graduated from the college thirty 
years before4 ,the eagerness1  almost   
impatience1 to confess what ,jesus      
,christ and ,christian education  had   
meant to these ,chinese leaders--for it 
was evident they were  leaders--was a   
thing to stir the most sluggish         
,christian pulse4 ,j4,w4's  mind took   
him back to a memorable love feast at   
,cartwright ,institute1  when ,joe      
,carbrook had made his first confession 
of and surrender to  ,jesus ,christ1 and
 it seemed to him that the likeness     
between these two  so different         
gatherings was far more real than all   
their contrasts4    ,on ,monday the     
anniversary banquet brought the         
,american consul1 a  representative of  
the provincial governor1 and many other 
dignitaries4  ,and on ,tuesday the      
students put on a pageant which         
illustrated in  gorgeousness of color   
and costume and accessories the history 

of the  college4 ,besides all this pomp 
and circumstance there was a wonderful  
industrial exhibit4 ,the president of   
,china sent a scroll1 as did also  the  
prime minister4 ,former students in the 
cities of ,china1 from ,peking  to      
,amoy1 sent subscriptions amounting to  
twenty-five thousand dollars  for new   
buildings1 and other old students in the
 ,philippines sent a  second twenty-five
 thousand dollars4    ,all of which     
stirred ,j4,w4 to the very soul4 ,here  
was a ,christian college  older than    
many in ,america4 ,its results could not
 be measured by any  visible standards1 
yet he had seen graduates of the school 
and students  who did not stay long     
enough to graduate1 men of light and    
leading1 men  of wealth and station1    
officials1 men in whom the spirit of the
 new  ,china burned1 ,christian workers2
 and all these bore convincing testimony
  that this college had been the one    
great mastering influence of their      
lives4 ,a ,christian college--in ,china6

    ,j4,w4 thought of it all and said to
 himself3 ,i wonder if ,i am the same   
individual as he who not so many months 
ago was talking about the good  sense of
 letting ,china wait indefinitely for   
,christ8 ,anyhow1 somebody  has had     
better sense than that every day of the 
last forty years6    ,the tour of the   
tools was teaching ,j4,w4 more than he  
could teach the  merchants of ,asia4    
,and yet he was doing no little         
missionary work1 as  evidenced both in  
his own reports to ,peter ,mc,dougall1  
and still more in  the reports which    
went to that observant gentleman after  
,j4,w4 had moved  on from any given     
place4 ,the ,cummings ,hardware         
,corporation may be  without a soul1 as 
corporations are known to be1 but it has
 many eyes4    ,these eyes followed     
,j4,w4's progress from ,shanghai to     
,foochow1 to ,hong  ,kong1 to ,manila4  
,they observed how he studied artisans  
and their ways  with tools1 and the ways
 of builders with house fittings1 and   

the  various devices with which in field
 and garden the toilers set  themselves 
to their endless labor4 ,as the eyes of 
the ,cummings  organization saw these   
things1 the word went back across the   
water to  ,saint ,louis1 and ,peter     
,mc,dougall took credit to himself for a
  commendable shrewdness4    ,but the   
ever-watchful eyes had no instructions  
to report on the tool  missionary's     
other activities1 and therefore no      
report was made4 ,none  the less they   
saw1 and wondered1 and thought that     
there was something  back of it all4    
,there was more back of it than they    
could have guessed4    ,for ,j4,w4 had  
come to a new zest for both of his      
quests4 ,the business  which had brought
 him into the ,east was daily becoming  
more fascinating  in its possibilities  
and promise4 ,in even greater measure   
the interests  which belong especially  
to this chronicle were taking on a new  
importance4 ,everywhere he went he      
sought out the missions and the         

missionaries4 ,he plied the workers with
 question on question until they  told  
him all the hopes and fears and needs   
and longings which often they  hesitated
 to put into their official letters to  
the ,boards4    ,in ,manila he saw1     
after a little more than two decades of 
far from  complete missionary           
occupation1 the signs that a ,christian 
civilization  was rising4 ,the schools  
and churches and hospitals and other    
organization work established in ,manila
 were proof that all through the        
islands the everyday humdrum of         
missionary service was going forward1   
perhaps without haste1 but surely       
without rest4    ,when he came to       
,singapore1 that traffic corner to which
 all the sea  roads of the ,east        
converge1 he heard the story of a       
miracle1 and then  he saw the miracle   
itself1 the ,anglo-,chinese ,college4   
,they told him what it meant1 not the   
missionaries only1 but the ,chinese     
merchants who controlled the ,cummings  

line for all the archipelago1 and       
,sumatra planters1 and ,british         
officials1 and business men from        
,malaysian  trade centers whose names he
 had never before heard4    ,the teacher
 who put himself at ,j4,w4's service was
 one of the men to  whom ,pastor ,drury 
had written his word of appeal on       
,j4,w4's behalf4 ,he  respected it      
altogether1 and the more because he well
 knew that here was  no need for mere   
talk4 ,a visitor with eyes and ears     
could come to his  own conclusions4 ,if 
the college were not its own strongest  
argument1 no  words could strengthen it4
    ,the college had been started by    
intrepid men who had no capital but     
faith and an overmastering sense of     
duty4 ,that was a short generation  ago4
 ,now ,j4,w4 saw crowded halls and      
students with purposeful faces1 and  he 
heard how1 at first by the hundreds and 
now by thousands1 the product  of this  
school was spreading a sense of         
,christian life-values through  all the 

vast island and ocean spaces from       
,rangoon to ,new ,guinea1 and  from     
,batavia to ,sulu4    ,but it may as    
well be told that1 even more than       
,china1 ,india made the  deepest impress
 on the mind and heart of our           
tool-traveler4 ,from the  moment when he
 landed in ,calcutta to the moment when 
he watched the low  coasts of the       
,ganges delta merge into the horizon far
 astern1 ,india  would not let him      
alone4 ,he saw poverty such as could    
scarcely be  described1 and religious   
rites the very telling of which might   
sear the  tongue4 ,if ,china's poor had 
a certain apathy which seemed like      
poise1  even in their wretchedness1 not 
so ,india's1 but1 rather1 a slow-moving 
misery1 a dull progress toward nothing  
better1 with only nothingness and  its  
empty peace at last4    ,once in        
,calcutta1 and his business plans set   
going1 he started out to  find some of  
the city's ,christian forces4 ,they were
 not easy to find4 ,as  in every        

,oriental city1 missionary work is      
relatively small4 ,indeed1 ,j4  ,w4     
began to think that this third city of  
,asia had little religion of  any sort4 
,he had been prepared in part for the   
first meager showing of mission  work4  
,on shipboard he had encountered the    
usual assortment of missionary  critics2
 the unobservant1 the profane1 the      
superior1 the loose-living1  and all    
that tribe4 ,the first of them he had   
met on the second day out  from ,san    
,francisco1 and every boat which sailed 
the ,eastern seas  appeared to carry its
 complement of self-appointed and       
all-knowing  enemies of the whole       
missionary enterprise4 ,while steaming  
up the ,bay of  ,bengal1 the            
anti-mission chorus appeared at its     
critical best4 ,j4,w4 was  told as they 
neared ,calcutta that the ,indian       
,christian was servile1 and  slick and  
totally untrustworthy4 ,never had these 
expert observers seen a  genuine        
convert1 but only hypocrites1 liars1    

petty thieves1 and  grafters4    ,in    
spite of it all1 at last he found the   
,methodist ,mission1 and it was  not so 
small1 when once you saw the whole of   
it4 ,by great good fortune  his         
instructions from home ordered him up   
country as far as ,cawnpore4  ,and to   
his delight he met a ,methodist bishop1 
one of the new ones1 who  was setting   
out with a party for the ,northwest4    
,so1 on the bishop's most  cordial      
invitation1 he joined himself to the    
company1 and learned in a  day or two   
from experts how to make the best of    
,india's rather trying  travel          
conditions4    ,benares1 ,allahabad1    
,cawnpore1 ,lucknow--,j4,w4 came to     
these cities with a  queer feeling of   
having been there before4 ,long ago1 in 
his early ,sunday  school days1 the     
names of these places and the wonders of
 them had been  the theme of almost the 
only missionary book he had at that age 
cared to  read4    ,at ,allahabad1 said 
his companions of the way1 an           

,all-,india ,epworth  ,league convention
 was to be held1 and ,j4,w4 made up his 
mind that a  ,league convention in      
,india would be doubly worth attending4 
,he did  attend it too1 but it left no  
such memory as another gathering in the 
same city2 a memory which he knows will 
last after every other picture  of the  
,east has faded from his recollection4  
,the party had reached ,allahabad at the
 time of the ,khumb ,mela1 a vast       
outpouring of massed humanity too great 
for any but the merest guesses  at its  
numbers4 ,this ,mela1 feast1 religious  
pilgrimage1 whatever it  might mean to  
these endless multitudes1 is held here  
at stated times  because the two sacred 
rivers1 the ,jumna and the ,ganges1 come
 together  at ,allahabad1 and tradition 
has it that a third river flows beneath 
the  surface to meet the others4 ,so the
 place is trebly sacred1 its waters     
potent for purification1 no matter how  
great one's sin4    ,with the others    
,j4,w4 set out for an advantageous      

observation point1 on  the wall of the  
fort which stands on the tongue of land 
between the two  streams4 ,on the way   
,j4,w4 assured himself that if ,calcutta
 seemed without  religion1 here was more
 than enough of it to redress the       
balances4 ,in  the throng was a holy man
 whose upraised arm had been held aloft 
until  it had atrophied1 and would never
 more swing by his side4 ,and yonder    
another holy one sat in the sand1 with a
 circle of little fires burning  close  
about him4 ,the seeker after he knew not
 what who made his search  while lying  
on a bed of spikes was here4 ,and once a
 procession passed1  two hundred men1   
all holy after the fashion of ,hindu    
holiness1 all  utterly naked1 with      
camels and elephants moving in their    
train4 ,as if to  show how these were   
counted men of special sanctity1 the    
people fell on  their faces to the      
ground beside them as they passed1 and  
kissed their  shadows on the sand4      
,the point of vantage reached1 ,j4,w4's 

bewildered eyes could scarce make  his  
brain believe what they saw4 ,he was    
standing on a broad wall1 thirty  feet  
above the water1 and perhaps a hundred  
feet back from it4 ,up and  down the    
stream was an endless solid mass of     
heads4 ,j4,w4 looked for some  break in 
the crowd1 some thinning out of its     
packed bodies1 but as far  as he could  
see there was no break1 no end4         
,government officials had  estimated the
 number of pilgrims at two millions6    
,a signal must have been given1 or an   
hour had come--,j4,w4 could not tell    
which--but somehow the people knew that 
now was the opportunity to enter  the   
water and gain cleansing from all sin4  
,a mighty1 resistless movement  carried 
the human stream to meet the river4     
,inevitably the weaker  individuals were
 swept along helpless1 and those who    
fell arose no more4  ,horrified1 ,j4,w4 
stood looking down on the slow1         
irresistible movement  of the writhing  
bodies1 and he saw a woman drop4 ,a     

,british police  officer1 standing in an
 angle of the wall beneath1 ordered a   
native  policeman to get the woman out  
,but the native1 seeing the crush and   
unwilling to risk himself for so slight 
a cause1 waited until his  superior     
turned away to another point of peril1  
and then1 snatching the  red-banded     
police turban from his head1 was lost in
 the general mass4    ,the woman8       
,trampled to death1 and twenty other men
 and women with her1  in sight of the   
stunned watchers on the wall1 who were  
compelled to see  these lives crushed   
out1 powerless to help by so much as a  
finger's  weight4    ,what was it all   
for8 ,j4,w4 asked his companions on the 
wall4 ,and they  said that the word went
 out at certain times and the people    
flocked to  this ,mela4 ,they came to   
wash in the sacred waters at the        
propitious  moment4 ,nothing else       
mattered2 not the inescapable pollution 
of the  rivers1 not the weariness and   
hunger and many distresses of the way4  

,it  was a chance1 so the wise ones     
declared1 to be rid of sin4 ,certainly  
it  might not avail1 but who would not  
venture if mayhap there might be        
cleansing of soul in the waters of      
,mother ,ganges8    ,on another day     
,j4,w4 came to a temple1 not a great    
towering shrine1 but  a third-rate sort 
of place1 a sacred cow temple4 ,here was
 a family which  had journeyed four     
hundred miles to worship before the     
idols of this  temple4 ,they offered    
rice to one idol1 flowers to another1   
holy water  from the river to a third4  
,no one might know what inner urge had  
driven  them here4 ,the priest1 slow to 
heed them1 at length deigned to dip his 
finger in a little paint and with it he 
smeared the caste mark on the  foreheads
 of the worshipers4 ,it was heartless1  
empty formality4    ,j4,w4 watched the  
woman particularly4 ,her face was an    
unrelieved  sadness2 she had fulfilled  
the prescribed rites1 in the appointed  
place1  but there was no surcease from  

the endless round of dull misery which  
she knew was her ordained lot4 ,thought 
,j4,w43 ,i suppose this is a sort  of   
joining the church1 an initiation or    
something of that sort4 ,not much  like 
what happened when ,i joined the church 
in ,delafield4 ,everybody was  glad     
there2 here nobody is glad1 not even the
 priest4    ,at ,cawnpore ,j4,w4 was    
able to combine business with his       
missionary  inquiries4 ,here he found   
great woollen and cotton mills1 not     
unlike  those of ,america1 except that  
in these mills women and children were  
working long hours1 seven days a week1  
for a miserable wage4 ,it was           
heathenism plus commercialism2 that is  
to say1 a double heathenism4 ,for  when 
business is not tempered by the         
,christian spirit1 it is as pagan as    
any cow temple4    ,in these mills was a
 possible market for certain sorts of   
,cummings  goods1 as ,j4,w4 learned in  
the business quarter of the city4 ,he   
wanted  more opportunity to see how the 

goods he dealt in could be used1 and1   
having by now learned the path of least 
resistance1 he appealed to a            
missionary4 ,it was specially fortunate 
that he did1 for the missionary         
introduced him to the secretary of the  
largest mills in the city1 an  ,indian  
,christian with a history4    ,now1 this
 is a hint at the story of--well1 let us
 call him ,abraham4 ,his  own is another
 ,bible name1 of more humble            
associations1 but he deserves  to be    
called ,abraham4 ,thirty years ago a    
missionary first evangelized  and then  
baptized some two hundred               
villagers--outcasts1 untouchables1      
social lepers4 ,being newly become      
,christians1 they deposed their old     
village god4 ,the landlord beat them and
 berated them1 but they were done  with 
the idol4 ,now1 that was no easy        
adventure of faith1 and those who  thus 
adventured could not hope for material  
gain4 ,they were more  despised than    
ever4    ,yet inevitably they began to  

rise in the human scale4 ,the missionary
  found one of them a young man of      
parts4 ,him he took and taught to read1 
to write1 to know the ,scriptures4 ,he  
began to be an exhorter2 then a  local  
preacher2 and at last he joined the     
,conference as a ,methodist  itinerant  
at six dollars a month4 ,now this boy   
was the father of  ,abraham4    ,as a   
preacher he opened village schools1 and 
taught the children their  letters1 his 
own boy among them4 ,abraham learned    
quickly4 ,a place was  found for him in 
a mission boarding school4 ,thence he   
moved on and up to  ,lucknow ,christian 
,college4 ,it was this man who escorted 
,j4,w4 through the  great mills of which
 he was an executive4 ,he had a salary  
of two hundred  dollars a month4 ,if his
 father had been an ,american village   
preacher at  twelve hundred dollars a   
year1 ,abraham's salary1 relatively1    
would need  to be twenty or thirty      
thousand dollars4    ,abraham was the   
superintendent of a ,sunday school in   

,cawnpore4 ,he was  giving himself to   
all sorts of betterment work which would
 lessen the  misery of the poor4 ,he had
 a seat in the city council4 ,a hostel  
for boys  was one of his enterprises4   
,here was a man doing his utmost to     
,christianize the industry in which     
thousands of his country men spent      
their lives2 a second-generation        
,christian1 and a man who must be       
reckoned with1 no longer spurned and    
despised as a casteless nobody4         
,j4,w4 followed ,abraham about the mills
 with growing admiration4 ,inside  the  
walls1 light1 orderly paths1 flowers1   
cleanliness4 ,outside the gate1  to step
 across the road was to walk a thousand 
years into the past1  among the smells  
and the ageless noises of the bazaar1   
with its  chaffering and cheating1 its  
primitive crudities1 and its changeless 
wares4 ,certainly1 a ,cawnpore mill is  
not the ideal industrial  commonwealth1 
but without men like ,abraham to        
alleviate its grimness the  coming of   

larger opportunities through work like  
this might well lay a  heavier burden on
 men's lives than the primitive and     
costly toil which  it has displaced4    
,there was just time for a visit to     
,lucknow1 a city which to the ,british  
is the historic place of mutiny and     
siege2 to ,american ,methodists a  place
 both of history and of present-day     
advance4 ,j4,w4 worshiped in the  great 
,hindustani ,methodist church1 the busy 
home of many activities4 ,in  the       
congregation were many students1 girls  
from ,isabella ,thoburn  ,college1 and  
boys from ,lucknow ,christian ,college4 
,lifelong ,methodist as  he was1 ,j4,w4 
quickly recognized1 even amid these new 
surroundings1 the  familiar aspects of a
 ,methodist church on its busy day4 ,the
 crowding  congregations were enough to 
stir one's blood4 ,a noble organ sounded
 out  the call to worship and led the   
choir and people in the service of      
praise4 ,there was a ,sunday school in  
full operation1 and an ,epworth  ,league

 ,chapter1 completely organized and     
active4 ,his guide confided to  ,j4,w4  
that this church had yet another point  
of resemblance to the great  churches at
 home2 it was quite accustomed to       
sending a committee to  ,conference1 to 
tell the bishop whom it wanted for      
preacher next year6    ,j4,w4 was not   
quite satisfied4 ,the days of his       
wanderings must soon be  over1 but      
before he left ,india he wanted to see  
the missionary in actual  contact with  
the immemorial paganism of the villages1
 for he had  discovered that the village
 is ,india4 ,how was the ,christian     
message  meeting all the dreary         
emptinesses and limitations of village  
life8    ,once more he appealed to his  
missionary guide2 this latest one1 the  
last  of the five men to whom ,pastor   
,drury had written before ,j4,w4 had set
 out  on his travels4 ,could he show his
 visitor a little of missionary work in 
village environment8    ,surely4        
,nothing easier1 the district           

superintendent said4 ,we'll jump  into  
my ,ford--great thing for ,india1 the   
,ford2 and still greater for us         
missionaries--and we'll go a-villaging4 
,the village of their quest once        
reached1 the ,ford drew up before a neat
  brick house built around three sides  
of a courtyard1 with verandas on  the   
court side4 ,this was no usual mud hut1 
but a house1 and a parsonage  withal4   
,here lived the ,indian village preacher
 and his family4 ,the  preacher's wife  
was neatly dressed and capable2 the     
children clean and  well-mannered4 ,the 
room had its table1 and on the table    
books4 ,that  meant nothing to ,j4,w41  
but the superintendent gave him to      
understand  that a table with books in  
an ,indian village house was comparable 
in its  rarity to a small-town ,american
 home with a pipe organ and a butler6   
,the lunch of native food seemed        
delicious1 if it was hot1 to ,j4,w4's   
healthy appetite1 and if he had not seen
 over how tiny a fire it had  been      

prepared he would have credited the     
smiling housewife with a  lavishly      
equipped kitchen4    ,people began to   
drop in4 ,it was somewhat disconcerting 
to the visitor1  to see these callers   
squatting on their heels1 talking one to
 another1  but watching him continually 
out of the corners of their eyes4 ,one  
of  them1 the chaudrie1 headman of the  
village1 being introduced to ,j4,w41    
told him1 the superintendent acting as  
interpreter1 how the boys' school       
flourished1 and how he and other        
,christians had gone yesterday on an    
evangelizing visit to another village1  
not yet ,christian1 but sure to  ask for
 a teacher soon4    ,the preacher1 in a 
rather precise1 clipped ,english1 asked 
,j4,w4 if he  cared to walk about the   
village4 ,we could go to the mohulla    
ward1  where most of our ,christians    
live4 ,they will be most glad to welcome
  you4    ,the way led through dirty1   
narrow streets1 or1 rather1 let us say1 
through the spaces between dwellings1 to

 the low-caste quarter4 ,here  were     
people of the bottom stratum of ,indian 
life1 yet it was a ,christian  community
 in the making4 ,the little school was  
in session--a group of  fifteen or      
twenty boys and girls with their        
teacher4 ,it was all very  crude1 but   
the children read their lessons for the 
visitor1 and did sums  on the board1 and
 sang a hymn which the pastor had       
composed1 and recited  the ,lord's      
,prayer and the ,twenty-third psalm4    
,these1 said the pastor1 are the        
children of a people which for a        
thousand years has not known how to read
 or write4 ,yet see how they  learn4    
,yes1 the superintendent agreed1 but    
that isn't the best of it1 as you  know4
 ,they are untouchables now1 but even   
caste1 which is stronger than  death1   
yields to education4 ,once these boys   
and girls have an education  they cannot
 be ignored or kept down4 ,they will    
find a place in the  social order4    ,i
 can see that1 ,j4,w4 said1 thinking of 

,abraham4 ,but education is not  a      
missionary monopoly1 is it8 ,if these   
children were educated by ,hindus1      
would not the resulting rise in their   
condition come just the same8    ,it    
would1 perhaps1 the missionary answered1
 but your 'if' is too big4  ,for the low
 caste and the out-caste people there is
 no education unless  it is ,christian  
education4 ,we have a monopoly1 though  
not of our  choosing4 ,the educated     
,hindu will not do this work under any  
circumstances4 ,it has been tried1 with 
all the prestige of the  government1    
which is no small matter in ,india1 and 
nothing comes of it4  ,not long ago the 
government proposed a wonderful scheme  
for the  education of the 'depressed    
classes4' ,the money was provided1 and  
the  equipment as well4 ,there were     
plenty of ,hindus1 that is1             
non-,christians1  who were indebted to  
the government for their education4     
,they were  invited to take positions in
 the new schools4 ,but no2 not for any  

money  or any other inducement would    
these teachers go near4 ,and there you  
are4  ,i know of no way out for the     
great masses of ,india except as the    
gospel  opens the door4    ,is there no 
attempt of any sort on the part of      
,indians who are not  ,christians8      
,surely1 some of them are enlightened   
enough to see the need1  and to rise    
above caste4 ,j4,w4 suspected he was    
asking a question  which had but one    
answer4    ,yes1 there is such an effort
 occasionally1 the superintendent       
admitted4 ,the ,arya ,samaj movement    
makes an attempt once in a while1 but   
it always fails4 ,if a few are bold     
enough to disregard caste1 they are     
never enough to do anything that counts4
 ,the effort is scarcely more  than a   
gesture1 and even so it would not have  
been made but for the  activities of the
 missionaries4           99       99    
99       99       99    ,and so ended   
,j4,w4's ,indian studies4 ,before many  
days he was retracing  his              

way--,calcutta1 ,singapore1 ,hongkong1  
,shanghai1 ,yokohama4 ,and then on  a   
day he found himself aboard a liner     
whose prow turned eastward from         
,japan's great port1 and his heart was  
flying a homeward-bound pennant  the    
like of which never trailed from any    
masthead4        ,,this ,,experiment    
,,teacheth--8    ,for the first day or  
so out from ,japan ,j4,w4 behaved       
himself as does any  ordinary ,american 
in similar case2 all the sensations of  
the journey  were swallowed up in the   
depths of his longings to be home4 ,the 
voyage  so slow2 the ,pacific so wide6  
,but shortly he resigned himself to the 
pervading restfulness of  shipboard1 and
 began to make acquaintances4 ,of them  
all one only has any  interest for      
us--,miss ,helen ,morel1 late of        
,manila4 ,her place was next  to his at 
the table4 ,like ,j4,w41 she was        
traveling alone1 and before they  had   
been on board twenty-four hours they had
 discovered that both were  ,methodists2

 he1 from ,delafield in the ,middle     
,west1 she from  ,pennsylvania4 ,j4,w4  
found1 altogether to his surprise1 that 
she listened  with flattering attention 
while he talked4 ,for ,j4,w4 is no      
braggart1 nor  is he overmuch given to  
self-admiration2 we know him better than
 that4  ,but it was pleasant1 none the  
less1 on good days to walk up and down  
the  long decks1 and on other days to   
sit in comfortable deck chairs1 with    
nothing to do but talk4    ,miss ,morel1
 being a teacher going home after three 
years of steady1  close work in a       
,manila high school1 was ready to talk  
of anything but  school work4 ,she found
 herself immensely interested in        
,j4,w4's  experiences4 ,he had told her 
of the double life1 so to say1 which he 
had led2 preaching the good news of     
better tools1 and studying the work  of 
other men and women1 as truly salesmen  
as himself1 who preached a  more        
arresting and insistent gospel4    ,i'm 
glad to meet some one who knows about   

missions at first hand1 ,miss  ,morel   
began one morning1 as they stepped out  
on the promenade deck for  their        
constitutional4 ,you know1 ,i think     
people at home don't understand  at all4
 ,they are so absorbed with their little
 parish affairs that they  can't        
appreciate this wonderful work that is  
being done so far from  home4    ,j4,w4 
agreed1 though not without mental       
reservations4 ,he knew how true  it was 
that many of the home folks did not     
rightly value mission work1  but he was 
not so sure about their little parish   
affairs4 ,he watched  to see if ,miss   
,morel meant to expand that idea4       
,but she evidently had thought at once  
of something else4 ,said she1           
,sometimes ,i think that if the gossip  
about missionaries and missions  which  
is so general in the ,orient gets back  
home1 as it surely does in  one way or  
another1 it must have a certain         
influence on what people  think about   
the work4    ,oh1 that1 said ,j4,w41    

with no little scorn4 ,that stuff is    
always  ignorant or malicious1 and ,i   
doubt if it gets very far with church   
people4 ,of course it may with          
outsiders4 ,i've heard it1 any amount of
  it2 you can't miss it if you travel in
 the ,east ,and there's just enough     
excuse for it to make it a particularly 
vicious sort of slander4 ,you  could say
 as much about the churches at home1 and
 a case here and there  would not be    
lacking to furnish proof4    ,certainly1
 said the teacher4 ,and yet missions are
 so wonderful2 so  much more worth while
 than anything that is being done at    
home1 don't  you think8    ,there it was
 again4 ,i'm afraid ,i don't follow you1
 ,miss ,morel1 ,j4,w4  said1 with a     
puzzled air4 ,do you mean that the      
churches at home are not  onto their    
job1 if you'll excuse the phrase8       
,his companion laughed as she answered1 
,maybe not quite as strong as  that4    
,but they are doing the same old thing  
in the same old way4 ,going  to church  

and home again1 to ,sunday school and   
home again1 to young  people's meeting  
and home again4 ,but out here1 and her  
hand swung in a  half circle as though  
she meant to include the whole ,pacific 
basin1 out  here men and women are doing
 such splendid pioneer work1 in all     
sorts of  fascinating ways4    ,true    
enough1 ,j4,w4 assented4 ,i've seen     
that1 all right4 ,but the home  church  
isn't so dead as you might think4 ,just 
before ,i left ,delafield to  go to     
,saint ,louis1 for instance1 a new work 
for the foreign-speaking  people of our 
town was being started1 with the ,board 
of ,home ,missions  and ,church         
,extension backing up the local workers4
 ,they were planning to  make a great   
church center for all these people1 and 
,i hear that it is  getting a good      
start4    ,oh1 yes1 ,i can well believe 
that1 ,mr4 ,farwell1 ,miss ,morel       
hastened to  say4 ,i think work for the 
immigrant is so very interesting1 don't 
you8  ,but1 of course1 that's not quite 

what ,i meant4 ,the usual dull things   
that churches do1 you know4    ,well1   
take another instance that ,i happen to 
remember1 ,j4,w4 had a  touch of the    
sort of feeling he used to delight in at
 ,cartwright1 when  he was gathering his
 material for a debate4 ,my first summer
 after  leaving college1 a few of us in 
,first ,church got busy studying our own
  town4 ,we found two of the general    
church boards ready to help us with     
facts and methods4 ,the ,home ,missions 
people gave us one sort of help1  and   
another board1 with the longest name of 
them all1 the ,board of  ,temperance1   
,prohibition1 and ,public ,morals1      
showed us how to go about an            
investigation of the town's undesirable 
citizens and their influence4 ,it  is in
 that sort of business for all of us1   
you know4    ,that must have been       
exciting1 said ,miss ,morel4 ,i know ,i 
should enjoy  such work4 ,what did you  
find out1 and what could you do about   
it8    ,that was a question not to be   

glibly answered1 ,j4,w4 knew4 ,but he   
meant  to be fair about it4 ,we found   
out plenty that surprised us2 a great   
deal1 he added1 that ought to be done1  
and much more that needed to be         
changed4 ,we even went so far as to draw
 up a sort of civic creed1 ',the        
,everyday ,doctrines of ,delafield1'    
,the town paper printed it1 and it was  
talked about for a while1 but probably  
we were the people who got the  most out
 of it2 it showed us what we church     
members might mean to the  town4 ,and   
that was worth something4    ,miss      
,morel was sure it was4 ,but she came   
back to her first idea about  the home  
churches4 ,don't you think that much of 
the preaching1 and all  that1 is pretty 
dull and tiresome8 ,i came from a little
 country church1  and it was so dreary4 
,j4,w4 thought of ,deep ,creek1 and     
said1 ,i know what you mean2 but even   
the country church is improving4 ,i must
 tell you some time about ,marty1  my   
chum4 ,he's a country preacher1 helped  

in his training by the ,rural           
,department of the ,home ,missions      
,board1 and his people come in crowds to
  his preaching4 ,country churches are  
waking up1 and the ,board people at     
,philadelphia have had a lot to do with 
it4    ,well1 ,i'm glad4 ,but anyway1   
home missions is rather commonplace1    
haven't you noticed8 and ,miss ,morel   
looked almost as though she were  asking
 a question of state4    ,i can't say   
,i've found it so1 ,j4,w4 said1 stoutly1
 ,i was some time  learning1 but ,i ran 
into a lot of experiences before ,i left
 home4 ,take  the work for colored      
people1 for instance4 ,i had to make a  
speech at a  convention1 and ,i found   
out that our church has a ,board of     
,education for  ,negroes which is doing 
more than any other agency to train     
,negro  preachers and teachers and home 
makers1 and doctors and other leaders4  
,that's not so very commonplace1 would  
you say so8    ,well1 no1 the young lady
 admitted4 ,it is very important work1  

of  course2 and ,i'd dearly love to have
 a share in it4 ,i am a great  believer 
in the colored races1 you know4 ,but you
 are making me begin to  think ,i am all
 wrong about the church at home4 ,i     
don't mean to belittle  it4 ,perhaps ,i 
appreciate it more than ,i realized4    
,anyway1 tell me  something else that   
you have found out4    ,there isn't     
time1 ,j4,w4 objected4 ,but if you won't
 think me a  nuisance1 maybe ,i can tell
 you part of it4 ,for example1 ,sunday  
school4  ,long ago ,i discovered that   
the whole church was providing for      
,sunday  school progress through a      
,board of ,sunday ,schools1 and there   
isn't a  modern ,sunday school idea     
anywhere that this ,board doesn't put   
into its  scheme of work4 ,i was a very 
small part of it myself for a while1 so 
,i  know4    ,yes1 and even ,i know a   
little about the ,sunday ,school ,board1
 confessed  ,miss ,morel4 ,it has helped
 us a lot in the ,philippines4 ,and so  
,i must  admit that the church does try 

to improve and extend ,sunday school    
work4  ,what else8    ,j4,w4 told about 
his experiences on the ,mexican border1 
where home  missions and foreign        
missions came together4 ,then1 seeing   
that she was  really listening1 he told 
of his and ,marty's college days1 how   
,marty had  borrowed money from the     
,board of ,education1 and how the same  
,board had a  hand in the college       
evangelistic work4 ,he told about the   
deaconesses who  managed the hospital at
 ,manchester1 and the training school   
which ,marcia  ,dayne ,carbrook had     
attended when she was getting ready to  
go to ,china4  ,that school had sent out
 hundreds of deaconesses and other      
workers4    ,the thought of ,marcia made
 him think of ,joe1 and he told what he 
knew of  how the ,wesley ,foundation at 
the ,state ,university had helped ,joe  
when he  could easily have made         
shipwreck of his missionary purpose4 ,of
 course  the story of his visit to the  
,carbrooks in ,china must also be told4 

,miss ,morel changed the subject again4 
,tell me1 ,mr4 ,farwell1 she asked1     
were you in the ,epworth ,league when   
you were at home8    ,i surely was1 said
 ,j4,w4 ,that was where ,i got my first 
start2 at the  ,cartwright ,institute4  
,and the story jumped back to those     
far-off days  when he was just out of   
high school4    ,as he paused ,miss     
,morel said1 ,i was an ,epworthian1 too1
 and in the  young women's missionary   
societies4 ,we had a combination society
 in our  church1 so ,i was a ',queen    
,esther' and a ',standard ,bearer' as   
well4 ,those  organizations did me a    
world of good4 ,you know1 when ,i think 
of it1 the  women's missionary societies
 have done a wonderful work in ,america 
and  everywhere4    ,i guess they have1 
said ,j4,w4 ,i know my mother has always
 been a  member of both1 and she's      
always been the most intelligent and    
active  missionary in the ,farwell      
family4    ,the talk languished for a   
while1 and then ,miss ,morel exclaimed1 

,i know  why we've stopped talking2     
we're hungry4 ,it is almost time for    
luncheon1  and if you have an appetite  
like mine1 you're impatient for the     
call4    ,j4,w4 looked at his watch and 
saw that there was only ten minutes of  
the  morning left4 ,so they separated to
 get ready against the sounding of the  
dinner gong4    ,but ,j4,w4 was not     
hungry4 ,he was struggling with an old  
thought that to  him had all the        
tantalizing quality of novelty4 ,the    
talk of the morning  had become a sort  
of roll-call of church boards4 ,how did 
it happen that  the church was busy with
 this and that and the other work8 ,why 
a ,board  of ,hospitals and ,homes8 ,why
 a ,deaconess ,board1 even though       
deaconess  work happened to be merciful 
and gentle and ,christlike8 ,what was   
the  church doing with a ,book ,concern8
 ,how came it that we had that board    
with the long name--,temperance1        
,prohibition1 and ,public ,morals8 ,he  
had  traveled from ,yokohama to ,lucknow

 and back1 and everywhere he had found  
this same church doing all sorts of     
work1 with no slightest suspicion  but  
that all of it was her proper business4 
,so picture after picture flickered     
before his mind's eye1 as though his    
brain had built up a five-reel mental   
movie from all sorts of memory  film2 a 
hundred feet of this1 two hundred of    
that1 a thousand here1  there just a    
flash4 ,it had all one common mark2 it  
was all the church1  but the            
hit-and-miss of it1 its lightning       
change1 bewildered him4 ,the  pictures  
leaped from ,cartwright to ,cawnpore1   
from the country church at  ,ellis to   
,joe ,carbrook's hospital in ,china2    
from ,new ,york and  ,philadelphia and  
,chicago and ,cincinnati and ,washington
 to the ends of  the country and the    
ends of the earth2 and in and through it
 all1 swift  bits of unrelated yet vivid
 hints of ,advocates and ,heralds1 of   
prayer meetings and institutes1 of new  
churches and old colleges1 of  revivals 

and sewing societies1 of ,league socials
 and ,annual ,conferences1  of          
deaconesses visiting dreary homes1 and  
soft-footed nurses going about  in great
 hospitals2 of beginners' departments   
and old people's homes2 of              
kindergartens and clinics and           
preparatory classes4 ,there seemed no   
end  to it all1 every moment some new   
aspect of the church's activity showed  
itself and then was gone4    ,it was a  
most confused and confusing experience2 
and all through the  rest of the day    
,j4,w4 caught himself wondering again   
and again at the  variety and complexity
 of the church's affairs4    ,why should
 a church be occupied with all this     
medley8 ,why should it be  so distracted
 from its main purpose1 to be a ,jack of
 all trades8 ,why  should it open its   
doors and train its workers and spend   
its money in  persistent response to    
every imaginable human appeal8          
,perhaps that might be it2 human4 ,once 
a philosopher had said1 ,i am  a man1   

and therefore nothing human is foreign  
to me4 ,what if the church  by its very 
nature must be like that8 what if this  
really were its main  purpose--all these
 varied and sometimes almost conflicting
 activities no  more than its effort to 
obey the central law of its life8       
,j4,w4 was in his stateroom2 he paced   
the narrow aisle between the            
berths--three steps forward1 three steps
 back1 like a caged wild thing4         
,something was coming to new reality in 
his soul2 he was scarce conscious  of   
the walls that shut him in4 ,once he    
stopped by the open port4 ,he  looked   
out at the tumbling rollers of the wide 
,pacific4 ,and as he looked  he thought 
of the vastness of this sea1 how its    
waters washed the icy  shores of ,alaska
 and the palm-fronded atolls of the     
,marquesas2 how they  carried on their  
bosom the multitudinous commerce of a   
hundred peoples2  how from ,santiago to 
,shanghai and from the ,yukon to ,new   
,zealand it was  one ocean1 serving all 

lands1 and taking toll of all4    ,in   
spite of all the complexities and       
diversities of the lands about this     
ocean1 they had one possession which all
 might claim1 as it claimed  them--the  
sea4 ,it gave them neighbors and trade1 
climate and their daily  bread4 ,in the 
sociology and geography and economics of
 the ,orient this  ,pacific ,ocean was  
the great common denominator4 ,and in   
the geography  and economics and        
sociology of the kingdom of ,god8 ,might
 it not be--must  it not be1 the church6
    ,not only the ,pacific basin1 but   
the round world was like that1 every    
part of it dependent on all the rest1   
and growing every day more and  more    
conscious of all the rest4 ,railways    
helped this process1 and so did         
steamships and air routes and telegraph 
and wireless4 ,more than that1  all the 
world was becoming increasingly related 
to the life of every  part4 ,with raw   
material produced in ,brazil to make    
tires for the  limousines of ,fifth     

,avenue and the ,lake ,shore ,drive1    
what of the new  kinship between the    
producers in ,brazil and the users in   
the ,states8 ,all  good was coming to be
 the good of all the earth2 and all evil
 was able  to affect the lives of       
unsuspecting folk half the earth's      
circumference  away4    ,in such a time1
 what an insistent call for the program 
and power of the  ,christian faith6 ,and
 the call could be answered4 ,j4,w4 had 
seen the  church applying the program as
 well in a ,chinese city and in an      
,indian  village as in his home town and
 on the ,mexican border4 ,he was sure   
that  the power that was in the         
,christian message could heal all the   
hurts of  the world1 and bring all      
peoples into a world-commonwealth of    
good  will4    ,this was what ,jesus    
meant to do2 not just to save here and  
there a  little group for heaven out of 
the general hopelessness1 but to save   
and  make whole the heart of mankind4   
,the church was not1 first of all1      

seeking its own enlargement1 but        
extending the reach of its ,founder's   
purpose4 ,it did all its many-sided work
 for a far greater reason than  any     
increase in its own numbers and         
importance2 in a word1 for the          
,christianizing of life1 ,sunday and    
every day1 in ,delafield as well as in  
the forests of the ,amazon and the      
huddled cities of ,china4    ,j4,w4 sat 
on the edge of his berth4 ,in the first 
glow of this new  understanding his     
nerves had steadied to a serenity that  
was akin to  awe4 ,yet he knew he had   
made no great discovery4 ,the thing he  
saw had  been there all the time4       
,then his mind set to work again on that
 motley procession of pictures  which he
 had likened to a patchwork film4 ,was  
it as disjointed as it  seemed8 ,could  
it not be so put together as to make a  
true continuity1  consistent and        
complete8    ,why not8 ,in the events of
 his own life1 strangely enough1 he had 
the  clue to its right arrangement4 ,by 

what seemed to be accidental or         
incidental opportunity it had been his  
singular fortune to come in  contact    
with some aspect or another of all the  
work his church was  doing4 ,and every  
element of it1 from the beginners' class
 at ,delafield  to the language school  
at ,nanking1 from the college social in 
,first  ,church to the celebration at   
,foochow--it was all ,new ,testament    
work4 ,its  center was always ,jesus    
,christ's teaching or example1 or       
appeal4 ,there  was in its complexity a 
vast simplicity2 each was a part of all1
 and all  was in each4    ,john ,wesley 
,farwell1 ,jr41 said that young man to  
himself1 this thing  is not your        
discovery--but how does that bit of     
,keats' go8    ',then felt ,i like some 
watcher of the skies     ,when a new    
planet swims into his ken2  ,or like    
stout ,cortez1 when with eagle eyes     
,he stared at the ,pacific--and all his 
men  ,looked at each other with a wild  
surmise--     ,silent1 upon a peak in   

,darien1'    ,there you have it6 ,but ,i
 might have known4 ,cortez1 if it was   
,cortez1  could not have guessed the    
,pacific4 ,he had nothing to suggest it4
 ,but ,i  might have guessed the        
singleness of the church's work4 ,what  
is my name  for1 unless ,i can          
appreciate the man who said ',the world 
is my parish1'  and who would do        
anything--sell books1 keep a savings    
bank1 open a  dispensary--for the sake  
of saving souls8 ,that's the single     
idea1 the  simple idea4 ,it makes all   
these queer activities part of one great
  activity2 and rests them all on one   
under-girding truth--',the ,church's    
one foundation is ,jesus ,christ her    
,lord4'    ,but the wonderful thing to  
me is that1 after all this time1 ,i     
should  suddenly have found this out for
 myself6    ,what a story to take home  
to ,delafield6 ,pastor ,drury is going  
to have  the surprise of his life6      
99       99       99       99       99  
,three people met ,j4,w4 as his train   

pulled in to the station at  ,delafield4
 ,the other two were his father and     
mother4    ,after the first tearfully   
happy greetings1 ,j4,w4 looked around   
the  platform4 ,i rather thought        
,brother ,drury might have come too1 he 
said4    ,the others exchanged meaning  
glances1 and his father asked1 ,then you
  didn't get my second letter at ,san   
,francisco8    ,no1 said ,j4,w41 in     
vague alarm1 only the one4 ,what's      
wrong8 ,is ,mr4  ,drury--    ,he's at   
home now1 son1 said the elder ,farwell1 
gravely4 ,he came home  from our        
,conference hospital at ,hillcrest two  
weeks ago4 ,we hope he's  going to gain 
considerable strength1 but he's had some
 sort of a  stroke1 we don't rightly    
know what1 and he's pretty hard hit4    
,he's  better than he was last week1 but
 he can't leave his room2 sits in his   
easy chair and doesn't say much4        
,j4,w4's heart ached4 ,without always   
realizing it1 he had been counting  on  
long talks with the pastor2 there was so

 much to tell him4 ,and  especially so  
since that wonderful day out in the     
middle of the ,pacific1  when he had    
seen what he even dared to call his     
'vision' of the church4    ,so he said1 
,you and mother drive on home2 ,i'll    
walk up with ,jeannette4    ,for lovers 
who had just met after a year's         
separation these two were  strangely    
subdued4 ,they had everything to say to 
each other1 but this  sudden falling of 
the shadow of suffering on their meeting
 checked the  words on their lips4      
,will he get better8 ,j4,w4 asked       
,jeannette4    ,they fear not1 she      
answered4 ,the doctors say he may live  
for several  years1 but he will never   
preach again4 ,he just sits there2 he's 
been so  anxious to see you4 ,you must  
go to-day4    ,of course4 ,and what     
shall ,i say about the wedding8 ,if he  
can't leave  his room----    ,jeannette 
interrupted him3 ,if he can't leave his 
room1 it will make no  difference4      
,church wedding or home wedding ,i      

should have chosen1 as ,i  have told    
you2 but you and ,i1 ,john ,wesley1 are 
going to be married by  ,walter ,drury1 
wherever he is1 if he's alive on our    
wedding day4    ,why1 yes1 said ,j4,w41 
with a little break in his voice1 it    
wouldn't  seem right any other way4 ,we 
can have the dinner1 or breakfast or    
whatever it is1 just the same1 but we'll
 be married in his room4 ,i'm  glad you 
feel that way about it too2 though it's 
just like you4    ,and it was so4 ,j4,w4
 went up to the study as soon as he     
could rid himself  of the dust of the   
day's travel1 more eager to show ,walter
 ,drury he  loved him than to tell his  
story or even to arrange for the        
wedding4    ,as to that ceremony1 the   
plans had long ago been understood2     
nothing  more was needed than to tell   
,walter ,drury his study afforded a     
better  background and setting for this 
particular wedding than a cathedral     
could provide4    ,j4,w4 was prepared   
for a great change in ,pastor ,drury1   

but he noticed no  such signs of        
breakdown as he had expected to see4 ,he
 did not know that  the beloved pastor  
was keyed up for this meeting4 ,he could
 not guess  that the beaming eye1 the   
old radiant smile1 the touch of color in
 a  face usually pale1 were on special  
if unconscious display because the      
pastor's heart was thanking ,god that he
 had been permitted to welcome  home his
 son in the gospel4    ,those had been  
dreary days1 in the hospital1 despite   
the ceaseless  ministries of nurses and 
doctors and friends from ,delafield4    
,this  hospital was a place of noble    
service1 one of many such places which  
have arisen in the ,methodism of the    
last forty years4 ,it was a hospital    
through and through--the last word in   
equipment and competence1 but not  at   
all an institution4 ,it was at once a   
home for the sick and a  training school
 of the ,christian graces1 where the    
distressed of body  and mind could be   
given the relief they needed--all of it 

given gladly1  in ,christ's name4       
,walter ,drury was not unmindful of the 
care and skill which the hospital  staff
 lavished on him1 though no more        
faithfully on him than on many an       
unknown or unresponsive patient4 ,but he
 was in a pitifully questioning  mood4  
,the doctors had told him he could not  
expect to preach again4 ,when  the      
district superintendent had come to     
visit him1 he carried away with  him    
,walter ,drury's request for retirement 
at the coming session of the  ,annual   
,conference4    ,in his quiet           
moments--there were so many of them     
now--the broken man  counted up his     
years of service1 all too few1 as it    
seemed to him1 and  lacking much of what
 they might have shown in outcomes for  
the church  and the kingdom4 ,his       
,conference was one of the few which    
paid the full  annuity claim of its     
retired preachers1 but even so he had   
not much to  look forward to4 ,his      
twenty-five years in the active ranks   

meant that he  could count on           
twenty-five times #ae a year1 #cge1 on  
which to live1  when he gave up his     
work4    ,perhaps he could live on this1
 with what little he had been able to   
put  aside2 at any rate he could be glad
 now that there was none but himself  to
 think about4 ,but was it worth all he  
had put into his vocation8 ,his  brother
 in ,saint ,louis1 not remarkably       
successful in his business1 had  been   
able at least to make some provision for
 his old age4 ,he too might  have been a
 moderately successful business or      
professional man4 ,truly it  was more   
than the older preachers had1 this      
,conference annuity1 which  would keep  
him from actual want2 so much1 surely1  
had been gained by the  church's growing
 sense of responsibility for its        
veterans4    ,but had it really paid8   
,was all the gentle efficiency of the   
hospital1  and all the church's money   
which would come to him from the        
,conference  funds and the ,board of    

,conference ,claimants1 enough to       
compensate him  for the long years when 
he had been spendthrift of all his      
powers for  the sake of his work8    ,he
 knew1 of course1 the answer to his     
questions2 no one better4 ,but he  was a
 broken-down preacher1 old before his   
time2 and knowing the answer  was not at
 all the same as having the answer4 ,so 
he had been brought  home from          
,hillcrest1 mind-weary and much cast    
down4 ,nor did he regain  any of his old
 buoyancy of spirit until the day when  
they told him ,j4 ,w1  would be home    
next week4    ,it was then that he told 
himself1 ,if ,j4,w4 has come back with  
only a  story to tell--and gloom was in 
his face2 ,but if he has come back with 
the story to tell--and his heart leaped 
within him at the thought4    ,the      
pastor and ,j4,w4 were soon talking away
 with the old familiarity1  but mostly  
about inconsequentials4 ,neither was    
quite prepared for more  intimate       
communion2 and1 of course1 the returning

 traveler had much to  do4 ,the wedding 
was near at hand1 and everybody but     
himself had been  getting ready this    
long time4 ,so the call was too brief to
 suit either  of them1 with the longer  
visits each hoped for of necessity      
deferred to  a more convenient season4  
,j4,w4 must make a hurried journey to   
,saint ,louis to turn in his report  to 
,peter ,mc,dougall1 which report ,peter 
was much better prepared to  receive    
than ,j4,w4 suspected4 ,and a highly    
satisfactory arrangement was  made for  
,j4,w4's continued connection with the  
,cummings ,hardware  ,corporation4      
,doubtless all weddings are much alike  
in their ceremonial aspects2 short  or  
long1 solemn-spoken ancient ritual or   
commonplace legal form1 the  essence of 
them all is that this man and this woman
 say1 ,i will4 ,so it  was in ,walter   
,drury's study4 ,and then the little    
group seated itself  about the pastor2  
,marty with ,alma ,wetherell1 soon to   
become ,mrs4 ,marty2  all the ,shenks1  

the elder ,farwells1 ,john ,wesley1     
,jr41 and ,jeannette4 ,the  dinner would
 not be for an hour yet1 and this was   
the pastor's time4    ,pastor ,drury    
could not talk much4 ,he had kept his   
chair as he read the  ritual1 and now he
 sat and smiled quietly on them all4    
,but once and  again his eye sought     
,j4,w4 and the look was a question yet  
unanswered4    ,what sort of a voyage   
home did you have8 ,mrs4 ,farwell asked 
her son1  motherlike1 using even a query
 about the weather to turn attention to 
her boy4    ,a good voyage1 mother1 said
 ,j4,w4 ,a fine voyage4 ,but one        
day--will  you let me tell it here1 all 
of you8 ,i've hardly been any more eager
  for my wedding day than for a chance  
to say this4 ,i won't tire you1 ,mr4    
,drury1 will ,i8    ,you'll never do    
that1 my boy1 said the preacher4 ,but   
don't bother  about me1 ,i've long had a
 feeling that what you are going to say 
will be  better for me than all the     
doctors4 ,for he had seen the eager glow

 on  ,j4,w4's face1 and his heart was   
ready to be glad4    ,thus it was that  
,j4,w4 told the story of his great      
moment2 how he had  talked with ,miss   
,morel one morning of the many-sided    
work of the church1  and how in the     
afternoon he had looked through the open
 port of his  stateroom and had seen an 
ocean that looked like the church1 and a
  church that seemed like the ocean4    
,i shall remember that day forever1 ,i  
think1 he said4 ,for the first  time in 
my life ,i could put all the pieces of  
my life together2 my home1  my church1  
the ,sunday school1 the ,league1        
college1 the needy life of  this town1  
your country work1 ,marty1 ,mexico1     
,china1 ,india--everything2  and ,i     
could see as one wonderful1 perfect     
picture1 every bit of it  necessary to  
all the rest4 ,our church at work to    
make ,jesus ,christ ,lord  of all life1 
in my home and clear to the 'roof of the
 world' out yonder  under the snows of  
,tibet4 ,can you see it1 folks8 ,i think

 you always  could1 ,mr4 ,drury6 and he 
put his hand affectionately on the      
pastor's  knee4    ,pastor ,drury's face
 was even paler than its wont1 but in   
his eyes glowed  the light that never   
was on sea or land4 ,he was hearing what
 sometimes  he had feared he might not  
last long enough to hear4 ,the          
,experiment was  justified1 and he was  
comforted6    ,he picked up the ,bible  
that lay near his hand1 and turned to   
the ,gospel  by ,luke4 ,i hope none of  
you will think ,i wrest the ,book's     
words to  lesser meanings1 he said1 but 
there is only one place in it that can  
speak what is in my heart to-day4 ,and  
he read the song of ,simeon in the      
temple3 ,lord1 now lettest thou thy     
servant depart in peace1 for mine  eyes 
have seen thy salvation1 and so to the  
end4    ,it was very still when his weak
 voice ceased2 but in a moment the      
silence was broken by a cry from ,j4,w4 
,why1 ,mr4 ,drury1 it has been you1 all 
these years6    ,what do you mean1      

,j4,w484 said ,marty1 somewhat alarmed  
and thoroughly  mystified4    ,exactly  
what ,i say1 ,marty4 ,can't you see it  
too8 ,can't all of you see  it8 and     
,j4,w4 looked from one face to another  
around the room4  ,jeannette1 you know  
what ,i mean1 don't you8    ,and        
,jeannette1 at once smiling and tearful1
 said1 ,yes1 ,j4,w41 ,i've  thought     
about it many times1 and ,i know now it 
is true4    ,marty said1 ,maybe so2 but 
what8 for he was still bewildered4      
,why1 ,j4,w4 began1 with eager haste1   
,mr4 ,drury planned all this--years  and
 years ago4 ,not our wedding1 ,i don't  
mean that1 and he paused long  enough to
 find ,jeannette's hand and get it      
firmly in his own1 we  managed that     
ourselves1 didn't we1 dear8 ,but--,i    
don't know why--this  blessed minister  
of ,god began1 somewhere far back       
yonder1 to show me  what ,god was trying
 to do through our church1 and1 later1  
through the  other churches4 ,he saw    
that ,i went to ,institute4 ,he steered 

me through  my ,sunday school work4 ,he 
showed me my lifework4 ,he made me want 
to go  to college4 ,he introduced me to 
the ,delafield that is outside our own  
church4 ,he got me my job in ,saint     
,louis--don't you dare to deny it1 as   
the pastor raised a protesting hand4    
,i've talked with our sales  manager2 he
 put the idea of the ,far ,eastern trip 
into ,mr4 ,mc,dougall's  mind--and1     
well1 it has been ,pastor ,drury all    
these years1 and he knew  what he was   
doing6    ,pastor ,drury had kept his   
secret bravely1 but there was no need to
 keep  it longer1 and now he was well   
content that these dear friends should  
have discovered it on such a day of joy4
 ,after all1 it had been a  beautiful   
,experiment1 and not altogether without 
its value4 ,so he made  no more ado1 and
 in his heart there was a great peace4