Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-02-23

, He could never enter the ChurcL. Sor
! rowfnlly. but firmly, he said it,-.wiih that
calru, steady yoice and look, Of which 81
who knew him knew the significance. III
could not take orders.
Lady Besuchsmp, at frat utterly over
whelmed and dumlounded, stood staring nj
him in blank silence. Then she cily NJ.
tered lew words. His rsssons. might she
askt
They were many, Everett said Even il
no other Insurance existed, in bis own IA ind
ard opinions, his reverence for so sacred an
office would not permit him 10 embrace il as
q mere matter Of worldly advantage to him.
self.
Grant me patience, young man! Do you
mean TO tell me you would decline this
career because it promises 10 put an end to
your difficulties! Are you quite foolr the
lady burst out, astonishment and anger
quite startling her from eli control.
Bear with what may at first seem :to you
only folly Everett answered her, gently. i
don't think your calmer Judgment can call it
So Would you have me take upon myself
obligations that feel to be most solemn and
most vital, feeling myself unified, nsy,
unable, rightly to fulfill theml Would you
have me commit the treachery to God and
man OF swearing that felt called to that
special service, when my heart protested
against my professional
Romantic nonsense! A mere matter Of
modes Gcruples! You underrste your.
self. Everett. You are the very man for a
clergyman, trust,,me.'
But Everett went on to explain, that il
was no question OF characterization Of him.
self.
You do not know, perhaps, he proc eeded,
while Lady Beauchamp. sorely tried, tapped
her fingers on the table, and her foot upon
the floor,-'you do not know. that. when
was boy, and until two or three years ago
my desire and ambition were to be. q minis.
ter OF the Church Of England
We'll, Sir,--what has made you go much
better, or 80 much worse, since then, as to
alter your opinion of the callngi'
The reasens which made me abandon the
idea three years since, aud which render il
D., impossible for me to consider it now, have
nothing TO do with my menta! ,and': mora !
worthiness or unworlhiuess. The fact is
simpy, cannot become q minister OF
Church with many ofwhose doctrines can
not agree, and to which, indeed, | can no
longer cay belong. In your sense of the
word, am far from being Churchman.'
DO you mean to say you have become {
Dissenter?' cried Lady Beauchamp; and. as
il arrived at the climax of endurance, she
stood transfxsd, regarding the young man
: with species OF sublime horror.
!, 'Ag1in, not in your sense of the term,
Everett said, smiling; 'ior have joined no
sect, attached myself 10 no recognized body
of briir~crs.' --.--------.-------
u You belong TO nothing, ,hen' You believe
in nothing, supposed she sad, with the
instructive log of her class. oh, Everett
Real distress for the moment cverpowerng
her Indignation, 1T is those visionary no.
tons Of yours that have brought you to this.
1t WAS TO be expected. You poets and
dreamers 60 on refining your ideas. forsooth.
ill even the religion of the ordinary world
isn't good enough for you
Everett waited patiently till this fret gust
had passed by. Then, with that steady, ca IN
lucidi,y which, strange to say, was charlc.
teristic of this Visionary's mind and intel
lect, he explained, SO far as he could, his
views and his reasons. 1t could not be ex-
pected tina, his listener should comprehend
or enter into what he said. kt first, in.
deed, she appeared to derive some small co, .
ISOLATION from the fact that at least Everett
had not turned Dissenter' She hated Meth.
odsts, she declared, intending thus 10 in.
clude with sweeping liberali,y ali denomina-
lions in The ban of her disopproval. She
would have deemed it ln objectionable
crime, had the young man deserted the
Church OF his fdliiers in order to Join the
Congregation, some ranting conventce.
But ifher responsibility was shocked a, the
idea Of his becoming a Methodist, her better
feelings were outraged when she found, as
she said. that he belonged TO nothing She
viewed with dislike and dis'rust all forms Of
relig on that differed frpm her own; but she
could no. believe in the possibility Of reli-
gion that had no external form al all. She
was dsma.ed and perpexed, poor lady and
, even paused midway in her wra,hful remon-
sirance 10 the misguided young man, to la
ment anew over his fatal errors. She could
not understand, she said, truly enough, what
. in the werld he meant. His notions we've
perfectly extraordinary AMI incompresble.
She was deeply, deeply shocked, and
greved for him. and for every one connected
/ with him.
, In fact the very earnestness and sincerity
, in their own opinions Of certain calibre oI
minds make them incapable Of Understanding
, such state of things. That man should
I believe differently from all they have been
, taught TO believe appears TO them as simply
preposterous as that he should breathe diff
, ferenlly. And so it is that onIy the behe
! order of belief can atIord TO be tolerant; md
as extremes meet, il requires very perfect
\ Faith TO be able to sympsthixe and ben
patiently with Doubt
I There was 10 chance of Lady Beaurhamp'.
4. 'comprehending' Everett in This matter
There was something almost pathetic in be
a mingled anger, ?erplexity, aud disappoint
y ment. She could only look on him as
4 heads'rong young man, suicidllly bent OIL
e his own ruin'-,urning obstinately iron