Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-07-10
An 0rigiual Storg.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
RACHEL RAYS SECRET
CHAPTER XVIII.


CHAPTER XVIII.
From my experience in twenty marres the rstove
D''0 '"N WALTER SCOTT.
sought, is good: but given unsoush' is better
Drowsieville had undergone something Of a
revolution, during those months which had
passed since Rachel fled from it that moon.
light night. Harry Wade, feeling, in his
grief and desoation, the necessity of crap
pling with something upon which he might
expend the fierce energy of his emotions, (be,
ing of that sort to whom retrospect and the
idleness of woe are unendurable) had flung
himself into the work of overturning ancient
preiudices and narrow-minded theories in his
church, and considerably startled its members
by the uncompromising zeal with which he
prosecuted the labor Of reform. Mr.. Towzle-
ham and his set took offence at certain doc
trines which he boldly promulgated from the
pulpit, as being contrary to those in which
they had been educated, and expressed it as
their opinion that one who proposed such
dangerous innovations in longestablised GUS
toms, was not a fit person to have the charge
of immortal souls. In fact, he was nothing
more nor less, according to their belief, than
a Papist in disguise. Anyhow, he was an Epis.
copalian, which was nearly as bad. Mr..
Wade denied that he was an Episcopalian,
but alleged that he considered Episcopalians
more deserving of imitation than those thick.
headed and narrow-souled bigots who denied
salvation to the wearer Of surplice, and
thought kneeling towards the altar one of the
seven deadly sins. A hot contest ensued, not
only between the parson and his flock, but be.
tween contending parties in the flock itself,
some arraying themselves on his side, and join
ing with him in comdemning the prejudices
he had tried to break down. The result was
that certain leading members, taking stand
in opposition to Towzleham and Co., conceived
the bold plan of erecting a new place of wor-
ship, to which they and their pastor might
withdraw, leaving the old one clear to the
enemies of reform and any leader they might
choose to elect. The peaceable-minded tried
to effect compromise, but this proved vain
effort; Harry Wade, who had gone, perhaps, a
trihe farther than he had intended, would not
now draw back, and the Towzleham faction
was too deeply offended to allow its wounded
feelings to be soothed unless by direct recan-
tation on his part.
1t was while matters were still IN this agl'
tated state, that the minister came home one
afternoon, hot and weary, and flung himself
down on sofa in the back entry, where his
sister was rolling out pie.crust, having drawn
the kitchen table there for the sake Of cool
ness.
"Goodness! Harry dear, how flushed you
are," she said, with sympathizing glance at
his face
"Flushed! No wonder, after boiling in
that sunny town-hall for two hours and
half" he rejoined.
"You are Just from the meeting, then"
"Yes Such farce as it was, too. Old
Towzleham and the rest of them in full con-
clave, wagging THAR heads with the most ab-
surd solemnity over questions about as mo-
notonous as the pattern with which you mean
to ornament that pie"
"No reflections on my pie, if you please, !"
said Kate, in in a sprghtly tone, anxious to
divert him from unpleasant thoughts. 81
consider the mode of ornamenting it very
important matter to decide
"More important, I am willing to admit,
than any which I have heard discussed this
afternoon. Fancy, Kitty, my being required
to promise to stick to certain set of hymns,
and never give out any of those in the re-
vised hymn-book, because certain portions OF
them SAVIOR too much of high Church to please
their fastidious taste"
"Absurd! But you have used those re-
vised hymns all this time without opposition,
have you nct?"
"Of course; but they pretend now that they
povor opprnvad of them Suph Stutt'l am
not going to attempt to accommodate myself
to their views again. 1t is simply lowering
my own standard for nothing"
"You have been trying to compromise
then p
"Well, Melton and one or two others seem
ed so troubled, and were so urgent that
should not refuse if an effort at Cancellation
was made, that l agreed to listen to some Of
old Towzleham's ridiculous proposals. Ol
course it, all ended in my being more disgust
ed than ever"
"Is the breakup fnal?"
81 suppose so. Sometimes I feel strongly
tempted to quit this miserable, benighted lit
tie hole altogether; my work here is so un
satisfactory, so unproductive of any good re
suit"
"But how about the new church, Harry
Is that scheme to fall through"
ooh, they talk about it. But | dare say
there would be a split.up of some kind there
too, after a while. The fact is, when people
have lived all their lives, as these have, in {
remote corner of the earth, hearing nothing
and seeing nothing but what passes in thell
own narrow circle, their minds shrink to the
dimensions of a nutshell, and refuse to ex
pand or to receive any idea that jars agains
their dried-up, antediluvian prejudice"
"If were you, however" said Miss Kate
persuasively, ri would do nothing rash. Yor
have really number of friends here, and IL
church built expressly for you, with con
gregation composed of those who are willing
to be guided by your views, | think yol
might accomplish great deal of good"
"So Melton says" rejoined her brother.
81 am sure the Meltons are all fond of you
and Mr.. Melton is an influential man."
"They are nice people enough. If the res
were like them should not complain
'Lucy is dear little thing" pursued Mis-
Kate. "She was over here this morning"
4 Il