St. Landry democrat., 1880-07-31
THE WALTZ DEPARTURE.


can tell you how it happened.
The seed of the trouble was planted
in Mr. Gorham's time when he was pas
tor of the Second Presbyterian that S
our church.
Mr. Gorham was one of the best pas
tors that ever breathed the breath OF
life. | should say he was an even-na-
tured man. He certainly hadn't any
gloomy incomprehensible abysses in his
makeup, or any towering, unclimbable
heights
But he was not a tiresome prairie
level either; he was just a pleasing,
restful landscape.
He was q true sympathizer, though
he did not, like some people I've known,
sob with those that weep, or shout with
those that rejoice.
My Fanny went to him when her
canary-bird died and my Tom would
stop at the parsonage to show Mr.. Cor
ham his school-reports before he brought
them home.
Mr.. Gorham knew the whole church
by heart Why, l believe if the family
records of the entire congregation had
been burned up he could have written
them out again, for he knew the
names and ages Of all the children and
remembered all about the marriages
and deaths He carried in his memory
anything that was peculiar in a person s
circumstances and he never touched a
sore spot except to sooth it.
He knew more about the health and
ailments of his people than all their
family doctors together. And he al
ways had the right thing to say. His
worst enemy couldn't deny that he was
discriminating and that he had wonder
full adaptation.
No matter what you may have heard,
our church did grow under his minis
tration. Not at breathless rate, as a
mining camp grows. but in neat, COM
pact, steady way. There wasn't in the
city, or in the State, perhaps, a church
more truly prosperous than Mr.. Cor
hams.
But there are people in this world
who would like to whip their beam
stalks to make them climb faster. In
our church there were five men, and
three of them were in the session, who
owned a large share of the pews. They
wanted to see rise in the price of
pews; they wanted a rush to the church
a freshet.
Since the music and all the other
church-appointment were attractive,
they decided that the way to secure
rush was to get a drawing preacher. So
the plotters began talking about elo-
quent men, strong men, magnetic
preachers, drawing orators. While
granting that Mr.. Gorham never
preached a poor sermon they carefully
insinuated that he never preached a
strong one. One man was fiattered
with the suggestion that his tastes and
intellect called for higher ministra-
ton; another was made to feel ashamed
that he enjoyed Mr.. Gorham's preach
ing, just as some persons claim to adj
mire intricate music, when they like
8 Coming Through the Rye much bet
ter.
Well, by some means the malcontents
won Mr.. John [. Waltz to their side.
Mr.. Waltz was the Cresus of our church.
He was said to be worth several million
dollars.
However this may be, l know that if
ever man had a thousand, relations,
that man was John I. Waltz.
This city was built on what was the
great-grandpa Waltz's farm. Seven
hundred acres! The great-grandpa had
thirteen children, and they all married
and settled about here, and they all had
large families, until now brigade
might be nnarshaled from the Waltz
connections. And they are all well-to-
do, SO it's the wealthiest family in the
State.
Well, as I have told you, John T.
Waltz belonged to our church and so
did 8 his sisters and his cousins and his
aunts, many of them at least. As he
was pretty good giver, no important
step was taken in the church which had
not his approval.
As soon, then, as John L. Waltz was
brought to say that the church needed
a stronger man than Mr.. Gorham, Mr..
Gorham was asked to resign.
1t was the greatest shame that ever
was-the turning out of that good faith
full man; and he with an invalid wife
and six children to support. said at
the time that the Lord would never
prosper such performances.
Now, even before they had got the
pulpit vacant, they were looking out for
Mr.. Gorham's successor-looking for
strong, magnetic, drawing man. They
l,oked north, south, east and west.
They turned their spy-glasses upon