Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-11-25
IN THE MIDDLE WEST.
a Story of Life in the Great
Mississippi Valley.
BY ALvA MILTON KERR.
VoPYRIGHr. 1886, BY THE A. N KrY.o,c
NEWSPAPER CoMpANY.l
CHAPTER xvII-coxr,.r,,

CHAPTER XVII-CoSrrsrrn
Ihls is brilliant, rosy and brilliantr'
ne was saying as he loaned back with
MS legs extended far and straight
under the table with toes turned m.
and with knife and fork standing loose
iy upon their handles within his hands
at either side of his plate. ..Slick and
brilliant Is the name of 'er, sir!'' and
he winked both of his eyes at once and
very hard under his glasses. just who
ne was addressing was not clear, but
20 Julius 1t was not very material with
TINS exhllarating scene before him and
the KISS OF certain amber-colored
MASK still lingering upon his lips
sick ana brilliant, sir, are terms that
mt er like lily" he went on, blinking
MS watery eyes up into the glare, land
nothng should suppress the encom-
lums due lavish and generous man
like Whitney, siri Such an occasion
draws the soul of community out
and directs it-and lays 1.-THE others
were talking of something else and
julius paused and looked steadily and
severed y through his glasses at the Rev
erend Cuttleton for moment. Then he
said, severely: MIR. Cuttleton, sir,''
That pleasant gentleman inquirine o
julius pleasure. he proceeded: II was
remarking, sir, that such brilliant and
rosy periods of unification as these had
tendency to draw out the soul OF a
community and direct it forward in a
slicker, happier channel; and that the
praise due such civilizer as Whitney,
our Christian, Catholic, Democratic,
Republican host, could not be too in
tensely ampliied. Furthermore, if
such generous commercial organizers
as he, men with such brilliant and slick
capacities for accommodating and again
radiating in munificent and rosy hospi-
tality, could be sent abroad as mission
aries to the benighted borders of the
world, sir, what might not their slick
and brilliant example achieve?"
Reverend Cuttleton, not being pre-
pared to say, Julius, after having thus
lit, at once took wing again.
why, sir, 10 avoid ambiguity,
must be permitted to advance the hum
bic opinion that the example of such
missionaries could not be else than
electrical and of amazing power as a
civilizing influence. What the heather
need, sir, is not so much religion as
money; money is the slick thing, sir!
the lifteri the elevatorl the shining
agency that causes men to stand erect
and wear store clothes! How can q
naked human being. sir, who procures
his food by killing animals with
spear pointed with the polished thigh
bone of a cannibalized Christian mis-
sionary, ever be expected to compre-
bend the subtitle principles and ideals
of Christianity? Impossible, sir, i'm
possible! They must first be moved
upon by the pomp and circumstance
OF riches, and be crushed up
wards as it were! A thousand con-
siderations swim warmly into the
arena, sir; but the first step is money.
the next is refinement. and refinement
alone is capable of wearing the crown
of religious feeling. That is the golden
ladder, sir, by which nations climb
into Heaven; that is the whole human
question, sir, compressed into crystal
thimble!'
Julius lit again and glared through
his glasses at Rev. Mr. CuttletOn. Rev.
Mr.. Cuttleton looked crushed. as who
would not? The others at the table
were now listening. mainly from the
fact that they could not well do other
wise, perhaps, and Julius spread his
wings and sprang into the air again.
Sallo was looking at his mother, and
his mother at her plate; the old lawyer
was looking at Julius with grim
smile, for strange as it may appear he
was easily amused, and Absaiom. hav-
ing eaten every thing within his reach.
looked much borne down upon by the
rich food and Julius eloquence.
However, sir, when the welfare of
our own Nation is the only consider
alton to be laid in the balance" Julius
continued, mo cloud comes more
Sticky into prominence than the fact
that our whole missionary procedure
should be reversed; reversed. sir. is the
word The thieves. murderers, de-
faulters, and all criminals, as fast as
convicted, should be shipped at once
to heather countries and be placed in
exile, while our penitentiaries and
places of incarceration should be turned
into great and benificent schools for
the instruction and correction OF unfOr-
tunate and evil disposed children, thus
extirpating and crushing the poison in
the egg, sir, as it were. The mission
aries should be kept at home and en-
ployed in the service of these great
humanitarian establishments. By this
arrangement, which under casual ex-
animation seems selfish and ignoble,
but is far removed from that, since our
battle with crime both at home and
abroad is as futile as the battles own
smoke, we at least as a Nation might
ascend the cleaning node of purity
until our American star should break
against the armament of righteousness
and the peariy fragments be used as
the aureolas of angels.'
Julius was very red, and ended with
his fork held high in the air.
Reverend Mr. Cuttleton smiled for
bearingly, the old lawyer laughed and
got ND and walked away, and Absa-
lom, at the evident hazard OF breaking
into a run, crossed the room to the as
sistance of Ether, and julius, ADJUST
ing his glasses. and allaying the porcu-
pine state of his mustache, looked
around for new worlds to conquer.
Refreshments then having been DIS
patched the tables were removed, ana
up In the dancing room, to the music
of two yiolins and cornet, and in the
parlors to the music of the piano and
another cornet, and in the sittlng-room
and dining-room to the music OF the
organ and still another cornet, winch
to be truthful was slightly distracting.
the Young people fell to Waiting;
MANY. too. upon whom the years had
fallen quite thickly, among them the
sprinpy-kneed Julius, felt those welghts
hut little more than feathers, ana
abandoned themselves to the tempting
delirium of the hour. Joel. securing
slender slip of womanhood, spun the
eJo,1ar elm and his own pOnderOuS