The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-10-11


He was thiu-faced, light-built fellow,
whose nervous energy constantly preyed
upon his physical development.
Some men can engage in the responsible
business of saving souls and make an easy
going routine of it which adds flesh to their
bones every day, while another dedicates
every nerve and muscle to his work, his
mind actually burning away every ounce of
surplus flesh. So it was with Parson Es-
mond, and here in the lumber regions he
saw before him such Q wide field Of labor
that his one sickle of truth seemed so utter
ly inadequate to do the harvesting he had
set his heart upon that his faith almost
failed him at times.
He found here all kinds of beliefs and I'M
beliefs, while the practice amounted to very
much the same thing, with the difference
that some plunged into all sorts Of wicked
Dess to drown the voice Of conscience, while
others had none to drown.
1t was apparently hopeless task to pre-
sent such q crowd with the truths which
were so directly antagonistic to their daily
practice, but he had done it, fearlesslv and
without favor, and to their credit they had
listened with respect, IL they had not acted
upon his teachings.
Snow, pa son, III show We by oc'lar denim
stration tibet Pm krect Theirs a job O.
lumberin' up N the gulch twenty miles from
here, an I'm goin' ter take twenty o. our fell
lers up there an Their won't be nary Bible
ner minister the hull winter. Ye know /
don't b'lieve this ere life hez any thing ter
do with the next, if there be a next, an I'll
show We that kin take them boys up thar
an preach vartue fur vartue's sake alone,
an they'll come out jest ez pious an moral
ez eff We KEEP harpin' on Judgment to come
all the time. Bet We my hat ont, pa'son."
"I'm not betting man, you know, "
rus" the parson smiled again-he had
found that smiles and gentle treatment
went further with these rough spirits than
argument or harsh words-'but I'm afraid
your experiment. will prove failure.
The law has no terrors to any but those
who are disposed to break it, still the fact
that one is beyond the pale Of law, that
there is no legal or moral restraint upon his
actions, is calculated to bring out the worst
forces Of mans nature. 1t is just as much
part of his makeup to need the restraints
of civilization, OF law and religion, as it is
of the planets to need the law Of gravitation
to keep them in their orbits"
''Oh, come now, pa'son, you're talkin'
booklarnin', an you know bean't edicated
but putin my boss sense agin your book
larnin', we'll see which'll come out ahead. ("
Gan right, Cyrus, but hadn't you better
take Bible along, so that In case you
should need to administer little judgment:
to come, as you call it, that you would have
q foundation to work 'FRONT.'
"Nary Bible. I'll start straight an nc
fsvors When Cyrus Gregg starts bargain
he makes clean start, an don't ye forgit
it."
It was q rough-looking set which started
out few days later to the lumber camp;
jugs Of whisky, or the indispensable" as
it was called, were freely displayed in
stock, tobacco in quantity, and newspapers
Of the lowest grades formed no small part
of the outfit.
They would be gone about three months
and quite concourse gathered to see them
of, among them the minister.
'Now, pard, I'll preach m'rality while you
whale away on futur punishment ter them
thets left, an see how We come out"
whispered Cyrus as the cavalcade was about
to start.
The minister nodded good naturally
There was something wholesome about this
rough Cyrus which had made an impression
upon the young man, and he liked him In
spite Of bis rough notions and rOugher