The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-11-18
THE DISPUTED STEEPLE.
A Quarrel That Was Settled at a
Child's Death-Bed.

nerhaps. | should say, rebuilt, as II oc-
.unied the site of an older structure.
In point of fact. il was not yet really
finished, as about three feet of steeple
n the north side had been temporarily
rooted over; nevertheless, the church
hal row been used for divine service
FOR many consecutive Sabbaths.
Now we all know that "a stecplc is
not the usual accompaniment of a
Methodist church in the old southern
states. though we understand that at
the north steeplcs came into Method
ism even before the war. Brother
henson. IAN all-ovcr Methodist" and
one of the official members, had OPP
poscd this particular ''excrescence,"
..tooth and toenail." from the very in
~ception Of the idea; but Brother Daw-
son was chairman of the building COM
mittee. and had prevailed as to the idea
and as much of its exposition rs was
represented by the fragment aforemen-
toned.
Brother Dawson was a former Epis-
copalian, '.and still had enough of the
old leaven in him to long after the
aesh-pots of Egypt" as Brother Ben
son put it.
IF in your mind, steepleS, stained
riass windows and pipc-organs assume
the forms OF the flesh-pots Of Egypt"
angrily had retorted Brother Dawson,
.then / shall never be rid OF the old
leaven."
The fact is, at the epoch Of my story,
Brother Dawson was feeling extreme
IN sore in respect TO this morSel of the
aesh-pots, to wit, the thirty-six inches
of stceple. Brother benson had to some
extent circumvcnted him in the prem
ises. for 10. Brother Benson, and no 9TH
err. had managed by chicanery to put the
infant stccpie to bed. as it were. undo "a
single Blanket. contrary to the known
and expressed wishes of Brother Daw-
son. He had mancuvcrcd in this wise:
One sultry committee night" :nuggy
and electrical in the committee-room.
but serenely moonlit outsidc-hc had
unexpectedly broached the matter OF
the dedication.
We are not prepared for that" re-
Piled Brother Dawson. "the church Is
far from completion"
but the funds returned Brother
Benson. "arc exhausted. and at present
there is no prospect 81 rcplcnishment;
now. since the building must be used
for service. why delay the dedication
indefinitely? / take it." he continued.
looking slyly and meaningly over at
Brother Dawson. II take IL that a
Methodist church can exist without a
,teeplc."
But why not" asked the latter, re-
turning the look with a compound
interest Of meaning and n dividend of
tire. '.why not raise a mortgage on the
structure as il stands, and complete it
as an offering before we dedicate it to
God?'
Mortgage the house Of God :or d
steeple. Never. pronounce the very
idea un-Methodistic in the extreme
ANY man who would do such n thing is
no Methodist, and | demand the yeas
and nays on the subject immediately
The committee thus taken bv assault,
a. ii were-not a man OF wisdom felt
that he could endure the threatened
siigmn-voted almost unanimously thai
the dedication should take place tn.
coming sabbath. n tcmporizine
member, with his eve on the discounted
Dawson. thought TO gain tim by sug
costing that there were no funds or
hand for roofing the stceplc. hut thi.
member was Instantly sat upon b,
Brother Benson. " no slapped the ncccsT
sary funds down on the committee Ia
Die with a slam.
SO the stecple was rooted over ans
The church dedicated.
Rev. Zach Hooker. pastor of the
Methodist church Of PetersTille. sa. il
his study writing a sermon on the c
Behold how good and faithful "A thing
it is, brethren. to dwell together il
unity" IL was now. however. Ions
past his dinner hour, and he had pro
crossed but little beyond his exordium
Thrice during the forenoon had his re
~fections been interrupted by callers.
The first OF these was Brother Daw
son. lie had called. he said, to lay be
fore his pastor and not for the frs
time-tbe high-handed action of Broth
er Benson in cutting short the caree
~ the st eeple. He humbly begged t.
review the claims-mostly munerary
though he did not say so-which Ia
thought entitled his wishes to SOM
consideration both on the part Of TIN
pastor and that of the congregation O
The Methodist church Of Petcrsville
lie felt it incumbent upon himself T.
say that il the stccple were not al
lowed to progress he should feel mos
rerretfully called upon TO tender hi
resignation Of membership. He be
leved that the pastor possessed con
siderable weight and influence in tn
premises. and he had every reason I
suppose hat the same would now b
eNertcd on the side of the stecple.
Rev. Zach sighed deeply and askc
Tor time to think and pray over tn
matter. Time for hat purpose wa
granted. and Brother Dawson on hi
way out encountered brother Bcnso
IN ms way in. Brother Benson ha
eAiied, he said. To warn his believe
pa>'or-and not for the first time
'ne un-Methodistic tendencies of Brotf
Y DAWSON; tendencies which he fcl
constrained to say were sapping tn
,sry foundation stones of Mcthodisn
he humbly begged permission TO r,
NM the claims mostly munerary
lOnyh ha Itl - nh a