The sun., 1896-09-22
PASTOR VAN DYKE MUSTGO.
THE REWARD OF 9s YEARS or
FdI7HFUL SERVICE


Marriage Bstorehnnd Nor 1oid WI,
His WIZ Left Hin-Forcea co ResiRn
Cranbury's scandal 10 ended. Tho Rev. Johi
s. Van Dyke has succumbed to the ineyitabl
and baa resigned. Tho strong Presbyterian
minister of the old school was unable to weathe
the storm raised by women's tongues. and fo
peace OF mind and body he has had
90 give up the church OF which h,
has been pastor for twenty. eight years
and ut the aEe of 72 seek new field,
of labor. 1t 10 barely possible that
his own friends may be ablo TO keep him there
but 1t is only possibility. Tho women are
against him, and on account OF them some OF
the biggest elders in the church and he must
20. or course, there's n woman in the case and
In this case she 10 the PASTORS wife. who. after
ten weeks OF married life packed up her clothes
ana with his consent left him.
Cranbury 10 . typical Jersey country town.
one OF those towns for which there seems so lit
tie reason for existence, q long. struggling main
street, hanked by frame houses and shops, with
q great square. belfried frame church in tho
most conspicuous place. The townspeople are
important In n way, but the weight Of i'm
portanco lies with the rich farmers there
abouts. They are . hard-workinG thrifty
set Of people, who toll early and late. and
whose only recreation 10 the church. There's
meeting on Friday nights, church and Sunday
school on Sundays, and for the women q sewing
circle, missionary band with straw berry festi-
walls in the early summer and "sociablos" aud
oyster suppers in the winter. to give q
social air to their religion. With only
politics and their church to distract
them, and politics for the men only. and
that for but couple OF months in
the year, their whole social life revolves about
tho church, and the pastor is a most important
parsonage. But he isn't their master. Devout
as they are. strictest of strict, they always let
him understand that they will be led by him so
long as he leads them in their own way. They
give him his parsonage. pay him q salary, and
have donation parties besides. and he must In
all ways con form to their views OF life, have no
secrets from them. and keep them informed as
to all his donKs. his comings. and his goings.
Pastor Van Dyke came to Cranbury twenty.
eight years ago and even then he wah q man of |
middle age as they view it. lie was widower
and became the especial charge of the women. |
ministers should be, he suited them exactly.
There want no nonsense bout the parson." |
long. an he lays deown the law as IL should be-" |
The women looked after him. knitted slippers !
him as their very own to do with as they. pleased.
And the pastor went along in his peaceful fash
t YEARS. He Af had dOa EroEn % hssRi''.sssns hsis %oPs
sus was afa fas,ee snd The gosk aosk
looked at him as the man who suited them
been some % surmise about bis marrying 's again. ain
and more than one widow OF his congregation
h S sppsd Of
he grew older; and nobody dreamed that he
One day last May he announced to tho mem-
bers of his congregation that he was nbout to
marry; The news fell like thundorbolt from a
Marryi marTyI the pastor marry, Why.
tss en w.a sne and sad i0ik CRIED
"Ye CANT most always tell what n old
Tho next question was. Who is she7r Every
widow and old maid in the congregation was
looked over and discussed, but not one con-
was Irritating to his flock. and whom, ef.er a
was found that the pastor was going to bring
strange woman to the town. there was an omi-
nous silence. Explanations must be had at
They had not long to wait for them. for in q
turned he brought his wife with him She
5ass sss New Rfss qf' he rs6S
pretty ss'psa hS
q forty;fve 50 up the aisle Of the church Stn on
hat first sunday. The marriage OF the pastor
marry city woman. a worldly S; womanothey oth s
shook their heads dolefully over the prospect, !
on her. Then they eda tRss rs
y Van q Dyke had . son. an eiEhtsen-year.old boy.
ii. not rSa mads Mds
things worse. The men stood discreetly aside
and let the women DO the talking. | ,
Ten weeks passed. The flock were beginning
to like the new pastors wife in spite OF them
snd sbs .hs s to their wives
women , = were won oyer Others stood aloof and
She had left her husband for good and had ron:
Then how the tongues ,waeEed at the FrIdsy
night i meeting and la at the sewing circle; The
the tales the more easily were they believed |
The old minister vouchsafed no explanS:
iittie more seant, but when the A1d olders
came to him for an explanation ne terseiy
This added insult TO injury. It was bad enough ]
tive outrage 70 be unable to know why il had
happened The woman OF course came in for
Old Il man Was pitled as having been led away by !
He ouRhter known better n to marry her.
IN old man like him." said the woman -''' G
, One or two voices were raised in tho wife's l
"P'rsps sho amt all to blame" said they. ]
- 'Th' old man was kinder sot n his ways, and a
become the wife OF minister" d
Then when the pastor would say nothing, the
70 go. And pretty soon the elders began to
think So for II all the sisters were bent on hav-
Then came statement from Mrs. m wa Van u Dyt. vi
that she had to choose between her son and her q
anally said that she had gone with his consent,
and that 1t was a case of incompatibiiity OF
temper"
This explanation did no good. The storm was
raised and 1t couldn't be quelled. small. de-
faction fought forgthe pastor. but the !
women declared that hey could never listen 10
The sermons of a man who did not live with his |
wife. no matter how good he might be. Then I
The pastor went away on vacation, and the
light ragged on while he was gone. Q
Affairs had reached such point that when he t
even his friends advised him to re- o
'ign. But the old man sternly refused. A week
ago last Sunday he preached his hrst sermon .
.fter his return. Tho church was crowded to
listen TO his expected letter OF resignation. His
ext for tho day was:
"Hs that goeth and reapeth. bearing precious
Iecd. shall doubtless come again with rejoicing |
bringing his sheRves with him"
He preached as ho had never preached before | =
His bittereBt enemies were softened in their
hearts, but not n word concerning the trouble
lid he say. Once freed from the spell of the
lernon the flock began again For a whole 4,
week 1t kept up growing hercer and hercer day u
BY day. The old pastor. sitting alone In his o
ltudy, began to realize the hopelessness of his n
He decided TO give IL up. y
Last Sunday morning the church was again B
The pastor preached another strong b
'ermon and then at the end OF 1t he said he had
statement To make. He referred to his family
lnairs and said that he did not consider that