The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-10-14
REV. SHELDON'S
LATEST STORY
Hero Is a Wealthy Young
Man Who Goes Out
to Help the People

experience. resolved to abandon his
sahter's house and an offer Of sue
cess,on to the head of his fathers
hank and devote his life to the peo-
pie When asked by his father and
sister as 10 what he expected to do
he could give no idea Of his plans
and only pressed hi shand 70 his fore
head and exclaimed;
"My God, / don't know love the
people"
Carried away by this ecstacy he for
got all ABOUT ihs engagement to
wealthy young woman named Luella
Marsh. He apparently forgot that he
had ever loved her. or the possible
wishes Of the young woman. until
after he had irrevocably committed
himself to the desertion OF his par
entail hreside in his visionary reso-
luton 70 do something for the people.
This. ia brief, is the opening chap
ter OF the new story which the Rev.
Charles M. Sheldon read to q very
large congregation at Central church
Sunday evening. The name of the
story Is "rhe Reformer." It will CON
nist OF ~ chapters, one of which will
be read every Sunday evening for
~ weeks
Mr.. Sheldon gave his hero, John Cor
don, bad start It remains to be
Rson whether he can win over the
sympathy OF ihs audiences, and Of fu
ture readers of the story. 70 a hero
who has already displayed such radi-
cal defects. Young Gordon a scion
OF an old and aristocratic family. as
well as wealthy one. is painted in
such vivid colors by Mr.. Sheldon that
one loses confidence in the hero's
stability The young man appears TO
be ''rabid" He announces that he is
a socialist; mat he can not conaci-
entiously live with his father and
sister because they do not get down
Close enough to the people. He ad-
mits that tney give largely of their
wealth to wor h. objects, but de-
nounces his father for making mon
ey in the banking business and his sis
ter ror indulging in the frivolitiea Of
the social swim" Johns father,
Rufus Gordon urges his son to con
tinue to live with the family, and IL
90 inclined. use his wealth and social
position to rur her his desire to be Of
assistance to "the people" but John
prefers 70 obey the dictates OF hi9
very much aroused conscience. and
quit his home.
Righ there the hero displays what
appears TO be a shocking defect in
his character He had apparently
pondered long on the resolution TO
leave his fathers house, but had ut.
terly neglected to consider any practi-
cal plans for the future. He did not
know what he wanted to do except
that he wanted 10 help the people
And to Intensity the monomanlac ten
dencias Of the hero the fact Is brought
out hat ne completely forgot what
mis- betrothed wife would think about
1t os what effect his radical change
in life would have upon her happiness
and welfare
But It may be that Mr.. Sheldon can
pull his hero out OF ths hole in which
he placed him. It may be true that
Mr.. Sheldon needs just such hero 10
illustrate the moral points which his
story will introduce But q Mr.. Shell
don can write himself out from under
this handicap he will merit the sue
cess which viii await his story when
Il T. gigea 10 the public in printed
form
In general The Reformerd" prom
isos to be characterized by the typi-
cal sheldon Ieatures which have Civ
en- his former stories a unique place
IN literature The character drawing
il exeeH nt and the characteristics Of
four individuals. who promise 20 be
prominent throughout the story, are
placed boldly in the light The four
characters introduced in the first
chapter are Rufus Gordon, the mil,
iionaire banker; John Gordon, his
sou. jus returned from a trip TO Eu-
rope after completing his college
course: Mary Gordon, Johns sister,
and Incidentally Luella Marsh Johns
betrothed
The sermonizing features Of eaen
chapter Of former stories promises
% be preserved IN the present one
In the hrst chapter Of "rhe Reformeg
yohn Gordon delivers himself Of a hom-
My to his aged father on the eeaeral
topic OF his fathers errors In life. u
may be all right, but Il does seem a
triao presumptuous for a young char
- - - coIlo.fs "a ha lnpfurinu his