Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-01
OUTSIDE POINT OF VIEW

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Some years ago the writer read The
New Abelard,' by Robert Buchanan
In .hose days he read the story, skip
ping the incidental thought, ideas and
language. Recently he has re-read the
novel. taking in line upon line, pre-
cept upon precept," even trying to read
between the lines. For reason which
VIII appear later. and because mary
OF the present generation of novel read
ers are not familiar with "The New
Abelard," summary Of the story fol-
lows:
A young Church of England clergy
man and rich heiress are in love will,
one another. He, the dreamre, is in
clined to doubt much of the literal o.
the scriptures. A sermon more than
usually liberal brings protest to the
bishop, a letter from the bishop, and
the reply brings matters to focus. He
resigns from the church ministry, NOM
ianlly because of i'll health, really tc
avoid a trial and communication
Meanwhile in his trouble he is support
ed by the love and confidence of his
betrothed. About this time the reader
of the story is told of an early marriage
by this preacher to woman who first
betrayed him, then eloped with some
young lord, and finally tidings of her
death in India reached him. OF this
the heiress knew nothing, and only a
few of his college friends were aware
of it. Now, on the point of being mar
ried again, he one day meets his sup
posedly dead wife face to face, and a
short conversation shows she is at
present the mistress of an old earl liv-
ing in London. Naturally he tries to
break his engagement with the heiress,
and uses his deposition from the church
as an excuse. She will not have it that
way and builds a $4,000 church IL;
London for him to preach In and bring
out his peculiar and particular reli-
gious ideas. They remain friends" the
wife of his youth, living in wickedness,
agreeing to keep silence If the preacher
will not apply for divorce. Crowds
come to the church, he becomes famous
and all LorGon is talking of the new
religion. But the daily friendship with
the innocent heiress, her hero worship
and his lonesome life are too much for
the preachers morals. He proposes
and has secret marriage with his
friend" and bctrothed. The inevitable
discovery of their relations comes TO an
angry uncle. She finds she has mar
ried man with living wife, leaves
London, enters q convent in Rome and
dies there, at least SO a tomb stone is
in evidence, her money going to the
Jesuits. The preacher continues to oc-
cupy the pulpit Of the $4,000 church,
but interest wanes, crowds fall off and
the preacher takes vacation. AT q
watering place in France he meets his
wife. sees her go in bathing, rescues
her from drowning, only to have her
die in his arms on reaching he shore.
Now he is free, and the search COM
for his betrothed, who forgave
him before she left London. The
wanderings end at the tomb
stone of Sister Alma" he loses his,
mind and is found dead on the noun
tain side. So much for the novel, the
story, the account of several things
that didn't happen.
Now for true story, much Of which
has happened during the past three
years. A realistic story Of Iowa life.
Say twenty years ago. there was a
young student in one Of our Iowa col :
leges who married graduate of the
same college. He was regularly or
dained and settled as pastor Of a
Congrega tional church In one Of our
Iowa cities. Children blessed the union.
But our Iowa preacher also had ideas
different from the orthodox, and in his
was rich heiress, who
looked upon him with the same hero
worship that her English cousin had
for her preacher in old England. The
heiress' widowed mother also saw in
our Iowa preacher many attributes, all
most Christlike, l. e. to them. Our Iowa
preacher soon spent much Of his time
at the home Of the widow and her
daughter, this with the knowledge and
consent Of his wife. Finally the widow
and her daughter, instead of building 4
church, endowed a chair in an Iowa
college with 100000 and the preacher
and family, the widow and daughter all
moved to the college town. living in
houses whose lots Joined. Then our
Iowa preacher, now professor, began to
have more and more ultra and extreme
views, and expressed them, concerning
the orthodox church. The Congrega-
tional church of Iowa did not see fit to
expel him, but the trustees Of the COL
lege accepted his resignation. And then
Dame Rumor began to make much of
his relations with the Iowa heiress, all
Of which was to the discredit OF the
heiress and preacher. Then came the
news of the preachers divorce from the
wife Of his children, and the preachers
to the heiress little later on.
And everybody was happy except the
ill-natured public, who always wants
to die in convent or on a
Side.
Evidently the author Of the novel
wanted the public to draw as moral
from his story that a preacher or any
body else, for that matter, who gets
away from the old established church,
out from under the influence of rigid
creed and real belief in the literal Bible
and its teachings, is in danger of maxi
ing bigamoUs marriage and Is certain
to die on the mountain side. while the
victim is sure to be captured
by the Jesuit society and lose life and
And so the moral of this Iowa
story ought to be that the heiress Of
Iowa lost all of her money in speculate
ing on the board of trade, while the
preacher, losing bis love for her after
her money was gone, spent the remain
der OF his days living on free lunches
In beer saloons frequented by anar-
chists and nihilists. finally being blown