The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-02-20

She is just about broken down with all
that has happened"
Then you will keep on here?"
"Yes. There is nothing else for me to
do. Fathers business passes into the
receivers hands. Practically all he
had, or all we supposed he had, Is gone.
Aunt Hester will take Mary into her
home when they return"
Falmouth was silent a moment. Then
he leaned over and put a hand on John
Gordon's arm
do you know l have had a great
temptation of late, especially since the
fire'-he was looking out of the win
dow-'to give up my parish and come
down here with your
Gordon's face lighted up. That
would be great thing for us! But
But 'cowartlly thing for you to
dor You are right" Falmouth said
quietly. "Why should run away from
the hard work where l am? And yet,
Gordon. no man. knows, unless he has
been in the ministry, the enormous de-
mands on the profession I am not
speaking I'm boastfulness or complaint
when / say that no profession requires
such constant and varied exercise of all
the power of manhood. Do you won
der, Gordon, that the ministry some
times grows discouraged as II faces a
labor that in the nature of the case can
never be completed in any sense and
has the vision OF an ideal that no
church or parish ever yet realized?
And then of late I am haunted by a
doubt as to the value of a great deal
that / am doing. II is not the hard
work I am beginning to dread; II Is
the fear that it is wasted power and
that the organized church of today
ought to be changing much of its prac-
tice in order to do what Christ wants
DONE"
Would you mind telling me some
thing in detail what you mean? Give
me a page out Of your days work"
Gordon asked with genuine interest.
Falmouth was going through q crisis
in his church life. and Gordon was be-
ginning 10 have more than a very
strong personal feeling for him.
1T will be talking shop" Falmouth
smiled sadly and hesitated-
That's pardonable between friends"
Gordon answered. with n look that
showed the minister a little further
into his affcctionate nature.
"Well-you understand all right"
with an air OF relief. Take yesterday
as an example. The morning started
Off with n miscellaneous correspond
ence that took about fifty minutes.
Then l worked on my Sunday morning
sermon for an hour. At the end Of that
! time l had to leave the study to hunt
up boy whose mother wrote me about
his being sick Mt boarding house on
Ross street l had to go in the
morning because of engagements that
/ filed every minute of my afternoons
| for the next two weeks. I found the
young fellow in desperate. condition.
brought about by his own sim 1t was
q case that could not be turned over to
others l shall feel obliged to go and
see him often. in order to meet the ap-
peal of that mother. Back to my
study in time to write little on an ad-
dress for next meeting of our local as
ISOLATION Home to dinner. Funeral
at o'clock. The place happened to be
quite near the church, and / was not
| asked to go out to the cemetery. The
people were strangers to me and were
study to get word to our visiting COM
mittee to see this family as soon as
possible By the time that was done
started for the county hospital on
Burke street to visit one of my church
members, very seriously i'll there. At
| 5 o'clock | was back at the church.
where a committee of my Endeavor So
ciety had a special meeting to revise
their constitution and to plan for the
winters campaign, and wanted my
presence and advice. Owing to the
failure of part of the committee to be
prompt it was $50 before l left the
church
after supper had a wedding over
on Park avenue Mrs. Falmouth was
unable to go with me on account OF
the illness Of one Of our boys. When
left the wedding party, 1t was
o'clock As was getting into the car
riage to go home n messenger boy
brought message asking me to call
At the hospital, as my parishioner wat
In a critical condition and might die
before morning. / went at once and
stayed until midnight, when the pa
tents condition grew better. and l left
for home. When / reached home.
found my wife sitting up with the boy,
who had become quite sick. / sent her
to bed and stayed up with the child
until he was better. Early this morn
ing l was sent for by the family al
whose place the funeral WAS held. ask
ing me to call this morning. as one OF
the members OF the family was in n Sc
rious condition. / called. and when
got to my study il was after 10 o'clock
1t is Wednesday, and only n part oi
my next Sunday morning sermon /:
completed. have not even selected 9
text for the evening sermon. The sub
ject of my prayer meeting is Best Meth
DDS of Modern Bible StuLy.' have part
ly prepared the service. have thre'
committee meetings tomorrow after
noon and an address in the evening oil
the Duty of Good Citizens In the Com
ing Municipal Campaign This is be
fore the mass meeting arranged by tn,
committee of fifty. There are five o
six families in my parish in great neet
of my personal visitation. and tw,
deaths occurred yesterday, whicl
means funeral services tomorrow. NJ,
assistant has been on the sick list 70
nearly a month, and the church, o
course, cannot well supply his place
although volunteers are doing some o
his work. | am not complaining, Cor
don. l have some of the best men an,
women in the city in my church mem
Il Il