The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-25

Inose VINO mink That the clergy il
made up Of men with very little fore
sight as to money matters would find
themselves mistaken in the instance of
one Topeka divine at least.
This man of the cloth is a most de-
vout and kindly looking gentleman and
he might be picked out as a man on
whom the arts of the beggar might be
used to account. Under some circum-
stances they have but under others they
have not.
One brother divine was to make some
lectures before a Chautauqua assembly
in Missouri, and was to receive good
pay for his work. He was. however.
either temporarily or habitually short of
| funds. He called on this Topeka di
| vine and in a most casual manner re-
quested the loan of $25 to use in getting
him to the new fields he was to conquer
and where the treasurer would pay him,
in order that he might reimburse the
Topeka minister.
| The loan was made with no more to
do about it than ]. Pierpont Morgan
would make over lending his head hos.
tier rs cents with which to get a shave.
It was something like the story of Opie
Reads story of the Cavalier of the
| Carless Fifties" whose friends held a
| mortgage on his Arkansas plantation.
Once a year the holder of the mortgage
would journey from New Orleans to the
| plantation for the purpose of collecting
of the careless days, would feed him on
the fat of the land and give him all the
mint julepS he could get away with
and then borrow another $1,000 with
which to take his family to the ball at
the ST. Charles in New Orleans. If the
man had gone back he might have got
ten more from the Topeka minister.
But that Is another story. The min
lister who was going to the Chautauqua
took the money but forgot to return If.
The Topeka minister reminded him OF
the little matter and the man who got
the money replied that 1t was an over
sight-it has been an oversight ever
since.
Another time a man 80 years old,
almost, knocked at the back door of the
parsonage and explained to the To-
peka minister that he wanted to get
married. The minister commented by
saying that he thought the man was
too old. The man didn't think so. He
explained that the bride to be would
arrive the next day from neighbor-
ing town. and that he wished TO com
plete the arrangements.
First he wished 20 pick out the mar
riage certificate. The minister had that
day received, without solicitation.
Gates as samples. He displayed the as
sortment to the old man, and he chose
the one that looked the most like a
circus poster.
Nov" said the old man, Tn All
fixed 1 guess excepting that l would
like to borrow S25 with which to buy
my wedding suit. 1 will Pay you S.
out of it now and IS tomorrow when
the ceremony takes place, and you win
make SO"
The minister was afraid that instead
of making $40 he would lose SIS. The
offer was kindly refused.
That Chautauqua deal had made the
man of the cloth something of a finan-
cseS.
The thing that surprised him most
was that a certain member of his
church was among those who favored
his coming to Topeka. This man tried
to borrow a few hundred of the min
lister shortly after he came to town
The minister didn't have the money or
he might have negotiated the loan
When the man saw he wasn't going to
get the money he was at once anxious
for a change of ministers. He didn't
believe that the one selected was a
very good preac msr. q wanted an
other to come from which he might
borrow money; he didn't want a bank
rupt parson. The minister has since
found out that this member ofs the
church has tried to borrow money
from every new minister, with varying
success. When he was successfuM woe
to the chances of the minister ever get
ting it back.
The Topeka minister never forgets
that Chautauuua loan