Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-19
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE CHURCH AT RoHRINDALE

| cOnventionality. At least, the ReV
Frederick Forsythe found II so when
he accepted the position of assistant
pastor of Christ church of Robbindale
The town and the church had been
founded by Horatio Robbins, man
very set in his ways. and he had left
his impress upon both, especially the
rhurch. If there ever was 4 young
man wrapped in his profession, it was
Mr.. Forsythe. Moreover, he was re
| markably well fitted for ii.
But no one in Robbindale looked Sc
far ahead. The clergyman was but
twenty-six years old, and, though T.
was admitted that he had 1.-The gift of
CAB" it was feared that he lacked that
discretion necessary to get OH with
| the members of Christ church. There
| was one essential to his retaining his
| position, and that was that he should
take n wife from among the young
girls of the congregation. He was not
told this. He was simply Informed
when called TO the church that his I'M
welded condition was an objection
! and that his permanency would depend
upon his marrying
| Mr.. Forsythe found congregation
the membership of which had descend
ed exclusively from parent to child.
| No one had ever joined the church
| from any other circle-that is, to re-
| main. Several had tried it. but, not be
ing noticed by any Of the members,
/ had quietly dropped out Mr.. Forsythe
had scarcely entered upon his duties
| before he created an undercurrent Of
I nI1n1. of
| outsiders into the fold. The worst fea-
| ture of the innovation was that none
| of the new members was anything
| like the Christ churchers. Indeed, one
of the oldest and most respectable Ia
| dies pronounced them common
When Mr.. Forsythe found that his
converts We're being tabooed he preach
| ed a sermon on Christian fellowship, in
which he gently chided his flock for
shutting themselves up in their little
| church when there was a harvest wait
| ing to be gathered in the broad fields.
He was surprised afterward to notice
that his sermon had been received as
n matter of course. No one thought 1t
necessary to dissent from what was
the very essence of Christianity, but no
one proposed to pay any attention to
his eXhortation except i'll spiritual
way-that is, they would feel the bene-
fit of the spiritual admonition, but
Christ church would go right on in its
beaten path. One person only objected
openly to the proposed departure. Mrs.
Macpherson said: I'm Scotch meser
and was member of church i'll
Scotland. No one in the church there
that didn't know me ever spoke TO me-
and / never spoke To any one / didn't
know
This was said to the pastor as n gen
lie admonition that he had better not
go wandering about from Christ
church traditions. but keep within
them. Mrs. MACPHERSON, being older
than he and one of the wealthiest mem
bers of the congregation, could afford
to speak thus plainly and TO the point,
but from no other Of them did he get
one word for or against his effort to
make an opening for the entrance of
sinners in the walls of Christ church.
When Mr.. Forsythe had preached the
gospel TO the Christ churchers an even
six months one of the deacons called on
him Informally at his study oStensibly
TO discover if there was any prospect
of his taking wife but really to make
it plain TO him that il he did not do so
within the next six months the congre
CATION would find it essential TO call
pastor with woman to perform those
church functions pertaining to women.
Mr.. Forsythe said that he would take
the matter under consideration in all its
bearings, and the deacon left, feeling
well satisfied. The result of the inter
view was soon whispered about through |
the members of the fold, and the |
young ladies were on tiptoe of expec- |
tation.
\ few months after this the pastor |
gave out through the deacon that after |
the Wednesday evening prayer meet |
ing he would make an announcement |
of Importance in regard TO his connec-
ton with the church. The members
were puzzled. The pastor had not been
observed to be paying attention to any
of the girls of the congregation, though |
some mink might have caught him on
the sly. This must be the explanation.
The deacon had made him understand
what was required of him If he kept |
his position, and "calls' for young men
Just out of seminarieS at a salary of /
81 ,2G0 a year did not grow on bushes
Besides, If a call had been made it
would have been preferred by an ex-
hibitiOn sermon. Mr.. Forsythe had
been absent only one Sunday, and that
was when his mother was ill.
On the evening of the expected an
the prayer meeting COM
prised all the women Of the church
and most of the men. When the serv- :
ice was over, Mr.. Forsythe, standing :
beside the pulpit, said: /;
81 have long been anxious for a :
field of the broadest charac-
ter. Two have tempted me-foreign
and the Salvation Army. But !
my elders Of the clergy have persuad-
ed me that I should remain in the pull !
MI tod II /