The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-04-19


greatly since had last seen him.
Lucy told me at our first opportunity
for a word in private that her father
sat up much later than had been his
habit even upon those evenings when
Mr. Kerwin was not calling and that
he was deyoting himself anew TO the
study of ponderous books, doubtless as
a means of diyerting his attention from
worldly affairs.
After tea Mr. Buttcrfcld ana | II
tired TO his study, where we lighted
two long stemmcd clay pipes and just
as l was about TO open the subject OF
finance Lucy came in and announced
the arrival Of Mr.. KcrWin.
The banker was hard featured,
sturdy man of fifty-fiye, with Il mouth
that was a perfectly straight line and
eyes capable of extraordinary conccn-
tration, SO that his glance was not for
ones face in general but for Il partic-
ular part of 1.-THE tip of the nose or Il
line in ones forehead | found this pc
culiarity of Mr.. KcrWin's somewhat
disquieting, yet he seemed. upon the
whole, TO be more amiable man than
his aspect would indicate.
as to this money, this now fortune
of mine" said the clergyman after the
banker had made my acquaintance and
had helped himself to tobacco, my
friend has come TO talk with me in re
Spouse to Il letter which l wrote before
You had been so good as TO advise me
in regard to IN Investment"
So the money was already invested.
1t was the Yrst that I had heard of
that fact
l thought it probable that this rural
banker of nearly twice my years would
resent my intrusion into the affair, but
l miSjudged him. In the blandest man
ner and with no further hint from Mr..
ButtertiCld he proceeded to lay the
whole matter before me briefly. but
with exemplary clcarncss. listened
with increasing amazcment. The in
vcstment was of a speculative chdrac-
ter in the sense that it promised eX-
traOrdinary returns. yet it was so
shrcwdly considered and 50 wisely
based upon important private informa-
ton that | could find no basis for criti-
cism. It was an opportunity such as
one may not have in a lifetime. and
there was practical certainty that
Mr.. Buttcrfield would quadruple his
money within Il few years. Nothing
could be more natural than that SO re-
markablc Il piece of good fortune
should have excited this placid old
man, to whom his daughters future
had so long been the great unsolvcd
puzzle
Yet, snguldrly enough, while Mr.. Ker-
win was disclosing these facts to me
the clergyman's attention wandered.
l observed that he surrepttiously read
from a large book which he held open
on his knee ana that he was only mild
ly interested in my approval of the in
vcstment.
4 am satisfied, quite satisfied" he
said. Ny friend Kerwin has kindly
taken this whole matter off my mind.
l trust his Judgment implicitly. Sure
~" he added after momcntary pause.
Il have been very fortunate of late.
This money has been greatly blessed to
me. 1t has procured me the acquaint-
ancC-I may even venture to say the
fricndship-of Il man whom have long
misjudged." And he beamed upon the
iron faced Kerwin. "Doctrinal differ
ences," lie continued, "have held us
apart for some years"
''Doctrinal differences repeated Ker-
win, with a rigid grin. That's a good
phrase"
by the way" said the clergyman,
yelling Il nervous impaticnce, upon
that point which we were discussing
the other evening find here the follow
ing statement
lie read from the big book Il para
graph heavy with scientific terms.
Kerwin's eyes glistcned, and he spoke
the instant that the reader paused.
He had not uttered three sentences be
fore | perceived that the man WAS a
dogmatic ma,erialist and that he was
hammering at the foundations of the
others belief.
KerWin was one of those men who
have read Il great mass Of high grade
scientific literature late in life, but
have never had a groundwork Of scien-
tffic training. They know what the
scientists say, but not what they mean.
1t is nearly impossible for any man
who has not received systematic in
struction in the actual labor of in
vestigation to understand the real es-
sence of the simplest scientific state
ment, such as "salt consists of sodium
and chlorine The greatest chemist in
the world might say that, bht he would
mean only that no one whom he knew
of had ever found anything else in salt
The true scientist takes his readers
lack of dOgmatism for granted and
that is why he is so rarely understood.
Mr. Butterfield seemed bcwildcred by
the skeptic's array of facts and to be
vainly seeking for some higher sclen-
tific authority which would contradict
mis- enemy. Such struggle is futile
and tends more strongly than anything
else TO throw the mind into a condition
Of miserable and hopeless doubt. With
lneXpressible pain | beheld the begin
ming of the ruin of this good old mans