The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-04-13

autumn evening when we pushed out
the black punt and set forth across
the lake.
We were gliding through the twi- |
light and the creeping mist away to-
ward Clackzh and the cottage there.
In which Daniel was to prove himself
before US all.
Daniel! How well We remembered
him. How short a time it seemed
since the days when he had sat among
us in the school house there among
the trees. And now he was back from
college; and every one was proud OF
him. and we, his old playmates, were
going to hear him preach the Word.
We made a goodly company. From
far and near people had gathered to
do Daniel honor. Clackan filled half |
the room; Gorteen gave its best and
wisest In the second row from the |
table sat Mary, Daniels sweetheart, |
her father on this side, her mother on |
that Everywhere one saw familiar
faces, stern and rugged, beaten with
rain and wind-faces that in the morn
ing had looked up at the minister
from the pews in Derryvad, and now
were turned upon the door watching
for sight of Daniel.
Hush. The door opened, and a lit
tie procession came in-the preacher
first, Daniel next, the family following
after one by one to their places on the
first form.
There followed hymn then chap
ter from Isaiah. read well and feel
ingly; then a third hymn, and q
shorter and more personal prayer, In
which God was asked to bless the
preaching of his word; then min
ute of hustle. followed by dead hush
as Daniel rose.
His face was flushed, his lips trem-
bled a little; slowly he read a text:
''Old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new. He re-
peated it as If to Mary and himself.
and then closed his Bible, laid 1t on
the table. and began.
He opened confidently, with the
surety of youth and the fiuency OF one
well prepared. There was no hating;
in a breath he was white-hot, brim'
ming with words. They came ike q
torrent pouring down mountain. so
quick that one might hardly follow
them. so insistent that one almost felt
them whirl / sat amazed, whelmeo
lyou have seen willows bent toward
a stream, or a weed bowed toward the
SUM: and already Daniel was deep
and frowns had gathered on th'
brows of many, when Of sudden thu
glamour went. and / had plain see
ing.
What Daniel said have long forgot
ten Though men at Clackan will re
neat much of it to you even today
INT given the text and the occasion
and YOU may easily guess the fash
3on of his discourses. 1t was jus
what you might expect OF an amb
tious youth gifted and not without et
ncatjon come fresh from the pasture
of culture to shed light upon tn
darkness of his native hills. Tire
wears ago Daniel had left US, lille
with those old things; now, havin
browsed happily, he had come bac
.shining with new things. Clacka
was a dear place, it's people worthy
hut time had moved on. leaving
hound in ignorance. Such chang'
had come upon the world; such wo
ders been revealed of late in the
mains of knowledge! There was tn
wonderful theory OF evolution. me
were those extraordinary discovery
in science. There were these ms
Vicious doings of the higher cri
cism. There was this new spirit
tho age moving across the face of I
waters. Back there lay those G
load things; here among US we
those wonderful new things, quick, l
lucrative. claiming, said Daniel, In
whirl of words, fullest considerati
of all Christian men.
To the consideration OF these. the
fore. Daniel passed: and before n
We ignorant loughsiders sat dumb,
facea act and hard. Boldly he tran
MED ON our ignorance; boldly wo'
Iead us into light. All his learnt
and reading he drew upon, striving
Give MS true knowledge. We WI
narrow. prejudiced. intolerant; beh
this new spirit Of the age which sno
make us free. All men were Orc
ers One Christian soul was as g
&C another. Our ideas OF relig
we're antiquated. Our conception
Goa was childish We had vain
lions of heaven and hell; we read
bible ignorantly; we had never grs
ed the real spirit of Christs mess
to the world.
Had Daniel stood In some city
~, doubtless everything he
would have won approval; but he
preaching in hillside parior TO an
-. little cOmpany. and ne