Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

law. But he was too proud and ardent TO
be content with this. Hyde Park was the
playground of people who were tolerated
because of their incapacity Blood fire
ana ruin streamed out from the lips o.
these orators. and the law laughed be-
cause ii knew that nothing would follow.
because ii was well assured that no sim
gle speech would ever induce the mob OF
London to rise up and sack The mansions
i'm Grosvenor Square. or blow up the
houses of parliament. or assassinate tie
king.
Father Francis did not wish 10 be iden-
Tined with these harmless failures. He
went TO the other extreme and chose the
most inconvenient and inopportune places
Tor MS denunciation of society. In
crowded thorouglhfare. outside the door
of theater disgorging its vapid crowd
OF pleasure seekers. among the weary
watchers by the gates OF the docks. ia a
railway station crammed with people GO
ing TO some popular race meeiiag-these
were the sort of places he chose for the
deliverance of his message The result
was inevitable. He was always figuring
IN the police courts. and. though he was
generally let OF with a caution. he once
received weeks Imprisonment. The
crowning indignity came I'm the form OF a
decree that the state of his mind should
be inquired into. The inquiry proved him
TO be a man of sound intellect, but the
doctor. who was an honest man. told him
that religion would affect his brain II he
v.
FATHER FRANCIS AGAIN"
So ran the title of the paragraph which
described his last conflict with the law.
The phrase Jared on his sensitive nature.
1t was an insult to the name he had as
sumed. In a public library he had read
the story Of St Francis OF Assist. 1t had
seemed to be in some way analogous to
his own. ST. Francis had been youth
of vicious and profiigate habits. He had
suddenly been reused to a sense OF his
sins and hpen shown hN aytYn-
ordinary miracle. that there was divine
work to be done in the world. Sir Rich
ard Gaunt had assumed the title In all
humility. and had prayed that his own
work might prosper under the aegis OF
SO great name.
Yet what had been the result? He had
only brought the name into contempt and
ridicule.
Nothing could be done without money
The methods of primitive times were use
less for an age of high civilization. The
machinery OF the social system Changed
in the ears Of the idealist. Nothing could
be done without money. Where was the
money to come from? That was the
question of the hour.
The man shrank from all public APP
peal to charity. Such a course would he
detrimental to the cause. 1t would arouse
suspicious in the minds of the givers. The
battle was to be waged against the uni
versal worship of gold. 1t would hardly
be wise to solicit aims in the street.
The money would have to come from
some private source. from a man vino
would understand the motive which
prompted the request for II. 1t is easy
to explain things quietly to a single indi-
vidual. but very difficult to bring them
clearly before the minds OF crowd.
His thoughts once more turned to Mr..
Harry Lampirthy the richest man in tn
world. the man whose life was said to be
a burden to him. Some weeks previously
it had occurred to him to try and show
4 III tl,.s All ~ x.ow
worth doing in the world. But after due
elaboration he had shrunk from making
an appeal in a quarter where IL would be
SO hard to find sympathy. He had real
lied how many thousands OF people had
been ruined to build up that colossal for
tune. He knew something OF the life OF
the man. the hard cruelty of his mind,
the brutal strength OF his WILL the hercs
lust of his heart for gold. Such man
was hardly likely to sympathize with the
dreams of an idealist.
But now. he was brought face to
face with starvation and the entire de-
struction of all his hopes. he began TO
wonder whether Ii was not his duty to
approach the owner OF this huge fortune.
and whether, after all, there was not
something desirable In the hopelessness
Of the task.
And. as he thought Of the battle that
he would have to fight. his eyes flashed
and his lips frightened. It would be a
contest worthy of his cause. II he won.
the whole world would be affected by the
victory. If he lost, no one would suffer.
So far the result of his labors had been
practically nil, and beyond the fact that
he had obtained a certain advertisement.
and that his face and views were becom-
ing familiar to the people of London he
might just as well have stayed I'm the
deserts of Arabia. A few kind-hearted
men had offered aims. jumping at once
to the conclusion that he was on the
lookout for money. A few of the lowest
20
him. and expressed their willingness to
help his cause IL ii was made worth
their while. But that was all. So far he
had failed. but he felt that he had not
been given fair chance.
The meeting with Lampirthy, however.
would be a reasonable test OF his abil-
tiles He would encounter a man whose
whole life had been devoted to the ac-
QUESTION of a huge fortune. He would
not have to point out to him the vanity
OF earthly riches. for from all accounts
the man had realized that already. But
he would have to show him that there is
a work to be done in the world worthy
of the highest intellect and which could
only be done by a man OF immense
wealth.
This would be a battle worth fighting.
The opponent would be no mere passer by
in a crowded street. but a man of strong
will. keen intellect and stupendous ia1n
in himself Harry Lampirthy represented
the very eyes and brains of the idol
which was to be destroyed. II this vic
tory could be won IL might mean the con-
quest of England. He realized that IL
would be hard to get speech OF the great
millionaire These kings of finance are
as inaccessible as royalty. They are
hedged in by a Gordon Of secretaries.
who are paid to act as buffers between
the outer world and their master. Yet.
where reporters had succeeded II was
incredible that a man inspired by a strong
and earnest purpose should fail.
When once the interview was granted
half the battle would he won. Face TO
face with the man Sir Richard Gaunt
felt that he would be given power to
achieve a victory. But the interview IT.
self would have to be obtained by other
means than eloquence or the strength
of a righteous cause. Ii might even have
to be obtained by trickery, by subter-
fuge by the employment of means which
would be distastefu to him. which would
be unworthy of the Master whom he
wished to serve.
He sat I'm the darkened> room before
the fireless CRATE and considered the mat
ter. II seemed cold and cherries as the
room itself. And the man felt that he
had dropped from the sunlit heights or
religious enthusiasm to the sordid gloom
of a city on the plain. There was moth
ing fine or noble in his thoughts. He had
to plot and plan like any beggar who 10
seeking charity.
He saw that II would be useless for
him to call at the Carlton. as he would
only be turned away from the door.
letter would probably be Intellectual. IL
would be opened by the secretary ana
thrown in the waste-paper basket. He
remembered that Mr.. Lampirthy received