Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-13
.IiE REV. JOHN HAWkESLEY sitting
in his study thinking the text for his

7 I
in his study thinking the text for his
next Sundays sermon. He was yet
decided to what 1t should be. There were GER
tain things going in his town that he felt needed
touching up; but two of the people back of
them members of his own congregation. and
just at present the church stood in such sore need
of the sinews of that the guardian of its
material interests Hawkesley realized the necessity
of proceeding with due caution.
Should he preach on The Decadence of the Pub
lie Conscience and by indirection, perhaps, rap
soundly the dereictions of his most conspiCuously
prosperous parishoners; or, for the present
it better that he should put on the brakes and at
least wait until the roof had been shnglcd, and the
new furnace put into the Sunday school. before
faying these evil propensties which with he
had observed increasing with daily vlgor under his
very eyes?
1t was difficult question for the reverend man
to There question about the leak
in the church roof. nor of the presslngly immediate
call for the proper heating of the Sunday school
Only last Sunday in that pouring rain that
had drenched all Bascomville until it looked like
a drowned rat, a trckllng stream had poured into
the church from hole directly above the minister's
own pew, and he had preached his sermon with
paternal eye anxiously fixed the of little
Hawkesleys seated therein getting wetter and
wetter every minute from its untmely intrusion;
and there no denying the fact that with the
approach of cold weather, with the attractions
of the coming Christmas tree as lure before them
the children of Bascomvle were extremely unlikely
to attend at the risk of their health To be sure,
it was only matter of three hundred dollars at
most-one hundred for the roof, and two hundred
for the furnaCe-but there times in church
affairs particularly in small rural communities like
Bascomvie. when even SO paltry sum that
takes on proportions that are staggering to them
that must provide.
If he preached on The Decadence of the Public
Conscience, there was a chance that Colonel
Rubbns and old Squire Bartlett would realize the
withhold their hands when the contribution plate
passed; whereas if he preached that other
mon he had in mind on THE Growth of Civic Spirit
Under the Leadership of the Church" who could
doubt that either one of the two men named would
undertake to guarantee the whole expense of the
needed improvements and repairs? 1t was too bad
that the clergy have to vex themselves with such
questions, and possibly at times compromise with
their consciences for the greater good of their
cause as a whole; but such the lamentabe con-
diton and the good rector of the Bascomvlle church
exception to its memorable restrictions
HE had almost decided in favor of The Growth
IL of the Civic Spirit, when the CHEEKY whistle of
the postman was heard at the rectOry door and in
few moments the housemaid had placed Hawkes.
leys morning mail on the table before him.
1t was not large mail. Two papers, and letter,
the latter bearing the postmark of Chicago, COM
prised the whole of it. Hawkesey, after a curious
scrutiny of the envelop tore open the flap, and
highly interested to observe its contents. 1t re-
vealed the presence of two pieces of paper, the first
letterhead of Thomas Henderson's Sons, Bank
ers & Brokers, of Chicago reading follows
THE SHAwMuT BUILDING Chicago Sept. ~ 1908.
My DEAR JoHN.-Please ring me up the long dis
lance phone receipt of this. need
matter of considerable Importance to personally. l
too busy explain you full this writing; but
enough of friendship to know that you will
help in the matter. The nclosed will all ex-
penses, and leave you something for yourself.
tionate, Tom HENDERSON.
P. S; My phone number is s4as Prairie. Don't fail
Perhaps you had better call up eleven sharp
| will surely be at my office at that hour.
Tommy Henderson-dear old Tommy! unused
the rector, his eye twnkling with pleasure as he
tho' sht of his friend of many years. How on