The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-08-11
CHAPTER VIII.

that l cannot remember more than a
trifing fraction of it all. But not
about such a man as Preacher Rog-
ers has been my theme.
There is the absolute masculine
and the absolute feminine. Preacher
Rogers is pretty close to the abso-
lutte masculine. He is as masculine
as the Rocky Mountains, or a huge
coal-burning engine on the Pennsyl-
vania limited. He is not afraid of
public opinion, or the devil, or any
thing except God.
He fears God. He is soaked with
the old time religion. He has the
Abraham variety. The soul gets cold
as well as the body gets cold. Here
in 1911 we live in the Siberia of Re-
ligion. The world now is chilly,
frozen. But a fire steadily burns in
Preacher Rogers. Some night you
ought to have the chance to warm
your hands before the freight that
extends its invigorating red flowers
upward from the rich nature of
Preacher Rogers. Having been hun
cry you have fed and you remember
the sunny Joy of full stomach and a
restful position, especially if you end
ed the meal with a nice slice of
Roquefort cheese and a thirty-five
cent cigar. That is bodily enjoyment
and peace. But to listen to Preach
er Rogers talk about his life, he
opening now and then the stove door,
and shoveling in a lot of relig-
ious fuel-ahl that is very good, too.
Men of such sunny faith, such restful
reliance on an invisible and loving
power are not raised now-such
deep, calm, untroubled, unruffied
faith, its roots deep as the roots of
very tall trees. Ask Senator Sans.
He and / sat like chilly little bare
foot children one night for three
hours, listening to Patriarch Rogers
talk. Why, he is like a deep ship that
left port sixty years ago loaded with
gold and gems and peacock feathers,
all Of the sails set, and every wind
that blew was mysteriously temper
ed so that never a reef in a sail was
taken the whole journey long.
Preacher Rogers seems never to have
encountered a gale; no topsail ever
has been blown away; he is all here.
AS the largest oak has built around
the wood of the young tree, ring by
ring, so Preacher Rogers, back in
the middle of his soul holds his boy
ish innocence and love and joy. In
stead of paying him paltry six dol
lars a day to represent his county,
Florida ought to pay such a man six
ty dollars a day to go around and
talk to school children about the Ten
Commandments.
He is a patriach. What a kindly
mani What charm he hast He is
deep purple velvet! He is the phrase
BE of good cheer" made flesh. He
reminds you of the last King of Eng
land, in appearance. Anyhow he re-
minds one of a king; a real king;
very much king. To hear him talk
of his children is good for the heart.
How full of love he is! Why he has
been miraculously sheltered Not a
leaf has been blown from the oak
tree! What massive mind he has!
When he spoke how careful he was
of other peoples feelings. What a
living rebuke he was to the represen-
tative from Franklin. Why. he rJse,
expressed himself out of his deep con-
victions, INDUCED in no personalities,
kept on the record, was brief, i'm
pressive, splendid And his voice
surely some grandson of his will be
a world singer Why his voice is
luminous, musical as the beach is
musical when the tan waves fall upon
its white breast; his voice is as grand
as certain notes in cathedral from a
cathedral organ what tune the dead
body of your father in the black cas-
ket rests for a while under flowers
and song, before it is carried out
again to the bright afternoon and the
renewal tolling of the bells. There
is bell music in his wonderful voice.
It's gold tone is the symbol of his
deep nature.
Why this man is a Patriach!
Think of a Baptist preacher big
enough TO have opinions different
from the people in the Baptist
church. Why he was the only one
who voted against the so-called anti
race track bill? This thing, that
Gibralter did. This man Rogers is a
man. He makes me think of England
and Assyria and Niagara Falls and
the midday sun and the Pacific ocean
and the seven or eight stars that
seem to us to turn forever around
Polaris.