The farmer and mechanic., 1912-04-02


men. as with the ecStacy OF a prophet
or GOD he challenged men TO repent
Hdu seen him as spent, worn.
weary man, tired of his labors, sigh
ing 1or rest and sleep. but this day
IL was all different The flaming fce
was but quiet glow: the raging wind
tender sigh; the prophet with Ions
hair and rapt vision and keen eyes.
and the confident speech Of victory
was gone today. Broughton was not
himself: the self that you and | had
seen before was on a journey, he was
his better self tOday-he was at his
best. l saw him bare-headed under
the perfect Southern sky the soft
spring breeze blowing his long, thin
gray hairs; his face all drawn ana
emacIated, lined and scanned with the
memories OF some bitter fights which |
had all been leading him to this dax
OF days. l do not doubt that all these
tnlngs came thronging into his heart !
| OF hearts as he stood at the culnina-
ton Of them all. More like a spirit |
| than human being. his hands tren- |
| bled with the roll Of members he has; |
| gathered into his church; overcome |
until he Wept, looking with unspeak
! able tenderness toward his only s. 2 |
as he drew away the white cam 4
| from the cornerstone, unable to spcAh |
q word. Len G. BroughIon stood, sub
humility like unto which one .nls1
possess if he is to enter the kingdol,
OF heaven. This was the first NO
| ment in BrOughtons life when n>
was not master, this moment hac
| mastered Broughton, and he CROPPED
his way through 1t, not alone, but s;ls-
tanned by hand invisible and a hope
divine.
On ''BrOughtcn's Day"
clo
the cap to the cornerstone in his
hands He made one sally to be hi
old self. Il will show you how ~Oo0
a mason | am" but that was poo2
sally. nobody smiled; they were weep
ing: | was; for they knew Broughton
was too filled with JOY to joke, and
, they knew that the hopes and wishes
and dreams Of twelve long. hare
years were marshaling themselves in
array before him, and memories more
sacred and tender than the great
J., pOpulaCe could conceive were beating
out music to Broughton ineNpressiby
1 sweet, as he had come to his day.
4 So, with the smile all cone, but with a
!: calm. ineffable peace. BrOughton seal
ed the cap to the stone at high noon,
under a cloudless sky; and / thought
| because BrOughtOn was SO quiet and
Il speechless and broken in body. l
= | thought he WAS sealing it with his own
a blood. And then he prayed-and
g g Broughton's day had come and gone
!, The day Of his vindiCation, the day OF
q the realization of his hopes, the day
y Of his self f-revelatio1, had come, the
q world had said, This is Broughton'
O day." and those who stood around
q learnt that Broughton was really .
O simple-hearted disciple who had beer
d keeping in tune with Gods way anC
# word and will; and when the ella,
40 \, a
e GENTLY thin, the real sustaining innel
d light had cast through its glow, which
had shOne like the sun OF perfec
d day.
E Now he stops to unstrap the burden
K from his bent back, to walk Owe
~ meadow grass, and climb high hills
m to rest; for half a year with no Dur
es He is going because in those year
in when he beat his strong hand
IN against the bolted doors which III
st city would not open, when he set fir
d. to his own heart that it might be
az frebrand to touch the faggOts tha
st bound some gross wrong to the stake
n, in these years the relentless and ruth
90 less extortioniSt whom we call Vast
g had insidiously gathered his tribute
he and Broughton, with trembling han
he of a man of Straightforward he is br
A ifOrty-SeVen-and with a body sway
o; ing to carry six feet heigh with OF
a hundred and eighteen pounds Of bon
so and snew the reserve centerS OF n
tai nervous system drained-is to be re
n freshed by a half years fretlessnes
ne and fairly won reVeling in the sens
ITO of victory.
I'm Atlanta is the Loser.
80, 80 Atlanta is disturbed to its heart
~ depths to see BrOughtOn leave. II
rs; c!eiAoiiS % a,av ars
o-, meetings of the foremost citize1
~, ~, have been held, and the attendant
he. ha together with all Of the editors
80 the secular press, have combined
10 offer BroughtOn a years vacation
i'm 'e: - narnanont hoe
and to put the city more inclusive
in cO-OperatiOn with his plans. T