The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-04-12
Strange Dual Personality Wa:
y That Of Wright Lorimer, Pas
tor and Actor, Who BELIEVED
Tie Had a Message to Deliver
and After What He consideree
Failure Died by His Own Hand

A0 W.4440Uo 6AdVS Al 1OO0 &1SA~s g -
tie way out from the sleepy drone Of
Dana, Mass. two offerings of flowers
rest side by side-one the remem'
brance Of a friend of Lorimer. the
star of the drama, the other the token
Of a friend Of Lowell. the pastor Of q
flock.
Lorimer was both. He lived hia
life along parallel lines. He believed
be was called to deliver a message tc
mankind. But. while knowing in
which direction his life work lay, he
was not SO certain how he should
play his part. And so he told his
story. now to a congregation in a lit,
tie church with helpful voices in the
organ loft. and now to an audience in
a theater, with orchestra in front Of
the footlights. He was dramatic In
the pulpit, he preached from the
stage.
And at ethirty-seven, believing that
he had failed in his mission. he flxed
a day on which 1t should end. and
died tragically.
One may not write the full Aor,
Of this actor-preacher's mysterious
life. There are gaps in 1t which are
hard to bridge. as there are things IL
1t which are hard to explain.
May Be Story Of His Lite.
It may be that in the novel Against
the Tide" which he himself penned
during his early ministry, and which
strangely turns up Just after his
death, the story is told. Rev. DR.
Baldwin, a Baptist clergyman Of Troy
who prepared the preface to 1t. says
that 1t is.
While he, whom theater goers knew
as Lorimer, was still a slip of a boy
In Athol, Mass, he was left an OF
>phan. A family Of the name Of Low
ell, at Cape Elizabeth, up the bleak
Maine coast near Portland. adopted
him and gave him the name-Waltel
M: s. Lowell--by which. in turn. he
was known. +.
A fund was forthcoming to educate
him-a fund large enough to see him
through Colgate university and per
NIT him to enjoy the broadening ad'
vantages Of Oxford university, Eng,
land. AS a student he became an
idealist. He took a step to the seri.
GUS.
Returning to this country he enter
ed the ministry, believing, as he, said,
that one whom kindly fortune had
favored with an education should use
his talents in a field wherein there
was an opportunity to uplift others.
His first pastorate, as the story now
Is told, was in the arsenal town OF
.Watervliet, q suburb of Troy, in 1902,
where he was admired alike for the
fervor Of his oratory and his earnest,
ness and enthusiasm In the service Of
his flock.
Ability Manifest.
At the start he gave evidence OF
ability to fill all the requirements OF
q leader among his people. but later
on. whether from inexperience-he
was scarcely more than a youth-or
q failure to realize that a struggling
church organization requires careful
financing. he became involved in
money difficulties. They we're simply
the ordinary ADVERTISEMENTS that any
young minister ia apt to meet, and
which some knowledge Of business
would have adjusted without serious
friction. To young Lowell they were
q milestone about. his neck.
Suddenly, and scarcely without no.
tice, the young minister ANNOUNCED hts
intention OF resignings his charge. Soon
he went away.
It Il: unimportant to set down in
order the list Of the other pulpita
which he filed. The interesting fact
10 that his failure to achieve . real
success ct the start did.not discourage
or turn him to other things. He
preached to the people OF the coal
community Of Honesdale and
later mfnistered to the congregation
Of the Baptist church Of North scran.
In the latter town his sermons
lhot wide OF the Baptist doctrine and
there was . severance Of relations b.
tween church and pastor.
4, TURNS e the 9t.s..
From this time on until he nnally
transferred his work from the pulpit
70 the stare, . struggle was going on
within him 9 to how he might best
live according % his ideals. Tbs
pulpit still continued 10 callshim. bnt
he BEGAN e havs doubts q 10 his own
ability 10 accomplish il III chosens1
held the good that ~ 1elt should come
from his efforts. He wanted 70
gpirs msn 70 wsll-doing insa Wy esat
waSl neW. & Ss
While A. wassstill : zsainiqtsr III
oroton,,l Mas, wAither seswsnt from
psnnsylyania. - u Alchmond I'M.
l l.llS Brpdoklyn sahd 1b1. = bsGan ssps1s
&c q a$splay.