Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-08-25

you belong to Market Square church"
Because it's so respectable" he
twinkled down at her. when an old
sinner has lost every other claim to
responsibility. he has himself put on
the vestry"
He dropped behind on their way to
the door. to surreptitiously slip some
thing, which looked like money. to the
man with the roughly hewn counte-
nance. and as he stood talking. Rev.
Smith Boyd came in. not quite breath
lessly. but as II he had hurried.
Il knew you were here" he said.
taking Calls slender hand in his own:
then his eyes turned cold.
"You recognized my pink ribbon
bows" and she laughed up at him
frankly. You haven't been over to
sing lately"
mo-" he replied. "wiH you be at
home this EVENING""
I'm have our music selected" and.
in the very midst of her brightness.
she was stopped by the sudden SOM
berness in the rector's eyes.
Simple little conversation; quite
trivial indeed. but it had been attend
ed by much shifting thought. To be-
gin with, the rector regretted the ne
cessity of Disappearing OF a young
lady so unGeniably attractive. She
was pleasure to the eye and a slim
ulus to the mind, and always his first
impulse when he thought OF her was
one of pleasure. An incident flashed
back TO him. The night OF the tobog-
gan party, when she had stood with
her face upturned. and the moonlight
cleaning on her round white throat.
He had trembled, much to his later
sorrow. as he fastened the scarf about
her warm neck However. she was
the visiting niece Of one of his vestry-
men, who lived next door TO the rec
tory.
Gail jerked her pretty head impa-
tiently. If Rev. Smith Boyd meant
TO be as somber as this. she'd rather
he'd stay at home. However, he was
the rector, and her Uncle Jim was a
vestryman. and they lived right next
door
You just escaped a blowing up.
Doctor Boyd" observed Daddy" Man
ming, joining them. and his eyes
twinkled from one to the other. Our
young friend from the West is harsh
with the venerable Market Square
church"
Again." and Rev. Smith Boyd was
gracious enough to smile. What is
the matter with it this timer"
1T is not only commercial. but Grim.
inal," repeated Manning, with sly
smile at Gail, who now wore a little
red spot in each cheek.
Rev. Smith Boyd's cold eyes turned
green. as he glanced at this daring
young person. In offending the dignity
of Market Square church she offended
his own.
What would you have US do?" he
quietly asked.
Retire from business" she in.
formed him, nettled by the covert
sneer at her youth and inexperience,
She laid aside a new perplexity for
future solution. In moments such as
this the rector was far from minis
terial. and he displayed a quickness to
anger quite out of proportion to the
apparent cause. The whole trouble
with Market Square church is that
they have no God. The creator has
been reduced to formula"
Daddy Manning saved the rector the
pain of any answer,
You're a religious anarchist" he
charged Gail
Her face softened.
by no means" she replied Il am
a devoted follower of the divine spirit.
the divine will, the divine law; but
not of the church; for it has forgotten
these things"
"You don't know what you are say
ing" the rector told her.
THAT isn't all you mean" she re-
torted What you have in mind is
that. being a woman, and young, ]
should be silent. You would not per
NIT thought If you could avoid 1t, for
when people begin to think, religion
ilNSS pul lub SuuINH ulGSs as IL 10 uOlllE
today"
Now Rev. Smith Boyd could be
triumphant There was a curl of sar-
casm on his lips
Are you quite consistent" he
charged You have jus, been object.
ing to the prosperity OF the church"
Financially" she admitted; but IL
is a spiritual bankrupt. your financia.
prosperity is direct sign of your re-
ligious decay Your financial bank
ruptcy will come later. as it has done
in France, as it is doing in Italy as 1t
will do all over the world Humanity
treats the church with the generosity
due once valuable servant who has
outlived his usefulness"
MY dear child, humanity can never
do without religion" interposed Daddy
Manning.
Agreed" said Gail: but it out
grows them. 1t outgrew paganism.
idolatry, and IA score Of minor phases
in between. Now II is outgrowing the
religion of creed, in its progress to-
ward morality. What we need is o
new religion"