Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-09-23
CHAPTER xv111-(continued.)

S11AT LEN
Unlike Mr.. Presbrey and his somber
, predecessors, he called a spade a spade,
and with that spade he dug a very
deep grave for bigotry, winsomely en-
gaging a whole churchill Of nncon-
sctous bigots to assist him in burying
the dead.
The silencing Of the bell! Violins.
flutes and 'cellors-without the brass
inspiring anthem! Twenty-minute
sermons and cheerful texts! Oratory
without thirdlies, and fourthlies. and
ninthlies! Golf on week days and q
genuine interest In the Sunday school
nine! Potted plants in the vestibule
n fresh posies on the reading
stand! Broiled lobster instead Of fried
alive!
And congregations at both services
on the Sabbath that tried the capacity
of the building! And, most wonder
full Of all: If the regular pewholders
were not in their seats by five min
utes past II, the busy ushers were in
structed to conduct the standing over
flow that lined the walls to the cush-
toned pews of the tardy!
A long way back in this narrative l
said that Mr.. Presbrey was q good
man and that he would bear watch
Ing. The proof is at hand. He has
become a book agent. A side issue, of
course His preparatory school for
boys was not what you would call
self-sustaining. So, If you didn't have
boys to send him, you could do the
next best thing by subscribing for that
enlightening set Of books known as
1.-THE Great Masters OF the Pulpit" IL
volumes, calf OF cloth, with gilt edges
and copper plate portraits, at $3.50 or
-, Just as your fancy for covers ran,
IS down and the balance in weekly
installments. You am on the sub
Bcription list was always solicited,
because its presence there was an as
set not to be despised in the effort to
Introduce the books into all respect
able and intellectual homes. 1t was
particularly desired that you be among
those at the top of the list. If your
name was there, everyone else in town
was sure to know that the books were
well worth possessing. No home
should be without 1.-The Great Masters
Of the Pulpit" You felt rather sorry
for Mr.. Presbrey. so you subscribed
for the $3.50 set. He was SO success
ful in the placing Of these books in
Corinth and nearby villages that, after
a months trial at the work, he felt en-
cray and Shakespeare to his stock.
But not BalZac or Gautier. 1t was
much too early for the effort to in
troduce those French masters into the
homes of the Corinthians. The Rev.
Mr.. King had not been there long
enough.
Mr.. Blagden led the way down the
aisle to the pew that once had be-
longed to his great grandfather. The
name in the corner Of the seat had
never been changed. The word
"Blagden" was there, Just as it had
been ordered by the far sighted and
thrifty ancestor. whose p~enuriousness
took in the probability that some fu-
ture Blagden might aspire to different
initials; moreover, 1t was ridiculous to
expect that the first born male in each
generation would have to be named
6o-and-So, simply because of loyalty
to a church pew.
1t is not the purpose or the desire
Of the writer to devote a chapter to
the description Of this spring morning
service. in the First Congregational
church, Of Corinth. We will merely
glance over the congregation, absorb
q few stray words from the lips of
the pastor, commend the music, and be
back IN our way to the house on the
hill, vaguely satisfied with the new
Corinthian era.
We find the church filled to over
flowing. Not one Of the old pewhold-
CTS is duS6Ill. IdCll anu every one
got there on time without being called
by the bell. In fact. a goodly num-
Der were there ahead of time. There
was In each breast the ever-impending
dread that some brash outsider would
sneak in and conflscate his seat. And
it's a very awkward matter, getting
one out Of your pew after he's once
words, and h other fellow is quite
apt to have something to say about
it himself.
Very stiff and erect sat Mr.. Blagden,
looking neither to right nor left, but
straight at the fervid, impassioned,
convincing face Of the young minister
who had wrought so many changes.
upon all those within the sound Of his
voice. In the old days one might have
been supported in the belief that Mr.,
Presbrey's hearers regarded the pas
sive mood as the only true channel
through which to absorb sanctifica-
ton; hence. they slept. But young Mr.
King, soulful and f~orceful, had them
in his grip. They just couldn't sleep. He
was fighting satan in practical, TWEEN
tieth century way; not allegorically
His sermon on this eventful morning
had to do with Hell" He spoke of the
modern, up-to-date hell. the sort that
we see every day Of our lives If we
Idhe lIlS lIOuUlc W lOOh ABOUT us. IL
was somewhat of a new idea to the
people Of Corinth. They had come to
believe that hell was q long way off.
MI. King made 1t uncomfortably near
for those who listened.
Here are a few Of the surprising
thinss that filtered into the ears of the
Corinthians and gave them something
to think about for days.
Christianity is a science. and we've
got to treat it as such. 1t isn't a theory
You can't conquer sin by
sneering at 1t. . Everything
else in the world is going ahead; the
church isn't. The Salvation
Army and the Y. M. c. A. know how
to fight, They know where to hit and
how to hit. You can't pat the
devil on the back all week and call him
old chap and then turn around and
surprise him by trying to thrash him on
the Sabbath. We have one
day Of rest in the seven. He never
takes a day off. II you ex-
pect to defeat the Black Prince, you've
got to come u of your shells and figh,
in the open. YOUTH have the advantage
Of him there. The world Is
very large and very clever. Fossils and
mossbacks have no more license for
thinking they can fight the world than
an octogenarian has for thinking he car
AOht q x,oyrth ne OE 6NIa%pr 1r,hvy M