Middletown transcript., 1915-11-20

gam LHO ESpuldJlOu VI having DOSh
picturesquely wicked. Tell me why
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
respectability, 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 IL he had hurried.
81 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. 'Will you be at
home this EVENING""
"I'll 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 me-
cessity of disapproving of a young
lady SO undeniably attractive. She
was a pleasure to the eye and stim-
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"
"AgainT" and Rev. Smith Boyd was
gracious enough to smile. What IL
the matter with 1t this timer"
at 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 cover
! sneer at her youth and inexperience
:. She laid aside a new perplexity fol
future solution. In moments such as
this the rector was far from minis
. terial, and he displayed a quickness tt
anger quite out of proportion to th'
apparent cause. THE whole trouble
u with Market Square church is tina
u they have no God. The creator hal
been reduced to formula"
L Daddy Manning saved the rector thu
l pain of any answer.
y You're a religious anarchist" h
r charged Gail.
Her face softened.
e "By no MEANS" she replied. Il an
u a devoted follower of the divine spirit
the divine will, the divine law; bu
t. not of the church; for it has forgotten
n these things"
d "You don't know what you are say
n ing" the rector told her.
THAT isn't all you mean" she re
torted. What you have in mind il
L. that, being a woman, and young,
should be silent. You would not per
s. NIT thought if you could avoid it, TO
Ie when people begin to think, religion
E. lives but the church dies, as it is doinl
u today"
- NOW heV. OMlLu DOyu OOuAu ~
y triumphant. There was curl of saI
II casm ON his lips.
W Are you quite consistent" h
9 charged. You have just been object
e ing to the prosperity of the church"
Financially" she admitted; but
ot is spiritual bankrupt. Your financis
IL prosperity is a direct sign of your re
Is ligious decay Your financial banl
"a ruptcy will come later, as it has don
l in France, as it is doing in Italy, as
r will do all over the world. Humanit
IL treats the church with the generosit
't due a once valuable servant who ha
u outlived his usefulness"
MY dear child, humanity can neve
u do without religion" interposed Dadd
y Manning.
re Agreed" said Gail; but it on
IT grows them. 1t outgrew paganisn
TO idolatry, and a score of minor phase
H. in between. Now it is outgrowing tn
IN religion of creed, in its progress t,
ward morality. What we need is
~ new religion"
ITO BE CoNTINUED.)
~~~~~~~e~~~~~->~~~>~-~ ~ ~->~>~.>~~
re any other mans wife knows about hi
as She has a fairer, clearer and mol
We helpful understanding of 1t than tn
10 WUoric doafOrfo mo