Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-09-22
CHAPTER xv111-(continued.)

AsA AAAs " dIO III SOXlD6T
predecessors, he called a spade a spade,
and with that spade he dug a very
deep grave for bigotry, winsomely en-
gagfng a whole churchill of uncon-
Scious bigots to assist him in burying
the dead.
The silencing of the bell. violins,
flutes and 'cellors-without the brass
and ~cymbals-in the choir! Joyous.
inspiring anthem! Twenty minute
sermons and cheerful texts! Oratory
without thirdlies, and fourthlies, and
ntnthlies! Golf on week days and a
genuine interest in the Sunday school
nine! Potted plants in the vestibule
stand! Broiled lobster instead of fried
chicken-When he could get it! Man
alive!
And congregations at both services
on the Sabbath that tried the capacity
Of the building! And. most wonder
ful of all: If h regular pewholders
were not in their seats by five min
utes past II, the busy ushers were in
etructed 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 /
a that Mr.. Presbrey was a good
man and that he would bear watch
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, o 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 or cloth, with gilt edges
and copper plate portraits, at $3.50 or
81, just as your fancy for covers ran,
s. down N the balance in weekly
installments. Your lame On the sub
scription list was always solicited.
because its presence there was al 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 he top OF the list. II your
name was there, everyone else In town
was sure to know that the books were
we'll worth possessing. No home
should be without 1.-The Great Masters
for Mr.. Presbrey. SC you subscribed
for the $3.50 set. He was SO success
full in the placing of these books in
Corinth and nearby villages that, after
a months trial at the work. he felt en-
couraged to add Dickens and Thack-
But not Balzac or Gautier. 1t was
much too early for the effort to in
troduce hose French masters into the
homes of h Corinthians. The Rev.
MI. King had not been there long
enough.
Mr.. Blagden led the way down the
aisle to the pew that once had be-
name in the corner of the seat had
never been changed. The word
"Blagden" was there, just as it had
been ordered by the far sighted and
thrifty ancestor. whose p-enuriousness
took in the probability that some flu
A..-> DN>-1-- ~s-I% ~~sr ~ 1$FP0~1~f
initials; moreover, it was ridiculous to
expect that the first born male in each
generation would have to be named
So-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
church, OF Corinth. We will merely
glance over the congregation. absorb
a few stray words from the lips of
the pastor. commend the music, and be
back on our way to h house on the
hill. vaguely satisfied with the new
Corinthian era.
We find the church filled to YER
flowing. Not one of the old pewhold-
ers is absent. Each and 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 confiscate his seat. And
it's a very awkward matter, getting
one out of your pew after he's once
got into It. O can't do it without
words, and the other fellow is quite
apt to have something to say about
1t himself.
looking neither to right nor left, but
straight at the fervid, impassioned,
convincing face of the young minister
who had wrought SO many changes.
No man dozed-never! The spell was
upon all those within the sound OF his
voice. In the old days one might have
been supported in the belief that Mr..
sive mood as the only true channel
through which to absorb sanctifica-
ton; hence, they slept. But young Mr.
King, soulful and forceful, had them
IN his grip. They just couldn't sleep. He
was fighting satan in practical, Tween
His ermo on this %eventful morning
had to do with HE'LL He spoke of the
modern. up-to-date hell. the sort that
we see every day of u lives II we
take the trouble to look about us. 1t
was somewhat Of a new idea to the
people Of Corinth. They had come TO
believe that hell was q Iong way OF.
Mr. King made it uncomfortably near
for those who listened.
Here are a few Of the surprising
thines that filtered into the ears of the
Corinthians and gave them something
to think about for days.
"Chist!anity is a science. and we've
rot to treat It as such. It ISM q theory.
You can't conquer ain by
sneer1nr at It. Everything
else in the world is going ahead; the
church isn't. The Salvation
Army and the Y. M. c. A. know how
Ia fOht They know where to hit and