Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-09-30
night he paced the floor of his

That night he paced the floor of his
soonu. dreaming Of gold and of blood.
So the next morning when John Dorr
Jared forth on his quest for the rug
peddler Harry Wilkerson was not far
behind him, watching his every move,
studying him, trying to read what was
in his mind. And all with the great
question before him:
Had John Dorr the idol?
While these two We're seeking for
the strange image of an unknown god
there was a third who had found in it
the goal Of his life's toll.
When God c~onceals himself from us
In time Of stress and agony, when he
has closed his brazen heavens and our
prayers die in the empty air it is hu.
man to build for ourselves a tangible
God, n whom we can see and feel,
into whose face we can look and be-
fore whose feet we can lay our offer
ings and our petitions.
In a far city in India men had died
Of famine. The earth had turned to
iron under their plows and the heavens
10 BRASS ABOVE them.
They had implored a hundred gods
for help and made offerings at a thou
sand shrines. There had been no re-
Spouse. The smoke of the burning
CHATS by the side of the shrunken riv-
err told the sorry tale of prayer unan-
swered.
And in their last misery men turned,
as men will, to one who dreamed. Re
atty was death. Dreams held out the
promise of life.
And this dreamer, as do all who fol
low Il vision. made his dream into Il
god.
People listened to his tale Of Il deity
who was merciful to listen and power
full to save. They fed on the dream
er's words and called him a prophet.
Yet still the earth refused food, and
the river shrank within its bed. Then
they went to the prophet and called ON
him to save them and to call his god
to their aid.
Like many prophets, he found him
self forced to materialiZe his dream in
order that the common folk might see
and believe, for he had taught them
that unless they believed there was no
salvation.
"How can we believe in a god whom
we cannot see?' they cried.
Il believe. though I do not see nor
feel he told them. But they were
not satisfied and menaced him with
death.
SO he took metals and fire and made
an image of his god and made a shrine
for it and set the image in the shrine,
where all might see and worship.
And the people prayed to this new
god and laid offerings at his feet and
looked into his eyes and called upon
him to save them. as his prophet had
said he was able.
Thus, with the folk believing on the
god OF his vision, the prophet prayed
also to the spirit Of the deity, and the
rains came from the hills, and the riv-
err rose, and the earth grew green.
When they had been saved and their
stomachs We're full the people went
away and left the prophet alone with
his god and his deserted shrine.
Yet always in time Of trouble and
stress they remembered the god who
had saved them and returned to his
worship, sc that in season other proph-
cts Of him arose and erected a temple
and taught the people to bring offer
ings at all times.
Thus the image became the image Of
the tutelary deity Of the city and it's
river, with other images to do him
homage and obey his commands.
Centuries passed, and the god still
maintained his place. His priesthood
prospered; his temple was never empty.
And one day Il drunken sailor wan
dered into the temple to stare at the
heather wonders, and when he slipped
away the niche of the god was vacant.
He has gone on a Journey" said the
terrified priests and concealed the theft.
But the high priest sent several of his
chosen acolytes throughout the world
to seek for and recover the image.
"How shall we find him?" they asked.
"By a path of death and destruc-
tion," was the answer.
So they set out and found the sailor