The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-05
RECTOR
AND HIS 5000 NI)|k

'Fleeton, Va September 4.A4A
came to Northumberland county M
Of q. land of eHihlicai history, akterssa
pilgrimage across four continenSk
The Baltifnores boa. that stops tswlkS
week ut the~rfttie landing set I'm
down one day. Idlers At the wf4ff
caught sight Of his clerical nsxru.
Soon It was roised about that alSkr
loo years Election and the country
round again had rector.
For century Fleeton had lived ~
own life. And perhaps there was
little resentment In the surprise With
which the news was received. hut
.es rme r r va IN: newcomer did Hpt
-Re- began to, conduct services Ill, 81.
Marys Episcopal church. not for
Episcopalss alone. hsit for all in Inc
community. And then he would 10
from Election to the other churah.spf
which he had become a rector, twenty
miles across 81, Stephens parish. He
began to drop into the country httJfts
and. chat with the men; and women
ne found there, t. Gall upon the
families OF his few p4risaioners and
upon other families that did not come
They found him pleasant ana
kindly. interested In their daily affairs
ana interesting in his tales OF far
lands. They came to know him ~,s
Rev. T. David Harari. They learned
that he had been born in Beirut, syria.
ana they found look of sadneas in
MS eyes that was always there What
1t meant they could not tell.
he began to know these peefle.
he found that century OF isoist,on
had not made them easy to win back
10 the church. He found that their
young people had given themselves 10
the pleasures that their earnings .'bn
the fishing boa@s and factories mad.
possible for them. end he found, loo.
that many OF them were starved for
the want OF books to read and rasaea
zines to tell them OF the world. pa,y
few OF the weil-to-do families could
obtain these sh'
Especially were the women ana
girls eager for books. But many OF
the men wanted them. too once
ne talked to machinist who told
him that just because there was moth
ing else to read he had re-read a 1iffle
advertising pamphlet until he co,Adu,,
bring himself to rend ii again.
SO the rector went to his little study
and wrote letter to New York
And then he waited. and worked.
A week went by. letter came to
him from New York, reply to his
own. And week later. when The
Baltimore boat stopped at the Fleeto,
large package for him on the boat
And there was n letter, bearing 4
, strange postmark and strange postage
stamps of a foreign country.
The little throng at the wharf saw
the shadow Ia his eyes change to
shining JOY as he read the letter.
Then. hastily putting II in his pocket,
he took up the package and hurried
: to the church.
That day he went alone about
Election distributing books and maya
zines to those he Knew needed them
most They were from the church
periodical club Of the Episcopal
church he explained,-Iwho sent hooks
to districts where they were almost
! impossible to be had. And to each
family he visited. be told the story at
the letter from enreisn land. the
secret Of his long grief.
| For three years he had believed his
father and raothe~ dead. killed by
the Turks IN the Armenian smassacre
| at Beirut. And nek his mother had
| written him tina. they were safe.
though very poor, snd that she was 30
proud that he had entered service OF
/ the church.
| To make 1t possible for him to IN
| crease that service to the people At
| his parish, and to have aid IN IN.
| work Of reaching many OF the people
whom he cannot. now reach for slAob
{, Of time and money, Mr.. Harari ID %
/ be aided by the nationwide campaign
of the Episcopal church. For by this
! campaign the membership of thu
church ts being called to service and
! to giving. that tn. workers OF the
church In every feid may extend and
st strengthen their work