The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-12-27
APOSTLE TO THE UNGENTLE.

J.
gold fields is to be congratulated. Some time
ago, as was chronicled by The Gate City, the
settlement advertised for a minister of the gos-
pei who must be good poker player and no
mandy -pamby dude. To applicants for the
position the further details were furnished that
the camp had set it's heart on having "a herman
preacher who wore a mackinaw jacket, stuffed
his pants in his boots, could paddle canoe and
give good account of himself in a knock
down, drag out row."
These requirements, concededly high, called
for rarely accomplished man; and reading be-
tween the lines the comment OF religious perl
odicals it was easy to see that the church was
seriously perturbed and wondered II 1T could
produce candidate to fill the BILL The fact
was not disputed that the type OF preacher this
camp desired would, If grounded on the doc
trinal fundamentals, be immensely effective
for righteousness in that particular environ
Iment. He would be a square peg in square
thole, living example of the manly qualities, a
flesh and blood demonstration that christian
can be the manifest kind of man among
men, gentle but brave, strong in works as IN
faith, wide in his synPathies, free from all
pharisaical faint, courageous and at ti1e same
time clean. The church has produced such
men, but the usual routine OF theological lnstl-
jtutions does not produce them as a rule; nor IS
the demand for them extensive. But a rnodern-
lied and glorifed F'riar Tuck an evident
need of this particular community, and to meet
it the church knew not at first thought where to
turn.
But the demand has produced the supply.
The Rev. Arthur Basham, Of Columbus, Ohio,
will undertake to ELL the ardent post. He is not
man to magnify his qualifications, and con-
41,ofh o 10 aHa at r,a
feels that he can learn. Cards, however, are not
a closed book to him; he was one time tried
for playing whist at the home of an
elder of his church. A circuit rider IN Mani
toba, Y M. @ "A. worker in France, he has
driven dog teams over frozen wastes and has
filled theaters on Sunday nights In cities with
throngs who would not be lured into church
1t evidences something wrong, he says, when
the fraternal orders are swamped with applI-
cations for admittance by returned soldiers as
they are today, because of the spirit of brother
hood they offer while churches so often throw
wide their doors in vain
But not to dwell further on his ideas Of what
il needed, interesting though they are, the Rev
Mr. Basham seems from what is told OF him to
be the right man for the place. He will not go
to the men of Athapupuskow as model Of un-
realizable seraphic indefectibility In him the
miners Will find a combination of virility and
right mindedness which they admire and can
reasonably hope to attain The religion he
brings them will demand no sacrifice Of any
quality essential to success in their rugged en-
vironment Like the apostle to the Gentiles
this apostle to the ungentle will teach them that
however hard they play the game of life to play
it squarely and that can be all man and
at the same time a decent man.
A mart IF tha nublic still believes That in