Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-04

ence with one man reminded me of the
young bride Of one month, who contdcd TO
me that all men suffered sharp pain from
eating ice cream.
A friend Of mine told me yesterday that
she had been to Il hospital to visit college
classmate Of her husbands who was rccov-
ering from a serious operation. He If a lone
here in the city, and ! should suppose alone
almost in the country He has been mis-
sionary to China for nearly quarter of
century 'and only home on furlough once in
that time. She said he was the most en-
thusiastic creature and the most triumphant
in the ultimate success of his great adventure
Of any man she had ever met. Her feeling
was, think. that his zeal was apostoIic-a
white flame Of Il man swept by great idea.
l have known three such absorbed persons
in my life and, ciriously enough, none Of
them was an artist and one Of them was a
missionary.
LNROM Livingston to Father Damien and
l. to this present moment there are no lives
or keencr adventure than is possible to men
who set ont to convert strangers to Il great
cause in Il foreign land. No rowing gypsy
band, no nero company Of explorers draw
so hugely on chance and change or challenge
danger as they do. | have always held that
il you wanted 60 interest boys in religion YOU
should begin with the deeds and exploits of
the missionaries.
Years ago Mrs. George Pepper and tried
out that theory on Il lot Of boys in the broad
white collar and knickcrboCkcr period Of
youth. There were perhaps fifteen or SO OF
George Pepper Jr.'s age---I}ob Frazier. Al
bert LUCAS, Bob Dale, BILLY Taylor. viii
Lewis, Harry Nelson, the WalthGur boy;
Jack IIrst and others. They met first and
always to enjoy themselves, II not with our
aid, without it; and they parted company
with shouts and calls and whoopS that reused
the ncighborhood to bitter complaint at
times. We adults felt like waving grass be-
fore their camorous prOgress-and yet we
held them quiet and actually still and cx-
pCrt0nt with the tales of the hCroism and the
adventures of missionaries for nearly an hour
ON those evenings. between the somewhat
labored reading of the minutes by the secrc-
tary and the refreshments. lemonade and
crackers, which completed the program.
rCIIEY called themselves "The brotherhood
whether any of them can remember back
enough to tell which one Of those stirring
ralrs really moved him enough TO make an
ndvlbe impression. Two Of the boys died
Must Of them were soldiers two Of them are
priests and one is missionary. which last
is somewhat unusual for men Of his type.
Il is NOT hardness of circumstances or dan
ger That deter men from profession. There
j. enough pioneer blood even In our eastern
ruu>t boys TO take them over the top Of a
real adventure. A librarian told me the
other day that puny mite approached her
His 'Nits' y as being the mos highly rec
"n1nrnded by the "othrr frllcrs.
rrIlE wife of the boy who mas turned mig
J. sionury" was gayly rOcitng t. me some
OF their adventures with their baby as
sturdy traveller across tn" plains. She
Thought it all part Of the gumn and was Ii
good sport and ready TO boast q the prowess
uf the "hivVcrs' out there where there are
nu roads to speak Of. just tracks over the
desert. | thought how lucky they were TO
have q motorcar and what II Grange that one
possession has mad" for all udvrnturCrS from
NOW on. In the early seventies Il woman
! knew made Il trip from Denver to New
Mexico by stage coach with her husband.
who was an army Officer. and their son, aged
o." year In the seventies III" lif" Of IN
army man even in times ot pgu"e was the
If" Of pioneer.
INTIS. as remember It. vas her talc
J. owe went West by the Kansas Pacific.
In 1870 the road was ruy completed as far as
prnver The last station was Kit Carson.
We goC thrr" and found the toughest kind vi
r shanty town, with on" hotS that hcggarrd
description. Al / oci"rn in the afternoon
we took the stage going S,uth Our first stop
WAS Colorado Springs; ! suppose t"" wooden
houses comprised the t"Nu. The sage had
inside places for six persons; t4r best acar
Was th' middle one facing the driver. When
the colonel helped me in there were two men
already Occupying two Of tine three Dlacc2 on
thaC seat. but with loud and alarming good
nature they made room f"r rh" lady in the
middlr." They were the iuhNlo Bill cuw
boy sort. long hair. big lar-. belts with piS-
tolls and knives. | was alarmed by them.
Iut | accepted IT," S"h. H. The middle, and
t.orr was not q mil" Of 'hr 400 between Kit
Carson and Fort Cuio, that l was not
,rnIkiul my instinct and their pOrenCsS
had won out. The cUluIt". saI opposite to me
Ni,u the baby on his lap, and the black nurse
vs., touk out sat next t. him. The other
places were taken by Inru; "ur was IN Eng
Hs.luuu. q nephew "i Charles Kingsley.
Every one was deeply Interested in our start.
uad thr man who hnhd"u I'll" baby up 10 the