The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-11
ARTICLE IN ATLANTIC MONTHLY
One Member Tells How He Mis-
appropriated Money.
Story Closes With Recital of
a Near Tragedy.

It is automatic that what goes on
under our noses in the way OF drama
and history, never gets the apprecia-
tion and intelligent consideration
which history and drama receive
when space Of time or distance sep
arates the audience and the event
Drama in Topeka? Vital. gripping,
human melodrama here IN our own
home town? TOpekans believe that
Topeka people are just home folks.
and that the really interesting things
happen out on the Pacific coast or
back in New ork.
staged somewhere else. which fact
should be a source Of tremendous
gratitude and Thanksgiving to Topeka
But the souls of people are alike the
world over. and tragedy j played in
the hearts of Topeka home folks, just
as much as in the hearts of any other
section OF this or any country in the
world.
It requires distance to get the per
spective and reveal the scope of the
sight into human hearts and motives
and lives which is not possessed by
the majority of Us
A pastor who sets aside a certain
hour of each Sunday. in which TO
meet and consult with all corners on
any matter on which they desire com
fort and counsel. in Topeka. to To-
pekans. would not seen an extraordi-
fessions and the condolences extracted
by that pastor in those confessional
periods. offer much to attract anyone
but the scandal lovers and the in
quisitive. at first thought.
But the plainly written account of
just such a confessional, with the pas
tor DR.. Charles NJ. Sheldon. and his
Topeka fparishioners as the characters, ,
is the article which was found of the
greatest interest in the last issue of
the Atlantic Monthly.
Honor Topc'- Pastor.
DR.. Sheldon's account of "A Protes- i
tant Confessional" is featured in the
conservative publicatiOn-they pay
him the compliment of announcing
the article in black-faced type across /
the front cover
Topekan's who read it will recog- !
nize none of the characters except /
that of Doctor Sheldon himself. The /
seal OF the conf -SiOnal recognized in l
the Roman Catholic church has been |
sedulously preserved in its Protestant /
counterpart by DR.. Sheldon. It is 4
simply the record of the trials and !
troubles and problems of Topeka peO- !
pie. wrought by the magic of DIR. /
Sheldon's pen into a fascinating, vivid 1
story of human emotions and human 4
struggles. !
DR.. Sheldon recites the tales of the /
man and his wife who came to- him /
with the fires OF love buried under the /
ashes of indIfference-and how they i
went away with the fire on the |
hearth still burning. and the ashes
underneath"
His confessional was rot merely a
place where spiritual comfort and ad-
vice and counsel were available. When
prominent member of his church
came to him :. IN the terrible tale of
how he had Incorporated funds
which did not belong to him. and stood
in danger of the law. DIR. Sheldon
first made it possible for the erring
/
his defalcatiOns-and then entered in
10 the spiritual side of the case.
He Met All Obligations.
And when. several years later. this
brother laid his head down. not TO lift
it again. he did it with the proud
knowledge that all obligations to the
church and to his creditors had been
fully met. and what was more. with
the full knowledge that his sin had
been forgiven and forgotten by Di-
vine Redeemer whose memory is as
short as his mercy is wide"
The article closes with the recital
of 2 near tragedy A demented. armed.
man entered the open Door, of the
pastors study late in the dusIy after
noon OF a winter Sunday. Laying
an automatic pistol on the table, he
proceeded to prove to DR.. Sheldon that
by Holy Writ he was charged to kill
the pastor.
DR.. Sheldon was the master Of the
maniac in Biblical lore and argument,
however. Sitting under the weapon
of the mailman. he argued and per-
suaded, quoted Scripture and pointed
texts which the maniac found with one