A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY - Edward Payson Roe (best color ebook reader TXT) 📗

Chapter XXXIII (A Doubtful Battle In prospect)

The Painful Impression Made By The Evening Service That Has Been

Described acted as A Rude Disenchantment, And The Beautiful Church, To

Which Mrs. Arnot Had Returned every Sabbath Morning With Increasing

Pleasure, Became As Repulsive As It Had Been Sacred and Attractive. To

Her Sincere And Earnest Spirit Anything In the Nature Of A Sham Was

Peculiarly Offensive; And What, She Often Asked herself, Could Be More

Un-Christlike Than This Service Which Had Been Held In his Name?

 

 

 

The Revelation So Astonished and Disheartened her That She Was Prone To

Believe That There Was Something Exceptional In that Miserable Sabbath

Evening'S Experience, And She Determined to Observe Further And More

Closely Before Taking any Action. She Spoke Frankly Of Her Feelings And

Purposes To Haldane, And In so Doing Benefited the Young Man Very Much;

For He Was Thus Led to Draw A Sharp Line Between Christ And The

Christlike And That Phase Of Christianity Which Is Largely Leavened with

This World. No Excuse Was Given Him To Jumble The True And The False

Together.

 

 

 

"You Will Do Me A Favor If You Will Quietly Enter The Church Next Sunday

Morning and Evening, And Unobtrusively Take One Of The Seats Near The

Door," She Said To Him. "I Wish To Bring This Matter To An Issue As Soon

As Possible. If You Could Manage To Enter A Little In advance Of Me, I

Would Also Be Glad. I Know How Christ Received sinners, And I Would Like

To See How We Who Profess To Be Representing Him, Receive Those Who Come

To His House."

 

 

 

Haldane Did As She Requested. In a Quiet And Perfectly Unobtrusive

Manner He Walked up The Granite Steps Into The Vestibule, And His

Coarse, Gray Suit, Although Scrupulously Clean, Was Conspicuous In its

Contrast With The Elegant Attire Of The Other Worshippers. He Himself

Was Conspicuous Also; For Many Knew Who He Was, And Whispered the

Information To Others. A "Jail-Bird" Was, Indeed, A _Rara Avis_ In

That Congregation, And There Was A Slight, But Perfectly Decorous,

Sensation. However Greatly These Elegant People Might Lack The Spirit Of

Him Who Was "The Friend Of Publicans And Sinners" They Would Not For The

World Do Anything That Was Overtly Rude Or Ill-Bred. Only The Official

Sexton Frowned visibly As The Youth Took A Seat Near The Door. Others

Looked askance Or Glided past Like Polished icicles. Haldane'S Teeth

Almost Chattered with The Cold. He Felt Himself Oppressed, And Almost

Pushed out Of The House, By The Moral Atmosphere Created by The

Repellent Thoughts Of Some Who Apparently Felt The Place Defiled by His

Presence. Mrs. Arnot, With Her Keen Intuition, Felt This Atmosphere

Also, And Detected on The Part Of One Or Two Of The Officers Of The

Church An Unchristian Spirit. Although The Sermon Was An Excellent One

That Morning, She Did Not Hear It.

 

 

 

In The Evening a Lady Draped in a Black Veil Sat By Haldane. The Service

Was But A Dreary Counterpart Of The One Of The Previous Sabbath. The Sky

Had Been Overcast And Slightly Threatening, And Still Fewer Worshippers

Had Ventured out.

 

 

 

Beyond Furtive And Curious Glances No One Noticed them Save The Sexton,

Who Looked and Acted as If Haldane'S Continued coming Was A Nuisance,

Which, In some Way, He Must Manage To Abate.

 

 

 

The Young Man Waited for Mrs. Arnot At Her Carriage-Door, And Said As He

Handed her In:

 

 

 

"I Have Kept My Word; But Please Do Not Ask Me To Come To This Church

Again, Or I Shall Turn Infidel."

 

 

 

"I Shall Not Come Myself Again," She Replied, "Unless There Is A Decided

Change."

 

 

 

The Next Morning She Wrote Notes To Two Of The Leading Officers Of The

Church, Asking Them To Call That Evening; And Her Request Was So Urgent

That They Both Came At The Appointed hour.

 

 

 

Mrs. Arnot'S Quiet But Clear And Distinct Statement Of The Evils Of

Which She Had Become Conscious Greatly Surprised and Annoyed them. They,

With Their Associates, Had Been Given Credit For Organizing and

"Running" The Most Fashionable And Prosperous Church In town. An Elegant

Structure Had Been Built And Paid For, And Such A Character Given The

Congregation That If Strangers Visited or Were About To Take Up Their

Abode In the City They Were Made To Feel That The Door Of This Church

Led to Social Position And The Most Aristocratic Circles. Of Course,

Mistakes Were Made. People Sometimes Elbowed their Way In who Were

Evidently Flaunting Weeds Among The Patrician Flowers, And Occasionally

Plain, Honest, But Somewhat Obtuse Souls Would Come As To A Christian

Church. But People Who Were "Not Desirable"--The Meaning Of This Phrase

Had Become Well Understood In hillaton--Were Generally Frozen Out By An

Atmosphere Made So Chilly, Even In august, That They Were Glad To Escape

To Other Associations Less Benumbing. Indeed, It Was Now So Generally

Recognized that Only Those Of The Best And Most Assured social Position

Were "Desirable," That Few Others Ventured up The Granite Steps Or

Sought Admittance To This Region Of Sacred respectability. And Yet All

This Had Been Brought About So Gradually, And So Entirely Within The

Laws Of Good Breeding and Ecclesiastical Usage, And Also Under The Most

Orthodox Preaching, That No One Could Lay His Finger On Anything Upon

Which To Raise An Issue.

 

 

 

The Result Was Just What These Officers Had Been Working For, And It Was

Vexatious Indeed that, After Years Of Successful Manipulation, A Lady Of

Mrs. Arnot'S Position Should Threaten To Make Trouble.

 

 

 

"My Dear Mrs. Arnot," Said One Of These Polished gentlemen, With A

Suavity That Was Designed to Conciliate, But Which Was Nevertheless

Tinged with Philosophical Dogmatism, "There Are Certain Things That Will

Not Mix, And The Attempt To Mingle Them Is Wasting Time On The

Impossible. It Is In accordance With The Laws Of Nature That Each Class

Should Draw Together According To Their Affinities And Social Status.

Our Church Is Now Entirely Homogeneous, And Everything Moves Forward

Without Any Friction."

 

 

 

"It Appears To Me Sadly Machine-Like," The Lady Remarked.

 

 

 

"Indeed, Madam," With A Trace Of Offended dignity, "Is Not The Gospel

Ably Preached?"

 

 

 

"Yes, But It Is Not Obeyed. We Have Been Made Homogeneous Solely On

Worldly Principles, And Not On Those Taught In the Gospels."

 

 

 

They Could Not Agree, As Might Have Been Supposed, And Mrs. Arnot Was

Thought To Be Unreasonable And Full Of Impracticable Theories.

 

 

 

"Very Well, Gentlemen," Said Mrs. Arnot, With Some Warmth, "If There Can

Be No Change In these Respects, No Other Course Is Left For Me But To

Withdraw;" And The Religious Politicians Bowed themselves Out, Much

Relieved, Feeling That This Was The Easiest Solution Of The Question.

 

 

 

Mrs. Arnot Soon After Wrote To The Rev. Dr. Barstow, Pastor Of The

Church, For A Letter Of Dismission. The Good Man Was Much Surprised by

The Contents Of This Missive. Indeed, It So Completely Broke A Chain Of

Deep Theological Speculation That He Deserted his Study For The Street.

Here He Met An Officer Of The Church, A Man Somewhat Advanced in years,

Whom He Had Come To Regard As Rather Reserved and Taciturn In

Disposition. But In his Perplexity He Exhibited mrs. Arnot'S Letter, And

Asked an Explanation.

 

 

 

"Well," Said The Gentleman, Uneasily, "I Understand That Mrs. Arnot Is

Dissatisfied, And Perhaps She Has Some Reason To Be."

 

 

 

"Upon What Grounds?" Asked the Clergyman Hastily.

 

 

 

"Suppose We Call Upon Her," Was The Reply. "I Would Rather You Should

Hear Her Reasons From Herself; And, In fact, I Would Be Glad To Hear

Them Also."

 

 

 

Half An Hour Later They Sat In mrs. Arnot'S Parlor.

 

 

 

"My Dear Madam," Said Dr. Barstow, "Are You Willing To Tell Us Frankly

What Has Led to The Request Contained in this Letter? I Hope That I Am

In No Way To Blame."

 

 

 

"Perhaps We Have All Been Somewhat To Blame," Replied mrs. Arnot In a

Tone So Gentle And Quiet As To Prove That She Was Under The Influence Of

No Unkindly Feeling Or Resentment; "At Least I Feel That I Have Been

Much To Blame For Not Seeing What Is Now But Too Plain. But Habit And

Custom Deaden Our Perceptions. The Aspect Of Our Church Was That Of Good

Society--Nothing To Jar Upon Or Offend The Most Critical Taste. Your

Sermons Were Deeply Thoughtful And Profound, And I Both Enjoyed and Was

Benefited by Them. I Came And Went Wrapped up In my Own Spiritual Life

And Absorbed in my Own Plans And Work, When, Unexpectedly, An Incident

Occurred which Revealed to Me What I Fear Is The _Animus_ And Character

Of Our Church Organization. I Can Best Tell You What I Mean By Relating

My Experience And That Of A Young Man Whom I Have Every Reason To

Believe Wishes To Lead A Better Life, Yes, Even A Christian Life;"

And She Graphically Portrayed all That Had Occurred, And The Impressions

Made Upon Her By The Atmosphere She Had Found Prevalent, When She Placed

Herself In the Attitude Of A Humble Stranger.

 

 

 

"And Now," She Said In conclusion, "Do We Represent Christ, Or Are We So

Leavened by The World That It May Be Doubted whether He Would

Acknowledge Us?"

 

 

 

The Minister Shaded his Pained and Troubled face With His Hand.

 

 

 

"We Represent The World," Said The Church Officer Emphatically; "I Have

Had A Miserable Consciousness Of Whither We Were Drifting For A Long

Time, But Everything Has Come About So Gradually And So Properly, As It

Were, That I Could Find No One Thing Upon Which I Could Lay My Finger

And Say, This Is Wrong And I Protest Against It. Of Course, If I Had

Heard The Sexton Make Such A Remark To Any One Seeking To Enter The

House Of God As Was Made To The Young Man You Mention I Should Have

Interfered. And Yet The Question Is One Of Great Difficulty. Can Such

Diverse Classes Meet On Common Ground?"

 

 

 

"My Dear Sir," Said Mrs. Arnot Earnestly, "I Do Not Think We, As A

Church, Are Called upon To Adjust These Diverse Classes, And To Settle,

On The Sabbath, Nice Social Distinctions. The Head Of The Church Said,

'Whosoever Will, Let Him Come.' We, Pretending To Act In his Name And By

His Authority, Say, 'Whosoever Is Sufficiently Respectable And

Well-Dressed, Let Him Come.' I Feel That I Cannot Any Longer Be A Party

To This Perversion.

 

 

 

"If We Would Preserve Our Right To Be Known As A Christian Church We

Must Say To All, To The Poor, To The Most Sinful And Debased, As Well As

To Those Who Are Now Welcomed, 'Come'; And When They Are Within Our

Walls They Should Be Made To Feel That The House Does Not Belong To An

Aristocratic Clique, But Rather To Him Who Was The Friend Of Publicans

And Sinners. Christ Adjusted himself To The Diverse Classes. Are We His

Superiors?"

 

 

 

"But, My Dear Madam, Are There To Be No Social Distinctions?"

 

 

 

"I Am Not Speaking Of Social Distinctions. Birth, Culture, And Wealth

Will Always, And Very Properly, Too, Make Great Differences. In inviting

People To Our Homes We May Largely Consult Our Own Tastes And

Preferences, And Neither Good Sense Nor Christian Duty Requires That

There Should Be Intimacy Between Those Unfitted for It By Education And

Character. But A Church Is Not Our House, But God'S House, And What

Right Have We To Stand In the Door And Turn Away Those Whom He Most

Cordially Invites? Christ Had His Beloved disciple, And So We Can Have

Our Beloved and Congenial Friends. But There Were None Too Low Or Lowly

For Him To Help By Direct Personal Effort, By Sympathetic Contact, And

I, For One, Dare Not Ignore His Example."

 

 

 

"Do You Not Think We Can Better Accomplish This Work By Our Mission

Chapel?"

 

 

 

"Where Is Your Precedent? Christ Washed the Feet Of Fishermen In order

To Give Us An Example Of Humility, And To Teach Us That We Should Be

Willing To Serve Any One In his Name. I Heartily Approve Of Mission

Chapels As Outposts; But, As In earthly Warfare, They Should Be Posts Of

Honor, Posts For The Brave, The Sagacious, And The Most Worthy. If They

Are Maintained in the Character Of Second-Class Cars, They Are To That

Extent Unchristian. If Those Who Are Gathered there Are To Be Kept There

Solely On Account Of Their Dress And