Image provided by: Silverton Country Historical Society; Silverton, OR
About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1897)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1897. GOLDEN THRONE [A ROMANCE BY SAMUEL P. PUTNAM.] Old Chum —Once more in New England! And I can ’t tell you how jolly I feel, with the gold jingling in my pockets, and the world fresh as a May day. I’ve had some fun, and I don’t know w hereto begin. There’s a volume to write, and a lot of postscripts in addition. I pointed tor New York the first thing, and went toDelm on- ieo’s and then to W allack’e, and begin to feel like a man. A good meal and a splendid play are m ighty good enliveners. Of course, I went to church on S unday; but I wanted to get as near as possible Io som ething like a theatre, aixl so I went to hear Talmage. 1 happen ed to catch him when he attacked Ingersoll, and it was quite am using. He fixed things up to suit himself very nicely. H is interpretations of scripture would have m ade John Calvin tu rn in his grave. He d id n ’t stick to the bible, but he stuck to Talm age; and, when the bible wasn’t sufficient, he pieced it out with a plenty of himself, and his audience took it for the genuine gospel. If he said the Hood wasn’t universal, why, they all believed it, although from childhood they had been taught th a t it was universal, and th esh ellso n the m ountain-tops had been adduced as evidence of it. Poor old by-gone interpreters of the bible, how the orator did demolish them ! And I was th in k ing just how easily his own new verson would be rejected when the exigencies of science dem ands it. W hat a kaleidoscope the Bible is! It takes new colors and shapes every time the lingers of science give it a turn. You sec, the Christ ian apologist nowdays don’t read the bible first to learn wliat it says and means but, be studies science, and finds w hat its dem ands are; and then he shrew dly tw ists the scriptures into any form to suit those dem ands. If science says six periods, then the bible says six periods, and now six days; and so on. Science goes ahead, and the bible tam ely follows, it am used me to notice th a t T alm age in his reply to Ingersoll said those things th a t three hundred years ago would have convicted him of heresy and burned him a t the stake. So the world does progress, and Talm age is a straw to show it. He is valu able as a straw, otherwise he is of little note. He dances on the stream of public opinion, and helps to show ju st about how things are going. I was delighted with Boston. I felt aesthetic at once. I went to the Common and quoted Greek, and in the evening went to the Greek play, and applauded just in the right place— th an k s to a libretto. Isn ’t it queer th at Boston should he going crazy over a pagan dram a? W hat would ihe P uritans sav? I hear 1 Savage while here—a tip-top liberal preacher, who don’t mince m atters at all. It stirred me like a trum pet to hear him. I only wish I could take the same stand he does, ami he as hold and m anlv. But I ca n ’t. I’m all bound up and twisted with the past, so far as my feelings are concerned, and I can ’t follow my head. But I like to have the tru th spoken bravely, though I haven’t the backbone to do it m y self. I suppose I must always belong to the M ethodist Church. I ca n ’t sunder myself. A thousand associations cling about mv heart, tender and subtle, and I cannot fling them off and go fourth u n tram m elled. I cannot express the the feeling that swept over me like a flood, when I reached old scenes, when I saw the old church where I used to preach, the village so lovely, the trees, the hills, the sky. I flung myself down and kissed the earth , sweet to me as a m other’s bosom. But the way people met me was, as you m ight say, edifying. They regarded me as a lost sheep, most of them , and were very careful w hat they said and did. They d id n ’t w ant to com m it themselves. I saw a great m any, when I happened along, walk over to the other side like the priest and Levite, and pass me bv. They d id n ’t wish to snub me, and they did n ’t w an’t to shake hands with me. I quietly suffertd m yself to he tabooed, for I knew it would come out all right in the end. You see, I d id n ’t put on any new clothes to begin with, nor even a new hat. I d id n ’t even consult a boot-black or a barber. I just w anted to see how much genuine hum anity there is in the church. Some of course treated me decently, and were really glad to give me a hearty shake of the hand; hut, on the whole, my reception was very form al. I felt alm ost as if I had discovered the North Pole, w ithout m aking an Arctic journey It is quite cool weather. G randm other H arris was as true as steel, and greeted me as w arm ly as if I were her child, though I did look so outlandish. You don’t know’ her. Well, she is one of those dear souls th at live t<> lie a l most a hundred years old, but are as lively as a cricket,and chock-full of hum an kindness. She has lived, I don’t know how long, in the village. She isn’t rich, hut somehow she manages to help everybody. O h , the good talks I used to have with her! Moreover, she was one of the best of cooks, and such delicious meals as she used to provide when I made pastoral calls! I was just hungry for one of them , and I dropped in alm ost the first thing. She never said a word about my shortcomings. You w ouldn’t have known by her talk hut w hat I was the bishop himself, and im m aculate as an angel. She d id n ’t seem to have the least suspicion th at I was a m iser I had about a thousand dollars for I discovered her hard at able sinner. In fact, she m ade me her. feel like a mao, ami put a hope and work, struggling along, with scarce courage into me th a t ten thousand ly a friend to help. The money gospels could not. I know this was a joyful surprise to her, and it world won’t go to the dogs with did mv soul good to p«,ur the sh in such women in it. You ought to ing dollars into her lap. B ut I have seen how it helped things, w ant to tell you she’s ju st the when I put on a knew coat and a prettiest, sweetest girl I ever saw, stove-pipe hat. People were much and I loved her at first sight, and more respectful, though m any still it d id n ’t take me loug to find out hung off. Then, I went to Confer th a t she loved me. I assure you ence. My m inisterial brethren she is no ordinary woman. She were dead set against me. They has a wonderful stren g th of mind, felt well enough tow ard me at overfiowin; m h vivacity. She is heart, the generality of them ; hut like a fairy. She is like a bird too, they d id n ’t dare to m ake any full of melody. But I w on’t trouble public expressions, for they d id n ’t you with my ecstasies. I am know exactly what people m ight happy, and th a t’s enough. I think. And you know m inisters haven’t any plan for the future. never do anything, unless they feel Possibly, I m ay come to C alifornia, pretty sure th a t the crow’d will hut the m arriage bells m ust ring back them up. Well, I kept a still’ first. Yours truly, JA M ES DEM OREST, upper lip, and jingled the gold in or Jim m y, if you like. my pocket. I knew my tim e was coming. There was one old elder “ T h a t’s good,” said Charlie. “ A awfully stiff. He looked as if my presence were a contam ination. I lost sheep is com fortably fixed the only said, You’ll come down, old m om ent he gets money.” “ I am sorry he is in love,” said fellow. W ait until they take up a collection. I’ll join in th a t re the deacon. “ I am afraid it will ligious service, and make you smile. ruin him , and m ake him forget So I listened to the speeches and God. He ought to tu ru to the prayers, and stood the cold weather Saviour.” “ Bosh!” said Charlie. “ Love is u n til the contribution-box came round. Then, with a good deal of the only thing th at can save him. quiet observation, I dropped in live It’s the best religion a m an can tw enty-dollar gold pieces. Well, I have. W h a t’s the use of talking was in the tropics a t once. You about God? If one ca n ’t love a ought to have seen the elder. He pretty woman th at he sees, I am smiled all over, and cried out, sure he c a n ’t love God whom he “ T hank the Lord, brother.’’ The doesn’t see. T h at's Scripture, isn’t welcome th a t I received, and the ' it? ” “ I t ’s a carnal affection,” snuffed hand-shakings! I subscribed five hundred dollars to the m issionary the deacon. “ We m ust give up all cause. From th a t mom ent, my such things, and serve the L ord.” “ W hat do you mean by serving trium ph was com plete. The bishops all crowded about, and I the L ord?” asked Charlie. “ W hy, praying and fasting, and was invite«! to preach at once before some of the most fashionable reading the bible and th in k in g of churches. I have received several your sins.” “ W hat good does th a t do the calls, and my sins are now’ all for L ord?” given. “ He dem ands it, and we should I have indeed preached, and have been applauded to the echo. 1 obey.” said the deacon, hnm bly. “ How do you know he denands haven’t given them a bit of hell fire, and they all like it. They sav. it? If there is a God, it seems to How beautiful, how gospel-like! me the best way to w orship him is People don’t like hell-fire now; and to help our neighbor.” “ T h at won’t do,” said the deacon. yet, if I should say th a t I d id n ’t believe in hell-fire, they would hold “T h a t’s n atu ral goodness, and it up their hands in holy horror, and don’t count. We m ust do some w ouldn’t listen to me. Isn ’t it a thing we don’t w ant to do. We m ust crucify ourselves.” queer mess? “ I don’t care to go to heaven th at But the best is to come yet. I’m in love, and th a t’s the solvent of way. I t ’s a poor bargain. I prefer all the problem s of life. If a man to enjoy life as I go long. As for can find a good wamnn to love and Jim m y, I ’ll bet on him , now th at he true to, he can let all the th e he’s in love.” ologies go by the l>oard. But love The deacon turned away, g ro an is a thing of chance. It comes and ing. He was indeed a m elancholy goes like the wind, and we connot saint. B ut with all his m elancholy tell whence it com eth and w hither he was shrewd enough to look after it goeth. I ’ve never such an ex the dollars. He d id n ’t serve the perience before; for the whole depth Lord so faithfully but w hat he of mv nature is stirred, and I seem could dig gold and pack it away. to b«* in a new heaven and earth. He was a cold-blooded fellow, and Maddox’s daughter lived aw ay was careful to tu rn everything to up in the Connecticut valley, in his advantage. As luck would Guilford, where I myself was horn. have it, he struck a pretty rich