Would you have listened, Dan, if he had tried to tell you? Or,
because he is not a church man, would you not have misunderstood his
motives? The Doctor loves you, Dan."
"But you are a church man, a member of the official board of my
congregation. If men like you know these things why are you in the
church at all?"
Silently Dr. Harry re-filled and lighted his pipe. It was as if he
deliberated over his reply. The membership of every church may be divided
into three distinct classes: those who are the church; those who belong
to the church; and those who are members, but who neither are, nor belong
to. Dr. Harry was a member.
"Dan," said the physician, "I suppose it is very difficult for such men
as you to understand the religious dependence of people like myself. We
see the church's lack of appreciation of true worth of character, we
know the vulgar, petty scheming and wire-pulling for place, the senseless
craving for notoriety, and the prostitution of the spirit of Christ's
teaching to denominational ends. We understand how the ministers are at
the mercy of the lowest minds and the meanest spirits in their
congregation; but, Dan, because we love the cause we do not talk of these
things even to each other, for fear of being misunderstood. It is useless
to talk of them to our ministers, for they dare not listen. Why man, I
never in my life felt that I could talk to my pastor as I am talking to
you!" He smiled. "I guess that I was afraid that they would tell Judge
Strong, and that the church would put me out.
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