John Wesley, Jr.: The Story of an ExperimentBrummitt, Dan B. (Dan Brearley)
Religion
John Wesley, Jr.: The Story of an Experiment
Brummitt, Dan B. (Dan Brearley)
Christian fiction; Methodists -- Fiction
"All right," agreed J.W., "I'll see him, but he'll probably tell me to
find things out for myself. He's a good scout, is Mr. Drury; the best
pastor I ever knew or want to know, but sometimes he has the queerest
streaks; won't help a fellow a little bit, and when you're absolutely
sure he could if he would. It won't be enough to see him, though; even
if he is in a generous mood and gives me more dope than I can use. I'd
better talk to some of the League people." And still he gravitated
toward the pastor's study. It was the easiest way.
The pastor was always in a more generous mood than J.W. gave him credit
for. It was only that he never supplied crutches when people needed to
use their legs, nor brains when they needed to use their heads, nor
emotions when they needed to use their hearts.
He told J.W. to rummage through the one bookshelf in the study which
held his small but usable collection of books and pamphlets on the
Negro, and see what he might find. And, as always, they talked.
"I can tell by that preacher at Saint Marks," said J.W., "how I had the
wrong end of the argument that night we came from Hightower's address. A
man with a big job like his has to be a pretty big man, and he needs all
the education he can get."
"There's a principle in that, J.W.," suggested Mr. Drury; "see if this
seems a reasonable way to state it: In dealing with any people, the
more needy they are, the better equipped and trained their leaders
should be."
"Yes, sir, it sounds reasonable enough," J.W. admitted. "And yet I never
thought of it until now. But you said something the other night that I
don't see yet."
"That may be no fault of yours, my boy," said the minister, with a
laugh. "What was it?"
"Why, you said men like Hightower are inclined to overlook the work of
the church, and that it was the church's own fault; something about
raising new questions when you settle old ones."
"Oh, yes," said Mr. Drury, "I remember. Maybe saying it's the church's
own fault is not just the way to put it. Say instead that you can't
educate children, nor yet races that are developing, and expect them to
turn out exactly according to your notions of the future. Because, when
their minds are growing they are developing, not according to something
in you, but according to something in them. So every teacher, and I
suppose every parent, has moments of wondering how it ever happens that
young people learn so much that is not taught them. And it's the same
way with races."
"You mean," inquired J.W., "that Hightower is like that?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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