Father McClosky took another cup of coffee. Mr. Clare glanced at him with a slight smile, and took up his subject a little farther on. “Look at the English Revolution under Cromwell, and the times which immediately succeeded it. Neither religion nor its ministers were powerless to move the masses then.” “But phwat’s your conclusion?” asked Father McClosky, with some irritation. “Give us the conclusion, and we can find out the premises ourselves.” “You’ll feel better by and by, Bryan,” said his friend, laughing, “and in what I have to say now we’re all in the same box, except that your church has rather the advantage. I believe, gentlemen, that the reason Religion has lost her hold on the masses is because, though not exactly a drag, she certainly no longer leads the van of progress. Why, it has even become a sort of reproach that such a man introduces politics into his pulpit! As if politics were not to the State what religion is to the individual!” “Good!” said the temperance lecturer. “But, my dear friend,” said the rector of St. Andrew’s gently, “you know we have already agreed that our congregations consist chiefly of women! Now, what would be the practical use of preaching high or low tariff, or free trade, to a set of non-voters? while, as for the men, even if they came to hear us, and considered a parson’s opinions worthy of anything more than silent contempt,—why, I really fear that the only effect we should produce would be that of a disgraceful row.” “I should say so!” replied Mr. Clare, laughing; “but, my dear rector, the subjects you suggest belong to a past age of the world. You might as well spend your time in refuting the errors of the Donatists or Sabellians as to preach either tariff—high or low—or free trade. The issues are deeper now.” “I really cannot see it,” said the rector. “No; I fear we have not absorbed all the lessons of the Cannomore disaster,” replied Mr. Clare quietly. “I have been much impressed lately,” said the High-Churchman, who had evidently been feeling around in his mind for the key of this enigma, “by the increasing frequency of the allusions in current literature to an imminent social revolution. Is that what you mean?” “You do well to use the word imminent,” returned the other gravely. “But you would not, surely, have us preach _that_!” “If we don’t, I fear it will preach to us,” said Mr. Clare. “Well, to be sure, we all know your views,” said the evangelist, “and I guess most of us suspected what you were driving at; but I’ve converted too many to be an easy convert myself. You’ve got to prove it every time.” “Prove what? the reality of the danger?” “Well, no!” said the lecturer, “I admit the danger now and here. A government that licenses the sale of poison has got to fall, sooner or later, if God Almighty is the Ruler of heaven and earth.” “_Is_ He the Ruler of earth?” asked Mr. Clare. “Well! He rules over a set of awful rebels, I admit,” replied the lecturer.