Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle ManLewis, Sinclair
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Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle Man
Lewis, Sinclair
Courtship -- Fiction; Love stories; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Middle-aged men -- United States -- Fiction
Distinctly, Mr. Wrenn felt that he was one of the gentlemen who, in
Kipling, stand at steamer rails exchanging observations on strange
lands. He uttered, cosmopolitanly:
“Gee! Look at that sunset. Ain’t that grand!”
“Holy smoke! it sure is. I don’t see how anybody could believe in
religion after looking at that.”
Shocked and confused at such a theory, yet excited at finding that
Morton apparently had thoughts, Mr. Wrenn piped: “Honestly, I don’t see
that at _all_. I don’t see how anybody could disbelieve anything after
a sunset like that. Makes me believe all sorts of thing—gets me going—I
imagine I’m all sorts of places—on the Nile and so on.”
“Sure! That’s just it. Everything’s so peaceful and natural. Just _is_.
Gives the imagination enough to do, even by itself, without having to
have religion.”
“Well,” reflected Mr. Wrenn, “I don’t hardly ever go to church. I don’t
believe much in all them highbrow sermons that don’t come down to brass
tacks—ain’t got nothing to do with real folks. But just the same, I
love to go up to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Why, I get real _thrilled_—I
hope you won’t think I’m trying to get high-browed, Mr. Morton.”
“Why, no. Cer’nly not. I understand. Gwan.”
“It gets me going when I look down the aisle at the altar and see the
arches and so on. And the priests in their robes—they look so—so way
up—oh, I dunno just how to say it—so kind of _uplifted_.”
“Sure, I know. Just the esthetic end of the game. Esthetic, you
know—the beauty part of it.”
“Yuh, sure, that’s the word. ’Sthetic, that’s what it is. Yes,
’sthetic. But, just the same, it makes me feel’s though I believed in
all sorts of things.”
“Tell you what I believe may happen, though,” exulted Morton. “This
socialism, and maybe even these here International Workers of the
World, may pan out as a new kind of religion. I don’t know much about
it, I got to admit. But looks as though it might be that way. It’s dead
certain the old political parties are just gangs—don’t stand for
anything except the name. But this comrade business—good stunt.
Brotherhood of man—real brotherhood. My idea of religion. One that is
because it’s got to be, not just because it always has been. Yessir, me
for a religion of guys working together to make things easier for each
other.”
“You bet!” commented Mr. Wrenn, and they smote each other upon the
shoulder and laughed together in a fine flame of shared hope.
“I wish I knew something about this socialism stuff,” mused Mr. Wrenn,
with tilted head, examining the burnt-umber edges of the sunset.
“Great stuff. Not working for some lazy cuss that’s inherited the right
to boss you. And _international_ brotherhood, not just neighborhoods.
New thing.”
“Gee! I surely would like that, awfully,” sighed Mr. Wrenn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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