The crooked crossDutton, Charles J. (Charles Judson)
General
The crooked cross
Dutton, Charles J. (Charles Judson)
Bartley, John (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Detective and mystery stories; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
For a while they talked in the idle fashion men do when they are
strangers. Then for a time they spoke about certain books. In the end,
naturally enough, they came to Warren's death. It was the clergyman
who brought up the subject by saying that he judged they would never
find the murderer. Bartley made no response to this, but went on to
say that the death of the scientist was a very deplorable thing for
the intellectual world. And to my surprise the minister promptly said
that he did not agree with this. And then suddenly he began to talk
very earnestly.
Long before he had finished I discovered that the man was very narrow
to say the least. He informed us that though he was sorry to have
heard of Mr. Warren's being murdered, yet, after all, he considered it
an act of God. I gave a start at this, for they were the very words
Bartley had told us had been used in the editorial he had read in a
religious journal. As the minister uttered them, I saw a rather
dismayed smile flit over Bartley's face, and he half protested.
The face of the minister lightened with strange intensity. His face
flushed with eagerness as he leaned forward to say:
“I know, of course, the phrase does not sound well. But you do not
know as I do how the materialistic teachings of the scientists are
undermining the faith of our young people. These men are destroying
the very word of God. Mr. Warren said that his new book would settle
for all time the question of evolution.”
He paused to give a scornful laugh.
“Of course, he was wrong there. Evolution is simply a guess of man and
can never be proven to be right. But his book might have caused much
confusion among the unthinking people. Now it can never be written.”
Bartley started to say something but checked himself and slumped far
down in his chair. At this moment Ranville came into the room. He had
changed his suit and with a nod to the minister took a chair near me.
The minister eyed the Englishman for a second, then turned to carry on
the strange argument. He bent forward with an intensity of feeling and
swept on:
“You men do not realize as some of we clergymen do just how evil have
become the times in which we are living. The young people of to-day
have no interest in sacred things. Pleasure and materialism are
sweeping over us; if it is not checked, God will blot us out just as
he did in the time of Noah.”
I saw Ranville's eyes open wide in astonishment. He gave the excited
man in the chair a look and drawled out:
“Really now, you can't mean all that.”
The minister brought his thin hand down upon the arm of his chair. His
voice rose a little and became sharper as he replied:
“But I do, I do. There is a wave of irreligion sweeping over the
world. Most of it is due to the materialistic teaching of the
so-called ‘men of science.’ Their absurd theory of evolution, which
teaches that man is a brute instead of a son of God, is responsible
for a good deal of it.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account