The effect of all this upon the Club was stimulating in high degree. Its first effect was to decrease whatever tendency to personality existed; whatever might be the week-day opinions of the members about each other, on Sunday every one tacitly agreed to the application of the Satanic rule that religion is religion, and business is business. Some special effort was necessary to bring Squire Woodhouse to forget, for an hour in the week, his burned barn and the action of President Lottson's insurance company; but finally the Squire's pride closed his lips upon this tender subject. Members, who before had possessed no religious ideas excepting those they had adopted at second-hand, now began to think for themselves, and being men of natural wits well sharpened by business experience, they speedily developed theories of their own, and strengthened their own pet positions. The few religious books of reference in the village library--many of them having once been gladly given to the library by the very men who now sought them--were in demand at early morn and dewy eve, pastors' libraries were ransacked, and some members even consulted booksellers, and purchased works bearing upon their own special lines of thought and belief. Respect for the ideas of others did not necessarily imply assent, so discussion was frequent and animated. Champions of the faith--as delivered unto themselves--were numerous, and assailants of the truth as held by the orthodox were in sufficient numbers to keep their antagonists from lapsing into a condition of mere assertion. And over and around everything, like a glorious halo, was the assurance, always prominent, that free speech would not only be welcomed, but that the lack of it, from any motive of fear or conservatism, would greatly be regretted by every member. The discussion of the first beatitude consumed the time of four entire sessions, and during all these days it was in vain that Mr. Hopper carried the review containing the paper on "The True Location of the Holy Sepulchre." When, on the fifth day, Deacon Bates asked whether any other members had anything to say on the subject under consideration, Captain Maile made answer: "Call it a drawn fight, and give it up at that; if any man here _had_ been whipped, he wouldn't know it." "Oh, come, come!" said Squire Woodhouse, "I'll join issue with you on that. _I_ want to know what 'poor in spirit' means, and have a share in the kingdom of heaven----" "But you don't want to know where or what the kingdom is," interrupted Mr. Jodderel. "Yes, I do; but I want first to know what poor in spirit means. I feel pretty sure about it now, but----" "That's it, exactly," said Captain Maile. "But--but you don't want to be anything that interferes with business. Give us something easier, Mr. Leader." There were some indignant whispers of dissent, but none of them were audible enough to attract the attention of the class, and Deacon Bates read the next verse.