[the following is quoted, by permission, from mr. habberton's volume, "the scripture club of valley rest," published by g.p. putnam's sons, new york.]
the members of the scripture club did not put off their holy interest with their sunday garments, as people of the world do with most things religious. when the little steamboat oakleaf started on her monday morning trip for the city, the members of the scripture club might be identified by their neglect of the morning papers and their tendency to gather in small knots and engage in earnest conversation. in a corner behind the paddle-box, securely screened from wind and sun, sat mr. jodderel and mr. primm, the latter adoring with much solemn verbosity the sacred word, and the former piling text upon text to demonstrate the final removal of all the righteous to a new state of material existence in a better-ordered planet. in the one rocking-chair of the cabin sat insurance president lottson, praising to mr. hooper, who leaned obsequiously upon the back of the chair and occasionally hopped vivaciously around it, the self-disregard of the disciples, and the evident inability of any one within sight to follow their example. the prudent wagget was interviewing dr. fahrenglotz, who was going to attend the meeting of a sort of theosophic society, composed almost entirely of germans, and was endeavoring to learn what points there might be in the doctor's belief which would make a man wiser unto salvation, while captain maile stood by, a critical listener, and distributed pitying glances between the two. well forward, but to the rear of the general crowd, stood deacon bates, in an attitude which might have seemed conservative were it not manifestly helpless; mr. buffle, with the smile peculiar to the successful business man; lawyer scott, with the air of a man who had so much to say that time could not possibly suffice in which to tell it all; squire woodhouse, who was in search of a good market for hay; principal alleman, who was in chase of an overdue shipment of text-books; and mr. radley, who, with indifferent success, was filling the self-assigned roll of moderator of the little assemblage.
"nothing settled by the meeting?" said mr. buffle, echoing a despondent suggestion by deacon bates. "of course not. you don't suppose that what theologians have been squabbling over for two thousand years can be settled in a day, do you? we made a beginning and that's a good half of anything. why, i and every other man that builds boats have been hard at work for years, looking for the best model, and we haven't settled the question yet. we're in earnest about it—we can't help but be, for there's money in it, and while we're waiting we do the next best thing—we use the best ones we know about."
"don't you think you'd get at the model sooner, if some of you weren't pig-headed about your own, and too fond of abusing each other's?" asked mr. radley.
"certainly," admitted mr. buffle, "and that's why i wanted us to get up a bible-class like the one we have. if everybody will try to see what's good in his neighbor's theories and what's bad in his own, his fortune—his religion, i mean—is a sure thing. fiddling on one string always makes a thin sort of a tune."
"there were a good many small tunes begun yesterday, then," observed squire woodhouse.
"well," said mr. buffle, "i thought something of the kind, myself, but a man can't break an old habit to pieces all at once. things will be different before long, though."
"there is no reason why they shouldn't," said principal alleman, "excepting one reason that's stronger than any other. you can't get to the bottom of any of the sayings of christ, the prophets or the apostles, without finding that they mean, do right. and when you reach that point, what is in the man and not what is in the book comes into play; or, rather, it always should but seldom does."
"i suppose that's so," said mr. buffle, soberly.
"in and of ourselves we can do nothing," remarked deacon bates.
"it's very odd, then, that we should have been told to do so much," replied principal alleman.
"it was to teach us our dependence upon a higher power," said deacon bates, with more than his usual energy.
"are we only to be taught, and never to learn, then?" asked principal alleman. "some of my pupils seem to think so, but those who depend least upon the teacher and act most fully up to what they have been taught are the ones i call my best scholars."
deacon bates's lower lip pushed up its neighbor; in the school-room, the principal's theory might apply, but in religion it was different, or he (deacon bates) had always been mistaken, and this possibility was not to be thought of for an instant. fortunately for his peace of mind, the boat touched her city dock just then, and from that hour until five in the afternoon, when he left his store for the boat, religious theories absented themselves entirely from deacon bates's mind.
the last meeting of the class was still the most popular subject of conversation among the members, however, and interest of such a degree could not help be contagious. other residents of valley rest, overhearing some of the chats between the members, expressed a desire to listen to the discussions of the class, and to all was extended a hearty welcome, without regard to race, color, or previous condition of religious servitude, and all were invited to be doers as well as hearers. so at the next session appeared ex-judge cottaway, who had written a book and was a vestryman of st. amos parish; broker whilcher, who worshiped with the unitarians, but found them rather narrow, and broker whilcher's bookkeeper, who read herbert spencer, and could not tell what he himself believed, even if to escape the penalty of death. various motives brought men from other churches, including even one from father mcgarry's flock, and all of them were assured that they might say whatever they chose, provided only that they believed it.
"shall we continue our consideration of last sunday's lesson?" asked deacon bates, after the opening prayer had been offered. "we have some new members, and should therefore have some additional views to consider."
"let's hear everybody," said captain maile. "if we talk as long about this verse as we'll have to talk before we reach any agreement, we'll all die before we can reach the square up-and-down verses that are further along in this same sermon."
"if the class has no objection to offer, we will continue our study of the third verse of the fifth chapter of matthew, and those who spoke on last sunday will allow the newer members and others an opportunity to make their views known." as deacon bates spoke, his eye rested warningly on mr. jodderel.
"i think," said mr. jodderel, "that the new members ought to know what ideas have already been presented, so as to throw any new light upon them, if they can. the nature of the kingdom of heaven, now, is the most important question suggested by the lesson, and—"
"it won't be of the slightest, consequence to any one," interrupted principal alleman, "unless they first comply with the condition which the verse imposes upon those who want to reach the kingdom."
"i wouldn't be too sure of that," remarked president lottson; "jesus said that the poor in spirit should have the kingdom of heaven; he didn't say that no one else should share it with them. what is written doesn't always, express all that is meant."
"it doesn't in insurance policies, anyhow," said squire woodhouse; "when my barn burned—"
"time is precious, my brethren," said deacon bates hastily, scenting a personality. "i will therefore ask judge cottaway for his opinion of the passage."
"i think," said the judge, with that impressive cough which is the rightful indulgence of a man who has written a volume on the rules of evidence, "that 'poor in spirit' undoubtedly means unassuming, rightly satisfied with what is their due, mindful of the fact that human nature is so imperfect that whatever a man obtains is probably more than he deserves. they cannot be the meek, for special allusion is made to the meek in this same group of specially designated persons. neither can it refer to people who are usually called poor-spirited persons, to wit, those who are too devoid of what is commonly designated as spirit, for these are properly classified as peace-makers, and have a similar though not identical blessing promised to them."
"the class owes its thanks to the judge for his clear definition of the term 'poor in spirit,'" said mr. jodderel, "and if he can be equally distinct upon the expression 'kingdom of heaven' he will put an end to a great deal of senseless blundering."
"i know of but one definition," said the judge, "heaven is the abode of god and the angels, and of those who are finally saved."
"ah, but where is it? that's the question this class wants answered," said mr. jodderel, twisting his body and craning his head forward as he awaited the answer.
"really," said the judge, "you must excuse me. i don't know where it is, and i can't see that study as to its locality can throw any light upon the lesson."
this opinion, delivered by an ex-judge, who had written a book on the rules of evidence, would have quieted almost any one else, and the members' faces expressed a sense of relief as they thought that mr. jodderel was not one of the faint-hearted, and in his opinion faint-heartedness and quietness were one and the same thing.
"no light upon the lesson?" echoed mr. jodderel. "why, what is the bible for, if not to inform us of our destiny? what is this world but a place of preparation for another? and how can we prepare ourselves unless we know what our future place and duty is to be?"
"next!" exclaimed deacon bates with more than his usual energy, and mr. jodderel sank back into his chair and talked angrily with every feature but his mouth, and with his whole body besides. "mr. whilcher has some new ideas to present, no doubt," continued the leader, bracing himself somewhat firmly in his chair, for the deacon naturally expected an assault from a man of mr. whilcher's peculiar views.
"poverty of spirit seems to me to be old english for modesty," said mr. whilcher, "we know very little, comparatively, of the great designs of god, and about as little of the intentions of our fellow-men, so we should be very careful how we question our maker or criticise our neighbors. no human being would appreciate divine perfection if he saw it; no man can give his fellow men full credit for what they would do, if they were angels, and are sorry because they can't do. i think the passage means that only by that modesty, that self-repression, by which alone a man can accept the inevitable as decreed by god, and forbear that fault-finding which comes fully as easy as breathing, can a man be fitted for the companionship of the loving company which awaits us all in the next world"
"whereabouts?" asked mr. jodderel.
half-a-dozen members filibustered at once, and mr. jodderel was temporarily suppressed, after which squire woodhouse remarked:
"well, now, that sounds first-rate—i never knew before that unitarians had such good religion in them—no harm meant, you know, whilcher."
"now let us hear from mr. bungfloat," said deacon bates.
mr. bungfloat, bookkeeper to mr. whilcher, hopelessly explored his memory for something from herbert spencer that would bear upon the subject, but finding nothing at hand, he quoted some expressions from john stuart mill's essay on "nature," and was hopelessly demoralized when he realized that they did not bear in the remotest manner upon the topic under consideration. then deacon bates announced that the subject was open for general remark and comment. mr. jodderel was upon his feet in an instant, though the class has no rule compelling the members to rise while speaking.
"mr. leader," said he, "everybody has spoken, but nobody has settled the main question, which is, where is the 'kingdom of heaven'? everybody knows who the poor in spirit are; any one that didn't know when we began has now a lot of first-class opinions to choose from. but where and what is heaven—that is what we want to know."
a subdued but general groan indicated the possibility that mr. jodderel was mistaken as to the desires of the class. meanwhile, young mr. banty, who had been to europe, and listened to much theological debate in cafes and beer-gardens, remarked:
"i'm not a member of this respected body, but i seem to be included in the chairman's invitation. i profess to be a man of the world—i've been around a good deal—and i never could see that the poor in spirit amounted to a row of pins. if they're fit for heaven they ought to be fit for something on this side of that undiscovered locality."
"discovered millions upon millions of times, bless the lord," interrupted squire woodhouse.
"well, the discoverers sent no word back, at any rate," said young mr. banty, "so there's one view i think ought to be considered; isn't it possible that jesus was mistaken?"
mr. primm turn pale and deacon bates shivered violently, while a low hum and a general shaking of heads showed the unpopularity of young mr. banty's idea.
"the class cannot entertain such a theory for an instant," answered deacon bates, as soon as he could recover his breath, "though it encourages the freest expression of opinion."
"oh!" remarked mr. banty, with a derisive smile. the tone in which this interjection was delivered put the class upon its spirit at once.
"our leader means exactly what he says," said mr. jodderel; "any honest expression of opinion is welcome here."
"if such were not the case," said mr. primm, "a rival class would not have been formed."
"and none of us would have learned how many sides there are to a great question," said. mr. buffle.
"larger liberty wouldn't be possible," said builder stott. "why, i've just had to shudder once in a while, but the speakers meant what they said, and i rejoiced that there was somewhere where they could say it."
"i've said everything i've wanted to," remarked squire woodhouse.
"that's so," exclaimed insurance president lottson.
"i haven't seen any man put down," testified captain maile, "and i don't yet understand what to make of it."
"nobody could ask a fairer show," declared mr. radley.
"the utmost courtesy has been displayed toward me," said dr. fahrenglotz, "although i am conscious my views are somewhat at variance with those of others."
"the nature of proof has not been as clearly understood as it should have been," said young lawyer scott; "but no one has lacked opportunity to express his sentiments."
"so far from fault being found with the freedom of speech," said mr. alleman, "the sentiment of the class is, i think, that the expression of additional individual impressions would have been cordially welcomed, as they will also hereafter be."
young mr. banty felt himself to be utterly annihilated, and the pillars of the class looked more stable and enduring than ever, and felt greatly relieved when the session ended, and they could congratulate each other on the glorious spirit of liberty which had marked their collective deliberations. and when squire woodhouse dashed impetuously from the room, and returned to report that dr. humbletop's class consisted of one solitary pupil, several of the members unconsciously indulged in some hearty hand-shaking.
