Part 13 (2/2)
”Sorry, Father. Let's have the plan.”
”I'm going to start a band of 'Luther Lecturers' to carry Protestant Truth into the 'idden places. I'm beginning with six young fellows I've got. They'll travel all over the country, holding open-air meetings of agitation, with a collection for the League--making public protests in such churches as I give the order to be gone for, and lecturing on what Ritualism really is. Now, these chaps will have two lectures. I've had 'em written already. One's on the Ma.s.s, another's on the confessional,--hot Protestant stuff. They'll go like wild fire. The young men'll learn these lectures off by heart and deliver 'em with local allusions to the vicars of the parishes as they come to. I've got a supply of the illegal wafers as the Ritualists use for the Lord's Supper. Each lecture'll have one or two to show in the meetings. He'll pull it out and show the poor deluded people the G.o.d of flour and water their priests tell 'em to wors.h.i.+p. There's lots of real humour in the lectures. They'll fire the popular imagination. Every crowd likes to hear a parson abused. I got the idea of humour and fun in the lectures from the Salvation Army. You see, we want to reach the cla.s.s of folk as don't mind standing round a street-corner meeting and listening. The Army makes it pay wonderfully! But they only attack sin. They don't bother what a man does as long as he's good. We're attacking Rome in the Henglish Church, and it's remarkable what a lot of ridiculous things and points I've got into these lectures. There's one thing, for instance, that'll keep all a crowd on the grin--I mean the directions to a 'priest' if an insect gets into the 'consecrated' wine. It has to be burnt. Can't you see the lecturer with his 'Now, my friends, I ask you what a poor little spider's done to be used like that?' It's all an unworked mine! And you see there's no answer to it! A Ritualist 'priest'
who comes to argue--of course, discussion will be invited--is bound to get left. He'll be so solemn and that, that the ordinary man in the street won't understand a word he's driving at. My men'll win every time. You'll see.”
”As usual, Pa,” said Sam, ”you've hit on a good thing. It'll extend the League wonderful. But what about your men--where'll you get 'em? and what guarantee will you have that they won't rob the League?”
”Oh, that's all thought out. I shall have quite young chaps and pay them about eighteen s.h.i.+llings a week and travelling expenses. Each two or three days they'll have to send in reports as to the work, and each week forward the collection. I shall try, eventually, to get real earnest young men who believe in our glorious Henglish Protestant 'eritage.
_They_ won't rob us. I shall get smart young chaps with plenty of bounce and go, but not much education. It's not _wanted_ for popular street-corner work. You get a Ritualist parson coming to try and answer one of my chaps--take the crucifix question, now. My man will talk about Popish idols and that--it's all in the lecture--and all the parson will say is that a crucifix is legal in the Church of Hengland--I believe, as a strict matter of fact, it _is_. Then my man turns round and tells the crowd that a crucifix is nothing but a dolly on a stick--he gets the laugh, see? The 'priest' can't explain all his humbugging reverence and that in an open-air meeting, with one of my chaps ready with a joke every time he speaks. I've got four out of my six men already, and if the thing hums as I expect, I'll put twenty or thirty in the field at once. They're easy found! There's lots of young chaps connected with chapels that would far rather tour the country attracting attention wherever they go, and do nothing but agitate, than work hard! There's young Moffatt, Peter Moffatt's son. He's a plumber, but he 'ates work.
He's got cheek for twenty, and he'll do no end of good. As for the cost, why, the men will pay for themselves over and over again. They'll be well supplied from the central office--extracts from the papers and so on--they'll take local halls and advertise in local papers. I shall expect that each man, if he's any good _at all_, will pay all his own expenses each week and forward a clear two pounds to me! A man that can't do that, at least, with such backing as we can give him and such a splendid war-cry--well, I wouldn't give twopence for him.”
”I see it all clear now,” answered Sam, a flush of excitement coming into his face. ”And besides the money and extension of the League there will be splendid opportunities for you and me to run down now and then to support our men and get an 'oliday--take Brighton, for instance! It's full of Ritualists. A couple of men could spend a month there.”
”And take from two to three hundred pounds, I should think,” said the secretary, thoughtfully, ”besides dealing an 'orrid blow to the wolves in the fold of the Protestant Henglish Church. We'll have some good protests in Brighton! Then, when our lecturers are fined for brawling, we'll instruct them _not to pay the fine_, but to go to prison for a fortnight instead! Of course, it'll be considered 'andsomely in their salaries. Then we'll send them round the country with a magic lantern and a rousing lecture. 'Imprisoned by the Romanisers,' 'In Gaol for the Protestant Faith!' or something like that.”
”That's _fine_,” said Sam, in an ecstasy of enjoyment. ”Why, Father, the whole thing grows like a s...o...b..ll! It _must_ grow.”
”Didn't I tell you, six months ago?” said Mr. Hamlyn. ”Look at us then and now! What were we then? Nothing, 'ardly. What are we now? Directors of a big concern, becoming known all over Hengland, drawing good salaries, and with all the pleasure of bossing a big show. Look at the printing account the works have against the League, look at our expenses when we've got thirty or more Luther lecturers all over the country! And yet there's nothing risky in it. Nothing at all. No bogus-company promoting, no snide article to sell. We've no limited-liability company act to fear, no treasury investigations. We stand upon solid rock and n.o.body can't touch us! And why? Because we are championing the freedom of the people's religion, we are fighting for glorious Protestantism!”
”Fancy no one thinking of it before!” said Sam.
Mr. Hamlyn's shrewd, able face beamed with merriment. ”Providence,” he said, ”chooses its own instruments. Now, then, send me in the shorthand clerk; I shall be at work all day. To-night I address a public meeting in the 'Olborn Town Hall, and before ten I'm due to sup with Miss Pritchett. She wants something definite done in St. Elwyn's, and I must think out a slap in the face for Blantyre.”
”I'll run round to the bank,” said Sam, ”and pay this morning's little lot into the general fund, and post the statement to the treasurer.”
”Right, my son. What was it?”
”Seventeen pounds odd, Pa.”
”Protestants are waking up,” said Mr. Hamlyn, ”our work for the Cause has a blessing upon it.”
CHAPTER VIII
A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER
It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham. King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.
Both men were smoking. By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a gla.s.s of soda-water. The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary. He seemed a man who was pa.s.sing through a time of stress and storm. The bronzed countenance of the doctor wore its usual aspect of serenity and strength. Both men had been talking together earnestly for a great part of the night. A true and intimate friends.h.i.+p obtained between them, and it was a plan that fortnightly they should meet thus and make confidences to each other about that which they held so dear.
”It is just a year,” Blantyre said, ”since Hamlyn committed his first sacrilege in our own church.”
”The time goes very fast,” Hibbert answered, ”yet look at the changes!
The man has become almost a power in the land, or at least he seems to be. It is his talent for organisation. It's supreme. Look how this wretched 'League' has grown. It has its spies and agents everywhere, its committee has names of importance among its members, the amount of money that rolls into Hamlyn's coffers must be very large.”
”I'm afraid so. But think of the turmoil and unrest one man can create--the misery and pain churchmen feel every day now as they see the jocose blasphemies of these people and see the holiest things held up to an utterly vulgar and soulless ridicule. It's a wrong thought, Hibbert, perhaps, but I do sometimes long to be out of it all, to start afresh on such new work as G.o.d may give one in another life!”
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