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PROFESSOR LOU
An interesting story
dealing with the theory of evolution
and other phases of modern teaching
as unscriptural and unscientific.
(From the original dust cover.)
By
Mary E. McDonough
CHAPTER III
"May I come in, Lou?" The words were
accompanied by a gentle knock upon the door of Louise Harper's cozy
little sitting room.
"Certainly, Nell," was the quick reply; and Louise, hastening
forward to greet her friend, conducted her to the little white
rocker with its delicate blue cushions, from which she had hastily
arisen.
The first quick glance at Nell's usually merry countenance
revealed a troubled look; and after drawing a chair close to the
little rocker, Louise put her arm lovingly around her friend and
asked sympathetically. "What is it, dear?" After a moment's
hesitation Nell replied "I suppose I may as well come to the point
at once and not waste time. It is just this, Lou; I haven't been a
bit happy since Wednesday night. I feel like a mean hypocrite and I
know that I am a miserable sinner. Here I am a church member and a
Sunday School teacher and I am not fit to be either. It seems as if
I could never be lighthearted again."
Louise did not reply at once but silently prayed for wisdom and
guidance. Breaking the silence at last she asked simply, "What was
there in our little gathering Wednesday evening that caused you to
feel this way?"
"Why we talked about sin and the awful results of that 'I will'
of Lucifer and you said sin is an attitude toward God and that one
need not wait until he had done openly wicked things, but should ask
himself 'What is my attitude toward God?' Well," continued Nell,
"all that night I was asking myself that question. I had thought I
was pretty good,—of course not perfect—you know; but still I thought
I was a pretty respectable person and had I never done anything very
bad; but when I really saw my attitude toward God, I knew that I was
a sinner. It seemed to me that the only difference between me and
some really low-down girl was this: I had been so shielded that the
awful root of sin had not had a chance to manifest itself in some of
the ugly rootlets that I had seen in others, and from which I had
turned with shrinking and hatred. But I saw that the root was there,
Lou, and only needed a chance to manifest itself in any and every
hideous way."
"Had you never seen that you were a sinner before this, Nell?"
asked Louise.
"Why, of course, in a sort of way I knew that I was a sinner,
because the Bible says we have all sinned; but I didn't feel that
Nell Atherton was just a common sinner. I felt that she was a bit
superior to those who were so ready to sing 'I am only a sinner,
saved by grace.' I am going to tell you the whole truth, Lou"; Nell
continued; "way down in my heart I didn't want to be saved by grace.
Of course I wanted to be saved; I expected to be, and I thought I
was saved; but not by grace,—no, but by character; but—Lou, I have
been shown my great mistake. I am just a plain sinner"; and the
tears gathered in the deep brown eyes. Louise gently clasped the
hands that were restlessly creasing the folds of the pretty pink
gown and said "Nell, dear, what does it mean to be 'saved by
grace?'"
"Oh I can't just explain it," replied Nell, "But if you are
saved, you are happy and you are sure of heaven."
"Dearie, let me tell you a little more fully what it means,"
rejoined Louise. "God created human beings with wonderful powers.
There was the spirit part that could know God; the soul part that
could think, love, and choose; and there was the body through which
the wonderful powers of the spirit and soul, 'the inner man,' could
be expressed. Now when our far away grandfather and grandmother,
Adam and Eve, sinned, of course their sinful nature was handed down
to all of their descendants. Owing to the law of heredity it
couldn't be otherwise, you know. Now God wanted human beings to
become His own dear children, but of course they couldn't be, unless
they had His Life; so He, in Jesus Christ, at Calvary made it
possible for them to have their sin taken away and His own life
given to them. All they would have to do would be to believe that He
had borne their sin and to choose to accept His Life, —Eternal
Life—as a gift. Let me read this wonderful verse that contains the
whole gospel message. It is the twenty-first verse of the fifth
chapter of Second Corinthians. 'Him who knew no sin (that is Jesus
Christ), He (God) hath made to be sin for us that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him.' (that is, —in Christ). Now the
very instant a sinner, believing that Christ has borne his sin,
chooses Eternal Life, the very Life of God comes into His spirit and
he is a child of God. He is 'a sinner saved by grace'; and that
wonderful new life will fill his whole being as he yields to God's
working and continually reckons upon the same. That is the meaning
of the precious words 'Christ in you, the hope of glory.'"
"Oh! I see, I see," cried Nell. "I believe that Christ bore my
sin and He has made it possible for me to share His life. Oh! I
choose, I choose this Life."
"As many as received Him to them gave He power (or right) to
become the children of God," gently repeated Louise.
"Then I am truly a child of God, am I not?" said Nell.
"Yes, truly His child. His child for ever and ever," replied Lou.
"Oh! I am so glad, Lou. Why the troubled feeling has gone. I am
happier than I ever was before in my life. Isn't it wonderful how
quickly God works?"
"Yes," replied Louise, "the new birth, or regeneration, as Mr.
Rivers would say, is instantaneous; and Oh! Nell, this is a birth
relationship with God. A relationship that can never cease. Now
suppose we kneel and thank Him for making it possible for us to
become His own dear children."
"Yes I want to," said Nell, and quickly both girlish forms were
bowed in prayer while each poured out her heart in true thanksgiving
and worship.
A few minutes later, after a loving caress, Nell took her
departure; and Louise, watching from her window the girlish form
tripping down the garden path, overheard her softly singing
"I am
only a sinner,
Saved by grace."
Hardly had Nell passed from sight, when
voices were heard approaching from the opposite direction and in a
moment Ted and Sam appeared, evidently in a very merry mood. Spying
Louise at her window, they waved their tennis rackets and Ted
called, "Can you come down Lou, we have something to tell you."
"Yes, Ted, I will be with you in a moment," replied his sister,
and quickly folding the sewing which had been laid aside upon Nell's
entrance, Louise ran down the stairs and across the lawn to the
little summerhouse where the boys were waiting for her.
When all were seated Louise inquired, "What is it that so greatly
amuses you? Really, I am quite curious."
Both boys laughed outright, and then Sam proceeded to explain.
"You remember Miss Thornton, Sallie's classmate who made her a visit
last summer, Lou? Well, she arrived yesterday for a visit of several
weeks, and just as lofty and opinionated as ever."
"More so," said Ted dryly.
"Why boys, that is not a very charitable statement," gently
remarked Louise.
"Now, Lou, you know very well what we mean," said Ted. "You
remember how she thrust her opinions upon us and would never give us
a chance to express what we thought about anything. She seemed to
think that she knew it all, and when she had spoken, there was
nothing more to be said. Well she still thinks so—or did, until this
morning."
"What happened this morning?" asked Louise.
"Oh! it is too funny for anything. I wish you had been there
Lou," said Sam. "Ted, you tell her about it."
"Well," proceeded Ted, "Sam and I were playing tennis and Tom was
stretched upon the ground reading a book when Sallie and Miss
Thornton appeared. They had called to see Nell but as she was not at
home, we had to do the honors; so we invited them to join us at
tennis, after which, we all sat upon the piazza to rest a bit; and
then the fun began.
"Miss Thornton glanced at Tom's book and without waiting to read
more than the title, she plunged into the description of a book that
she had just read. She told us what a wonderful book it was, as it
so clearly portrayed the complete evolution of man; and she
proceeded to talk rapidly of 'resident forces' and 'survival of the
fittest' and a lot of phrases that I cannot remember. But what she
seemed to be trying to tell us was this: that millions and millions
of years ago, a little something that lived and moved, wiggled and
twisted until one portion extended a little farther than the rest,
and. after a long time developed into a leg; and bye and bye there
was an extension of the opposite side and another leg appeared; and
in the same way after a long period, an arm was formed, followed
after another long period, by another arm. Meanwhile the rays of the
sun fell a little more directly upon one spot than another, and this
spot grew into an eye; and after a time the direct rays of the sun
fell upon another spot and that developed into another eye. And this
little living thing, after all sorts of changes during thousands and
thousands of years, developed into something like an ape or monkey ;
and bye and bye the ape grew into a man, very low down in the scale
of intelligence; and finally after thousands of years he arrived at
the magnificent being that we see him today. She talked so rapidly
that we had no opportunity to ask a question or to tell her that we
did not believe a word that she said. However, after a time, Tom,
who had been listening very courteously and looking as if he were
being greatly enlightened, quietly asked, 'Miss Thornton, will you
tell us just how this original bit of protoplasm came into
existence?' Miss Thornton colored, coughed a bit and stammered,
'Why, really Mr. Tom, a—I do not know that I can explain its origin.
I have never thought about that.'
"'Well,' continued Tom, 'perhaps you will kindly tell us why the
resident forces caused the bit of living matter to enlarge
horizontally instead of vertically or obliquely.' Oh! Lou, you
should have seen Miss Thornton's face. It was really crimson and she
was evidently much embarrassed.
"'Why, Mr. Tom,' she managed to say; 'I—I really, I do not know.'
"'Of course that is a deep question, Miss Thornton,' Tom added;
'but what puzzles me even more is this : —how did the elongation
upon one side happen to exactly correspond with the elongation upon
the other side; and why did not the ever shifting rays of sunlight
cause the rudimentary man to become all eye?' Miss Thornton was
speechless, and Tom perceiving his opportunity continued.
"'Another thing that I find difficult to understand is this: at
just what point in the evolutionary process were mental and moral
powers added, and how? Really, it is a great mystery, isn't it, Miss
Thornton?'
"'Doubtless the mystery is capable of solution and in time
science will be able to tell us all we need to know as to the origin
of man,' Miss Thornton replied rather faintly.
"'I am quite sure that we shall know in due time, if we consult
the right authority, Miss Thornton,' said Tom. 'I am now studying
with this in view; meanwhile, I feel that as we know so little, we
must remain very humble and teachable.'"
"Why Lou," said Sam, as Ted finished his recital, "Miss Thornton
didn't have a word to say after this. She looked as if there might
be something for her to learn after all; and in a minute or two she
remembered that she had a letter to write and suggested to Sallie
that they take their leave."
"And Lou," added Ted, "Sallie thinks that Miss Thornton would be
helped if she met with us Wednesday evening. She intends asking you
to write her, I think. Suppose you tell us then what the Bible says
about the origin of man"; and then as Louise remained silent, he
asked, "Are you not willing to have her come, Lou?"
"Why yes, Ted, if she cares to, and if Sallie wishes me to invite
her, I will do so," replied Louise.
"I am sure that it will be a good thing for Miss Thornton," said
Sam, "but pretty hard for you, Lou."
"Did you ever see anyone like Tom?" exclaimed Ted reflectively.
"He can expose things to ridicule in the slickest way. Why Lou, he
has prepared the way for you to help Miss Thornton Wednesday
evening, don't you see?"
"Yes, Ted, I see and I thank you and Sam for telling me about
your caller. It was funny and yet boys, is it not sad that many,
many persons are just as ignorant as she concerning the great
fundamental truths?"
"But Lou, how can they believe such foolish things?" asked Sam.
"Because their minds are darkened. They have not the Light of
Life—the Life of God," replied Louise.
"But they can read the Bible," argued Ted.
"Yes, but they do not want to believe God's written word because
it will tell them what they do not wish to know. It will show them
that they are sinners and need to be redeemed and this is just what
they do not care to hear. Now if you will excuse me I will run up to
my room."
Once within the little sitting room Louise closed the door and
buried her face in her hands, while conflicting emotions disturbed
her usual poise. She reviewed the last summer when Miss Thornton's
self-assertiveness and haughty contempt for the opinions of others
had not only been a great trial of patience, but had resulted in a
positive dislike. Not that she felt unkindly toward the girl, but
she had carefully avoided meeting her whenever possible; and now she
must invite her to the little gathering! How could she do it? Was
there no way of escape? What ought she to do? Was it right to spoil
the harmony and helpfulness that characterized the meetings of the
little group, for the sake of this girl who would perhaps be
unwilling to receive the least bit of light?
"If I invite her, I hope that she will not come," said Louise to
herself; then reproachfully added "but I do want her to see the
truth." —For several minutes these thoughts flitted through her
mind; then the Holy Spirit preciously flashed the recollection of
her old pastor's words which she had carefully copied several years
before. Opening her desk she found the paper and eagerly read the
following words : —"When you meet a person whom you do not like,
remember that the love of God has been shed abroad in your heart,
and that love enables you to love the unlovely. Do not wait for the
emotion of love; but act faith in God's Word, and in due time the
emotion will come.—See Romans, chapter five, verse five, last
phrase."
Falling upon her knees, Louise prayed "Lord, I believe Thy word.
Thy love is shed abroad in my heart; therefore I do love Miss
Thornton now, even if I do not feel the love for her that I desire.
I trust Thee to show me how to manifest this love, and, I trust Thee
to send her here Wednesday evening if that is Thy will and I choose
to have Thee control my emotions and my thoughts, so that I may be a
channel of life and blessing to others, that Thou shalt be
satisfied."
Upon rising, Louise went to her desk and selecting her most
choice note paper, wrote as follows: —
My dear Miss
Thornton:
I have just learned that you are visiting Sallie, and even before
calling upon you, which I hope to do soon, I hasten to invite you to
a little informal gathering, to be held in my home Wednesday
evening.
Sallie will explain to you the nature of the gathering, and I am
sure she will be very glad to have you accompany her.
Trusting to see you very soon,
I remain
Yours very truly,
Louise Evangeline Harper. |