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first ideas of
religious instruction with everything in the way of restraint and
discipline and punishment that can be most irksome to him. There!
that's my opinion, and I should like to hear what you've got to say
against it?"
"Latitudinarianism," said Mr. Thorpe, looking and speaking straight at
the portrait of the Reverend Aaron Yollop.
"You can't fob me off with long words, which I don't understand, and
which I don't believe you can find in Johnson's Dictionary," continued

Mr. Goodworth doggedly. "You would do much better to take my
advice, and let Zack go to church, for the present, at his mother's knees.
Let his Morning Service be about ten minutes long; let your wife tell
him, out of the New Testament, about Our Savior's goodness and
gentleness to little children; and then let her teach him, from the
Sermon on the Mount, to be loving and truthful and forbearing and
forgiving, for Our Savior's sake. If such precepts as those are
enforced--as they may be in one way or another--by examples drawn
from his own daily life; from people around him; from what he meets
with and notices and asks about, out of doors and in--mark my words,
he'll take kindly to his religious instruction. I've seen that in other
children: I've seen it in my own children, who were all brought up so.
Of course, you don't agree with me! Of course you've got another
objection all ready to bowl me down with?"
"Rationalism," said Mr. Thorpe, still looking steadily at the
lithographed portrait of the Reverend Aaron Yollop.
"Well, your objection's a short one this time at any rate; and that's a
blessing!" said the old gentleman rather irritably. "Rationalism--eh? I
understand that ism, I rather suspect, better than the other. It means in
plain English, that you think I'm wrong in only wanting to give
religious instruction the same chance with Zack which you let all other
kinds of instruction have--the chance of becoming useful by being first
made attractive. You can't get him to learn to read by telling him that it
will improve his mind--but you can by getting him to look at a picture
book. You can't get him to drink senna and salts by reasoning with him
about its doing him good--but you can by promising him a lump of
sugar to take after it. You admit this sort of principle so far, because
you're obliged; but the moment anybody wants (in a spirit of perfect
reverence and desire to do good) to extend it to higher things, you purse
up your lips, shake your head, and talk about Rationalism--as if that
was an answer! Well! well! it's no use talking--go your own way--I
wash my hands of the business altogether. But now I am at it I'll just
say this one thing more before I've done:--your way of punishing the
boy for his behavior in church is, in my opinion, about as bad and
dangerous a one as could possibly be devised. Why not give him a

thrashing, if you must punish the miserable little urchin for what's his
misfortune as much as his fault? Why not stop his pudding, or
something of that sort? Here you are associating verses in the Bible, in
his mind, with the idea of punishment and being locked up in the cold!
You may make him get his text by heart, I dare say, by fairly tiring him
out; but I tell you what I'm afraid you'll make him learn too, if you
don't mind--you'll make him learn to dislike the Bible as much as other
boys dislike the birch-rod!"
"Sir," cried Mr. Thorpe, turning suddenly round, and severely
confronting Mr. Goodworth, "once for all, I must most respectfully
insist on being spared for the future any open profanities in
conversation, even from your lips. All my regard and affection for you,
as Mrs. Thorpe's father, shall not prevent me from solemnly recording
my abhorrence of such awful infidelity as I believe to be involved in
the words you have just spoken! My religious convictions recoil--"
"Stop, sir!" said Mr. Goodworth, seriously and sternly.
Mr. Thorpe obeyed at once. The old gentleman's manner was generally
much more remarkable for heartiness than for dignity; but it altered
completely while he now spoke. As he struck his hand on the table, and
rose from his chair, there was something in his look which it was not
wise to disregard.
"Mr. Thorpe," he went on, more calmly, but very decidedly, "I refrain
from telling you what my opinion is of the 'respect' and 'affection'
which have allowed you to rebuke me in such terms as you have chosen.
I merely desire to say that I shall never need a second reproof of the
same kind at your hands;