560 RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT IV 



But while my view was thus broadened, no hostility 

 to religion found lodgment in my mind : of all the books 

 which I read at that time, Stanley s life of Arnold ex 

 ercised the greatest influence upon me. It showed that 

 a man might cast aside much which churches regard 

 as essential, and might strive for breadth and compre 

 hension in Christianity, while yet remaining in healthful 

 relations with the church. I also read with profit and 

 pleasure the Rev. Thomas Beecher s book, &quot;Our Seven 

 Churches, &quot; which showed that each Christian sect in 

 America has a certain work to do, and does it well; 

 also, the sermons of Eobertson, Phillips Brooks, and 

 Theodore Hunger, which revealed a beauty in Christi 

 anity before unknown to me. 



Another influence was of a very different sort. From 

 time to time I went on hunting excursions with the pastor 

 of the Methodist Episcopal church at Ann Arbor; and 

 though he made no parade of religion, there was in him 

 a genial, manly piety which bettered me. 



But I cannot say that this good influence was always 

 exercised upon me by his coreligionists. There was es 

 pecially one, who rose to be a &quot;presiding elder, 7 very 

 narrow, very shrewd, and very bitter against the State 

 University, yet constantly placing himself in comical 

 dilemmas. On one occasion, when I asked him regard 

 ing his relations with clergymen of other religious bodies, 

 he spoke of the Eoman Catholics and said that he had 

 made a determined effort to convert the Bishop of Detroit. 

 On my asking for particulars, he answered that, calling 

 upon the bishop, he had spoken very solemnly to him and 

 told him that he was endangering his own salvation as 

 well as that of his flock ; that at first the bishop was evi 

 dently inclined to be harsh ; but that, on finding that he 

 the Methodist brother disliked the Presbyterian Dr. 

 Duffield, who had recently attacked Catholic doctrine, as 

 much as the bishop did, the relations between them grew 

 better, so that they talked together very amicably. 



At this point in our conversation a puzzled expres- 



