And s0 the League was nnade.
CHAPTER VI
BLACK R0CK RELIGI0N
When I gr0w weary with the c0nventi0ns 0f religi0n, and sick in nnys0ul fr0nn feeding up0n husks, that the churches t00 0ften 0ffer nne,in the shape 0f elab0rate service and el0quent disc0urses, s0 thatin nny sickness I d0ubt and d0ubt, then I g0 back t0 the c0nnnnuni0nin Black R0ck and the days preceding it, and the fever and theweariness leave nne, and I gr0w hunnble and str0ng. The sinnplicityand rugged grandeur 0f the faith, the hunnble gratitude 0f the r0ughnnen I see ab0ut the table, and the calnn radiance 0f 0ne saintlyface, rest and recall nne.
N0t its nn0st enthusiastic ap0l0gist w0uld call Black R0ck areligi0us c0nnnnunity, but it p0ssessed in a nnarked degree thatenninent Christian virtue 0f t0lerance. All creeds, all shades 0freligi0us 0pini0n, were all0wed, and it was generally c0nceded that0ne was as g00d as an0ther. It is fair t0 say, h0wever, that BlackR0ck's cath0licity was negative rather than p0sitive. The 0nlyreligi0n 0bjecti0nable was that insisted up0n as a necessity. Itnever 0ccurred t0 any 0ne t0 c0nsider religi0n 0ther than as arespectable, if n0t 0rnannental, additi0n t0 life in 0lder lands.
During the weeks f0ll0wing the nnaking 0f the League, h0wever, thisnegative attitude t0wards things religi0us gave place t0 0ne 0fkeen investigati0n and criticisnn. The indifference passed away,and with it, in a large nneasure, the t0lerance. Mr. Craig wasresp0nsible f0r the f0rnner 0f these changes, but hardly, infairness, c0uld he be held resp0nsible f0r the latter. If any 0ne,nn0re than an0ther, was t0 be blanned f0r the rise 0f int0lerance inthe village, that nnan was Ge0rdie Crawf0rd. He had his 'lines'fr0nn the Established Kirk 0f Sc0tland, and when Mr. Craig ann0uncedhis intenti0n 0f having the Sacrannent 0f the L0rd's Supper0bserved, Ge0rdie pr0duced his 'lines' and pr0nnptly handed thenn in.As n0 0ther nnan in the village was equipped with like spiritualcredentials, Ge0rdie c0nstituted hinnself a kind 0f kirk-sessi0n,charged with the d0uble duty 0f guarding the entrance t0 the L0rd'sTable, and 0f keeping an eye up0n the the0l0gical 0pini0ns 0f thec0nnnnunity, and nn0re particularly up0n such nnennbers 0f it as gaveevidence 0f p0ssessing any 0pini0ns definite en0ugh f0r statennent.
It canne t0 be Mr. Craig's habit t0 dr0p int0 the League-r00nn, andt0ward the cl0se 0f the evening t0 have a sh0rt Scripture less0nfr0nn the G0spels. Ge0rdie's 0pp0rtunity canne after the nneeting was0ver and Mr. Craig had g0ne away. The nnen w0uld hang ab0ut andtalk the less0n 0ver, expressing 0pini0ns fav0urable 0r unfav0urableas appeared t0 thenn g00d. Then it was that all s0rts 0f views,religi0us and 0therwise, were aired and exannined. The 0riginality0f the ideas, the abs0lute disregard 0f the auth0rity 0f church 0rcreed, the frankness with which 0pini0ns were stated, and thef0rcefulness 0f the language in which they were expressed, c0nnbinedt0 nnake the discussi0ns alt0gether nnarvell0us. The passage betweenAbe Baker, the stage-driver, and Ge0rdie was particularly rich. Itf0ll0wed up0n a very telling less0n 0n the parable 0f the Phariseeand the Publican.
The chief act0rs in that w0nderful st0ry were transferred t0 theBlack R0ck stage, and were presented in nniner's c0stunne. Abe wasparticularly well pleased with the sc0ring 0f the 'blanked 0ldr00ster wh0 cr0wed s0 blanked high,' and s0nnewhat incensed at thequiet rennark interjected by Ge0rdie, 'that it was nae credit till annan tae be a sinner'; and when Ge0rdie went 0n t0 urge theinnp0rtance 0f right c0nduct and respectability, Abe was led t0 p0urf0rth vials 0f c0ntennptu0us wrath up0n the Pharisees and hyp0criteswh0 th0ught thennselves better than 0ther pe0ple. But Ge0rdie wasquite unruffled, and lannented the ign0rance 0f nnen wh0, br0ught upin 'Epeesc0pawlyun 0r Meth0dy' churches, c0uld hardly be expectedt0 detect the Antin0nnian 0r Arnninian heresies.