spaper comments as much as to any other factor, in the
minds of those of all shades of opinion in the parish the issue had
crystallized into a duel between the rector and Eldon Parr. Bitterly
as they resented the glare of publicity into which St. John's had
been dragged, the first layman of the diocese was not beloved; and the
fairer-minded of Hodder's opponents, though appalled, were forced to
admit in their hearts that the methods by which Mr. Parr had made his
fortune and gained his ascendency would not bear scrutiny.... Some of
them were disturbed, indeed, by the discovery that there had come about
in them, by imperceptible degrees, in the last few years a new and
critical attitude towards the ways of modern finance: moat of them had
an uncomfortable feeling that Hodder was somehow right,--a feeling
which they sought to stifle when they reflected upon the consequences
of facing it. For this would mean a disagreeable shaking up of their own
lives. Few of them were in a position whence they might cast stones at
Eldon Parr....

What these did not grasp was the fact that that which they felt stirring
within them was the new and spiritual product of the dawning twentieth
century--the Social Conscience. They wished heartily that the new rector
who had developed this disquieting personality would peacefully resign
and leave them to the former, even tenor of their lives. They did not
for one moment doubt the outcome of his struggle with Eldon Parr. The
great banker was known to be relentless, his name was synonymous with
victory. And yet, paradoxically, Hodder compelled their inner sympathy
and admiration!...

Some of them, who did not attempt peremptorily to choke the a processes
made the startling discovery that they were not, after all, so shocked
by his doctrines as they had at first supposed. The trouble was that
they could not continue to listen to him, as formerly, with comfort....
One thing was certain, that they had never expected to look forward to a
vestry meeting with such breathless interest and anxiety. This clergyman
had suddenly accomplished the surprising feat of reviving the Church as
a burning, vital factor in the life of the community! He had discerned
her enemy, and defied his power....

As for Hodder, so absorbed had he been by his experiences, so wrung by
the human contacts, the personal problems which he had sought to enter,
that he had actually given no thought to the battle before him until the