ppearance showed that it was solid to the core, straight
grained, and deeply and firmly rooted in the soil, he would say: "That
tree is a fair representation of a good church member. He stands
upright. You see he does not lean to one side or the other. He holds
his head high in the perpendicular line of justice and truth. The
squirrels that run up and down on his trunk and over his Branches do
not annoy him: these are his little charities. They feed on his fruit,
to be sure; but a pleasant smile is all the account he takes of them.
You tap him with a mallet, and his trunk gives out a dull but certain
sound of solidity to the core. There is no wind-shake about him. His
thrifty appearance proves this. The storms, in the church and out of
the church, have never disturbed the solid texture of his faith and
Christian integrity. He is not twisty. The fibers that compose his
huge trunk are just like his principles; they all run straight up and
down. You always know how to take him, and what to depend on when you
have him.

"But there stands another tree of a very different character. Tap that
tree, and the drum-like sound tells you at once that it is hollow. You
can see, too, by the furrows in the bark not running up and down in
perpendicular lines, that it is twisty. It can hardly be said to be
wind-shaken, for there is not enough solid timber in it to be affected
in that way. The few nuts or acorns which it bears are worthless; for
there is not sufficient vitality about it to mature its fruit. It
would have been to the ground long ago but for the support given it by
that other tree on which it leans. I leave you to form your own
opinion of the church member represented by this tree. I hope there
are not many such, for if there were I fear we would not be able to
find enough solid material to build a house that would stand."

Brother Kline was gifted with that fortunate cast of mind which
enabled him to draw from nature themes for thought and conversation,
which added much to his happiness when alone, and to his geniality in
company; and not only so, but even in his preaching he drew largely
from the magazines of God's creation. I have not a doubt that if all
the items of interest that passed between himself and Brother Long, in
the way of conversations on this journey, could be collected and
presented in proper form they would make a most instructive and
entertaining volume. I sometimes fear that the world's best thought
e