w that he had
punctuated an embarrassed situation. Only Religion and Patriotism were
smiling. Science brought his cane down with a whack and piped out:

"So you are going to muzzle John Dexter, are you--you witch-burning old
pharisees. I heard of your meeting, and I just thought I'd come around
to the bonfire! What are you trying to do here, anyway?"

At last Business which had been whistling for the station was ready to
pull in; so it unloaded itself thus: "We are p-protesting, Doc, at
th-th-th-th m-m-m-man Adams--this l-l-labor sk-sk-skate and
s-s-socialist occupying J-J-John Dexter's p-pulp-p-pit!"

Science looked at Business a grave moment, then burst out, "What are you
all afraid of! Here you are, a lot of grown men with fat bank accounts
sitting around in a blue funk because Grant Adams does a little more or
less objectionable talking. I don't agree with Grant much more than you
do. But you're a lot of old hens, cackling around here because Grant
Adams invades the roost to air his views. Let him talk. Let 'em all
talk. Talk is cheap; otherwise we wouldn't have free speech." He grinned
cynically as he asked, "Haven't you any faith in the Constitution of the
fathers? They were smart enough to know that free speech was a safety
valve; let 'em blow off. Then go down and organize and vote 'em
afterwards according to the dictates of your own conscience. Politics is
the antidote for free speech!" The Doctor glared at the Courts, smiled
amiably at Business and winked conspicuously at Religion. Religion
blushed at the blasphemy and as there seemed to be nothing further
before the house the Doctor and John Dexter left the room.

But the honest indignation of Market Street that an agitator should
appear in a pulpit--that an agitator for anything, should appear in any
pulpit--waxed strong. For it was assumed that religion had nothing to do
with social conduct; religion was solely a matter of individual
salvation. Religion was a matter concerned entirely with getting to
heaven oneself, and not at all a matter of getting others to heaven
except as they took the narrow and individual path. The idea that
environment affects character and that society through politics and
social and economic institutions may change a man's environments and
thus affect the characters and the chances for Heaven of whole sections
of the population, was an idea which had not been absorbed by Market
Street in Harvey. So Market Street raged.

That