tual rewards come to
men for spiritual services. Not that Heaven is needed to balance the
accounts of good men after death--not at all. Good men get all that is
coming to them here--whether it is a crucifixion or a crown--that makes
no difference; crowns and crosses are mere material counters. They do
not win or lose the game--nor even justly mark its loss or winning.

"The reason why Heaven is needed in the scheme of a neighborly man,"
said the Peach Blow Philosopher as he stood at his gate and reviewed the
procession of pilgrims through the wilderness, "is this: The man who
leads a decent life, is building a great soul. Obviously, this world is
not the natural final habitat of great souls; for they occur here
sporadically--though perhaps more and more frequently every trip around
the sun. But Heaven is needed in any scheme of general decency for
decency's sake, so that the decent soul for whose primary development
the earth was hung in the sky, may have a place to find further
usefulness, and a far more exceeding glory than may be enjoyed in this
material dwelling place. So as we grow better and kinder in this world,
hell sloughs off and Heaven is more real."

There is more of this dissertation--if the reader cares to pursue it,
and it may be found in the files of the Harvey _Tribune_. It also
appears as a footnote to an article by an eminent authority on Abnormal
Psychology in a report on Mr. Left, Vol. XXXII, p. 2126, of the Report
of the Psychological Association. The remarks of the Peach Blow
Philosopher credited in the Report of the Proceedings above noted, to
Mr. Left, appeared in the Harvey _Tribune_ Jan. 14, 1903. They may
have been called forth by an editorial in the Harvey _Times_ of
January 9 of that same year. So as that editorial has a proper place in
this narrative, it may be set down here at the outset of this chapter.
The article from the _Times_ is headed: "A Successful Career" and
it follows:

"To-day Judge Thomas Van Dorn retires from ten years of faithful service
as district judge of this district. He was appointed by the Governor and
has been twice elected to this position by the people, and feeling that
the honor should go to some other county in the district, the Judge was
not a candidate for a third nomination or election. During the ten years
of his service he has grown steadily in legal and intellectual
attainments. He has been president of the state bar association,
delegate from that bod