“Now that is just what I don’t want you to do,” begged the old man earnestly. “I want no vain contention and strife. If the Lord desires that I preach to these sinners, He will protect me.”
In the end he extorted from us a reluctant promise not to mingle in the affair.
“He’s just looking for trouble,” muttered Johnny, “and there’s no doubt he’ll find it. The gamblers aren’t 422 going to stand for a man’s cussing ’em outright on their own doorsteps–and I don’t know as I blame them. Gambling isn’t such a terrible, black, unforgivable sin as I see it.”
“That’s because you’re ahead of the game, Johnny,” drawled Yank.
“Just the same the old fool is wrong,” persisted Johnny, “and he’s as obstinate as a mule, and he makes me mad clean through. Nevertheless he’s a good old sort, and I’d hate to see him hurt.”
The news spread abroad, and there was much speculation as to what would happen. In general the sentiment was hostile to the preacher. It was considered an unwarrantable interference with freedom for any man to attempt to dictate the conduct of another. Everybody agreed that religion was all right; but by religion they meant some vague utterance of platitudes. On the appointed Sunday a very large crowd gathered in the Plaza. Nobody knew just what the gamblers intended to do about it. Those competent citizens were as close mouthed as ever. But it was understood that no nonsense was to be permitted, and that this annoying question must be settled at once and fully. As one man expressed it:
“We’ll have these fellows caterwauling all over the place if we don’t shut down on them right sharp off quick.”
Taylor arrived about ten o’clock and proceeded briskly to the pork barrel that had been rolled out to serve as a pulpit. He faced a lowering, hostile mob.
“Gentlemen,” said he, “if some means of communication existed by which the United States could this morning 423 know that street preaching was to be attempted in the streets of San Francisco, the morning papers, badly informed as to the temper and disposition of the people of this new country, would feel themselves fully justified in predicting riot, if not actual bloodshed. Furthermore, I do not doubt that the greater dailies would hold their forms open to report the tragedy when news of it should come in. But we of the West know better than that. We know ourselves rough and ready, but we know ourselves also to be lovers of fair play. We know that, even though we may not agree with a man, we are willing to afford him a fair hearing. And as for rioting or bloodshed, we can afford to smile rather than become angry at such wide misconception of our decency and sense of fair dealing.”
Having in this skilful fashion drawn the venom from the fangs of the mob, he went directly ahead at his sermon, hammering boldly on his major thesis. He finished in a respectful silence, closed his Bible with a snap, and strode away through the lane the crowd opened for him.