“Not simply,” said Iola, “a nation building up a great material prosperity, founding magnificent cities, grasping the commerce of the world, or excelling in literature, art, and science, but a nation wearing sobriety as a crown and righteousness as the girdle of her loins.”

Dr. Gresham gazed admiringly upon Iola.  A glow of enthusiasm overspread her beautiful, expressive face.  There was a rapt and far-off look in her eye, as if she were looking beyond the present pain to a brighter future for the race with which she was identified, and felt the grandeur of a divine commission to labor for its uplifting.

As Dr. Gresham was parting with Robert, he said:  “This meeting has been a very unexpected pleasure.  I have spent a delightful evening.  I only regret that I had not others to share it with me.  A doctor from the South, a regular Bourbon, is stopping at the hotel.  I wish he could have been here to-night.  Come down to the Concordia, Mr. Johnson, to-morrow night.  If you know any colored man who is a strong champion of equal rights, bring him along.  Good-night.  I shall look for you,” said the doctor, as he left the door.

When Robert returned to the parlor he said to Iola:  “Dr. Gresham has invited me to come to his hotel to-morrow night, and to bring some wide-awake colored man with me.  There is a Southerner whom he wishes me to meet.  I suppose he wants to discuss the negro problem, as they call it.  He wants some one who can do justice to the subject.  I wonder whom I can take with me?”

“I will tell you who, I think, will be a capital one to take with you, and I believe he would go,” said Iola.

“Who?” asked Robert.

“Rev. Carmicle, your pastor.”

“He is just the one,” said Robert, “courteous in his manner and very scholarly in his attainments.  He is a man whom if everybody hated him no one could despise him.”

CHAPTER XXVI.

OPEN QUESTIONS.

In the evening Robert and Rev. Carmicle called on Dr. Gresham, and found Dr. Latrobe, the Southerner, and a young doctor by the name of Latimer, already there.  Dr. Gresham introduced Dr. Latrobe, but it was a new experience to receive colored men socially.  His wits, however, did not forsake him, and he received the introduction and survived it.

“Permit me, now,” said Dr. Gresham, “to introduce you to my friend, Dr. Latimer, who is attending our convention.  He expects to go South and labor among the colored people.  Don’t you think that there is a large field of usefulness before him?”

“Yes,” replied Dr. Latrobe, “if he will let politics alone.”

“And why let politics alone?” asked Dr. Gresham.

“Because,” replied Dr. Latrobe, “we Southerners will never submit to negro supremacy.  We will never abandon our Caucasian civilization to an inferior race.”

“Have you any reason,” inquired Rev. Carmicle, “to dread that a race which has behind it the heathenism of Africa and the slavery of America, with its inheritance of ignorance and poverty, will be able, in less than one generation, to domineer over a race which has behind it ages of dominion, freedom, education, and Christianity?”