d simple," said Mr. Walton. "The Baptist
doctrine is that every individual has equal religious rights with every
other individual, that all members are on a level, that the local
members are capable of managing their own affairs. And, by the way, Mr.
Page, did you know that Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of
Independence, got his ideas of democracy largely from a little Baptist
church?"

"What is that?" asked Mr. Page, leaning forward in his chair. "You say
that a Baptist church gave to Mr. Jefferson his ideas of democracy? If
you will prove that, Mr. Walton, you will be giving us the livest bit of
sensation that I have gotten hold of for many a day."

"I have the newspaper here in my pocket that proves what I say. The
writer is Rev. Dr. Fishback, of Lexington, Ky., and he writes for the
Christian Watchman, and he tells of a conversation he had with Elder
Andrew Tribble, who was a Baptist preacher and whose church was near the
residence of Thomas Jefferson, and it was this Baptist church of Mr.
Tribble that gave to Mr. Jefferson his ideas of democracy."

"Do you have in that paper a letter from Mr. Tribble about it?" asked
Mr. Page.

"No, but I have a letter from Mr. Fishback telling of the conversation
he himself had with this Mr. Tribble about the matter."

"All right, let us have it."

Mr. Walton opened the paper (The Christian Watchman, a paper that bore
the marks of age) and said: "Here is Dr. Fishback's letter:

"'Mr. Editor: The following circumstances, which occurred in the state
of Virginia relative to Mr. Jefferson, was detailed to me by Elder
Andrew Tribble about six years ago, who since died about ninety-two or
ninety-three years old. The facts may interest some of your readers.

"'Andrew Tribble was the parson of a small Baptist church which held
monthly meetings at a short distance from the Jefferson home nine or ten
years before the American revolution. Mr. Jefferson attended the
meetings of the church several months in succession, and after one of
them asked Elder Tribble to go home and dine with him, with which he
complied. Mr. Tribble asked Mr. Jefferson how he was pleased with their
church government. Mr. Jefferson replied that it had struck him with
great force and had interested him much, that he considered it the only
form of pure democracy that then existed in the world, and had concluded
that it would be the best plan of government for the American colonies.
This was several