but what about the rest of
the world, J.W.? What about the world that has not even the beginning of
Christian knowledge?" Marty had put the question on the urge of the
moment, and not until it was out did he remember that Mr. Drury had
asked him to help raise this very issue.

"Well," J.W. answered, slowly, "maybe that part of the world is worse,
though I don't know. But we can't tackle everything. Latin America is an
immense job by itself, and we have some real responsibility there; a
sort of Christian Monroe Doctrine. Ought we to scatter our forces? The
non-Christian world has its own religions, and has had them for
hundreds, maybe thousands of years. What's the hurry just now? If we
could do everything, we Protestant Christians, I mean, in this country
and Britain, it might be different, but we can't. Why not concentrate?"

"Yes," Marty came back, "but not because Latin America is so nearly
Christian. What about this atheism and superstition and ignorance; isn't
it just a non-Christian civilization with Christian labels on some parts
of it?"

"One thing I've heard," put in Jeannette, not that she wanted to argue,
but she felt she ought to say something on J.W.'s side if she could,
"that the religions of the Orient, at least, are really great religions,
more suited to the minds of the people than any other. 'East is East,
and West is West,' you know. But, of course, the people don't live up to
the high levels of their beliefs. Americans don't, either."

Mr. Drury shot an amused yet admiring glance at Jeannette. What a loyal
soul she was! Then said he: "The religions of the East _are_ great
religions, Jeannette. They represent the best that men can do. The
Orient has a genius for religion, and it has produced far better systems
than the West could have done. Some of the truth that we Western people
get only in Christianity the thinkers of Asia worked out for themselves.
But God was back of it all."

That suited J.W.'s present mood. "All right, then; let's clean up as we
go--Delafield, Saint Louis, the Southwest, Mexico, Latin America; that's
the logical order. Then the rest of the world."

Marty put in a protest here: "That won't do, old man. Your logic's lame.
You want us to go into Mexico now, with all we've got. Your letters
have said so, and you've said it again to-night. But we're not 'cleaning
up as we go.' Look at Delafield; the town you've moved away from. Look
at Saint Louis; the town where you make your