Page:Elmer Gantry (1927).djvu/313

 tinue as you have in your studies and attention to the needs of your flock and in your excellence of daily living, which the district superintendent has noted, why, you'll be due for a much larger field of service. God bless you!"

Elmer was examined by the Conference and readily admitted to membership.

Among the questions, from the Discipline, which he was able to answer with a hearty "yes" were these:

Are you going on to perfection?

Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?

Are you earnestly striving after it?

Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and his work?

Have you considered the Rules for a Preacher, especially those relating to Diligence, to Punctuality, and to Doing the Work to which you are assigned?

Will you recommend fasting or diligence, both by precept and example?

It was, the Conference members said, one to another, a pleasure to examine a candidate who could answer the questions with such ringing certainty.

Celebrating his renunciation of all fleshy devices and pleasures by wolfing a steak, fried onions, fried potatoes, corn, three cups of coffee, and two slices of apple pie with ice cream, Elmer condescended to Cleo, "I went through a-whooping! Liked to of seen any of those poor boobs I was with in the seminary answer up like I did!"

They listened to reports on collections for missions, on the creation of new schools and churches; they heard ever so many