Produced by Carl D. DuBois
HODDER & STOUGHTON
NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
Copyright, 1911,
By George H. Doran Company
The story, "The High Calling," was written at two different periods, in1909 and 1910, and was read at two different periods, chapter bychapter, to the young people in my church, on successive Sundayevenings. The main purpose of the story is to illustrate the value ofthe average American family training and the final victory of thespiritual ideals over material or physical attractions. The finaloutcome of the struggle which Helen Douglas makes between her naturalinclination to follow a life of ease and luxury, and the real trainingwhich she has received at home, is the picture of what is going on inthe best American homes to-day. It has been my hope that the story wouldhelp many young people to realize the great difference between thefinest type of manhood and womanhood, and that which in some cases hasgrown up on American soil, where the standards have been low and theideals have been obscured by fashion, by false home training, and bysuperficial ideas of happiness. In other words, my purpose has been todescribe, in the main characters in the book, the manly heroic type ofChristian struggle and final victory which realizes the response whichthe higher nature makes to the call from above. This idea which runsthrough the story gives it its name of "The High Calling." As my ownyoung people gave the story a beautiful reception in their listening toit, it is my earnest hope that if the book has the good fortune to finda larger audience it may reach more young people with the same message.
Topeka, Kansas, 1911. CHARLES M. SHELDON.
PAUL DOUGLAS and his wife, Esther, were holding a serious counciltogether over their older boy, Walter.
"I can't help feeling a little disappointment over the way things aregoing. I did so want the boy to come into the office with me."
"I know," said Esther, with a grave smile, "but he seems to have hismind made up. I don't think we ought to thwart him if he is made to dothat for his lifework."
"No," said Paul, looking at Esther with great thoughtfulness, "I havealways believed that a boy should have freedom to choose his lifework.But what puzzles me is where did Walter get his leaning towardelectrical engineering? None of my ancestors, so far as I know, ever hadthe slightest tendency that way, and the Darcys for generations havebeen business men.
"I was in the boy's room the other day," continued Paul, meditatively,"and he had the floor and his bed and the chairs covered with models ofelectrical machines. I was afraid to sit down or lean up againstanything for fear it would go off and give me a shock or something.While I was asking questions, what did the boy do but start acontrivance that hung from the ceiling and it reached down a metallicarm that grabbed my hat off and began to comb my hair. I yelled,naturally, or unnaturally, and tried to get loose, but anothercontrivance shot out from the wall somewhere and clutched me by the legand began to make frantic gestures at my shoes like a wild boot-blackingemporium. I decided to stand still rather than run the risk of gettinghit somewhere else. Meanwhile Walter was laughing so hard h