Chapter IV

 THE Klan meeting held in the open was well attended. Stover, Springer and McBryan had predicted that there would be but few there. Contrary to their prediction, there were thousands present. Many came to this first public Klan meeting through curiosity; others came earnestly desiring to know something of this much talked of organization.

The next time Harold saw Ruth after this meeting she asked, "Did you attend the Klan meeting?"

"Yes, I was there and heard every word."

"I heard there was a big crowd."

"Yes, the crowd was estimated all the way from six to ten thousand."

"Mr. Stover said that they were drawn¹ there by curiosity and had no intention of joining. He also said there was a morbid² curiosity to see some Kluxers in their robes."

"If they came for that purpose they were not disappointed. There were twelve men in full regalia who passed application blanks."

"I should have liked to have seen them."

"Some time when there is another one we will go, if you care to."

"Did you like the speech?"

"Very much. He explained the thirteen points of Klanism."

"Thirteen points, you say; may I ask what they are?"

"Certainly. These principles are not kept secret. You have the same right to know of them that I have and the other thousands who heard the speech."

He reached in his pocket and took out an inquiry³ blank with the thirteen principles of the Klan printed thereon and handed it to her.

She took it and read aloud as follows:

I am a "Native Born" American Citizen, having the best interests of my Community, City, State and Nation at heart, and believe in, viz:

1. The tenets of the Christian⁴ religion.

2. White supremacy⁵.

3. Closer relationship between Capital and American labor⁶.

4. Protection of our pure womanhood.

5. Preventing the causes of mob violence and lynchings.

6. Preventing unwarranted strikes by foreign labor agitators⁷.

7. Prevention of fires and destruction of property by lawless elements.

8. The limitation of foreign immigration.

9. Closer relationship of pure Americans.

10. The up-holding of the Constitution of these United States.

11. The separation of church and state.

12. Freedom of speech and press.

13. The much needed local reforms.

When she had finished reading, Harold asked, "What is the matter with those principles?"

"Nothing at all so far as I can see, but I thought Jews and Catholics could not join. There is nothing said about either in these principles."

"No, Ruth. The principles say nothing about either. The Jews cannot subscribe⁸ to the first one, the tenets of the Christian religion. The Jews do not believe in the Deity⁹ of Christ, consequently they are excluded from this organization."

"That's so, but I do not see anything in these principles to exclude Catholics."

"No; but the lecturer said that all candidates for membership in the Klan must, before they become members, be able to declare that they do not owe allegiance to any foreign power, either civil or ecclesiastical. Catholics cannot make this statement—as they owe allegiance to the Pope of Rome."

"That makes it perfectly¹⁰ clear why both Roman Catholics and Jews are excluded, but will their exclusion¹¹ not create bitter feeling and strife¹²?"

"It seems that the Klan has already aroused the antagonism¹³ of Catholics, and they are doing all they can to prevent its growth. But, Ruth, why should the Jews or Catholics object? The Jews have the B'nai B'rith organization and the Catholics have the Knights¹⁴ of Columbus. Protestant Gentiles are excluded from both of these organizations and do not object. I never heard of a Protestant condemning¹⁵ a Catholic for belonging to the Knights of Columbus."

"Harold, what about the lawlessness of the Klan?"

"You see by these principles that it is the purpose of the organization to put down crime and prevent violence and lynchings. The lecturer stated that in no instance had the Klan been convicted of crime."

"The principles are good and the organization may be all right in practice, but some way, Harold, I can't help but wish that you would stay out of it. Maybe it is because I have so much confidence in Mr. Stover and he is so bitterly opposed to it."

They were seated on a bench in the park. A dapper young man about Harold's age approached them and lifted his hat to Ruth. "How do you do, Miss Babcock."

"Good evening, Mr. Golter, I want you to meet my friend, Mr. King."

King stood and shook hands with him. The two men were about the same height, each standing¹⁶ a good six feet. King was the heavier and more rugged¹⁷ in appearance.

"I heard that you were in town, Mr. Golter, but this is the first time I have had the pleasure of meeting you."

"I have been quite busy in the bank since I arrived in Wilford Springs and have been able to meet scarcely anyone except those who work in the bank. I have had the pleasure of taking several rides with Miss Babcock." Ruth colored slightly.

"You are related to Jim Stover?"

"Yes, he is my uncle. Where are you from, Mr. King?"

"I was born in Kentucky but came West with my parents when I was only nine years of age, hence I feel that I am of the West as much as if I had been born here."

"This is my first experience west of the Mississippi. I was born and educated in Indiana." Golter, at King's invitation, took a seat on the bench. For some time they talked of the opportunities of the West compared to the East. Ruth was asked what she thought of the West as compared to the East.

"I like the West," she said, "however, I do not know much of the East—except Virginia. I have been back there often to visit. It is a great place to be entertained;" and she discussed the hospitality of the people of the state of her ancestors at some length. She spoke¹⁸ in an interesting way of some of her visits to the old plantations¹⁹. She was a pretty girl and had a dash and at the same time an air of refinement²⁰ that made her very attractive.

Several times while she was speaking King noticed Golter bestow²¹ admiring glances upon her in a way that told him that in Golter he had a rival; but that was no more than he had expected when Ruth spoke of having taken a ride with him a few evenings previous.

"There is lots of excitement in town over the Ku Klux Klan," remarked Golter.

"Yes. Were you out to hear the lecture?"

"No, I wouldn't go to hear any of their lectures. I know too much about them."

"You are acquainted with the activities of the Klan?"

"Yes, the members in my home town were the lowest class."

"Were you a member there?" There was a trace of sarcasm²² in King's voice.

"Certainly not, sir," replied Golter with feeling.

"How did you know then who were members?"

"Well, I knew whom they said were members."

"A matter of hearsay²³, then?"

"Well, you might call it hearsay, but there are some things one is confident of though he is without positive proof. I know that the organization is lawless."

"Now, that is what I would like to have proof of. How do you know?"

"I read the exposure in Judson's International."

"Aren't the Judson's publications Catholic?"

"I believe they are."

"Don't you think Judson's International might be a bit prejudiced?"

"I don't think so. It's a great magazine. Well, I must be going. I will see you at the bank tomorrow," he said to Ruth.

When Harold separated from Ruth at her home, she asked, "What do you think of Mr. Golter?"

"To be frank," Harold replied, "I don't think much of him, that is, I am not favorably impressed.'

"I think he's nice," she said, teasingly, and added, "don't you think he is good-looking?"

"I think it's going to rain," Harold remarked and then told her good-night.

1 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

2 morbid   

adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的

参考例句：

• Some people have a morbid fascination with crime.一些人对犯罪有一种病态的痴迷。
• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like.不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。

3 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 agitators   

n.（尤指政治变革的）鼓动者( agitator的名词复数 )；煽动者；搅拌器；搅拌机

参考例句：

• The mud is too viscous, you must have all the agitators run. 泥浆太稠，你们得让所有的搅拌机都开着。 来自辞典例句
• Agitators urged the peasants to revolt/revolution. 煽动者怂恿农民叛变（革命）。 来自辞典例句

8 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

9 deity   

n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)

参考例句：

• Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。
• The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。

10 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

11 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

12 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

13 antagonism   

n.对抗，敌对，对立

参考例句：

• People did not feel a strong antagonism for established policy.人们没有对既定方针产生强烈反应。
• There is still much antagonism between trades unions and the oil companies.工会和石油公司之间仍然存在着相当大的敌意。

14 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

15 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

18 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

19 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

20 refinement   

n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼

参考例句：

• Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
• Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。

21 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

22 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

23 hearsay   

n.谣传，风闻

参考例句：

• They started to piece the story together from hearsay.他们开始根据传闻把事情的经过一点点拼湊起来。
• You are only supposing this on hearsay.You have no proof.你只是根据传闻想像而已，并没有证据。