The Calling of Dan Matthews

In Short

Harold Bell Wright's The Calling of Dan Matthews depicts the spiritual awakening of a robust young minister who takes a pastorate in Corinth, a typical Midwestern town. Eager to serve humanity, Dan Matthews instead encounters institutional narrowness, gossip, and the hypocrisy of church leaders like Judge Strong. Guided by the wisdom of an old physician and his growing affection for a devoted nurse, Dan comes to see that formal religious structures often hinder true Christian service. He ultimately resigns his pulpit to pursue a broader, more authentic ministry grounded in practical helpfulness and personal integrity.

The Story

Dan Matthews, a strong and earnest young man raised in the Ozark Mountains, accepts a call to shepherd the Memorial Church in the Midwestern town of Corinth. He enters his new post filled with high ideals and a deep-seated passion to serve mankind. However, he quickly discovers that Corinth is dominated by a spirit of petty gossip, denominational rivalry, and rigid traditionalism. The church leadership—personified by the hard-faced Judge Strong and the watchful Elder Jordan—cares more for doctrinal conformity, institutional prestige, and political maneuverings than for genuine Christian charity.

As Dan tries to carry out his duties, he finds himself increasingly frustrated by the superficiality of church life. He prefers real labor and practical helpfulness over formal social calls and tedious committee meetings. He finds true solace in quiet moments, such as working alongside crippled Denny in a small vegetable garden, and in his growing friendship with Dr. Harry Oldham and Hope Farwell, a dedicated nurse who comes to Corinth. Hope demonstrates her own profound commitment to service by caring for outcasts, such as the desperate Grace Conner, even when the town’s respectable citizens react with cold hostility and prejudice.

Dan's open friendship with Hope and his willingness to aid those outside the church's favored circle spark scandal among the congregation. Unhappy church members, including Charity Jordan, express bitter discontent, fearing that the minister is being led away from his religious duties. Meanwhile, Dan attends a denominational convention, where he is appalled to observe church leaders relying on worldly political tactics, personal ambition, and heresy-hunting rather than spiritual integrity.

The crisis deepens when Dan discovers financial dishonesty involving Judge Strong, who uses his position in the church to mask exploitative dealings against vulnerable individuals like Denny and his family. Realizing that the institutional church acts like a hard, cast-iron monument—preserving past issues while remaining unconcerned with the vital, living needs of everyday people—Dan faces a decisive choice. Encouraged by the old Doctor's gentle wisdom, Dan realizes he cannot sacrifice his personal convictions to please the official board that pays his salary.

Refusing to compromise his conscience, Dan delivers a final sermon announcing his resignation from the pulpit, declaring that while his formal pastorate has ended, his true ministry of service has just begun. He returns to the Ozarks, where he reunites with Hope Farwell, and together they look forward to a life devoted to practical, unselfish usefulness.

How It Unfolds

The arrival in Corinth Dan Matthews comes to town to begin his pastorate, immediately making an impression with his physical strength and earnest demeanor.

A meeting in the yard Dan encounters Hope Farwell at the old Academy yard and feels an immediate, unacknowledged connection while reflecting on the nature of faith outside physical buildings.

Frustration with routine Dan grows restless with shallow pastoral duties, finding far more fulfillment when he works outdoors in the garden with crippled Denny.

Trouble over an outcast When Hope cares for the ill Grace Conner, Dan defends her actions, clashing with the town's harsh social standards and the church's rigid prejudices.

Witnessing the institution At a church conference, Dan observes leaders employing political trickery and ambition, opening his eyes to the flaws within the organized denomination.

Exposing the hypocrisy A confrontation over a mortgage reveals the self-serving greed of Judge Strong, exposing the clash between formal religion and basic justice.

The Doctor's lesson The old Doctor uses Denny's garden and a cold town monument to explain that true religion lives in growing, practical deeds rather than lifeless structures.

A new trail chosen Dan resigns from Memorial Church to pursue an authentic life of service, eventually reuniting with Hope in the Ozark mountains to start anew.

The People

• Dan Matthews: A robust, warm-hearted mountain-born minister. He wants his life to be of the greatest possible worth to humanity, but he is blocked by the superficiality and hypocrisy of his church. He ends up relinquishing his formal pulpit to practice a broader, practical ministry.
• Hope Farwell: A capable, self-possessed nurse. She wants to spend her life in genuine service to those in need, regardless of social approval. Standing firm against the town's narrow prejudices, she ultimately wins Dan's heart and joins him in his life's work.
• The Doctor (Dr. Oldham): A wise, observant old physician and fisherman. He wants to protect Dan from bitter disillusionment while helping him see the truth about institutional religion. He acts as a grounded mentor throughout Dan's ordeal.
• Judge Strong: A hard-faced church elder and prominent citizen. He wants to maintain his local authority, financial advantage, and pious reputation. His hypocritical actions demonstrate the coldness of the institutional church.
• Denny: A gentle, crippled boy who tends a small vegetable plot. He wants simply to cultivate his garden despite his physical limitations, serving as a living model of quiet, fruitful usefulness.

In Its Own Voice

"Do you know when I see a bit of out-doors like that, on such a day as this, or when I am out in the woods or up in the hills, I wonder what men build churches for, anyway."

Dan expresses his quiet doubts about formal sanctuaries to Hope during their early meeting in the old Academy yard.

"Parson," he roared, "'tis a good man ye are, if ye be only a protestant preacher--a damn good man sir, beggin' your pardon! But you've got a danged poor kind of a boss, thot'll be lookin' more like he ought to when I git through with him."

Mike McGowan angrily warns Dan about the deceitful practices of Judge Strong after learning the truth about his sister's mortgage.

"There is a rock in every garden, Dan. Religion grows always about the unknowable. But Denny's ministry has naught to do with the rock, it has to do with the growing things about it."

The old Doctor offers Dan a metaphor for true faith while contrasting Denny’s living plot with a cold iron monument.

What It's Really About

The novel mounts a direct critique of institutional religion, contrasting the rigid conventions of organized churches with the living spirit of true Christian service. It argues that formal dogmas, church politics, and self-righteous piety often mask a complete lack of genuine sympathy for struggling humanity. Through Dan's personal journey, the narrative asks whether a person dedicated to doing real good can remain within a compromised system or if true ministry requires stepping outside established structures to serve people directly in their daily lives.

Why Read It Today

The Calling of Dan Matthews appeals to readers who enjoy classic American stories exploring spiritual crisis, small-town dynamics, and moral integrity. Its earnest narrative style offers a thoughtful look at the conflict between personal conscience and institutional expectations—a theme that remains relevant across eras.

Reading the novel requires patience with early twentieth-century stylistic choices, including melodrama, broad regional dialects, and moralizing dialogue. The plot moves at a measured pace, often pausing for lengthy reflective conversations and rustic philosophical analogies.

What stays with the reader, however, is the clear-eyed insistence that real faith must be expressed through practical kindness rather than rigid orthodoxy. The image of the young minister turning away from church politics to cultivate a simple garden remains a memorable symbol of personal honesty and practical service.