The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-01-26
A STRANGE CONGREGATION.
BY REV. FRED BELL.

traditions and love of caste, to the
bloated, ragged paupers of The
slums, with plenty of traditions
and pride, too, of their kind, ant
with as much love and admiration
for them, and as keen a Jealousy
of their infringement as the proud
patrician for his patent Of nobility
or distinctions Of pure blood anC
family responsibility. | have
sometimes wondered which were
the most interesting as | have
looked over them, master and
madam flouncing III with tluttel
and superiority, or Jim and Judy
creeping in as the cat and tiger dc
after a full meal off their prey. ]
have talked to the convicts OF
the prison, and to convicts out OF
prison; to Magdalenes and Lots;
to men and women who could not
read a word, and hardly under
stand one, except the plainest
slowly spoken and distinctly
enunciated; beings with bodies OF
men and women, but with intel
lects of children; perception dull
| led, blurted; memory all gone,
forgetting waatyou said a minute
! before, though specially asked
them to remember it: looking at
you through blood shot eyes and
out of stolid faces. and sometimes
! with woAder and blankness, ask
ing as plainly as facial movements
| can, "What does it all meang"
All, ! have had the strangest
audiences any two human eyes
ever looked on. Looming up
dark hopeless, crazed in the per
spcctive Like grouping from per
lition-living sepulchers, in
which lay buried fostering con-
science, clear-eyed faith, honor,
maiden innocence and manly vir-
tue, dead!
Such a one, only darker and
more desperate than any words of
mine can ever paint, rises in the
memory now while write. 1t was
at the close of one Of myIserviccs
in the Fourth Ward, New York.
that a man stepped up to me, and
asked me, as he extended his
hand to me, if | would have any
objections to visit him. lreplied,
Certainly not, Where do you
liver He gave me the number.
1t was in Baxter Street. There
may be a great many bad streets
in New York, London, Paris, and
other cities, but there is only one
Baxter Streetin the world-the
original one, where total depravi
ty" is a fact; no one will dispute
it. If there IS a door open
ing downward into perdition, it is
Baxter Street.
was invited to Baxter Street.
The next day | went. found the
number, had to climb a rickety
pair of stairs, which at every step
creaked fearfully. When | reach
cd the top an open door ushered
me into the dirtiest and lowest
drinking-saloon ever had seen.
My friend of the day before was
there After a few preliminary
observations, he came to the bus
mess in hand. He proposed to
me a service in his place, asked
me what thought of coming
down to preach to his customers,
lie had heard of my singing in all
sorts Of dens, and remarked that
he did not object to my preaching
there if | would sing.
/ Itook the hint; it is their way of
inviting one.
They never come straight at
you; they hint, and allude, and
propose an assent; it is yours to
understand and accept.
So ! did. ...
I fixed on a night, and l was on
band, and ! found the most re-
markable combination ever wit.
messed together, men and woman,
black and white, large and small;
| suspect every nation in the
world was represented there; a
congress Of crimes, council of
villainy, a convention Of shame,
and woe, and sin. How theireyes
glistened, and their faces lighted
and moved with surprise; they
had got a victim; my suit Of clothes
would furnish them drink for a
whole night, and in their debauch
the crime would have been for
gotten; and if had happened to
have lost my way in there, by
chance, my life would not have
been worth n moments purchase,
and my clothes had been sold to
the pawn. broker ere yet my body
had grown cold. But the boss
knew me, and ] was safe, and he
said in u voice well understood:
"Come, boys, drink up, and not
another drop till the gentleman
gets through"
They obeyea without demur.
ring,
He told them ] was going to
hold church there, and he would
act as usher; and he did effective.
~, too, bringing in broken chairs,