Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-28
The Prayer Gauge.

tN0SSSSASSk
orphan asylums. What had led to the
idea he said, was his visits in pastoral
work, when he felt there was nothing 50
wanting as faith in Christian people and
care Tor the tatherless children. There
dld rot seem much chance to do any,
thing, as he had no money or influence.
but having weighed the matter well he
determined to trust in the living God.
| and begin an orphan asylum, leaving the
care Of it to God. He was not a bastv
person, and it took long consideration tor
him to reach that decision. One eyenipo
ne was reading through the word OF god.
ana came to the eighty first Psalm, and
read
Il am the Lord thy God. which brought
thee out of the land of Egypt; opeg thy
mouth wide and l will fill it,
He fell on his knees and prayed to God
to give him a suitable house for the
orphan asylum and thousand pounds or
$4,000 IN American money. That seem
eel like an immense sum, and he trusted
in God to get it. The first day he re-
ceived two shillings from poor German
missionary, and another little donation
from another missionary, but little by
little the money came in, and shortly at
ter he received $500 from poor woman,
who earned 81 day from sewing. He
at first refused the money, but The woman
compelled him to keep it. In about
three or four months be was in position
to rent a house capable of receiving
thirty orphans, and appointed time for
receiving applications. He went to the
house and waited three hours, but there
was not an application. He went home
discouraged, and cast himself on the
floor, almost in despair. He prayed
to God. The next morning the first APP
plicatlon was received, and in a month
forty two applications were received, and
IN SIX months he opened another mouse
for very little boys and girls, below s
years.
In nine months he opened a third
house for boys over years, and during
SIX months the prosperity of these insti-
tu.lons was undated. Then all the
money was gone. People would think
that he should then be discouraged; but
on the contrary. he glolied in the fact,
tor 1t would show the world what could
be done in tire nineteenth century IN an
sWer to prayer. Thousands of these orph-
ans had been brought up ana educated
IN the fear of the Lord, and In his trip
to this country he had met many of mis-
former pupils well-to-do and Christians.
This was what had been accomplished
simply in answer to prayer in this centu-
ry. When it came to being without
money he felt that the time had come TO
prove the Lord. He called the help of
the asylums together and told them not
to buy single article except for cash.
During the torty-four years that the asy-
lums had lived they had never contract
ed {. cent OF debt. He reasoned that it
was the work of God, and that thew
should not be conducted according to
worldly institutions. He knew that there
could be no loss in doing Gods work in
Gods way. According to these princi-
pies he had acted all these years, and he
had never had to retrace any steps. 1t
soon came to this, that they would have
breakfast and there would be nothing
for dinner. Then he would call the help
together for prayeI-meeiing, when the
dinner would always come.
Often it was necessary to have a
second prayer meeting to get a supper,
and sometimes still another prayer meet
ing to get something for breakfast. The
plan was invariably successful. This
happened not once nol ten times, nor a
hundred times. nor thousand times,
but many thousand times, andsnever was
there single failure. Sometime the let
ter carrier would bring remittance from
friends at distance, sometimes friends
happened to call and look through the
institutions, and would contribute, but
always there came relief at the right time
A tew'years later donation of $25 900 was
received, and he opened another institu-
in the same street. Then another era
came. They were oyercrowded; th ere
come in. They decided to build About
$4,000 were necessary, though they did
not have 81 in the treasury. He deter
mined to go ahead with the buildingand
therefore began to pray. He prayed one
day, two days, five days, and still no
money came in. He prayed still trust
fuI,y-hfteen days, thirty days, and nota
single penny came.
On the thirty-tourth day the first do
nation of $4,000 came in, and he wasn't
at all excited. laughter, He had great
faith, which had been streng thened by
exercise. At first he could trust God for
So, afterwards Tor $40, afterwards Tor
500, afterwards for l,00O and now he
could trust God for 100000 He re-
peated that he wouldn't have been xsited
at receiving $4,000 instead of $4,000 at
that time. The money came in rapidly,
and in few months he had enough mon
ey to commence building, but he did rot
put his signature to the contract until
there was enough to pay for the whcle
building. Yet strange circumstance
was that while there was $4,000 or
$4,000 in the bank to the credit Of the
building fund, the orphans were often
suffering for breakfast, yet he never
touched cent of the fund. If he had
done so the first time his spiritual Their
mometer would have gone down ten de-
grees, and ten degrees erery time after
wards.
The house was opened soon afterwards
and filled, and there were still applica-
tons and he did not know what to do.
Then he prayed, and finally started in to
bullG another asylum for 700 orphans. L
four or five years two more houses were