Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-10-30
TWO WAYS.
Which Do You Think Was the
More Practical

Rev. Walter Cobbett was called to large
and fashionable church in Philadelphia
about twelve years ago. He was q young.
sickly man, In deadly earnest in his work
In fact, his youth, pallor and fiery zeal gave
force TO his words which neither his
thoughts nor character possessed; for he
was but shallow thinker, and easily led by
strong willed companions.
The committee sent by the Rittenhouse
Square Presbyterian Church 10 find pas
tor discovered him by some odd chance In q
mining village near Pottstown, and were
greatly impressed by his eloquence. They
were all rich, shrewd men, fond of the good
things OF lie, from music to perfectly
cooked dinner.
"But" said Judge Lowe, 1--WE don't want
aspeculator or bon uiudnt, like poor old DR..
Cray, in the pulpit again. This young feI.
low Is cody and full of zeal; a great orator.
He not only knows In what he believes, but
he will make US all believe itn
When MIR. Goblet, with Milly and the
baby, came up from Coalton, Mrs. Lowe
and the other fashionable women were de-
lighted with the simple, unworthy flavor OF
their speech and manner. $50 like the
early Christians" Miss Agnes Lowe said.
who was an artist, and therefore an author.
lty on all early matters. They were invited
10 round Of dinners and receptions, and
then Mr.. Cobbett settled down in earnest to
his work.
Young Leidy, one of his college chums
who had just been ordained, spent week
with him, and the two men together
tramped through the worst quarters of the
city, from Naudain street to st. Mary's.
They were both sympathetic, excitable
and unused to the miscries OF great CITY.
They went from the filth and laziness of the
quarter given up to "Dagos," to the negro
slums, and from them to the vast mills. In
which most Of the operatives were saucv
girls Of from twelve to twenty years old
At night they discussed these scenes .1
gether.
Nothing was 80 terrible to me,b Fsaid
Walter, 'as those wretched Italian1. content
like animals to lie filthy and starving in the
sun all day"
"The mill women seem to mo the mora
desperate case" said James Leldv. Che
cause they have sloughed of the brute
They are sharp and intelligent. They
aaunt out in the evenings, each with her
beaded dress and ptnchbeck jewelry, going
with her gent to the quarter-doliar soci.
ables or variety theaters. They come so
near to responsibility and usefulness. and
yet are going straight to ruin ~
my church must go to work at once"
said Mr.. Cobbett.
He spoke with certain assurance of sue
cess. The membership of his church was
so large and could number so many mill
tonsi Such a great broom would surely
soon clean these Augean stablesl
Mr.. Leidy was silent for long time. He
said then; "Walter, have almost deter
mined TO refuse the call to Pittsburgh
and to give myself up to work among these
people. The board will send me as mis-
sionary"
at Is very good in you, Mr.. Leidy, but
1t Is impossible. The board pays its city
missionaries only the wages of q laboring
man, and you have no idea what it costs to
live herel Very different from Coalition"
II should go down among the laboring
men and live as they do" said Mr.. Leidy.
"If am to help them, must be with them.
Besides, there may be a certain help to
them In seeing how an educated man
would live on the same income as their
own"
az fear you will find example slow means
Of grace, James," said Mr.. Cobbett ''If 1
can interest my people, we can make ire
mendous united assault upon the slums.
Working-men's clubs, industrial schools,
societies for boys, young women and moth
ers. have dozen IDEAS"
When he was alone with his wife he said:
"Poor Jiml feel he will be sorely disap-
pointed in that Quixotic venture. l wish he
had such enginery as ours to bring to bear
upon the forces Of evill'
Never did two men attack the forces Of
evil with more earnest faith or tender pity
for ill-doers than these two young clergy
men. But their methods OF attack were
widely different.
James ,Leidy, when appointed city mis-
sionary, rented two rooms over q bakery
down in the Neck. One was his sleeping
room; in the other he held service, taught
school, and in the evenings welcomed the
men and boys who came there to read the
papers or to offer them advice. He reached
them one by one. The baker, Gus Schell-
ing, q drunken, good-natured fellow, was
his first ally. He deplored to James the
fact that "a lot of half-grown boys was
goin' to the devil gamblin' in that neigh,
borhood," and willingly went to work to en-
tice them to the house that they might be
converted. A singing-club was the bond
by which James held them together 1t re-
Quired months TO win them to decent ways
and honesty, but il took years to convert
Gus to sober life. During those years he
reckoned himself "the preachers right
hand man." Through the boys he laid hold
ON the fathers, shrewd. mechanics who
looked upon religion as "wimmen's bust
ness" beggarS whose only trade was brlck-
cry, saloon keepers and professional thieves.
The hold was often but slight, and led to
nothing But the worst thief or sot usually
has some feeling for his son, and a respect
for the man who was trying to pull the boy
up, especially when the man proved to be q
wide-awake, keen fellow, not to be imposed
on by them.
The mothers were more easily reached
and less easily held. They cried grateful
tears when they met the good minister who
had made Sam respectable boy, or kept
Joe out OF Moyamensing; they came to the
Wednesday evening service, and sang the
hymns with loud fervor. Sometimes James
suspected that they were just as drunken,
as slatternly and as vicious in their homes
as before. But he had hardened himself
against disappointment. In some fashion
those people gradually took him and his
teaching into their homes and lives. They
sentfor him to marry them, to get them out
OF jail, 10 bury their dead; when the diph,
thoria ragged in Pin Court, 'sParson Leidv,,
was called in before the doctor, he being
just at hand, land such a famous nurse.p
Tom Farrell, when he was sentenced 70
death, and urged 70 call in a minister,
"reckoned that Leidy was the best Of the
lott" and the grim Scotch weaver, Eamp-
son, came 10 him In the dead Of the night to
tell him, with stern eyes and quivering Jaw,
bis suspicion that his little Aggy was going
70 the bad
Dear, dear James; this is dishsarten-