Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-01
PHILLIPS BROOKS.
A Couple of Anecdotes of the Great Bos-
ton Preacher.

Perhaps no man In this city comes
so near to living up to the ideal which
people have of him as does Phillips
Brooks, says the Boston Home Journal,
The good he does in the world can not
be overestimated. He possesses that
ready tact and those quick perceptions
winch aid man not only to do good
6ut to discover opportunities to do it.
lie is not man whose aid springs up
only IN response to an appeal
An illustration of that will be found
ina story recently told me. Some time
ago lady had occasion to travel from
Providence with her father. who was
very weak in his mind. Whether if
was the excitement of the Journey
which developed so suddenly in this
usually quiet and inoffensive man an
unruly disposition, or whether it was
merely the ordinary course of his
| disease. | do not know, but at all
events long before they reached Bos-
ton he became possessed of a fancy
that he must get of the train while il
was still in motion; that some abso-
lutte duty called him. His daughter
endeavored to quiet him, ibut it was diff
ficult to do it, and she was just giving
it up in despair when she noticed a
very large man just across the aisle
who was watching the proceedings
intently over the top of his paper.
As soon as he caught her eyes he
rose and crossed quickly to her. II
beg your pardon" he said. s'You
are in trouble. May help youP" As
soon as he spoke she felt perfect trust
in him. ''What is your fathers namep"
he asked. She told him and with an
encouraging smile he bent over the
gentleman who was sitting in front of
her and said few words in his ear.
With smile the gentleman rose.
crossed the aisle, and took the vacant
seat, and the next moment the large
man had turned over the seat and
leaning toward the troubled old man
addressed him by name, shaking hands
cordially with him, and engaging him
in a conversation so interesting and so
cleverly arranged to keep his mind oc-
cupied that he forgot his need to leave
the train and did not think of it again
until they were in Boston. Here the
stranger put the lady and her charge
into carriage, received the assurance
that she felt perfectly safe, had cor
daily shaken her hand, and was
about to close the carriage door when
she remembered that she had felt so
safe in the keeping of this notebook
ing man that she had not even asked
his name. Hastily putting her hand
against the door she said: Pardon
me, but-you rendered me such a SER
vice-may | know whom | am thank
ing?" The big man smiled as he an
swered phillips Brooks, and turned
away.
An excellent foil to this, as showing
a different side of his nature and yet
identical in its ready tact, is another
story which was told me recently. The
great divine has no stronger interest
in the world than that which he feels
for heyoung men who sit within reach
of his voice. Last winter he noticed
three young men who came to hear
him quite regularly, and as they looked
like workingmen he took pains to find
out who they were, and made an OPP
portunity to speak with them. Having
ascertained where they lived and what
they did he went one day to call on
them. He climbed several flights of
stairs and knocked at the door. All
three of the young men were in and
they were taking their comfort in their
shirt sleeves. Naturally they were a
trifie embarrassed at being surprised
by this man to whom they looked up
with so much respect. Mr. Brooks
shook hands all round and then said,
with his cheerful smile: 'WeIl, boys.
it's a little warm here. / think, if you
will let me. | will take off my coat"
and he did and sat down and made
his call in his shirt sleeves. tits need
less to say that those boys will never
need any better influence in their lives
than Phillips Brooks will keep there,
for it is remarkable how many men he
can carry in his mind and keep safe in
his influence