Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-04-14


be a groan that woul shake the foun.
dations of the city, and bring all earth
and heaven to the rescue. But, for
the most part, it suffers unexpressed.
1t sits in silence, gnashing its teeth and
sucking the blood of it's own arteries,
waiting for the Judgment day.
Oh, 1 should not wonder if on that
day it would be found out that some
Of us had some things that belonged to
them; some extra garment s,,,"h might
have made them comfort lCIe in cold
days; some bread thrust i1to the ash
barrel that might have appaa;ad their
hunger for little while; some wasted
candle or gas jet that might have kin
died up their darkness; some fresco on
the ceiling that would have given them
roof; some jewel which, brought to
that orphan girl in time, might have
kept her from being crowded off the
precipices of an unclean life; some New
Testament that would have told them
of him who ''came to seek and save
that which was lost"
Oh, this wave of vagrancy and hun
ger and nakedness that dashes against
our front doorstep If the roofs of all
the houses of destitution could be lifted
so we could look down into them, just
as God looks, whose nerves would be
strong enough to stand itP And yet there
they are The fifty thousand sewing
women in these three cities, some of
them in hunger and cold, working
night after night, until sometimes the
blood spurts from nostril and lips.
How well their grief was voiced by
that despairing woman who stood by
her invalid husband and invalid child,
and said to the city missionary: 81 am
downhearted. Everything's against us;
and then there are other things"
"What other things?" said the city
missionary. oh" she replied, ''Iny
sin. "What do you mean by thatW
'Well, she said, II never hear or see
anything good It's work from Mon
day morning till Saturday night, and
then when Sunday comes | can't go
out, and l walk the floor, and it makes
me trelnble to think that have got to
meet God. Oh, sir, it's so hard for US.
We have to work SO, and then we have
so much trouble, and then we are get
ting along so poorly; and see this wee
little&hinS growing weaker and weaker;
and then to think we are not getting
nearer to God, but floating away from
him. Oh, sir, do wish was ready to
die"
DUTY OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
should not wonder if they had
good deal better time than we in the
future, to make up for the fact that
they had such bad time here. 1t
wonld be just like Jesus to say: ''Come
up and take the highest seats, You
suffered with Inc on earth; now be glo-
ritied with me in heaven" o thou |
weeping One of Bethany! o thou dy-
ing One of the crossl Have mercy on
these starving, freezing, homeless poor
of these great cities
| have preached this sermon for four
or five practical reasons: Because 1
want you to know who are the uproot-
ing classes of society. Because l want
you to be more discriminating in your
charities, Because | want your hearts
open with generosity and your hands
open with charity. Because | want
you to be made the sworn friends of
all city evangelization, and all news
boys lodging houses, and all children's
aid societies and Dorcas societies, un-
der the skillful manipulation of wives
and mothers and sisters and daughters
Let the spare garments of your ward
robes be fitted to the limbs of the wan
and shivering. l should not wonder if
that hat that you give should come
back q jeweled coronet, or il that gar
nent that you hand out from your
should mysteriously be whit
sned and somehow wrought into the
Saviour's own robe, so in the last day
le would run his hand over it and say.
Il was naked, and ye clothed me-"
That would be putting your garments
o glorious uses.
But more than that, l have preached
he sermon because | thought in the
contrast you would see how very kind
y God had dealt with you, and |
houSht chat thousands of you would
20 TO your comfortable homes and sit
It your well filled tables and at the
warm registers, and look at the round
aces of your children, and that then
7ou would burst into tears at the re
7iew of Gods goodness to you. and
hat you would go to your room and
ock the door and lxneel down and saw;
20 Lord, | have been an migrate,
make me thy child. o Lord, there are
70 many hungry and unclad and un.
heltered today; thank thee that all
ny life thou hast taken such good care
If me. o Lord, there are so MANY
lex and crippled children today; |
hank thee mine are well, some of them
m earth, some of them in heaven. Thy
GOODNESS, o Lord, breaks me down.
Take me once and forever Sprinkled
IS was many years ago at the altar
While my mother held me, now con,
eerate my soul to thee in holier ban.
ism OF repenting tears.
.f9r sinners, Lord, thou cam'st to bleed.
Ana I'm sinner vile indeed; ''
LORD bolleve thy grace is free.
"n' magnify that grace to me-"
Gross CsrelessAess.
ans lireezy-rhat statue you made