The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-21
HOW AN IDOL FELL.
Object Lesson Of Bible House That
Proved Fraud.

.copYR1cur. 1881

tcoPYRIGHT. 1888
His smile was beatifc. I had OBJ
served the guileless face of the little
old man on previous visits to the Bible
house, that beehive at the corner of
Astor place and Fourth avenue.
Anybody who gazes once into the
small, steel-gray eyes of this quaint
old man, lowering about the Bible
| house, would have thought that he
was deeply in earnest. My presence
in the locality On this day was due to
search for the proper Chinese words
to accurately describe type of linger-
ing leprosy that attacks the celestials
of the rice swamps-the nah flung
| and sought an intelligent missionary,
then employed by the Bible society,
who had enjoyed half a lifetime's stay
in the middle kingdom. Encounter
ing the object Of my search IN the hall
way, I obtained the information l
needed, after which pointed ont the
dried-up old man, and asked:
"Do you know him?"
"Yes, indeed There is a true phi
lanthropist-orew who dares do good by
stealth. Follow him inside and you
will see him buy hundred New Testa-
ments. These he will carry away-for
distribution among the lowly, thirst
ing for the Word. Why, there's no
possible way of telling how much SAL
vation that earnest man has brought
to hearts that were ahunger for right
eousness but found it not because the
Light had failed to fall across their
paths. will meet you in the mission
ary room. Gene there when you have
studied the lessen-the great lesson Of
good deeds. Verify, he's fisher Of
men!"
Entering the salesroom - not i'm
PEELED by curiosity, but aglow with re-
spect-1 looked the man carefully
over. He was sixty; but life wore a
serenity for him that commanded ad-
miration. Clothes do not make the
man; they certainly did not in this
case. His was personality that rose
superior to dress. The coat had been
brushed until it shone like a polished
stove; the three seams in the back,
white from wear, radiated from the
waist like the pod of a poppy. The
buttons were new, and, judged by the
irregularity with which they were at
tached to the garment, had been re-
placed many times by the wearer 1t
was obvious that the poor little body
had shrunk considerably since the coat
was new, for it was buttoned very
far over on the left side, and the back
was consequently badly puckered at
the waist. The hat was more charac-
teristic than the ceat. Not particle
Of plush yet adorned it. Brushing had
removed every fiber of the silk, even
on the top of the brim.
The face was that of man who
lived well, ate heartily, slept peace
fully; in short, a man whose daily life
was thoroughly in accord with his con-
science. The eye was a trife small;
but the nose was fne and the chin a
beauty bright"
While l was contemplating my model
of integrity, he bought a hundred of
the small, hexible-covered New Testa-
ments for four dollars and eighty
cents. They were neat little volumes
with red edges, printed in small but
clear type, and sold at the book stores
for quarter of a dollar each. He had
them made into neat bundle, paid
for them chiefly in postage stamps and
declined to have the books ''sent"
home. Taking the package reverently
in his arms he limped away. did not
intend to follow him, but the entrance
to the Office section of the great build
ing was on Astor place and 1 turned
my steps in that direction. Instinc-
lively, my eyes followed the good man
for it isn't every day that you see
people going about doing good by
stealth. To my surprise, saw him go
direct to man who stood leaning
against an elevated railroad pillar and
transfer to his keeping the precious