The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-29
al SIMPLE SUNDAY STORY
Or. HOGs'S LABOR OF LOVE
AMONG The POOR.
The .semI-C CENTENNIAL of His Pastor
ate of His Church IN
Richmond.
News and Observer Bureau,
Metropolitan Hotel,
Mashington. D. q. March p.


spring afternoon it seems years ago
lolling as a youth through the great
library Of the University of Virginia,
| put my hand, in the most desultory
kind of 81 way upon book, wrinl<led
and worn with the years. In the most
desultory way / fingered it down from
the shelf, and in the most desultory
way | opened it-this same aimless
spring afternoon--so full Of dreams
Ii was a book of Pontic legend: the
page told OF St Giles, he who fed TO
the mountain as a hermit and made
a cave for himself, and who lived in
such meelness and love with all Gods
creatures that even the animals of the
forest knew him. One dny hind was
being pursued by the hunters, and
instinctively it fled pantingly to the
cave OF st. Giles, into the arms of the
hermit for refuge. The arrow that
finally pierced the heart of the help
less hind first pierced the hand of the
hermit
Another spring afternoon, not many
wears after, in the shadow of a sweet
Sabbath afternoon, / staggered into
church i'm Richmond. had been there
before / knew the man who was the
preacher well. He was telling, in his
old way, the old story that he ehad
been telling for nearly fifty years. Only
this particular afternoon, he was tell
ing something more.
An announcement rather startling
broke the still chant of the twilight
Of that church of dreams to me.
Rev. DR.. Moses ID. Hoge was telling
his congregation that he was going
to take up a new work; that his nora
ings and afternoons. belonged to them,
but that his nights belonged to him
self.
He was going every Sunday night
TO preach at Old Market Hall. The
old place was away down iR the bottom
between Shockoe Hill and Church
Hill--away down in the bad part of the
town Floods from the river had
thrcbbed there; the surge of the army
that swesled into Richmond on Educa-
ton Day had stopped in tumult there;
political harangues during stormy
days had been listened to from the
front, and the gold Of Zeb Vance's |
eloquence had been among its glories;
the boys ca Shed-town and Navy Hill
anu @(AAGANI 11Af3 Ilttt4 Sdb1lEIEtI IIIEIC I
TO make the plan Of rock-battles that |
came in the wake of the volIey of the |
muskets~ of their fathers. Night was |
more restless there than anywhere else |
in Richmond, and wickedness if more |
was yet more pathetic than
in any other section Of Richmond. The /
police court was full of those who /
came from about Old Market Hall. |
Hope had caressed the fevered brow of /
this district until the hand Of Hope |
had become wrinkled and palsied and /
hopeless with sorrow.
Was DR.. Hoge fashionable |
preacher?
He was, in the locality Of his church
and in the personnel Of his listeners.
He was an orator.
But, better, he was a poet, and better
still, he was a man Of the people,
bronzed and nervous and tall and more
Of the people than they knew-this
man of classic dignity.
He went.
1t il the story Of bis going that /
wish to tell of. lie went some years
ago. Nobody tells Of it, and it must
not be untold.
have longed to tell of it from that
spring afternoon, but have faltered be-
cause III were better not undertaken
by another.
So very recently I heard the story
from the lips Of the Doctor himself
he having been drawn into the telling
quite nnconsciously, / may say.
"HOw did / do it?' DR.. Hoge asked /
mairly in reply to my question.
II went down to the Old Market Hall
that Monday morning, and saw Mayor
Poe, the chief Of police, and told him
wanted to hold meetings in Old Mar
ket Hall every Sunday night. He ex-
pressed surprise, and urged that the
place was full Of plaster and rats and
lust and webs and what not.
II then went to a man who consented
10 have the place cleaned out; then
went to Mr.. Innman Parker and asked !
him for several thousand feet of lum- |
Der fit for seats: then I went to the
Masonic Hall, and got the loan of a
stools on which to rest the
plank lumber. Not many days, and it
was all done, and my Old Market
church was ready for my Old Market
1T was not long until Sunday night,
and felt some mfsgiyings; but I put
an invitation in the paper to all the
people to come to the services, though
/ specially asked my congregation to
keep away. ! wanted to be with those
alone who I thought needed a helping,
loving word.
when / got up Sunday night, the
seats were irregularly filled, and there
were stray groups of haggard and
vayward men and women coming
nj irregularly from God knows where.
/ did not mind this. ! had bucket Of
water over in the corner, with tin
dipper in it, and they walked to and
fro to drink, warm night, and [ told
them not to be particular about me,
/ was not nervous. ] should not be dis
turbed if the roof were to blow off.
told them to be after their own manner
to 60 out and to come in when they
pleased.
Presently there entered desolate