The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-11-11

iropsies. Their breath is like that of
charnel house. They hear tie roar
II the wheels Of fashion overhead and
he gay laughter of men and 'naidens
and wonder why God gave to others so
much and to them so little; some Of
'hem thrust into an infidelity Ike that
If the poor German girl, whr, when
.old in the midst of her wretcledness
hat God was good, she said: NO; no
good God. Just look at me. No good
God"
! In these American cities, whose cry
Of want interpret, there are hundreds
Of thousands of honest poor Who are
dependent upon individual, city and
state charities. II all their voices
could come up at once, 1t would be a
groan that would shake the foundation
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 its own arteries,
waiting for the judgment day Oh,
should not wonder if on that day 1t
would be found out that some of us
had some things that belonged 10 them;
some extra carmen which might have
made them comfortable on cod days;
some bread thrust into the ash barrel
that might have appeased their hunger
for little while; some wasted candle
Or gas jet that might have kindled up
their darkness; some fresco ceiling
that would have given them a roof;
some jewel which, brought to that or
phan girl in time, might have kept her
from being crowded off the precipices
Of an unclean life; some New Testa
ment that would have told them of
him who came to seek and to save
that which was LOST" Oh, this wave of
vagranCy and hunger and nakedness
that dashes against our front door
steps. | wonder if you hear it and see
it as much as | hear it and see it! /
have been almost frenZied with the
perpetual cry for help from all classes
ana from all nations, knocking, knock
ing, ringing, ringing. 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 it? And
yet there they are.
The sewing women, some of them in
hunger and cold, working night after
night, sometimes until the blood spurts
from nostril and lip-how we'll their
grief was voiced by that despairing
woman who stood by her invalid hus-
band and invalid child and said to the
city missionary: II am downhearted.
Everything's against us, and then
there are other things" What other
things?" said the missionary, "Oh,"
she replied, my sin." What do you
mean by that?" "Well," she said, Il
never hear or see anything goodNIt's
work from Monday morning to Satur-
day night, and then when Sunday
comes l can't go out, and l walk the
floor, and it makes me tremble to think
that / have 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 getting along so poorly,
and see this wee little thing growing
weaker and weaker, and then to think
we are getting no nearer to God, but
floating away from him-oh, sir, do
wish | was ready to die!"
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 a bad time here. 1t
would be just like Jesus to say: Come
up and take the highest seats. You
suffered with me on earth. Now be
glorified with me in heaven" Oh,
thou weeping One of Bethany! o thou
dying one of the cross! Have mercy
on the starving, freezing, homeless
poor of these great cities.
| want you to know who are the up
roofing classes of society. | want you
to be more discriminating in your
charities. | want your hearts open
with generosity and your hands open
with charity. l want you to be made
the sworn friends of all city evangeli
zation, and all newsboys' lodging
houses, and all children's aid societies.
Aye, want you to send the Dorcas So
ciety all the cast en- clothing, that un-
der the skillful manipulation of the
wives and mothers and sisters and
daughters these garments may be fit
ted on the cold bare feet and on the
shivering limbs Of the destitute. l
should not wonder II that hat that you
give should come back jeweled coro-
net, or that garment that you this
week hand out from your wardrobe
should mysteriously be whitened and
somehow wrought into the Saviour's
own robe, so in the last day he would
run his hand over 1t and say, Il was
naked and ye clothed me-" That
would be putting your garments to
glorious uses.
Besides all this, want you to ap-
- l.. 1t.