The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-11-12

COlu, SlCh, bCuNl, SlluhIHS
into a still darker corner under tbs
CLEAN of the lantern of the police
There has not been breath of fresh all
in that room for five years literally.
There they are, men. women, children
blacks, whites, Nary Magdalene with.
out her repentance and Lazarus without
his God. These are the olives" into
which the pickpockets and the thieves
go. as well as a great many who would
&. like a different life, but cannot get it.
These places are the sores of the city
which bleed perpetual corruption They
are the underlying volcano that threat
ems us with Caracas earthquake. 1t
rolls and roars and surges and heaves
and rocks and blasphemes and dies.
And there are only two outlets for it
the police court and the potter field
In other words, they must either go to
prison or to hell Oh, you never saw it,
you say You never will see it until on
the day when these staggering wretches
shall come up in the light of the judg-
ment throne and while all hearts are
being revealed God will ask you what
you did to help them.
There is another layer of poverty and
restitution not so squalid, but almost
as helpless. You hear their incessant
wailing for bread and clothes and fire.
Their eyes are sunken. Their cheek
bones stand out. Their hands are damp
with slow consumption. Their flesh is
puffed up with dropsies. Their breath is
like that of a charnel house. They hear
the roar of the wheels of fashion over
head and the gay laughter of men and
maidens and wonder why God gave to
others so much and to them so little.
Some of them thrust into an infidelity
like that of the poor German girl who,
when told in the midst of her wretched-
ness that God was good, said: "No,
no good God. Just look at me- No good
God.
The Christian Duty.
In these American cities, whose Cry
of want interpret, there are hundreds
and thousands of honest poor who are
dependent upon Individual, city and
state charities. If all their voices could
come up at once, it would be groan
that would shake the foundations of the
city and bring all earth and heaven to
the rescue, but for the most part it suf-
fers unexpressed. 1t sits in silence,
gnashing it's teeth and sucking the blood
of its own arteries waiting for the judg-
ment day. Oh, should not wonder if
ON that day it would be found out that
some of us had some things that be-
longed to them, some extra garment
which might have made them comfort
able on cold days. some bread thrust
into the ash barrel that might have APP
peased their hunger for little while,
some wasted candle or gas jet that
might have kindled 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 to save that which was lost. -
Oh this wave of vagrancy and hunger
and nakedness that dashes against our
front doorstep wonder if you hear it
and see it as much as l hear it and see
it. | have been almost frenzied with the
perpetual cry for help from all classes
and from all nations, knocking, knock
ing, ringing, ringing. Ii the roofs of all
the houses of restitution 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, until sometimes the blood spurts
from nostril and lip. How we'll their
grief was voiced by that despairing wo
man who stood by her invalid husband
and invalid child and said to the city
missionary Il am down hearted. Ev-
erything's against us, and then there
are other things. What other things?"
said the city missionary. 'Oh, she
replied, my sin. " What do you mean
by that?" well, she said, 81 never
hear or see anything good. It's work
from Monday morning to Saturday
night, and then when Sunday comes l
can t go out. and walk the floor, and
it makes me tremble TO think that
have got to meet God. Oh, sir it's so
hard for us. We have to work so, and
then Wa 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 frCm 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 bad time here. 1t would
be just like Jesus to say: Come up
and take the highest seats. You suffer
ed with me ON earth, now be glorified
with me in heaven" Oh, thou weep
ing One of Bethany Oh, 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. l want you
to be more discriminating in your char
tiles want your hearts open with
and your hands open with
charity. l want you to be made the