The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-11-20

women battered and bruised and stung
until the hour of despair has come, and
they stand with the ferocity of a wild
beast which, pursued until it can run
no longer, turns round, foaming and
bleeding, to fight the hounds.
There is another layer of poverty
and restitution, not so squalid, but al
most as helpless. You hear their in
cessant wailing for bread and clothes
and fire. Their eyes are sun1en. Their
cheek bones stand out. Their hands
are damp with slow consumption.
Their flesh is pulled up with
dropsies. Their breath is like
that of charnel house. They hear
the roar of the wheels of fashion over
head, and the laughter of men and
maidens, and wonder why God gave
Others so much and 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 wretch
edpess that God was good. she said:
mo; no good God. just look at me.
No good God"
In these American cities, whose cry
OF want interpret, there a re hundreds
and thousands of honest poor who are
dependent upon individual city and
state charities. If all their voices
could come up ut once, it would be u
groan that would shake the founda-
tions of the city, and bring all earth
and Heaven to the rescue. But, for the
most part, it suffers unexpressed.
1t sits in silence, crashing it's
teeth and sucking the blood
of its own arteries, waiting
for the judgment day. Oh, 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 which might have made
them comfortable on cold days; some
bread thrust into the ash barrel that
mighthave appeased their hunger for
LITTLE While; some wasted candle or
gas Set 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 vacancy
and hunger and nakcdness that dashes
against our front doorstep; l wonder
If you hear it and see as much as | hear
1T and see it. L have been almost fren-
lied with the perpetual cry for help
from all classes and from all nations,
knocking, knocking, ringing, ringing. If
the roofs of all the houses of desttu-
ton 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 well
their grief was voiced by that
despairing woman who stood by
her invalid husband and invalid
child, and said to the city mis-
sionary: Il am downhearted. Ev-
erything's against US; and then there
are other things" What other
things?' said the city missionary.
Oh" she replied, my SIM" What
do you mean by that Well" she
she, II never hear or see anything
good. It's work from Monday
morning TO Saturday night, and
then when Sunday comes can't
go out, and L walk the floor
and it makes me tremble to think that
l have got TO meet God. Oh, sir; it's so
hard for u.s. We have TO work so, and
then we are getting along SO poorly,
and see this wee little thing growing
weaker and weaker; aud then To think
we are getting no nearer to God, but
floating away from Him-oh, sir, do
wish was ready to die"
l want you to know who are the up
roofing classes of society. l want YOU
to be more discriminating in your char
tiles. l 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 "a
ton, and all newsboys' lodging
houses, and all children's aid societies.
Aye, want you to send the Dorcas So
ciety all the cast-otf clothing, that,
under the sltillful manipulation of the
wives and mothers sud sisters and
daughters, these garments may be
fitted on the cold, bare feet, and on the
shivering limbs of the destitute.
should not wonder if that hat you give
should come back a jeweled coro-
net, or that garment that you this week
hand out from your wardrobe should
mysteriously be whitened, and some
how wrought into the Saviour's own
robe, SO in the last day He would run
His hand over it and say: Il was naked
and ye clothed me-" That would be
putting your garments to glorious uses.
Besides all this, want you to APP
preciate in the contrast how very
kindly God has dealt with you in your
comfortable homes at your well-filled
tables, and at the warm registers, a nd
to have you look at the round faces of
your children, and then at the review
of Gods goodness to you, go to
your room, and lock the door,
and kneel down and say: 20
Lord have been an migrate;
make me Thy child. o Lord, there are
A.