The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-11-10


Holy Spirit in the human tragedies
brought to climax there in the most
abandoned spot in I'll Raymond, stood
out in Raclel's memory now, memory
SO recent that her room seemed for the
time being to contain all the actors and
their movements
mo. mol" she had said aloud. ~
had no right to speak to Inc after {:
thatl He should have respected IL.
place whero our thoughts should have
been | am sure DO not love him, not
enough to give him my life.
And after she had thus spoken the
evenings experience Mt the tent came
crowding in again. thrusting out all
other things 1t is perhaps the most
striking evidence Of the tremendous
spiritual factor which had now entered
the Rectangle that Rachel felt, even
when the great love of a strong man
had come very near her, that the spir-
itual manifestation moved her with an
agitation far greater than anything
Jasper had felt for her personally or she
for him.
Tho people of Raymond awolse Sun.
day morning to Il growing knowledge
of events which were beginning to rev.
olutioniZc many of the regular custom.
ary habits of the town Alexander Pow.
ers' action in the matter of the railroad
frauds had created Il sensation. not only
in Raymond, but throughout the coun,
try Edward Norman's daily changes
of policy in the conduct of his paper
had startled the community and caused
T..
ical event Rachel WinslOw's singing
Mt the RcctGnSlc meetings had made 81
stir in society and excited the wonder
of all her friends Virginia Pages con
duct, her presence every night with
Rachel. her absence from the usual cir
Gle of her wealthy. fashionable &C
quaintances, had furnished Il great deal
of material for gossip and question In
addition to the events which centered
about these pcrsors who were SO well
known, there had been all through the
city, in very many homes and in busi-
ness and social circles, strange happen.
ings Nearly hundred persons in
Henry MAXWELL 8 church had made the
pledge 20 Go everything after asking,
What would Jesus doI" and tho re-
of actions The city was stirred as it
had never been. AS Il climax to the
weeks events had come the spiritual
manifestation at the Rectanglc and the
announcement, which came to most
people before church time. of the actual
conversion ut the tent of nearly 30 Of
tho worst characters in the nciShbor-
hood. together with the conversion of
Rollin Page. the we'll known society
and club man.
1t is no wonder that under the pres
sure of all this, the First church of Ray
mond came to the morning service in Il
condition that made it quickly scnsi-
tive to any large truth
Perhaps nothing had astonished the
people more than TIA great change that
had come over the minister since he
had proposed to them the imitation of
Jesus in conduct The dramatic dcl;v-
cry of his sermons no longer impressed
them The self satisfied, contentcd easy
attitude of the fine figure and the re-
fined face in the pulpit had been dis
placed by Il manner that could not be
compared with the old style OF his de-
livery The sermon had become 4 mes
sage 1t was no longer delivered. 1t
was brought to them with Il love. an
earnestness, passion. desire, Il hu-
mility. that poured their enthusiasm
about the truth and made the speaker
no more prominent than he bad to be
as the living voice Of God. His prayers
were unlike any the people had ever
heard before They were often broken.
Even once or twice they had been actu'
ally ungrammatical in n phrase on two.
When had Henry Maxwell so far for
gotten himself in n prayer as to make Il
mistake of that sort? He knew that he
had often taken as much pride in the
dictiOn and the delivery of his prayers
as Of his sermons Was it possible lie
now so &bhorred the elegant refinement
of formal public position that he par
puscly chose to rcbullc himself for his
previous precise m&nncr Of prayer? 1t
is more likely that he had no thought
Of all that His great longing - voice
,i,c needs and wants of his people m.adc
him unniudrCl Of an occasional ms
tax II is certain h" had never proved
50 effectively as he did now
There are times when Il sermon h:5 -
value and power due TO conditions in
til" audience rather than to anything
now or startling or eloquent in the
words or thc arguments presented SUCH
conditions faced Henry Maxwell ;his
morning aS no preached against tnn -
loon, according e. his puii;o.c ,;.r.
mined on The wc"i; before. 10 l&l no
now statements IL NAL, aicJa tho vii
= -. !