Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-03-23

will have nothing to do with the wild
copsewood, and Athens hates Naza-
reth. This ought not so to be. the
astronomer must come down from his
starry revelry and help us in our nav
igation. The surgeon must come away
from his study Of the human organism
and set our broken bones. The chem
list must como away from his lapora-
tory, where he has been studying anal
ysis and synthesis, and help us to un-
derstand the nature OF the soils.
bless God that all classes OF people
are compelled to meet on the street.
The glittering coachwheel clashes
against the scavenger's cart. Fine
robes run against the peddler's pack.
Robust health meets wan sickness.
Honesty confronts fraud. Every class
OF people meets every other class. I'M
pudence and modesty, pride and humil-
ity, purity and beastliness, frankness
and hypocrisy, meeting on the same
block, in the same street, in the same
city. Oh! that is what Solomon meant
when he said: "The rich and the poor
meet together; the Lord is the maker
OF them ALL
l like this democratic principle OF
the Gospel CT Jesus Christ which recog-
nizes the fact that we stand before God
on one and the same platform. Do
not take on any airs; whatever posi-
ton you have gained in society, you are
nothing but man, born Of the same
Parent, regenerated by the same Spirit,
cleansed in the same blood, to lie down
in the same dust, to get up in the same
resurrection. 1t is high time that we
all acknowledged not only the Father
hood Of God, but the brotherhood OF
man.
Again, the street impresses me with
the fact that it is a great field for
Christian charity. There are hunger
and suffering, and want and wretched-
ness, in the country, but these evils
chiefly congregate in our great cities.
On every street crime prowls, and
drunkenness staggers, and shame
winks, and pauperism thrusts out its
hand asking for aims. Here, want is
most squalid and hunger Is most lean.
A Christian man, going along street
in New York, saw poor lad, and he
stopped and said MY boy, do you
know how to read and writer" The
boy made no answer. The man asked
the question twice and thrice: Can
you read and writer" and then the boy
answered, with tear FLASHING on the
back Of his hand. He said in defiance:
"No sir; l can't read nor write,
neither. God, sir, don't want me to
read and write Didn't he take away
my father so long ago never remem-
Der to have seen him? and haven't /
had to go along the streets to get
something to fetch home to eat for the
folks? and didn't l, as soon as / could
carry basket, have to go out and pick
UP cinders, and never have no school
ing, sir? God don't want me to read,
sir. l can't read, nor write neither. "
Oh, these poor wanderers! They have
no chance. Born in degradation, as
they get up from their hands and knees
to walk. they take their first step on
the road to despair. Let us go forth in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to
rescue them Let us ministers not be
afraid of soiling our black clothes
while we go down on that mission.
While we are tying an elaborate knot
in our cravat, or while we are in the
study rounding off some period rhet-
orically, we might be saving a soul
from death. and hiding a multitude OF
sins. o Christian laymen, go out on
| this work. If you are not willing to go
forth yourself, then give of your means,
and II you are too lazy to go, then get
out of the way, and hide yourself In
| the dens and caves of the earth, lest,
when Christs chariot comes along, the
horses hoofs trample you into the
mire. Beware lest the thousands OF
the destitute Of your city, in the last
great day, rise up and curse your stu
pidity and your neglect. Down to
work! Lift them up! One cold win
| ters day, as a Christian man was go
ing along the Battery in New York,
he saw a little girl seated at the gate,
shivering in the cold. He said to her:
my child, what do you sit there for
this cold day." "Oh," she replied, Il
am waiting-I am waiting for some
body to come and take care of me.
why" said the man, what makes
you think anybody will come and take
care Of your" "Oh," she said, my
mother died last week, and l was cry
ing very much, and she said: Don't
cry, dear; though l am gone and your
father is gone, the Lord will send
somebody to take care OF you My
mother never told a lie; she said
some one would come and take care oil
me, and | am waiting for them &c
come" o, yes, they are waiting fol
you. Men who have money, men who
have influence, men OF churches, men
OF great hearts, gather them in, gather
them in. 1t is not the will OF your
Heavenly Father that one OF these lit.
tie ones should perish.
Lastly, the street impresses me with
the fact that all the people are look
ing forward. see expectancy written