Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-09-28
CHAPTER. VII

the Page mansion on the avenue. 1t |
was Sunday morning, and the clear,
sweet air, just beginning to breathe :
over the city the perfume of opening
blossoms in the woods and fields, swept |
over the caslet from one of the open
windows at the end of the grand hall
The church bells We're ringing, ard the
people on the avenue 2. hg Ivy to serv-
ice turned curious, inquirinS looks mp
at the great house aud went on, talking
of the recent events which had SO
strangely entered into and made history
in the city.
At the First church Henry Maxwell,
bearing on his face marks Of the scene
he had been through the night before,
confronted an immense congregation
and spoke of it with passion and
power that came so naturally out of
the profound experiences of the day be-
fore that his people felt for him some |
thing of the Old feeling of pride they
once had in his dramatic delivery.
Only this was a different attitude, and
all through his impassioned appeal this
morning there was a note OF sadness
and rebuke and stern condemnation
that made many of the members pale
with self accusation or with inward
anger.
For Raymond had awakened that
morning to the fact that the city had
gone for license, after all The rumor
at the Rectangle that the second and
third wards had gone no license proved
to be false. 1t was true that the victory
was won by very meager majority,
but the result was the same as if it had
been overwhelming. Raymond had
voted to continue another year the sa
loon. The Christians of Raymond stood
condemned by the result More than
hundred Christians protesting disciples,
had failed to go to the polls, and many
more than that number had voted with
the whisky men. If all the church
members of Raymond had voted against
the saloon it would today be outlawed
instead of crowned king of the munich
patty. That had been the fact in Ray
mOnd for years. The saloon ruled No
one denied that. What would Jesus do?
And the woman who had been brutal
ly struck down by the very hand that
had assisted so eagerly to work her
earthly ruin--what of her? Was it any
thing more than the logical sequence of
the whole horrible system of license
lhat for another year the saloon that
received her so often and compassed her
degradation, from whose very spot tho
weapon had been hurled that struck her
dead, would by the law which the
Christian people of Raymond voted to
support open its doors, perhaps tolnor-
row, and damn with earthly and eternal
destruction a hundred Loreens before
the year had drawn TO its bloody close?
All this, with voice that rang and
trembied and broke in sobs of anguish
fox the result, did Henry Maxwell pour
ont upon his people that Sunday morn
ing. and men and women wept as he
spoke. Donald Marsh sat there, his
usual erect, handsome, firm, bright,
self confident bearing all gone. his
head bowed upon his breast, the great
tears rolling down his cheeks, unmind
full of the fact that never before had he
shown outward emotion in public
service. Edward Norman near by sat,
with his clear cut, keen face erect but
his lip trelnbled and he clutched the end
Of the pew with a feeling of emotion
that struck deep into his knowledge of
the truth az Maxwell spoke of it. No
man had given or suffered more to in
fuence public opinion that last week
than Norman. The thought that the
Christian conscience had been aroused
too late or too seebly lay with weight
Of accusation upon the heart Of the
editor. What if he had begun 10 do
as Jesus wouls long ago? Who could
tell what might have been accomplished
10y this time? And up in the choir
Rachel Winslow, with her face bowed
on the railing of the oak screen, gave
way to feeling she had not yet al
lowed to master her, but it so untitled
her for her part that when Horny Max
well finished and she tried to sing the
closing solo after the prayer her voice
broke, and for the first time In her life
she was obliged to SIT down sobbing and
unable to 90 on.
over the church in the silence that
followed this strange scene, sobs and
the noise Of weeping arose, When had
the First church yielded to such a bap-
tism Of tears? What had become of its
regular, precise, cold, conventional or
der of service, nndisturbed by any vul-
gar emotion and unmoved by any fool
ish excitement? But the people had
lately had their deepest convictions
touched. They had been living so long
on their surface feelings that they had
almost forgotten the deeper wells Of
life. Now that they had broken to the
surface the people We're convinced of
the meaning Of their discipleship.
Henry Maxwell did not ask this
morning for volunteers to Join those
who had already pledged to do as Jesus
would, but when the congregation had
finally gone and he had entered the lee
ture room it needed but a glance to
show him that the original company of
followers had been largely increased
The meeting was fender. 1t glowed
with the Spirits presence; it was alive
with strong and lasting resolve to begin
war on the whisky power Of Ray
mond that would break its reign Since
the first Sunday when the first company
OF volunteers had pledged themselves to
do as Jesus would do the different meet
fngs had been characterized by distinct
impulses or impressions. Today the en-