The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-12-22


was evident to herself that her emotion
was not that of regret or sorrow. Some
how glad, new JOY had come to her.
She had entered another circle of ex-
perience, and later in the day she re-
Joiccd with very strong and sincere
gladness that her Christian disciplcship
found room for this crisis in her feel
ing 1t was indeed part of it, for if
she were beginning to love Roliin it
was the Christian man who had won
her heart. The other never would have
moved her to this great change.
And Rollin a3 he went back treasured
, hope that had been stranger TO hin.
since Rachel had said no that day. Ia
that hope he went on with his work as
the days sped on, and at no time was
he more successful in reaching and saw
ing his old acquaintances than in tho
time that followed that chance meeting
with Rachel Winslow.
The summer had gone. and Raymond
was once more facing tho rigor of hor
winter season. Virginia had been able
to accomplish q part of her plan for
Capturing the Rcctangle," as she
called it, but the building of houses in
the field, the Transforming of its bleak,
bare aspect into an attractive park, all
of which was included in her plan, was
work too largo TO be completed that
fall after she had secured the property
But a million dollars in the hands Of q
person who really wants to do with il
as Jesus would ought to accomplish
wonders for humanity in short time,
ro1 % L,
scene of the new work one day after q
noon hour with the shopmen, was
amazed to see how much had been done
outwardly.
Yet he walked homo thoughtfully.
and on his way he could not avoid the
question of the continual problem thrust
into his notice by the saloon. How
much had been done for the Rectangle,.
after all2 Even counting in Virginia's 8
and Rachel's work and Mr.. Gray's,
where had it actually counted in any
visible quantity2 OF course he said to
himself that the redemptive work begun
and carried on by the Holy Spirit In
his wonderful displays Of power in the
First church and in the tent meetings
had had its effect on the life Of Ray
mond, but as he walked past saloon aft
er saloon and noticed tho crowds going
in and coming out of them. as he saw
the wretched dens, as many as ever ap-
parently, as he caught the brutality and
squalor and open misery and degrade
tion on countless faces of men and
women and children, he sickened at the
sight. He found himself asking how
much cleansing could even q million
dollars poured into this cesspool accom-
plish? Was not the living source of
nearly ell the human misery they
sought to relieve untouched rs long IS
these saloons did their deadly but legiti-
mate work. What could even such I'M
selfish Christian discipleship as Vir-
ginia's and Rachel's do to lessen the
stream Of vice SO long as the great
spring OF vice and crime flowed as deep
and strong as ever2 Was it not u prac-
ticnl waste of beautiful lives = Ahese
young women to throw themselves into
this earthly hell when for every soul
rescued by their sacrifice the saloon
made two more that needed rescue?
He could not escape the question 1t
was the same that Virginia had put to
Rachel in her statement that, in her
opinion, nothing really would ever be
done until the saloon was taken out Of
the Rectangle. Henry Maxwell went
back to his parish work that afternoon
with added convictions on the license
business.
Bat, If the saloon were factor in
the problem of the life Of Raymond, no
less were the First church and its little
company Of disciples who had pledged
themselves to do as Jesus would dor
Henry Maxwell, standing at the very
center of the movement, was not in a
position to judge of its power as some
one from the outside might have done.
but Raymond itself felt the touch Of
this new discipleship and was changed