Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-11-08


"Then this is what l propose to do
The old saloon building is large enough
to arrange into a suit of rooms that
will represent an ordinary house. My
plan is to have it 80 arranged and then
teach housekeeping and cooking to girls
who will afterward go out 10 service.
The course will be six months long. In
that time I will teach plain cooking,
neatness; quickness and love of good
work. "
Hold on, Felicia' the bishop inter
rupted "This is not an age Of mira.
cles "
"Then 1 will make it one, replied
Felicia. II know this seems like an i'm
possibility. ,ut want to try it. l know
a score of rls already who will take
the course, nd if we can once establish
something l. le an esprit de corps among
the girls themselves I am sure 1t will
be of great value to them. know al
ready that the pure food is working a
revolution in many families.
Felicia. if you can accomplish half
Of what you propose to do, it will bless
this whole community" said Mrs
Bruce II don't see how you can do it,
but say God bless you'll as you try.
$50 say we ALL" cried DR.. Bruce and
the bishop, and Felicia plunged into the
working out of her plan with the en-
thusiasm Of her discipleship. which ev-
cry day grew more and more practical
and serviceable.
1t must be said here that Fellcla's
plan succeeded beyond all expectations.
She developed wonderful powers of per-
suasion and taught her girls with aston
ishing rapidity to do all sorts of house
work In time the graduates Of Felicia 8
cooking school came to be priced by
housekeepers all over the city But that
is anticipating our story The history
of the settlement has never yet been
written. When it is. Felicis's part will
be found of very great Importance.
The depth of winter found Chicago
presenting. as every great city Of the
world presents. to the eyes of Christen.
dom that marked contrast between
riches and poverty. between culture.
refinement. luxury, ease and ignorance,
depravity. destitution and the bitter
struggle for bread 1t was hard win
ter. but gay winter Never had there
been such succession of parties, recep-
tions. balls dinners. banquets. fetes.
gayeties: never had the opera and the
theater been 80 crowded with fashion
able audiences; never had there been
such lavish display of jewels and fine
dresses and equipages, and. on the 9th.
er hand. never had the deep want and
suffering been so cruel. 80 sharp. 80
murderous; never had the winds blown
80 chilling over the lake and through
the thin shells of tenements in the
neighborhood of the settlement; never
had the pressure for food and fuel and
clothes been so urgently thrust up
against the people of the city in their
most importunate and ghastly form.
Night after night the. bishop and Dr.
Bruce. with their helpers. went out and
helped to save men and women and
children from the torture of physical
privation Vast quantities Of food and
clothing and large sums Of money were
donated by the churches, the charitable
societies. the civic authorities and the
benevolent associations, but the personal
touch Of the Christian disciple was very
hard to secure for personal work
Where was the discipleship that was
obeying the Masters command to go it.
self to the suffering and give itself with
its gift. in order to make the gift Of
value in time to comet The bishop
found his heart sink within him as he
faced this fact more than any other
Men would give money who would not
think of giving themselves. and the
money they gave did not represent any
real sacrifice because they did not miss
it They gave what was the easiest to
give. what hurt them the least. Where
did the sacrifice come inf Was this fol-
lowing JesusY Was this going with
him all the way1 He had been to many
members of his own wealthy and aris'
tocratic congregation and was appalled,
to find how few men md women of that
luxurious class in the churches would
really suffer any genuine Inconvenience
for the sake of suffering humanity
Is charity the giving Of wornout gar
mentsr Is it ten dollar bill given to
paid visitor or secretary of some be-
nevolent organization in the church 2
Shall the man never 90 and give his
gift himself3 Shall the woman never
deny herself her reception or her party
or her musical and 20 and actually
touch the foul. sinful sore of diseased
humanity as it testers in the great me-
tropolisY Shall charity be conveniently
and easily done through some organiza-
tiony Is it possible to organize the af-
fections so that love shall work dis
agreeable things by proxyH
All this the bishop asked rs he plunged
deeper into the sin and sorrow of that
bitter winter He was bearing his cross
with JOY. but he burned and fought
within over the shifting Of personal
love by the many upon the hearts of the
few And still. silently. powerfully, re-
sistlessly. the Holy Spirit was moving
through the church upon even the aris
tocratic. wealthy. ease loving members,
who Stunned the terrors Of the social
problem az they would shun con-
tagious disease
This fact was impressed upon the
bishop and the settlement workers in
startling way one morning Perhaps no
one incident that winter shows more
plainly how much of momentum had