Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-04

street cars, talking with motormen and
conductors.
Among those who attended his church
were many students OF washburn college.
a Congregational school in the neighbor-
hood of his church. He thought he was
not doing them the good that he wished.
He thought over his own college days and
remembered how distant some of the minis
ters were. He determined that none OF
those who attended his church should have
that feeling and he became one Of the
students He registered as a student at
the beginning OF the college year and en-
tered the classes with the rest. He studied
Greek and Latin with them and took part
in all their sports. The result was that he
won their complete confidence.
In the hard times of 1898 Mr.. Sheldon
received many applications for aid from
persons who were out of employment. lie
determined to find out for himself whether
or not employment could be secured by a
common laborer, and putting on suit OF
old clothes he started out in search of it..
Everyone who ever employed labor received
! a call from him, but he was invariably
turned away with the information that no
= laborers we're needed On the following
, Sunday he related his experiences, and the
people OF Topeka awoke to the fact that an
unusual sort of preacher was among them
4 First Negro Kindergarten.
j A short distance from Mr.. Sheldon's
} church is a settlement of negroes, known
In Topeka as "Tennesseetown,' in whlch
misery and want were on every hand 10
this settlement MIR. Sheldon turned his at
tention as a field for doing good. He quietly
interested some OF his congregation IN the
i work which he had in mind and from
small beginning of a few years ago several
, creditable institutions have grown up IN
Tennesseetown. Among these are Kinder
earten and a free reading ROOM III is SAID
that this was the first kindergarten lor
colored children ever established. 10 teach
tho negroes how to improve their homes
prizes we're given to the family VINO raised
| the best garden in Tennesseetown, anu an
other series OF prizes to the tamllles thaU
made the greatest improvement In the ap-
-oor.nce Of their premises. The result has
| heen marvellous. Yards are kept clean ana
every available foot of ground is planted 10
g.rden-eyen some of the parkings are
n,anted to onions and radishes. Fences nave
been built, whitewash has been freely useu
ond MANY of the huts have been trans
formed into cozy cottages.
To illustrate MIR Sheldon's methoo ol
| work. A "jointist'' located in tennessee
town several months ago and began the me
| gal sale of liquor. The usual nie'hou Va
| stopping a jointist from MS business 10
have him arrested anu iiIuo'
put this is not always satisfactory. AS soon
-. ha rooains his freedom he usually starts
in again at his old business and operates uh-
~ again arrested. 1t frequently happens
tha+ the officers of the law weary OF this per
formance sooner than the jointist does. IL
u,o. not long until the evil effects OF tne
| ioint began to be noticed in Tenhessee'o"n
| and Mr. Sheldon determined TO Try ano'nel
| method more in keeping with MS lucas i'e
erst tried nersuasion but the liquor seller
| cold he had to make living some way ana
| 10 had no employment Mr.. Sheldon at
| ono. found work for him, the shop was smut
! I'm and now the one time liquor seiiel ID
| Arm friend of the preacher -autnor'
Mr.. Sheldon receives hundreds OIL , ieI'e', :,
| asking questions regarding III MS S.'ps,
Many people suppose that tne tha ia.,,uo "a
| ecrihed in the story is an ideallHeu picture
~ NJ sbeldon's church. No one is more
| o,ic,x n correct this impression than MI
| Sholdon himself 1t is Impossible LOT niih
.o onswer nersonally all the letters ne re-
ce,ves so he has prepared printed leI'eF
| (which he sends in reply to many OIL 'ne'e'
F! in which he says: u,,,on
| ..rhe story. I'm His Steps," when written
| ,os nrre,v Imaginary. l knew OF no sucn
| n,oces or characters in existence. II "ao
! not founded upon fact, but 1t was wlit.en
Il with a desire that the imaginary ihisn1 w
i come real Since the story was "li''en
have heard Of several characters "ho "'o
i very nearly like those IN the pooA'
u A Prodigious worker.
4 Tow know the enormous amount OF WORN
1 which Mr. Sheldon accompllshes' flo e.
TO his study early each week day morhine a
: he does not eat any breakfast-ahu hi9 n.s'
task is to dispose of the stack ol GUr @ ie
snondence that always awaits hini' r.
tbat is done he is ready to take up MS
literary work or his sermons lor tne
i mainder of the forenoon. He is raplo
4 writer and as soon as the ink is of his pen
| +he manuscript Is ready to leave his hanus'
u He rarely changes a word or makes cor
j rection after 1t is once written.
/ A nroiect which Mr.. Sheldon keeps con-
II stantly in mind, and one which he hopes 10
i accomplish some time, is the establishment
of a daily newspaper after the style OF the
one described in I'm His Steps He be
lieyes that the daily newspaper Is great
| mower for good or evil in the world, and his
| idea is to conduct paper as jesus woulu IL
He were it's editor. He spent some time as
a reporter on a Topeka morning paper at
one time in order to familiarize himself
with some of the details of the business,
and he believes that daily such as he con-
templates could be successfully started at
once II he had the capital necessary for the
| enterprise.
| Notwithstanding his remarkable success
as a novelist his literary work is eec-
ondary matter with Mr.. Sheldon. HIS
church is first, above everything else. Each
winter he writes a novel, which he reads to
his congregation before allowing it to be
published.
Since his books have attained such i'm
mense popularity in England Mr.. Sheldon
has been flooded with letters from all classes
of English people. Among these are many
communications from publishers asking for
stories, and to one Of them Mr. Sheldon has
acceded. His publishing agent is now in
England arranging for the book to appear
| simultaneously in Europe and America, and
| Mr.. Sheldon himself contemplates visiting
Europe next autumn.
Immense Sale of SIN His steps"
The immense sale of "In His Steps" in
| England is doubtless due largely to the fact
that twenty English firms were pushing
| the book at one time. An English pub
! lication says that in four months its cir
| culation has far surpassed the total clrcu-
lation of all of Mrs. Henry Woods novels