The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-10-06
By Charles M. Sheldon.
[coNT1NUED.l

on.
There was almost general consent
rer the fact that the application of
le Jesus spirit and practice to every
ay life was the serious thing 1t re-
uired a knowledge Of him and an in
ght into his motives that most of them
id not yet possess.
When they finally adjourned after a
lent prayer that marked with grow
g power the Divine presence. they
snt away discussing earnestly their
faculties and seeking light from one
,other.
ent out together Edward Norman
d Milton Wright became so interest
in their mutual conference that they
liked on past Norman's home and
me back together Jasper Chase and
ge president of the Endeavor society
bod talking earnestly in one corner of
e room Alexander Powers and Henry
axwell remained even after all the
5hers had gone.
81 want you to come down to the
hops tomorrow and see my plan and
salk to the men. Somehow l feel as if
you could get nearer to them thar any
one else just now"
81 don't know about that, but l viii
come" replied Henry Maxwell, a lit
tie sadly How was he fitted to stand
before 900 OF 800 workingmen and give
them a message7 Yet in the movement
of his weakness. as he asked the ques-
y 49,. H. ,xI L. .,l l....a1G Q..4 y1-1.l
would Jesus do? That was an end to
the discussion.
He went down the next day and
found Alexander Powers in his office
1t lacked a few minutes of 10, and the
superintendent said, "Come up stairs.
and III show you what I've been try
ing to do.
They vent through the machine
shops, climbed a long flight of stairs
and entered a very large empty room.
1t had once been used by the company
for a storeroom.
"Since making that promise a week
sego ! have had a good many things to
nix Of" said the superintendent.
aad among them is this: Our com
panty gives me the use of this room. and
/ am going to fit it up with tables and
a coffee plant in the corner there where
those steam pipes are. My plan is to
provide a good place where the men
can come up and eat their noGn lunch
and give them, two or thres times a
week. the privilege Of a Is minutes
talk on some subject that will be a real
help to them in their lives.
Maxwell looked surprised and asked
if the men would come for any such
purpose.
Eyes, they'll come. After all. I know
the men pretty well. They are among
the most intelligent workingmen in the
country today, but they are, as a whole.
entirely removed from all church inhu-
ence. ] asked, What would Jesus do?'
and, among other things. it seemed to
me he would begin to act in some way
to add to the lives Of these men more
physical and spiritual comfort. 1t is a
very little thing, this room and what it
represents, but | acted on the first i'm
pulse to do the first thing that appealed
to my good sense. and | want to work
out this idea | want you to speak to
the men when they come up at noon !
have asked them to come UP and see
the place and I'll tell them something
about it,"
! Henry Maxwell was ashamed to say
how uneasy he felt at being asked to
speak a few words to a of
worklngnen How could hespeak with
out notes or to such a crowd? He was
honestly in a condition of genuine
fright over the prospect. He actually
felt afraid of facing these men e
shrank from the ordeal of confronting
such a crowd. so different from the
sunday audiences he was familiar with.
Where were half a dozen long rude
tables and benches in the great room.
and when the noon whistle sounded the
mel poured up stairs from the machine
shop below and, seating themselves at
the tables. began to eat their lunch.
There We're perhaps 300 of them. They
read the superintendent notice,
which he had posted up in various
places. and came largely out Of curl
osity.
They were %favorably impressed. The
room was large and airy. free from
smoke and dust and well warmed from
the steam pipes.
). About 20 minutes of I Alexander
Powers told the men what he had in
mind. He spoke very simply. like one
who understands thoroughly the char
acter OF his audience, and then intro
duced the Rev. Henry Maxwell of the
First church. his pastor. who had con
sented to speak a few minutes,
Henry Maxwell will never forget the
feelings with which for the first time
he confronted that grimy faced audi
ence of w~orkingmen, Like hundreds of
Other ministers, he had never spoken to
any gathering except those made up Of
people of his own class in the sense that
they were familiar in their dress and
education and habits to him. This was
a new world to him. and nothing but
his new rule Of conduct could have
made nossihle his messap e and its effect