The Princeton union., 1899-09-28
CHAPTE,t. !, Continued.
By Charles NJ. Sheldon.

found Alexander Powers in his office
It lacked few minutes of 10, and the
superintendent said, "Come up stairs.
and I'll show you what I've been try
ing to do. ~
They went through the machine
shops, climbed a long flight of stairs
and entered very large empty room.
1t had once been used by the company
for storeroom.
"Since making that promise a week
ago have had good many things to
think off, said the superintendent.
land among them is this: Our COM
pany gives me the use of this room, and
I am going to fit it up with tables and
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 noon lunch
and give them, two or three times a
week, the privilege of a Is minutes
talk on some subject that will be real
help to them in their lives''
Maxwell looked surprised and asked
if the men would come for any such
purpose.
"Yes, they'll come After all, I know
the men pretty we'll They are among
the most intelligent workingmen in the
country today, but they are, as whole,
entirely removed from all church influ-
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. It is
very little thing, this room and what it
represents, but I acted on the first i'm
pulse to do the first thing that appealed
to my good sense, and I want to work
out this idea. want you to speak to
the men when they come up at noon. I
have asked them to come up and see
the place and I'll tell them something
about it. y
Henry Maxwell was ashamed to say
how uneasy he felt at being asked to
speak few words to company of
workingmen. How could he speak 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. He
shrank from the ordeal of confronting
such a crowd, so different from the
Sunday audiences he was familiar with.
There were half dozen long rude
tables and benches in the great room,
and when the noon whistle sounded the
men poured up stairs from the machine
shop below and, seating themselves at
the tables, began to eat their lunch
There were perhaps 800 Of them. They
had read the superintendent's 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 / 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 ccn-
sented to speak few minutes.
Henry Maxwell will never forget the
feelings with which for the first time
ne confronted that grimy faced audi
ence Of workingmen. 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
new world to him, and nothing but
his new rule of conduct could have
made possible his message and it's effect.
He spoke on the subject of satisfaction
with life. what caused it, what it's real
sources were. He had the great good
sense on this first appearance not to rec
ogn1ze the men as a class distinct from
himself. He did not use the term
'workingmen' and did not say a word
to suggest any difference between their
lives and his own.
The men were pleased. A good many
of them shook hands with him before
going down to their work, and Henry
Maxwell, telling it all to his wife whe1
he reached home said that never in al
his life had he known the delight hi
then felt in having handshake from
man OF physical labor: The day marked
an important one in his Christian ex
perience, more important than he knew
1t was the beginning of a fellowship be-
tween him and the working world. Il
was the first plank laid down. to hel1
bridge the chasm between the church
and labor in Raymond.
Alexander Powers went back to his
desk that afternoon much pleased with
his plan and seeing much help in it fo1
the men. He knew where he could gel
some good tables from an abandoned
eating house at one Of the stations down
the road, and he saw how the coffee ar.
rangement could be made very at
tractlve feature. The men had respond
ed even better than he anticipated, and
the whole thing could not help being 6
great benefit to them.
He took up the routine Of his work
with glow of satisfaction. After all,
he wanted to do as Jesus would, he sale
to himself. -
1t was nearly o'clock when he
opened one of the company's long envel.