St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-10-25

uOl III was WIN ultnculty That ne
thought of his present age and it's sur.
roundings. The same thought was pres
ont with all the rest also. There was an
unspoken comradeship such as they had
never known. 1t was present with them
while Virginia was speaking and dur
ing the silence that followed. If it had
been defined by any one Of them, it
would perhaps have taken some such
shape as this
''If l shall in the course of my obedi-
ence to my promise meet with loss or
trouble in the world, can depend upon
the genuine, practical sympathy and
fellowship of any other Christian in this
room who has with me made the pledge
to do all things by the rule, What
would Jesus do?'
All this the distinct wave of spiritual
power expressed. 1t had the effect that
physical miracle may have had on
the early disciples in giving them a
feeling of confidence in their Lord that
helped them to face loss and martyrdom
with courage and even joy.
Before they went away this time
there were several condolences like those
Of Edward Norman Some of the young
men told Of the loss Of places owing to
their honest obedience to their promise
Alexander Powers spoke briefly Of the
fact that the commission had promised
to take action at the earliest date pos
sible
He was already at his old work of
telegraphy 1t was o significant fact
that since his action in resigning his
position neither his wife nor daughter
had appeared in public No one but
himself knew the bitterness Of that fam
lily estrangement and misunderstanding
of the higher motive. Yet many of the
disciples present in the meeting carried
similar burdens. There were things
which they could not talk about Henry
Maxwell, from his knowledge of his
church people, could almost certainly
know that obedience to this pledge had
produced in the hearts of families sep
aration of sympathy and even the intro
duction Of enmity and hatred. Truly,
ga mans foes are they of his own
household when the rule of Jesus is
obeyed by some and disobeyed by 9th
ers Jesus is great divider of life One
must walk either parallel with him or
directly across his path.
But more than any other feeling at
this meeting rose the tide of fellowship
for one another. Henry Maxwell watch
ed it, trembling for its climax, which
he knew was not yet reached. When it
was where would it lead them2 He
did not know, but he was not unduly
alarmed about it. only he watched with
growing wonder the results of that
simple promise as it was being obeyed
in these various lives. Those results
were already being felt all over the
city. Who could measure their infu-
ence at the end of the year?
One practical form of this fellowship
showed itself in the assurances which
Edward Norman received in support of
his paper There was general flocking
toward him when the meeting closed,
and the response to his appeal for help
from the Christian disciples in Ray
mond was fully understood by this little
company. The value of such paper in
the homes and in behalf of good citizen
ship, especially at the present crisis in
the city, could not be measured. 1t re-
| tn ha uhnt h.
now that the paper was endowed so lib
orally. But it still was true, as Edward
Norman insisted, that money alone
could not make the paper power 1t
must receive the support and sympathy
of the Christians in Raymond before it
could be counted as one of the great
Christian forces of the city.
The week that followed this Sunday
meeting was one Of great excitement
in Raymond 1t was the week of the
election Donald Marsh, true to his
promise, took up his cross and bore it
manfully, but with shuddering, with
groans and even tears, for his deepest
conviction waa touched and he tore
himself out of the scholarly seclusion
of years with pain and anguish that
cost him more than anything he had
ever done as follower of Christ. With
him were few of the college professors
who had made the pledge in the First
church. Their experience and suffering
We're the same as the presidents for
their isolation from all the duties of
citizenship had been the same The
same was also true of Henry Maxwell
who plunged into the horror of this
fight against whisky and its allies with
a sickening dread of each days en-
counter with it. Never had he borne
such cross He staggered under it,
and in the brief intervals when he came
in from the work and sought the quiet
Of his study for rest the sweat broke
out on his forehead, and he felt the &C.
tual terror of one who marches into
unseen, unknown horrors. Looking back
on II afterward, he was amazed at his
experience, He was not coward, but
he felt a dread that any man of his
habits feels when confronted suddenly
with duty which carries with it the
doing of certain things so unfamiliar
that the actual details connected with
it betray his ignorance and fill him
with the shame of humiliation.
When Saturday, the election day,
came, the excitement rose to its height.
An attempt was made to close all the
saloons. 1t was partly successful, but
there was a great deal of drinking go.
ing on all day. The Rectangle boiled