St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-09-27
IN HIS STEPS.
"WHAT WOULD JESUS Do"
BY CHARLES NJ. SHELDON.
copyrighted by the Advance Publishing
Co. Chicago.
[Continued from last week.

So half dozen Of the men went with
Henry Maxwell, and the rest of the au-
dience staid in the lecture room. Max
well could not escape the thought as he
left the room that probably in his entire
church membership there might not be
found a score of disciples who were
capable of doing work that would sue
cessfully lead needy, sinful men into
the knowledge of Christ The thought
did not linger in his mind to vex him
as he went on his way, but it was sim
ply part of his whole new conception
of the meaning of Christian disciple
ship.
When he and his little company Of
volunteers reached the Rectangle the
tent was already crowded. They had
difficulty in getting to the little plat
form. Rachel was there, with Virginia
and Jasper Chase, who had come in
stead of the doctor tonight
When the meeting began with q song
In which Rachel sang the solo and the
people were asked to join in the chorus,
not foot of standing room was left in
the tent. The night was mild, and the
sides of the tent were up, and great
border of faces stretched around, look
ing in and forming part of the audience
After the singing and prayer by
one Of the city pastors who were present
Gray stated the reasons for his inability
to speak and in his simple manner
turned the service over to "Brother
Maxwell of the First church. "
"Whos de blokeT' asked a hoarse
voice near the outside of the tent
"De Fust church parson. We've got
de whole high tone swell outfit to-
night
"Did you say Fust church? l know
him. My landlord has got front pew
up there, said another voice, and there
was a laugh, for the speaker was sa-
loon keeper.
"T'row out de life line cross de dark
wavel" began a drunken man near by,
singing in such an unconscious imita
ton of a local travelling singers nasal
tone that roars of laughter ard jeers Of
approval rose around him. The people
in the tent turned in the direction of
the disturbance. There were shouts of
"Put him outl" "Give the Fust church
a chance" "Song, song Give us an
other songH'
Henry Maxwell stood up, and great
wave of actual terror went over him.
This was not like preaching to the well
dressed, respectable, good hammered
people on the boulevard. He began to
speak, but the confusion increased.
Gray went down into the crowd but
did not seem able to quiet it. Henry
Maxwell raised his arm and his voice
The crowd in the tent began to pay
some attention. but the noise on the
outside increased In few minutes the
audience was beyond Maxwell control
He turned to Rachel with sad smile
"Sing something, Miss Winslow.
They will listen to you. he said and
then sat down and put his face in his
hands.
1t was Rachel's opportunity, and she
was fully equal to it. Virginia was at
the organ, and Rachel asked her to play
a few notes of the hymn;
Saviour, follow on.
Guided by thee,
Seeing not yet the hand
That leadeth me.
flushed be my heart and still;
Fear no further i'll;
Only to meet thy will
Ny will shall be.
Rachel had not sung the first line be-
fore the people in the tent were all
turned toward her, hushed and rever-
ent Before she had finished the verse
the Rectangle was subdued and tanned
1t lay like some wild beast at her feet,
and she sang it into harmlessness. Ali
What were the flippant perfumed,
critical audiences in concert halls COM
pared with this dirty, drunken, impure,
degraded, besotted humanity that trem-
bled and wept and grew strangely, sad
ly thoughtful under the touch of the
divine ministry of this beautiful young
woman? Henry Maxwell as he raised
his head and saw the transformed mob
had a glimpse of something that Jesus
would probably do with a voice like
Rachel Winslow's. Jasper Chase sat
with his eyes ON the singer, and his
greatest longing as an ambitious author
was swallowed up in the thought Of
what Rachel Winslow's love might
some time mean to him. And over in
the shadow outside stood the last person
any one might have. expected to see at
gospel tent service, Rollin Page, who,
jostled on every side by rough men and
women, who stared at the swell in the
fine clothes, seemed careless of his sur
roundings and at the same time evil
IDENTITY swayed by the power that Rachel
possessed. He had just come over from
the club Neither Rachel nor Virginia
cav him that night.
The song was over. Henry Maxwell
rose again. This time he felt calm
What would Jesus dof He spoke as he
thought once he never could Who were
these people2 They were immortal
souls. What was Christianity A call
ing of sinners, not the righteous, to re-
pentance. How would Jesus speak 2
What would he say2 He could not tell
all that his message would include, but
he felt sure Of part Of it, and in that
certainty he spoke on. Never before
had he felt compassion for the multi
tude. " What had the multitude been
to him during his ten years in the First
church but vague, dangerous, dirty,
troublesome factor in society, outside