People's voice., 1899-12-28

The people OF Raymond awoke Sun
day morning to a growing knowledge
of events which were beginning to rev.
olutionizs many Of the regular custom
ary habits Of the town Alexander Pow
ers action in the matter of the railroad
frauds had created a sensation, not only
in Raymond. but throughout the ooun-
try. Edward Norman's daily changes
Of policy in the conduct of his paper
had startled the community and caused
more comment than any recent polit-
ical event Rachel Winslow's singing
at the Reetangle meetings had made a
stir in society and excited the wonder
of all her friends Virginia Pages con-
duct her presence every night with
Rachel. her absence from the usual cir
Gle Of her wealthy, fashionable ac-
quaintances, had furnished a great deal
of material for gossip and question. In
addition to the events which centered
about these persons who were so well
known, there had been all through the
city, in very many homes and in bust
ness and social circles, strange happen
ings Nearly a hundred persons in
Henry Maxwell's church had made the
pledge to do everything after asking,
what would Jesus dor" and the re-
suit had been, in many cases, unheard
of actions. The city was stirred as it
had never been. As a climax to the
weeks events had come the spiritual
manifestation at the ReCtangle and the
announcement, which came to most
people before church time of the actual
conversion at the tent Of nearly 50 Of
the worst characters in the neighbor-
hood, together with the conversion of
Rollin Page, the well known society
and club man
1t is no wonder that, under the pres
sure of all this, the First church Of Ray
mond came to the morning service in a
condition that made it quickly sensi-
tive to any large truth
Perhaps nothing had astonished the
people more than the great change that
had come over the minister since he
had proposed to them the imitation of
Jesus in conduct. The dramatic deliv-
cry Of his sermons no longer impressed
them. The self satisfied, contented, easy
attitude of the fine figure and the re-
fined face in the pulpit had been dis
placed by manner that could not be
compared with the old style of his de-
livery. The sermon had become a mes
sage. 1t was no longer delivered 1t
was brought to them with a love, an
earnestness, a passion, a desire, hu-
mility, that poured their enthusiasm
about the truth and made the speaker
no more prominent than he had to be
as the living voice of God. His prayers
were unlike any the people had ever
heard before They were often broken
Even once or twice they had been actu-
ally ungrammatical in phrase or two
When had Henry Maxwell so far for
gotten himself in a prayer as to make a
mistake of that sort1 He knew that he
had often taken as much pride in the
diction and the delivery of his prayers
as of his sermons Was it possible he
now so abhorred the elegant refinement
of formal public petition that he pur-
posely chose to rebuke himself for his
previous precise manner of prayer2 It
is more likely that he had no thought
Of all that. His great longing to voice
the needs and wants of his people made
him unmindful of an occasional mis-
take. 1t is certain he had never prayed
so effectively as he did now.
There are times when a sermon has a
value and power due to conditions in
the audience rather than to anything
new or startling or eloquent in the
words or the arguments presented Such
conditions faced Henry Maxwell this
morning as he preached against the sa-
loon, according to his purpose deter
mined on thu week before. He had no
new statements to make about the evil
influence Of the saloon in Raymond.
What new facts were there! He had no
startling illustrations Of the power of
the saloon in business or politics. What
could he say that had not been said by
temperance orators a great many times ?
The effect of his message this morning
owed its power to the unusual fact Of
his preaching about the saloon at all,
together with the events that had stir
red the people. He had never in the
course of his ten years pastorate men
toned the saloon as something to be re-
garded in the light of an enemy, not
only to the poor and the tempted, but
to the business life Of the place and the
church itself. He spoke now with a
freedom that seemed to measure his
complete sense Of the conviction that
Jesus would speak so. At the close he
pleaded with the people to remember
the new life that had begun at the Rec
tangle. The regular election Of city Off
GERS would be an issue In that election.
What of the poor creatures surrounded
by the hell Of drink while Just begin
ming to feel the Joy of deliverance from
SIM Who could tell what depended on
their environmenti Was there one
word to be said by the Christian disci-
pie, business man, professional man,
citizen, in favor of continuing to license
these crimes and shame producing In
stitutionsf Was not the most Christian
thing they could do to act as citizens
in the matter, fight the saloon at the
nn1lc alaof r-o.5 ,,.... l. -