The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-09-05

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when I see so many Christians living
in luxury and singing, Jesus, 1 my
cross have taken, all to leave and fol-
low thee, and remember how my wife
died in a tenement in New York city,
gasping for air and asking God to take
the little girl too. OF course l dom ex-
pect you people can prevent every one
from dying of starvation, lack of proper
nourishment and tenement air. But
what does following Jesus mean? 1
understand that Christian people own
a good many of the tenements. A mem
Der of a church vas the owner of the
n where my wife died, and I have
wondered if following Jesus all the
way was true in his case. l heard some
people singing at a church prayer meet
ing the other night,
"Al for Jesus, all for Jesus,
AL my beings ransomed powers,
All my thoughts and all my doings,
All my days and all my hours,
land l kept wondering. rs l sat on
the steps outside, just what they meant
by it. 1t seems to me there's an awful
lot of trouble in the world that some
how wouldn't exist if all the people
who sing such songs went and lived
them out. l suppose l don't under
stand. But what would Jesus do? Is
that what You mean by following his
steps? 1t seems to me sometimes as if
the people in the city churches had good
clothes and nice houses to live in, and
money to spend for luxuries, and could
go away on summer vacations and all
that. while the people outside of the
churches. thousands of them. l mean.
die in tenements. and walk the streets
for jobs. and never have a piano or a
picture in the house. and grow up in
misery and drunkenness and sin" The
man gave a queer lurch over in the di-
rection of the communion table and laid
grimy hand on it. His hat fell upon
the carpet at his feet. A stir went
through the congregation. DR.. West
half rose from his seat. but as vet the
silence was unbroken by any voice or
movement worth mentioning in the
audience. The mar passed his other
hand across his eyes and then. without
any warning, fell heavily forward on
his face. full length. up the aisle.
Henry Maxwell spoke. 1--WE will con-
slider the service dismissed" He was
down the pulpit stairs and kneeling by
the PROSTATE form before any one else.
The audience instantly rose. and the
aisle was crowded. DIR. West pro-
nounced the mar alive. He had tainted
away.
"Some heart trouble" the doctor
also muttered as he helped to carry him
into the pastors study.
Henry Maxwell and a group of his
church members remained some time
in the study. The man lay on the couch
there and breathed heavily. When the
question of what to do with him came
up. the minister insisted upon taking
him to his house. He lived near by and
had an extra room. Rachel Winslow
said: "Mother has no company at pres
ent. / am ure we would be glad to
give him a place with u.s." She looked
strangely agitated. No one noticed it
particularly. They were all excited over
the strange event, the strangest that
First church people could remember.
But the minister insisted on taking
charge CT the man, and when a carriage
came the unconscious but living form
was carried to his house, and with the
entrance of that humanity into the
minister's spare room a new chapter in
Henry. MaSwell's life began. and yet no
one. himself least Of all, dreamed of the
remarkable change it was destined to
make in all his after definition of Chris
tan discipleship.
The event created a great sensation
in the First church parish. People
talked of nothing else for "a week. 1t
was the general impression that the
man had wandered into the church in a
condition of mental disturbance caused
by his troubles and that all the time he
was talking he was in a strange de-
lirium of fever and really ignorant of
his surroundings. That was the most
charitable construction to put upon his
action. 1t was the general agreement
also that there was a singular absence
OF anything bitter or complaining in
what the man had said. He had through
out spoken in a mild. apologize tone.
almost as if he were n of tie congre-
SuuAoA scehlllS lOI liSLb Ou d very ullll-
cult subject.
The third day after his removal to
the ministers house there was a marked
change in his condition. The doctor
spoke of it and offered no hope. Satur-
day morning he still fingered, although
he had rapidly failed as the week drew
near to its close. Sunday morning just
before the clock struck 1 he rallied and
asked if his child had come. The min
lister had sent for her as soon as he had
been able to secure her address from
some letters found in the mans pocket.
He had been conscious and able to talk
coherently only a few moments since
his attack. ''The child is coming. She
will be here. Henry Maxwell said as
he sat there. his face showing marks of
the strain of the weeks vigil, for he
had insisted on sitting up nearly every
night.
81 shall never see her in this world"
the man whispered. Then he uttered
with uraat a iffnr,lfv tho u,ordc. .sNn,,