The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-12-27

meetings When half his converts are
drinking people, daily tempted and en-
tlced by the saloon on every corner !
The Christian daily we must have II
would be giving up to the enemy to
have The News fail. have great con-
fidence in Mr.. Norman's ability. have
not seen his plans. but I have the con.
fdence that he has in making the paper
succeed If it is carried forward on a
large enough scale.
II cannot believe that Christian ill.,
telligence in journalism will be inferior
to un-Christian intelligence, even when
1t comes to making the paper pay finan-
cially. So that is my reason for putting
thls money-God's, not mine-into this
powerful agent for doing as Jesus
would. If we can keep such a paper
going for one year, I shall be willing to
see that amount Of money used in the
experiment. Do not thank me. Do not
consider my promise a wonderful thing.
What have done with Gods money
All these years but crafty my own
selfish, physical, personal desires What
can do with the rest of it but try to
make some reparation for what 1 have
stolen from Godf That is the way I
look at 1t now. believe it is what
Jesus would do.
Over the lecture room swept that nm
seen yet distinctly felt wave of Divine
presence. No one spoke for awhile.
Henry Maxwell. standing there where
the faces lifted their intense gaze into
his. felt what he had already felt be-
fore, a strange setting back out of the
nineteenth century into the first, when
the disciples had oil things in common,
and spirit Of fellowship must have
flowed freely between them such as the
First church Of Raymond had never
known. How much had his church
membership known Of this fellowship
In daily interests before this little com.
pany had begun to do as Jesus would
dos It was with difficulty that he
thought OF his present age and its sur
roundings. The Same thought was pres
ent 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 ! shall in the course Of my obedi-
ence to my promise meet with loss or
trouble in the world. I 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 dor"
All this the distinct wave of spiritual
power expressed It had the effect that
a physical miracle may have had on
the early disciples in giving them q
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 DOS
sible
He was already at his old work of
telegraphy 1t was a 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.
"a mans foes are they Of his own
household" when the rule of Jesus is
obeyed by some and disobeyed by 9TH
era. Jesus Is a 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 themP 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 influ-
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 focking
toward him when the meeting closed,
and the response to his appeal for help
from the Christian disciples in Ray.
mOnd was fully understood nv this l;ttla