The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-01-25


! gambling houses were numerous. The
man looked at Philip. turned red and
finally said it was fact, but none of
Philips business.
MY dear brother" said Philip. with
sad but winning smile, "you cannot
imagine what 1t costs me TO come TO
you about this matter. In one sense 1t
may seem to you like an impertinent
meddling in your business. In another
sense 1t is only what ought to do as
pastor of a church which is dearer to
me than my life. And have come to
you as a brother in Christ TO ask you
If IL seems to you like a thing which
Christ would approve that you, his
| disciple. should allow the property
which has come into your hands that
you may use it for his glory and the
building up of his kingdom to be used
by the agents of the devil while you
reap the financial benefit. Is it right,
my brother?"
The man to whom the question was
put made the usual excuses, that If he
did not rent to these people other men
would, that there was no call for the
property by other parties and if it were
not rented to Objectionable people 1t
would lie empty at dead loss, and so
forth. To all of which Philip opposed
the plain viii of God, that all man
has should be used in clean and honest
ways, and he could never sanction the
getting of money through such i'm
oh
induced to acknowledge that it was not
just the right thing to do and especial
~ for a church member. But when
Philip pressed him to give up the whole
Ubiquitous revenue and clear himself
of all connection with it the property
owner looked aghast.
why, Mr.. Strong, do you know
what you ask? Two-thirds of the most
regular part of my income is derived
from these rents. 1t is out of the ques-
ton for me TO give them up. You are
TOO nice in tie matter. All the prop
erty owners in Milton do the same
thing. There isn't a man of any means
in the church who isn't deriving some
revenue from this source. Why, large
part of your salary is paid from these
very rents. You will get into trouble
if you try to NEEDLE in this matter. |
don't take offense. | think you have
done your duty. And | confess it
doesn't seem exactly the thing. But,
as society is organized, don't see that
we can change the matter. Better not
try to do anything about it, Mr.. Strong.
The church likes you and will stand by
in giving you handsome support, but
men are very touchy when their pri-
vate business is meddled with"
Philip sat listening to this speech,
and his face grew whittier and he
clinched his hands tighter as the man
went on. When he had finished. Philip
spoke in low voice:
"Mr. Bentley, you do not know me.
if you think any fear of the conse-
quences will prevent my speaking to
the members of my church on any mat
ter where it seems to me | ought to
speak. In this particular matter | be-
lieve it is not only my right but my
duty to speak. / would be shamed be-
fore my Lord and Master If | did not
declare his will in regard to the uses Of
property. This question passes over
from one of private business. with
which / have no right to NEEDLE, into
the domain of public safety. where |
have a right to demand that places
which are fatal to the life and morals
of the young men and women of the
town shall not be encouraged and al
lowed to subsist through the use Of
property owned and controlled by men
Of influence in the community and es-
pecially by the members of Christ's
body. My brother" Philip went on
after painful pause, before God, in
whose presence we shall stand at last.
am l not right in my view of this mat
ter? Would noe Christ say to you just
what / am now saying"
Mr.. Bentley shrugged his shoulders
and said something about not trying to
mix up business and religion. Philip
sat looking at the man, reading him
through and through, his heart almost
bursting in him ut the thought of what
a man would do for the sake of money.
At last lie saw that he would gain
nothing by prolOnging the argument.
He rose, and with the same sweet
frankness which characterized his
opening Of the subject he said: Broth
er, | wish TO tell you that it is my in
tention to speak of this matter next
Sunday in the first of my talks on
Christ and Modern Society," be-
lieve it is something he would talk
about in public, and will speak of it
as / think he would"
you must do your duty, of course,
Mr.. Strong" replied Mr.. Bentley, some
what coldly, and Philip went out, feel
ing as if he had grappled with his first
dragon in Milton and found him to be
very ugly one and hard to kill. What
hurt him as much as the lack of spir-
itual fineness of apprehension of evil
in his church member was the knowl-
edge that, as Mr.. Bentley so coarsely
put it, his salary was largely paid out
of the rentals of those vile abodes. He
grew sick at heart as he dwelt upon
the disagreeable fact, and as he came
back to the parsonage and went up to
his coy study he groaned to think
that 1t was possible through the price
that men paid for souls.
"And this because society is as it Isl"
he exclaimed, as he buried his face in
his hands and leaned his elbows on his
desk, while his cheeks flushed and his
heart quiyered at the thought of the
filth and vileness the money had seen
and heard which paid for the very
desk at which he wrote his sermons.
But Philip Strong was not one to
give way at the first feeling Of SEEM
ing defeat He did not too harshly
. condemn his members. He wondered
at their lack of spiritual life; but, to
| his credit be 1t said. he did not harshly
L.. -.