Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-01-13
"Your church won't agree to It,"
"Maybe they will In time"


"Your church won't agree to It,"
Maybe they will In time"
II hope they will. And let me tell
you, MIR. Strong, even If you succeeded
In getting your church and people to
come into the tenement district you
would find plenty Of people there who
wouldn't 90 to hear you"
II suppose that Is SO. But, oh, that
we might do something" Philip clasp
ed his hands over his knee and gazed
earnestly at the man opposite. The
man returned the gaze almost as ear
nestly. 1t was the personifcation OF
the church confronting the laboring
man, each In q certain way asking the
other, What will the church dor
And it was noticeable fact that the
minister's look revealed more doubt
and anxiety than the other mans look,
which contained more or less Of indif.
ference and distrust. Philip sighed,
and his visitor soon after took bis
leave.
So it came about that Philip Strong
plunged into a work which from the
time he stepped into the dingy little
hall and faced the crowd peculiar to II
had q growing influence on all his
strange career, grew In strangeness
rapidly as days came on.
He was invited again and again tc
address the men in that part Of Milton
They were almost all Of them mill en-
ployees. They had simple organization
for debate and discussion Of questions
Of the day. Gradually the crowds In
creased as Philip continued to come
and developed series Of talks on
Christian socialism. There was stand
ing room only. He was beginning tc
know q number Of the men, and q
strong affection was growing up II
their hearts for him.
That was just before the time the
trouble ut the mills broke out. He hao
Just come back from the hall where he
had now been going every Thursday
evening and where he had spoken on
his favorite theme-"The Meaning anC
Responsibility Of Power, Both Finan
cial and Mental" He had treated the
subject from the Christian point ol
view entirely. He had several times
reused his rude audience to enthusiasm
Moved by his theme and bis surround
ings, he had denounced, with even more
than usual vigor those men Of ease
and wealth who did nothing with theil
money to help their brothers. He haC
mentioned, as he went along, what
great responsibility any great power
puts on man and had dealt In broad
way with the whole subject Of power
in men as q thing to be used and al
ways used for the common good.
He did not recall his exact state
ments, but. felt little uneasy as be
walked home, for fear he might posi-
bly, have influenced his particular au
dience against the rich as class. He
had not intended anything Of the kind
but had q vague idea that possibly he
ought to have guarded some words OF
sentences more carefully.
He had gone up into his study to FIN
ish some work when the bell rang
sharply, and he came down to open the
door just as Mrs. Strong came In from
the other room, where she had been
giving directions to the girl, who had
gone up stairs through the kitchen.
The minister and his wife opened the
door together, and one Of the neigh
bors rushed into the hall 80 excited he
could hardly speak.
"Oh, Mr.. Strong, won't you go right
down to Mr.. Winters house? You
have more influence with those mer
than any one around here"
"What men,?
"The men who are going to kill him
II some one doesn't stop tt"
What" cried Philip, turning pale
not from fear, but from self reproach
to think he might have made mis-
take. "Who is trying to kill him-the
mill menT"
Yes! No! | do not. cannot tell
But he Is In great danger, and you are
the only man in this town who cal
help to save him. Gomez!
Philip turned 10 his wife. Sarah
It is my duty. If anything should hap
pen to me, you know my soul will meet
yours at the gates Of paradise"
He kissed her and rushed out into
the night
no DE CoNTJNJ1ED