Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1900-09-09

long time he had carefully written out every word of his morning sermon and nearly always his evening discourse as well. It cannot be said that his sermon this morning was very striking or inn pressive. He talked with considerable hesitation. 1t was evident that some great idea struggled in his thought for utterance, but it was not expressed in the theme ha had chosen for his preach ing. It was near the close of his sermon that he began to gather certain strength that had been painfully lack ing at the beginning, lie closed the Bible, and, stepping out at the side of the desk, he faced his people and began to talk to them about the remarkable scene of the week before.
 ..0ur brother somehow the words sounded a little strange coming from Henry Maxwell,s lips passed away this morning have not yet had time to learn all his history. He had one sis ter living in Chicago l have written her and have not yet received an an swer. His little girl is with Us and will feufal1 TOT the tlfle
 lie paused and looked over the house. He thought he had never seen so many earnest faces during the entire pastor ate. He was neE able yet to tell his peo- pie his experiences, the crisis through which he was even now moving, but something of his feeling passed from him to them, and it did not seem to him that he was acting under careless impulse at all to go on and break to them this morning something of the message he bore in his heart So he went on:
 ssThe appearance and words Of this stranger in the church last Sunday made a very powerful impression on me. I am not able to conceal from you or myself the fact that what he said, followed, as it has been. by his death in my house, has compelled me to ask as never asked before, What does fol- lowing Jesus mean2' I am not in po- sition yet to utter any condemnation of this people or, to certain extent, of myself, either in our Christlike rela- tions to this man or the number he rep resents in the world. But all that does nct prevent me from feeling that much that the man said was so vitally true that we must face 1t in an attempt to answer it or else stand condemned as Christian disciples A good deal that was said here last Sunday was in the nature CT challenge to Christianity as 1t is seen and felt in our churches. 1 have felt this with increasing emphasis every day since, &n,2 l do not know that any time is more appropriate than the present for me to propose q plan or 8 purpose which has been forming in my mind as satisfactory reply to much that was said here last Sunday .
 Again Henry Maxwell paused and looked into the faces of his people There were eenfa strong, earnest meR md women in the First church. The minister could see Edward Norman editor of the Raymond Daily News He had been member of First church for ten years No man was more honored in the community. There was Alexan- der Powers, superintendent of tho rail- read shops There was Donald Marsh, president Of Lincoln college, situated in the suburbs of Raymond. There was Milton Wright. one of the great mer- chants of Raymond, having in his em- ploy at least 100 men in various shops There was Dr. West, who, although still comparatively young, was quoted as authority in special surgical cases. There was young Jasper Chase, the author, who had written one successful book and was said to be at work on q new novel There was Miss Virginia Page, the heiress, who through the re- cent death of her father had inherited a million at least and was gifted with unusual attractions of person and in- telleet. And, not least of all, Rachel Winslow from her seat in the choir glowed with her peculiar beauty of light this morning because she was so intensely interested in the whole scene.
 There was some reason perhaps in view of such material i'll the First church, for Henry Maxwell's feeling of satisfaction whenever he considered his parish as he had the previous Sunday. There was large number of strong in dividual characters who claimed mem bership there But as he noted their faces this morning Henry Maxwell was simply wondering how many Of them would respond to the strange proposi- tion he was about to make He con tinued slowly, taking time to choose his words carefully and giving the peo- pie an impression they had never felt before, even when he was at his best, with his most dramatic delivery.
 "What am going to propose now Ia something which ought not to appear unusual or at all impossible of execu- tion, yet am aware that it will be so regarded by a large number perhaps of the members of the church. But, in order that we may have thorough understanding of what we are consid- ering, I will put my proposition very plainly, perhaps bluntly. want volun-