The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-02-08
CHAPTER VI

out and occupy his pulpit the first
sunday of the next month Philip was
reluctantly obliged to let Ave Sundays
Y 20 by before he was able to preach.
Turing those six weeks his attention
was called 10 a subject which he felt
ought 70 be made the theme of one of
ms talks on Christ and Modern Socie-
The leisure which he had for read
ing opened his eyes to the fact that
sunday in Milton was terribly desecrat-
ed. Shops of all kinds stood wide open.
excursion trains ran into the large
city 40 miles away, two theaters were
always running with some variety
snow, and the saloons, in violation of
an ordinance forbidding it, unblushing-
~ hung their doors open and did more
business on that day than any other.
AS Philip read the papers he noticed
that every Monday morning the police
court was more crowded with ''drunks"
and "disorderlies' than on any other
day in the week, and the plain cause of
It was the abuse of the day before
In the summer time baseball games
were played in Milton on Sunday. In
the fall and winter very many people
spent their evenings in card playing
or aimlessly strolling up and down the
main street. These facts came to Phil
Fps knowledge gradually, and he was
not long in making up his mind that
Christ would not keep silent before the
facts. So he carefully prepared a
plain statement of his belief in Christ's
standing on the modern use of Sun
day, and as on the other occasions
when he had spoken the first Sunday
in the month he cast out of his reckon
Ing all thought of the consequences.
His one purpose was to do just as, in
his thought of Christ, he would do
with that subject.
The people in Milton thought that
the first Sunday Philip appeared in his
pulpit he would naturally denounce the
saloon again. But when he finally re-
covered sufficiently to preach he de-
termined that for awhile he would say
nothing in the way of sermons against
the whisky evil. He had a great hor-
TOR Of seeming to ride hobby, of be-
ing man of one idea and making peo-
pie tired OF him because he harped on
one string. He had uttered his de-
nunciation, and he would wait a little
before he spoke again. The whisky
power was not the only bad thing in
Milton that needed TO be attacked.
There were other things which must
be said. And so Philip limped into his
pulpit the third Sunday of the month
and preached on a general theme, to
the disappointment of a great crowd
almost as large as the last one he had
faced. And yet his very appearance
was sermon in itself against the in
stitution he had held up to public con-
domination on that occasion. His knee |
wound proved very stubborn, and he |
hmped badly. That in itself spoke |
eloquently Of the dastardly attempt on |
his life. His face was pale, and he |
had grown thin. His shoulder was |
stiff. and the enforced quietness of his |
delivery contrasted strangely with his !
customary fiery appearance on the
platform. Altogether that first Sun |
day OF his temperance in his pulpit |
was a stronger sermon against the sa-
loon than anything he could have spo-
ken or written.
When tie first Sunday in the next |
month came on, Philip was more like |
his old self He had gathered strength |
enough to go around two Sunday after |
moons and note for himself the desc |
Grafton of the day as it went on reck- |
lessly. AS he saw ii all it seemed to |
him that the church in Milton was |
practically doing nothing to stop the |
evil All the ministers complained of
the difficulty of getting an evening con- |
gregation. Yet hundreds Of young |
people walked past all the churches
every Sunday night. bent on pleasure,
going to the theaters or concerts or
parties, which seemed 10 have no trou-
Bile in attracting the crowd. Espe-
cIally was this true of the foreign
population. the working element con-
nected with the mills. 1t was a COM
mon occurrence for dog fights. cock
fights and shooting matches Of various
kinds TO be going on in the tenement !
district on Sunday. and the police |
seemed powerless or careless in the
matter.
All this burned into Philip like |
molten metal and when he faced his /
people on the Sunday which was be- |
coming a noted Sunday for them he !
uuiyered with the earnestness and
thrill which always come to sensitive |
man when he feels sure he has SER !
mon which must be preached and a
message which the people must hear
for their lives.
He took for a text Christ's words. |
'sThe Sabbath was made for man." and
at once defined its meaning as specia! |
day.
.gThe true meaning of our modern |
Sunday may be summed up in two
words-rest and worship. Under the |
head OF rest may be gathered what |
ever is needful for the proper and |
healthful recuperation of ones physic-
al and mental powers, always regard |
ing not simply our own ease and COM
fort, but also the same right to rest on
the part of the remainder of the COM
munity. Under the head of worship |
may be gathered all those facts which, |
either through distinct religious serv-
ice or work or thought, tend to bring |
men into closer and dearer relation to
spiritual life, TO teach men larger, |
sweeter truths of existence and of God
and leave them better fitted TO take up
the duties OF everyday business.
-Now. it is plain TO me that IL Christ
were here today and pastor of Calvary
church be would feel compelled to say |
some very plain words about the desc
Grafton Of Sunday in Milton. Take. |
for example, the opening Of the fruit /