Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-01-10
CHAPTER vi.

In spite Of his determination to get
out and occupy his pulpit the first
Sunday Of the next month Philip was
reluctantly obliged to let five Sundays
20 by before he was able to preach.
During those six weeks his attention
was called to q subject which he felt
ought to be made the theme Of one Of
his talks on Christ and Modern Socie-
ty." 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
show, and the saloons, in violation Of
an ordinance forbidding 1t, unblushing-
ly flung 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
ip's 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 great hor-
ror of seeming to ride hobby. Of be-
Ing man Of one idea and making peo-
ple tired Of him because he harped on
one string. He had uttered his de-
nunciation. and he would wait 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 Oh u general theme, to
the disappointment Of great crowd
almost as large as the last one he had
faced. And yet his very appearance
was a sermon in itself against the in
stitution he had held up TO public con-
demnation on that occasion. His knee
wound proved very stubborn, and he
limDed badly. That in itself spoke
eloquently of the daStardly attempt on
his life. His face was po:c, and he
had grown thin. His shoulder was
stiff, and the enforced QuietnesS Of his
delivery contrasted strangely with his
customary fiery appearance OH the
platform. Altogether that first Sun
day OF his reappcarance in his pulpit
was stronger sermon against the sa
loon than anything he could have spo
keu or written.
When the first Sunday in the next
month came on. Philip WAS more like
his old self He had gathered strength
enough to 80 around two Sunday after
Moons and note for himself the desc
Grafton of the day as it went on reck'
lessly. AS he saw it 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 to 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 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 bis