Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-02-15

1T was Jhc inspiration OF ueT CUnuuCl
and the answer to all her ambition
Three months had gone by since the
Sunday morning when DIR Bruce came
into his pulpit with the message Of the
new discipleship Never before had the
Rev Calvin Bruce realized how deep
the feelings of his members flowed He
humbly confessed that the appeal he
had made met with an unexpected re-
/ Spouse from men and women who. like
Felicia, were hungry for something in
their lives that the conventional type OF
church membership and fellowship had
failed to give them
But DR.. Bruce was not yet satisfied
for himself We cannot tell what his
feeling was or what led to the move
ment he finally made to the great as
constituent of all who knew him. better
than by relating n conversation be-
| tween him and the bishop at this time
in the history of the pledge in Nazareth
Avenue church The two friends were,
as before in DIR Bruce's house. seated
in his study
''You know what | have come in this
evening fory' the bishop was saying
after the friends had been talking some
time about the results Of the pledge
| with Nazareth Avenue people
DIR Bruce looked over at the bishop
and shook his head
"a have come to confess. went on
the bishop that | have not yet kept
my promise to walk in his steps in the
way that | believe | shall be obliged to
! if | satisfy my thought of what it
means to walk in his steps
DIR Bruce had risen and was pacing
his study The bishop remained in the
deep easy chair with his hands clasped.
but his eye burned with the glow that
always belonged to him before he made
some great resolve
Edward DIR Bruce spoke abrupt
ly-"I have not yet been able to satisfy
myself. either. in obeying my promise
but | have mt last decided on my course
In order to follow it. shall be obliged
to resign from Nazareth Avenue
church -
81 knew you would replied the
bishop quietly, ''and l came in this
evening to say that l shall be obliged
to do the same with my charge"
DR.. Bruce turned and walked up tc
his friend. They We're both laboring
under repressed excitement.
sis it necessary in your caseF" asked
Bruce
YES Let me state my reasons
Probably they are the same as yours
In fact. l am sure they are. ;" The
bishop paused moment. then went on
with increasing feeling
Calvin, you know how many years
have been doing the work of my posi-
ton, and you know something of the
responsibility and the care of it. / dc
not mean to say that my life has been
free from burden bearing or sorrow,
but l have certainly led what the poor
and desperate of this sinful city would
call a very comfortable-yes, very
luxurious-life. l have a beautiful
house to live in, the most expensive
food, clothing and physical pleasures. /
have been able to go abroad at least a
dozen times and have enjoyed for years
the beautiful companionship of art and
letters and music and all the rest of the
very best | have never known what it
meant to be without money or its
equivalent, and | have been unable to
silence the question of late, What have
l suffered for the sake of Christi Paul
was told what great things he must
suffer for the sake of his Lord Max
well s position at Raymond is well tax
en- when he insists that to walk in the
steps of Christ means to suffer. Where
has my suffering come in? The petty
trials and annoyances of my clerical life
are not worth mentioning as sorrows or
suffering Compared with Paul or any
of the Christian martyrs or early disci-
Piles, / have lived a luxurious, sinful
life, full of ease and pleasure. | cannot
endure this any longer. | have that
within me which of late rises in over
whelming condemnation of such fol
lowing of Jesus. / have not been walk
ing in his steps. Under the present sys-
tenn of church and social life | see no
escape from this condemnation except
to give the rest of my life personally to
the actual physical and soul needs of
the wretched people in the worst part
of this city. .
The bishop had risen now and walked
over to the window. The street in front
of the house was as light as day, and
he looked out at the crowds passing,
then turned, and, with passionate ut
terance that showed how deep the vol
canic fire in him burned, he exclaimed
Calvin, this is terrible city in
which we live. Its misery, its sin, its
selishness, appall my heart, and have
struggled for years with the sickening
dread of the time when l should be
forced to leave the pleasant luxury Of
my official position to put my life into
contact with the modern paganism of
this century The awful condition of
the girls in the great department stores,
the brutal selfishness of the insolent So
ciety, fashion and wealth that ignores
all the sorrows of the city, the fearful
curse of the drink and gambling hell,
the wall of the unemployed, the hatred
of the church by countless men who see
in the church only great piles of costly
stone and upholstered furniture and the
minister as a luxurious idler, all the
vast tumult of this vast torrent of hu-
manity with It's false and its true ideas,
its exaggeration of evils in the church
and its bitterness and shame that are
the result of many complex causes-all
this as total fact, in its contrast with
the easy, comfortable life l have lived,
fills me more and more with a sense Of
mingled terror and self accusation. l
have heard the words of Jesus many
times lately, Inasmuch as ye did it not
unto one of these least, my brethren,
We did it not to me. And when have ]
personally visited the prisoner or the
desperate or the sinful in any way that
has actually caused me sufferingf
Rather l have followed the conven-
tional soft habits of my position and
have lived in the society)of the rich,
refined, aristocratic members of my con-
gregations. Where has tine suffering
come in? What have l suffered for
Jesus sake? Do you know, Calvin
the bishop turned abruptly toward his
friend-'I have been tempted of late
to lash myself with a scourge. If had
lived in Martin Luther's time, 1 would
have barred my back to a self inflicted
torture -
DR.. Bruce was very pale Never had
he seen the bishop or heard him when
under the influence Of such passion.
There was a sudden silence In the room.
The bishop had sat down again and
1. l., l., L.,