Middletown transcript., 1900-03-03

that the remedy for the social wrong
was trades unionis1n. This, he said
would bring on the millennium for Ia
bor more than anything else. The mex
man endeavored to give some reason
why so many persons were ont Of EN-
ployment and condemned inventions a
/ the works of the devil He was loudl,
app1auded by the rest Of the company.
Finally the bishop called time on tn
free for all and asked Rachel to sing
Rachel Winslow had grown into |
very strong, healthful, humble Chris
tian during that wonderful year il
Raymond dating from the SUNDAY
when she first took the pledge to do a
Jesus would do, and her great talent oi
| song had been fully consecrated to the
| service Of her Master. When she began
to sing tonight at this settlement meet
ing, she had never prayed more deeply
for results to come from her voice-the
voice which she now regarded as the
Masters, to be used for him.
Certainly her prayer was being an
| swered as she sang. She had chosen the
words:
Hark, the voice Of Jesus calling,
Follow me, follow mel
Again Henry Maxwell, sitting there,
was reminded of his first night at the
Rectangle in the tent when Rachel sang
the people into quiet. The effect was
the same here. What wonderful power
good voice consecrated to the Master q
service always isl Rachel's great nat
ural ability would have made her one
of the foremost opera singers Of the age
Surely this audience had never before
heard such melody. How could it, The
men who had drifted in from the street
sat entranced by voice which "back
in the world" never could be heard by
the common people because the owner
Of 1t would charge % or $3 for the
privilege. The song poured out through
the hall as free and glad as If 1t were Q
foretaste Of salvation itself.
Carlson, with his great black bearded
face, absorbed the music with the deep
love of it peculiar to his nationality.
and tear ran over his cheek and glis-
tened in his beard as his face softened
and became almost noble in its aspect.
The man out Of work who had wanted
to know what Jesus would do in his
place sat with grimy hand on the back
Of the bench in front of him, with his
mouth partly open, his great tragedy
for the moment forgotten. The song
while it lasted was food and work and
warmth and union with his wife and
babies once more. The man who had
spoken 80 fiercely against the churches
and the ministers sat with his head
erect at first, with a look Of stolid re-
sistance, as if he stubbornly resented
the introduction into the exercises Of
anything that was even remotely con-
nected with the church or its form Of
worship, but gradually he yielded to
the power that was swaying the hearts
of all the persons in that room, and a
look Of sad thoughtfulness crept over
his face.
The bishop said to himself that night
while Rachel was singing that if the
world of sinful, diseased, depraved, lost
humanity could only have the gospel
preached to it by consecrated prima
donnas and professional tenors and altos
and bassos he believed it would hasten
the coming Of the kingdom quicker
than any other one force. ''Why, oh,
why" he cried in his heart as he lis
tened, "has the world great treasure in
song been so often held far from the
poor because the personal possessor OF
voice or fingers capable of stirring di-
vinest melody has SO often regarded the
gift as something with which to make
money! Shall there be no martyrs
among the gifted ones of the earth
Shall there be no giving Of this great
gift as well as Of othersi"
And Henry Maxwell again, as before,
called up that other audience at the
Rectangle, with increasing longing for
Q larger spread Of the new discipleship.
What he had seen and heard at the set
Element burned into him deeper the be-
lief that the problem Of the city would
be solved If the Christians in it should
once follow Jesus as he gave command
ment. But what Of this great mass Of
humanity, neglected and sinful the
very kind of humanity the Saviour
came to save, with all its mistakes and
narrowness, its wretchedness and loss
OF hope-above all, its unqualified Bit
terness toward the churchl That was
what smote Henry Maxwell deepest.
Was the church, then, SO far from the |
Master that the people no longer found |
him in the church, Was it true that |
the church had lost its power over the
very kind Of humanity which in the |
early ages Of Christianity it reached in
the greatest numbersf How much was
true in what the socialist leader said |
about the uselessness of looking to the
church for reform or redemption be-
cause OF the selfshness and seclusion
and aristocracy of its membersf
He was more and more impressed
with the appalling fact that the com
paratively few men in the hall, now
being held quiet for awhile by Rachel's
voice, represented thousands Of others
Just like them, to whom a church and
minister stood for less than saloon
or a beer garden as a source Of comfort
u happiness Ought it to be so7 If the
church members were all doing as Jesus
would do, could it remain true that
armies Of men would walk the streets
or jobs and hundreds of them curse
he church and thousands of them find
n the saloon their best friendf How
ar were the Christians responsible for
his human problem that was personally
Illustrated right in this hall tonightf
VAS it true that the great city churches
would, as rule, refuse to walk in Je-
us steps SO closely as to suffer. actual
y suffer, for his sake?
Henry Maxwell kept asking this cues
ion even after Rachel had finished sing
ng and the meeting had come to an
nd, after q social gathering which was
cry informal. He asked it while the
title company Of residents, with the
raymond visitors, were having devo-
ional service, as the custom in the set
lement was. He asked it during con-
erence with the bishop and DIR. Bruce
which lasted until | o'clock. He asked
: as he meeled again before sleeping
nd poured out his soul in his petition