The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-03-07

THE Nsa whe WIN HAN . Paper az re
Thinks christ wosia coRdaet H.

will edit the Topeka Daily Capital for .
week hcsining March is. IL perhaps to-day
the heat Advertised man In the United
States preacher or lAyman. IL is said
that Mr.. sheldon IL peculiarly averse to
notoriety and that ali the greatness which
has come 90 him through his books, his
newspaper schemes, and bis sermons has
besn foreibIy thrust upon him. Some
months ago he received tie following
telegram from = tyndioate W ritter In New
York oityi
"I am coming out TO To peka to stay n
week; coming fully prepared 10 treat OF
your methods of work. church. and Jour
books. This artlcls will be syndicated
aud published in nearly all the news.
papers Of this county,
"The minister wired back promptly :
"Ycu neeu not como. ! will not see you.
/ will not talk TO you. l have some
rights which even yon ars bound to re-
speot."
But In spite OF this shrinking modesty
the Rev. Charles Nj. Sheldon has tobted
up with great regularity foe several years
past, literally pursued and dragged to
light by hungry press. In connection
with his alleged desire - hide his candle
under a pushel second story Is told.
A st. Louis newspaper sent u repressn-
tative to interview the preacher on vaii-
GUS religious and sociological questions,
and also to cbteia some ordinary details
OF his life and his work.
~ don't talk for the press" said Mr.
Sheldon.
"B ut came n considerable distance
TO get few words from you on questions
which you have studied and In measure
claim to have solved. +" replied the report
er.
al don't advertise myself," insisted the
doctor.
The newspaper man explained his view
of it as well as possible, declared that 1t
was a serious matter for him to have
come SO far only to ffall down" on his
story, and offered to submit the manu-
script of all that he wrote. DIR. Sheldon
thereupon. Launched into severe criti-
cism of Newspapers and newspaper work
ers, their .insincerity," ''shallowness,
and a variety Of shortcomings.
QUCIOTt odlu tho ho"sRopS' NfeA
oaietly, when the preacher had finished,
1--WE are guilty Of u great many weak ness
es, and some Of us don't know our trade.
But we call STUFF stuff; we don't call 1t
literature. and we don't palm 1t oil for
sermons"
What the author Of "In His Steps"
replied is not recorded.
NOVEL WORK IN TOPEKA.
Mr.. Sheldon is pastor Of the Central
Congregational church Of Topeka, Kan.
He came to the town from apastorate In
Vermont twelve years ago, ana began
services In a little room over grocery
store In the suburbs. Following out
plan which he had adopted in his earlier
work, he divided the people OF Topeka
into eight groups and studied these
groups In turn. Although modest to q
pa!nful degree, each one of the retiring
pastors studies either began or ended In
some sensational manner. The eight
groups were street-cer and electric -uar
men, negroes, Santa he railroad men,
Wash burn college students, dot 1rs, law
yers, business men, and newspaper men.
Each Of the classes received attention.
and each formed the basis OF a popular
sermon. lie olimbe up In the cabs OF
railway engines, ohatted with this engin-
GERS and tlremen, got leave to hold hand
on the throttle as the express trains made
their hardest and fastest uns, hobnc bhet
with conductors. and endeavored to una
out precisely how the world looks to q
mAn who works for the Santa he railroad.
At one time he stayed week at the ool-
lege in Topeka. played on the ball team
and brushed up his Greek and Latin. lie
went on Topeka newspaper as report
er Tor a week, and of this he says:
"For week astonished the COM
mupity, no doubt, by accounts of ruDa-
ways, the arrival of John Smith In the
oity, and the conhsgration OF MIR.
Browns barn last night. My greatest
fraternity was the manufacture OF his
tory to keep UP the everlasting cry far
By which it appears that Mr.. Shell
don's idea OF sensational copy includes
John Smiths trips to town. along with
Topekas barn burnings. Outside OF
Topeka the Everlasting cry" for such
cory Is limited.
In connection with Mr.. Harris, pastor
of ons OF the Presby terrain churches In
Topeka, Mr.. Sheldon began active work
in Tennessee Town." a territory of
about twenty blocks, inhabited almost
entirely by c0lored people, whose lives he
sought tco elevate. They prepared
course of lectures on various topics, scien-
titic and otherwise, among which were
the following titles: Zone Dollsr and
What it Can buy" "A Quart OF Whisky
ard What 1t Can Do" what the Negro
Has Done for Himself Since the War, !"
and "What has Been Done Tor the Negro
Since the War" This course OF lectures
was followed by houss-to-hopss vi.iti ng,
and every other possible means fer OBJ
talning an acquaintance with the actual
condition of the black man. A kinder
rarton WAS subsequently established,
which has become famous for its effective
work in that section Of the city.
IN TOUCH WITH HIS CONGREGA-
TON.
In a short time after taking charge of
his pastorate Mr.. sheldon built new
church, a handsome stone structure, and
a comfortable, roomy parsonage near by.
His family consists of n wife and one
child. He leads quiet life, but his face
and figure are known to perhaps every
man. woman, and child in Topeka-an
,.hIs,io man az years old, but looking "a