The true northerner., 1900-03-21

durAng the Worlds fair jobs got. I'm
a carpenter by trade and I've tried ev-
cry way know to get job. You say
we ought to take for our motto. What
would Jesus dor What would he do If
he was out of work like mey ! can't be
somebody else and ask the question. ]
want to work I'd give anything to
grow tired of working ten hours day
the way used to. Am ! to blame be-
cause cant manufacture job for my
self? I've got to live and my wife and
my children. But howf What would
Jesus dos You say that's the question
we all ought to ask. F"
Henry Maxwell sat there staring at
the great sea Of faces all intent on his
and no answer to this mans question
seemed. for the time being. to be posi-
BILE 20 Godi" his heart prayed "This
is question that brings up the entire
social problem in all its perplexing en-
tanglement of human wrongs and it's
present condition. contrary to every de-
sire Of God for human beings well
fare. Is there any condition more awful
eager to work. with no means OF honest
livelihood unless he does work, actually
unable to get anything to do and driven
to one of three things-begging for
charity at the hands of friends or
strangers or suicide or starvation
What would Jesus do? 1t was fair
question for the man to ask 1t was the
ha
him TO be disciple of Christ, but what
a question for any man to be obliged to
asF '-'Aar S-1ch conditional"
All this and more did Henry Maxwell
ponder All the others were thinking in
the same way. The bishop sat there
with look so stern and sad that it was
not hard to tell how the question moved
him. Dr. Bruce had his head bowed.
The human problem had never seemed
to him so tragic as since he had taken
the pledge and left his church to enter
the settlement What would Jesus do?
1t was a terrible question, and still the
man stood there, tall and gaunt and al
most terrible, with his arm stretched
out in an appeal which grew every Sec
ond in meaning.
At length Mr.. Maxwell spoke:
sis there any man in che room who
n Christian disciple who has been in
this condition and has tried to do as
Jesus would do2 If so, such man can
answer his question better than l can. "
There was a moments hush over the
room, and then man near the front Of
the hall slowly rose He was an old
man, and the hand he laid on the back
of the bench in front of him trembled
as he spoke:
81 think can safely say that have
many times been in just such a condi-
tion and have always tried to be
Christian under all conditions don't
know that / have always asked this
question, What would Jesus dor when
/ have been out of work, but l do know
/ have tried to be his disciple at all
times. Yes, the man went on, with
sad smile that was more pathetic to the
bishop and Mr. Maxwell than the young
mans grim despair-''yes, l have beg
ged, and have been to the charity or
ganizations. and / have done every
thing when out of a job. except steal
and lie, in order to get food and fuel l
don't know that Jesus would have done
some of the things / have been obliged
to do for living, hut / know l have
never knowingly done wrong when out
Of work. Sometimes / think maybe he
would have starved sooner than beg. /
don t know
The old mans voice trembled, and he
looked around the room timidly. A ST.
lence followed. broken by fierce voice
from a large. black haired. heavily
bearded man who sat three seats from
the bishop. The minute he spoke nearly
every man in the hall leaned forward
eagerly The man who had asked the
question, "What would Jesus do in my
case2" slowly sat down and asked the
man next to him, who's that?"
"That's Carlsen. the socialistic lead
er. Now you'll II hear something
"This is all bosh, to my mind, be-
gan Carlson, while his great. bristling
beard shook with the deep, inward
anger of the man. 1.-The whole of our
system is at fault. What we call civil
lization is rotten TO the core. There is
no use trying to hide it or cover it up.
We live in an age of trusts and COM
bines and ca2italistic greed that means
simply death TO thousands of innocent
men, women and children. i thank
God, if there is a God. which very
much doubt. that /, for one, have never
dared to marry and try to have home.
Homel Talk of hell Is there any big
ger than the one this man with his
three children has on his hands right
this minutef And he's only one out of
thousands, and yet this city and every
other big city in this country has its
thousands of professed Christians who
have all the luxuries and comforts and
who go to church Sundays and sing
their hymns about giving all to Jesus
and bearing the cross and following him
all the way and being saved l don't
say that there aren't some good men
and women among them, but let the
minister who has spoken to us here to-
night go into any one Of dozen aris-
tocratic churches / could name and pro-
..z.o A. <l,o ,,,o,,1ors 20, falya INV c,