Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-01-25
No 4

Henry Maxwell had gone, Norman
closed his door and alone with the
Divine presence. asked like a child for
help from his all powerful Father. An
through his prayer rs he kneeied be- "a
his desk ran the promise. IF any Ian
lack wisdom. let him ask Of God. who
glyeth 70 all men literally and up
braideth not. and il shall be given
him Surely his prayer would Be an
swered and the kingdom be advanced
through this instrument Of Gods pow
er, this mighty press which had become
50 largely degraded to the base uses Of
mans avarice and ambition.
Two months went by. They were full
of action and results in the city of Raw
mond and especially in the First church.
In spite Of the approaching heat Of the
summer season. the after meeting Of
the disciples who had made the pledge
70 do as Jesus would do continued with
enthusiasm and power. Gray had fin
isbed his work at the Rectangle. and an
outward observer going through the
place could not have seen any difference
IN the old conditions, although there was
an actual change in hundreds Of lives.
but the saloons. dens. novels, gambling
houses. still ran, OVERLOOKING their vile
ness into the lives Of fresh victims to
take the place Of those rescued by the
evangelist. and the devil recruited his
ranks very fast
Henry Maxwell did not go abroad.
Instead of that he took the money he
had been saving for the trip and quiet
ly arranged a summer vacation for a
whole family living down in the Rec
tangle who had never gone outside Of
the foul district of the tenement The
pastor Of the First church will never
forget the week he spent with this fam
lily making the arrangements He went
down into the Rectangle one hot day
when something Of the terrible heat Of
the tenements was beginning to be felt
and helped the family to the station
and then went with them to a beautiful
spot ON the coast. where. in the home
of a Christian woman, these bewildered
city tenants breathed for the first time
in years the cool salt air and felt blow
about them the pine scented Fragrance
of new lease of life.
There was a sickly baby with the
mother-three other children, one a
cripple The father, who had been ont
of work until he had been. as he after
ward confessed to Maxwell. several
times on the verge Of suicide. sat with
the baby in his arms during the jour
ney. and when Maxwell started back to
Raymond after seeing the family sat
tied the man held his hand at parting
and cholced with his utterance and
finally broke down. to Maxwell's great
confusion The mother, a wearied
wornout woman. who had lost three
children the year before from fever
scourge in the Rectangle, sat by the
car window all the way and drank in
tn = Of sea and sky and field 1t
Wa miracle TO her. and Henry
Max. coming back into Raymond
at tile nd of that week, feeling the
sickening heat all the more
beca1se Of his little taste of the ocean
Freezes. thanked God for the joy he had
with sed and entered upon his disci-
n shil. with "a humble heart, knowing
for almost the first time in his life this
special kind of sacrifice. for never be
fore had he denied himself his regular
summer trip away from the heat of
Raymond. whether he felt in any great
need Of rest or not
at is a fact he said in reply to sew
eral inquiries on the part Of his church.
y9ar e r9 ain f3l Very Ref Rf aid fd pFefer g STAY sf
here 1t was with a feeling of relief
that he succeeded in concealing from
every one but his wife what he had
lone with this other family He felt
the need Of doing anything of that sort
Without display or approval from Others.
20 the summer came on, and Henry
Maxwell grew into larger knowledge Of
lis Lord. The First church was still
waved by the power Of the Spirit
Maxwell marveled at the continuance
# his stay. He knew very well that
rom the beginning nothing but the
Spirits presence had kept th--Gnurcn
rom being torr--=untier by this re-
testing il had received Of its
liscipleship Even now there were
many of the members among those who
Iad not taken the pledge who regarded
he whole movement as Mrs Winslow
id, in the nature of n fanatical inter
rotation of Christian duty. and looked
or return of the old normal condi-
ion. Meanwhile the whole body of dis
iples was under the influence Of the
,pirit. and Henry Maxwell went his
way that summer doing his parish work
n great joy, keeping up his meetings
With the railroad men, as he had prom
sed Alexander Powers, and daily grow
ng into a better knowledge of the
faster.
Early one evening in August, after
ay of refreshing coolness, following
ong period Of heat, Jasper Chase walk
d TO the window Of his room in the
partment house ON the avenue and
Ooked out.
On his desk lay pile of manuscript
ince that evening when he had spoken
o Rachel Winslow he had not met her.
lis singularly sensitive nature. sensi-
i've to the point of irritability when he
vas thwarted, seemed to thrust him
nto an isolation that was intensified
" his habits as an author
All through the heat of the summer
10 had been writing. His book was
Iearlv done now. He had thrown him
elf into its construction with a feverish
trength that threatened at any moment
o desert him and leave him helpless
fe had not forgotten his pledge with
he other church members at the First
hurch. 1t had forced itself upon his
office all through his writing and ever
ince Rachel had said no to him He
Iad asked a thousand times, Would
esus do thisT'' ''Would he write this
tory?'' It was a society novel, written
n a style that had proved popular. Ii
lad no purpose except to amuse. Its
moral teaching was not bad, but mel
her was it Christian in any positive
vay. Jasper Chase knew that such
tory would sell He was conscious OF
covers in his way that the social world
,etted and admired. What would Jesus
10? The question obtruded on him at
he most inopportune times. He be
anne irascible over il. The standard OF
esus as an author was too ideal Of
curse Jesus would use his powers to
,roduce something useful or helpful or
With a purpose. What was he, Jasper
yhase, writing this novel fort Why,
What nearly every writer wrote for
namely, money and fame as writer
There was no secret with him that he
vas writing this new story with that
bject He was not poor and so had no
emptation to write for money, but he
vas urged on by his desire for fame as
60 "a