Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-06-25
CHAPTER XII.

Yet lackest thou thing. Sell all that thou
hast and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt
| have treasure in heaven And come; follow me.
When Henry Maxwell began to speak
to the souls crowded into the settlement
| hall that night, it is doubtful if he had
ever before faced such an audience in
his life. 1t is quite certain that the
city of Raymond did not contain such
a variety of humanity. Not even the
Rectangle at it's worst could furnish SO
many men and women who had fallen
entirely out of the reach Of the church
and all religious and even Christian in
fiuences.
What did he talk about? He had al
ready decided that point. He told in
the simplest language he could com
mand some Of the results Of obedience
to the pledge as it had been taken in
Raymond. Every man and woman in
that audience knew something about
Jesus Christ. They all had some idea of
his character, and, however much they
had grown bitter toward the forms of
Christian ecclesiasticism or the social
system, they preserved some standard
of right and truth, and what little some
of them still retained was taken from
the person Of the peasant Of Galilee.
So they were interested in what Max
we'll said ''What would Jesus do?" He
began to apply the question to the social
problem in general after finishing the
story of Raymond. The audience was
respectfully attentive. 1t was more than
that It was genuinely interested. AS
Mr.. Maxwell went on faces all over the
hall leaned forward in a way very sell
dom seen in church audiences or any
where else, except among worklngmen
or the people of the street when once
they are thoroughly aroused. what
would Jesus do?'' Suppose that were
the motto not only of the churches but
Of the business men, the politicians the
newspapers. the workingmen, the So
ciety people. How long would it take,
under such standard of conduct, to
revolutionize the world? What was the
trouble with the world It was suffer
ing from selfishness. No one ever lived
who had succeeded in overcoming self
ishness like Jesus. If men followed him,
regardless of results the world would
at once begin to enjoy a new life.
Henry Maxwell never knew how
much it meant to hold the respectful
attention of that hall full Of diseased
and sinful humanity. The bishop and
DR.. Bruce. sitting there. looking on,
seeing many faces that represented scorn
of creeds, hatred of the social order,
desperate narrowness and selfshness
marveled that even so soCn, under the
influence of the settlement life, the
softening process had begun to lessen
the bitterness of hearts, many Of which
had grown bitter from neglect and in
difference.
And still, in spite of the outward
show of respect of the speaker, no one,
not even the bishop, had any true con-
ception of the pent up feeling in that
room that night. Among the men who
had heard Of the meeting and had re-
sponded to the invitation were 90 or 80
out of work, who had strolled past the
settlement that afternoon, read the no
tice of the meeting and had come in
out of curiosity and to escape the chill
east wind. 1t was bitter night, and
the saloons were full, but in that whole
district of over 80, 900 souls, with the
exception of the saloons, there was not
door open to the people except the
clean, pure, Christian door of the settle
Mcul w uor0 WOulO d I0du Without d
home or without work or without
friends naturally go unless to saloon
It had been the custom at the settle
ment for free and open discussion to !
follow an open meeting of this kind,
and when Henry Maxwell finished and
sat down the bishop, who presided to-
night, rose and made the announcement 4,
that any man in the hall was at liberty
to ask questions, to speak out his feel
ings or declare his convictions, always
with the understanding that whoever
took part was to observe the simple
rules that governed parliamentary bod
les and obey the three minute rule,
which, by common consent, would be |
enforced on account of the numbers |
present.
Instantly number of voices from
men who had been at previous meetings |
of this kind exclaimed, Consent. con-
sentl'
The bishop sat down, and immediate |
ly a man near the middle of the hall |
rose and began to speak.
81 want to say that what Mr.. Max