Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1900-10-14


 Jesus would do. :
 Over the lecture room swept that mn seen yet distinctly felt wave of Divine presence No one spoke for awhile. Henry Maxwell. standing there where the faces lifted their intense gaze into his. falt what he had already felt be- fore, a strange setting back out of the nineteenth century into the first. when tie disciples had all things in common, and spirit of fellowship must have flowed freely between them such as the First church of Raymond had never l known How much had his church membership known of this fellowship in daily interests before this little com pany had begun to do as Jesus would l do? It WAS with difficulty that he i thought of his present age and it's sur roundings. The same thought was pres ent with all the rest also. There was an unsp0beE comradeship such as they had never known. It was present with them while Virginia was speaking and dur 1 ing the silence that followed If 1t had been defined by any one of them, it would perhaps have taken some such shape s this:
 If shall in the course of my obedi- ence to my promise meet with loss or trouble in the world, can depend upon the genaine, practical sympathy and fellowship of any other Christian in this room who has with me made the pledge to do all things by the rule. What would Jesns de33,s
 Al this the distinct waye of spiritual power expressed It had the effect that I physical miracle may have had on the early disciples in giving them a l feeling of confidence in their Lord that i helped them to face loss aid martyrdom with courage and even joy.
 Before they went away this time l there were several conffdences like those or Edward Norman Some of the young mcn told of the loss of places owing to their honest obedience to their promise. Alexander Powers spoke briefly of the fact that the commission had promised to take action at the earliest date pos sible
 He was already at his old werb of l telegFaphy 1t was significant fact that sisse his action i'll resigniltg his position neither his wife HOT daughter lad appeared in public. No one but himself knew the bitterness of that faln- l fly arrangement and misunderstanding of the higher motive. Yet many of the disciples present in the meeting carried similar burdens. There were things which they could not talk about Henry Maxwell. from his knowledge of his church people, could almost certainly know that obedience to this pledge had produced in the hearts of families sep aration of sympathy and even the intro duction of enmity and hatred Truly, "a man 8 foes are they of his own household when the rule of Jesus is obeyed hy some and disobeyed by oth- CTS. Jesus IS great divider of life. One must walk either parallel with him or directly across his path
 But more than any other feeling at this meeting rose the tide of fellowship for one another. Henry Maxwell watch ed it. trembling for it's climax, which he knew was not yet reached. When it was, where would it lead them? He did not know, but he was not unduly alarmed about it. only he watched with growing wonder the results of that simple promise as it was being obeyed in these various lives, Those results were already being felt all over the city Who could measure their inhu ence at the end of the year.
 One practical form of this fellowship showed itself i'll the assurances which Edward Norman received in support of his paper There was d general Hoeking toward him when the meeting closed, and the response to his appeal for help from the Christian disciples in Ray mond was fully understood by this little company. The value of such paper in the homes and in behalf of good citizen ship, especially at the present crisis in the city. could not be measured. 1t re- mained to be seen what could be done now that the paper was endowed so lib erally But it still was true, as Edward Norman insisted. that money alone could not make the paper 8 power. 1t must receive tho support and sympathy of the Christians in Raymond before it could be counted as one of the great Christian forces of the city
 The week that followed this Sunday pseting was one of great excitement in Raymond It was the week of the election Donald Marsh. true to his promise took up his cross and bore it manfully. but with shuddering, with groans and even tears for his deepest conviction was touched, and he tore himself cut of the scholarly seclusion of years with pain and anguish that cost him more than anything he had ever done ss follower of Christ. With him were few of the college professors who had made the pledge in the First church Their experience and suffering were the same as the presidents E. for their isolation from all the duties of