The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-12

w
swered2 Will the church in the city re-
spond to the call to follow him? Will it
choose to walk in his steps Of pain and
suffering? And still over all the city
broods the Spirit. Grieve him not, o
city. for he was never more ready to
revolutionize this world than now!
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 intothe 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
fluences
What did he talk about7 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 inter ssted in what Max
well 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 chan
that 1t was genuinely interested. AS
Mr. Maxwell went on faces all over the
hall leaned forward in way very sci
dom seen in church audiences or any
where else. except among workingmen
! or the people Of the street when once
they are thoroughly aroused. .'What
would Jesus dor 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 selfshness 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 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 thatrepresented scorn
of creeds, hatred of the social order,
desperate narrowness and selfishness,
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 3d. 900 souls, with the
exception of the saloons, there was not
a door open to the people except the
clean. pure, Christian door of the settle
ment. Where would a man without a
home or without work or without
friends naturally go unless to saloon
1t had been the custom at the settle
ment for a 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
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 tho 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 IL 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 man near the middle of the hall
rose and began to speak.
81 want to say that what Mr.. Max
well has said tonight comes pretty close
TO me. knew Jack Manning the fel-
low he told about, who died at his
house worked on next case to his il
a printers shopin Philadelphia for two
years. Jack was good fellow. He lent
me So once when was in hole. an6
| never got a chance to pay it back He
, moved to New York, owing to a chance