The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-03-01

"Where have you been"
j "Among the tenements."
"How are the people getting on
/ there?"
| 81 cannot tell. 1t almost chokes me
| to eat when think of it."
"Now. Philip. what makes you take
it so seriously? How can you help all
that suffering? You are not to blame
| for it,"
| Maybe | am for a part of 1t. But
whether | am or not there the suffer
ing is. And don't know that we ought
to ask who Is to blame in such cases.
AT any rate, supposing the fathers and
mothers in the tenements are to blame
themselves by their own sinfulness,
| does that make innocent children and
helpless babes any warmer or better
clothed and fed? Sarah, l have seen
things i'm these four hours time that
make me want to join the bomb throw
| ers Of Europe almost"
Mrs. Strong came up behind his chair
| as he sat at the table eating and placed
' her hand on his brow. She grew more
/ anxious every day over his growing
| personal feeling for others. 1t seemed
| to her it was becoming passion with
| him, wearing him out, and she feared
| its results as winter deepened and the
| strike in the mills remained unbroken.
"You cannot do more than one man,
Philip" she said, with a sigh.
mo, but If l can only make the
| church see its duty at this time and act
the Christlike way great many per-
sons will be saved" He dropped his
knife and fork, wheeled around alb
| ruptly in his chair and faced her with
| the question, would you give up this
home and be content to live in sim
pier fashion than we have been used
to since we came here"
yes" replied his wife quietly. 81
will 60 anywhere and suffer anything
with you. What is it you are thinking
Of nowT'
81 need q little more time. There il
a crisis near at hand in my thought Of
what Christ would require Of me. My
dear, am sure we shall be led by the
spirit of truth to do what is necessary
| and for the better saving of men,"
He kissed his wife tepderly and went
up stairs again to his work. All
through the rest of the afternoon and
in the evening, as he shaped his
church and pulpit work, the words Of
the Brother Man" rang in his ears
and the situation at the tenements rose
in the successive panoramas before his
eyes, AS the storm increased in fury
with the coming darkness, he felt that
1t was typical in certain sense Of his
own condition. He abandoned the work
he had been doing at his desk. and
kneeling down at his couch he prayed.
Mrs. Strong, coming up to the study
to see how his work was getting on.
found him kneeling there and went
and knelt beside him, while together
they sought the light through the
storm.
So the weeks went by, and the first
Sunday of the next month found Phil
ip's Christ message even more direct
and personal than any he had brought
to his people before. He had spent
much of the time going into the work
ingmen's houses. The tenement dis
trict was becoming familiar territory
to him now. He had settled finally
what his own action ought to be-. In
that action his wife fully concurred.
And the members of Calvary church.
coming in that Sunday morning, were
astonished at the message of their pas
tor as he spoke to them from the
standpoint of modern Christ.
81 said a month ago that the age in
extravagant style of living. | did not
mean by that to condemn the beauties
Of art or the marvels of science or the
products of civilization. | merely en-
phasized what | believe is a mighty
but neglected truth in our modern civ
ilization-that If we would win men
to Christ we must adopt more OF his
spirit of simple and consecrated self
denial. / wish to be distinctly under
stood as | go on that do not condemn
any man simply because he Is rich or
lives in a luxurious house, enjoying
every comfort of modern civilization,
every delicacy| of the season and all
physical desires. What | do wish dis
tinctly understood is the belief. which
has been burned deep into me ever
since coming to this town. that if the
members of this church wish to honor
the Head Of the church and bring men
to believe him and save them in this
life and the next they must be willing
to do far more than they have yet
TO l.n IF nj
forts and luxuries of their homes for
the blessing and Outstanding of this
community. In this particular | have
myself failed to set you an example.
The fact that l have so failed Is my
only reason for making this matter
public this morning.
1.-THE situation in Milton today is ex-
ceedingly serious. | do not need to
prove it to you by figures. If any bust
ness man will go through the tene-
ments, he will acknowledge my state
ments. If any woman will contrast
those dens with her own home, she
will, If Christ Is power in her heart,
stand In horror before such a travesty
on the sacred thought Of honor. The
restitution of the neighborhood is
alarming. The number of men out of
work is dangerous. The complete re-
moval of all sympathy between the
church up here on this street and the
tenement district is sadder than death.
Oh. my beloved Philip stretched out
his arms and uttered a cry that rang in
the ears of those who heard it and re-
NAMED with some of them memory
for years-''these things ought not so
to be! Where Is the Christ spirit with