The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-04-13

q 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 tenderly 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 a 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
which we live demands a simpler, less
extravagant style of living. l did not
mean by that to condemn the beauties
of art or the marvels of science or the
,, products of civilization. 1 merely en-
phasized what 1 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 l 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 1 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
done to make use Of the physical COM
| forts and luxuries of their homes for
the blessing and Christianizing Of this
| community. In this particular l have
myself failed to set you an example.
| The fact that I have so failed is my
only reason for making this matter
public this morning.
"The situation in Milton today is ex-
ceedingly serious. l do not need to
prove it to you by figures. If any bust
ness man will 60 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
destitution 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 ou
his arms and uttered cry that rang II
the ears of those who heard it and re
mained with some of them a memory
for years-''these things ought not 81
to be! Where is the Christ spirit will
} us? Have we not sat in our cOmfOrta
BILE houses and eaten our pleasant foo(
and dressed in the finest clothing ant
gone to amusements and entertain
ments without number while God''
Door have shivered on the streets ant
his sinful ones have sneered at Chris
tianity as they have walked by ou
church doors?
''It is true we have given money t,
charitable causes, it is true the tow
council has organized a bureau for tn
care and maintenance of those in want
it is true members of Calvary church
: with other churches at this time, hav
done something to relieve the immedi
ate distress of the town, but how mucl
have we given of ourselves to those II
need? Do we reflect that to reach soul
and win them, to bring back humanit
to God and the Christ, the Christian
must do something different from tn
giving of money now and then? II
must give part of himself. That wa
my reason for urging you to move thi
church building away from this stree
into the tenement district, that W
might give ourselves to the peopl
! there The idea is the same in what
now propose. But you will pardon IN
, if first of all l announce my own a(
ton, which, l believe, is demanded b
the times and would be approved b
our Lord
Philip stepped up nearer the front {
| the platform and spoke with an adde
earnestness and power which thrille
I every hearer. A part of the great col
, fiict through which he had gone ths
g past month shOne out in his pale fac
and found partial utterance in his in
10 passioned speech. especially as b