The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-08-16
CHAPTER NNIV.

! church held Il meeting and voted TO
ask Philip to remain, plcd%ing him
| their hearty support in all his plans
| and methods. The evening paper, in
! its report of this meeting, made the
most of the personal remarks that were
made and served up the whole affair in
! sensational items that We're eagerly
| read by every one in Milton.
But the most important gathering of
| Philips friends was that of the mill
men. They met in the hall where he
/ had so often spoken, and. being crowd
ed out Of that by the great numbers,
! they finally secured the use of the
/ courthouse. This was crowded with
! an excited assembly. and in the course
| of very many short speeches. in which
! the action of the church was severely
| condemned II resolution was offered
and adopted asking Mr.. Strong to re-
! main in Milton and organize an aSSo-
| citation or something Of similar order
/ for the purpose of sociological study
/ and agitation, pledging whatever tinan-
/ rial support could be obtained from
! the working people. This also was
/ caught up and magni.icd in the paper,
| and the town WAS Still reused to eX-
/ element by all these reports when
/ Philip returned home late Saturday
afternoon. almost rccling with cXhaus-
| ton and his heart torn with the Sepa-
ration from his old chum.
! However. he tried to conceal his wea-
riness from Sarah and partly succeed
ed. After supper he went up To his
study to prepare for the Sunday. He
had fully made up his mind what he
would do. and he wanted To do it in Il
manner that would cast no rcproach
ON his ministry. which he respected
with sensitive reverence.
He shut the door and began his prep
aratiOn hy walking up and down. as
his custom was. thinking out the de
tails of the service, his sermon. the cX-
wished to make.
He had been walking thus back and
forth half dozen times when he felt
| the same acute pain in his side that
| had seized him when he tainted in
! church at the evening service. 1t pass
ed away, and he resumed his work,
! thinking it was only a passing disor-
der. but before he could turn again
in his walk he felt a dizziness that
whirled everything in the room about
him. He cutched at n chair and was
conscious Of having missed it, and
then he fell forward in such way
that he lay partly on the couch and on
the floor and was unconscious.
How long he had been in this cOnli-
tiUn he did not know when he came To
himself. He was thankful, when he
did recover sufficiently to crawl to his
feet and sit down on the couch. that
Sarah had not seen him. He managed
to get over to his desk and begin to
write something as he heard her com
ing up stairs. He did not intend to de
ccivc her. His thought was that he
would not unnecessarily alarm her He
was very tired. 1t did not need much
He awokc Sunday morning feeling
strangely calm and refreshed. The
morning prayer with the Brother Man
came like bcnediction to them all.
Sarah. who had feared for him owing
TO the severe strain he had been en-
during. felt relieved as she saw how
lie appeared. They all prepared to 30
to church. the Brother Man and VIII
liam going out for the first time since
the attack.
We have mentioned Philips custom
of coming into his pulpit from the little
room at the side door of the platform.
This morning he went in at the side
door of the church after parting with
Sarah and the others. He let Brother
Man and William 90 on ahead a little,
and then, drawing his wife to him. he
stopped and kissed her. He turned at
the top of the short flight of steps lead
Ing up TO the side entrance and saw
Hcr still standing in the same place.
Then she went around from the little
court to the front of the church and
went in with the great crowd already
beginning to stream toward Calvary
church.
No one ever saH so many people in
Calvary church before. Men sat on
the platform and even in the deep
window seats. The spaces under the
large galleries by the walls were filed
mostly with men standing there. The
house was crowded long before the
hour of service. There were many
beating. excited hearts in that audi
encc. More than one member felt
shame at the action which had been
taken and might have wished II recall
ed. With the great number Of work
ingmen and young people in the church
there was only one feeling; it was a
feeling Of love for Philip and Of sor-
row for what had been done. The fact
that he had been away from the city,
that he had not talked over the mat
ter with any one owing to his absence,
the uncertainty as to how he would
receive the whole thing, what he
would say on this first Sunday after
the letter had been written-this at