The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-01-03

IuIty IHaG nal Dcen tne TACT III nay
mond for years. The saloon ruled No
one denied that. What would Jesus do ?
And the woman who had been brutal
ly struc,, down by the very hand that
had assisted so eagerly to work her
earthly ruin--what of her? Was it any
thing more than the logical sequence Of
the whole horrible system of license
that for another year the saloon that
received her 50 often and compassed her
degradation. from whose very spot the
weapon had been hurled that struck her
dead. would by the law which the
Christian people Of Raymond voted to
support open its doors. perhaps tomor-
row. and damn with earthly and eternal
destruction a hundred Loreens before
the year had drawn to its bloody close 2
All this. with voice that rang and
rarnbled and broke in sobs Of anguish
TOR the result. did Henry Maxwell pour
out upon his people that Sunday morn
ing. and men and women wept as he
spoke. Donald Marsh sat there, his
usual erect. handsome. firm, bright,
self confident bearing oil gone, his
head bowed upon his breast. the great
tears rolling down his cheeks, unmind-
ful Of the fact that never before had he
shown outward emotion in a public
service. Edward Norman near by sat,
with his clear cut, keen face erect, but
his lip trembled and he clutched the end
OF the pew with feeling of emotion
that struck deep into his knowledge of
the truth as Maxwell spoke Of it. No
man had given OF suffered more to in
fluence public opinion that last week
than Norman. The thought that the
Christian conscience had been aroused
too late or too feebly lay with weight
of accusation upon the heart of the
editor. What if he had begun to do
rs Jesus would long ago? Who could
tell what might have been accomplished
by this timer And up in the choir
Rachel Winslow. with her face bowed
on the railing Of the oak screen. gave
way to feeling she had not yet al
lowed to master her. but it so untitled
her for her part that when Henry Max
well finished and she tried to sing the
closing solo after the prayer her voice
broke. and for the first time in her life
she was Obliged to sit down sobbing and
unable to 60 on.
Over the church in the silence that
followed this strange scene, sobs and
the noise Of weeping arose. When had
the First church yielded to such bap-
tism Of tears? What had become of its
regular. precise. cold. conventional or
der OF service, undisturbed by any vhl-
gar emotion and .unmoved by any fool
ish excitementf But the people had
lately had their deepest convictions
touched They had been living so long
on their surface'feelings that they had
almost forgotten the deeper wells Of
life. Now that they had broken to the
surface the people were convinced of
the meaning Of their discipleship.
Henry Maxwell did not ask this
morning for volunteers to join those
who had already pledged to do as Jesus
would. but when the congregation had
finally gone and he had entered the lec-
turo room it needed but glance to
show him that the original company Of
followers had been largely increased.
The meeting was tender. 1t glowed
with the Spirits presence; it was alive
with strong and lasting resolve to begin
. war on the whisky power of Ray
mond that would break its reign. Since
the first Sunday when the first company
OF volunteers had pledged themselves to
do as Jesus would do the different meet.
ings had been characterized by distinct
impulses or impressions. Today the en-
tire force Of the gathering seemed to be
directed to this one large purpose. It
was meeting full of broken prayers,
OF contrition. confession, Of strong
yearning for new and better city life,
and all through it ran the ono general
cry for deliverance from the saloon and
its awful curse.
But IL the First church was deeply
stirred by the events Of the week gone
the Rectangle also felt moved strongly
in its own way. The death Of Loreen
was not in itself 80 remarkable fact
1t was her recent acquaintance with
the people from the city that lifted her
into special prominence and surrounded
her death with more than ordinary i'm
portance Every one in the Rectangle
knew that Loreen was at this moment
lying in the Page mansion up on the
avenue Exaggerated reports of the
magnificence of the casket had already
furnished material for eager gossip
The Rectangle was excited to know the
details Of the funeral Would it be
public9 What did Miss Page intend to
dor The Rectangle had never before
mingled even in this distartly personal
manner with the aristocracy on the
boulevard. The opportunities for doing
30 were not frequent. Gray and his
wife were besieged by inquiries as to
what Loreen's friends and acquaint-
ances were expected to do in paying
their last respects To her. for her ac-
quaintance was large, and many of tho
recent converts were among her friends.
So that is how il happened Monday