The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-02-22

X
who don't need it than they give to the
salvation of men in a whole year. /
protest out of the soul that God gave
me against such wicked selfishness.
And l will protest If society spurn
me from 1t as a bigot, a Puritan and a
boor. For society in Christian Ameri-
ca is not Christian in this matter-no,
not after the Christianity of Christi
~ hat can you do about it, Philip"
His wife asked the question sadly.
She had grown old fast since coming
was like great sob of conviction that
he must bear something of these bur-
dens. He could not help 1t.
Mrs. Strong did not say anything for
moment. Then she asked:
Don't you think you take it too seri-
ously. PhilipY
"WhatT
"Other peoples wrongs. You are
not responsible"
IAN | not? am my brothers keep
er. What quantity of guilt may | not
carry into the eternal kingdom if
do not do what / can to save him! Oh.
how can men be so selfish? Yet | am
only one person. cannot prevent all
this suffering alone"
"Of course you cannot, Philip. You
wrong yourself TO take yourself to
task so severely for the sins of others.
But what has stirred you up so this
timer Mrs. Strong understood Philip
well enough to know that some partic-
ular case had reused his feeling. He
seldom yielded to such dependency
without some immediate practical rea-
son.
Philip sat up on the couch and clasp
ed his hands over his knee with the
eager earnestness that characterized
him when he was reused.
Sarah, this town slumbers on the
smoking crest Of volcano. There are
more than $1,000 people here in Milton
out of work. A great many of them
are honest, temperate people who have
saved up little. But it is nearly gone.
The mills are shut down and, on the
authority Of men that ought to know,
shut down for all winter. The same
condition of affairs is true in a more or
less degree In the entire state and
throughout the country and even the
world. People are suffering today in
this town for food and clothing and
fuel through no fault of their own.
The same thing is true of thousands
and even hundreds of thousands all
over the world. 1t is an age that calls
for heroes, martyrs, servants, saviors.
And right here in this town, where dis
tress walks the streets and actual want
already has its clutch on many a poor
devil, society goes on giving its ex-
pensive parties and living in its little
round of selfish pleasure just as If the
volcano was a downy little bed of roses
for it to go to sleep in whenever it
wearies of the pleasure and wishes to
retire to happy dreams. Oh, but the
bubble will burst one of these days,
and then
Philip swept his hand upward with a
fine gesture and sank back upon the
couch, groaning.
Don't you exaggerateT The min |
listers wife put the question gently.
'Not bit! Not a bit! All true. |
am not one of the French revolution |
fellows, always Juggling in blood and |
destruction and prophesying ruin to
the nation and the world If it doesn't |
gee and haw the way like 1t to. But |
/ tell you, Sarah, it takes no prophet |
to see that a man who Is hungry and |
out of work is a dangerous man to |
have around. And it takes no extraor-
binary sized heart to swell little with |
righteous wrath when in such times as |
these people go right on with their use
much on a single evenings entertain
ment as would provide a comfortable
living for a whole month to some de-
serving family"
How do you know they do"
"Well. III tell you. I've figured it
out. | will leave it to any one of good
judgment that any one of these project
ed parties mentioned here in the evening
smoothed the paper on
the head of the cOuch-"any one of
them will cost in the neighbOrhOOd of
800 to $3.50. Look here. Here's the
Goldens' party-memberS of Calvary
church. They will spend at least $50
to $50 in flowers. and refreshments
will cost $50 more, and music another
S25 and incidentals $50 extra, and so
on. Is that right. Sarah. these times,
and as people ought to live now"
But some one gets the benefit of all
this money spent. Surely that is
help to some of the working people"
Yes, but how many people are help
ed by such expenditures? Only a Sc
Iect few. and they are the very ones
who are least in need Of II. l say
that Christian people and members of
churches have no right to indulge their
selfish pleasures TO this extent in these
ways. | know that Christ would not
approve of it,"
You think he would not, Philip"
mo, / know he would not There is
not a particle of doubt in my mind
about it. What right has a disciple of
Jesus Christ to spend for the gratifica-
ton Of his physical aesthetic pleasures
money which ought to be feeding the
hungry bodies OF men or providing |
some useful necessary labor for their
activity? / mean. Of course, the graft
fication of those senses which a man
can live without. In this age Of the
world society ought to dispense with
some Of its accustomed pleasures and
deny itself for the sake Of the great |
suffering, needy world. Instead Of |
that, the members Of the very church
of Christ on earth spend more in a sim