Willmar tribune., 1900-03-14
THE CRuaTMOH II PHILIP STRONG.
81 REV. CHARLES N. SHELDON,
Aathor g Tn His Steps:
1xa," "1obezt Hardy's Seven Days" Etc.
lsss, by Tie Advance Pub,tshtuo q.

INv@V*V*V &v%O ~$V&4 ID
hearts IN Milton that had ached and
prayed In agony long years that the Al
mighty would come with his power
and sweep the curse away. But Philip
had not been long enough in Milton to
know the entire sentiment of the peo-
pie. He had so far touched only the
church through its representative pul.
| pits and a few OF the leading business
! men, and the result had been almost to
convince him that very little help
could be expected from the public gen.
erally. He was appalled, to find out
what tremendous hold the whisky
men mad on the business and politics
Of the place. 1t was . revelation to
hin, of their power. The whole thing
seemed to him like, 4 travesty Of free
government and terrible scommen-
tary on the boasted Christianity of the
century. .;;:s e.
So when he walked into the pulpit
the first Sunday Of the month he felt
his message burning in his heart and
on his lips as never before. 1t seemed
beyond all question that il Christ was
pastor of Calvary church he would
speak out in plain denunciation Of the
whisky power. And so, after the OPEN
ing part Of the service. Philip rose to
speak, facing an immense audience
that overflowed the galleries and i'll
valed the choir and even sat upon the
pulpit platform. Such crowd had
never been seen in Calvary church be-
fore. .~
Philip had not announced his sub
ject. but there was an expectation on
the part of many that he was going to
den0unce the saloon. In the two
months that he had been preaching in
Milton he had attracted great atten-
ton. His audience this morning rep
resented q great mauy different kinds
Of people. Some came out or curiosi-
ty. Others came because the crowd
was going that way. SO 1t happened
that Philip faced a truly representative
audience Of Milton people. AS his eye
swept over the house he saw four OF
the six members Of his church who
were up for Office 1T the coming cleo
tion In two weeks.
For an hour Philip spoke as he had
never spoken in all his life before
His subject, the cause it represented.
the immense audience. the entire occa-
sion caught him up in a genuine burst
Of eloquent fury, and his sermon swept
through the house like a prairie fire
driven by y high gale. At the: close
he spoke OF the power Of the church
compared with the saloon aud showed
how easily it could win the victory
against any kind OF evil il it were ouly
united and determined
'"Mcn and women of Milton, fathers
mothers and citizens he said. this
evil is one which cannot be driven out
unless the Christian people OF this
place unite to. condemn it and fight. 1t
regardless Of results. 1t is too firmly
established. 1t has it's clutch on busi-
ness. the municipal life. and even the
church itself. 1t is fact that the
churches in Milton have been afraid to
take the right stand in this matter.
Members Of the churches have become
involved in the terrible ENHANCEMENT
Of the long established rum power. sun-
til today you witness 4 condition OF
affairs which ought to stir the right.
eous indignation Of every citizen and
father. What is it you are enduring ::
An institution which blasts with it's
poisonous breath every soul that en-
ters 1t, which ruins young manhood.
which kills more citizens in times Of
peace than the most bloody war ever
slew in times of revolution; an institu.
tion that Is established for the open
and declared purpose Of getting money
from the people by the sale OF stuff
that robs the honest workingman: of
his savings and looks with Indifference
on the tears of the wife, the sobs OF
the mother; an institution that never
gives one cent Of it's enormous wealth
to build churches, colleges or homes
for the needy; an institution that has
the brand Of the murderer. the hnrlot.
the gambler burned into it with a
brand OF the devils own forging in the
furnace Of his hottest hell. This institu-
tion 81. .r,,les md Governs +his town of
Milton today thnt honest cit;zans from
ble before 7it hnsinass mon ff,ar rc not m
nose Il for fnor Torf LOSING r,onnv ,hnrch
members fawn before ~ in order to
ooin nl.c. iu u@nolitics and minis, ars NJ
the rosnel confront its hideo,,s, intin
encc and saw NOT nothing. Il i higl time
We faced this monster Of inio,,itv and
drove Il ont of the st,.nnpltoid sit ~ :