Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-04-30
TN HIS STEPS.
"What Would Jesus DO?"
By CHARLES III. SHELDON.

~ am sure the nrsr question you VIII
ask is, What has been the result Of
this attempt, what has it accomplished,
or how has it changed in any way the
regular course of the church or the COM
munity2
"You already know something from
reports of Raymond that have gone over
the country what the results have been,
but one needs to come here and learn
something of the changes in individual
lives, and especially the change in the
church life, to realize all that is meant
by this following of Jesus steps so lit
orally To tell all that would be to
write long story or series of stories.
am not in a position to do that, but
can give you some idea perhaps of what
has happened here from what has been
told me by my friends and Henry Max
well himself.
1.-The result of the pledge upon the
First church has been twofold-it has
brought about a spirit of Christian fell
lowship which Maxwell tells me never
before existed and which now impresses
him as being very nearly what the
Christian fellowship of the apostolic
churches must have been, and it has
divided the church into two distinct
groups Of members. Those who have
not taken the pledge regard the others
rs foolishly literal In their attempts to
initiate the example of Jesus.
''Some of them have drawn out Of
the church and no longer attend, or
they have removed their membership
entirely to other churches Some are
an internal element of strife, and /
heard rumors of an attempt on their
part to force Maxwell's resignation
do not know that this element is very
strong in the church. 1t has been held
in check by wonderful continuance of
spiritual power. which dates from the
first Sunday the pledge was taken a
year ago. and also by the fact that so
many of the most prominent members
have been identified with the move
ment
1.-The effect on Henry Maxwell is
very marked. I heard him preach at
our state association four years ago. He
impressed me at the time as having
considerable power in dramatic deliv-
cry, of which he himself was somewhat
conscious. His sermon was well writ
ten and abounded in what the seminary
students used to call fine passages.
The effect of it was what the average
congregation would call pleasing. This
morning heard Maxwell preach again
for the first time since then. I shall
speak of that further on. He is not the
same man. He gives me the impression
of one who has passed through a crisis
of revolution He tells me this revolu-
ton is simply new definition of Chris
tan discipleship- He certainly has
changed many of his old views. His at
titude on the saloon question is radical
~ opposite to the one he entertained a
year ago, and in his entire thought Of
his ministry, his pulpit and parish
work find he has made a complete
change So far as I can understand,
the idea that is moving him on now is
the idea that the Christianity of our
times must represent more literal i'm
itation of Jesus, and especially in the
element of suffering. He quoted to me
in the course of our conversation sew
eral times the verse from Peter, For
hereunto were We called, because Christ
also suffered for you, leaving you an
example, that ye should follow his
steps, and he seems filled with the con-
viction that what our churches need
today more than anything else is this
factor of suffering for Jesus in some
form.
''I do not know that 1 agree with
him altogether; but, my dear Caxton,
it is certainly astonishing to note the
results of this idea as they have i'm
pressed themselves upon this city and
upon this church.
"You ask how about the results on
the individuals who have made the
pledge and honestly tried to be true to
it. Those results are, as / have said, a
part of Individual history and cannot
be told in detail Some of them l can
give you, so that you may see that this
form of discipleship is not merely SEN
timent or fine posing for effect.
''For instance, take the case of Alex
ander Powers, who was superintendent
of the machine shops of the l.. and T.
r. r. here. When he acted upon the
evidence that incriminated the road, he
lost his position, and, more than that
/ learn from my friends here his family
and social relations have become so
changed that the family no longer ap-
pear in public. They have dropped out
of the social circle where once they
were so prominent By the way, Cax-
ton, understand in this connection
that the commission, for one reason
and another, postponed action on this
case, and it is now rumored that the
L and T. R. R. will pass into a receiv-
er's hands very soon. The president of
the road, who, according to the evil
dence submitted by Powers, was the
principal offender. has resigned. and
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