Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-06-21
The Crucifixion of
Philip Strong.
CHAPTER XVIII,
By REV. CHARLES M. SHELDON
Copyright, 1855, BY The Advance Pub shins Col

CHAPTER XVIII.
When a few minutes later Mrs.
Strong came up, Philip told her ex.
actly how he had decided
Il cannot leave these poor fellows in
the tenements yet. My work is Just
beginning 10 count with them. And
the church-Oh. Sarah. / love it. for il
has such possibilities, and ii must yield
in time. And then the whisky men-I
cannot bear TO have them think me
beaten, driven out, defeated. And in
addition to all the rest | have a feeling
that God has a wonderful blessing in
store for me and the church very soon,
and l cannot Danish the feeling that if
1 accept the call to Fairview / should
always be haunted by that ghost Of
Duty murdered and run away from
which would make me unhappy in all
my future work. Dear little woman
Philip went on as he drew his wife's
head down and kissed her tenderly,
while tears Of disappointment fell from
her-'little woman, you know you
are the dearest Of all earthly beings 10
me And my soul tells me the reason
you loved me enough TO share earth's
| troubles with me was that you knew l
could not be a coward I'm the face Of
my duty, my conscience and my God.
Is il not s0f'
The answer came in a sob Of mingled
anguish and happiness:
"Yes, Philip. bat it was only for your
sake I wanted you to leave this work.
It is killing you. Yet'-and she lifted
her head. with a smile through all the
tears-"yet, Philip, WHITTIER thou goest
I viii 20, and where thou lcdgest
viii lodge; thy people shall be my peo-
Die and thy God my God. Where thou
diest Will ] die. and there VIII ] he
buried: the Lord do SO to me and more
also IL aught but death part thee and
me-"
There were people in Milton who
could not understand how a person of
such refined and even naturally eXpen-
siye and luxurious habits as the minis
tcr's wiz possessed could endure the
life he had planned for himself and his
idea of Christian living i'm general
Philip could have told them If he had
been so minded And this scene could
have revealed it 20 any one who knew
the minister and his wife as they really
were. That was a sacred scene 10 hus-
I hand and wife. something that belong
ed to them. enc Of those things which
the world did not know and had no
| business 10 know.
When the first Sunday Of another
month had come. Mr.. Strong felt quite
wei again. A rumor Of his call to
Fairview had gone out, and to the few
intimate friends who asked him about
Il he did not deny, but he said little.
| The time was precious 20 him. lie
plunged into the work with an enthu-
slasm and purpose which sprang
from his knowledge that he was atFlast
really gaining some influence in the
I tenement district.
The condition Of affairs In that neigh
| borhood was growing worse instead oil
| better. The amount Of vice, drunken
ness crime and brutality made his SEN
sltIve heart culver hundred times
dav as he went his way through IL all.
His study Of the whole question led
/ him 10 the conviction that one OF the
great needs Of the place was new
home life for the people. The tene-
ments were owned and rented 10y men
of wealth and influence. Many OF
these men were In the church. Dis
| eouraged as be had so often been in
| his endeavor 70 get the moneyed men
Of the congregation 10 consecrate their
propertv 20 Christian uses, Philip came
up 10 that first Sunday with a new
pbase Of the same great subject which
messed so hard for utterance that lie
could not keep IL back.
As he faced the church this morning
bs faced an audience composed Of very
| conflicting elements. Representatives
of labor were conspicuous In the gal
| Iaries People whom he had assisted
at one time and another We're scattered
! through the house, mostly In the BACK
seats under the choir gallery. His own
| mem lpESulN WIS lfpttH'ht'N ~ 49,
who while opposed to his idea Of the
Christian life and his Interpretation Of
/ christ. nevertheless continued 10 go
and hear him preach. The incident of
the sections application for member
shin and his rejection by vote had also
tojd somewhat in favor of the minister.
| MANY preachers would have resigned
after such a scene. He had said his
saw about Eli and then refused 10 speak
or Dee interviewed by the papers on the
subfert. What it cost him in suffering
was his own secret But this morning
as he rose 20 give his message in The
narsop Of Christ. the thought Of the
continued suffering and shame ana
derradatiou in the tenement district
the thought Of the great wealth ~ the
ncssossian Of the church which might
he used almost 10 transform the lives
~ thousands Of people II the men OF
riches in Calvary church would only
soc tbe kingdom Of God Ina it's demands
an tbem-this voiced his cry 10 tue
nacple and gave his sermon the slgnih-