Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-19
Christian Stewardship.
BY CHARLES N. SHELDON,

Hardy's Seven Days" "Mal- +
 !. com Kirk Etc. I
 COPYRIGHT, 1896, CONVERSATIONAL <
 AND SUNDAY SCHOOL PUBLISHING SOCIETY.
 G9i-I@o-I@&ss-:-ee Stuart had no definite plan to pursue
 in coming down to the square. The
 miners as they saw him spoke respect
 fully and asked after Erie. He and
 Burke were finally in the progress of their walk crowded up on the church steps, which were covered with men. It was now about half past 8 o'clock, and the scene was of such a character that, worn as they were by the days events, the two men stood looking out
 at the faces beneath them with a cer tain excitement that grew upon them with every second. The noise and con-
 fusion were increasing. A fight of some kind was already in progress in the band stand. Figures swayed back and forth there. The police force of Champion was meager at any time, and it was as powerless to manage such q crowd as rhis as if it had been con- posed of little children.
 Suddenly across all the other sounds in the square, rising over them, was beard the beat of drum. It was no feeble rattle of sticks, but. a deter mined, vigorous, muscular onslaught on bass drum by strong right arm. And around the corner by the Iron Cliffs company's office came a squad of men and women, not more than q dozen in ali. bearing a flag and shouting as they came:
 l. 1a-I .o.I the blue;
 { We're going to the promised land 'long with the chosen few.
 Aboard bark there still is for many, many more;
 So aboard and with go to wonder happy shore.
 Our bal; is laden down with wealth, with pleas rich and rare;
 There's nau9ht like them upon the earth, and we all may have share.
 Just leave behind all worldly dross and come to Gods store:
 Receive your gifts and with them cross to wonder happy shore
 Straight across the street the Salya- tion Army marched, singing this hymn to the tune of 70 a' the arts the winds can blaw," and as they reached the side of the square peculiar thing hap pened.
 The miners on that side opened up | passage for the little squad so that it
 could pass into the square. Acting on the impulse given by moDs at times the miners began to crowd back on
 both sides and the army kept adyanc- | ing, singing its song and marching in 1 what seemed aln'c est like triu1nphai procession right down through the cen ter of the square directly toward the
 church steps. The great heavy crowd | seemed to part like magic, and down | the avenue thus voluntarily provided the squad marched. beating it's drum The leader was a young woman, whose pale face possessed a prematurely aged look, but there was not q particle of self consciousness to ba seen upon it.,
 and she marched at the front as proud | ly and with as Queenly q bearing as if 1 her following was composed Of the l picked archangels of heavens hosts. | High above the Shril1 treble and the
 hoarse bass of the others her voice went out as sweet as any that Stuart | had ever heard, and he wondered
 where such a voice had been concealed 1 in Champion that he had never heard 1 it before. 1t sang as if the words were i sacred to the heart:
 Just leave behind all worldly dross and to 1 Gods store;
 Receive your gifts and with them cross to wonder happy shore.
 Close at the foot of the church steps
 the band halted. Here the crowd was
 very dense. It seemed q natural van
 tage ground for testimony and appeal. i The miners for the time appeared to 1 yield to the influence of this attraction. 1 Stuart said to himself, Perhaps Eric
 will not be needed after all.' The scene i had an intense interest for him now. 1 He forgot all about Burke and the ! strike and his relations to it as the wo- 1 man raised her hand as q signal for
 the drum to cease and then made an- | other signal for the little company to | kncel. Right down on the bottom steps l of the church she knecled, just below i Stuart, and with the others kneeiing | about her almost swallowed up in the mass of men who surged around she
 offered q prayer, the memory of which l fingered in Stuart's heart all his life.