The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-19

candidsting for a PLACED. and 90 i sup
pose their church committee came up
here TO listen TO me. Two years ago
nothing would have induced me TO go 10
Milton. Today II seems perfectly clear
that the Lord says TO me. 90" You
know my natural inclination IL toward a
quiet, scholarly pastorate. Well. Milton
Is, as you know a noisy. dirty. manufac-
turing town, full OF workingmen. cursed
with saloons and black with coal smoke
and unwashed humanity. The church Is
quite strong In membership. The year
Book" gives IL 300 members last year, ana
II is composed almost entirely OF the
leading families In the place. What can
do I'm such a church remains TO be seen
NY predecessor there, DR.. Brown, was
profound sermonizer and generally nSen.
/ believe. He was man OF the oid
school and made no attempt 1 UNDER
stand. to bring the church into contact
with the masses. You will say that sueh
a church is a poor place In which TO at
tempt a different work. 1 do not neees
sarily think so.
The church of Christ Is in itself. be-
lieve, a powerful engine to set in mo-
tlon against all evil I have great falth
IN the membership OF almost any church
In this country to accomplish wonderful
things for humanity, and 1 am gong 10
Milton with that faith very strong In me-
/ feel as II a very great work could oe
done there. Think OF IL. Alfred! A town
of $4,000 workinghen, half of them for
eigners: a town with more than 90 saloons
In full blast. town with seven
churches of many different denominations
all situated on one street ond that street
the most fashionable in the place, town
where the police records show an amount
OF crime and depravity almost unparal-
eled in municipal annals-surely such
place presents an opportunity for the true
-. taf 10 ID
work. / hope ! do not overestimate the
needs OF the place. 1 have known the
generanl conditions OF things IN Milton
ever since you and j did our summer
work In the neighboriug town or Cnfton.
IL ever there was missionary ground in
America. II is there. cannot under
stand just why the call comes to me 10
20 to a place and take up work that In
many ways is so distasteful to me. In
one sense I shrink from II with sen
sitiveness which no one except my wife
and you could understand. You know
what an almost ridiculous excess or SEN
sibihty / have. IL seems sometimes Inn
possible for me to do the work that the
active ministry OF this age demands of a
man. Ii almost kills me to know that
am criticised for all that 1 say and do.
And yet / knew that the ministry Will
always be a target for criticism have
an almost morbid shrinking from the
thought that people do not like me. that
am not loved by every body. and yet
know that if I speak the truth In my
preaching and speak n without regard
| to consequences some one IL sure to be-
| come offended and In the end dislike me.
| think God never made a man with 30 In
| tense a craving OF the love Of his fellow
men as possess. and yet am conscious
| that I cannot make myself understand by
| very many people. They will always say
How cold and unapproachable he ISL
| when In reality love them with yearn-
| ings OF heart. Now, then, am going to
Milton with all this complex thought OF
myself, and yet. dear chum. there is not
| the least doubt after all that 1 ought to
40. 1 hope that In the rush OF the work
there / shall be able to forget myself. and
then the work will stand out prominent as
IL ought With all my doubts OF myself
i never question the wisdom OF entering
the ministry. have a very positive as
surance as / work that am doing what
/ ought to do. And what can a man ask
more7 / am not dissatisfied with the
ministry, only with my own action within
IL. 1t Is the noblest OF all professions.
feel proud of II every day. Only II Is
so great that 1t makes man feel small
when he steps inside.
Well. my wife is calling me down TO
tea. Let me know what you do. We shall
IL you write. direct there. AS ever. your
old chum. PHILIP STRONG.
II was characteristic of Philip that
| In this letter he said nothing about his
| call to Elmdale and did not tell his coll
| lege chum what salary was offered him
| by the chuch mt Milton. As a matter OF
| fact. he really forgot all about every
thing. except the one important event
| OF his decision to go TO Milton. He re-
| garded IT, and rightly so. as the most Sc
rious step of his life. and while he had
| apparently decided the matter very quick
| ly 1t was. In reality. the result of a deep
| conviction that he ought to go. He was
| In the habit OF making his decisions rap
| Idly. This habit sometimessled him into
| embarrassing mistakes and once In a
| great while resulted I'm humiliating re-
| versals OF opinion. so that people who did
| not know him thought he was tickle and
| changeable. In the present case Philip
| acted with his customary quckness and
knew very we'll that his action was unal-
| terable