The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-29
ev REV. CHARLES NJ. SHELDON,
opwtoht. 1899. by The Adpance Publishing Co.


open closet doors with reckless disre-
gard OF any possible man hiding within
and pretended TO look into the most un-
likely places for him, joking all the while
TO reassure his trembling followers.
They found one of the windows In
Philips study partly open. But that did
not prove anything. although man
might have crawled I'm and out again
through that window from an ell OF the
parsonage. the roof OF which ran near
enough TO the window so that an active
person could gain entrance that way The
whole affair remained more or less a
mystery to Philip. However. the letters
and the knife were real He took them
down town next day 10 the office OF the
evening paper and asked the editor TO
publish the letters and describe the knife.
1t was too good a piece of news TO omit,
and Milton people were treated to a gem
uine sensa ation when the article came out.
Philips object In giving the incident pub
licity was TO show the community what n
murderous element IL was fostering In
the saloon power. Those threats and the
knife preached sermon To the thought
full people OF Milton. and citizens who had
never asked the question before began TO
ask now, Are we to endure this saloon
monster much longer?"
AS for Philip. he went his way the same
as ever. Some OF his friends and church
members even advised him to carry re-
volvcr and be careful about going out
alone at night. Philip laughed at the
idea of a revolver and said: IF the sa-
loon men want 70 get rid OF me without
the trouble of shooting me themselves,
they had better make me present OF
silver mounted pistol.
Then / would manage the shooting
myself. And as for being careful about
going out evenings. what Is this town
t...a li..At
and legalize an institution that makes
its honest citizens advise newcomers to
stay at home for fear of assassination?
No. shall go about my work just as II
l lived I'm the most law abiding COM
munity In America. And II / am mur-
dered by the whisky men want the peo-
pie OF Milton TO understand that the
CT 'zens are as much to blame for the
m, der as the saloon men. For a COM
murity that will license such curse
ought TO bear the shame OF the legiti-
mate fruits OF It,"
The trial OF the man with the harelip
had been postponed for some legal rea-
son. and Philip felt relieved somewhat
He dreaded the ordeal of the court
scene. And one or two visits made at
the jail had not been helpful to him. The
nan had refused each time TO see the
minister. and he had gone away feeling
tion and realizing something OF the spirit
of Christ when he was compelled to cry
out. They Will not come unto me that
they might have eternal life" That al
ways seemed to Philip the most awful
feature OF the history OF Christ-that the
very people he loved and yearned after
spit upon him and finally broke his heart
with their hatred
He continued his study OF the problem
nf he that
has certain peculiar local characteristics
which every church aud preacher ought
to study. He was struck by the aspect
OF the lower part OF the town where
nearly all the poorer people lived. He
went down there and studied the situa-
tion thoroughly. 1t did not take a very
great amount OF thinking to convince
him that the church power I'm Milton was
not properly distributed. The seven
largest churches I'm the place were all on
one street. well up In the wealthy resi-
dence portion and not more than two or
three blocks apart. Down in the tenc-
ment district there was not single
i church building and only one or two
/ weak mission schools which did not
touch the problem OF the district at all.
| The distance from this poor part OF the
town to the churches was fully a mile.
n distance that certainly stood as a
/ geographical obstacle TO the church at
| tendance Of the neighborhood. even sup
| posing the people were eager TO go to the
large churches. which was not at ell the
| fact Indeed, Philip soon discovered that
| the people were Indifferent In the matter
! The churches on the fashionable street
! i'm town meant less than nothing to them
They never would go to them. and there
was little hope that anything the pastor
or members could do would draw the peo-
Pile that distance to come within church
influence. The fact of the matter was
The seven churches o; different denomin
ations I'm Milton had no living connection
whatever with nearly one-half the popu.
laticn. and that the most needy half. o
the place
The longer Philip studied the situa
tion the more un-Christian IL looked Il
him and the moro he longed 90 chang,
II. lie went over the ground again anC
again very carefully lie talked will
the different ministers and the most ad
vanced Christians I'm his own church
There was variety OF opinion as {,
what might be done. but no one wa
ready for the radical move which Philll
advocated when he came 10 SPEAK on tn,
subject the first Sunday Of the month
(To he Continuod)