The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-01-01
CHAPTER X

"A his habit was when his outside work
was done for the day. he threw himself
down on a couch by the open Are His
wife was at work In the other room, pu'
abe came IN and seeing him lying there'
inquired what was the matter
Nothing. Sarah with me OnlS m
sick at heart with the sight ana kho"l-
sd,v 81 all this wicked towns SIN ana
misery"
"Do you have to carry II all on your
shoulders. Philip" :.
Yes" replied Philip almost herceiy' III
was not that either. oniy ms repN was
Nke a great sob OF conviction that he
must bear something Of these BURDENS
He could not help u.
Mrs strong did not say anything Tor
moment Then she asked
Don't you think you take II TOO ser-
eusly. Philip
what"
"other peoples wrongs. You are not
responsible"
Am not? am my brothers keeper
What quantity Of guilt may | not carry
into the eternal kingdom II 1 do not do
what can to save him, oh, how can
men be so selfish? Yet / am only one
person. cannot prevent all this suner-
Ing alone"
''Of course you cannot Philip. You
wrong yourself TO take yourself 10 task
90 severely for the sins of others. Hut
what has stirred you up so thls t'fne
Mrs. Strong understood Philip wen
enough 10 know that some particular case
mad aroused his feeling. He seldom
Welded TO such despondency without
some immediate practical reason.
Philip sat UP on the couch and clasped
his hands over his knee with the eager
earnestness that characterized him when
ne was reused.
Sarah. this town slumbers on the
smoking crest Of a volcano. There are
more than l5. 900 people here In Milton out
of work A great many of them are
honest. temperate people who have saved
up a little. But IL Is nearly gone the
mills are shut down and. on the authority
Of men that ought to know. shut down
for all winter. The same condition OF
anaIrs ts trrre In more or less degree
IN the entire state and throughout the
country and even the world. People
are suffering today in this town for FOOD
and clothing and fuel through no fault
of their own The same thing is true OF
thousands and even hundreds OF thou-
sands all over the world. IL Is an age
that calls for heroes, martyrs. servants,
saviors. And right here In this town. where
distress walks the streets and actual want
already has it's clutch on many poor
parties and living in it's little round OF
selfish pleasure just as II the volcano
was a downy bed OF roses for " 10 go
10 sleep In whenever II wearies OF the
pleasure and wishes 10 retire 10 happy
dreams. oh. but the bubble will burst
one OF these days and then
Philip swept his hand upward with
fine gesture ard sank back upon the
couch, groanng.
axa n
listers wife put the question gently.
mot a bit. Not bit, All true.
am not one OF the French revolution fell
lows. always Juggling in blood and de-
struction and prophesyng ruin 10 the
nation and the world II II doesn't gee
and haw the way ] like II to- But tell
you Sarah. II takes no prophet To see
that a man who Is hungry and out or
work is a dangerous man 10 have around.
And IL takes no extraordinary sized heart
to swell a little with righteous wrath
when in such times these people go
right on with their useless luxures of
living and sperd as much or &ingle
evenings entertainment as would pro-
vide a comfortable living for whole
month to soris deserving family"
How do You know they do''
well. I'll tell you. I'VE figured 1t
out I will leave IL To any one OF good
judgment that any one Of these project
, ed parties mentioned here In the evening
paper''-Philip smoothed the paper on
the head OF the couch--"any one OF them
will cost In the neighborhood OF 800 TO
$50 Look here, Here's the Goldens'
party--members OF Calvary church They
will spend al least s2S to s9c In flowers.
and refreshments will cost $50 more. and
nusic another S2s and incidentals s25 ex
ira. and so on. Is that right. Sarah,
these times, and as people ought TO live
nowT'
.But some one sets the benefit of all
this money spent Surely that Is a help
10 some OF the working people"
Yes. but how many people are 'hep-
"a by such expenditures only select
few. and they are the very ones who are
least In need OF H. say that Christian
people and members OF churches have no
right to indulge their selfish pleasures To
this extent In these ways. i know that
Christ would not approve OF IT,"
''Yor think he would not. Philip"
mo. ] know he would not. There Il
not particle OF doubt m my mind about
II. what right has a disciple OF Jesus
Christ 20 spend for the qualification OF
his physical aesthetic pleasures money
which ought TO be feeding the hungry
bodies of men or providing some useful
necessary labor for ther activity 7
mean, OF course. the qualification OF those
senses which man can live without In
this age of the world society ought 20 dis
pense with some Of its accustomed pleas
ures and deny itseif TOR the sake OF the
great suffering needy world Instead of
that. the members ~ the very church of
christ on earth spend more IN a single
evenings entertainment FOR people who
don't need II than they give 20 the saliva
ton Of men IN whole year | protest
out ~ the soul that God gave me against
such wicked selnshress And will pro-
test n society sprrn me from n as n BIZ
got. q Puritan and a boor For society
IN Christian America is not Christian In
fhis matier-no. not after the Christian
~ ~ Christ"
What can YOU do about a.. Philip"
His wife asked the question sadly. she
had grown old fast since coming TO Mil
ton. and a presentimeni of evil would. I'm
spite OF her naturally CHEEKY disposition
cling 10 her whenever she considered
Philip and his work.
II can preach on 4. and ! will"
BE wise. Philip. You tread on dif-
ncuit ground when you enter society's
realm"
Wei. dear. viii be a. wise as p ser
r. ~ "A .ft