The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-07-15

next, nope tnat you WILL smile with
me over the joke of the double panta-
looms, which evidently caused you so
much and me SO little pain.
The great turning point in life was
reached when, with my conversion
at Methodist altar, there came a call
to preach the gospel. Everything else
seemed impossible. The ambition to
become an actor I left where I left my
sins. And yet, what could preaching
seem to startled heart but impos.
sible? Nevertheless, there was the
call. heard it in my soul, and l re.
sponded with determination topreach
with whatever ability God had given
me. In preparation for my life-work
strategic opportunities presented
themselves, which today, as l look
backward, seem Enthusiastically provi-
Dental. I call them the providential
harvest field. the providential survey
the providential Sunday school exhib
ition, and the providential wood.
pile.
One summer, in order to earn mon
ey with which to 60 to school, l went
out for a job; found it in wheatfeld
and went in at a dollar and half a
day to keep up my "station" behind a
reaper. In build and stature I was
but slight lad, and the summer was
severely, dangerously hot. Several
of the harvest hands were overc ONE
by heat, and quit the field early, day
after day. Stalwart, brawny men they
were, too. Thoug gh the lightest and
youngest at work there, I did not lose
day or an hour, but kept up right
through the harvest. And this was
the secret of it: Every morning, as l
entered the field, unobserved by 9th
ers, l would drop down behind a shock
of wheat and ask God to help me keep
up my station, and never did l leave
that field at night without kneeling
down behind shock of wheat to thank
God for helping me do my work.
The>next season when looking for
something to do, l secured employ
ment at the hind end of the chain in a
company organized to survey for a
new railroad through eastern Illinois
and western Indiana. Fully two,
thirds of the distance was through
swamps; in which we had to wade in
water up to the girdle, and many q
time we we're compelled to wade,
breast-deep, through the great, wide
drainage bitches, holding the instru.
ments above our heads. Not infre-
quently we bad to swim. There l
found good use for my skill as a swim
mer, which l had acquired in the old
holes of Rock River and Kankakee
River when had nothing else to do.
Throughout that trip Of fearful expo
sure, although the youngest, most boy
ish member of the company, never
even caught cold, while several Of
the men suffered greatly then and af-
terwalds, and had to quit the survey.
l prayed my way through those
swamps, looking always with faith
and hope toward heaven and-Evan.
sion. f~s
The providential Sunday school ex-
hibition was after this wise: About
the Christmas-time an oratorio, based
on the "Piler;m's Progress" was Civ
eli b, lLe Sunday school in the Meth
odist Church at Kankakee, l took
the part of the Pilgrim in certain
spoken recitations. An elect lady
was in the audience, and while l was
reciting portions Of the great allegory
God put it into her heart to purpose
helping me in my education. By her
kindness l was enabled to begin my
course at Evanston. .#a .-
The providential woodpile? Well,
there came a time when money gave
out. Winter was on; the soles of my
boots were worn through; several 9th
er things, also, were worn through. 1t
looked as though l must quit school,
I had been praying to God to give me
another chance to do something. One
day chum and 1 were walking down
street in Evanston when, passing an
alley, We saw man unloading cord
wood, and there was a long pile Of
several cords stretching up the alley.
A happy thought struck me: "Chum,''
said l, for Chum was in the same
needy condition as myself, Suppose
we tackle that woodpile?" Enough.
We went down the alley to the back
door of the house, asked for the job of
saving, splitting, and carrying in that
wood; borrowed a saw and buck and
ax and henan that nioht to o0 fhrou h