The sun., 1909-02-14
AS CHRIST WOULD DO If*
4 LONDON EXPERIMENT LED
By AN EX-CLERGYMAN.
A. Il. Clarke and HIS Followers Fave Just
Opened = Green Grocer's Shop and
Already Had Two Farms and Some
Lesser Establishments-Th Motto

Already Had Two Farms and Some
Lesser Establishments-The Motto.
LONDON. Jan. 30.-"Just measures.
good weights and righteous dealing" is
: the motto over a large green grocer's
shop which has just been opened in East
Ham, one Of the poorest and most COR
gested districts in this city. and to Judge
from the commotion that it has created
these ideas are foreign to the British small
tradesman.
The shop which has caused all this ex-
oitement ia run by the Christian Business
Association. an organization which has
started out to go the Rev. Mr.. Sheldon
OF Kansas City one better, Mr. Sheldon
made an experiment IN conducting busi-
ness -as Jesus would" for a short time
The Christian Business Association pro-
poses TO run it's business on these lines all
the time.
The Christian Business Association is
an offshoot from the Bible Brotherhood
founded by A. +. Clarke, former clergy
man of the Church Of England. and he
is now directing the business fortunes Of
the new undertaking. In fact he In the
moving spirit Of the brotherhood, which
has gained many adhereDts in London
and in the manufacturing towns Of Ghe
north and the Mdlands.
Mr.. Clarke believes in the apostolic
-churchianity. which he declares is a
mere travesty Of religion, and he sneeis
at the performance OF divine servics
at set hours and in set places. He holdE
that divine service should be continu-
ous that 1t should enter into every activ-
ity Of life and that it should be the chief
purpose OF every mans business and social
activity. With this idea in mind he has
founded the Christian Business Assooia-
ton, which enables the members Of the
brotherhood to carry out their beliefs
in the practical things Of life. In addi-
tion to the green grocer'e shop the asso-
citation has two farms-one at Westerham.
near London. and the other at West
Mailing. in Kent. It has also a laundry
and a shoe shop at Sydenham.
One Of the farms is managed by Henry
BaHsndsle' Bake who hSo recently s,p CAV, up for. for
money was left to him by his father on
condition that he abandon the Bible
Brotherhood and return to the faith in
which he was brought up. that Of the Ply
mouth Brethren, but he refused TO do so
and the money went to distant relatives,
Mr.. Clarke-he declines to be called
the Rev. the apostle Of this new creed,
is a man OF liberal education and his
parents were Of some wealth.
Mr.. Clarke is a man of about As. He is
rather under middle height and stoutly
built. but his frame Is that OF an athlete
is doing the rough work of the shop he
is as carefully dressed as when he was
attached to a fashionable church. but
there is no hint OF the clerical about his
appearance.
His father was secretary Of the Bengal
Chamber Of Commerce and he was edu-
Gated at Oxford. where he took classical
honors. At first he took up teaching in
one Of the great glish schools, but after
a year or so his mind was directed to
religion by a narrow escape from accident
and he determined to devote his life to
the service Of God. He determined to
take holy orders and he was ordained by
the late Archbishop of Canterbury in
st. Paul's Cathedral. His first curacy
was in 1slin gton, where he began work in
poor parish with population of 5000.
within three weeks after entering
| the church my eyes we're opened he
said, . saw how the clergy neglect
their duties and before long | told my
vicar that he was an unconverted man.
He had me up before the Bishop for in
subordination and | was plainly told
then that my duty was to obey orders
and to preach what ! was told.
Il was on the point Of giving up the
church then. when l heard Of vicar in
| Yorkshire whose views were somewhat
like mine, and arranged to go there.
l had hardly arrived when the Bishop
sent for me. i hear that you are great
you will have TO behave yourself in my
diocese | went home determined TO
resign at once. but my vicar persuaded
me to stay and ] spent a couple Of happy
and useful years with him. All the time,
however, my doubts were growing and
finally the crisis came when l received
pamphlet on the question. OF infant
sprinkling. threw it aside and then
came the turning point in my life.
Il had gone upstairs to have a few
words of prayer before starting on a
round of visiting, but when l knelt down
up. but great hand seemed to hold me
down and i could not move. The sweat
broke out on me. oCd at last l cried out
in the words OF PauA Lord. what wouldst
Thou have me to do?'
If ever God talked to a man He talked
guidance. for the answer came back
clearly and distinctly. Go downstairs
Il read it, aAl the result was that I
could remain no longer in the Church
of England. | secured the pastorate
of an important Baptist church in Man
chester, and ] remember that when |
was saving good-by TO my vicar he said
to me-. Clarke. you are leaving one Bishop
to go under six lie meant the deacons.
and he was right. ] had not been long
in the Baptist ministry when discovered
that The Baptists did not want real Chris
tianity. One of my deacons, great
business man in Manchester who con-
tribul ed $3.50 "A year to the upkeep OF the
church, said to me once, Mr., Clarke.
Your Sunday sermons are grand, but
you must let us alone on weekdays
Finally resigned my pastorate, and
after period of doubling and thought
l discovered the truth--that the only way
to serve God was 10 serve him all the time.
in business and in play and in every
other activity of life. ] gathered a few
around me and their numbers gradually
grew. We established watch and clock
shop first and carried out our principles
there. Now we have a number Of small
businesses all over England.
Our motto is that our religion shall he
our business and our business our re-
ligion. The brethren live in communities
like the early Christians and when their
wants are satisfied they devote the sur
plus to doing good To others. We hold
no set services, but when there is an
opportunity We meet together to worship
God; but we hold these meetings to be
OF less importance than the service which
We render to Kim in our daily lives.
Il want to emphasize the fact, however.
that We are fully and wholly orthodox
in our position toward the Scriptures.
We believe fully in the complete verbal
inspiration of the Old and New Testa-
ments and We do not believe that any
portion of the Scriptures is obsolete or has
been slIDersaded For instance we do