The Washington herald., 1909-01-24

Cleveland. Ohio. Jan. gs.-The tive weeks
test Of 12,OOO Cleveland young people.
members Of the various societies OF the
Protestant churches who pledged them
selves to live for q fortnight as they be-
Iieved Jesus would did He face the pit
falls Of to-day. has developed a number
Of clashes OF opinion Incidentally, one
young woman. d trained nurse. put q
poser 10 the leaders in the movement IN
the way Of a question as 10 the shaping
Of conduct. The movement, originated
here by ". d. Price. young law student.
who shaped his course on the idea con
tanned in Rev. Charles Sheldon's In His
Steps was started three weeks ago To-
day in great mass meetings OF young peo-
pie. To these young people Rev. William
3. Wallace, Of the East End Baptist
Church. laid down certain rules OF conduct
Il was Rev. DR.. Wallace who felt II his
duty 10 respond 10 the nurses query.
Shall ! lie or perhaps Kill a NAM
asked the nurse IF a patient, excited
and nervous, 20 whom any shock or the
me to marry him. should /. as q trained
nurse, accept his proposal TO soothe him.
and when he has recovered tell him I did
not mean 70 pledge myself to him? an
enrolled in this movement to do as Jesus
would, but am puzzled"
I cannot attempt 10 lay down q rule
for this young woman" said DR.. Wallace.
That must be left 10 her common sense
TIE situation which the nurses words
revealed was out OF the OrdinaTy- Not 50
that OF a young Engiishman who has
been IN this country three years. He IS a
woman's shoe clerk IN a big department
store As he says, his employers are not
actusted by sentiment. and only a steady
growth in his sales record holds a sales
man his post. He enrolled in the move
menJ. Indeed, he says he has been shap-
ing his daily conduct for two years as he
thought Christ would were He in the
salesman's place He IS a member Of Dr.
Wallace's church.
Women Don't Like Truth
7 md II pays 70 live as Christ would
said ne Even IN a women-s shoe de-
partment 1t pays. OF course. I've lost a
good many customers by telling the
truth. Women come In here asking for a
number three shoe. I TT them Some
times they inquire IS 10 the size OF the
shoe I've satisfied them with When I
tell them it's i've or a SIX some OF them
90 away angry. They don't come back 10
me. and I'd soon lose ny Job + I didn't
get other customers in their place
I won't lie about feathers or guarantee
patent leather shoes 10 wear. Women
have learned that I tell the truth. aid
they've come 10 ne in increasing num-
bers. I'm holding my job and selling
shoes Ike Christ would, I believe. Il
pays.
typewriter who broke into print the
first day after the movement was begun
with a plant that she. a Stenographer
and practically private secretary 20 big
business man. could not DO as Christ
would and be loyal 10 her employer, stir
red up much discussion.
7 came down the morning after I'd
taken the pledge. she said The boss
called ne into his Office the first thing
and told ne 70 write g letter IN which he
described 20 a customer the ease with
which our firm could handle a rush or
der. He said he employed 20 men and
could get out the wOrK-it was a big or
deT-iR time. ! make up the payroll and
know our force is never within hundreds
q 100. I knew We would delay that Or
Ger-in time I make Up the pay roll and
Would Christ have done that?
Lie or Lose Job.
Then came the call on the telephone
Before I could answer the boss told ne
TO say he was out I had 10. but felt
was breaking my pledge.
These decepJions. some petty, some
good whopping ones. 90 OF each day II
I'm 70 be loyal 70 my employer I must
do as he says But an 7 not aiding IN
the deception An not stepping outside
the path OF Christ2-
Her trouble in keeping the pledge
which by the way. Mr.. Price declares is
being kept remarkably well by his thou
sands Of folIowers-was followed by g del
uge Of questions from stengraphe-s and
clerks. who felt they were violating their
plig.~ed word il telling untruths in let
ters or over the counters 10 customers n
stores.
Then came Miss Ada I,udick. steaoE-
rapher 10 Frank Rockefeller. brother OF
John =. Miss Ladick admitted persecu-
lion might be difficult 70 Withstand buk
she insisted no stenographer need tell q
lie directly or repeat one for her en-
ployer. She IS pledged follower OF the
Live Like Jesus" movement. and en-
tered into the Two weeks test with all
her earneStLeSS-
Il don't want publicity she said. IN
speaking OF her view OF the stenograph-
er's questions but do feel that I ought
to say what I feel I noticed that young
sten0grapners remark that she had 10
tell some inquirer that her employer was
not in. The inference seemed 10 be that
in business life IL is impossible 10 live the
Christ life. 7 think the young woman
made mistake, a serious mistake. 10 say
the least, in telling the falsebOod her en-
plCyer required Loyalty to ones en-
ployer is a good and commendable thing,
but we who have taken on ourselves the
name OF the Master owe a higher alleEi-
ance and first things first
Far better that We lose our fob than
that We lose our Own integrity Of charac-
ter. know a young. woman stenographer
whose employer. Just this week asked
her 70 tell some one he was not IN. She
declined 20 lie for him. She expected TO
be t--sIsissed. hUt the dismissal never
came. and her employer never has asked
her TO tell an untruth since
We may be prosecuted. like Our Mas
ter. but il is far better to bear persees-
tion and follow in His steps. Even this
Two weeks test must be an inspiration 20
thousands"
The Public Eye.