The Marshall republican., 1909-06-18
fG!S,'7M LOVES
! S WA6e haW
.. .1ycMOLEY ELLIOT SEKWELL
.IyMOLLY ELLIOT SFxyVEI.


* 49, aLN aL aN
'Airnougn , nave recover the us.
fof my limbs and look to be In health.
Il am not ft for service; and I was re-
tired Un half pay only a few days ago.
MY life is not likely to be long, but
released as I am, by Gods hand. from
the profession OF arms, ! shall devote
the remnant Of my life to the service
iof the Lord God Almighty. His mes
sage came to me years ago, but 1
was deaf to 1t. I was In love with the
world, and possessed by the flesh and
the devil. 1 committed murders undo:
the name of a dishonored my
Maker by my designations. l spent In
gambling and vice the money wTung
from the poor that wene bopd-sla yes to
labor and poverty. I biasphemed, aud
yet I was not counted evil by the
world
I listened and wondered to myself.
should this be true, where stood we
air?
'Overton's face had flushed. HIS eyIs
were full Of rapture; he seemed to
dwell in the glory Of the Lord.
"But now I am free from the bvHy
OF that death, and subject only, no THE
yoke of the N~azarene-the Jesus who
'labored with his hands to show that
work was honorable; the carpenter
who called about him those as poor as
himself, and preached to them the
love OF God and ones neighbor; who
received the Magdalen as a sister and
the 'leper as u brother"
I was silent. I had heard many
sermons from deans and dignitaries-
all well.fed men, and every man jack
of them after promotion from thu
Whigs-and these m had left
my heart as untouched as that IF the
wild Indian of North America. But
this was different. After a while, Over.
ton continued:
"As this Jesus called all manner Of
men to follow him-the greedy tRx.
fgatherer, as we'll as Peter the poor fish.
'erman, and John the gentle and studi-
ous ,youth-so he called me: and, Ike
The ftaxgatherer, whose stony heart was
melted by the voice Of Jesus, say
with tears: My God! I follow Thee!'"
We had % approached the CORNER
of the field, and i~nvoluntarily stopped.
j said to him blunderingIy:
shall you take orders?"
'sNo." he replied. II do not aspire
TO open my mouth as q teacher am
not worthy; but q few of the humbiest
people about here-I have been in this
place for some time-come to me on
Sundays, In the forenoon, to ask rae
TO speak to them. They are day labor
ers. hostlers-the kind Of people l
nee fancied to be without souls. |
speak to them, not as a preacher and
teacher. but as a brother and a FRIEND.
1t is now time for them to assemble"
aw. sure enough, q number OF
poorly-dressed rustics coming toward
the field. They came by wos n
fhreeS, the women mostly with chill
dren in arms, or hanging to their
skirts. When all had arrived there
were about 80 men and women. They
seated themselves on the grass, and |
along with them, and, in some mys-
terious way, 4 felt, for the first time in
my life, that the .plowman was my
brother and the kitchen wench my
sister.
When they were all seated, Overton
took from bis pocket a small Bible and
read the Sermon on the Mount. The
people listened r~everently. He gave
them a short discourse, suited to their
understanding, and then read to them
a simple hymn. which they sang with
fervor.
/ listened with a strange feeling,
half pain. half pleasure, half satisfac-
ton, half dissatisfaction. / wished for
Daphne's sweet spirit to be near me.
II cam 10 my mind how like was this
meeting of the poor and unlearned to
those held by the Carpenter of Naza-
reth on the shores OF the Sea Of Cali
lee. The hymn echoed sweetly over
the green fields: 1t was a partNof that
great antiphon with which Nature re-
niles IN the harmOniea of the Most