New-York tribune., 1910-09-04
By Smith D. Fry

.b;s etorv has never before been
told Physicians are almost IT not quite as
ta;tbfu1 TO their professional trusts as are
,r;ests in their fidelity to the condolences oil
the confessional.
THE Rev. John Brown, evangelist, made
his home on the mounta1nside "1thin slghl
of our town, when he was not tfdVehns
about doing good. He was physical giant
With Ioyelike head, massive wavy raven
black hair, long flowing beard ana hands 1'
b;o enough 10 grasp half dozen OF the hafds
IS se Sell Children at one time And how he
did love children, and love to preacn 10
them, Moreover, they loved him too, ana
there was a wonderful mellOwnesS IN MS
cnlendid voice when he pronounced AGAIN
and AGAIN his text, Suffer little chiidieh
To come unto me, and forbid them not:
Tohn Browns wife was demure nttie
O,J,keress She always travelled with him,
attended all his meetings, and looked after
him with wonderful devotion IN every way;
Although the evangelist was man OF broad
catholicitv, preaching with equal fofce ana
fervor in all churches and at all gatherings
b;e faithful little wife always wore the habit
of her childhood; for she dressed after the
manner of Ouakers, with close fitting bon
net her angelic face surrounded "1eh SHOW
like ruching.
During the preceding winter John brown
had preached by day and by night until ne
had overtaxed his throat and entire nervous
system. True, he was proud OF his WORK.
and when he came to our sanatoriim ne was
cheerful and hopeful, saying that upward OF
ten thousand souls had been .snatched as
brands from the burning and that he wouid
surely serve the Master with strength ana
power in the following season.
He remained with us about SIX weeks
taking principally the rest cure and dieting;
but IT was apparent to me that his heart was
falling gradually. However, his physical
;mnrovement was so marked that when he
| left us and went to his own little house on
the nOuntainside he looked like well man,
and believed himself TO be in need only OF
few weeks of quiet ana repOse, with no other
treatment than the loving care OF ms Won
derful but retiCent wife.
called on him two or three times each
week. looking after him more carefully than
he realized; but my visits were merely
social ones. | wanted to tell his wife to look
after him at nights, and to warn her OF the
danger of sudden collapse; but never had
an opportunity to see her. She kept to ner
own rooms when | was there, and, indeed,
never appeared before any of the nelghbors
except in the presence of her husband L
tried to get nv wife to warn her; but she
also found it impossible to have single
minute of private conversation with the
sweet little recluse. My wife told me that
she chided the evangelist for keeping his
wife all to himself, and he had said:
MARY keeps herself all to herself OF her
own free will 1t is her pleasure. l have
found by living with her that her greatest
happiness is in making me comfortable. and
that she does not seem to care tor anyone
else in the world. OF course she is sympa-
thetic neighbor and friend, and does many
little deeds of kindness of which people know
nothing; but she is selfish in that one thing,
she likes to be with me only.
nURING my afternoon or evening visits to
II him. as we sat on his south porticO, John
Brown often told interesting stories OF his
experiences, some of them most thrilling
One afternoon he told the story of a gambler
he had known in the far West. He said that
whenever he preached from the text, With
out shedding of blood is no remission,
he always had that gambler in mind.
This is the story, substantially as he told 1t
then: