Newark post., 1914-02-04

III Hdfu 10 meet EXPENSES from year
to year, depending on individual
contributions, giving a supper, a
bazaar now and then to help out
but church of which he could re-
port each year Everything paid in
full and a balance on hand and
moreover those to call upon who
had never been known to refuse to
give literally to every demand of
the church.
1t is hard, maybe, for us to be-
lieve this picture true but there are,
without doubt, many large stylish
churches where the problems which
the pastor faces are not financial
ones. The story of the needle s eye
and the rich man is has problem.
John Hoddor is a man with a vi
sion. As he passes back and forth
performing the affairs of the church
dining with Eldon Parr-he has
one scene stamped upon his mind
The scene he ever sees as he passes
through Dalton street. In this city
Dalton street seems to occupy a
rather prominent place-it is where
no Dalton street should ever be
near the fashionable st. John s and
within view of its fastidious men,
bers.
Every town has its Dalton street.
But not every Dalton street has in
its vicinity the aristocratic st.
John s.
A poor woman whose husband s
business has been ruined through /.
Eldon Parr, his ambition destroyed |.
by reverses and who has been fore
ed to Dalton street to find shelter
in their extremity, enters the sacred
precincts of st. John s to pray-to .
play for strength-to pray for the |.
life of her only child. Holder finds
her there and through her and the
sorrow through which she so soon
passes-the loss of her husband by
his own hand-Hodder, learns of
much of the misery and depreciation
of this quarter. He finds that his
own aristocratic millionaire men,
bers own many of the worst of the
dives and Notwithstanding
enormous rents from the same.
He finds here the reason why the
Parish House and the Settlement
House are not filled-are almost
failures standing as they do in the
very face of need and misery. He
begins now to see that his work in
this field had been of no use to the
Kingdom. Tiny had rrr,.to r.v
gress-the church was dead. He
now saw the reason.
He finds here a girl whose life
has been ruined by Eldon Parr.
He finds near here also Horace
Bentley, man whose life proved a
benediction to all who came in con-
tact with him.
John Holder begins to doubt
as to the genuineness of the faith in
which he has believed. He has been
his people huSks. He has
not interpreted the word as Christ
would have him do. He has not
lifted his voice against sin as it ex-
lists.
During that long hot summer he
struggles and reasons. He now
reads the thoughts Of the more pro-
gressive churchmen. He does not
occupy the pulpit during this time,
neither does he 60 away on a vaca-
tion but while striving to better /,
in Dalton street he fights
his fight to finish and to a victory.
He decides to do two things at
once: to bring Eldon Parr vision
Of his duty to Kate Marcy, to st.
John s and to his fellowmen; take
his place in the pulpit once more
and bring to his people new mes
sage.
In the light of his enlarged vision
he sees this pastorate as an oppor-
tunity for service-the bringing of
this people into the Kingdom of
God. Even if he would he dare
not refuse this responsibility.
And now we come to the climax ;
Of the story-to where John Hod-
der again enters his pulpit and
breaches to his people a marvellous
sermon from the well-known text:
Except a man be born again, he
cannot enter into the Kingdom of
God"
1t seems to me that in reviewing
this wonderful sermon one gets the
views Mr.. Churchill has wished to
present all through the story and
that he but brings point after point
conclusion after conclusion-.in a
more understandable form until
one is compelled to consider-in-
duced to reason, and in most in
stances led to believe by far the