The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-24

asked, VINO is there bold enOuvL fo a..
why this particular son or dlusb,os
reared in the same home and unSo,
the same conditions with brothers ana
sisters who do not go wrung--Vbs
should this particular one plunge in,o
the chasm?
1t cannot be always, even USUALLY
matter of home influence and spn.I1s,,s
\ training. Not long after tn. war M
Spain there was sent to Mani, a,
army Captain who had achieved hon
rank at West Point and had a.,.jlt,ea
| himself more than crcditab'y Yrfar-
ward-let us give him the r..,l,,,
name of Smith. He was sen. e., tho
| Philippines for a term Of years and
there took his wife and two al. ..lren
At first Capt. Smith was a model n,
all that an officer and g,g.'nps1
should be. He passed into On. .ar,v
forties; drink and the gambia. fove,
got h.m-through these the an ry god.
dess smote.
He fell lower and lower H. fell 6,
! far into that abyss where the p.m,,
was waiting that his wife and Oh Irer
had to leave him and return 90 New
York. Then he was found To have. ON.
bezzled funds entrusted 10 him. DO, vas
20
suffered punishment, and final. was
shipped back to the Pacific COAST.
After months of privatlon Thu wreck
of manhood, with his brllian. army
career gone forever, managed Co. beat
! his way East as far as New I.r.ey
lie was half starved; he had no
friends, no money, and he committed
burglary. Before he could gel away
from the house he entered he was ar.
rested. then tried and sentenced .o
term in the penitentlary While there
he was placed in the cell with Porter
Charlton, the wife murderer untl
Charlton seriously objected.
This fellow Is so mean" said Char.
son, that he'd steal from his OWE cell
mate"
This time the angry goddess had done
her work thoroughly indeed
AT the end of his term of impr.san.
ment the former army Captain WIS dis.
charged, and obtained a ferry ticket,
which enabled him to cross the Hudson,
and at o'clock that summer evening
he found himself walking eastward
through Fourteenth street. on hc went
block after block, and was nearing
Sixth avenue when some one tapped lin
on the arm. The recent prison lird
shook him off.
LET me alone" Smith mu',,ryi,
Flooding along with head down. hands
in the pockets of his coat, eyes on the
sidewalk.
The man who had tried to stop him
walked by his side.
Look here, my friend" he said, you
seem to be sick and in trouble
What's that to you?" Smith de-
manded without looking up.
"Everything-it's my business to help
folks who are in trouble. Where are
you going?"
Across town-to make a hole in the
river.
"!t's . pretty long wall. from here
Why don't you step inside with me and
get a little rest, first. We've got a
room just for that purpose. with COM
Portable chairs and music to listen to-
Then Smith looked up for the first
time, and saw that the other man wore
the uniform of the Salvation Army. lie
was one of the scouts patrolling near
headquarters, watching for men and
women with desperation in their eyes,
with the telltale prison pallor on their
faces.
Smith was weak and half sick He
allowed himself to be led into a large
hall where a meeting was in progress.
He was given a cup of coffee and some
food; and then he rested in chair and
listened while other men got up here
and there in the audience, telling how
they had had such experiences as he
had been Observation-Disclosures not in the
army-and how they had been pulled
up on their feet Well dressed these
men We're, too strong, courageous, I'M
afraid to face the world and tell their
story; men who were earning a good
livelihood and who did not hesitate to
mention the jobs they held down. And
every man of them said that when he
got so low that no human power On
earth could help he threw himself in
very desperation, on power MT human.
Smith listened as if fascinated. over
= him swept remembrance of his career
= Of his wife and children, of his present
a degradation, Then he, too, threw HIM
s self unreservedly on that mysterious
Power which the speakers had made
G so real in their stories. There was NJ
j emotional excitement about it; hut n
= the twinkling of an eye Sm..h was res
4 cued, his life was saved then and there
f as literally as If some life guard had
e thrown him a rope when he was strus'
O Cling in the water of the East River
gI That night the Salvation Army peo-
Il pie put him to bed; then for days and
d nights they nursed him, for he was
p really i'll. When he became strong
Il enough they sent him to one Of their
industrial homes, where he was g.vrE
light work to do. and every mom,n A'
was watched, especially when sent out
Of the building on errands. Then clm'
a day. a few months later, when
Salvation Army officer went to the pr',i'
= dent of one of the great railways
= and told him Smiths story from he
y ginning to end.
II want a job for this man" he SAID
. and the railway president gave IT, !
was a small job, at S1j a week, Nu
: Smith took it and made good H
u made so good, in fact, that he was adj
> vanced in pay and in respons.h. IS
" To-day Smith Is in charge of ono o.
( the principal freight districts of NrV
= York for that same railway. lie
y living in a home of his own viii 20.
. wife and children, and his salary
u several thousand dollars a year Nor