The Natchitoches enterprise., 1919-10-02
/ Life
Where humanity weaves
"Git you bum"
Light and welcome
A subtle transformation
Where home fires burn,
Looking into the future
In glory's fires.
The instrument.
- BY w. Alexander Inlay

E= BY w. Alexander Inlay -s.
Weaving eternal figure eights
through the streets of great city
in the southwest Saturday evening
crowd shifted in human phantas
magora under brilliant arc lights. l,
was early winter In the fashionable
district we'll clad men wore new ov
ercoats and silken mufflers. In the
lower end of the city men pulled
thin summer coats tightly about
their necks.
Women beating their way along
the thoroughfares felt the chilling
wind on sleazy silk Clad ankles
Children of the slums hoped swiftly
along, homeward bound from or
rands seeking the warmth of tene-
ments, for their chilled aare feet.
A gutter rat stood in the door
way Of a cheap restaurant. the
cdor Of frying onions snd steak
tantaIized his nostrils. II was
for the warm air that came
through the open door that he
tarried.
"Git, you bum,' he heard. A
second later the toe OF tall
mans boot had forced him into
the street.
mo one wants down and
outer" the aniffIIns thing moan
ed as he Sunk away.
Women OF the street passed him
with leer. A down and outer"
was the last thing on earth they
sought. What they wanted was
money for food and warm quarters.
The rat could supply neither
A swinging light in the street
ahead drew his attention. Upon COM
ing close to it he spelled out WELL
COME"
"Ha! Hal" he laughed cynically,
but he entered.
Next morning the frat" was
no longer a rat. He had been
fed and clothed. He had been
bathed and given a bed. Hope
burned high in his heart.
Through the offices Of his new
friends he was given work. Il 10
useless to follow him for, 81
course, as in all articles Of this
kind, the frat" made good.
Beaten and cuffed; scorned and
unwanted he had at last come
to his own.
Five years later we find the "rat"
without semblance of the thing of
the gutter which had been clinging
about him.
In pleasant room. with a flower
in the window, we find him reading
the daily paper. A woman speaking |
a soft tones II luiling = child to
rest.
Outside the wind bowls. A COW
bawls in the stable at the rear of
the lot on which the coy home is
built
The one time down and outer Is
moving up He has wife and
child. He owns a home. He has q
COW.
1--WE must make some steps
to Issue our child the surround
irgs Of Christianity" the wife
tells the one time thing Of the
gutter, after the child Is sound
asleep In its crib.
"WelI, what shall we do about
it7" he replies.
The woman places her cheek
next to his and whispers. The
honest citizen 10 at peace. He
mods his head in Fcquieseenee.
Sunday comes with bright spark
ing morning light. The honest citi.
en- and his wife dress in their best
md start for church.
It is a church of brick and stone.
slazsd windows break early morning
light into thousands Of prysmatic
rystals.
The minister takes his text
"Even az you do unto others"
His sonorous voice rings out in
ull periods. The one time child of
be slums in entranced.
A great organ peels its message of
re and love-
The honest citizen and his wife
ak forward.
They Join the church.
No one knows he has been q
thing OF the streets and the elm
derpath. That has been forgot
ten. But
Many are brought to American ]
churches each year who took
their first upward step with the
Salvation Army backing their o.
fort.