Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, November 08, 1899, Image 1
ISSUED SEMI-WEEKI.Y.
l. m. grist & sons, Publishers. j" ~ % ^amilj |leu:sp|)er: cfor the promotion of the political, gotial, Agricultural, and (Kommtijciat Interests of fht people- lTEIl"sS.^LE2oArvV?ivJcENDTVsANCIi"
ESTABLISHED 1855. YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1899. dSTO. 89.
1 . * I * 1 e a a 111 J, TT7 il?? OTnOTY. Tllrfl
"What Woul<
BY OSARIjES
CHAPTER XI i
Righteousness shall uo oeiore mm ana siuui ki i
tu in the way ol his steps.
The bishop whs not in the habit of '
carrying mnch uioney with him. ant
the man with the stake, who was
searching him. ottered an oath at the
small amount of change he found. As
he ottered it the man with the pistol
savagely said: "Jerk out his watch!
We might as well get all we can out of
the job."
The man with the stake was on the
point of laying hold of the chain when
there was the son nd of footsteps coming
toward them.
"Get behind the fence! We haven't
half sewched him yet Mind yon keep
shut now if yon don't want"?
The man with the pistol made a significant
gesture with it. and his companion
polled and poshed the bishop
down the alley and through a ragged
broken opening in the fence. The three
stood still there in the shadow until the
footsteps passed
"Now. then, have yon got the
watch?" asked the man with the pistol
"No; the chain is caught somewhere!"
And the other man swore
again
"Break it. then!"
"No; don't break it." the bishop
said, and it was the first time he had
spoken. "The chain is the gift of a
very dear friend. I should be sorry to
have it broken."
a a 4-v?? nf tvlq kickat^'q i'aw'o ,
Al LUC 9UIIUU V* IUW I/IOUV}/ S7 ?v?w t
the man with the pistol started as if he 1
had been snddenly shot by his own
weapon. With a quick movement of his
other hand he turned the bishop's head
toward what little light was shining
from the alleyway, at the same time
taking a step nearer. Then, to the evident
amazement of his companion, he
said roughly
"Leave the watch alone. We've got
the money That's enough. "
"Enough1 Fifty cents! You don't,
reckon"?
Before the man with the stake could
say another word he was confronted
with the muzzle of the pistol, turned
from the bishop's head toward his own.
"Leave that watch be and put back
the money too. This is the bishop we've
held up?the bishop! Do you heart"
"And what of it? The president of
the United States wouldn't be too good
to hold up if" ?
"I say. you put the money back, or
in five minutes I'll blow a hole through
your head that'll let in more sense than
you have to spare now. "said the other.
For a second the man with the stake
seemed to hesitate at this strange turn
in events, as if measuring his companion's
intention Then he hastily dropped
the money back into the bishop's
pocket
"You can take your hands down.
B1I". 1UC uiaxi ? i iu tuc nco{A^u ?wn j
ered it slowly, still keeping an eye on ,
the other man and speaking with rough j
respect The bishop slowly brought his |
arms to his side and looked earnestly at i
the two men. In the dim light it was
difacult to distinguish featurea He was <
evidently free to go his way now. but j
he stood there, making no movement |
"You can go on You needn't stay i
any longer on our account" The man |
who had acted as spokesman turned and j
sat down on a stone. The other man (
stood viciously digging his stake into i
the ground.
"That's just what I'm staying for." j
replied the bishop. He sat down on a |
board that projected from the broken
fence. i
"You must like our company It is ;
hard sometimes for people to tear them- i
selves away from us," the man stand- i
ing up said, laughing coarsely.
"Shut upl" exclaimed the other.
"We're on the road to hell, though: <
that's sure enough. We need better i
company than ourselves and the deviL "
"If you would only allow me to be
of nnv heln"? The bishoD snoke een
tly, even lovingly The man on the
stone stared at the bishop through the
darkness. After a moment of eilence he
spoke slowly, like one who had finally
decided upon a course he had at first
rejected.
"Do you remember ever seeing me
before?"
"No." said the bishop. "The light is
not very good, and I have really not
had a good look at you. "
"Do you know me now?" The man
suddenly took off his hat and. getting
up from the stone, walked over to the
bishop until they were near enough to
touch each other.
The man's hair was coal black, except
one si>ot on the top of liis head
about as large as the palm of the hand,
which was white.
The minute the bishop saw that he
started. The memory of 15 years ago
began to stir in bim The man helped
him.
"Don't yon remember one day back
in '81 or '82 a man came to your house
and told a story about his wife and
child having been burned to death in a
tenement fire in New York If"
"Yes; I begin to recall now," murmured
the bishop. The other man
seemed to be interested. He ceased digging
his stake in the ground and stood
still, listening.
"Do you remember how you took me
into your own house that night and
spent all the next day trying to find me
a job and how, when you succeeded in
getting me a place in a warehouse as
foreman. I promised to quit drinking
because you asked me to?"
"I remember it now." the bishop replied
gently. "I hope you have kept
your promise."
I
I
i Jesus Do?"
M. SHBLDOlXr.
The man laughed savagely. Then he
struck his hand against the fence with
such sudden passion that he drew blood.
"T7-?* I n-oo dmnt insirlfl nf a
week. I've been drinking ever since,
bnt I've never forgotten yon or your
prayer. Do yon remember, the morning
after I came to your house and after
breakfast, you had prayers and asked
me to come in and sit with the y^st 1
That got ma But my mother iflpd to
pray I can see her now kneeling down
by my bed when I was a lad. Father
:ame in one night drunk and kicked
ber while she was kneeling there by
me. but I nover forgot that prayer of
fours that morning You prayed for
me just as mother used to. and you did
ao* seem to take count of the fact that
I was ragged and tough looking and
more than half drunk when I rung your
loorbelL My God. what a life I've
lived I The saloon has housed me and
aorned me and made hell on earth for
me. But that prayer stuck toine all the
time. My promise not to drink was
Broken in a thousand pieces inside of
two Sundays, and 1 lost the job you
found for me and landed in a police station
two days afterward, but I never
forgot you or your prayer I don't
mow what good it's done me. but I
aever forgot it. and I won't do any
larm to you nor let any one else So
fou're free to go That's why. "
The bishop did not stir Somewhere
i church clock struck 1 The man had
jut on his hat and gone back tobia seat
>n the stone The bishop was thinking
lard
"How long is it since yon had work V
3e asked, and the uian standing up
inswered for the other
"More'n six months since either of
is did anything to tell of. nnless you
?unt holding up work I call it pretty
vearing kind of a job myself, especially
vhen we put in a night like this one
ind don't make nothing. "
"Suppose 1 found good jobs for both
>f you Would you quit this and begin
ill over If
"What's the nse?' The man on the
itone spoke snllenly "I've reformed a
inndred times Every time I go down
leeper The devil's begun to forceloae
>n me already It's too late.' ?
"No1* said the bishop, and never be
!ore the most entranced audience had
le felt the desire for souls burn up in
lim so strongly All the time he sat
:here duriug the remarkable scene he
jrayed "O Lord .lesu.s. give me the
souls of these two for thee' 1 am hun
<ry for them' Give them to me!"
"No'" the bishop repeated "What
loes God want of yon two men? It
loesn t so much matter what I want.
3nt he wants just what 1 do in this
case Yon two men are of infinite value
to hiui And then the bishop's wonlerful
memory came to his aid in an
ippeal snch as no one else on earth
tmong men con Id make nnder such circumstances
He had remembered the
man s name in spite of the wonderfully
busy years that lay between his coming
to the honse aud the present moment
"Burns he said, and he yearned
aver the men with an unspeakable longing
for them hoth "if yon and your
Friend here will go home with me tonight
I will find you both places of
honorable employment 1 will believe
in von and trust you You are both
comparatively yonng men Why should
God lose you Y It is a great thing to
win the love of the great Father It is
i small thing that I should love you.
but if yon need to feel again that there
is love in the world you will believe
me when 1 say. my brothers, that I love
you. and in the name of him who was
crucified for onr sins I cannot bear to
see you miss the glory of the human
life Come! Be men I Make another try
for it. God helping you No one but
God and you and myself need ever
know anything of this tonight He has
forgiven it The minute you ask him to
you will find that true Cornel We'll
fight it out together, von two and I.
It's worth fighting for Everlasting life
is. It was the sinner that Christ came
to help I'll do what 1 can for you 0
God. give me the 60uls of these two
men "
The bishop broke into a prayer to
God that was a continuation of his appeal
to the men His pent up feeling
Ko/3 no Anflof P/ifnro Vi o Ku/1
11?U uv W1IU1 VUllVb U UW uuu
prayed many moments Burns was sitting
with his face buried in his bands,
sobbing Where were his mother's
prayers now t They were adding to the
power of the bishop'a And the other
uiau. harder less moved, without a
previous knowledge of the bishop, leaned
back against the fence, stolid at first,
byt as the prayer went on he was moved
by it What force of the Holy Spirit
swept over his dulled, brutal, coarsened
life nothing but the eternal records of
the recording angel can ever disclose,
but that same supernatural presence that
smote Paul on the road to Damascus
and poured through Henry Maxwell's
church the morning he asked disciples
to follow in Jesus' steps and had again
broken irresistibly over the Nazareth
Avenue congregation now manifested
himself in this foul corner of the mighty
city and over the natures of these two
6inful. sunken men. apparently lost to
all the pleadings of conscience and
memory of God. The bishop's prayer
seemed to break open the crust that had
for years surrounded these two men and
shut them off from divine communication.
and they themselves were thoroughly
startled by the event
The bishop ceased, and at first he
himself did not realize what had happened.
Neither did the two men. Burns
still sat with his head bowed between
his hands. The man leaning.against the
fence looked at the bishop* with a face <
in which new emotions of awe, repent- ]
ance. astonishment and a broken gleam i
of joy straggled for expression.
The bishop rose <
"Come, my brothers 1 God is good. I
Ton shall stay at the settlement tonight I
and I will make good my promise as to I
the work ' 1
The two nren followed the bishop in 1
silence When they reached the settle i
ment. it was after 2 o'clock. The bishop
let them in and led them to a room. At i
the door he pansed a moment His tall i
commanding figure stood in the door- '
way. and his j ale face, worn with his f
recent experiences, was illuminated 1
with the divine glory 1
"God bless yon. my brothers I" he 1
said. and. leuving them his benediction. (
! he went away
In the morning he almost dreaded to I
face the men. but the impression of the t
night had not worn away True to his
promise, the bishop secured work for e
them The janitor at the settlement e
needed an assistant, owing to the growth
of the work there. So Burns was given x
the place The bishop succeeded in get- v
ting his companion a position as driver a
for a firm of warehouse dray manufac- ii
turers not far from the settlement o
And the Holy Spirit, struggling in r
these two darkened, sinful men, began
his marvelous work of regeneration. a
It was the afternoon following that g
morning when Burns was installed in a
his new position as assistant janitor a
that he was cleaning off the front eteps
of the settlement when he paused a
moment and stood up to look about him t
The first thing he noticed was a beer I
sign just across the alley He could al- a
most touch it with his broom from <J
where he stood Over the street imme- \
diately opposite were two large saloons, c
and a little farther down were three \
mora
Suddenly the door of the nearest sa- e
loon opened, and a man came out At t
the same time two more went in. A I
strong odor of beer floated up to Burns 1
as ho stood on the steps of the settle- t
ment He clutched his broom handle a
tight and began to sweep again He t
had one foot on the porch and another f
on the step just below He took another
step down, still sweeping The sweat a
stood out on his forehead, although the i
day was frosty and the air chill The r
saloon door opened again, and three or
four men came ont A child went in t
with a pail and came ont a moment fc
later with a quart of beer The child fc
went by on the sidewalk just below him. fc
and the odor of the beer came up to I
him He took another step down, still c
sweeping desperately His fingers were
purple as he clutched the handle of the t
broom e
Then suddenly he pulled himself up
one step and swept over the spot he had
just cleaned He then dragged himself fc
by a tremendous effort back to the floor fc
of the porch and went over into the cor- e
ner of it farthest from the saloon and <3
began to sweep there "O God." he y
cried, "if the bishop would only come y
back!' The bishop had gone out with c
Dr Bruce somewhere, and there was r
no one "about the settlement that he fc
knew o
He 6wept in the corner for two or f
three minutes. His face was drawn v
with the agony of the conflict Gradu- p
ally he edged out again toward the steps f
and began to go down them He looked h
toward the sidewalk and saw that be i
had left one step unswept The sight v
seemed to give him a reasonable excuse e
for going down there to finish his sweep- a
ing He was on the sidewalk now b
sweeping the last step, with his face t
toward the settlement and his back c
turned partly on the saloon across the v
alley He swept the step a dozen times C
The sweat rolled over his face and drop- a
ped down at his feet By degrees be felt i
that he was drawn over toward that p
end of the step nearest the saloon He s
could smeii me ueer uuu ium uu>> aa u
the fumes rose around him It was like c
the infernal sulphur of the lowest hell, s
and yet it dragged him. as by a giant's c
hand, nearer its source c
He was down in the middle of the t
sidewalk now. still sweeping He clear a
ed the space in front of the settlement n
and even went out into the gutter and h
swept that He took off his hat and rub- [
bed his sleeve over his face. His lips t
were palid. and his teeth chattered. He n
trembled all over like a palsied man s
and staggered back and forth, as if he t
were already drunk. His soul shook p
within him
He had crossed over the little piece of s
stone flagging that measured the width e
of the alley, and now he stood in front c
of the saloon, looking at the sign and c
staring into the window at the pile of t
whisky and beer bottles arranged in a t
great pyramid inside He moistened his I
lips with his tongue and took a step c
forward, looking around him stealthily v
The door suddenly opened again, and t
some one came out Again the hot, c
penetrating smell of the liqnor swept a
out into the cold air. and he took an- p
f V?r? onlnnn rlrwvr F
oilier step iu w <u u buc cuiwt< .
which had shot behind the customer v
As he laid his fingers on the door handle 1
a tall figure came around the corner It i
was the bishop g
He seized Burns by the arm and drag- ?
ged him back tipon the sidewalk. The t
frenzied man. now mad for drink. I
shrieked out a curse and struck at the t
bishop savagely It is doubtful if he t
really knew at first who was snatching v
him away from his ruin. The blow fell t
upon the bishop's face and cut a gash t
in his cheek i
He never uttered a word, but over
his face a look of majestic sorrow swept t
He picked Burns up as if he had been a \
child and actually carried him up the t
steps into the settlement. He placed I
him down in the hall and then shut the t
door and put his back against it.
Burns fell on his knees, sobbing and 1
praying The bishop stood there, pant- a
ing with his exertion, although Burns e
was a slight built man and had not i
been a great weight for one of the f
bishop's strength to carry The bishop j
-< i-i-i- ?
Was IlloVeU Wltll Uiispeasauie [Iiy i
"Pray. Burns?pray us yon never c
prayed before' Nothing else will savo i
you!' 3
"OGodl Pray with me I Save me I
Oh. save me from my belli" cne<
Barns, and the bishop kneeled by hin
in the hall and prayed as only he could
After that they arose, and Burn
svent into his room. He came out of i
that evening like a humble child, am
the bishop went his way. older fron
that experience, bearing on his bod;
the marks of the Lord Jesua Truly hi
was learning something of what i
means to walk in his stepa
But the saloon 1 It stood there, am
ill the others lined the street liko a
many traps set for Burns. How lonj
would the man be able to resist thi
smell of the damna Die stunt The Dlaho]
svas out on the porch. The air of thi
vhole city seemed to be impregnate!
with the odor of beer. "How lcng, (
3-qd. how long?" the bishop prayed.
Dr Brnce came out. and the tw<
'riends talked over Burns and his temp
;ation
"Did you ever make any inquiries
ibout the ownership of this propert]
tdjkvluing us?" the bishop asked.
"No; I haven't taken time for it. 1
vill now if you think it would be wortfc
rhile. But what can we do. Edward,
gainst the saloon in this great city ? II
8 as finnly established as the churchei
r politics. What power can ever reQove
it?"
"God will do it in time, as he reooved
slavery," replied the bishop
;ravely. "Meanwhile I think we hav?
, right to know who controls this saloor
o near the settlement."
"I'll find out." said Dr. Bruce.
Two days later he walked into the
tusiness office of one of the members oi
Tazareth Avenue church and asked t*
ee him a few momenta He was corlinllw
V\t? Vila aM nouV>iaaor
liaiij i outi r ou kjj uio v*u pnnoutvuvti
rho welcomed him into his room and
irged him to take all the time h(
ranted.
"I called to see yon abont that proprty
next to the settlement, where the
>ishop and myself now are. you know
am going to sneak plainly, becaust
ife is too short and too serious for us
oth to have any foolish hesitatioi
,bout this matter. Clayton, do yon
hink it is right to rent that propertj
or a saloon?"
Dr Bruce's question was as direel
md uncompromising as he had ineanl
t to be The effect of it on his old pa
ishioner was instantaneoua
The hot blood mounted to the face oi
he man who sat there, a picture ol
insiness activity in a great city Ther
le grew pale, dropped his head on his
tands. and when he raised it again Dr
Jruce was amazed to see a tear roll
ver his parishioner's face.
"Doctor, did you know that 1 toot
he pledge that morning with the othrs?"
"Yes, I remember."
"But you never knew how I havt
een tormented over my failure to keep
t in this instance That saloon prop
I tj UtlO L/CCU bUU icuipuauuu v< vu?
[evil to me It is the best paying inestment
at present that I have, and
et it was only a minnte before yor
ame in here that I was in an agony ol
emorse to think how I was letting ?
ittle earthly gain tempt me into denial
f the very Christ 1 had promised t<
ollow 1 know well enough that h<
ponld never rent property for such s
mrpose There is no need, dear doctor,
or yon to say a word more.'' Claytor
leld out his hand, and Dr Bruce grasped
t and shook it hard After a little h?
pent away, but it was a long time aftrward
that he learned all the truth
bout the struggle that Clayton had
uown It was only a part of the hisory
that belonged to Nazareth Avenut
hurch since that memorable morning
phen the Holy Spirit sanctioned th?
Ihristlike pledge Not even the bishop
nd Dr Bruce, moving as they now did
n the very presence itself of divine im
mlses. knew yet that over the wholt
iufnl city the Spirit was brooding with
nighty eagerness, waiting for the disiples
to arise to the call of sacrifice and
uffering. touching hearts long dull and
old. making bn-iness men und oionej
nakers uneasy in their absorption bj
he one great struggle for more wealth
nd stirring through the church ai
lever in all the city 's history the church
lad been moved The bishop and Dr
Irnee had already seen some wonderful
hings in their brief life at the settlenent
They were to see far greatei
oon more astonishing revelations ol
he Divine power than they had sup
losi'd possible in this age of the world.
Within a month the saloon uext thf
ettlement wjis closed The saloon keepr's
lease had expired, and Clayton not
mly closed the property to the whisky
nen. br.t offered the use of the building
o the bishop and Dr. Bruce for the setlenient
work, which had new grown sc
urge that the building was not suffilient
for the different industries thai
yere planned One of the most iinpor
ant of these was the pure food departuent
suggested by Felicia It was nol
month after Clayton turned the saloon
iroperty over to the settlement thai
i'elicia fonnd herself installed in thf
cry room where souls had been lost as
lead of a department not only of cookng.
but of a course of housekeeping foi
;irls who wished to go out to service
5he was now a resident of the settlenent
and found a home with Mrs
Jruce and the other young women from
he city who were residents Martha.
he violinist, remained at tne piace
vhere the bishop bad first discoverec
he two girls and came over to the setlenient
certain evenings to give lessonf
n music.
"Felicia, tell ns your plan in fnll
low." said the bishop one evening
vlien. in a rare interval of rest from
he great pressure of work. he. with Dr.
Bruce and Felicia, hud come in from
he other building.
"Well. I have long thought of the
lired girl problem." said Felicia, with
in air of wisdom that made Mrs. Bruce
mile as she looked at the enthusiastic,
utal beauty of this young girl, transormed
into a new creature by the
iromise she had made to live the Christike
life, "and I have reached certair
:onclusions in regard to it that yot
nen are not yet able to fathom, bu1
ilrs. Bruce here will understand me."
"We acknowledge our infancy,
3 licia. Go on, said tne Disnop numDiy
a "Then this is what I propose to do
- The old saloon bnilding is large enough
8 to arrange into a suit of rooms that
t will represent an ordinary house. My
I plan is to have it so arranged and then
a teach housekeeping and cooking to girls
7 who will afterward go out 1xj service
Q The course will be qix months long. In
t that time I will teach plain cooking,
neatness, quickness and a love of good
1 work."
5 "Hold on, Felicia!" the bishop inter?
rupted. "This is not an age of mira9
clea "
? "Then I will make it one," replied
0 Felicia. "I know this seems like an im1
?* T mnnf IA frxr it T lmAnr
~ 'Ub i nauv iu mj av. & uuv??
3 a score of ; rls already who will take
the course, tid if we can once establish
3 something i ;e an esprit de corps among
the girls themselves I am sure it will
be of great value to them I know al9
ready that the pure food is working a
^ revolution in many families.
"Felicia, if you can accomplish half
of what you propose to do, it will bless
1 this whole community." said Mra
Bruce. "I don't see how you can do it,
' but I say 'God bless you!' as you try."
1 "So say we all!" cried Dr. Bruce and
the bishop, and Felicia plunged into the
working out of her plan with the enthusiasm
of her discipleship. which ev'
ery day grew more and more practical
' and serviceable.
i
it must be said here that Felicia's
plan succeeded beyond all expectationa
? She developed wonderful powers of perf
suasion and taught her girls with aston>
ishing rapidity to do all sorts of housework.
In time the graduates of Felicia's
cooking school came to be prized by
| housekeepers all over the city. But that
> is anticipating our story The history
of the settlement has never yet been
written When it is. Felicia's part will
, be found of very great importance.
The depth of winter found Chicago
, presenting, as every great city of the
, world presents, to the eyes of Christen,
dom that marked contrast between
, riches and poverty, between culture.
r refinement, luxury, ease and ignorance,
depravity, destitution and the bitter
t struggle for bread It was a hard wint
ter. but a gay winter Never had there
been snch a succession of parties, recep
tions. balls, dinners, banquets, fetes,
p gayeties; never had the opera and the
p theater been so crowded with fashion,
able andiences: never had there been
, such a lavish display of jewels and fine
dresses and equipages, and. on the othI
er hand, never had the deep want and
suffering been so cruel, so sharp, so
, murderous: never had the winds blown
. so chilling over the lake and through
the thin shells of tenements in the
neighborhood of the settlement; never
, had the pressure for food and fuel and
' clothes been so urgently thrust up
against the people of the city in their
, most importunate and ghastly form.
Night after night the bishop and Dr.
I Bruce, with their helpers, went out and
( helped to save men and women and
p children from the torture of physical
( privation Vast quantities of food and
I clothing and large sums of money were
( donated by the churches, the charitable
, societies, the civic authorities and the
| benevolent associations, but the personal
touch of the Christian disciple was very
t hard to secure for personal work
I Where was the discipleship that was
, obeying the Master's command to go itself
to the suffering and give itself with
its gift, in order to make the gift of
j value in time to come? The bishop
found his heart sink within him as he
, faced this fact more than any other
\ Men would give money who would not
J think of giving themselves, and the
| money they gave did not represent any
I real sacrifice because they did not miss
it They gave what was the easiest to
, give, what hurt them the least Where
j did the sacrifice come in ? Was this following
Jesus? Was this going with
I him all the way ? He had been to many
I members of his own wealthy and arisr
tocratic congregation and was appalled
r to find how few men ..nd women of that
i luxurious class in the churches would
f really suffer any genuine inconvenience
( for the sake of suffering humanity
Is charity the giving of wornout garI
ments? Is it a ten dollar bill given to a
paid visitor or secretary of some be.
nevolent organization in the church?
, Shall the man never go and give his
gift himself V Shall the woman never
deny herself her reception or her party
( or her musical and go and actually
touch the foul, sinful sore of diseased
humanity us it festers in the great me,
tropolis? Shall charity be conveniently
, and easily done through someorganiza'
tion ? Is it possible to organize the af(
fections so that love shall work disagreeable
things by proxy?
All this the bishop asked as he plunged
deeper into the sin and sorrow of that
bitter winter He was bearing his cross
, with joy. but he burned and fought
| within over the shifting of personal
. love by the many upon the hearts of the
i few And still, silently, powerfully, re(
sistlessly. the Holy Spirit was moving
through the chnrch npon even the aris.
tocratie. wealthy, ease loving members,
who shunned the terrors of the social
problem as they wonld shun a contagions
disease
, This fact was impressed npon the
bishop and the settlement workers in a
, startliug way one morning Perhaps no
j one incident that winter shows more
plainly how much of a momentum had
, already grown out of the movement of
Nazareth Avenue church and the action
I of Dr Bruce and the bishop that fol,
lowed the pledge to do as Jesus would do
| The breakfast hour at the settlement
was the one hour in the day when the
, whole resident family found a little
breathing space to fellowship together
, It was an hour of relaxation There
( was a great deal of good natured re,
partee and much real wit and enjoyable
fun at this hour The bishop told his
best stories Dr Bruce was at his best
, in anecdote This company of disciples
. was healthily humorous in spite of the
, atmosphere of sorrow that constantly
, surrounded them In fact, the bishop
I often said that the faculty of humor
was as God given, as any other, and in
. his own _case_ it was the qply safety
vaive ne nuu tor me tremendous pressare
pat upon him.
This particular morning the bishop
was reading extracts from a morning
paper for the benefit of the others. Suddenly
he paased. and his face instantly
grew stern and sad. The rest looked
np, and a hush fell over the table
"Shot and killed while taking a lnmp
of coal from a car. His family was
freezing, and he had had no work for '
six months. His six children and a wife 1
all packed into a cabin with three 1
rooms on the west side One child wrap- 1
ped in rags in a closet "
These were headlines that the bishop
read slowly. He then went on and read 1
the detailed account of the shooting and <
the visit of the reporter to the tenement 1
whprn the fjimilv lived.
He finished, and there was silenoe
around the table. The humor of the
hour was swept out of existence by this
bit of human tragedy. The great city
roared about the settlement. The awful
current of human life was flowing in a
great stream past the settlement house,
and those who had work were hurrying 1
to it in a vast throng, but thousands '
were going down in the midst of that !
current, clutching at last hopes, dying, 1
literally in a land of plenty, because '
the boon of physical toil was denied 1
them.
I There were various comments on the 1
part of the residents. One of the new- 1
comers, a young man preparing for the
ministry, said: "Why didn't the man j
apply to one of the charity organizations
for help or to the city ? It certainly
is not true that, even at its worst, '
this city full of Christian people would 1
knowingly allow any one to go without 1
food or fuel." '
"No; I don't believe that it would,' '
replied Dr. Bruca "But we don't know '
the history of that man's case. He may '
have asked for help so often before that 1
finally, in a moment of desperation, he 1
determined to help himself. I have
known such cases this winter."
"That is not the terrible fact in this '
case," said the bishop. "The awful 1
thing about it is the fact that the man '
had not had any work for six months." J
"Why don't such people go out into '
the country?" asked the divinity student.
Some one at the table who had made
a special study of the opportunities for
work in the country answered the question.
According to the investigator, the
places that were possible for work in
the country were exceedingly few for
steady employment, and in almost every
case they were offered only to men
without familiea Suppose a man's wife
and children were ill How could be
move or get into the country? How
could he pay even the meager sum necessary
to move his few goods? There
were a thousand reasons probably why
this particular man did not go elsewhere.
"Meanwhile there are the wife and
children," said Mrs. Bruce. "How awful
I Where is the place, did you say?'
The bishop took up the paper.
"Why, it's only three blocks from
hera This is the Penrose district I believe
Penrose himself owns half of the
houses in that block. They are among
the worst houses in this part of the
city, and Penrose is a church member."
"Yes: he belongs to the Nazareth Avenue
church." replied Dr. Bruce in a
low voica
The bishop rose from the table the
very figure of divine wrath. He had
opened bis lips to say what seldom
came from him in the way of denunciation
when the bell rang and one of the
residents went to the door.
"Tell Dr. Brace and the bishop I
want to see them. Penrose is the name
?Clarence Penrose Dr. Brace knows
me "
The family at the breakfast table
heard every word. The bishop exchanged
a significant look with Dr. Brace, and
the two men instantly left the table
and went ont into the hall
"Come in here, Penrose," said Dr.
Brace, and he and the bishop nshered
the visitor into the reception room.
They closed the door and were alone.
Clarence Penrose was one of the most
elegant looking men in Chicago. He
came from an aristocratic family of
great wealth and social distinction. He
was exceedingly wealthy and had large
property holdings in different parts of
the city. He had been a member of Dr.
Brace's church all his life.
This man faced the bishop and his
former pastor with a look of agitation
on his countenance that showed plainly
the mark of some nnusnal experience
He was very pale, and his lip trembled
as he spoke. When had Clarence Penrose
ever before yielded to such a strange
emotion of feeling?
"This affair of the shooting?you un- 8
derstand. You have read it The family 8
lived in one of my houses. It is a terri- a
ble event But that is not the primary 8
cause of my visit. " He stammered and
looked anxiously into the faces of th9 8
other two men. The bishop still looked ^
stern. He could not help feeling that
this elegant man of leisure could have
Hnna a irroat dpnl to alleviate the hor- r
**' ~ " o- J.
rors in his tenements, possibly have pre- [
vented this tragedy, if he had sacrificed 0
some of his personal ease and luxury to v
better the condition of the people in his c
district t
Penrose turned to Dr. Bruce d
"Doctor." he exclaimed, and there d
was almost a child's terror in hia voice d
"I came to say that I have had an ex- b
perience so unusual that nothing but r
the supernatural can explain it. You p
remember I was one of those who took f
the pledge to do as Jesus would da I [j
thought at the time, poor fool that 1
was. that I had all along been doing the i;
Christian thing. I gave liberally out of y
my abundance to the church and char- v
ity. I never gave myself to cost me any t
suffering. I have been living in a perfect
hell of contradictions ever since 1 t
took the pledge My little girL Diana,
you remember, also took the pledge fc
with me She has been asking me a
great many questions lately about the \
poor people and where they lived. I was
obliged to answer her. Two of herques- t
tions last night touched my sore. Did 1 _
own, any houses where those, people
IVCU I *TCIC tucj Ulto OUU ITOiUl *4UV
>urs? Yon know how a child will ask
inestions like these. I went to bed tornentcd
with what I now know to be
ibe divine arrows of conscience I could
lot sleep. I seemed to see the judgment
lay I was placed before the Judge. I
vas asked to give account of my deeds'
lone in the body. How many sinful
ouls had I visited in prison ? What had
[ done with my stewardship? How
ibout those tenements where people
Toze in winter and stifled in summer?
Did I give any thought to them, except.
? receive the rentals from them ?j
Where did my suffering come in?'
Would Jesus have done as I had done
md was doing? Had I broken my
pledge ? How had I used the money and
the culture and the social influence I
A Q TT~ J T ??A KIaaa
[WOOCOOCU I UUU A UDCU biiCiiJ bU uicra
binmanity, to relieve the suffering, to
bring joy to the distressed and hope to
the desponding? I had received much.
Bow much had I given ?
"All this came to me in a waking
vision as distinctly as I see you two
men and myself now. I was unable to
jee the end of the vision. I had a confused
picture in my mind of the suffering
Christ pointing a condemning finger
it me, and the rest was shut out by
mist and darkness. I have not had sleep
for 24 hours. The first thing I saw this
morning was the account of the shooting
at the coalyards. I read the account
with a feeling of horror I have not been
able to shake off. I am a guilty creature
before God."
Penrose paused suddenly. The twc
men looked at him solemnly Wh:it
power of the Holy Spirit moved the
soul of this hitherto self satisfied, elegant
cultured man who belonged to
bhe social life that was accustomed to
;o its way. placidly unmindful of the
jreat sorrows of a great city and practically
ignorant cf what it means to
rafifer for Jesus' sake?
Into that room came a breath such as
before swept over Henry Maxwell's
ihurch and through Nazareth Avenue,
md the bishop laid his hand on the
jhoulder of Penrose and said "My
brother. God has been very near to you.
Let us thank him."
"Yes. yes." sobbed Penrose. He sat
iown on a chair and covered his face.
The bishop prayed. Then Penrose quietly
said. "Will you go with me to that
bouse?"
For answer both Dr. Bruce and the
bishop put on their overcoats and went
iut with him to the home of the dead
nan's family. This was the beginning
if a new and strange life for Clarence
Penrose. From the moment he stepped
Into that wretched hovel of a home and
laced for the first time in his life a despair
and suffering such as he had read
if. but did not know by personal contact.
he dated a new life It would be
mother long story to tell how, in obedience
to his pledge, he began to do with
lis tenement property as he knew Jesus
would do What would Jesus do with
tenement property if he owned it in
Chicago or any other great city of the
world? Any man who can imagine any
sue answer to this question can easily
oil what Clarence Penrose began to da
Now. before that winter reached its
litter climax many things occurred in
;he city that concerned the lives of all
;he characters in this history of the disdples
who promised to walk in his steps.
It chanced, by one of those remarkible
coincidences that seem to occur
ireternaturally. that one afternoon, just
is Felicia came out of the settlement
with a basket which she was going to
save as a sample with a baker in the
Penrose district. Stephen Clyde opened
;he door of the carpenter shop in the
jasement and came out of the lower
loor in time to meet Felicia as she
reached the sidewalk.
"Let me carry your basket, please."
le said.
"Why do you say 'please?' " asked
Pelicia. handing over the basket.
"I would like to say something else,"
eplied Stephen, glancing at her shyly
md yet with a boldness that frightened
lim. for he had been loving Felicia
nore every day since he first saw her.
ind especially since she stepped into the
ihop that day with the bishop, and for
veeks now they had been in many ways
;hrown into each other's company.
"What else?" asked Felicia innocenty,
falling into the trap
"Why," said Stephen, turning his
'air. noble face full toward her and
sying her with the look of one who
vould have the best of all things in the
iniverse. "I would like to say. 'Let me
:arry yonr basket, dear Felicia.' "
Felicia never looked so beautiful in
ler life. She walked on a little way
vithout even turning her face toward
lim It was no secret with her own
leart that she had given it to Stephen
ome time ago Finally she turned and
aid shyly, while her face grew rosy
md her eyes tender. "Why don't you
i tKnn V'
aj a v? ciiv^u *
"May IV" cried Stephen, and he was
o careless for a minute of the way he
leld the basket that Felicia exclaimed:
'Yesi Bnt. oh. don't drop my goodies!"
"Why. I wouldn't drop anything so
irecions for all the world, 'dear Feicia.'
" said Stephen, who now walked
m air for several blocks, and what else
vas said during that walk is private
orresi>oudence that we have no right
o read, only it is matter of history that
lay that the basket never reached its
lestination and that over in the other
lirection late in the afternoon the
lishop. walking along quietly in a
ather secluded spot near the outlying
iart of the settlement district, heard a
amiliar voice say. "But tell me. Feicia.
when did you begin to love me?"
"I fell in love with a little pine shavng
just above your ear that day I saw
ATI in tViD flVinn " aai/i tVtn nfKoi'
VU iu vuv OMVJ/I OUiU VUG vuugi f UIGGi
rith a langh so clear, so pure, so sweet
hat it did one good to hear it
The next moment the bishop turned
he corner and came npon them.
"Where are you going with that
asket ?'' he tried to say sternly
"We're taking it to?where are we
aking it to, Felicia?"
"Dear bishop, we are taking it home
o begin"?
CONTINUED ON FOURTH PAGE.