,in ,his ,steps by ,charles ,m4 ,sheldon ,,jtablea #aj #ca #a ,chapter ,one ,for hereunto were ye called2 because ,christ also suffered for you1 leaving you an example1 that ye should follow in his steps4 ,it was ,friday morning and the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell was trying to finish his ,sunday morning sermon4 ,he had been interrupted several times and was growing nervous as the morning wore away1 and the sermon grew very slowly toward a satisfactory finish4 ,mary1 he called to his wife1 as he went upstairs after the last interruption1 if any one comes after this1 ,i wish you would say ,i am very busy and cannot come down unless it is something very important4 ,yes1 ,henry4 ,but ,i am going over to visit the kindergarten and you will have the house all to yourself4 ,the minister went up into his study and shut the door4 ,in a few minutes he heard his wife go out1 and then everything was quiet4 ,he settled himself at his desk with a sigh of relief and began to write4 ,his text was from #a ,peter #b3ba3 ,for hereunto were ye called2 because ,christ also suffered for you1 leaving you an example that ye should follow his steps4 ,he had emphasized in the first part of the sermon the ,atonement as a personal sacrifice1 calling attention to the fact of ,jesus' suffering in various ways1 in ,his life as well as in ,his death4 ,he had then gone on to emphasize the ,atonement from the side of example1 giving illustrations from the life and teachings of ,jesus to show how faith in the ,christ helped to save men because of the pattern or character ,he displayed for their imitation4 ,he was now on the third and last point1 the necessity of following ,jesus in ,his sacrifice and example4 ,he had put down ,three ,steps4 ,what are they8 and was about to enumerate them in logical order when the bell rang sharply4 ,it was one of those clock-work bells1 and always went off as a clock might go if it tried to strike twelve all at once4 ,henry ,maxwell sat at his desk and frowned a little4 ,he made no movement to answer the bell4 ,very soon it rang again2 then he rose and walked over to one of his windows which commanded the view of the front door4 ,a man was standing on the steps4 ,he was a young man1 very shabbily dressed4 ,looks like a tramp1 said the minister4 ,i suppose ,i'll have to go down and-- ,he did not finish his sentence but he went downstairs and opened the front door4 ,there was a moment's pause as the two men stood facing each other1 then the shabby-looking young man said3 ,i'm out of a job1 sir1 and thought maybe you might put me in the way of getting something4 ,i don't know of anything4 ,jobs are scarce-- replied the minister1 beginning to shut the door slowly4 ,i didn't know but you might perhaps be able to give me a line to the city railway or the superintendent of the shops1 or something1 continued the young man1 shifting his faded hat from one hand to the other nervously4 ,it would be of no use4 ,you will have to excuse me4 ,i am very busy this morning4 ,i hope you will find something4 ,sorry ,i can't give you something to do here4 ,but ,i keep only a horse and a cow and do the work myself4 ,the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell closed the door and heard the man walk down the steps4 ,as he went up into his study he saw from his hall window that the man was going slowly down the street1 still holding his hat between his hands4 ,there was something in the figure so dejected1 homeless and forsaken that the minister hesitated a moment as he stood looking at it4 ,then he turned to his desk and with a sigh began the writing where he had left off4 ,he had no more interruptions1 and when his wife came in two hours later the sermon was finished1 the loose leaves gathered up and neatly tied together1 and laid on his ,bible all ready for the ,sunday morning service4 ,a queer thing happened at the kindergarten this morning1 ,henry1 said his wife while they were eating dinner4 ,you know ,i went over with ,mrs4 ,brown to visit the school1 and just after the games1 while the children were at the tables1 the door opened and a young man came in holding a dirty hat in both hands4 ,he sat down near the door and never said a word2 only looked at the children4 ,he was evidently a tramp1 and ,miss ,wren and her assistant ,miss ,kyle were a little frightened at first1 but he sat there very quietly and after a few minutes he went out4 ,perhaps he was tired and wanted to rest somewhere4 ,the same man called here1 ,i think4 ,did you say he looked like a tramp8 ,yes1 very dusty1 shabby and generally tramp-like4 ,not more than thirty or thirty-three years old1 ,i should say4 ,the same man1 said the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell thoughtfully4 ,did you finish your sermon1 ,henry8 his wife asked after a pause4 ,yes1 all done4 ,it has been a very busy week with me4 ,the two sermons have cost me a good deal of labor4 ,they will be appreciated by a large audience1 ,sunday1 ,i hope1 replied his wife smiling4 ,what are you going to preach about in the morning8 ,following ,christ4 ,i take up the ,atonement under the head of sacrifice and example1 and then show the steps needed to follow ,his sacrifice and example4 ,i am sure it is a good sermon4 ,i hope it won't rain ,sunday4 ,we have had so many stormy ,sundays lately4 ,yes1 the audiences have been quite small for some time4 ,people will not come out to church in a storm4 ,the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell sighed as he said it4 ,he was thinking of the careful1 laborious effort he had made in preparing sermons for large audiences that failed to appear4 ,but ,sunday morning dawned on the town of ,raymond one of the perfect days that sometimes come after long periods of wind and mud and rain4 ,the air was clear and bracing1 the sky was free from all threatening signs1 and every one in ,mr4 ,maxwell's parish prepared to go to church4 ,when the service opened at eleven o'clock the large building was filled with an audience of the best-dressed1 most comfortable looking people of ,raymond4 ,the ,first ,church of ,raymond believed in having the best music that money could buy1 and its quartet choir this morning was a source of great pleasure to the congregation4 ,the anthem was inspiring4 ,all the music was in keeping with the subject of the sermon4 ,and the anthem was an elaborate adaptation to the most modern music of the hymn1 ,jesus1 ,i my cross have taken1 ,all to leave and follow ,thee4 ,just before the sermon1 the soprano sang a solo1 the well-known hymn1 ,where ,he leads me ,i will follow1 ,i'll go with ,him1 with ,him1 all the way4 ,rachel ,winslow looked very beautiful that morning as she stood up behind the screen of carved oak which was significantly marked with the emblems of the cross and the crown4 ,her voice was even more beautiful than her face1 and that meant a great deal4 ,there was a general rustle of expectation over the audience as she rose4 ,mr4 ,maxwell settled himself contentedly behind the pulpit4 ,rachel ,winslow's singing always helped him4 ,he generally arranged for a song before the sermon4 ,it made possible a certain inspiration of feeling that made his delivery more impressive4 ,people said to themselves they had never heard such singing even in the ,first ,church4 ,it is certain that if it had not been a church service1 her solo would have been vigorously applauded4 ,it even seemed to the minister when she sat down that something like an attempted clapping of hands or a striking of feet on the floor swept through the church4 ,he was startled by it4 ,as he rose1 however1 and laid his sermon on the ,bible1 he said to himself he had been deceived4 ,of course it could not occur4 ,in a few moments he was absorbed in his sermon and everything else was forgotten in the pleasure of his delivery4 ,no one had ever accused ,henry ,maxwell of being a dull preacher4 ,on the contrary1 he had often been charged with being sensational2 not in what he had said so much as in his way of saying it4 ,but the ,first ,church people liked that4 ,it gave their preacher and their parish a pleasant distinction that was agreeable4 ,it was also true that the pastor of the ,first ,church loved to preach4 ,he seldom exchanged4 ,he was eager to be in his own pulpit when ,sunday came4 ,there was an exhilarating half hour for him as he faced a church full of people and know that he had a hearing4 ,he was peculiarly sensitive to variations in the attendance4 ,he never preached well before a small audience4 ,the weather also affected him decidedly4 ,he was at his best before just such an audience as faced him now1 on just such a morning4 ,he felt a glow of satisfaction as he went on4 ,the church was the first in the city4 ,it had the best choir4 ,it had a membership composed of the leading people1 representatives of the wealth1 society and intelligence of ,raymond4 ,he was going abroad on a three months vacation in the summer1 and the circumstances of his pastorate1 his influence and his position as pastor of the ,first ,church in the city-- ,it is not certain that the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell knew just how he could carry on that thought in connection with his sermon1 but as he drew near the end of it he knew that he had at some point in his delivery had all those feelings4 ,they had entered into the very substance of his thought2 it might have been all in a few seconds of time1 but he had been conscious of defining his position and his emotions as well as if he had held a soliloquy1 and his delivery partook of the thrill of deep personal satisfaction4 ,the sermon was interesting4 ,it was full of striking sentences4 ,they would have commanded attention printed4 ,spoken with the passion of a dramatic utterance that had the good taste never to offend with a suspicion of ranting or declamation1 they were very effective4 ,if the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell that morning felt satisfied with the conditions of his pastorate1 the ,first ,church also had a similar feeling as it congratulated itself on the presence in the pulpit of this scholarly1 refined1 somewhat striking face and figure1 preaching with such animation and freedom from all vulgar1 noisy or disagreeable mannerism4 ,suddenly1 into the midst of this perfect accord and concord between preacher and audience1 there came a very remarkable interruption4 ,it would be difficult to indicate the extent of the shock which this interruption measured4 ,it was so unexpected1 so entirely contrary to any thought of any person present that it offered no room for argument or1 for the time being1 of resistance4 ,the sermon had come to a close4 ,mr4 ,maxwell had just turned the half of the big ,bible over upon his manuscript and was about to sit down as the quartet prepared to arise to sing the closing selection1 ,all for ,jesus1 all for ,jesus1 ,all my being's ransomed powers444 when the entire congregation was startled by the sound of a man's voice4 ,it came from the rear of the church1 from one of the seats under the gallery4 ,the next moment the figure of a man came out of the shadow there and walked down the middle aisle4 ,before the startled congregation fairly realized what was going on the man had reached the open space in front of the pulpit and had turned about facing the people4 ,i've been wondering since ,i came in here--they were the words he used under the gallery1 and he repeated them--if it would be just the thing to say a word at the close of the service4 ,i'm not drunk and ,i'm not crazy1 and ,i am perfectly harmless1 but if ,i die1 as there is every likelihood ,i shall in a few days1 ,i want the satisfaction of thinking that ,i said my say in a place like this1 and before this sort of a crowd4 ,henry ,maxwell had not taken his seat1 and he now remained standing1 leaning on his pulpit1 looking down at the stranger4 ,it was the man who had come to his house the ,friday before1 the same dusty1 worn1 shabby-looking young man4 ,he held his faded hat in his two hands4 ,it seemed to be a favorite gesture4 ,he had not been shaved and his hair was rough and tangled4 ,it is doubtful if any one like this had ever confronted the ,first ,church within the sanctuary4 ,it was tolerably familiar with this sort of humanity out on the street1 around the railroad shops1 wandering up and down the avenue1 but it had never dreamed of such an incident as this so near4 ,there was nothing offensive in the man's manner or tone4 ,he was not excited and he spoke in a low but distinct voice4 ,mr4 ,maxwell was conscious1 even as he stood there smitten into dumb astonishment at the event1 that somehow the man's action reminded him of a person he had once seen walking and talking in his sleep4 ,no one in the house made any motion to stop the stranger or in any way interrupt him4 ,perhaps the first shock of his sudden appearance deepened into a genuine perplexity concerning what was best to do4 ,however that may be1 he went on as if he had no thought of interruption and no thought of the unusual element which he had introduced into the decorum of the ,first ,church service4 ,and all the while he was speaking1 the minister leaded over the pulpit1 his face growing more white and sad every moment4 ,but he made no movement to stop him1 and the people sat smitten into breathless silence4 ,one other face1 that of ,rachel ,winslow from the choir1 stared white and intent down at the shabby figure with the faded hat4 ,her face was striking at any time4 ,under the pressure of the present unheard-of incident it was as personally distinct as if it had been framed in fire4 ,i'm not an ordinary tramp1 though ,i don't know of any teaching of ,jesus that makes one kind of a tramp less worth saving than another4 ,do you8 ,he put the question as naturally as if the whole congregation had been a small ,bible class4 ,he paused just a moment and coughed painfully4 ,then he went on4 ,i lost my job ten months ago4 ,i am a printer by trade4 ,the new linotype machines are beautiful specimens of invention1 but ,i know six men who have killed themselves inside of the year just on account of those machines4 ,of course ,i don't blame the newspapers for getting the machines4 ,meanwhile1 what can a man do8 ,i know ,i never learned but the one trade1 and that's all ,i can do4 ,i've tramped all over the country trying to find something4 ,there are a good many others like me4 ,i'm not complaining1 am ,i8 ,just stating facts4 ,but ,i was wondering as ,i sat there under the gallery1 if what you call following ,jesus is the same thing as what ,he taught4 ,what did ,he mean when ,he said3 ',follow ,me6'8 ,the minister said1--here he turned about and looked up at the pulpit--that it is necessary for the disciple of ,jesus to follow ,his steps1 and he said the steps are 'obedience1 faith1 love and imitation4' ,but ,i did not hear him tell you just what he meant that to mean1 especially the last step4 ,what do you ,christians mean by following the steps of ,jesus8 ,i've tramped through this city for three days trying to find a job2 and in all that time ,i've not had a word of sympathy or comfort except from your minister here1 who said he was sorry for me and hoped ,i would find a job somewhere4 ,i suppose it is because you get so imposed on by the professional tramp that you have lost your interest in any other sort4 ,i'm not blaming anybody1 am ,i8 ,just stating facts4 ,of course1 ,i understand you can't all go out of your way to hunt up jobs for other people like me4 ,i'm not asking you to2 but what ,i feel puzzled about is1 what is meant by following ,jesus4 ,what do you mean when you sing ',i'll go with ,him1 with ,him1 all the way8' ,do you mean that you are suffering and denying yourselves and trying to save lost1 suffering humanity just as ,i understand ,jesus did8 ,what do you mean by it8 ,i see the ragged edge of things a good deal4 ,i understand there are more than five hundred men in this city in my case4 ,most of them have families4 ,my wife died four months ago4 ,i'm glad she is out of trouble4 ,my little girl is staying with a printer's family until ,i find a job4 ,somehow ,i get puzzled when ,i see so many ,christians living in luxury and singing ',jesus1 ,i my cross have taken1 all to leave and follow ,thee1' and remember how my wife died in a tenement in ,new ,york ,city1 gasping for air and asking ,god to take the little girl too4 ,of course ,i don't expect you people can prevent every one from dying of starvation1 lack of proper nourishment and tenement air1 but what does following ,jesus mean8 ,i understand that ,christian people own a good many of the tenements4 ,a member of a church was the owner of the one where my wife died1 and ,i have wondered if following ,jesus all the way was true in his case4 ,i heard some people singing at a church prayer meeting the other night1 ',all for ,jesus1 all for ,jesus1 ,all my being's ransomed powers1 ,all my thoughts1 and all my doings1 ,all my days1 and all my hours4' and ,i kept wondering as ,i sat on the steps outside just what they meant by it4 ,it seems to me there's an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn't exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out4 ,i suppose ,i don't understand4 ,but what would ,jesus do8 ,is that what you mean by following ,his steps8 ,it seems to me sometimes as if the people in the big churches had good clothes and nice houses to live in1 and money to spend for luxuries1 and could go away on summer vacations and all that1 while the people outside the churches1 thousands of them1 ,i mean1 die in tenements1 and walk the streets for jobs1 and never have a piano or a picture in the house1 and grow up in misery and drunkenness and sin4 ,the man suddenly gave a queer lurch over in the direction of the communion table and laid one grimy hand on it4 ,his hat fell upon the carpet at his feet4 ,a stir went through the congregation4 ,dr4 ,west half rose from his pew1 but as yet the silence was unbroken by any voice or movement worth mentioning in the audience4 ,the man passed his other hand across his eyes1 and then1 without any warning1 fell heavily forward on his face1 full length up the aisle4 ,henry ,maxwell spoke3 ,we will consider the service closed4 ,he was down the pulpit stairs and kneeling by the prostrate form before any one else4 ,the audience instantly rose and the aisles were crowded4 ,dr4 ,west pronounced the man alive4 ,he had fainted away4 ,some heart trouble1 the doctor also muttered as he helped carry him out into the pastor's study4 ,chapter ,two ,henry ,maxwell and a group of his church members remained some time in the study4 ,the man lay on the couch there and breathed heavily4 ,when the question of what to do with him came up1 the minister insisted on taking the man to his own house2 he lived near by and had an extra room4 ,rachel ,winslow said3 ,mother has no company at present4 ,i am sure we would be glad to give him a place with us4 ,she looked strongly agitated4 ,no one noticed it particularly4 ,they were all excited over the strange event1 the strangest that ,first ,church people could remember4 ,but the minister insisted on taking charge of the man1 and when a carriage came the unconscious but living form was carried to his house2 and with the entrance of that humanity into the minister's spare room a new chapter in ,henry ,maxwell's life began1 and yet no one1 himself least of all1 dreamed of the remarkable change it was destined to make in all his after definition of the ,christian discipleship4 ,the event created a great sensation in the ,first ,church parish4 ,people talked of nothing else for a week4 ,it was the general impression that the man had wandered into the church in a condition of mental disturbance caused by his troubles1 and that all the time he was talking he was in a strange delirium of fever and really ignorant of his surroundings4 ,that was the most charitable construction to put upon his action4 ,it was the general agreement also that there was a singular absence of anything bitter or complaining in what the man had said4 ,he had1 throughout1 spoken in a mild1 apologetic tone1 almost as if he were one of the congregation seeking for light on a very difficult subject4 ,the third day after his removal to the minister's house there was a marked change in his condition4 ,the doctor spoke of it but offered no hope4 ,saturday morning he still lingered1 although he had rapidly failed as the week drew near its close4 ,sunday morning1 just before the clock struck one1 he rallied and asked if his child had come4 ,the minister had sent for her at once as soon as he had been able to secure her address from some letters found in the man's pocket4 ,he had been conscious and able to talk coherently only a few moments since his attack4 ,the child is coming4 ,she will be here1 ,mr4 ,maxwell said as he sat there1 his face showing marks of the strain of the week's vigil2 for he had insisted on sitting up nearly every night4 ,i shall never see her in this world1 the man whispered4 ,then he uttered with great difficulty the words1 ,you have been good to me4 ,somehow ,i feel as if it was what ,jesus would do4 ,after a few minutes he turned his head slightly1 and before ,mr4 ,maxwell could realize the fact1 the doctor said quietly1 ,he is gone4 ,the ,sunday morning that dawned on the city of ,raymond was exactly like the ,sunday of a week before4 ,mr4 ,maxwell entered his pulpit to face one of the largest congregations that had ever crowded the ,first ,church4 ,he was haggard and looked as if he had just risen from a long illness4 ,his wife was at home with the little girl1 who had come on the morning train an hour after her father had died4 ,he lay in that spare room1 his troubles over1 and the minister could see the face as he opened the ,bible and arranged his different notices on the side of the desk as he had been in the habit of doing for ten years4 ,the service that morning contained a new element4 ,no one could remember when ,henry ,maxwell had preached in the morning without notes4 ,as a matter of fact he had done so occasionally when he first entered the ministry1 but for a long time he had carefully written every word of his morning sermon1 and nearly always his evening discourses as well4 ,it cannot be said that his sermon this morning was striking or impressive4 ,he talked with considerable hesitation4 ,it was evident that some great idea struggled in his thought for utterance1 but it was not expressed in the theme he had chosen for his preaching4 ,it was near the close of his sermon that he began to gather a certain strength that had been painfully lacking at the beginning4 ,he closed the ,bible and1 stepping out at the side of the desk1 faced his people and began to talk to them about the remarkable scene of the week before4 ,our brother1 somehow the words sounded a little strange coming from his lips1 passed away this morning4 ,i have not yet had time to learn all his history4 ,he had one sister living in ,chicago4 ,i have written her and have not yet received an answer4 ,his little girl is with us and will remain for the time4 ,he paused and looked over the house4 ,he thought he had never seen so many earnest faces during his entire pastorate4 ,he was not able yet to tell his people his experiences1 the crisis through which he was even now moving4 ,but something of his feeling passed from him to them1 and it did not seem to him that he was acting under a careless impulse at all to go on and break to them this morning something of the message he bore in his heart4 ,so he went on3 ,the appearance and words of this stranger in the church last ,sunday made a very powerful impression on me4 ,i am not able to conceal from you or myself the fact that what he said1 followed as it has been by his death in my house1 has compelled me to ask as ,i never asked before ',what does following ,jesus mean8' ,i am not in a position yet to utter any condemnation of this people or1 to a certain extent1 of myself1 either in our ,christ-like relations to this man or the numbers that he represents in the world4 ,but all that does not prevent me from feeling that much that the man said was so vitally true that we must face it in an attempt to answer it or else stand condemned as ,christian disciples4 ,a good deal that was said here last ,sunday was in the nature of a challenge to ,christianity as it is seen and felt in our churches4 ,i have felt this with increasing emphasis every day since4 ,and ,i do not know that any time is more appropriate than the present for me to propose a plan1 or a purpose1 which has been forming in my mind as a satisfactory reply to much that was said here last ,sunday4 ,again ,henry ,maxwell paused and looked into the faces of his people4 ,there were some strong1 earnest men and women in the ,first ,church4 ,he could see ,edward ,norman1 editor of the ,raymond ,,daily ,,news4 ,he had been a member of the ,first ,church for ten years4 ,no man was more honored in the community4 ,there was ,alexander ,powers1 superintendent of the great railroad shops in ,raymond1 a typical railroad man1 one who had been born into the business4 ,there sat ,donald ,marsh1 president of ,lincoln ,college1 situated in the suburbs of ,raymond4 ,there was ,milton ,wright1 one of the great merchants of ,raymond1 having in his employ at least one hundred men in various shops4 ,there was ,dr4 ,west who1 although still comparatively young1 was quoted as authority in special surgical cases4 ,there was young ,jasper ,chase the author1 who had written one successful book and was said to be at work on a new novel4 ,there was ,miss ,virginia ,page the heiress1 who through the recent death of her father had inherited a million at least1 and was gifted with unusual attractions of person and intellect4 ,and not least of all1 ,rachel ,winslow1 from her seat in the choir1 glowed with her peculiar beauty of light this morning because she was so intensely interested in the whole scene4 ,there was some reason1 perhaps1 in view of such material in the ,first ,church1 for ,henry ,maxwell's feeling of satisfaction whenever he considered his parish as he had the previous ,sunday4 ,there was an unusually large number of strong1 individual characters who claimed membership there4 ,but as he noted their faces this morning he was simply wondering how many of them would respond to the strange proposition he was about to make4 ,he continued slowly1 taking time to choose his words carefully1 and giving the people an impression they had never felt before1 even when he was at his best with his most dramatic delivery4 ,what ,i am going to propose now is something which ought not to appear unusual or at all impossible of execution4 ,yet ,i am aware that it will be so regarded by a large number1 perhaps1 of the members of this church4 ,but in order that we may have a thorough understanding of what we are considering1 ,i will put my proposition very plainly1 perhaps bluntly4 ,i want volunteers from the ,first ,church who will pledge themselves1 earnestly and honestly for an entire year1 not to do anything without first asking the question1 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,and after asking that question1 each one will follow ,jesus as exactly as he knows how1 no matter what the result may be4 ,i will of course include myself in this company of volunteers1 and shall take for granted that my church here will not be surprised at my future conduct1 as based upon this standard of action1 and will not oppose whatever is done if they think ,christ would do it4 ,have ,i made my meaning clear8 ,at the close of the service ,i want all those members who are willing to join such a company to remain and we will talk over the details of the plan4 ,our motto will be1 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,our aim will be to act just as ,he would if ,he was in our places1 regardless of immediate results4 ,in other words1 we propose to follow ,jesus' steps as closely and as literally as we believe ,he taught ,his disciples to do4 ,and those who volunteer to do this will pledge themselves for an entire year1 beginning with today1 so to act4 ,henry ,maxwell paused again and looked out over his people4 ,it is not easy to describe the sensation that such a simple proposition apparently made4 ,men glanced at one another in astonishment4 ,it was not like ,henry ,maxwell to define ,christian discipleship in this way4 ,there was evident confusion of thought over his proposition4 ,it was understood well enough1 but there was1 apparently1 a great difference of opinion as to the application of ,jesus' teaching and example4 ,he calmly closed the service with a brief prayer4 ,the organist began his postlude immediately after the benediction and the people began to go out4 ,there was a great deal of conversation4 ,animated groups stood all over the church discussing the minister's proposition4 ,it was evidently provoking great discussion4 ,after several minutes he asked all who expected to remain to pass into the lecture-room which joined the large room on the side4 ,he was himself detained at the front of the church talking with several persons there1 and when he finally turned around1 the church was empty4 ,he walked over to the lecture-room entrance and went in4 ,he was almost startled to see the people who were there4 ,he had not made up his mind about any of his members1 but he had hardly expected that so many were ready to enter into such a literal testing of their ,christian discipleship as now awaited him4 ,there were perhaps fifty present1 among them ,rachel ,winslow and ,virginia ,page1 ,mr4 ,norman1 ,president ,marsh1 ,alexander ,powers the railroad superintendent1 ,milton ,wright1 ,dr4 ,west and ,jasper ,chase4 ,he closed the door of the lecture-room and went and stood before the little group4 ,his face was pale and his lips trembled with genuine emotion4 ,it was to him a genuine crisis in his own life and that of his parish4 ,no man can tell until he is moved by the ,divine ,spirit what he may do1 or how he may change the current of a lifetime of fixed habits of thought and speech and action4 ,henry ,maxwell did not1 as we have said1 yet know himself all that he was passing through1 but he was conscious of a great upheaval in his definition of ,christian discipleship1 and he was moved with a depth of feeling he could not measure as he looked into the faces of those men and women on this occasion4 ,it seemed to him that the most fitting word to be spoken first was that of prayer4 ,he asked them all to pray with him4 ,and almost with the first syllable he uttered there was a distinct presence of the ,spirit felt by them all4 ,as the prayer went on1 this presence grew in power4 ,they all felt it4 ,the room was filled with it as plainly as if it had been visible4 ,when the prayer closed there was a silence that lasted several moments4 ,all the heads were bowed4 ,henry ,maxwell's face was wet with tears4 ,if an audible voice from heaven had sanctioned their pledge to follow the ,master's steps1 not one person present could have felt more certain of the divine blessing4 ,and so the most serious movement ever started in the ,first ,church of ,raymond was begun4 ,we all understand1 said he1 speaking very quietly1 what we have undertaken to do4 ,we pledge ourselves to do everything in our daily lives after asking the question1 ',what would ,jesus do8' regardless of what may be the result to us4 ,some time ,i shall be able to tell you what a marvelous change has come over my life within a week's time4 ,i cannot now4 ,but the experience ,i have been through since last ,sunday has left me so dissatisfied with my previous definition of ,christian discipleship that ,i have been compelled to take this action4 ,i did not dare begin it alone4 ,i know that ,i am being led by the hand of divine love in all this4 ,the same divine impulse must have led you also4 ,do we understand fully what we have undertaken8 ,i want to ask a question1 said ,rachel ,winslow4 ,every one turned towards her4 ,her face glowed with a beauty that no physical loveliness could ever create4 ,i am a little in doubt as to the source of our knowledge concerning what ,jesus would do4 ,who is to decide for me just what ,he would do in my case8 ,it is a different age4 ,there are many perplexing questions in our civilization that are not mentioned in the teachings of ,jesus4 ,how am ,i going to tell what ,he would do8 ,there is no way that ,i know of1 replied the pastor1 except as we study ,jesus through the medium of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,you remember what ,christ said speaking to ,his disciples about the ,holy ,spirit3 ',howbeit when he1 the ,spirit of truth1 is come1 he shall guide you into all the truth3 for he shall not speak from himself2 but what things soever he shall hear1 these shall he speak3 and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come4 ,he shall glorify me2 for he shall take of mine1 and shall declare it unto you4 ,all things whatsoever the ,father hath are mine3 therefore said ,i1 that he taketh of mine1 and shall declare it unto you4' ,there is no other test that ,i know of4 ,we shall all have to decide what ,jesus would do after going to that source of knowledge4 ,what if others say of us1 when we do certain things1 that ,jesus would not do so8 asked the superintendent of railroads4 ,we cannot prevent that4 ,but we must be absolutely honest with ourselves4 ,the standard of ,christian action cannot vary in most of our acts4 ,and yet what one church member thinks ,jesus would do1 another refuses to accept as ,his probable course of action4 ,what is to render our conduct uniformly ,christ-like8 ,will it be possible to reach the same conclusions always in all cases8 asked ,president ,marsh4 ,mr4 ,maxwell was silent some time4 ,then he answered1 ,no2 ,i don't know that we can expect that4 ,but when it comes to a genuine1 honest1 enlightened following of ,jesus' steps1 ,i cannot believe there will be any confusion either in our own minds or in the judgment of others4 ,we must be free from fanaticism on one hand and too much caution on the other4 ,if ,jesus' example is the example for the world to follow1 it certainly must be feasible to follow it4 ,but we need to remember this great fact4 ,after we have asked the ,spirit to tell us what ,jesus would do and have received an answer to it1 we are to act regardless of the results to ourselves4 ,is that understood8 ,all the faces in the room were raised towards the minister in solemn assent4 ,there was no misunderstanding that proposition4 ,henry ,maxwell's face quivered again as he noted the president of the ,endeavor ,society with several members seated back of the older men and women4 ,they remained a little longer talking over details and asking questions1 and agreed to report to one another every week at a regular meeting the result of their experiences in following ,jesus this way4 ,henry ,maxwell prayed again4 ,and again as before the ,spirit made ,himself manifest4 ,every head remained bowed a long time4 ,they went away finally in silence4 ,there was a feeling that prevented speech4 ,the pastor shook hands with them all as they went out4 ,then he went into his own study room back of the pulpit and kneeled4 ,he remained there alone nearly half an hour4 ,when he went home he went into the room where the dead body lay4 ,as he looked at the face he cried in his heart again for strength and wisdom4 ,but not even yet did he realize that a movement had begun which would lead to the most remarkable series of events that the city of ,raymond had ever known4 ,chapter ,three ,he that saith he abideth in ,him ought himself also to walk even as ,he walked4 ,,edward ,,norman1 editor of the ,raymond ,,daily ,,news1 sat in his office room ,monday morning and faced a new world of action4 ,he had made his pledge in good faith to do everything after asking ,what would ,jesus do8 and1 as he supposed1 with his eyes open to all the possible results4 ,but as the regular life of the paper started on another week's rush and whirl of activity1 he confronted it with a degree of hesitation and a feeling nearly akin to fear4 ,he had come down to the office very early1 and for a few minutes was by himself4 ,he sat at his desk in a growing thoughtfulness that finally became a desire which he knew was as great as it was unusual4 ,he had yet to learn1 with all the others in that little company pledged to do the ,christlike thing1 that the ,spirit of ,life was moving in power through his own life as never before4 ,he rose and shut his door1 and then did what he had not done for years4 ,he kneeled down by his desk and prayed for the ,divine ,presence and wisdom to direct him4 ,he rose with the day before him1 and his promise distinct and clear in his mind4 ,now for action1 he seemed to say4 ,but he would be led by events as fast as they came on4 ,he opened his door and began the routine of the office work4 ,the managing editor had just come in and was at his desk in the adjoining room4 ,one of the reporters there was pounding out something on a typewriter4 ,edward ,norman began to write an editorial4 ,the ,,daily ,,news was an evening paper1 and ,norman usually completed his leading editorial before nine o'clock4 ,he had been writing for fifteen minutes when the managing editor called out3 ,here's this press report of yesterday's prize fight at the ,resort4 ,it will make up three columns and a half4 ,i suppose it all goes in8 ,norman was one of those newspaper men who keep an eye on every detail of the paper4 ,the managing editor always consulted his chief in matters of both small and large importance4 ,sometimes1 as in this case1 it was merely a nominal inquiry4 ,yes--,no4 ,let me see it4 ,he took the type-written matter just as it came from the telegraph editor and ran over it carefully4 ,then he laid the sheets down on his desk and did some very hard thinking4 ,we won't run this today1 he said finally4 ,the managing editor was standing in the doorway between the two rooms4 ,he was astounded at his chief's remark1 and thought he had perhaps misunderstood him4 ,what did you say8 ,leave it out4 ,we won't use it4 ,but-- ,the managing editor was simply dumbfounded4 ,he stared at ,norman as if the man was out of his mind4 ,i don't think1 ,clark1 that it ought to be printed1 and that's the end of it1 said ,norman1 looking up from his desk4 ,clark seldom had any words with the chief4 ,his word had always been law in the office and he had seldom been known to change his mind4 ,the circumstances now1 however1 seemed to be so extraordinary that ,clark could not help expressing himself4 ,do you mean that the paper is to go to press without a word of the prize fight in it8 ,yes4 ,that's what ,i mean4 ,but it's unheard of4 ,all the other papers will print it4 ,what will our subscribers say8 ,why1 it is simply-- ,clark paused1 unable to find words to say what he thought4 ,norman looked at ,clark thoughtfully4 ,the managing editor was a member of a church of a different denomination from that of ,norman's4 ,the two men had never talked together on religious matters although they had been associated on the paper for several years4 ,come in here a minute1 ,clark1 and shut the door1 said ,norman4 ,clark came in and the two men faced each other alone4 ,norman did not speak for a minute4 ,then he said abruptly3 ,clark1 if ,christ was editor of a daily paper1 do you honestly think ,he would print three columns and a half of prize fight in it8 ,no1 ,i don't suppose ,he would4 ,well1 that's my only reason for shutting this account out of the ,,news4 ,i have decided not to do a thing in connection with the paper for a whole year that ,i honestly believe ,jesus would not do4 ,clark could not have looked more amazed if the chief had suddenly gone crazy4 ,in fact1 he did think something was wrong1 though ,mr4 ,norman was one of the last men in the world1 in his judgment1 to lose his mind4 ,what effect will that have on the paper8 he finally managed to ask in a faint voice4 ,what do you think8 asked ,norman with a keen glance4 ,i think it will simply ruin the paper1 replied ,clark promptly4 ,he was gathering up his bewildered senses1 and began to remonstrate1 ,why1 it isn't feasible to run a paper nowadays on any such basis4 ,it's too ideal4 ,the world isn't ready for it4 ,you can't make it pay4 ,just as sure as you live1 if you shut out this prize fight report you will lose hundreds of subscribers4 ,it doesn't take a prophet to see that4 ,the very best people in town are eager to read it4 ,they know it has taken place1 and when they get the paper this evening they will expect half a page at least4 ,surely1 you can't afford to disregard the wishes of the public to such an extent4 ,it will be a great mistake if you do1 in my opinion4 ,norman sat silent a minute4 ,then he spoke gently but firmly4 ,clark1 what in your honest opinion is the right standard for determining conduct8 ,is the only right standard for every one1 the probable action of ,jesus ,christ8 ,would you say that the highest1 best law for a man to live by was contained in asking the question1 ,what would ,jesus do8' ,and then doing it regardless of results8 ,in other words1 do you think men everywhere ought to follow ,jesus' example as closely as they can in their daily lives8 ,clark turned red1 and moved uneasily in his chair before he answered the editor's question4 ,why--yes--,i suppose if you put it on the ground of what men ought to do there is no other standard of conduct4 ,but the question is1 ,what is feasible8 ,is it possible to make it pay8 ,to succeed in the newspaper business we have got to conform to custom and the recognized methods of society4 ,we can't do as we would in an ideal world4 ,do you mean that we can't run the paper strictly on ,christian principles and make it succeed8 ,yes1 that's just what ,i mean4 ,it can't be done4 ,we'll go bankrupt in thirty days4 ,norman did not reply at once4 ,he was very thoughtful4 ,we shall have occasion to talk this over again1 ,clark4 ,meanwhile ,i think we ought to understand each other frankly4 ,i have pledged myself for a year to do everything connected with the paper after answering the question1 ,what would ,jesus do8' as honestly as possible4 ,i shall continue to do this in the belief that not only can we succeed but that we can succeed better than we ever did4 ,clark rose4 ,the report does not go in8 ,it does not4 ,there is plenty of good material to take its place1 and you know what it is4 ,clark hesitated4 ,are you going to say anything about the absence of the report8 ,no1 let the paper go to press as if there had been no such thing as a prize fight yesterday4 ,clark walked out of the room to his own desk feeling as if the bottom had dropped out of everything4 ,he was astonished1 bewildered1 excited and considerably angered4 ,his great respect for ,norman checked his rising indignation and disgust1 but with it all was a feeling of growing wonder at the sudden change of motive which had entered the office of the ,,daily ,,news and threatened1 as he firmly believed1 to destroy it4 ,before noon every reporter1 pressman and employee on the ,,daily ,,news was informed of the remarkable fact that the paper was going to press without a word in it about the famous prize fight of ,sunday4 ,the reporters were simply astonished beyond measure at the announcement of the fact4 ,every one in the stereotyping and composing rooms had something to say about the unheard of omission4 ,two or three times during the day when ,mr4 ,norman had occasion to visit the composing rooms the men stopped their work or glanced around their cases looking at him curiously4 ,he knew that he was being observed1 but said nothing and did not appear to note it4 ,there had been several minor changes in the paper1 suggested by the editor1 but nothing marked4 ,he was waiting and thinking deeply4 ,he felt as if he needed time and considerable opportunity for the exercise of his best judgment in several matters before he answered his ever present question in the right way4 ,it was not because there were not a great many things in the life of the paper that were contrary to the spirit of ,christ that he did not act at once1 but because he was yet honestly in doubt concerning what action ,jesus would take4 ,when the ,,daily ,,news came out that evening it carried to its subscribers a distinct sensation4 ,the presence of the report of the prize fight could not have produced anything equal to the effect of its omission4 ,hundreds of men in the hotels and stores down town1 as well as regular subscribers1 eagerly opened the paper and searched it through for the account of the great fight2 not finding it1 they rushed to the ,,news stands and bought other papers4 ,even the newsboys had not a understood the fact of omission4 ,one of them was calling out ,,daily ,,news6 ,full 'count great prize fight 't ,resort4 ,,news1 sir8 ,a man on the corner of the avenue close by the ,,news office bought the paper1 looked over its front page hurriedly and then angrily called the boy back4 ,here1 boy6 ,what's the matter with your paper8 ,there's no prize fight here6 ,what do you mean by selling old papers8 ,old papers nuthin'6 replied the boy indignantly4 ,dat's today's paper4 ,what's de matter wid you8 ,but there is no account of the prize fight here6 ,look6 ,the man handed back the paper and the boy glanced at k hurriedly4 ,then he whistled1 while a bewildered look crept over his face4 ,seeing another boy running by with papers he called out ,say1 ,sam1 le'me see your pile4 ,a hasty examination revealed the remarkable fact that all the copies of the ,,news were silent on the subject of the prize fight4 ,here1 give me another paper6 shouted the customer2 one with the prize fight account4 ,he received it and walked off1 while the two boys remained comparing notes and lost in wonder at the result4 ,sump'n slipped a cog in the ,newsy1 sure1 said the first boy4 ,but he couldn't tell why1 and ran over to the ,,news office to find out4 ,there were several other boys at the delivery room and they were all excited and disgusted4 ,the amount of slangy remonstrance hurled at the clerk back of the long counter would have driven any one else to despair4 ,he was used to more or less of it all the time1 and consequently hardened to it4 ,mr4 ,norman was just coming downstairs on his way home1 and he paused as he went by the door of the delivery room and looked in4 ,what's the matter here1 ,george8 he asked the clerk as he noted the unusual confusion4 ,the boys say they can't sell any copies of the ,,news tonight because the prize fight isn't in it1 replied ,george1 looking curiously at the editor as so many of the employees had done during the day4 ,mr4 ,norman hesitated a moment1 then walked into the room and confronted the boys4 ,how many papers are there here8 ,boys1 count them out1 and ,i'll buy them tonight4 ,there was a combined stare and a wild counting of papers on the part of the boys4 ,give them their money1 ,george1 and if any of the other boys come in with the same complaint buy their unsold copies4 ,is that fair8 he asked the boys who were smitten into unusual silence by the unheard of action on the part of the editor4 ,fair6 ,well1 ,i should--,but will you keep this up8 ,will dis be a continual performance for the benefit of de fraternity8 ,mr4 ,norman smiled slightly but he did not think it was necessary to answer the question4 ,he walked out of the office and went home4 ,on the way he could not avoid that constant query1 ,would ,jesus have done it8 ,it was not so much with reference to this last transaction as to the entire motive that had urged him on since he had made the promise4 ,the newsboys were necessarily sufferers through the action he had taken4 ,why should they lose money by it8 ,they were not to blame4 ,he was a rich man and could afford to put a little brightness into their lives if he chose to do it4 ,he believed1 as he went on his way home1 that ,jesus would have done either what he did or something similar in order to be free from any possible feeling of injustice4 ,he was not deciding these questions for any one else but for his own conduct4 ,he was not in a position to dogmatize1 and he felt that he could answer only with his own judgment and conscience as to his interpretation of his ,master's probable action4 ,the falling off in sales of the paper he had in a measure foreseen4 ,but he was yet to realize the full extent of the loss to the paper1 if such a policy should be continued4 ,chapter ,four ,,during the week he was in receipt of numerous letters commenting on the absence from the ,news of the account of the prize fight4 ,two or three of these letters may be of interest4 ,editor of the ,news3 ,dear ,sir--,i have been thinking for some time of changing my paper4 ,i want a journal that is up to the times1 progressive and enterprising1 supplying the public demand at all points4 ,the recent freak of your paper in refusing to print the account of the famous contest at the ,resort has decided me finally to change my paper4 ,please discontinue it4 ,very truly yours1------- ,here followed the name of a business man who had been a subscriber for many years4 ,edward ,norman1 ,editor of the ,daily ,news1 ,raymond3 ,dear ,ed4--,what is this sensation you have given the people of your burg8 ,what new policy have you taken up8 ,hope you don't intend to try the ,reform ,business through the avenue of the press4 ,it's dangerous to experiment much along that line4 ,take my advice and stick to the enterprising modern methods you have made so successful for the ,news4 ,the public wants prize fights and such4 ,give it what it wants1 and let some one else do the reforming business4 ,yours1------- ,here followed the name of one of ,norman's old friends1 the editor of a daily in an adjoining town4 ,my ,dear ,mr4 ,norman3 ,i hasten to write you a note of appreciation for the evident carrying out of your promise4 ,it is a splendid beginning and no one feels the value of it more than ,i do4 ,i know something of what it will cost you1 but not all4 ,your pastor1 ,,henry ,,maxwell4 ,one other letter which he opened immediately after reading this from ,maxwell revealed to him something of the loss to his business that possibly awaited him4 ,mr4 ,edward ,norman1 ,editor of the ,daily ,news3 ,dear ,sir--,at the expiration of my advertising limit1 you will do me the favor not to continue it as you have done heretofore4 ,i enclose check for payment in full and shall consider my account with your paper closed after date4 ,very truly yours1------- ,here followed the name of one of the largest dealers in tobacco in the city4 ,he had been in the habit of inserting a column of conspicuous advertising and paying for it a very large price4 ,norman laid this letter down thoughtfully1 and then after a moment he took up a copy of his paper and looked through the advertising columns4 ,there was no connection implied in the tobacco merchant's letter between the omission of the prize fight and the withdrawal of the advertisement1 but he could not avoid putting the two together4 ,in point of fact1 he afterward learned that the tobacco dealer withdrew his advertisement because he had heard that the editor of the ,,news was about to enter upon some queer reform policy that would be certain to reduce its subscription list4 ,but the letter directed ,norman's attention to the advertising phase of his paper4 ,he had not considered this before4 ,as he glanced over the columns he could not escape the conviction that his ,master could not permit some of them in his paper4 ,what would ,he do with that other long advertisement of choice liquors and cigars8 ,as a member of a church and a respected citizen1 he had incurred no special censure because the saloon men advertised in his columns4 ,no one thought anything about it4 ,it was all legitimate business4 ,why not8 ,raymond enjoyed a system of high license1 and the saloon and the billiard hall and the beer garden were a part of the city's ,christian civilization4 ,he was simply doing what every other business man in ,raymond did4 ,and it was one of the best paying sources of revenue4 ,what would the paper do if it cut these out8 ,could it live8 ,that was the question4 ,but was that the question after all8 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,that was the question he was answering1 or trying to answer1 this week4 ,would ,jesus advertise whiskey and tobacco in his paper8 ,edward ,norman asked it honestly1 and after a prayer for help and wisdom he asked ,clark to come into the office4 ,clark came in1 feeling that the paper was at a crisis1 and prepared for almost anything after his ,monday morning experience4 ,this was ,thursday4 ,clark1 said ,norman1 speaking slowly and carefully1 ,i have been looking at our advertising columns and have decided to dispense with some of the matter as soon as the contracts run out4 ,i wish you would notify the advertising agent not to solicit or renew the ads that ,i have marked here4 ,he handed the paper with the marked places over to ,clark1 who took it and looked over the columns with a very serious air4 ,this will mean a great loss to the ,,news4 ,how long do you think you can keep this sort of thing up8 ,clark was astounded at the editor's action and could not understand it4 ,clark1 do you think if ,jesus was the editor and proprietor of a daily paper in ,raymond ,he would permit advertisements of whiskey and tobacco in it8 ,well no--,i--don't suppose ,he would4 ,but what has that to do with us8 ,we can't do as ,he would4 ,newspapers can't be run on any such basis4 ,why not8 asked ,norman quietly4 ,why not8 ,because they will lose more money than they make1 that's all6 ,clark spoke out with an irritation that he really felt4 ,we shall certainly bankrupt the paper with this sort of business policy4 ,do you think so8 ,norman asked the question not as if he expected an answer1 but simply as if he were talking with himself4 ,after a pause he said3 ,you may direct ,marks to do as ,i have said4 ,i believe it is what ,christ would do1 and as ,i told you1 ,clark1 that is what ,i have promised to try to do for a year1 regardless of what the results may be to me4 ,i cannot believe that by any kind of reasoning we could reach a conclusion justifying our ,lord in the advertisement1 in this age1 of whiskey and tobacco in a newspaper4 ,there are some other advertisements of a doubtful character ,i shall study into4 ,meanwhile1 ,i feel a conviction in regard to these that cannot be silenced4 ,clark went back to his desk feeling as if he had been in the presence of a very peculiar person4 ,he could not grasp the meaning of it all4 ,he felt enraged and alarmed4 ,he was sure any such policy would ruin the paper as soon as it became generally known that the editor was trying to do everything by such an absurd moral standard4 ,what would become of business if this standard was adopted8 ,it would upset every custom and introduce endless confusion4 ,it was simply foolishness4 ,it was downright idiocy4 ,so ,clark said to himself1 and when ,marks was informed of the action he seconded the managing editor with some very forcible ejaculations4 ,what was the matter with the chief8 ,was he insane8 ,was he going to bankrupt the whole business8 ,but ,edward ,norman had not yet faced his most serious problem4 ,when he came down to the office ,friday morning he was confronted with the usual program for the ,sunday morning edition4 ,the ,,news was one one of the few evening papers in ,raymond to issue a ,sunday edition1 and it had always been remarkably successful financially4 ,there was an average of one page of literary and religious items to thirty or forty pages of sport1 theatre1 gossip1 fashion1 society and political material4 ,this made a very interesting magazine of all sorts of reading matter1 and had always been welcomed by all the subscribers1 church members and all1 as a ,sunday morning necessity4 ,edward ,norman now faced this fact and put to himself the question3 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,if ,he was editor of a paper1 would he deliberately plan to put into the homes of all the church people and ,christians of ,raymond such a collection of reading matter on the one day in the week which ought to be given up to something better holier8 ,he was of course familiar with the regular arguments of the ,sunday paper1 that the public needed something of the sort2 and the working man especially1 who would not go to church any way1 ought to have something entertaining and instructive on ,sunday1 his only day of rest4 ,but suppose the ,sunday morning paper did not pay8 ,suppose there was no money in it8 ,how eager would the editor or publisher be then to supply this crying need of the poor workman8 ,edward ,norman communed honestly with himself over the subject4 ,taking everything into account1 would ,jesus probably edit a ,sunday morning paper8 ,no matter whether it paid4 ,that was not the question4 ,as a matter of fact1 the ,sunday ,,news paid so well that it would be a direct loss of thousands of dollars to discontinue it4 ,besides1 the regular subscribers had paid for a seven-day paper4 ,had he any right now to give them less than they supposed they had paid for8 ,he was honestly perplexed by the question4 ,so much was involved in the discontinuance of the ,sunday edition that for the first time he almost decided to refuse to be guided by the standard of ,jesus' probable action4 ,he was sole proprietor of the paper2 it was his to shape as he chose4 ,he had no board of directors to consult as to policy4 ,but as he sat there surrounded by the usual quantity of material for the ,sunday edition he reached some definite conclusions4 ,and among them was a determination to call in the force of the paper and frankly state his motive and purpose4 ,he sent word for ,clark and the other men it the office1 including the few reporters who were in the building and the foreman1 with what men were in the composing room 7it was early in the morning and they were not all in7 to come into the mailing room4 ,this was a large room1 and the men came in curiously and perched around on the tables and counters4 ,it was a very unusual proceeding1 but they all agreed that the paper was being run on new principles anyhow1 and they all watched ,mr4 ,norman carefully as he spoke4 ,i called you in here to let you know my further plans for the ,,news4 ,i propose certain changes which ,i believe are necessary4 ,i understand very well that some things ,i have already done are regarded by the men as very strange4 ,i wish to state my motive in doing what ,i have done4 ,here he told the men what he had already told ,clark1 and they stared as ,clark had done1 and looked as painfully conscious4 ,now1 in acting on this standard of conduct ,i have reached a conclusion which will1 no doubt1 cause some surprise4 ,i have decided that the ,sunday morning edition of the ,,news shall be discontinued after next ,sunday's issue4 ,i shall state in that issue my reasons for discontinuing4 ,in order to make up to the subscribers the amount of reading matter they may suppose themselves entitled to1 we can issue a double number on ,saturday1 as is done by many evening papers that make no attempt at a ,sunday edition4 ,i am convinced that from a ,christian point of view more harm than good has been done by our ,sunday morning paper4 ,i do not believe that ,jesus would be responsible for it if ,he were in my place today4 ,it will occasion some trouble to arrange the details caused by this change with the advertisers and subscribers4 ,that is for me to look after4 ,the change itself is one that will take place4 ,so far as ,i can see1 the loss will fall on myself4 ,neither the reporters nor the pressmen need make any particular changes in their plans4 ,he looked around the room and no one spoke4 ,he was struck for the first time in his life with the fact that in all the years of his newspaper life he had never had the force of the paper together in this way4 ,would ,jesus do that8 ,that is1 would ,he probably run a newspaper on some loving family plan1 where editors1 reporters1 pressmen and all meet to discuss and devise and plan for the making of a paper that should have in view-- ,he caught himself drawing almost away from the facts of typographical unions and office rules and reporters' enterprise and all the cold1 businesslike methods that make a great daily successful4 ,but still the vague picture that came up in the mailing room would not fade away when he had gone into his office and the men had gone back to their places with wonder in their looks and questions of all sorts on their tongues as they talked over the editor's remarkable actions4 ,clark came in and had a long1 serious talk with his chief4 ,he was thoroughly roused1 and his protest almost reached the point of resigning his place4 ,norman guarded himself carefully4 ,every minute of the interview was painful to him1 but he felt more than ever the necessity of doing the ,christ-like thing4 ,clark was a very valuable man4 ,it would be difficult to fill his place4 ,but he was not able to give any reasons for continuing the ,sunday paper that answered the question1 ,what would ,jesus do8 by letting ,jesus print that edition4 ,it comes to this1 then1 said ,clark frankly1 you will bankrupt the paper in thirty days4 ,we might as well face that future fact4 ,i don't think we shall4 ,will you stay by the ,,news until it is bankrupt8 asked ,norman with a strange smile4 ,mr4 ,norman1 ,i don't understand you4 ,you are not the same man this week that ,i always knew before4 ,i don't know myself either1 ,clark4 ,something remarkable has caught me up and borne me on4 ,but ,i was never more convinced of final success and power for the paper4 ,you have not answered my question4 ,will you stay with me8 ,clark hesitated a moment and finally said yes4 ,norman shook hands with him and turned to his desk4 ,clark went back into his room1 stirred by a number of conflicting emotions4 ,he had never before known such an exciting and mentally disturbing week1 and he felt now as if he was connected with an enterprise that might at any moment collapse and ruin him and all connected with it4 ,chapter ,five ,,sunday morning dawned again on ,raymond1 and ,henry ,maxwell's church was again crowded4 ,before the service began ,edward ,norman attracted great attention4 ,he sat quietly in his usual place about three seats from the pulpit4 ,the ,sunday morning issue of the ,,news containing the statement of its discontinuance had been expressed in such remarkable language that every reader was struck by it4 ,no such series of distinct sensations had ever disturbed the usual business custom of ,raymond4 ,the events connected with the ,,news were not all4 ,people were eagerly talking about strange things done during the week by ,alexander ,powers at the railroad shops1 and ,milton ,wright in his stores on the avenue4 ,the service progressed upon a distinct wave of excitement in the pews4 ,henry ,maxwell faced it all with a calmness which indicated a strength and purpose more than usual4 ,his prayers were very helpful4 ,his sermon was not so easy to describe4 ,how would a minister be apt to preach to his people if he came before them after an entire week of eager asking1 ,how would ,jesus preach8 ,what would ,he probably say8 ,it is very certain that he did not preach as he had done two ,sundays before4 ,tuesday of the past week he had stood by the grave of the dead stranger and said the words1 ,earth to earth1 ashes to ashes1 dust to dust1 and still he was moved by the spirit of a deeper impulse than he could measure as he thought of his people and yearned for the ,christ message when he should be in his pulpit again4 ,now that ,sunday had come and the people were there to hear1 what would the ,master tell them8 ,he agonized over his preparation for them1 and yet he knew he had not been able to fit his message into his ideal of the ,christ4 ,nevertheless no one in the ,first ,church could remember ever hearing such a sermon before4 ,there was in it rebuke for sin1 especially hypocrisy1 there was definite rebuke of the greed of wealth and the selfishness of fashion1 two things that ,first ,church never heard rebuked this way before1 and there was a love of his people that gathered new force as the sermon went on4 ,when it was finished there were those who were saying in their hearts1 ,the ,spirit moved that sermon4 ,and they were right4 ,then ,rachel ,winslow rose to sing1 this time after the sermon1 by ,mr4 ,maxwell's request4 ,rachel's singing did not provoke applause this time4 ,what deeper feeling carried the people's hearts into a reverent silence and tenderness of thought8 ,rachel was beautiful4 ,but her consciousness of her remarkable loveliness had always marred her singing with those who had the deepest spiritual feeling4 ,it had also marred her rendering of certain kinds of music with herself4 ,today this was all gone4 ,there was no lack of power in her grand voice4 ,but there was an actual added element of humility and purity which the audience distinctly felt and bowed to4 ,before service closed ,mr4 ,maxwell asked those who had remained the week before to stay again for a few moments of consultation1 and any others who were willing to make the pledge taken at that time4 ,when he was at liberty he went into the lecture-room4 ,to his astonishment it was almost filled4 ,this time a large proportion of young people had come1 but among them were a few business men and officers of the church4 ,as before1 he1 ,maxwell1 asked them to pray with him4 ,and1 as before1 a distinct answer came from the presence of the divine ,spirit4 ,there was no doubt in the minds of any present that what they purposed to do was so clearly in line with the divine will1 that a blessing rested upon it in a very special manner4 ,they remained some time to ask questions and consult together4 ,there was a feeling of fellowship such as they had never known in their church membership4 ,mr4 ,norman's action was well understood by them all1 and he answered several questions4 ,what will be the probable result of your discontinuance of the ,sunday paper8 asked ,alexander ,powers1 who sat next to him4 ,i don't know yet4 ,i presume it will result in the falling off of subscriptions and advertisements4 ,i anticipate that4 ,do you have any doubts about your action4 ,i mean1 do you regret it1 or fear it is not what ,jesus would do8 asked ,mr4 ,maxwell4 ,not in the least4 ,but ,i would like to ask1 for my own satisfaction1 if any of you here think ,jesus would issue a ,sunday morning paper8 ,no one spoke for a minute4 ,then ,jasper ,chase said1 ,we seem to think alike on that1 but ,i have been puzzled several times during the week to know just what ,he would do4 ,it is not always an easy question to answer4 ,i find that trouble1 said ,virginia ,page4 ,she sat by ,rachel ,winslow4 ,every one who knew ,virginia ,page was wondering how she would succeed in keeping her promise4 ,i think perhaps ,i find it specially difficult to answer that question on account of my money4 ,our ,lord never owned any property1 and there is nothing in ,his example to guide me in the use of mine4 ,i am studying and praying4 ,i think ,i see clearly a part of what ,he would do1 but not all4 ,what would ,he do with a million dollars8 is my question really4 ,i confess ,i am not yet able to answer it to my satisfaction4 ,i could tell you what you could do with a part of it1 said ,rachel1 turning her face toward ,virginia4 ,that does not trouble me1 replied ,virginia with a slight smile4 ,what ,i am trying to discover is a principle that will enable me to come to the nearest possible to ,his action as it ought to influence the entire course of my life so far as my wealth and its use are concerned4 ,that will take time1 said the minister slowly4 ,all the rest of the room were thinking hard of the same thing4 ,milton ,wright told something of his experience4 ,he was gradually working out a plan for his business relations with his employees1 and it was opening up a new world to him and to them4 ,a few of the young men told of special attempts to answer the question4 ,there was almost general consent over the fact that the application of the ,christ spirit and practice to the everyday life was the serious thing4 ,it required a knowledge of ,him and an insight into ,his motives that most of them did not yet possess4 ,when they finally adjourned after a silent prayer that marked with growing power the ,divine ,presence1 they went away discussing earnestly their difficulties and seeking light from one another4 ,rachel ,winslow and ,virginia ,page went out together4 ,edward ,norman and ,milton ,wright became so interested in their mutual conference that they walked on past ,norman's house and came back together4 ,jasper ,chase and the president of the ,endeavor ,society stood talking earnestly in one corner of the room4 ,alexander ,powers and ,henry ,maxwell remained1 even after the others had gone4 ,i want you to come down to the shops tomorrow and see my plan and talk to the men4 ,somehow ,i feel as if you could get nearer to them than any one else just now4 ,i don't know about that1 but ,i will come1 replied ,mr4 ,maxwell a little sadly4 ,how was he fitted to stand before two or three hundred working men and give them a message8 ,yet in the moment of his weakness1 as he asked the question1 he rebuked himself for it4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,that was an end to the discussion4 ,he went down the next day and found ,mr4 ,powers in his office4 ,it lacked a few minutes of twelve and the superintendent said1 ,come upstairs1 and ,i'll show you what ,i've been trying to do4 ,they went through the machine shop1 climbed a long flight of stairs and entered a very large1 empty room4 ,it had once been used by the company for a store room4 ,since making that promise a week ago ,i have had a good many things to think of1 said the superintendent1 and among them is this3 ,the company gives me the use of this room1 and ,i am going to fit it up with tables and a coffee plant in the corner there where those steam pipes are4 ,my plan is to provide a good place where the men can come up and eat their noon lunch1 and give them1 two or three times a week1 the privilege of a fifteen minutes' talk on some subject that will be a real help to them in their lives4 ,maxwell looked surprised and asked if the men would come for any such purpose4 ,yes1 they'll come4 ,after all1 ,i know the men pretty well4 ,they are among the most intelligent working men in the country today4 ,but they are1 as a whole1 entirely removed from church influence4 ,i asked1 ',what would ,jesus do8' and among other things it seemed to me ,he would begin to act in some way to add to the lives of these men more physical and spiritual comfort4 ,it is a very little thing1 this room and what it represents1 but ,i acted on the first impulse1 to do the first thing that appealed to my good sense1 and ,i want to work out this idea4 ,i want you to speak to the men when they come up at noon4 ,i have asked them to come up and see the place and ,i'll tell them something about it4 ,maxwell was ashamed to say how uneasy he felt at being asked to speak a few words to a company of working men4 ,how could he speak without notes1 or to such a crowd8 ,he was honestly in a condition of genuine fright over the prospect4 ,he actually felt afraid of facing those men4 ,he shrank from the ordeal of confronting such a crowd1 so different from the ,sunday audiences he was familiar with4 ,there were a dozen rude benches and tables in the room1 and when the noon whistle sounded the men poured upstairs from the machine shops below and1 seating themselves at the tables1 began to eat their lunch4 ,there were present about three hundred of them4 ,they had read the superintendent's notice which he had posted up in various places1 and came largely out of curiosity4 ,they were favorably impressed4 ,the room was large and airy1 free from smoke and dust1 and well warmed from the steam pipes4 ,at about twenty minutes to one ,mr4 ,powers told the men what he had in mind4 ,he spoke very simply1 like one who understands thoroughly the character of his audience1 and then introduced the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell of the ,first ,church1 his pastor1 who had consented to speak a few minutes4 ,maxwell will never forget the feeling with which for the first time he stood before the grimy-faced audience of working men4 ,like hundreds of other ministers1 he had never spoken to any gatherings except those made up of people of his own class in the sense that they were familiar in their dress and education and habits4 ,this was a new world to him1 and nothing but his new rule of conduct could have made possible his message and its effect4 ,he spoke on the subject of satisfaction with life2 what caused it1 what its real sources were4 ,he had the great good sense on this his first appearance not to recognize the men as a class distinct from himself4 ,he did not use the term working man1 and did not say a word to suggest any difference between their lives and his own4 ,the men were pleased4 ,a good many of them shook hands with him before going down to their work1 and the minister telling it all to his wife when he reached home1 said that never in all his life had he known the delight he then felt in having the handshake from a man of physical labor4 ,the day marked an important one in his ,christian experience1 more important than he knew4 ,it was the beginning of a fellowship between him and the working world4 ,it was the first plank laid down to help bridge the chasm between the church and labor in ,raymond4 ,alexander ,powers went back to his desk that afternoon much pleased with his plan and seeing much help in it for the men4 ,he knew where he could get some good tables from an abandoned eating house at one of the stations down the road1 and he saw how the coffee arrangement could be made a very attractive feature4 ,the men had responded even better than he anticipated1 and the whole thing could not help being a great benefit to them4 ,he took up the routine of his work with a glow of satisfaction4 ,after all1 he wanted to do as ,jesus would1 he said to himself4 ,it was nearly four o'clock when he opened one of the company's long envelopes which he supposed contained orders for the purchasing of stores4 ,he ran over the first page of typewritten matter in his usual quick1 business-like manner1 before he saw that what he was reading was not intended for his office but for the superintendent of the freight department4 ,he turned over a page mechanically1 not meaning to read what was not addressed to him1 but before he knew it1 he was in possession of evidence which conclusively proved that the company was engaged in a systematic violation of the ,interstate ,commerce ,laws of the ,united ,states4 ,it was as distinct and unequivocal a breaking of law as if a private citizen should enter a house and rob the inmates4 ,the discrimination shown in rebates was in total contempt of all the statutes4 ,under the laws of the state it was also a distinct violation of certain provisions recently passed by the legislature to prevent railroad trusts4 ,there was no question that he had in his hands evidence sufficient to convict the company of willful1 intelligent violation of the law of the commission and the law of the state also4 ,he dropped the papers on his desk as if they were poison1 and instantly the question flashed across his mind1 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,he tried to shut the question out4 ,he tried to reason with himself by saying it was none of his business4 ,he had known in a more or less definite way1 as did nearly all the officers of the company1 that this had been going on right along on nearly all the roads4 ,he was not in a position1 owing to his place in the shops1 to prove anything direct1 and he had regarded it as a matter which did not concern him at all4 ,the papers now before him revealed the entire affair4 ,they had through some carelessness been addressed to him4 ,what business of his was it8 ,if he saw a man entering his neighbor's house to steal1 would it not be his duty to inform the officers of the law8 ,was a railroad company such a different thing8 ,was it under a different rule of conduct1 so that it could rob the public and defy law and be undisturbed because it was such a great organization8 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,then there was his family4 ,of course1 if he took any steps to inform the commission it would mean the loss of his position4 ,his wife and daughter had always enjoyed luxury and a good place in society4 ,if he came out against this lawlessness as a witness it would drag him into courts1 his motives would be misunderstood1 and the whole thing would end in his disgrace and the loss of his position4 ,surely it was none of his business4 ,he could easily get the papers back to the freight department and no one be the wiser4 ,let the iniquity go on4 ,let the law be defied4 ,what was it to him8 ,he would work out his plans for bettering the condition just before him4 ,what more could a man do in this railroad business when there was so much going on anyway that made it impossible to live by the ,christian standard8 ,but what would ,jesus do if ,he knew the facts8 ,that was the question that confronted ,alexander ,powers as the day wore into evening4 ,the lights in the office had been turned on4 ,the whirr of the great engine and the clash of the planers in the big shop continued until six o'clock4 ,then the whistle blew1 the engine slowed up1 the men dropped their tools and ran for the block house4 ,powers heard the familiar click1 click1 of the clocks as the men filed past the window of the block house just outside4 ,he said to his clerks1 ,i'm not going just yet4 ,i have something extra tonight4 ,he waited until he heard the last man deposit his block4 ,the men behind the block case went out4 ,the engineer and his assistants had work for half an hour but they went out by another door4 ,at seven o'clock any one who had looked into the superintendent's office would have seen an unusual sight4 ,he was kneeling1 and his face was buried in his hands as he bowed his head upon the papers on his desk4 ,chapter ,six ,if any man cometh unto me and hateth not his own father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters1 yea1 and his own life also1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,and whosoever forsaketh not all that he hath1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,,when ,rachel ,winslow and ,virginia ,page separated after the meeting at the ,first ,church on ,sunday they agreed to continue their conversation the next day4 ,virginia asked ,rachel to come and lunch with her at noon1 and ,rachel accordingly rang the bell at the ,page mansion about half-past eleven4 ,virginia herself met her and the two were soon talking earnestly4 ,the fact is1 ,rachel was saying1 after they had been talking a few moments1 ,i cannot reconcile it with my judgment of what ,christ would do4 ,i cannot tell another person what to do1 but ,i feel that ,i ought not to accept this offer4 ,what will you do then8 asked ,virginia with great interest4 ,i don't know yet1 but ,i have decided to refuse this offer4 ,rachel picked up a letter that had been lying in her lap and ran over its contents again4 ,it was a letter from the manager of a comic opera offering her a place with a large traveling company of the season4 ,the salary was a very large figure1 and the prospect held out by the manager was flattering4 ,he had heard ,rachel sing that ,sunday morning when the stranger had interrupted the service4 ,he had been much impressed4 ,there was money in that voice and it ought to be used in comic opera1 so said the letter1 and the manager wanted a reply as soon as possible4 ,there's no great virtue in saying ',no' to this offer when ,i have the other one1 ,rachel went on thoughtfully4 ,that's harder to decide4 ,but ,i've about made up my mind4 ,to tell the truth1 ,virginia1 ,i'm completely convinced in the first case that ,jesus would never use any talent like a good voice just to make money4 ,but now1 take this concert offer4 ,here is a reputable company1 to travel with an impersonator and a violinist and a male quartet1 all people of good reputation4 ,i'm asked to go as one of the company and sing leading soprano4 ,the salary--,i mentioned it1 didn't ,i8--is guaranteed to be #bjj a month for the season4 ,but ,i don't feel satisfied that ,jesus would go4 ,what do you think8 ,you mustn't ask me to decide for you1 replied ,virginia with a sad smile4 ,i believe ,mr4 ,maxwell was right when he said we must each one of us decide according to the judgment we feel for ourselves to be ,christ-like4 ,i am having a harder time than you are1 dear1 to decide what ,he would do4 ,are you8 ,rachel asked4 ,she rose and walked over to the window and looked out4 ,virginia came and stood by her4 ,the street was crowded with life and the two young women looked at it silently for a moment4 ,suddenly ,virginia broke out as ,rachel had never heard her before3 ,rachel1 what does all this contrast in conditions mean to you as you ask this question of what ,jesus would do8 ,it maddens me to think that the society in which ,i have been brought up1 the same to which we are both said to belong1 is satisfied year after year to go on dressing and eating and having a good time1 giving and receiving entertainments1 spending its money on houses and luxuries and1 occasionally1 to ease its conscience1 donating1 without any personal sacrifice1 a little money to charity4 ,i have been educated1 as you have1 in one of the most expensive schools in ,america2 launched into society as an heiress2 supposed to be in a very enviable position4 ,i'm perfectly well2 ,i can travel or stay at home4 ,i can do as ,i please4 ,i can gratify almost any want or desire2 and yet when ,i honestly try to imagine ,jesus living the life ,i have lived and am expected to live1 and doing for the rest of my life what thousands of other rich people do1 ,i am under condemnation for being one of the most wicked1 selfish1 useless creatures in all the world4 ,i have not looked out of this window for weeks without a feeling of horror toward myself as ,i see the humanity that passes by this house4 ,virginia turned away and walked up and down the room4 ,rachel watched her and could not repress the rising tide of her own growing definition of discipleship4 ,of what ,christian use was her own talent of song8 ,was the best she could do to sell her talent for so much a month1 go on a concert company's tour1 dress beautifully1 enjoy the excitement of public applause and gain a reputation as a great singer8 ,was that what ,jesus would do8 ,she was not morbid4 ,she was in sound health1 was conscious of her great powers as a singer1 and knew that if she went out into public life she could make a great deal of money and become well known4 ,it is doubtful if she overestimated her ability to accomplish all she thought herself capable of4 ,and ,virginia--what she had just said smote ,rachel with great force because of the similar position in which the two friends found themselves4 ,lunch was announced and they went out and were joined by ,virginia's grandmother1 ,madam ,page1 a handsome1 stately woman of sixty-five1 and ,virginia's brother ,rollin1 a young man who spent most of his time at one of the clubs and had no ambition for anything but a growing admiration for ,rachel ,winslow1 and whenever she dined or lunched at the ,page's1 if he knew of it he always planned to be at home4 ,these three made up the ,page family4 ,virginia's father had been a banker and grain speculator4 ,her mother had died ten years before1 her father within the past year4 ,the grandmother1 a ,southern woman in birth and training1 had all the traditions and feelings that accompany the possession of wealth and social standing that have never been disturbed4 ,she was a shrewd1 careful business woman of more than average ability4 ,the family property and wealth were invested1 in large measure1 under her personal care4 ,virginia's portion was1 without any restriction1 her own4 ,she had been trained by her father to understand the ways of the business world1 and even the grandmother had been compelled to acknowledge the girl's capacity for taking care of her own money4 ,perhaps two persons could not be found anywhere less capable of understanding a girl like ,virginia than ,madam ,page and ,rollin4 ,rachel1 who had known the family since she was a girl playmate of ,virginia's1 could not help thinking of what confronted ,virginia in her own home when she once decided on the course which she honestly believed ,jesus would take4 ,today at lunch1 as she recalled ,virginia's outbreak in the front room1 she tried to picture the scene that would at some time occur between ,madam ,page and her granddaughter4 ,i understand that you are going on the stage1 ,miss ,winslow4 ,we shall all be delighted1 ,i'm sure1 said ,rollin during the conversation1 which had not been very animated4 ,rachel colored and felt annoyed4 ,who told you8 she asked1 while ,virginia1 who had been very silent and reserved1 suddenly roused herself and appeared ready to join in the talk4 ,oh6 we hear a thing or two on the street4 ,besides1 every one saw ,crandall the manager at church two weeks ago4 ,he doesn't go to church to hear the preaching4 ,in fact1 ,i know other people who don't either1 not when there's something better to hear4 ,rachel did not color this time1 but she answered quietly1 ,you're mistaken4 ,i'm not going on the stage4 ,it's a great pity4 ,you'd make a hit4 ,everybody is talking about your singing4 ,this time ,rachel flushed with genuine anger4 ,before she could say anything1 ,virginia broke in3 ,whom do you mean by 'everybody8' ,whom8 ,i mean all the people who hear ,miss ,winslow on ,sundays4 ,what other time do they hear her8 ,it's a great pity1 ,i say1 that the general public outside of ,raymond cannot hear her voice4 ,let us talk about something else1 said ,rachel a little sharply4 ,madam ,page glanced at her and spoke with a gentle courtesy4 ,my dear1 ,rollin never could pay an indirect compliment4 ,he is like his father in that4 ,but we are all curious to know something of your plans4 ,we claim the right from old acquaintance1 you know2 and ,virginia has already told us of your concert company offer4 ,i supposed of course that was public property1 said ,virginia1 smiling across the table4 ,i was in the ,,news office day before yesterday4 ,yes1 yes1 replied ,rachel hastily4 ,i understand that1 ,madam ,page4 ,well1 ,virginia and ,i have been talking about it4 ,i have decided not to accept1 and that is as far as ,i have gone at present4 ,rachel was conscious of the fact that the conversation had1 up to this point1 been narrowing her hesitation concerning the concert company's offer down to a decision that would absolutely satisfy her own judgment of ,jesus' probable action4 ,it had been the last thing in the world1 however1 that she had desired1 to have her decision made in any way so public as this4 ,somehow what ,rollin ,page had said and his manner in saying it had hastened her decision in the matter4 ,would you mind telling us1 ,rachel1 your reasons for refusing the offer8 ,it looks like a great opportunity for a young girl like you4 ,don't you think the general public ought to hear you8 ,i feel like ,rollin about that4 ,a voice like yours belongs to a larger audience than ,raymond and the ,first ,church4 ,rachel ,winslow was naturally a girl of great reserve4 ,she shrank from making her plans or her thoughts public4 ,but with all her repression there was possible in her an occasional sudden breaking out that was simply an impulsive1 thoroughly frank1 truthful expression of her most inner personal feeling4 ,she spoke now in reply to ,madam ,page in one of those rare moments of unreserve that added to the attractiveness of her whole character4 ,i have no other reason than a conviction that ,jesus ,christ would do the same thing1 she said1 looking into ,madam ,page's eyes with a clear1 earnest gaze4 ,madam ,page turned red and ,rollin stared4 ,before her grandmother could say anything1 ,virginia spoke4 ,her rising color showed how she was stirred4 ,virginia's pale1 clear complexion was that of health1 but it was generally in marked contrast with ,rachel's tropical type of beauty4 ,grandmother1 you know we promised to make that the standard of our conduct for a year4 ,mr4 ,maxwell's proposition was plain to all who heard it4 ,we have not been able to arrive at our decisions very rapidly4 ,the difficulty in knowing what ,jesus would do has perplexed ,rachel and me a good deal4 ,madam ,page looked sharply at ,virginia before she said anything4 ,of course ,i understand ,mr4 ,maxwell's statement4 ,it is perfectly impracticable to put it into practice4 ,i felt confident at the time that those who promised would find it out after a trial and abandon it as visionary and absurd4 ,i have nothing to say about ,miss ,winslow's affairs1 but1 she paused and continued with a sharpness that was new to ,rachel1 ,i hope you have no foolish notions in this matter1 ,virginia4 ,i have a great many notions1 replied ,virginia quietly4 ,whether they are foolish or not depends upon my right understanding of what ,he would do4 ,as soon as ,i find out ,i shall do it4 ,excuse me1 ladies1 said ,rollin1 rising from the table4 ,the conversation is getting beyond my depth4 ,i shall retire to the library for a cigar4 ,he went out of the dining-room and there was silence for a moment4 ,madam ,page waited until the servant had brought in something and then asked her to go out4 ,she was angry and her anger was formidable1 although checked in some measure by the presence of ,rachel4 ,i am older by several years than you1 young ladies1 she said1 and her traditional type of bearing seemed to ,rachel to rise up like a great frozen wall between her and every conception of ,jesus as a sacrifice4 ,what you have promised1 in a spirit of false emotion ,i presume1 is impossible of performance4 ,do you mean1 grandmother1 that we cannot possibly act as our ,lord would8 or do you mean that1 if we try to1 we shall offend the customs and prejudices of society8 asked ,virginia4 ,it is not required6 ,it is not necessary6 ,besides how can you act with any-- ,madam ,page paused1 broke off her sentence1 and then turned to ,rachel4 ,what will your mother say to your decision8 ,my dear1 is it not foolish8 ,what do you expect to do with your voice anyway8 ,i don't know what mother will say yet1 ,rachel answered1 with a great shrinking from trying to give her mother's probable answer4 ,if there was a woman in all ,raymond with great ambitions for her daughter's success as a singer1 ,mrs4 ,winslow was that woman4 ,oh6 you will see it in a different light after wiser thought of it4 ,my dear1 continued ,madam ,page rising from the table1 you will live to regret it if you do not accept the concert company's offer or something like it4 ,rachel said something that contained a hint of the struggle she was still having4 ,and after a little she went away1 feeling that her departure was to be followed by a very painful conversation between ,virginia and her grandmother4 ,as she afterward learned1 ,virginia passed through a crisis of feeling during that scene with her grandmother that hastened her final decision as to the use of her money and her social position4 ,chapter ,seven ,,rachel was glad to escape and be by herself4 ,a plan was slowly forming in her mind1 and she wanted to be alone and think it out carefully4 ,but before she had walked two blocks she was annoyed to find ,rollin ,page walking beside her4 ,sorry to disturb your thoughts1 ,miss ,winslow1 but ,i happened to be going your way and had an idea you might not object4 ,in fact1 ,i've been walking here for a whole block and you haven't objected4 ,i did not see you1 said ,rachel briefly4 ,i wouldn't mind that if you only thought of me once in a while1 said ,rollin suddenly4 ,he took one last nervous puff on his cigar1 tossed it into the street and walked along with a pale look on his face4 ,rachel was surprised1 but not startled4 ,she had known ,rollin as a boy1 and there had been a time when they had used each other's first name familiarly4 ,lately1 however1 something in ,rachel's manner had put an end to that4 ,she was used to his direct attempts at compliments and was sometimes amused by them4 ,today she honestly wished him anywhere else4 ,do you ever think of me1 ,miss ,winslow8 asked ,rollin after a pause4 ,oh1 yes1 quite often6 said ,rachel with a smile4 ,are you thinking of me now8 ,yes4 ,that is--yes--,i am4 ,what8 ,do you want me to be absolutely truthful8 ,of course4 ,then ,i was thinking that ,i wished you were not here4 ,rollin bit his lip and looked gloomy4 ,now look here1 ,rachel--oh1 ,i know that's forbidden1 but ,i've got to speak some time6--you know how ,i feel4 ,what makes you treat me so8 ,you used to like me a little1 you know4 ,did ,i8 ,of course we used to get on very well as boy and girl4 ,but we are older now4 ,rachel still spoke in the light1 easy way she had used since her first annoyance at seeing him4 ,she was still somewhat preoccupied with her plan which had been disturbed by ,rollin's sudden appearance4 ,they walked along in silence a little way4 ,the avenue was full of people4 ,among the persons passing was ,jasper ,chase4 ,he saw ,rachel and ,rollin and bowed as they went by4 ,rollin was watching ,rachel closely4 ,i wish ,i was ,jasper ,chase4 ,maybe ,i would stand some chance then1 he said moodily4 ,rachel colored in spite of herself4 ,she did not say anything and quickened her pace a little4 ,rollin seemed determined to say something1 and ,rachel seemed helpless to prevent him4 ,after all1 she thought1 he might as well know the truth one time as another4 ,you know well enough1 ,rachel1 how ,i feel toward you4 ,isn't there any hope8 ,i could make you happy4 ,i've loved you a good many years-- ,why1 how old do you think ,i am8 broke in ,rachel with a nervous laugh4 ,she was shaken out of her usual poise of manner4 ,you know what ,i mean1 went on ,rollin doggedly4 ,and you have no right to laugh at me just because ,i want you to marry me4 ,i'm not6 ,but it is useless for you to speak1 ,rollin1 said ,rachel after a little hesitation1 and then using his name in such a frank1 simple way that he could attach no meaning to it beyond the familiarity of the old family acquaintance4 ,it is impossible4 ,she was still a little agitated by the fact of receiving a proposal of marriage on the avenue4 ,but the noise on the street and sidewalk made the conversation as private as if they were in the house4 ,would that is--do you think--if you gave me time ,i would4 ,no6 said ,rachel4 ,she spoke firmly2 perhaps1 she thought afterward1 although she did not mean to1 she spoke harshly4 ,they walked on for some time without a word4 ,they were nearing ,rachel's home and she was anxious to end the scene4 ,as they turned off the avenue into one of the quieter streets ,rollin spoke suddenly and with more manliness than he had yet shown4 ,there was a distinct note of dignity in his voice that was new to ,rachel4 ,miss ,winslow1 ,i ask you to be my wife4 ,is there any hope for me that you will ever consent8 ,none in the least4 ,rachel spoke decidedly4 ,will you tell me why8 ,he asked the question as if he had a right to a truthful answer4 ,because ,i do not feel toward you as a woman ought to feel toward the man she marries4 ,in other words1 you do not love me8 ,i do not and ,i cannot4 ,why8 ,that was another question1 and ,rachel was a little surprised that he should ask it4 ,because-- she hesitated for fear she might say too much in an attempt to speak the exact truth4 ,tell me just why4 ,you can't hurt me more than you have already4 ,well1 ,i do not and ,i cannot love you because you have no purpose in life4 ,what do you ever do to make the world better8 ,you spend your time in club life1 in amusements1 in travel1 in luxury4 ,what is there in such a life to attract a woman8 ,not much1 ,i guess1 said ,rollin with a bitter laugh4 ,still1 ,i don't know that ,i'm any worse than the rest of the men around me4 ,i'm not so bad as some4 ,i'm glad to know your reasons4 ,he suddenly stopped1 took off his hat1 bowed gravely and turned back4 ,rachel went on home and hurried into her room1 disturbed in many ways by the event which had so unexpectedly thrust itself into her experience4 ,when she had time to think it all over she found herself condemned by the very judgment she had passed on ,rollin ,page4 ,what purpose had she in life8 ,she had been abroad and studied music with one of the famous teachers of ,europe4 ,she had come home to ,raymond and had been singing in the ,first ,church choir now for a year4 ,she was well paid4 ,up to that ,sunday two weeks ago she had been quite satisfied with herself and with her position4 ,she had shared her mother's ambition1 and anticipated growing triumphs in the musical world4 ,what possible career was before her except the regular career of every singer8 ,she asked the question again and1 in the light of her recent reply to ,rollin1 asked again1 if she had any very great purpose in life herself4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,there was a fortune in her voice4 ,she knew it1 not necessarily as a matter of personal pride or professional egotism1 but simply as a fact4 ,and she was obliged to acknowledge that until two weeks ago she had purposed to use her voice to make money and win admiration and applause4 ,was that a much higher purpose1 after all1 than ,rollin ,page lived for8 ,she sat in her room a long time and finally went downstairs1 resolved to have a frank talk with her mother about the concert company's offer and the new plan which was gradually shaping in her mind4 ,she had already had one talk with her mother and knew that she expected ,rachel to accept the offer and enter on a successful career as a public singer4 ,mother1 ,rachel said1 coming at once to the point1 much as she dreaded the interview1 ,i have decided not to go out with the company4 ,i have a good reason for it4 ,mrs4 ,winslow was a large1 handsome woman1 fond of much company1 ambitious for distinction in society and devoted1 according to her definitions of success1 to the success of her children4 ,her youngest boy1 ,louis1 two years younger than ,rachel1 was ready to graduate from a military academy in the summer4 ,meanwhile she and ,rachel were at home together4 ,rachel's father1 like ,virginia's1 had died while the family was abroad4 ,like ,virginia she found herself1 under her present rule of conduct1 in complete antagonism with her own immediate home circle4 ,mrs4 ,winslow waited for ,rachel to go on4 ,you know the promise ,i made two weeks ago1 mother8 ,mr4 ,maxwell's promise8 ,no1 mine4 ,you know what it was1 do you not1 mother8 ,i suppose ,i do4 ,of course all the church members mean to imitate ,christ and follow ,him1 as far as is consistent with our present day surroundings4 ,but what has that to do with your decision in the concert company matter8 ,it has everything to do with it4 ,after asking1 ',what would ,jesus do8' and going to the source of authority for wisdom1 ,i have been obliged to say that ,i do not believe ,he would1 in my case1 make that use of my voice4 ,why8 ,is there anything wrong about such a career8 ,no1 ,i don't know that ,i can say there is4 ,do you presume to sit in judgment on other people who go out to sing in this way8 ,do you presume to say they are doing what ,christ would not do8 ,mother1 ,i wish you to understand me4 ,i judge no one else2 ,i condemn no other professional singer4 ,i simply decide my own course4 ,as ,i look at it1 ,i have a conviction that ,jesus would do something else4 ,what else8 ,mrs4 ,winslow had not yet lost her temper4 ,she did not understand the situation nor ,rachel in the midst of it1 but she was anxious that her daughter's course should be as distinguished as her natural gifts promised4 ,and she felt confident that when the present unusual religious excitement in the ,first ,church had passed away ,rachel would go on with her public life according to the wishes of the family4 ,she was totally unprepared for ,rachel's next remark4 ,what8 ,something that will serve mankind where it most needs the service of song4 ,mother1 ,i have made up my mind to use my voice in some way so as to satisfy my own soul that ,i am doing something better than pleasing fashionable audiences1 or making money1 or even gratifying my own love of singing4 ,i am going to do something that will satisfy me when ,i ask3 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,i am not satisfied1 and cannot be1 when ,i think of myself as singing myself into the career of a concert company performer4 ,rachel spoke with a vigor and earnestness that surprised her mother4 ,but ,mrs4 ,winslow was angry now2 and she never tried to conceal her feelings4 ,it is simply absurd6 ,rachel1 you are a fanatic6 ,what can you do8 ,the world has been served by men and women who have given it other things that were gifts4 ,why should ,i1 because ,i am blessed with a natural gift1 at once proceed to put a market price on it and make all the money ,i can out of it8 ,you know1 mother1 that you have taught me to think of a musical career always in the light of financial and social success4 ,i have been unable1 since ,i made my promise two weeks ago1 to imagine ,jesus joining a concert company to do what ,i should do and live the life ,i should have to live if ,i joined it4 ,mrs4 ,winslow rose and then sat down again4 ,with a great effort she composed herself4 ,what do you intend to do then8 ,you have not answered my question4 ,i shall continue to sing for the time being in the church4 ,i am pledged to sing there through the spring4 ,during the week ,i am going to sing at the ,white ,cross meetings1 down in the ,rectangle4 ,what6 ,rachel ,winslow6 ,do you know what you are saying8 ,do you know what sort of people those are down there8 ,rachel almost quailed before her mother4 ,for a moment she shrank back and was silent4 ,then she spoke firmly3 ,i know very well4 ,that is the reason ,i am going4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,gray have been working there several weeks4 ,i learned only this morning that they want singers from the churches to help them in their meetings4 ,they use a tent4 ,it is in a part of the city where ,christian work is most needed4 ,i shall offer them my help4 ,mother6 ,rachel cried out with the first passionate utterance she had yet used1 ,i want to do something that will cost me something in the way of sacrifice4 ,i know you will not understand me4 ,but ,i am hungry to suffer for something4 ,what have we done all our lives for the suffering1 sinning side of ,raymond8 ,how much have we denied ourselves or given of our personal ease and pleasure to bless the place in which we live or imitate the life of the ,savior of the world8 ,are we always to go on doing as society selfishly dictates1 moving on its little narrow round of pleasures and entertainments1 and never knowing the pain of things that cost8 ,are you preaching at me8 asked ,mrs4 ,winslow slowly4 ,rachel rose1 and understood her mother's words4 ,no4 ,i am preaching at myself1 she replied gently4 ,she paused a moment as if she thought her mother would say something more1 and then went out of the room4 ,when she reached her own room she felt that so far as her own mother was concerned she could expect no sympathy1 nor even a fair understanding from her4 ,she kneeled4 ,it is safe to say that within the two weeks since ,henry ,maxwell's church had faced that shabby figure with the faded hat more members of his parish had been driven to their knees in prayer than during all the previous term of his pastorate4 ,she rose1 and her face was wet with tears4 ,she sat thoughtfully a little while and then wrote a note to ,virginia ,page4 ,she sent it to her by a messenger and then went downstairs and told her mother that she and ,virginia were going down to the ,rectangle that evening to see ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,gray1 the evangelists4 ,virginia's uncle1 ,dr4 ,west1 will go with us1 if she goes4 ,i have asked her to call him up by telephone and go with us4 ,the ,doctor is a friend of the ,grays1 and attended some of their meetings last winter4 ,mrs4 ,winslow did not say anything4 ,her manner showed her complete disapproval of ,rachel's course1 and ,rachel felt her unspoken bitterness4 ,about seven o'clock the ,doctor and ,virginia appeared1 and together the three started for the scene of the ,white ,cross meetings4 ,the ,rectangle was the most notorious district in ,raymond4 ,it was on the territory close by the railroad shops and the packing houses4 ,the great slum and tenement district of ,raymond congested its worst and most wretched elements about the ,rectangle4 ,this was a barren field used in the summer by circus companies and wandering showmen4 ,it was shut in by rows of saloons1 gambling hells and cheap1 dirty boarding and lodging houses4 ,the ,first ,church of ,raymond had never touched the ,rectangle problem4 ,it was too dirty1 too coarse1 too sinful1 too awful for close contact4 ,let us be honest4 ,there had been an attempt to cleanse this sore spot by sending down an occasional committee of singers or ,sunday-school teachers or gospel visitors from various churches4 ,but the ,first ,church of ,raymond1 as an institution1 had never really done anything to make the ,rectangle any less a stronghold of the devil as the years went by4 ,into this heart of the coarse part of the sin of ,raymond the traveling evangelist and his brave little wife had pitched a good-sized tent and begun meetings4 ,it was the spring of the year and the evenings were beginning to be pleasant4 ,the evangelists had asked for the help of ,christian people1 and had received more than the usual amount of encouragement4 ,but they felt a great need of more and better music4 ,during the meetings on the ,sunday just gone the assistant at the organ had been taken ill4 ,the volunteers from the city were few and the voices were of ordinary quality4 ,there will be a small meeting tonight1 ,john1 said his wife1 as they entered the tent a little after seven o'clock and began to arrange the chairs and light up4 ,yes1 ,i fear so4 ,mr4 ,gray was a small1 energetic man1 with a pleasant voice and the courage of a high-born fighter4 ,he had already made friends in the neighborhood and one of his converts1 a heavy-faced man who had just come in1 began to help in the arranging of seats4 ,it was after eight o'clock when ,alexander ,powers opened the door of his office and started for home4 ,he was going to take a car at the corner of the ,rectangle4 ,but he was roused by a voice coming from the tent4 ,it was the voice of ,rachel ,winslow4 ,it struck through his consciousness of struggle over his own question that had sent him into the ,divine ,presence for an answer4 ,he had not yet reached a conclusion4 ,he was tortured with uncertainty4 ,his whole previous course of action as a railroad man was the poorest possible preparation for anything sacrificial4 ,and he could not yet say what he would do in the matter4 ,hark6 ,what was she singing8 ,how did ,rachel ,winslow happen to be down here8 ,several windows near by went up4 ,some men quarreling near a saloon stopped and listened4 ,other figures were walking rapidly in the direction of the ,rectangle and the tent4 ,surely ,rachel ,winslow had never sung like that in the ,first ,church4 ,it was a marvelous voice4 ,what was it she was singing8 ,again ,alexander ,powers1 ,superintendent of the machine shops1 paused and listened1 ,where ,he leads me ,i will follow1 ,where ,he leads me ,i will follow1 ,where ,he leads me ,i will follow1 ,i'll go with ,him1 with ,him4 ,all the way6 ,the brutal1 coarse1 impure life of the ,rectangle stirred itself into new life as the song1 as pure as the surroundings were vile1 floated out and into saloon and den and foul lodging4 ,some one stumbled hastily by ,alexander ,powers and said in answer to a question3 ,de tent's beginning to run over tonight4 ,that's what the talent calls music1 eh8 ,the ,superintendent turned toward the tent4 ,then he stopped4 ,after a minute of indecision he went on to the corner and took the car for his home4 ,but before he was out of the sound of ,rachel's voice he knew he had settled for himself the question of what ,jesus would do4 ,chapter ,eight ,if any man would come after me1 let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me4 ,,henry ,,maxwell paced his study back and forth4 ,it was ,wednesday and he had started to think out the subject of his evening service which fell upon that night4 ,out of one of his study windows he could see the tall chimney of the railroad shops4 ,the top of the evangelist's tent just showed over the buildings around the ,rectangle4 ,he looked out of his window every time he turned in his walk4 ,after a while he sat down at his desk and drew a large piece of paper toward him4 ,after thinking several moments he wrote in large letters the following3 ,a ,,number ,,of ,,things ,,that ,,jesus ,,would ,,probably ,,do ,,in ,,this ,,parish ,live in a simple1 plain manner1 without needless luxury on the one hand or undue asceticism on the other4 ,preach fearlessly to the hypocrites in the church1 no matter what their social importance or wealth4 ,show in some practical form ,his sympathy and love for the common people as well as for the well-to-do1 educated1 refined people who make up the majority of the parish4 ,identify ,himself with the great causes of humanity in some personal way that would call for self-denial and suffering4 ,preach against the saloon in ,raymond4 ,become known as a friend and companion of the sinful people in the ,rectangle4 ,give up the summer trip to ,europe this year4 7,i have been abroad twice and cannot claim any special need of rest4 ,i am well1 and could forego this pleasure1 using the money for some one who needs a vacation more than ,i do4 ,there are probably plenty of such people in the city47 ,he was conscious1 with a humility that was once a stranger to him1 that his outline of ,jesus' probable action was painfully lacking in depth and power1 but he was seeking carefully for concrete shapes into which he might cast his thought of ,jesus' conduct4 ,nearly every point he had put down1 meant1 for him1 a complete overturning of the custom and habit of years in the ministry4 ,in spite of that1 he still searched deeper for sources of the ,christ-like spirit4 ,he did not attempt to write any more1 but sat at his desk absorbed in his effort to catch more and more the spirit of ,jesus in his own life4 ,he had forgotten the particular subject for his prayer meeting with which he had begun his morning study4 ,he was so absorbed over his thought that he did not hear the bell ring2 he was roused by the servant who announced a caller4 ,he had sent up his name1 ,mr4 ,gray4 ,maxwell stepped to the head of the stairs and asked ,gray to come up4 ,so ,gray came up and stated the reason for his call4 ,i want your help1 ,mr4 ,maxwell4 ,of course you have heard what a wonderful meeting we had ,monday night and last night4 ,miss ,winslow has done more with her voice than ,i could do1 and the tent won't hold the people4 ,i've heard of that4 ,it is the first time the people there have heard her4 ,it is no wonder they are attracted4 ,it has been a wonderful revelation to us1 and a most encouraging event in our work4 ,but ,i came to ask if you could not come down tonight and preach4 ,i am suffering from a severe cold4 ,i do not dare trust my voice again4 ,i know it is asking a good deal from such a busy man4 ,but1 if you can't come1 say so frankly1 and ,i'll try somewhere else4 ,i'm sorry1 but it's my regular prayer meeting night1 began ,henry ,maxwell4 ,then he flushed and added1 ,i shall be able to arrange it in some way so as to come down4 ,you can count on me4 ,gray thanked him earnestly and rose to go4 ,won't you stay a minute1 ,gray1 and let us have a prayer together8 ,yes1 said ,gray simply4 ,so the two men kneeled together in the study4 ,henry ,maxwell prayed like a child4 ,gray was touched to tears as he knelt there4 ,there was something almost pitiful in the way this man who had lived his ministerial life in such a narrow limit of exercise now begged for wisdom and strength to speak a message to the people in the ,rectangle4 ,gray rose and held out his hand4 ,god bless you1 ,mr4 ,maxwell4 ,i'm sure the ,spirit will give you power tonight4 ,henry ,maxwell made no answer4 ,he did not even trust himself to say that he hoped so4 ,but he thought of his promise and it brought him a certain peace that was refreshing to his heart and mind alike4 ,so that is how it came about that when the ,first ,church audience came into the lecture room that evening it met with another surprise4 ,there was an unusually large number present4 ,the prayer meetings ever since that remarkable ,sunday morning had been attended as never before in the history of the ,first ,church4 ,mr4 ,maxwell came at once to the point4 ,i feel that ,i am called to go down to the ,rectangle tonight1 and ,i will leave it with you to say whether you will go on with this meeting here4 ,i think perhaps the best plan would be for a few volunteers to go down to the ,rectangle with me prepared to help in the after-meeting1 if necessary1 and the rest to remain here and pray that the ,spirit power may go with us4 ,so half a dozen of the men went with the pastor1 and the rest of the audience stayed in the lecture room4 ,maxwell could not escape the thought as he left the room that probably in his entire church membership there might not be found a score of disciples who were capable of doing work that would successfully lead needy1 sinful men into the knowledge of ,christ4 ,the thought did not linger in his mind to vex him as he went his way1 but it was simply a part of his whole new conception of the meaning of ,christian discipleship4 ,when he and his little company of volunteers reached the ,rectangle1 the tent was already crowded4 ,they had difficulty in getting to the platform4 ,rachel was there with ,virginia and ,jasper ,chase who had come instead of the ,doctor tonight4 ,when the meeting began with a song in which ,rachel sang the solo and the people were asked to join in the chorus1 not a foot of standing room was left in the tent4 ,the night was mild and the sides of the tent were up and a great border of faces stretched around1 looking in and forming part of the audience4 ,after the singing1 and a prayer by one of the city pastors who was present1 ,gray stated the reason for his inability to speak1 and in his simple manner turned the service over to ,brother ,maxwell of the ,first ,church4 ,who's de bloke8 asked a hoarse voice near the outside of the tent4 ,de ,fust ,church parson4 ,we've got de whole high-tone swell outfit tonight4 ,did you say ,fust ,church8 ,i know him4 ,my landlord's got a front pew up there1 said another voice1 and there was a laugh1 for the speaker was a saloon keeper4 ,trow out de life line 'cross de dark wave6 began a drunken man near by1 singing in such an unconscious imitation of a local traveling singer's nasal tone that roars of laughter and jeers of approval rose around him4 ,the people in the tent turned in the direction of the disturbance4 ,there were shouts of ,put him out6 ,give the ,fust ,church a chance6 ,song6 ,song6 ,give us another song6 ,henry ,maxwell stood up1 and a great wave of actual terror went over him4 ,this was not like preaching to the well-dressed1 respectable1 good-mannered people up on the boulevard4 ,he began to speak1 but the confusion increased4 ,gray went down into the crowd1 but did not seem able to quiet it4 ,maxwell raised his arm and his voice4 ,the crowd in the tent began to pay some attention1 but the noise on the outside increased4 ,in a few minutes the audience was beyond his control4 ,he turned to ,rachel with a sad smile4 ,sing something1 ,miss ,winslow4 ,they will listen to you1 he said1 and then sat down and covered his face with his hands4 ,it was ,rachel's opportunity1 and she was fully equal to it4 ,virginia was at the organ and ,rachel asked her to play a few notes of the hymn4 ,savior1 ,i follow on1 ,guided by ,thee1 ,seeing not yet the hand ,that leadeth me4 ,hushed be my heart and still ,fear ,i no farther ill1 ,only to meet ,thy will1 ,my will shall be4 ,rachel had not sung the first line before the people in the tent were all turned toward her1 hushed and reverent4 ,before she had finished the verse the ,rectangle was subdued and tamed4 ,it lay like some wild beast at her feet1 and she sang it into harmlessness4 ,ah6 ,what were the flippant1 perfumed1 critical audiences in concert halls compared with this dirty1 drunken1 impure1 besotted mass of humanity that trembled and wept and grew strangely1 sadly thoughtful under the touch of this divine ministry of this beautiful young woman6 ,mr4 ,maxwell1 as he raised his head and saw the transformed mob1 had a glimpse of something that ,jesus would probably do with a voice like ,rachel ,winslow's4 ,jasper ,chase sat with his eyes on the singer1 and his greatest longing as an ambitious author was swallowed up in his thought of what ,rachel ,winslow's love might sometimes mean to him4 ,and over in the shadow outside stood the last person any one might have expected to see at a gospel tent service--,rollin ,page1 who1 jostled on every side by rough men and women who stared at the swell in fine clothes1 seemed careless of his surroundings and at the same time evidently swayed by the power that ,rachel possessed4 ,he had just come over from the club4 ,neither ,rachel nor ,virginia saw him that night4 ,the song was over4 ,maxwell rose again4 ,this time he felt calmer4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,he spoke as he thought once he never could speak4 ,who were these people8 ,they were immortal souls4 ,what was ,christianity8 ,a calling of sinners1 not the righteous1 to repentance4 ,how would ,jesus speak8 ,what would ,he say8 ,he could not tell all that ,his message would include1 but he felt sure of a part of it4 ,and in that certainty he spoke on4 ,never before had he felt compassion for the multitude4 ,what had the multitude been to him during his ten years in the ,first ,church but a vague1 dangerous1 dirty1 troublesome factor in society1 outside of the church and of his reach1 an element that caused him occasionally an unpleasant twinge of conscience1 a factor in ,raymond that was talked about at associations as the masses1 in papers written by the brethren in attempts to show why the masses were not being reached4 ,but tonight as he faced the masses he asked himself whether1 after all1 this was not just about such a multitude as ,jesus faced oftenest1 and he felt the genuine emotion of love for a crowd which is one of the best indications a preacher ever has that he is living close to the heart of the world's eternal ,life4 ,it is easy to love an individual sinner1 especially if he is personally picturesque or interesting4 ,to love a multitude of sinners is distinctively a ,christ-like quality4 ,when the meeting closed1 there was no special interest shown4 ,no one stayed to the after-meeting4 ,the people rapidly melted away from the tent1 and the saloons1 which had been experiencing a dull season while the meetings progressed1 again drove a thriving trade4 ,the ,rectangle1 as if to make up for lost time1 started in with vigor on its usual night debauch4 ,maxwell and his little party1 including ,virginia1 ,rachel and ,jasper ,chase1 walked down past the row of saloons and dens until they reached the corner where the cars passed4 ,this is a terrible spot1 said the minister as he stood waiting for their car4 ,i never realized that ,raymond had such a festering sore4 ,it does not seem possible that this is a city full of ,christian disciples4 ,do you think any one can ever remove this great curse of drink8 asked ,jasper ,chase4 ,i have thought lately as never before of what ,christian people might do to remove the curse of the saloon4 ,why don't we all act together against it8 ,why don't the ,christian pastors and the church members of ,raymond move as one man against the traffic8 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,would ,he keep silent8 ,would ,he vote to license these causes of crime and death8 ,he was talking to himself more than to the others4 ,he remembered that he had always voted for license1 and so had nearly all his church members4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,could he answer that question8 ,would the ,master preach and act against the saloon if ,he lived today8 ,how would ,he preach and act8 ,suppose it was not popular to preach against license8 ,suppose the ,christian people thought it was all that could be done to license the evil and so get revenue from the necessary sin8 ,or suppose the church members themselves owned the property where the saloons stood--what then8 ,he knew that those were the facts in ,raymond4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,he went up into his study the next morning with that question only partly answered4 ,he thought of it all day4 ,he was still thinking of it and reaching certain real conclusions when the ,,evening ,,news came4 ,his wife brought it up and sat down a few minutes while he read to her4 ,the ,,evening ,,news was at present the most sensational paper in ,raymond4 ,that is to say1 it was being edited in such a remarkable fashion that its subscribers had never been so excited over a newspaper before4 ,first they had noticed the absence of the prize fight1 and gradually it began to dawn upon them that the ,,news no longer printed accounts of crime with detailed descriptions1 or scandals in private life4 ,then they noticed that the advertisements of liquor and tobacco were dropped1 together with certain others of a questionable character4 ,the discontinuance of the ,sunday paper caused the greatest comment of all1 and now the character of the editorials was creating the greatest excitement4 ,a quotation from the ,monday paper of this week will show what ,edward ,norman was doing to keep his promise4 ,the editorial was headed3 ,,the ,,moral ,,side ,,of ,,political ,,questions ,the editor of the ,news has always advocated the principles of the great political party at present in power1 and has heretofore discussed all political questions from the standpoint of expediency1 or of belief in the party as opposed to other political organizations4 ,hereafter1 to be perfectly honest with all our readers1 the editor will present and discuss all political questions from the standpoint of right and wrong4 ,in other words1 the first question asked in this office about any political question will not be1 ,is it in the interests of our party8 or1 ,is it according to the principles laid down by our party in its platform8 but the question first asked will be1 ,is this measure in accordance with the spirit and teachings of ,jesus as the author of the greatest standard of life known to men8 ,that is1 to be perfectly plain1 the moral side of every political question will be considered its most important side1 and the ground will be distinctly taken that nations as well as individuals are under the same law to do all things to the glory of ,god as the first rule of action4 ,the same principle will be observed in this office toward candidates for places of responsibility and trust in the republic4 ,regardless of party politics the editor of the ,news will do all in his power to bring the best men into power1 and will not knowingly help to support for office any candidate who is unworthy1 no matter how much he may be endorsed by the party4 ,the first question asked about the man and about the measures will be1 ,is he the right man for the place8 ,is he a good man with ability8 ,is the measure right8 ,there had been more of this1 but we have quoted enough to show the character of the editorial4 ,hundreds of men in ,raymond had read it and rubbed their eyes in amazement4 ,a good many of them had promptly written to the ,,news1 telling the editor to stop their paper4 ,the paper still came out1 however1 and was eagerly read all over the city4 ,at the end of a week ,edward ,norman knew very well that he was fast losing a large number of subscribers4 ,he faced the conditions calmly1 although ,clark1 the managing editor1 grimly anticipated ultimate bankruptcy1 especially since ,monday's editorial4 ,tonight1 as ,maxwell read to his wife1 he could see in almost every column evidences of ,norman's conscientious obedience to his promise4 ,there was an absence of slangy1 sensational scare heads4 ,the reading matter under the head lines was in perfect keeping with them4 ,he noticed in two columns that the reporters' name appeared signed at the bottom4 ,and there was a distinct advance in the dignity and style of their contributions4 ,so ,norman is beginning to get his reporters to sign their work4 ,he has talked with me about that4 ,it is a good thing4 ,it fixes responsibility for items where it belongs and raises the standard of work done4 ,a good thing all around for the public and the writers4 ,maxwell suddenly paused4 ,his wife looked up from some work she was doing4 ,he was reading something with the utmost interest4 ,listen to this1 ,mary1 he said1 after a moment while his lip trembled3 ,this morning ,alexander ,powers1 ,superintendent of the ,l4 and ,t4 ,r4 ,r4 shops in this city1 handed in his resignation to the road1 and gave as his reason the fact that certain proofs had fallen into his hands of the violation of the ,interstate ,commerce ,law1 and also of the state law which has recently been framed to prevent and punish railroad pooling for the benefit of certain favored shippers4 ,mr4 ,powers states in his resignation that he can no longer consistently withhold the information he possesses against the road4 ,he will be a witness against it4 ,he has placed his evidence against the company in the hands of the ,commission and it is now for them to take action upon it4 ,the ,news wishes to express itself on this action of ,mr4 ,powers4 ,in the first place he has nothing to gain by it4 ,he has lost a very valuable place voluntarily1 when by keeping silent he might have retained it4 ,in the second place1 we believe his action ought to receive the approval of all thoughtful1 honest citizens who believe in seeing law obeyed and lawbreakers brought to justice4 ,in a case like this1 where evidence against a railroad company is generally understood to be almost impossible to obtain1 it is the general belief that the officers of the road are often in possession of criminating facts but do not consider it to be any of their business to inform the authorities that the law is being defied4 ,the entire result of this evasion of responsibility on the part of those who are responsible is demoralizing to every young man connected with the road4 ,the editor of the ,news recalls the statement made by a prominent railroad official in this city a little while ago1 that nearly every clerk in a certain department of the road understood that large sums of money were made by shrewd violations of the ,interstate ,commerce ,law1 was ready to admire the shrewdness with which it was done1 and declared that they would all do the same thing if they were high enough in railroad circles to attempt it4 ,it is not necessary to say that such a condition of business is destructive to all the nobler and higher standards of conduct1 and no young man can live in such an atmosphere of unpunished dishonesty and lawlessness without wrecking his character4 ,in our judgment1 ,mr4 ,powers did the only thing that a ,christian man could do4 ,he has rendered brave and useful service to the state and the general public4 ,it is not always an easy matter to determine the relations that exist between the individual citizen and his fixed duty to the public4 ,in this case there is no doubt in our minds that the step which ,mr4 ,powers has taken commends itself to every man who believes in law and its enforcement4 ,there are times when the individual must act for the people in ways that will mean sacrifice and loss to him of the gravest character4 ,mr4 ,powers will be misunderstood and misrepresented1 but there is no question that his course will be approved by every citizen who wishes to see the greatest corporation as well as the weakest individual subject to the same law4 ,mr4 ,powers has done all that a loyal1 patriotic citizen could do4 ,it now remains for the ,commission to act upon his evidence which1 we understand1 is overwhelming proof of the lawlessness of the ,l4 and ,t4 ,let the law be enforced1 no matter who the persons may be who have been guilty4 ,chapter ,nine ,,henry ,,maxwell finished reading and dropped the paper4 ,i must go and see ,powers4 ,this is the result of his promise4 ,he rose1 and as he was going out1 his wife said3 ,do you think1 ,henry1 that ,jesus would have done that8 ,maxwell paused a moment4 ,then he answered slowly1 ,yes1 ,i think ,he would4 ,at any rate1 ,powers has decided so and each one of us who made the promise understands that he is not deciding ,jesus' conduct for any one else1 only for himself4 ,how about his family8 ,how will ,mrs4 ,powers and ,celia be likely to take it8 ,very hard1 ,i've no doubt4 ,that will be ,powers' cross in this matter4 ,they will not understand his motive4 ,maxwell went out and walked over to the next block where ,superintendent ,powers lived4 ,to his relief1 ,powers himself came to the door4 ,the two men shook hands silently4 ,they instantly understood each other without words4 ,there had never before been such a bond of union between the minister and his parishioner4 ,what are you going to do8 ,henry ,maxwell asked after they had talked over the facts in the case4 ,you mean another position8 ,i have no plans yet4 ,i can go back to my old work as a telegraph operator4 ,my family will not suffer1 except in a social way4 ,powers spoke calmly and sadly4 ,henry ,maxwell did not need to ask him how the wife and daughter felt4 ,he knew well enough that the superintendent had suffered deepest at that point4 ,there is one matter ,i wish you would see to1 said ,powers after awhile1 and that is1 the work begun at the shops4 ,so far as ,i know1 the company will not object to that going on4 ,it is one of the contradictions of the railroad world that ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4's and other ,christian influences are encouraged by the roads1 while all the time the most un-,christian and lawless acts may be committed in the official management of the roads themselves4 ,of course it is well understood that it pays a railroad to have in its employ men who are temperate1 honest and ,christian4 ,so ,i have no doubt the master mechanic will have the same courtesy shown him in the use of the room4 ,but what ,i want you to do1 ,mr4 ,maxwell1 is to see that my plan is carried out4 ,will you8 ,you understand what it was in general4 ,you made a very favorable impression on the men4 ,go down there as often as you can4 ,get ,milton ,wright interested to provide something for the furnishing and expense of the coffee plant and reading tables4 ,will you do it8 ,yes1 replied ,henry ,maxwell4 ,he stayed a little longer4 ,before he went away1 he and the superintendent had a prayer together1 and they parted with that silent hand grasp that seemed to them like a new token of their ,christian discipleship and fellowship4 ,the pastor of the ,first ,church went home stirred deeply by the events of the week4 ,gradually the truth was growing upon him that the pledge to do as ,jesus would was working out a revolution in his parish and throughout the city4 ,every day added to the serious results of obedience to that pledge4 ,maxwell did not pretend to see the end4 ,he was1 in fact1 only now at the very beginning of events that were destined to change the history of hundreds of families not only in ,raymond but throughout the entire country4 ,as he thought of ,edward ,norman and ,rachel and ,mr4 ,powers1 and of the results that had already come from their actions1 he could not help a feeling of intense interest in the probable effect if all the persons in the ,first ,church who had made the pledge1 faithfully kept it4 ,would they all keep it1 or would some of them turn back when the cross became too heavy8 ,he was asking this question the next morning as he sat in his study when the ,president of the ,endeavor ,society of his church called to see him4 ,i suppose ,i ought not to trouble you with my case1 said young ,morris coming at once to his errand1 but ,i thought1 ,mr4 ,maxwell1 that you might advise me a little4 ,i'm glad you came4 ,go on1 ,fred4 ,he had known the young man ever since his first year in the pastorate1 and loved and honored him for his consistent1 faithful service in the church4 ,well1 the fact is1 ,i am out of a job4 ,you know ,i've been doing reporter work on the morning ,,sentinel since ,i graduated last year4 ,well1 last ,saturday ,mr4 ,burr asked me to go down the road ,sunday morning and get the details of that train robbery at the ,junction1 and write the thing up for the extra edition that came out ,monday morning1 just to get the start of the ,,news4 ,i refused to go1 and ,burr gave me my dismissal4 ,he was in a bad temper1 or ,i think perhaps he would not have done it4 ,he has always treated me well before4 ,now1 do you think ,jesus would have done as ,i did8 ,i ask because the other fellows say ,i was a fool not to do the work4 ,i want to feel that a ,christian acts from motives that may seem strange to others sometimes1 but not foolish4 ,what do you think8 ,i think you kept your promise1 ,fred4 ,i cannot believe ,jesus would do newspaper reporting on ,sunday as you were asked to do it4 ,thank you1 ,mr4 ,maxwell4 ,i felt a little troubled over it1 but the longer ,i think it over the better ,i feel4 ,morris rose to go1 and his pastor rose and laid a loving hand on the young man's shoulder4 ,what are you going to do1 ,fred8 ,i don't know yet4 ,i have thought some of going to ,chicago or some large city 4 ,why don't you try the ,,news8 ,they are all supplied4 ,i have not thought of applying there4 ,maxwell thought a moment4 ,come down to the ,,news office with me1 and let us see ,norman about it4 ,so a few minutes later ,edward ,norman received into his room the minister and young ,morris1 and ,maxwell briefly told the cause of the errand4 ,i can give you a place on the ,,news1 said ,norman with his keen look softened by a smile that made it winsome4 ,i want reporters who won't work ,sundays4 ,and what is more1 ,i am making plans for a special kind of reporting which ,i believe you can develop because you are in sympathy with what ,jesus would do4 ,he assigned ,morris a definite task1 and ,maxwell started back to his study1 feeling that kind of satisfaction 7and it is a very deep kind7 which a man feels when he has been even partly instrumental in finding an unemployed person a remunerative position4 ,he had intended to go right to his study1 but on his way home he passed by one of ,milton ,wright's stores4 ,he thought he would simply step in and shake hands with his parishioner and bid him ,god-speed in what he had heard he was doing to put ,christ into his business4 ,but when he went into the office1 ,wright insisted on detaining him to talk over some of his new plans4 ,maxwell asked himself if this was the ,milton ,wright he used to know1 eminently practical1 business-like1 according to the regular code of the business world1 and viewing every thing first and foremost from the standpoint of1 ,will it pay8 ,there is no use to disguise the fact1 ,mr4 ,maxwell1 that ,i have been compelled to revolutionize the entire method of my business since ,i made that promise4 ,i have been doing a great many things during the last twenty years in this store that ,i know ,jesus would not do4 ,but that is a small item compared with the number of things ,i begin to believe ,jesus would do4 ,my sins of commission have not been as many as those of omission in business relations4 ,what was the first change you made8 ,he felt as if his sermon could wait for him in his study4 ,as the interview with ,milton ,wright continued1 he was not so sure but that he had found material for a sermon without going back to his study4 ,i think the first change ,i had to make was in my thought of my employees4 ,i came down here ,monday morning after that ,sunday and asked myself1 ',what would ,jesus do in ,his relation to these clerks1 bookkeepers1 office-boys1 draymen1 salesmen8 ,would ,he try to establish some sort of personal relation to them different from that which ,i have sustained all these years8' ,i soon answered this by saying1 ',yes4' ,then came the question of what that relation would be and what it would lead me to do4 ,i did not see how ,i could answer it to my satisfaction without getting all my employees together and having a talk with them4 ,so ,i sent invitations to all of them1 and we had a meeting out there in the warehouse ,tuesday night4 ,a good many things came out of that meeting4 ,i can't tell you all4 ,i tried to talk with the men as ,i imagined ,jesus might4 ,it was hard work1 for ,i have not been in the habit of it1 and must have made some mistakes4 ,but ,i can hardly make you believe1 ,mr4 ,maxwell1 the effect of that meeting on some of the men4 ,before it closed ,i saw more than a dozen of them with tears on their faces4 ,i kept asking1 ',what would ,jesus do8' and the more ,i asked it the farther along it pushed me into the most intimate and loving relations with the men who have worked for me all these years4 ,every day something new is coming up and ,i am right now in the midst of a reconstruction of the entire business so far as its motive for being conducted is concerned4 ,i am so practically ignorant of all plans for co-operation and its application to business that ,i am trying to get information from every possible source4 ,i have lately made a special study of the life of ,titus ,salt1 the great mill-owner of ,bradford1 ,england1 who afterward built that model town on the banks of the ,aire4 ,there is a good deal in his plans that will help me4 ,but ,i have not yet reached definite conclusions in regard to all the details4 ,i am not enough used to ,jesus' methods4 ,but see here4 ,wright eagerly reached up into one of the pigeon holes of his desk and took out a paper4 ,i have sketched out what seems to me like a program such as ,jesus might go by in a business like mine4 ,i want you to tell me what you think of it3 ,,what ,,jesus ,,would ,,probably ,,do ,,in ,,milton ,,wright',s ,,place ,,as ,a ,,business ,,man ,he would engage in the business first of all for the purpose of glorifying ,god1 and not for the primary purpose of making money4 ,all money that might be made he would never regard as his own1 but as trust funds to be used for the good of humanity4 ,his relations with all the persons in his employ would be the most loving and helpful4 ,he could not help thinking of all of them in the light of souls to be saved4 ,this thought would always be greater than his thought of making money in the business4 ,he would never do a single dishonest or questionable thing or try in any remotest way to get the advantage of any one else in the same business4 ,the principle of unselfishness and helpfulness in the business would direct all its details4 ,upon this principle he would shape the entire plan of his relations to his employees1 to the people who were his customers and to the general business world with which he was connected4 ,henry ,maxwell read this over slowly4 ,it reminded him of his own attempts the day before to put into a concrete form his thought of ,jesus' probable action4 ,he was very thoughtful as he looked up and met ,wright's eager gaze4 ,do you believe you can continue to make your business pay on these lines8 ,i do4 ,intelligent unselfishness ought to be wiser than intelligent selfishness1 don't you think8 ,if the men who work as employees begin to feel a personal share in the profits of the business and1 more than that1 a personal love for themselves on the part of the firm1 won't the result be more care1 less waste1 more diligence1 more faithfulness8 ,yes1 ,i think so4 ,a good many other business men don't1 do they8 ,i mean as a general thing4 ,how about your relations to the selfish world that is not trying to make money on ,christian principles8 ,that complicates my action1 of course4 ,does your plan contemplate what is coming to be known as co-operation8 ,yes1 as far as ,i have gone1 it does4 ,as ,i told you1 ,i am studying out my details carefully4 ,i am absolutely convinced that ,jesus in my place would be absolutely unselfish4 ,he would love all these men in ,his employ4 ,he would consider the main purpose of all the business to be a mutual helpfulness1 and would conduct it all so that ,god's kingdom would be evidently the first object sought4 ,on those general principles1 as ,i say1 ,i am working4 ,i must have time to complete the details4 ,when ,maxwell finally left he was profoundly impressed with the revolution that was being wrought already in the business4 ,as he passed out of the store he caught something of the new spirit of the place4 ,there was no mistaking the fact that ,milton ,wright's new relations to his employees were beginning even so soon1 after less than two weeks1 to transform the entire business4 ,this was apparent in the conduct and faces of the clerks4 ,if he keeps on he will be one of the most influential preachers in ,raymond1 said ,maxwell to himself when he reached his study4 ,the question rose as to his continuance in this course when he began to lose money by it1 as was possible4 ,he prayed that the ,holy ,spirit1 who had shown ,himself with growing power in the company of ,first ,church disciples1 might abide long with them all4 ,and with that prayer on his lips and in his heart he began the preparation of a sermon in which he was going to present to his people on ,sunday the subject of the saloon in ,raymond1 as he now believed ,jesus would do4 ,he had never preached against the saloon in this way before4 ,he knew that the things he should say would lead to serious results4 ,nevertheless1 he went on with his work1 and every sentence he wrote or shaped was preceded with the question1 ,would ,jesus say that8 ,once in the course of his study1 he went down on his knees4 ,no one except himself could know what that meant to him4 ,when had he done that in his preparation of sermons1 before the change that had come into his thought of discipleship8 ,as he viewed his ministry now1 he did not dare preach without praying long for wisdom4 ,he no longer thought of his dramatic delivery and its effect on his audience4 ,the great question with him now was1 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,saturday night at the ,rectangle witnessed some of the most remarkable scenes that ,mr4 ,gray and his wife had ever known4 ,the meetings had intensified with each night of ,rachel's singing4 ,a stranger passing through the ,rectangle in the day-time might have heard a good deal about the meetings in one way and another4 ,it cannot be said that up to that ,saturday night there was any appreciable lack of oaths and impurity and heavy drinking4 ,the ,rectangle would not have acknowledged that it was growing any better or that even the singing had softened its outward manner4 ,it had too much local pride in being tough4 ,but in spite of itself there was a yielding to a power it had never measured and did not know we enough to resist beforehand4 ,gray had recovered his voice so that by ,saturday he was able to speak4 ,the fact that he was obliged to use his voice carefully made it necessary for the people to be very quiet if they wanted to hear4 ,gradually they had come to understand that this man was talking these many weeks and giving his time and strength to give them a knowledge of a ,savior1 all out of a perfectly unselfish love for them4 ,tonight the great crowd was as quiet as ,henry ,maxwell's decorous audience ever was4 ,the fringe around the tent was deeper and the saloons were practically empty4 ,the ,holy ,spirit had come at last1 and ,gray knew that one of the great prayers of his life was going to be answered4 ,and ,rachel her singing was the best1 most wonderful1 that ,virginia or ,jasper ,chase had ever known4 ,they came together again tonight1 this time with ,dr4 ,west1 who had spent all his spare time that week in the ,rectangle with some charity cases4 ,virginia was at the organ1 ,jasper sat on a front seat looking up at ,rachel1 and the ,rectangle swayed as one man towards the platform as she sang3 ,just as ,i am1 without one plea1 ,but that ,thy blood was shed for me1 ,and that ,thou bidst me come to ,thee1 ,o ,lamb of ,god1 ,i come1 ,i come4 ,gray hardly said a word4 ,he stretched out his hand with a gesture of invitation4 ,and down the two aisles of the tent1 broken1 sinful creatures1 men and women1 stumbled towards the platform4 ,one woman out of the street was near the organ4 ,virginia caught the look of her face1 and for the first time in the life of the rich girl the thought of what ,jesus was to the sinful woman came with a suddenness and power that was like nothing but a new birth4 ,virginia left the organ1 went to her1 looked into her face and caught her hands in her own4 ,the other girl trembled1 then fell on her knees sobbing1 with her head down upon the back of the rude bench in front of her1 still clinging to ,virginia4 ,and ,virginia1 after a moment's hesitation1 kneeled down by her and the two heads were bowed close together4 ,but when the people had crowded in a double row all about the platform1 most of them kneeling and crying1 a man in evening dress1 different from the others1 pushed through the seats and came and kneeled down by the side of the drunken man who had disturbed the meeting when ,maxwell spoke4 ,he kneeled within a few feet of ,rachel ,winslow1 who was still singing softly4 ,and as she turned for a moment and looked in his direction1 she was amazed to see the face of ,rollin ,page6 ,for a moment her voice faltered4 ,then she went on3 ,just as ,i am1 thou wilt receive1 ,wilt welcome1 pardon1 cleanse1 relieve1 ,because ,thy promise ,i believe1 ,o ,lamb of ,god1 ,i come1 ,i come4 ,the voice was as the voice of divine longing1 and the ,rectangle for the time being was swept into the harbor of redemptive grace4 ,chapter ,ten ,if any man serve me1 let him follow me4 ,,it was nearly midnight before the services at the ,rectangle closed4 ,gray stayed up long into ,sunday morning1 praying and talking with a little group of converts who in the great experiences of their new life1 clung to the evangelist with a personal helplessness that made it as impossible for him to leave them as if they had been depending upon him to save them from physical death4 ,among these converts was ,rollin ,page4 ,virginia and her uncle had gone home about eleven o'clock1 and ,rachel and ,jasper ,chase had gone with them as far as the avenue where ,virginia lived4 ,dr4 ,west had walked on a little way with them to his own home1 and ,rachel and ,jasper had then gone on together to her mother's4 ,that was a little after eleven4 ,it was now striking midnight1 and ,jasper ,chase sat in his room staring at the papers on his desk and going over the last half hour with painful persistence4 ,he had told ,rachel ,winslow of his love for her1 and she had not given him her love in return4 ,it would be difficult to know what was most powerful in the impulse that had moved him to speak to her tonight4 ,he had yielded to his feelings without any special thought of results to himself1 because he had felt so certain that ,rachel would respond to his love4 ,he tried to recall the impression she made on him when he first spoke to her4 ,never had her beauty and her strength influenced him as tonight4 ,while she was singing he saw and heard no one else4 ,the tent swarmed with a confused crowd of faces and he knew he was sitting there hemmed in by a mob of people1 but they had no meaning to him4 ,he felt powerless to avoid speaking to her4 ,he knew he should speak when they were alone4 ,now that he had spoken1 he felt that he had misjudged either ,rachel or the opportunity4 ,he knew1 or thought he knew1 that she had begun to care something for him4 ,it was no secret between them that the heroine of ,jasper's first novel had been his own ideal of ,rachel1 and the hero in the story was himself and they had loved each other in the book1 and ,rachel had not objected4 ,no one else knew4 ,the names and characters had been drawn with a subtle skill that revealed to ,rachel1 when she received a copy of the book from ,jasper1 the fact of his love for her1 and she had not been offended4 ,that was nearly a year ago4 ,tonight he recalled the scene between them with every inflection and movement unerased from his memory4 ,he even recalled the fact that he began to speak just at that point on the avenue where1 a few days before1 he had met ,rachel walking with ,rollin ,page4 ,he had wondered at the time what ,rollin was saying4 ,rachel1 ,jasper had said1 and it was the first time he had ever spoken her first name1 ,i never knew till tonight how much ,i loved you4 ,why should ,i try to conceal any longer what you have seen me look8 ,you know ,i love you as my life4 ,i can no longer hide it from you if ,i would4 ,the first intimation he had of a repulse was the trembling of ,rachel's arm in his4 ,she had allowed him to speak and had neither turned her face toward him nor away from him4 ,she had looked straight on and her voice was sad but firm and quiet when she spoke4 ,why do you speak to me now8 ,i cannot bear it--after what we have seen tonight4 ,why--what-- he had stammered and then was silent4 ,rachel withdrew her arm from his but still walked near him4 ,then he had cried out with the anguish of one who begins to see a great loss facing him where he expected a great joy4 ,rachel6 ,do you not love me8 ,is not my love for you as sacred as anything in all of life itself8 ,she had walked silent for a few steps after that4 ,they passed a street lamp4 ,her face was pale and beautiful4 ,he had made a movement to clutch her arm and she had moved a little farther from him4 ,no1 she had replied4 ,there was a time ,i--cannot answer for that you--should not have spoken to me--now4 ,he had seen in these words his answer4 ,he was extremely sensitive4 ,nothing short of a joyous response to his own love would ever have satisfied him4 ,he could not think of pleading with her4 ,some time--when ,i am more worthy8 he had asked in a low voice1 but she did not seem to hear1 and they had parted at her home1 and he recalled vividly the fact that no good-night had been said4 ,now as he went over the brief but significant scene he lashed himself for his foolish precipitancy4 ,he had not reckoned on ,rachel's tense1 passionate absorption of all her feeling in the scenes at the tent which were so new in her mind4 ,but he did not know her well enough even yet to understand the meaning of her refusal4 ,when the clock in the ,first ,church struck one he was still sitting at his desk staring at the last page of manuscript of his unfinished novel4 ,rachel went up to her room and faced her evening's experience with conflicting emotions4 ,had she ever loved ,jasper ,chase8 ,yes4 ,no4 ,one moment she felt that her life's happiness was at stake over the result of her action4 ,another1 she had a strange feeling of relief that she had spoken as she had4 ,there was one great1 overmastering feeling in her4 ,the response of the wretched creatures in the tent to her singing1 the swift1 powerful1 awesome presence of the ,holy ,spirit had affected her as never in all her life before4 ,the moment ,jasper had spoken her name and she realized that he was telling her of his love she had felt a sudden revulsion for him1 as if he should have respected the supernatural events they had just witnessed4 ,she felt as if it was not the time to be absorbed in anything less than the divine glory of those conversions4 ,the thought that all the time she was singing1 with the one passion of her soul to touch the conscience of that tent full of sin1 ,jasper ,chase had been unmoved by it except to love her for herself1 gave her a shock as of irreverence on her part as well as on his4 ,she could not tell why she felt as she did1 only she knew that if he had not told her tonight she would still have felt the same toward him as she always had4 ,what was that feeling8 ,what had he been to her8 ,had she made a mistake8 ,she went to her book case and took out the novel which ,jasper had given her4 ,her face deepened in color as she turned to certain passages which she had read often and which she knew ,jasper had written for her4 ,she read them again4 ,somehow they failed to touch her strongly4 ,she closed the book and let it lie on the table4 ,she gradually felt that her thought was busy with the sights she had witnessed in the tent4 ,those faces1 men and women1 touched for the first time with the ,spirit's glory--what a wonderful thing life was after all6 ,the complete regeneration revealed in the sight of drunken1 vile1 debauched humanity kneeling down to give itself to a life of purity and ,christlikeness--oh1 it was surely a witness to the superhuman in the world6 ,and the face of ,rollin ,page by the side of that miserable wreck out of the gutter6 ,she could recall as if she now saw it1 ,virginia crying with her arms about her brother just before she left the tent1 and ,mr4 ,gray kneeling close by1 and the girl ,virginia had taken into her heart while she whispered something to her before she went out4 ,all these pictures drawn by the ,holy ,spirit in the human tragedies brought to a climax there in the most abandoned spot in all ,raymond1 stood out in ,rachel's memory now1 a memory so recent that her room seemed for the time being to contain all the actors and their movements4 ,no6 ,no6 she said aloud4 ,he had no right to speak after all that6 ,he should have respected the place where our thoughts should have been4 ,i am sure ,i do not love him--not enough to give him my life6 ,and after she had thus spoken1 the evening's experience at the tent came crowding in again1 thrusting out all other things4 ,it is perhaps the most striking evidence of the tremendous spiritual factor which had now entered the ,rectangle that ,rachel felt1 even when the great love of a strong man had come very near to her1 that the spiritual manifestation moved her with an agitation far greater than anything ,jasper had felt for her personally or she for him4 ,the people of ,raymond awoke ,sunday morning to a growing knowledge of events which were beginning to revolutionize many of the regular1 customary habits of the town4 ,alexander ,powers' action in the matter of the railroad frauds had created a sensation not only in ,raymond but throughout the country4 ,edward ,norman's daily changes of policy in the conduct of his paper had startled the community and caused more comment than any recent political event4 ,rachel ,winslow's singing at the ,rectangle meetings had made a stir in society and excited the wonder of all her friends4 ,virginia's conduct1 her presence every night with ,rachel1 her absence from the usual circle of her wealthy1 fashionable acquaintances1 had furnished a great deal of material for gossip and question4 ,in addition to these events which centered about these persons who were so well known1 there had been all through the city in very many homes and in business and social circles strange happenings4 ,nearly one hundred persons in ,henry ,maxwell's church had made the pledge to do everything after asking3 ,what would ,jesus do8 and the result had been1 in many cases1 unheard-of actions4 ,the city was stirred as it had never been before4 ,as a climax to the week's events had come the spiritual manifestation at the ,rectangle1 and the announcement which came to most people before church time of the actual conversion at the tent of nearly fifty of the worst characters in that neighborhood1 together with the con version of ,rollin ,page1 the well-known society and club man4 ,it is no wonder that under the pressure of all this the ,first ,church of ,raymond came to the morning service in a condition that made it quickly sensitive to any large truth4 ,perhaps nothing had astonished the people more than the great change that had come over the minister1 since he had proposed to them the imitation of ,jesus in conduct4 ,the dramatic delivery of his sermons no longer impressed them4 ,the self-satisfied1 contented1 easy attitude of the fine figure and refined face in the pulpit had been displaced by a manner that could not be compared with the old style of his delivery4 ,the sermon had become a message4 ,it was no longer delivered4 ,it was brought to them with a love1 an earnestness1 a passion1 a desire1 a humility that poured its enthusiasm about the truth and made the speaker no more prominent than he had to be as the living voice of ,god4 ,his prayers were unlike any the people had heard before4 ,they were often broken1 even once or twice they had been actually ungrammatical in a phrase or two4 ,when had ,henry ,maxwell so far forgotten himself in a prayer as to make a mistake of that sort8 ,he knew that he had often taken as much pride in the diction and delivery of his prayers as of his sermons4 ,was it possible he now so abhorred the elegant refinement of a formal public petition that he purposely chose to rebuke himself for his previous precise manner of prayer8 ,it is more likely that he had no thought of all that4 ,his great longing to voice the needs and wants of his people made him unmindful of an occasional mistake4 ,it is certain that he had never prayed so effectively as he did now4 ,there are times when a sermon has a value and power due to conditions in the audience rather than to anything new or startling or eloquent in the words said or arguments presented4 ,such conditions faced ,henry ,maxwell this morning as he preached against the saloon1 according to his purpose determined on the week before4 ,he had no new statements to make about the evil influence of the saloon in ,raymond4 ,what new facts were there8 ,he had no startling illustrations of the power of the saloon in business or politics4 ,what could he say that had not been said by temperance orators a great many times8 ,the effect of his message this morning owed its power to the unusual fact of his preaching about the saloon at all1 together with the events that had stirred the people4 ,he had never in the course of his ten years' pastorate mentioned the saloon as something to be regarded in the light of an enemy1 not only to the poor and tempted1 but to the business life of the place and the church itself4 ,he spoke now with a freedom that seemed to measure his complete sense of conviction that ,jesus would speak so4 ,at the close he pleaded with the people to remember the new life that had begun at the ,rectangle4 ,the regular election of city officers was near at hand4 ,the question of license would be an issue in the election4 ,what of the poor creatures surrounded by the hell of drink while just beginning to feel the joy of deliverance from sin8 ,who could tell what depended on their environment8 ,was there one word to be said by the ,christian disciple1 business man1 citizen1 in favor of continuing the license to crime and shame-producing institutions8 ,was not the most ,christian thing they could do to act as citizens in the matter1 fight the saloon at the polls1 elect good men to the city offices1 and clean the municipality8 ,how much had prayers helped to make ,raymond better while votes and actions had really been on the side of the enemies of ,jesus8 ,would not ,jesus do this8 ,what disciple could imagine ,him refusing to suffer or to take up ,his cross in this matter8 ,how much had the members of the ,first ,church ever suffered in an attempt to imitate ,jesus8 ,was ,christian discipleship a thing of conscience simply1 of custom1 of tradition8 ,where did the suffering come in8 ,was it necessary in order to follow ,jesus' steps to go up ,calvary as well as the ,mount of ,transfiguration8 ,his appeal was stronger at this point than he knew4 ,it is not too much to say that the spiritual tension of the people reached its highest point right there4 ,the imitation of ,jesus which had begun with the volunteers in the church was working like leaven in the organization1 and ,henry ,maxwell would even thus early in his life have been amazed if he could have measured the extent of desire on the part of his people to take up the cross4 ,while he was speaking this morning1 before he closed with a loving appeal to the discipleship of two thousand years' knowledge of the ,master1 many a man and woman in the church was saying as ,rachel had said so passionately to her mother3 ,i want to do something that will cost me something in the way of sacrifice4 ,i am hungry to suffer something4 ,truly1 ,mazzini was right when he said that no appeal is quite so powerful in the end as the call3 ,come and suffer4 ,the service was over1 the great audience had gone1 and ,maxwell again faced the company gathered in the lecture room as on the two previous ,sundays4 ,he had asked all to remain who had made the pledge of discipleship1 and any others who wished to be included4 ,the after service seemed now to be a necessity4 ,as he went in and faced the people there his heart trembled4 ,there were at least one hundred present4 ,the ,holy ,spirit was never before so manifest4 ,he missed ,jasper ,chase4 ,but all the others were present4 ,he asked ,milton ,wright to pray4 ,the very air was charged with divine possibilities4 ,what could resist such a baptism of power8 ,how had they lived all these years without it8 ,they counseled together and there were many prayers4 ,henry ,maxwell dated from that meeting some of the serious events that afterward became a part of the history of the ,first ,church and of ,raymond4 ,when finally they went home1 all of them were impressed with the glory of the ,spirit's power4 ,chapter ,eleven ,,donald ,,marsh1 ,president of ,lincoln ,college1 walked home with ,mr4 ,maxwell4 ,i have reached one conclusion1 ,maxwell1 said ,marsh1 speaking slowly4 ,i have found my cross and it is a heavy one1 but ,i shall never be satisfied until ,i take it up and carry it4 ,maxwell was silent and the ,president went on4 ,your sermon today made clear to me what ,i have long been feeling ,i ought to do4 ',what would ,jesus do in my place8' ,i have asked the question repeatedly since ,i made my promise4 ,i have tried to satisfy myself that ,he would simply go on as ,i have done1 attending to the duties of my college work1 teaching the classes in ,ethics and ,philosophy4 ,but ,i have not been able to avoid the feeling that ,he would do something more4 ,that something is what ,i do not want to do4 ,it will cause me genuine suffering to do it4 ,i dread it with all my soul4 ,you may be able to guess what it is4 ,yes1 ,i think ,i know4 ,it is my cross too4 ,i would almost rather do any thing else4 ,donald ,marsh looked surprised1 then relieved4 ,then he spoke sadly but with great conviction3 ,maxwell1 you and ,i belong to a class of professional men who have always avoided the duties of citizenship4 ,we have lived in a little world of literature and scholarly seclusion1 doing work we have enjoyed and shrinking from the disagreeable duties that belong to the life of the citizen4 ,i confess with shame that ,i have purposely avoided the responsibility that ,i owe to this city personally4 ,i understand that our city officials are a corrupt1 unprincipled set of men1 controlled in large part by the whiskey element and thoroughly selfish so far as the affairs of city government are concerned4 ,yet all these years ,i1 with nearly every teacher in the college1 have been satisfied to let other men run the municipality and have lived in a little world of my own1 out of touch and sympathy with the real world of the people4 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,i have even tried to avoid an honest answer4 ,i can no longer do so4 ,my plain duty is to take a personal part in this coming election1 go to the primaries1 throw the weight of my influence1 whatever it is1 toward the nomination and election of good men1 and plunge into the very depths of the entire horrible whirlpool of deceit1 bribery1 political trickery and saloonism as it exists in ,raymond today4 ,i would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon any time than do this4 ,i dread it because ,i hate the touch of the whole matter4 ,i would give almost any thing to be able to say1 ',i do not believe ,jesus would do anything of the sort4' ,but ,i am more and more persuaded that ,he would4 ,this is where the suffering comes for me4 ,it would not hurt me half so much to lose my position or my home4 ,i loathe the contact with this municipal problem4 ,i would so much prefer to remain quietly in my scholastic life with my classes in ,ethics and ,philosophy4 ,but the call has come to me so plainly that ,i cannot escape4 ',donald ,marsh1 follow me4 ,do your duty as a citizen of ,raymond at the point where your citizenship will cost you something4 ,help to cleanse this municipal stable1 even if you do have to soil your aristocratic feelings a little4' ,maxwell1 this is my cross1 ,i must take it up or deny my ,lord4 ,you have spoken for me also1 replied ,maxwell with a sad smile4 ,why should ,i1 simply because ,i am a minister1 shelter myself behind my refined1 sensitive feelings1 and like a coward refuse to touch1 except in a sermon possibly1 the duty of citizenship8 ,i am unused to the ways of the political life of the city4 ,i have never taken an active part in any nomination of good men4 ,there are hundreds of ministers like me4 ,as a class we do not practice in the municipal life the duties and privileges we preach from the pulpit4 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,i am now at a point where1 like you1 ,i am driven to answer the question one way4 ,my duty is plain4 ,i must suffer4 ,all my parish work1 all my little trials or self-sacrifices are as nothing to me compared with the breaking into my scholarly1 intellectual1 self-contained habits1 of this open1 coarse1 public fight for a clean city life4 ,i could go and live at the ,rectangle the rest of my life and work in the slums for a bare living1 and ,i could enjoy it more than the thought of plunging into a fight for the reform of this whiskey-ridden city4 ,it would cost me less4 ,but1 like you1 ,i have been unable to shake off my responsibility4 ,the answer to the question ',what would ,jesus do8' in this case leaves me no peace except when ,i say1 ,jesus would have me act the part of a ,christian citizen4 ,marsh1 as you say1 we professional men1 ministers1 professors1 artists1 literary men1 scholars1 have almost invariably been political cowards4 ,we have avoided the sacred duties of citizenship either ignorantly or selfishly4 ,certainly ,jesus in our age would not do that4 ,we can do no less than take up this cross1 and follow ,him4 ,the two men walked on in silence for a while4 ,finally ,president ,marsh said3 ,we do not need to act alone in this matter4 ,with all the men who have made the promise we certainly can have companionship1 and strength even1 of numbers4 ,let us organize the ,christian forces of ,raymond for the battle against rum and corruption4 ,we certainly ought to enter the primaries with a force that will be able to do more than enter a protest4 ,it is a fact that the saloon element is cowardly and easily frightened in spite of its lawlessness and corruption4 ,let us plan a campaign that will mean something because it is organized righteousness4 ,jesus would use great wisdom in this matter4 ,he would employ means4 ,he would make large plans4 ,let us do so4 ,if we bear this cross let us do it bravely1 like men4 ,they talked over the matter a long time and met again the next day in ,maxwell's study to develop plans4 ,the city primaries were called for ,friday4 ,rumors of strange and unknown events to the average citizen were current that week in political circles throughout ,raymond4 ,the ,crawford system of balloting for nominations was not in use in the state1 and the primary was called for a public meeting at the court house4 ,the citizens of ,raymond will never forget that meeting4 ,it was so unlike any political meeting ever held in ,raymond before1 that there was no attempt at comparison4 ,the special officers to be nominated were mayor1 city council1 chief of police1 city clerk and city treasurer4 ,the evening ,,news in its ,saturday edition gave a full account of the primaries1 and in the editorial columns ,edward ,norman spoke with a directness and conviction that the ,christian people of ,raymond were learning to respect deeply1 because it was so evidently sincere and unselfish4 ,a part of that editorial is also a part of this history4 ,we quote the following3 ,it is safe to say that never before in the history of ,raymond was there a primary like the one in the court house last night4 ,it was1 first of all1 a complete surprise to the city politicians who have been in the habit of carrying on the affairs of the city as if they owned them1 and every one else was simply a tool or a cipher4 ,the overwhelming surprise of the wire pullers last night consisted in the fact that a large number of the citizens of ,raymond who have heretofore taken no part in the city's affairs1 entered the primary and controlled it1 nominating some of the best men for all the offices to be filled at the coming election4 ,it was a tremendous lesson in good citizenship4 ,president ,marsh of ,lincoln ,college1 who never before entered a city primary1 and whose face was not even known to the ward politicians1 made one of the best speeches ever made in ,raymond4 ,it was almost ludicrous to see the faces of the men who for years have done as they pleased1 when ,president ,marsh rose to speak4 ,many of them asked1 ',who is he8' ,the consternation deepened as the primary proceeded and it became evident that the oldtime ring of city rulers was outnumbered4 ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell of the ,first ,church1 ,milton ,wright1 ,alexander ,powers1 ,professors ,brown1 ,willard and ,park of ,lincoln ,college1 ,dr4 ,west1 ,rev4 ,george ,main of the ,pilgrim ,church1 ,dean ,ward of the ,holy ,trinity1 and scores of well-known business men and professional men1 most of them church members1 were present1 and it did not take long to see that they had all come with the one direct and definite purpose of nominating the best men possible4 ,most of those men had never before been seen in a primary4 ,they were complete strangers to the politicians4 ,but they had evidently profited by the politician's methods and were able by organized and united effort to nominate the entire ticket4 ,as soon as it became plain that the primary was out of their control the regular ring withdrew in disgust and nominated another ticket4 ,the ,,news simply calls the attention of all decent citizens to the fact that this last ticket contains the names of whiskey men1 and the line is sharply and distinctly drawn between the saloon and corrupt management such as we have known for years1 and a clean1 honest1 capable1 business-like city administration1 such as every good citizen ought to want4 ,it is not necessary to remind the people of ,raymond that the question of local option comes up at the election4 ,that will be the most important question on the ticket4 ,the crisis of our city affairs has been reached4 ,the issue is squarely before us4 ,shall we continue the rule of rum and boodle and shameless incompetency1 or shall we1 as ,president ,marsh said in his noble speech1 rise as good citizens and begin a new order of things1 cleansing our city of the worst enemy known to municipal honesty1 and doing what lies in our power to do with the ballot to purify our civic life8 ,the ,,news is positively and without reservation on the side of the new movement4 ,we shall henceforth do all in our power to drive out the saloon and destroy its political strength4 ,we shall advocate the election of the men nominated by the majority of citizens met in the first primary and we call upon all ,christians1 church members1 lovers of right1 purity1 temperance1 and the home1 to stand by ,president ,marsh and the rest of the citizens who have thus begun a long-needed reform in our city4 ,president ,marsh read this editorial and thanked ,god for ,edward ,norman4 ,at the same time he understood well enough that every other paper in ,raymond was on the other side4 ,he did not underestimate the importance and seriousness of the fight which was only just begun4 ,it was no secret that the ,,news had lost enormously since it had been governed by the standard of ,what would ,jesus do8 ,and the question was1 ,would the ,christian people of ,raymond stand by it8 ,would they make it possible for ,norman to conduct a daily ,christian paper8 ,or would the desire for what is called news in the way of crime1 scandal1 political partisanship of the regular sort1 and a dislike to champion so remarkable a reform in journalism1 influence them to drop the paper and refuse to give it their financial support8 ,that was1 in fact1 the question ,edward ,norman was asking even while he wrote that ,saturday editorial4 ,he knew well enough that his actions expressed in that editorial would cost him very heavily from the hands of many business men in ,raymond4 ,and still1 as he drove his pen over the paper1 he asked another question1 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,that question had become a part of this whole life now4 ,it was greater than any other4 ,but for the first time in its history ,raymond had seen the professional men1 the teachers1 the college professors1 the doctors1 the ministers1 take political action and put themselves definitely and sharply in public antagonism to the evil forces that had so long controlled the machine of municipal government4 ,the fact itself was astounding4 ,president ,marsh acknowledged to himself with a feeling of humiliation1 that never before had he known what civic righteousness could accomplish4 ,from that ,friday night's work he dated for himself and his college a new definition of the worn phrase the scholar in politics4 ,education for him and those who were under his influence ever after meant some element of suffering4 ,sacrifice must now enter into the factor of development4 ,at the ,rectangle that week the tide of spiritual life rose high1 and as yet showed no signs of flowing back4 ,rachel and ,virginia went every night4 ,virginia was rapidly reaching a conclusion with respect to a large part of her money4 ,she had talked it over with ,rachel and they had been able to agree that if ,jesus had a vast amount of money at ,his disposal ,he might do with some of it as ,virginia planned4 ,at any rate they felt that whatever ,he might do in such case would have as large an element of variety in it as the differences in persons and circumstances4 ,there could be no one fixed ,christian way of using money4 ,the rule that regulated its use was unselfish utility4 ,but meanwhile the glory of the ,spirit's power possessed all their best thought4 ,night after night that week witnessed miracles as great as walking on the sea or feeding the multitude with a few loaves and fishes4 ,for what greater miracle is there than a regenerate humanity8 ,the transformation of these coarse1 brutal1 sottish lives into praying1 rapturous lovers of ,christ1 struck ,rachel and ,virginia every time with the feeling that people may have had when they saw ,lazarus walk out of the tomb4 ,it was an experience full of profound excitement for them4 ,rollin ,page came to all the meetings4 ,there was no doubt of the change that had come over him4 ,rachel had not yet spoken much with him4 ,he was wonderfully quiet4 ,it seemed as if he was thinking all the time4 ,certainly he was not the same person4 ,he talked more with ,gray than with any one else4 ,he did not avoid ,rachel1 but he seemed to shrink from any appearance of seeming to renew the acquaintance with her4 ,rachel found it even difficult to express to him her pleasure at the new life he had begun to know4 ,he seemed to be waiting to adjust himself to his previous relations before this new life began4 ,he had not forgotten those relations4 ,but he was not yet able to fit his consciousness into new ones4 ,the end of the week found the ,rectangle struggling hard between two mighty opposing forces4 ,the ,holy ,spirit was battling with all ,his supernatural strength against the saloon devil which had so long held a jealous grasp on its slaves4 ,if the ,christian people of ,raymond once could realize what the contest meant to the souls newly awakened to a purer life it did not seem possible that the election could result in the old system of license4 ,but that remained yet to be seen4 ,the horror of the daily surroundings of many of the converts was slowly burning its way into the knowledge of ,virginia and ,rachel1 and every night as they went uptown to their luxurious homes they carried heavy hearts4 ,a good many of these poor creatures will go back again1 ,gray would say with sadness too deep for tears4 ,the environment does have a good deal to do with the character4 ,it does not stand to reason that these people can always resist the sight and smell of the devilish drink about them4 ,o ,lord1 how long shall ,christian people continue to support by their silence and their ballots the greatest form of slavery known in ,america8 ,he asked the question1 and did not have much hope of an immediate answer4 ,there was a ray of hope in the action of ,friday night's primary1 but what the result would be he did not dare to anticipate4 ,the whiskey forces were organized1 alert1 aggressive1 roused into unusual hatred by the events of the last week at the tent and in the city4 ,would the ,christian forces act as a unit against the saloon8 ,or would they be divided on account of their business interests or because they were not in the habit of acting all together as the whiskey power always did8 ,that remained to be seen4 ,meanwhile the saloon reared itself about the ,rectangle like some deadly viper hissing and coiling1 ready to strike its poison into any unguarded part4 ,saturday afternoon as ,virginia was just stepping out of her house to go and see ,rachel to talk over her new plans1 a carriage drove up containing three of her fashionable friends4 ,virginia went out to the drive-way and stood there talking with them4 ,they had not come to make a formal call but wanted ,virginia to go driving with them up on the boulevard4 ,there was a band concert in the park4 ,the day was too pleasant to be spent indoors4 ,where have you been all this time1 ,virginia8 asked one of the girls1 tapping her playfully on the shoulder with a red silk parasol4 ,we hear that you have gone into the show business4 ,tell us about it4 ,virginia colored1 but after a moment's hesitation she frankly told something of her experience at the ,rectangle4 ,the girls in the carriage began to be really interested4 ,i tell you1 girls1 let's go 'slumming' with ,virginia this afternoon instead of going to the band concert4 ,i've never been down to the ,rectangle4 ,i've heard it's an awful wicked place and lots to see4 ,virginia will act as guide1 and it would be--real fun she was going to say1 but ,virginia's look made her substitute the word interesting4 ,virginia was angry4 ,at first thought she said to herself she would never go under such circumstances4 ,the other girls seemed to be of the same mind with the speaker4 ,they chimed in with earnestness and asked ,virginia to take them down there4 ,suddenly she saw in the idle curiosity of the girls an opportunity4 ,they had never seen the sin and misery of ,raymond4 ,why should they not see it1 even if their motive in going down there was simply to pass away an afternoon4 ,very well1 ,i'll go with you4 ,you must obey my orders and let me take you where you can see the most1 she said1 as she entered the carriage and took the seat beside the girl who had first suggested the trip to the ,rectangle4 ,chapter ,twelve ,for ,i come to set a man at variance against his father1 and the daughter against her mother1 and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law2 and a man's foes shall be they of his own household4 ,be ye therefore imitators of ,god1 as beloved children2 and walk in love1 even as ,christ also loved you4 ,,hadn',t we better take a policeman along8 said one of the girls with a nervous laugh4 ,it really isn't safe down there1 you know4 ,there's no danger1 said ,virginia briefly4 ,is it true that your brother ,rollin has been converted8 asked the first speaker1 looking at ,virginia curiously4 ,it impressed her during the drive to the ,rectangle that all three of her friends were regarding her with close attention as if she were peculiar4 ,yes1 he certainly is4 ,i understand he is going around to the clubs talking with his old friends there1 trying to preach to them4 ,doesn't that seem funny8 said the girl with the red silk parasol4 ,virginia did not answer1 and the other girls were beginning to feel sober as the carriage turned into a street leading to the ,rectangle4 ,as they neared the district they grew more and more nervous4 ,the sights and smells and sounds which had become familiar to ,virginia struck the senses of these refined1 delicate society girls as something horrible4 ,as they entered farther into the district1 the ,rectangle seemed to stare as with one great1 bleary1 beer-soaked countenance at this fine carriage with its load of fashionably dressed young women4 ,slumming had never been a fad with ,raymond society1 and this was perhaps the first time that the two had come together in this way4 ,the girls felt that instead of seeing the ,rectangle they were being made the objects of curiosity4 ,they were frightened and disgusted4 ,let's go back4 ,i've seen enough1 said the girl who was sitting with ,virginia4 ,they were at that moment just opposite a notorious saloon and gambling house4 ,the street was narrow and the sidewalk crowded4 ,suddenly1 out of the door of this saloon a young woman reeled4 ,she was singing in a broken1 drunken sob that seemed to indicate that she partly realized her awful condition1 ,just as ,i am1 without one plea--and as the carriage rolled past she leered at it1 raising her face so that ,virginia saw it very close to her own4 ,it was the face of the girl who had kneeled sobbing1 that night with ,virginia kneeling beside her and praying for her4 ,stop6 cried ,virginia1 motioning to the driver who was looking around4 ,the carriage stopped1 and in a moment she was out and had gone up to the girl and taken her by the arm4 ,loreen6 she said1 and that was all4 ,the girl looked into her face1 and her own changed into a look of utter horror4 ,the girls in the carriage were smitten into helpless astonishment4 ,the saloon-keeper had come to the door of the saloon and was standing there looking on with his hands on his hips4 ,and the ,rectangle from its windows1 its saloon steps1 its filthy sidewalk1 gutter and roadway1 paused1 and with undisguised wonder stared at the two girls4 ,over the scene the warm sun of spring poured its mellow light4 ,a faint breath of music from the band-stand in the park floated into the ,rectangle4 ,the concert had begun1 and the fashion and wealth of ,raymond were displaying themselves up town on the boulevard4 ,when ,virginia left the carriage and went up to ,loreen she had no definite idea as to what she would do or what the result of her action would be4 ,she simply saw a soul that had tasted of the joy of a better life slipping back again into its old hell of shame and death4 ,and before she had touched the drunken girl's arm she had asked only one question1 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,that question was becoming with her1 as with many others1 a habit of life4 ,she looked around now as she stood close by ,loreen1 and the whole scene was cruelly vivid to her4 ,she thought first of the girls in the carriage4 ,drive on2 don't wait for me4 ,i am going to see my friend home1 she said calmly enough4 ,the girl with the red parasol seemed to gasp at the word friend1 when ,virginia spoke it4 ,she did not say anything4 ,the other girls seemed speechless4 ,go on4 ,i cannot go back with you1 said ,virginia4 ,the driver started the horses slowly4 ,one of the girls leaned a little out of the carriage4 ,can't we--that is--do you want our help8 ,couldn't you-- ,no1 no6 exclaimed ,virginia4 ,you cannot be of any help to me4 ,the carriage moved on and ,virginia was alone with her charge4 ,she looked up and around4 ,many faces in the crowd were sympathetic4 ,they were not all cruel or brutal4 ,the ,holy ,spirit had softened a good deal of the ,rectangle4 ,where does she live8 asked ,virginia4 ,no one answered4 ,it occurred to ,virginia afterward when she had time to think it over1 that the ,rectangle showed a delicacy in its sad silence that would have done credit to the boulevard4 ,for the first time it flashed across her that the immortal being who was flung like wreckage upon the shore of this early hell called the saloon1 had no place that could be called home4 ,the girl suddenly wrenched her arm from ,virginia's grasp4 ,in doing so she nearly threw ,virginia down4 ,you shall not touch me6 ,leave me6 ,let me go to hell6 ,that's where ,i belong6 ,the devil is waiting for me4 ,see him6 she exclaimed hoarsely4 ,she turned and pointed with a shaking finger at the saloon-keeper4 ,the crowd laughed4 ,virginia stepped up to her and put her arm about her4 ,loreen1 she said firmly1 come with me4 ,you do not belong to hell4 ,you belong to ,jesus and ,he will save you4 ,come4 ,the girl suddenly burst into tears4 ,she was only partly sobered by the shock of meeting ,virginia4 ,virginia looked around again4 ,where does ,mr4 ,gray live8 she asked4 ,she knew that the evangelist boarded somewhere near the tent4 ,a number of voices gave the direction4 ,come1 ,loreen1 ,i want you to go with me to ,mr4 ,gray's1 she said1 still keeping her hold of the swaying1 trembling creature who moaned and sobbed and now clung to her as firmly as before she had repulsed her4 ,so the two moved on through the ,rectangle toward the evangelist's lodging place4 ,the sight seemed to impress the ,rectangle seriously4 ,it never took itself seriously when it was drunk1 but this was different4 ,the fact that one of the richest1 most beautifully-dressed girls in all ,raymond was taking care of one of the ,rectangle's most noted characters1 who reeled along under the influence of liquor1 was a fact astounding enough to throw more or less dignity and importance about ,loreen herself4 ,the event of ,loreen's stumbling through the gutter dead-drunk always made the ,rectangle laugh and jest4 ,but ,loreen staggering along with a young lady from the society circles uptown supporting her1 was another thing4 ,the ,rectangle viewed it with soberness and more or less wondering admiration4 ,when they finally reached ,mr4 ,gray's lodging place the woman who answered ,virginia's knock said that both ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,gray were out somewhere and would not be back until six o'clock4 ,virginia had not planned anything farther than a possible appeal to the ,grays1 either to take charge of ,loreen for a while or find some safe place for her until she was sober4 ,she stood now at the door after the woman had spoken1 and she was really at a loss to know what to do4 ,loreen sank down stupidly on the steps and buried her face in her arms4 ,virginia eyed the miserable figure of the girl with a feeling that she was afraid would grow into disgust4 ,finally a thought possessed her that she could not escape4 ,what was to hinder her from taking ,loreen home with her8 ,why should not this homeless1 wretched creature1 reeking with the fumes of liquor1 be cared for in ,virginia's own home instead of being consigned to strangers in some hospital or house of charity8 ,virginia really knew very little about any such places of refuge4 ,as a matter of fact1 there were two or three such institutions in ,raymond1 but it is doubtful if any of them would have taken a person like ,loreen in her present condition4 ,but that was not the question with ,virginia just now4 ,what would ,jesus do with ,loreen8 ,that was what ,virginia faced1 and she finally answered it by touching the girl again4 ,loreen1 come4 ,you are going home with me4 ,we will take the car here at the corner4 ,loreen staggered to her feet and1 to ,virginia's surprise1 made no trouble4 ,she had expected resistance or a stubborn refusal to move4 ,when they reached the corner and took the car it was nearly full of people going uptown4 ,virginia was painfully conscious of the stare that greeted her and her companion as they entered4 ,but her thought was directed more and more to the approaching scene with her grandmother4 ,what would ,madam ,page say8 ,loreen was nearly sober now4 ,but she was lapsing into a state of stupor4 ,virginia was obliged to hold fast to her arm4 ,several times the girl lurched heavily against her1 and as the two went up the avenue a curious crowd of so-called civilized people turned and gazed at them4 ,when she mounted the steps of her handsome house ,virginia breathed a sigh of relief1 even in the face of the interview with the grandmother1 and when the door shut and she was in the wide hall with her homeless outcast1 she felt equal to anything that might now come4 ,madam ,page was in the library4 ,hearing ,virginia come in1 she came into the hall4 ,virginia stood there supporting ,loreen1 who stared stupidly at the rich magnificence of the furnishings around her4 ,grandmother1 ,virginia spoke without hesitation and very clearly1 ,i have brought one of my friends from the ,rectangle4 ,she is in trouble and has no home4 ,i am going to care for her here a little while4 ,madam ,page glanced from her granddaughter to ,loreen in astonishment4 ,did you say she is one of your friends8 she asked in a cold1 sneering voice that hurt ,virginia more than anything she had yet felt4 ,yes1 ,i said so4 ,virginia's face flushed1 but she seemed to recall a verse that ,mr4 ,gray had used for one of his recent sermons1 ,a friend of publicans and sinners4 ,surely1 ,jesus would do this that she was doing4 ,do you know what this girl is8 asked ,madam ,page1 in an angry whisper1 stepping near ,virginia4 ,i know very well4 ,she is an outcast4 ,you need not tell me1 grandmother4 ,i know it even better than you do4 ,she is drunk at this minute4 ,but she is also a child of ,god4 ,i have seen her on her knees1 repentant4 ,and ,i have seen hell reach out its horrible fingers after her again4 ,and by the grace of ,christ ,i feel that the least that ,i can do is to rescue her from such peril4 ,grandmother1 we call ourselves ,christians4 ,here is a poor1 lost human creature without a home1 slipping back into a life of misery and possibly eternal loss1 and we have more than enough4 ,i have brought her here1 and ,i shall keep her4 ,madam ,page glared at ,virginia and clenched her hands4 ,all this was contrary to her social code of conduct4 ,how could society excuse familiarity with the scum of the streets8 ,what would ,virginia's action cost the family in the way of criticism and loss of standing1 and all that long list of necessary relations which people of wealth and position must sustain to the leaders of society8 ,to ,madam ,page society represented more than the church or any other institution4 ,it was a power to be feared and obeyed4 ,the loss of its good-will was a loss more to be dreaded than anything except the loss of wealth itself4 ,she stood erect and stern and confronted ,virginia1 fully roused and determined4 ,virginia placed her arm about ,loreen and calmly looked her grandmother in the face4 ,you shall not do this1 ,virginia6 ,you can send her to the asylum for helpless women4 ,we can pay all the expenses4 ,we cannot afford for the sake of our reputations to shelter such a person4 ,grandmother1 ,i do not wish to do anything that is displeasing to you1 but ,i must keep ,loreen here tonight1 and longer if it seems best4 ,then you can answer for the consequences6 ,i do not stay in the same house with a miserable-- ,madam ,page lost her self-control4 ,virginia stopped her before she could speak the next word4 ,grandmother1 this house is mine4 ,it is your home with me as long as you choose to remain4 ,but in this matter ,i must act as ,i fully believe ,jesus would in my place4 ,i am willing to bear all that society may say or do4 ,society is not my ,god4 ,by the side of this poor soul ,i do not count the verdict of society as of any value4 ,i shall not stay here1 then6 said ,madam ,page4 ,she turned suddenly and walked to the end of the hall4 ,she then came back1 and going up to ,virginia said1 with an emphasis that revealed her intensive excitement of passion3 ,you can always remember that you have driven your grandmother out of your house in favor of a drunken woman2 then1 without waiting for ,virginia to reply1 she turned again and went upstairs4 ,virginia called a servant and soon had ,loreen cared for4 ,she was fast lapsing into a wretched condition4 ,during the brief scene in the hall she had clung to ,virginia so hard that her arm was sore from the clutch of the girl's fingers4 ,virginia did not know whether her grandmother would leave the house or not4 ,she had abundant means of her own1 was perfectly well and vigorous and capable of caring for herself4 ,she had sisters and brothers living in the ,south and was in the habit of spending several weeks in the year with them4 ,virginia was not anxious about her welfare as far as that went4 ,but the interview had been a painful one4 ,going over it1 as she did in her room before she went down to tea1 she found little cause for regret4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,there was no question in her mind that she had done the right thing4 ,if she had made a mistake1 it was one of judgment1 not of heart4 ,chapter ,thirteen ,,when the bell rang for tea she went down and her grandmother did not appear4 ,she sent a servant to her room who brought back word that ,madam ,page was not there4 ,a few minutes later ,rollin came in4 ,he brought word that his grandmother had taken the evening train for the ,south4 ,he had been at the station to see some friends off1 and had by chance met his grandmother as he was coming out4 ,she had told him her reason for going4 ,virginia and ,rollin comforted each other at the tea table1 looking at each other with earnest1 sad faces4 ,rollin1 said ,virginia1 and for the first time1 almost1 since his conversion she realized what a wonderful thing her brother's changed life meant to her1 do you blame me8 ,am ,i wrong8 ,no1 dear1 ,i cannot believe you are4 ,this is very painful for us4 ,but if you think this poor creature owes her safety and salvation to your personal care1 it was the only thing for you to do4 ,o ,virginia1 to think that we have all these years enjoyed our beautiful home and all these luxuries selfishly1 forgetful of the multitudes like this woman6 ,surely ,jesus in our places would do what you have done4 ,and so ,rollin comforted ,virginia and counseled with her that evening4 ,and of all the wonderful changes that she henceforth was to know on account of her great pledge1 nothing affected her so powerfully as the thought of ,rollin's change of life4 ,truly1 this man in ,christ was a new creature4 ,old things were passed away4 ,behold1 all things in him had become new4 ,dr4 ,west came that evening at ,virginia's summons and did everything necessary for the outcast4 ,she had drunk herself almost into delirium4 ,the best that could be done for her now was quiet nursing and careful watching and personal love4 ,so1 in a beautiful room1 with a picture of ,christ walking by the sea hanging on the wall1 where her bewildered eyes caught daily something more of its hidden meaning1 ,loreen lay1 tossed she hardly knew how into this haven1 and ,virginia crept nearer the ,master than she had ever been1 as her heart went out towards this wreck which had thus been flung torn and beaten at her feet4 ,meanwhile the ,rectangle awaited the issue of the election with more than usual interest2 and ,mr4 ,gray and his wife wept over the poor1 pitiful creatures who1 after a struggle with surroundings that daily tempted them1 too often wearied of the struggle and1 like ,loreen1 threw up their arms and went whirling over the cataract into the boiling abyss of their previous condition4 ,the after-meeting at the ,first ,church was now eagerly established4 ,henry ,maxwell went into the lecture-room on the ,sunday succeeding the week of the primary1 and was greeted with an enthusiasm that made him tremble at first for its reality4 ,he noted again the absence of ,jasper ,chase1 but all the others were present1 and they seemed drawn very close together by a bond of common fellowship that demanded and enjoyed mutual confidences4 ,it was the general feeling that the spirit of ,jesus was the spirit of very open1 frank confession of experience4 ,it seemed the most natural thing in the world1 therefore1 for ,edward ,norman to be telling all the rest of the company about the details of his newspaper4 ,the fact is1 ,i have lost a great deal of money during the last three weeks4 ,i cannot tell just how much4 ,i am losing a great many subscribers every day4 ,what do the subscribers give as their reason for dropping the paper8 asked ,mr4 ,maxwell4 ,all the rest were listening eagerly4 ,there are a good many different reasons4 ,some say they want a paper that prints all the news2 meaning1 by that1 the crime details1 sensations like prize fights1 scandals and horrors of various kinds4 ,others object to the discontinuance of the ,sunday edition4 ,i have lost hundreds of subscribers by that action1 although ,i have made satisfactory arrangements with many of the old subscribers by giving them even more in the extra ,saturday edition than they formerly had in the ,sunday issue4 ,my greatest loss has come from a falling off in advertisements1 and from the attitude ,i have felt obliged to take on political questions4 ,the last action has really cost me more than any other4 ,the bulk of my subscribers are intensely partisan4 ,i may as well tell you all frankly that if ,i continue to pursue the plan which ,i honestly believe ,jesus would pursue in the matter of political issues and their treatment from a non-partisan and moral standpoint1 the ,,news will not be able to pay its operating expenses unless one factor in ,raymond can be depended on4 ,he paused a moment and the room was very quiet4 ,virginia seemed specially interested4 ,her face glowed with interest4 ,it was like the interest of a person who had been thinking hard of the same thing which ,norman went on to mention4 ,that one factor is the ,christian element in ,raymond4 ,say the ,,news has lost heavily from the dropping off of people who do not care for a ,christian daily1 and from others who simply look upon a newspaper as a purveyor of all sorts of material to amuse or interest them1 are there enough genuine ,christian people in ,raymond who will rally to the support of a paper such as ,jesus would probably edit8 or are the habits of the church people so firmly established in their demand for the regular type of journalism that they will not take a paper unless it is stripped largely of the ,christian and moral purpose8 ,i may say in this fellowship gathering that owing to recent complications in my business affairs outside of my paper ,i have been obliged to lose a large part of my fortune4 ,i had to apply the same rule of ,jesus' probable conduct to certain transactions with other men who did not apply it to their conduct1 and the result has been the loss of a great deal of money4 ,as ,i understand the promise we made1 we were not to ask any question about ',will it pay8' but all our action was to be based on the one question1 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,acting on that rule of conduct1 ,i have been obliged to lose nearly all the money ,i have accumulated in my paper4 ,it is not necessary for me to go into details4 ,there is no question with me now1 after the three weeks' experience ,i have had1 that a great many men would lose vast sums of money under the present system of business if this rule of ,jesus was honestly applied4 ,i mention my loss here because ,i have the fullest faith in the final success of a daily paper conducted on the lines ,i have recently laid down1 and ,i had planned to put into it my entire fortune in order to win final success4 ,as it is now1 unless1 as ,i said1 the ,christian people of ,raymond1 the church members and professing disciples1 will support the paper with subscriptions and advertisements1 ,i cannot continue its publication on the present basis4 ,virginia asked a question4 ,she had followed ,mr4 ,norman's confession with the most intense eagerness4 ,do you mean that a ,christian daily ought to be endowed with a large sum like a ,christian college in order to make it pay8 ,that is exactly what ,i mean4 ,i had laid out plans for putting into the ,,news such a variety of material in such a strong and truly interesting way that it would more than make up for whatever was absent from its columns in the way of un-,christian matter4 ,but my plans called for a very large output of money4 ,i am very confident that a ,christian daily such as ,jesus would approve1 containing only what ,he would print1 can be made to succeed financially if it is planned on the right lines4 ,but it will take a large sum of money to work out the plans4 ,how much1 do you think8 asked ,virginia quietly4 ,edward ,norman looked at her keenly1 and his face flushed a moment as an idea of her purpose crossed his mind4 ,he had known her when she was a little girl in the ,sunday-school1 and he had been on intimate business relations with her father4 ,i should say half a million dollars in a town like ,raymond could be well spent in the establishment of a paper such as we have in mind1 he answered4 ,his voice trembled a little4 ,the keen look on his grizzled face flashed out with a stern but thoroughly ,christian anticipation of great achievements in the world of newspaper life1 as it had opened up to him within the last few seconds4 ,then1 said ,virginia1 speaking as if the thought was fully considered1 ,i am ready to put that amount of money into the paper on the one condition1 of course1 that it be carried on as it has been begun4 ,thank ,god6 exclaimed ,mr4 ,maxwell softly4 ,norman was pale4 ,the rest were looking at ,virginia4 ,she had more to say4 ,dear friends1 she went on1 and there was a sadness in her voice that made an impression on the rest that deepened when they thought it over afterwards1 ,i do not want any of you to credit me with an act of great generosity4 ,i have come to know lately that the money which ,i have called my own is not mine1 but ,god's4 ,if ,i1 as steward of ,his1 see some wise way to invest ,his money1 it is not an occasion for vainglory or thanks from any one simply because ,i have proved in my administration of the funds ,he has asked me to use for ,his glory4 ,i have been thinking of this very plan for some time4 ,the fact is1 dear friends1 that in our coming fight with the whiskey power in ,raymond--and it has only just begun--we shall need the ,,news to champion the ,christian side4 ,you all know that all the other papers are for the saloon4 ,as long as the saloon exists1 the work of rescuing dying souls at the ,rectangle is carried on at a terrible disadvantage4 ,what can ,mr4 ,gray do with his gospel meetings when half his converts are drinking people1 daily tempted and enticed by the saloon on every corner8 ,it would be giving up to the enemy to allow the ,,news to fail4 ,i have great confidence in ,mr4 ,norman's ability4 ,i have not seen his plans1 but ,i have the same confidence that he has in making the paper succeed if it is carried forward on a large enough scale4 ,i cannot believe that ,christian intelligence in journalism will be inferior to un-,christian intelligence1 even when it comes to making the paper pay financially4 ,so that is my reason for putting this money--,god's1 not mine--into this powerful agent for doing as ,jesus would do4 ,if we can keep such a paper going for one year1 ,i shall be willing to see that amount of money used in that experiment4 ,do not thank me4 ,do not consider my doing it a wonderful thing4 ,what have ,i done with ,god's money all these years but gratify my own selfish personal desires8 ,what can ,i do with the rest of it but try to make some reparation for what ,i have stolen from ,god8 ,that is the way ,i look at it now4 ,i believe it is what ,jesus would do4 ,over the lecture-room swept that unseen yet distinctly felt wave of ,divine ,presence4 ,no one spoke for a while4 ,mr4 ,maxwell standing there1 where the faces lifted their intense gaze into his1 felt what he had already felt--a strange setting back out of the nineteenth century into the first1 when the disciples had all things in common1 and a spirit of fellowship must have flowed freely between them such as the ,first ,church of ,raymond had never before known4 ,how much had his church membership known of this fellowship in daily interests before this little company had begun to do as they believed ,jesus would do8 ,it was with difficulty that he thought of his present age and surroundings4 ,the same thought was present with all the rest1 also4 ,there was an unspoken comradeship such as they had never known4 ,it was present with them while ,virginia was speaking1 and during the silence that followed4 ,if it had been defined by any of them it would perhaps have taken some such shape as this3 ,if ,i shall1 in the course of my obedience to my promise1 meet with loss or trouble in the world1 ,i can depend upon the genuine1 practical sympathy and fellowship of any other ,christian in this room who has1 with me1 made the pledge to do all things by the rule1 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,all this1 the distinct wave of spiritual power emphasized4 ,it had the effect that a physical miracle may have had on the early disciples in giving them a feeling of confidence in the ,lord that helped them to face loss and martyrdom with courage and even joy4 ,before they went away this time there were several confidences like those of ,edward ,norman's4 ,some of the young men told of loss of places owing to their honest obedience to their promise4 ,alexander ,powers spoke briefly of the fact that the ,commission had promised to take action on his evidence at the earliest date possible4 ,he was engaged at his old work of telegraphy4 ,it was a significant fact that1 since his action in resigning his position1 neither his wife nor daughter had appeared in public4 ,no one but himself knew the bitterness of that family estrangement and misunderstanding1 of the higher motive4 ,yet many of the disciples present in the meeting carried similar burdens4 ,these were things which they could not talk about4 ,henry ,maxwell1 from his knowledge of his people1 could almost certainly know that obedience to their pledge had produced in the heart of families separation of sympathy and even the introduction of enmity and hatred4 ,truly1 a man's foes are they of his own household when the rule of ,jesus is obeyed by some and disobeyed by others4 ,jesus is a great divider of life4 ,one must walk parallel with ,him or directly across ,his way4 ,chapter ,fourteen ,,but more than any other feeling at this meeting rose the tide of fellowship for one another4 ,maxwell watched it1 trembling for its climax which he knew was not yet reached4 ,when it was1 where would it lead them8 ,he did not know1 but he was not unduly alarmed about it4 ,only he watched with growing wonder the results of that simple promise as it was being obeyed in these various lives4 ,those results were already being felt all over the city4 ,who could measure their influence at the end of a year8 ,one practical form of this fellowship showed itself in the assurances which ,edward ,norman received of support for his paper4 ,there was a general flocking toward him when the meeting closed1 and the response to his appeal for help from the ,christian disciples in ,raymond was fully understood by this little company4 ,the value of such a paper in the homes and in behalf of good citizenship1 especially at the present crisis in the city1 could not be measured4 ,it remained to be seen what could be done now that the paper was endowed so liberally4 ,but it still was true1 as ,norman insisted1 that money alone could not make the paper a power4 ,it must receive the support and sympathy of the ,christians in ,raymond before it could be counted as one of the great forces of the city4 ,the week that followed this ,sunday meeting was one of great excitement in ,raymond4 ,it was the week of the election4 ,president ,marsh1 true to his promise1 took up his cross and bore it manfully1 but with shuddering1 with groans and even tears1 for his deepest conviction was touched1 and he tore himself out of the scholarly seclusion of years with a pain and anguish that cost him more than anything he had ever done as a follower of ,christ4 ,with him were a few of the college professors who had made the pledge in the ,first ,church4 ,their experience and suffering were the same as his2 for their isolation from all the duties of citizenship had been the same4 ,the same was also true of ,henry ,maxwell1 who plunged into the horror of this fight against whiskey and its allies with a sickening dread of each day's new encounter with it4 ,for never before had he borne such a cross4 ,he staggered under it1 and in the brief intervals when he came in from the work and sought the quiet of his study for rest1 the sweat broke out on his forehead1 and he felt the actual terror of one who marches into unseen1 unknown horrors4 ,looking back on it afterwards he was amazed at his experience4 ,he was not a coward1 but he felt the dread that any man of his habits feels when confronted suddenly with a duty which carries with it the doing of certain things so unfamiliar that the actual details connected with it betray his ignorance and fill him with the shame of humiliation4 ,when ,saturday1 the election day1 came1 the excitement rose to its height4 ,an attempt was made to close all the saloons4 ,it was only partly successful4 ,there was a great deal of drinking going on all day4 ,the ,rectangle boiled and heaved and cursed and turned its worst side out to the gaze of the city4 ,gray had continued his meetings during the week1 and the results had been even greater than he had dared to hope4 ,when ,saturday came1 it seemed to him that the crisis in his work had been reached4 ,the ,holy ,spirit and the ,satan of rum seemed to rouse up to a desperate conflict4 ,the more interest in the meetings1 the more ferocity and vileness outside4 ,the saloon men no longer concealed their feelings4 ,open threats of violence were made4 ,once during the week ,gray and his little company of helpers were assailed with missiles of various kinds as they left the tent late at night4 ,the police sent down a special force1 and ,virginia and ,rachel were always under the protection of either ,rollin or ,dr4 ,west4 ,rachel's power in song had not diminished4 ,rather1 with each night1 it seemed to add to the intensity and reality of the ,spirit's presence4 ,gray had at first hesitated about having a meeting that night4 ,but he had a simple rule of action1 and was always guided by it4 ,the ,spirit seemed to lead him to continue the meeting1 and so ,saturday night he went on as usual4 ,the excitement all over the city had reached its climax when the polls closed at six o'clock4 ,never before had there been such a contest in ,raymond4 ,the issue of license or no-license had never been an issue under such circumstances4 ,never before had such elements in the city been arrayed against each other4 ,it was an unheard-of thing that the ,president of ,lincoln ,college1 the pastor of the ,first ,church1 the ,dean of the ,cathedral1 the professional men living in fine houses on the boulevard1 should come personally into the wards1 and by their presence and their example represent the ,christian conscience of the place4 ,the ward politicians were astonished at the sight4 ,however1 their astonishment did not prevent their activity4 ,the fight grew hotter every hour1 and when six o'clock came neither side could have guessed at the result with any certainty4 ,every one agreed that never before had there been such an election in ,raymond1 and both sides awaited the announcement of the result with the greatest interest4 ,it was after ten o'clock when the meeting at the tent was closed4 ,it had been a strange and1 in some respects1 a remarkable meeting4 ,maxwell had come down again at ,gray's request4 ,he was completely worn out by the day's work1 but the appeal from ,gray came to him in such a form that he did not feel able to resist it4 ,president ,marsh was also present4 ,he had never been to the ,rectangle1 and his curiosity was aroused from what he had noticed of the influence of the evangelist in the worst part of the city4 ,dr4 ,west and ,rollin had come with ,rachel and ,virginia2 and ,loreen1 who still stayed with ,virginia1 was present near the organ1 in her right mind1 sober1 with a humility and dread of herself that kept her as close to ,virginia as a faithful dog4 ,all through the service she sat with bowed head1 weeping a part of the time1 sobbing when ,rachel sang the song1 ,i was a wandering sheep1 clinging with almost visible1 tangible yearning to the one hope she had found1 listening to prayer and appeal and confession all about her like one who was a part of a new creation1 yet fearful of her right to share in it fully4 ,the tent had been crowded4 ,as on some other occasions1 there was more or less disturbance on the outside4 ,this had increased as the night advanced1 and ,gray thought it wise not to prolong the service4 ,once in a while a shout as from a large crowd swept into the tent4 ,the returns from the election were beginning to come in1 and the ,rectangle had emptied every lodging house1 den and hovel into the streets4 ,in spite of these distractions ,rachel's singing kept the crowd in the tent from dissolving4 ,there were a dozen or more conversions4 ,finally the people became restless and ,gray closed the service1 remaining a little while with the converts4 ,rachel1 ,virginia1 ,loreen1 ,rollin and the ,doctor1 ,president ,marsh1 ,mr4 ,maxwell and ,dr4 ,west went out together1 intending to go down to the usual waiting place for their car4 ,as they came out of the tent they were at once aware that the ,rectangle was trembling on the verge of a drunken riot1 and as they pushed through the gathering mobs in the narrow streets they began to realize that they themselves were objects of great attention4 ,there he is--the bloke in the tall hat6 ,he's the leader6 shouted a rough voice4 ,president ,marsh1 with his erect1 commanding figure1 was conspicuous in the little company4 ,how has the election gone8 ,it is too early to know the result yet1 isn't it8 ,he asked the question aloud1 and a man answered3 ,they say second and third wards have gone almost solid for no-license4 ,if that is so1 the whiskey men have been beaten4 ,thank ,god6 ,i hope it is true6 exclaimed ,maxwell4 ,marsh1 we are in danger here4 ,do you realize our situation8 ,we ought to get the ladies to a place of safety4 ,that is true1 said ,marsh gravely4 ,at that moment a shower of stones and other missiles fell over them4 ,the narrow street and sidewalk in front of them was completely choked with the worst elements of the ,rectangle4 ,this looks serious1 said ,maxwell4 ,with ,marsh and ,rollin and ,dr4 ,west he started to go forward through a small opening1 ,virginia1 ,rachel1 and ,loreen following close and sheltered by the men1 who now realized something of their danger4 ,the ,rectangle was drunk and enraged4 ,it saw in ,marsh and ,maxwell two of the leaders in the election contest which had perhaps robbed them of their beloved saloon4 ,down with the aristocrats6 shouted a shrill voice1 more like a woman's than a man's4 ,a shower of mud and stones followed4 ,rachel remembered afterwards that ,rollin jumped directly in front of her and received on his head and chest a number of blows that would probably have struck her if he had not shielded her from them4 ,and just then1 before the police reached them1 ,loreen darted forward in front of ,virginia and pushed her aside1 looking up and screaming4 ,it was so sudden that no one had time to catch the face of the one who did it4 ,but out of the upper window of a room1 over the very saloon where ,loreen had come out a week before1 someone had thrown a heavy bottle4 ,it struck ,loreen on the head and she fell to the ground4 ,virginia turned and instantly kneeled down by her4 ,the police officers by that time had reached the little company4 ,president ,marsh raised his arm and shouted over the howl that was beginning to rise from the wild beast in the mob4 ,stop6 ,you've killed a woman6 ,the announcement partly sobered the crowd4 ,is it true8 ,maxwell asked it1 as ,dr4 ,west kneeled on the other side of ,loreen1 supporting her4 ,she's dying6 said ,dr4 ,west briefly4 ,loreen opened her eyes and smiled at ,virginia1 who wiped the blood from her face and then bent over and kissed her4 ,loreen smiled again1 and the next minute her soul was in ,paradise4 ,and yet this is only one woman out of thousands killed by this drink evil4 ,crowd back1 now1 ye sinful men and women in this filthy street6 ,let this august dead form be borne through your stupefied1 sobered ranks6 ,she was one of your own children4 ,the ,rectangle had stamped the image of the beast on her4 ,thank ,him who died for sinners that the other image of a new soul now shines out of her pale clay4 ,crowd back6 ,give them room6 ,let her pass reverently1 followed and surrounded by the weeping1 awestruck company of ,christians4 ,ye killed her1 ye drunken murderers6 ,and yet---and yet---,o ,christian ,america1 who killed this woman8 ,stand back6 ,silence1 there6 ,a woman has been killed4 ,who8 ,loreen4 ,child of the streets4 ,poor1 drunken1 vile sinner4 ,o ,lord ,god1 how long1 how long8 ,yes4 ,the saloon killed her2 that is1 the ,christians of ,america1 who license the saloon4 ,and the ,judgment ,day only shall declare who was the murderer of ,loreen4 ,chapter ,fifteen ,he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness4 ,,the body of ,loreen lay in state at the ,page mansion on the avenue4 ,it was ,sunday morning and the clear sweet spring air1 just beginning to breathe over the city the perfume of early blossoms in the woods and fields1 swept over the casket from one of the open windows at the end of the grand hall4 ,the church bells were ringing and people on the avenue going by to service turned curious1 inquiring looks up at the great house and then went on1 talking of the recent events which had so strangely entered into and made history in the city4 ,at the ,first ,church1 ,mr4 ,maxwell1 bearing on his face marks of the scene he had been through1 confronted an immense congregation1 and spoke to it with a passion and a power that came so naturally out of the profound experiences of the day before that his people felt for him something of the old feeling of pride they once had in his dramatic delivery4 ,only this was with a different attitude4 ,and all through his impassioned appeal this morning1 there was a note of sadness and rebuke and stern condemnation that made many of the members pale with self-accusation or with inward anger4 ,for ,raymond had awakened that morning to the fact that the city had gone for license after all4 ,the rumor at the ,rectangle that the second and third wards had gone no-license proved to be false4 ,it was true that the victory was won by a very meager majority4 ,but the result was the same as if it had been overwhelming4 ,raymond had voted to continue for another year the saloon4 ,the ,christians of ,raymond stood condemned by the result4 ,more than a hundred professing ,christian disciples had failed to go to the polls1 and many more than that number had voted with the whiskey men4 ,if all the church members of ,raymond had voted against the saloon1 it would today be outlawed instead of crowned king of the municipality4 ,for that had been the fact in ,raymond for years4 ,the saloon ruled4 ,no one denied that4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,and this woman who had been brutally struck down by the very hand that had assisted so eagerly to work her earthly ruin what of her8 ,was it anything more than the logical sequence of the whole horrible system of license1 that for another year the very saloon that received her so often and compassed her degradation1 from whose very spot the weapon had been hurled that struck her dead1 would1 by the law which the ,christian people of ,raymond voted to support1 perhaps open its doors tomorrow and damn a hundred ,loreens before the year had drawn to its bloody close8 ,all this1 with a voice that rang and trembled and broke in sobs of anguish for the result1 did ,henry ,maxwell pour out upon his people that ,sunday morning4 ,and men and women wept as he spoke4 ,president ,marsh sat there1 his usual erect1 handsome1 firm1 bright self-confident bearing all gone2 his head bowed upon his breast1 the great tears rolling down his cheeks1 unmindful of the fact that never before had he shown outward emotion in a public service4 ,edward ,norman near by sat with his clear-cut1 keen face erect1 but his lip trembled and he clutched the end of the pew with a feeling of emotion that struck deep into his knowledge of the truth as ,maxwell spoke it4 ,no man had given or suffered more to influence public opinion that week than ,norman4 ,the thought that the ,christian conscience had been aroused too late or too feebly1 lay with a weight of accusation upon the heart of the editor4 ,what if he had begun to do as ,jesus would have done1 long ago8 ,who could tell what might have been accomplished by this time6 ,and up in the choir1 ,rachel ,winslow1 with her face bowed on the railing of the oak screen1 gave way to a feeling which she had not allowed yet to master her1 but it so unfitted her for her part that when ,mr4 ,maxwell finished and she tried to sing the closing solo after the prayer1 her voice broke1 and for the first time in her life she was obliged to sit down1 sobbing1 and unable to go on4 ,over the church1 in the silence that followed this strange scene1 sobs and the noise of weeping arose4 ,when had the ,first ,church yielded to such a baptism of tears8 ,what had become of its regular1 precise1 conventional order of service1 undisturbed by any vulgar emotion and unmoved by any foolish excitement8 ,but the people had lately had their deepest convictions touched4 ,they had been living so long on their surface feelings that they had almost forgotten the deeper wells of life4 ,now that they had broken the surface1 the people were convicted of the meaning of their discipleship4 ,mr4 ,maxwell did not ask1 this morning1 for volunteers to join those who had already pledged to do as ,jesus would4 ,but when the congregation had finally gone1 and he had entered the lecture-room1 it needed but a glance to show him that the original company of followers had been largely increased4 ,the meeting was tender2 it glowed with the ,spirit's presence2 it was alive with strong and lasting resolve to begin a war on the whiskey power in ,raymond that would break its reign forever4 ,since the first ,sunday when the first company of volunteers had pledged themselves to do as ,jesus would do1 the different meetings had been characterized by distinct impulses or impressions4 ,today1 the entire force of the gathering seemed to be directed to this one large purpose4 ,it was a meeting full of broken prayers of contrition1 of confession1 of strong yearning for a new and better city life4 ,and all through it ran one general cry for deliverance from the saloon and its awful curse4 ,but if the ,first ,church was deeply stirred by the events of the last week1 the ,rectangle also felt moved strangely in its own way4 ,the death of ,loreen was not in itself so remarkable a fact4 ,it was her recent acquaintance with the people from the city that lifted her into special prominence and surrounded her death with more than ordinary importance4 ,every one in the ,rectangle knew that ,loreen was at this moment lying in the ,page mansion up on the avenue4 ,exaggerated reports of the magnificence of the casket had already furnished material for eager gossip4 ,the ,rectangle was excited to know the details of the funeral4 ,would it be public8 ,what did ,miss ,page intend to do8 ,the ,rectangle had never before mingled even in this distant personal manner with the aristocracy on the boulevard4 ,the opportunities for doing so were not frequent4 ,gray and his wife were besieged by inquirers who wanted to know what ,loreen's friends and acquaintances were expected to do in paying their last respects to her4 ,for her acquaintance was large and many of the recent converts were among her friends4 ,so that is how it happened that ,monday afternoon1 at the tent1 the funeral service of ,loreen was held before an immense audience that choked the tent and overflowed beyond all previous bounds4 ,gray had gone up to ,virginia's and1 after talking it over with her and ,maxwell1 the arrangement had been made4 ,i am and always have been opposed to large public funerals1 said ,gray1 whose complete wholesome simplicity of character was one of its great sources of strength2 but the cry of the poor creatures who knew ,loreen is so earnest that ,i do not know how to refuse this desire to see her and pay her poor body some last little honor4 ,what do you think1 ,mr4 ,maxwell8 ,i will be guided by your judgment in the matter4 ,i am sure that whatever you and ,miss ,page think best1 will be right4 ,i feel as you do1 replied ,mr4 ,maxwell4 ,under the circumstances ,i have a great distaste for what seems like display at such times4 ,but this seems different4 ,the people at the ,rectangle will not come here to service4 ,i think the most ,christian thing will be to let them have the service at the tent4 ,do you think so1 ,miss ,virginia8 ,yes1 said ,virginia4 ,poor soul6 ,i do not know but that some time ,i shall know she gave her life for mine4 ,we certainly cannot and will not use the occasion for vulgar display4 ,let her friends be allowed the gratification of their wishes4 ,i see no harm in it4 ,so the arrangements were made1 with some difficulty1 for the service at the tent2 and ,virginia with her uncle and ,rollin1 accompanied by ,maxwell1 ,rachel and ,president ,marsh1 and the quartet from the ,first ,church1 went down and witnessed one of the strange things of their lives4 ,it happened that that afternoon a somewhat noted newspaper correspondent was passing through ,raymond on his way to an editorial convention in a neighboring city4 ,he heard of the contemplated service at the tent and went down4 ,his description of it was written in a graphic style that caught the attention of very many readers the next day4 ,a fragment of his account belongs to this part of the history of ,raymond3 ,there was a very unique and unusual funeral service held here this afternoon at the tent of an evangelist1 ,rev4 ,john ,gray1 down in the slum district known as the ,rectangle4 ,the occasion was caused by the killing of a woman during an election riot last ,saturday night4 ,it seems she had been recently converted during the evangelist's meetings1 and was killed while returning from one of the meetings in company with other converts and some of her friends4 ,she was a common street drunkard1 and yet the services at the tent were as impressive as any ,i ever witnessed in a metropolitan church over the most distinguished citizen4 ,in the first place1 a most exquisite anthem was sung by a trained choir4 ,it struck me1 of course--being a stranger in the place--with considerable astonishment to hear voices like those one naturally expects to hear only in great churches or concerts1 at such a meeting as this4 ,but the most remarkable part of the music was a solo sung by a strikingly beautiful young woman1 a ,miss ,winslow who1 if ,i remember right1 is the young singer who was sought for by ,crandall the manager of ,national ,opera1 and who for some reason refused to accept his offer to go on the stage4 ,she had a most wonderful manner in singing1 and everybody was weeping before she had sung a dozen words4 ,that1 of course1 is not so strange an effect to be produced at a funeral service1 but the voice itself was one of thousands4 ,i understand ,miss ,winslow sings in the ,first ,church of ,raymond and could probably command almost any salary as a public singer4 ,she will probably be heard from soon4 ,such a voice could win its way anywhere4 ,the service aside from the singing was peculiar4 ,the evangelist1 a man of apparently very simple1 unassuming style1 spoke a few words1 and he was followed by a fine-looking man1 the ,rev4 ,henry ,maxwell1 pastor of the ,first ,church of ,raymond4 ,mr4 ,maxwell spoke of the fact that the dead woman had been fully prepared to go1 but he spoke in a peculiarly sensitive manner of the effect of the liquor business on the lives of men and women like this one4 ,raymond1 of course1 being a railroad town and the centre of the great packing interests for this region1 is full of saloons4 ,i caught from the minister's remarks that he had only recently changed his views in regard to license4 ,he certainly made a very striking address1 and yet it was in no sense inappropriate for a funeral4 ,then followed what was perhaps the queer part of this strange service4 ,the women in the tent1 at least a large part of them up near the coffin1 began to sing in a soft1 tearful way1 ',i was a wandering sheep4' ,then while the singing was going on1 one row of women stood up and walked slowly past the casket1 and as they went by1 each one placed a flower of some kind upon it4 ,then they sat down and another row filed past1 leaving their flowers4 ,all the time the singing continued softly like rain on a tent cover when the wind is gentle4 ,it was one of the simplest and at the same time one of the most impressive sights ,i ever witnessed4 ,the sides of the tent were up1 and hundreds of people who could not get in1 stood outside1 all as still as death itself1 with wonderful sadness and solemnity for such rough looking people4 ,there must have been a hundred of these women1 and ,i was told many of them had been converted at the meetings just recently4 ,i cannot describe the effect of that singing4 ,not a man sang a note4 ,all women's voices1 and so soft1 and yet so distinct1 that the effect was startling4 ,the service closed with another solo by ,miss ,winslow1 who sang1 ',there were ninety and nine4' ,and then the evangelist asked them all to bow their heads while he prayed4 ,i was obliged in order to catch my train to leave during the prayer1 and the last view ,i caught of the service as the train went by the shops was a sight of the great crowd pouring out of the tent and forming in open ranks while the coffin was borne out by six of the women4 ,it is a long time since ,i have seen such a picture in this unpoetic ,republic4 ,if ,loreen's funeral impressed a passing stranger like this1 it is not difficult to imagine the profound feelings of those who had been so intimately connected with her life and death4 ,nothing had ever entered the ,rectangle that had moved it so deeply as ,loreen's body in that coffin4 ,and the ,holy ,spirit seemed to bless with special power the use of this senseless clay4 ,for that night ,he swept more than a score of lost souls1 mostly women1 into the fold of the ,good ,shepherd4 ,it should be said here that ,mr4 ,maxwell's statements concerning the opening of the saloon from whose windows ,loreen had been killed2 proved nearly exactly true4 ,it was formally closed ,monday and ,tuesday while the authorities made arrests of the proprietors charged with the murder4 ,but nothing could be proved against any one1 and before ,saturday of that week the saloon was running as regularly as ever4 ,no one on the earth was ever punished by earthly courts for the murder of ,loreen4 ,chapter ,sixteen ,no one in all ,raymond1 including the ,rectangle1 felt ,loreen's death more keenly than ,virginia4 ,it came like a distinct personal loss to her4 ,that short week while the girl had been in her home had opened ,virginia's heart to a new life4 ,she was talking it over with ,rachel the day after the funeral4 ,thee were sitting in the hall of the ,page mansion4 ,i am going to do something with my money to help those women to a better life4 ,virginia looked over to the end of the hall where1 the day before1 ,loreen's body had lain4 ,i have decided on a good plan1 as it seems to me4 ,i have talked it over with ,rollin4 ,he will devote a large part of his money also to the same plan4 ,how much money have you1 ,virginia1 to give in this way8 asked ,rachel4 ,once1 she would never have asked such a personal question4 ,now1 it seemed as natural to talk frankly about money as about anything else that belonged to ,god4 ,i have available for use at least four hundred and fifty-thousand dollars4 ,rollin has as much more4 ,it is one of his bitter regrets now that his extravagant habits of life before his conversion practically threw away half that father left him4 ,we are both eager to make all the reparation in our power4 ',what would ,jesus do with this money8' ,we want to answer that question honestly and wisely4 ,the money ,i shall put into the ,,news is1 ,i am confident1 in a line with ,his probable action4 ,it is as necessary that we have a ,christian daily paper in ,raymond1 especially now that we have the saloon influence to meet1 as it is to have a church or a college4 ,so ,i am satisfied that the five hundred thousand dollars that ,mr4 ,norman will know how to use so well will be a powerful factor in ,raymond to do as ,jesus would4 ,about my other plan1 ,rachel1 ,i want you to work with me4 ,rollin and ,i are going to buy up a large part of the property in the ,rectangle4 ,the field where the tent now is1 has been in litigation for years4 ,we mean to secure the entire tract as soon as the courts have settled the title4 ,for some time ,i have been making a special study of the various forms of college settlements and residence methods of ,christian work and ,institutional church work in the heart of great city slums4 ,i do not know that ,i have yet been able to tell just what is the wisest and most effective kind of work that can be done in ,raymond4 ,but ,i do know this much4 ,my money--,i mean ,god's1 which he wants me to use--can build wholesome lodging-houses1 refuges for poor women1 asylums for shop girls1 safety for many and many a lost girl like ,loreen4 ,and ,i do not want to be simply a dispenser of this money4 ,god help me6 ,i do want to put myself into the problem4 ,but you know1 ,rachel1 ,i have a feeling all the time that all that limitless money and limitless personal sacrifice can possibly do1 will not really lessen very much the awful condition at the ,rectangle as long as the saloon is legally established there4 ,i think that is true of any ,christian work now being carried on in any great city4 ,the saloon furnishes material to be saved faster than the settlement or residence or rescue mission work can save it4 ,virginia suddenly rose and paced the hall4 ,rachel answered sadly1 and yet with a note of hope in her voice3 ,it is true4 ,but1 ,virginia1 what a wonderful amount of good can be done with this money6 ,and the saloon cannot always remain here4 ,the time must come when the ,christian forces in the city will triumph4 ,virginia paused near ,rachel1 and her pale1 earnest face lighted up4 ,i believe that too4 ,the number of those who have promised to do as ,jesus would is increasing4 ,if we once have1 say1 five hundred such disciples in ,raymond1 the saloon is doomed4 ,but now1 dear1 ,i want you to look at your part in this plan for capturing and saving the ,rectangle4 ,your voice is a power4 ,i have had many ideas lately4 ,here is one of them4 ,you could organize among the girls a ,musical ,institute2 give them the benefit of your training4 ,there are some splendid voices in the rough there4 ,did any one ever hear such singing as that yesterday by those women8 ,rachel1 what a beautiful opportunity6 ,you shall have the best of material in the way of organs and orchestras that money can provide1 and what cannot be done with music to win souls there into higher and purer and better living8 ,before ,virginia had ceased speaking ,rachel's face was perfectly transformed with the thought of her life work4 ,it flowed into her heart and mind like a flood1 and the torrent of her feeling overflowed in tears that could not be restrained4 ,it was what she had dreamed of doing herself4 ,it represented to her something that she felt was in keeping with a right use of her talent4 ,yes1 she said1 as she rose and put her arm about ,virginia1 while both girls in the excitement of their enthusiasm paced the hall4 ,yes1 ,i will gladly put my life into that kind of service4 ,i do believe that ,jesus would have me use my life in this way4 ,virginia1 what miracles can we not accomplish in humanity if we have such a lever as consecrated money to move things with6 ,add to it consecrated personal enthusiasm like yours1 and it certainly can accomplish great things1 said ,virginia smiling4 ,and before ,rachel could reply1 ,rollin came in4 ,he hesitated a moment1 and then was passing out of the hall into the library when ,virginia called him back and asked some questions about his work4 ,rollin came back and sat down1 and together the three discussed their future plans4 ,rollin was apparently entirely free from embarrassment in ,rachel's presence while ,virginia was with them1 only his manner with her was almost precise1 if not cold4 ,the past seemed to have been entirely absorbed in his wonderful conversion4 ,he had not forgotten it1 but he seemed to be completely caught up for this present time in the purpose of his new life4 ,after a while ,rollin was called out1 and ,rachel and ,virginia began to talk of other things4 ,by the way1 what has become of ,jasper ,chase8 ,virginia asked the question innocently1 but ,rachel flushed and ,virginia added with a smile1 ,i suppose he is writing another book4 ,is he going to put you into this one1 ,rachel8 ,you know ,i always suspected ,jasper ,chase of doing that very thing in his first story4 ,virginia1 ,rachel spoke with the frankness that had always existed between the two friends1 ,jasper ,chase told me the other night that he--in fact--he proposed to me--or he would1 if-- ,rachel stopped and sat with her hands clasped on her lap1 and there were tears in her eyes4 ,virginia1 ,i thought a little while ago ,i loved him1 as he said he loved me4 ,but when he spoke1 my heart felt repelled1 and ,i said what ,i ought to say4 ,i told him no4 ,i have not seen him since4 ,that was the night of the first conversions at the ,rectangle4 ,i am glad for you1 said ,virginia quietly4 ,why8 asked ,rachel a little startled4 ,because1 ,i have never really liked ,jasper ,chase4 ,he is too cold and--,i do not like to judge him1 but ,i have always distrusted his sincerity in taking the pledge at the church with the rest4 ,rachel looked at ,virginia thoughtfully4 ,i have never given my heart to him ,i am sure4 ,he touched my emotions1 and ,i admired his skill as a writer4 ,i have thought at times that ,i cared a good deal for him4 ,i think perhaps if he had spoken to me at any other time than the one he chose1 ,i could easily have persuaded myself that ,i loved him4 ,but not now4 ,again ,rachel paused suddenly1 and when she looked up at ,virginia again there were tears on her face4 ,virginia came to her and put her arm about her tenderly4 ,when ,rachel had left the house1 ,virginia sat in the hall thinking over the confidence her friend had just shown her4 ,there was something still to be told1 ,virginia felt sure from ,rachel's manner1 but she did not feel hurt that ,rachel had kept back something4 ,she was simply conscious of more on ,rachel's mind than she had revealed4 ,very soon ,rollin came back1 and he and ,virginia1 arm in arm as they had lately been in the habit of doing1 walked up and down the long hall4 ,it was easy for their talk to settle finally upon ,rachel because of the place she was to occupy in the plans which were being made for the purchase of property at the ,rectangle4 ,did you ever know of a girl of such really gifted powers in vocal music who was willing to give her life to the people as ,rachel is going to do8 ,she is going to give music lessons in the city1 have private pupils to make her living1 and then give the people in the ,rectangle the benefit of her culture and her voice4 ,it is certainly a very good example of self-sacrifice1 replied ,rollin a little stiffly4 ,virginia looked at him a little sharply4 ,but don't you think it is a very unusual example8 ,can you imagine-- here ,virginia named half a dozen famous opera singers--doing anything of this sort8 ,no1 ,i cannot1 ,rollin answered briefly4 ,neither can ,i imagine ,miss-- he spoke the name of the girl with the red parasol who had begged ,virginia to take the girls to the ,rectangle--doing what you are doing1 ,virginia4 ,any more than ,i can imagine ,mr4-- ,virginia spoke the name of a young society leader going about to the clubs doing your work1 ,rollin4 ,the two walked on in silence for the length of the hall4 ,coming back to ,rachel1 began ,virginia1 ,rollin1 why do you treat her with such a distinct1 precise manner8 ,i think1 ,rollin--pardon me if ,i hurt you--that she is annoyed by it4 ,you need to be on easy terms4 ,i don't think ,rachel likes this change4 ,rollin suddenly stopped4 ,he seemed deeply agitated4 ,he took his arm from ,virginia's and walked alone to the end of the hall4 ,then he returned1 with his hands behind him1 and stopped near his sister and said1 ,virginia1 have you not learned my secret8 ,virginia looked bewildered1 then over her face the unusual color crept1 showing that she understood4 ,i have never loved any one but ,rachel ,winslow4 ,rollin spoke calmly enough now4 ,that day she was here when you talked about her refusal to join the concert company1 ,i asked her to be my wife2 out there on the avenue4 ,she refused me1 as ,i knew she would4 ,and she gave as her reason the fact that ,i had no purpose in life1 which was true enough4 ,now that ,i have a purpose1 now that ,i am a new man1 don't you see1 ,virginia1 how impossible it is for me to say anything8 ,i owe my very conversion to ,rachel's singing4 ,and yet that night while she sang ,i can honestly say that1 for the time being1 ,i never thought of her voice except as ,god's message4 ,i believe that all my personal love for her was for the time merged into a personal love to my ,god and my ,saviour4 ,rollin was silent1 then he went on with more emotion4 ,i still love her1 ,virginia4 ,but ,i do not think she ever could love me4 ,he stopped and looked his sister in the face with a sad smile4 ,i don't know about that1 said ,virginia to herself4 ,she was noting ,rollin's handsome face1 his marks of dissipation nearly all gone now1 the firm lips showing manhood and courage1 the clear eyes looking into hers frankly1 the form strong and graceful4 ,rollin was a man now4 ,why should not ,rachel come to love him in time8 ,surely the two were well fitted for each other1 especially now that their purpose in life was moved by the same ,christian force4 ,she said something of all this to ,rollin1 but he did not find much comfort4 ,when they closed the interview1 ,virginia carried away the impression that ,rollin meant to go his way with his chosen work1 trying to reach the fashionable men at the clubs1 and while not avoiding ,rachel1 seeking no occasions for meeting her4 ,he was distrustful of his power to control his feeling4 ,and ,virginia could see that he dreaded even the thought of a second refusal in case he did let ,rachel know that his love was still the same4 ,chapter ,seventeen ,,the next day she went down to the ,,news office to see ,edward ,norman and arrange the details of her part in the establishment of the paper on its new foundation4 ,mr4 ,maxwell was present at this conference1 and the three agreed that whatever ,jesus would do in detail as editor of a daily paper1 ,he would be guided by the same general principles that directed ,his conduct as the ,saviour of the world4 ,i have tried to put down here in concrete form some of the things that it has seemed to me ,jesus would do1 said ,edward ,norman4 ,he read from a paper lying on his desk1 and ,maxwell was reminded again of his own effort to put into written form his own conception of ,jesus' probable action1 and also of ,milton ,wright's same attempt in his business4 ,i have headed this1 ',what would ,jesus do as ,edward ,norman1 editor of a daily newspaper in ,raymond8' #a4 ,he would never allow a sentence or a picture in his paper that could be called bad or coarse or impure in any way4 #b4 ,he would probably conduct the political part of the paper from the standpoint of non-partisan patriotism1 always looking upon all political questions in the light of their relation to the ,kingdom of ,god1 and advocating measures from the standpoint of their relation to the welfare of the people1 always on the basis of ',what is right8' never on the basis of ',what is for the best interests of this or that party8' ,in other words1 ,he would treat all political questions as he would treat every other subject1 from the standpoint of the advancement of the ,kingdom of ,god on earth4 ,edward ,norman looked up from the reading a moment4 ,you understand that is my opinion of ,jesus' probable action on political matters in a daily paper4 ,i am not passing judgment on other newspaper men who may have a different conception of ,jesus' probable action from mine4 ,i am simply trying to answer honestly1 ',what would ,jesus do as ,edward ,norman8' ,and the answer ,i find is what ,i have put down4' #c4 ,the end and aim of a daily paper conducted by ,jesus would be to do the will of ,god4 ,that is1 ,his main purpose in carrying on a newspaper would not be to make money1 or gain political influence2 but ,his first and ruling purpose would be to so conduct his paper that it would be evident to all his subscribers that ,he was trying to seek first the ,kingdom of ,god by means of ,his paper4 ,this purpose would be as distinct and unquestioned as the purpose of a minister or a missionary or any unselfish martyr in ,christian work anywhere4 #d4 ,all questionable advertisements would be impossible4 #e4 ,the relations of ,jesus to the employees on the paper would be of the most loving character4 ,so far as ,i have gone1 said ,norman again looking up1 ,i am of opinion that ,jesus would employ practically some form of co-operation that would represent the idea of a mutual interest in a business where all were to move together for the same great end4 ,i am working out such a plan1 and ,i am confident it will be successful4 ,at any rate1 once introduce the element of personal love into a business like this1 take out the selfish principle of doing it for personal profits to a man or company1 and ,i do not see any way except the most loving personal interest between editors1 reporters1 pressmen1 and all who contribute anything to the life of the paper4 ,and that interest would be expressed not only in the personal love and sympathy but in a sharing with the profits of the business4 #f4 ,as editor of a daily paper today1 ,jesus would give large space to the work of the ,christian world4 ,he would devote a page possibly to the facts of ,reform1 of sociological problems1 of institutional church work and similar movements4 #g4 ,he would do all in ,his power in ,his paper to fight the saloon as an enemy of the human race and an unnecessary part of our civilization4 ,he would do this regardless of public sentiment in the matter and1 of course1 always regardless of its effect upon ,his subscription list4 ,again ,edward ,norman looked up4 ,i state my honest conviction on this point4 ,of course1 ,i do not pass judgment on the ,christian men who are editing other kinds of papers today4 ,but as ,i interpret ,jesus1 ,i believe ,he would use the influence of ,his paper to remove the saloon entirely from the political and social life of the nation4 #h4 ,jesus would not issue a ,sunday edition4 #i4 ,he would print the news of the world that people ought to know4 ,among the things they do not need to know1 and which would not be published1 would be accounts of brutal prize-fights1 long accounts of crimes1 scandals in private families1 or any other human events which in any way would conflict with the first point mentioned in this outline4 #aj4 ,if ,jesus had the amount of money to use on a paper which we have1 ,he would probably secure the best and strongest ,christian men and women to co-operate with him in the matter of contributions4 ,that will be my purpose1 as ,i shall be able to show you in a few days4 #aa4 ,whatever the details of the paper might demand as the paper developed along its definite plan1 the main principle that guided it would always be the establishment of the ,kingdom of ,god in the world4 ,this large general principle would necessarily shape all the detail4 ,edward ,norman finished reading the plan4 ,he was very thoughtful4 ,i have merely sketched a faint outline4 ,i have a hundred ideas for making the paper powerful that ,i have not thought out fully as yet4 ,this is simply suggestive4 ,i have talked it over with other newspaper men4 ,some of them say ,i will have a weak1 namby-pamby ,sunday-school sheet4 ,if ,i get out something as good as a ,sunday-school it will be pretty good4 ,why do men1 when they want to characterize something as particularly feeble1 always use a ,sunday-school as a comparison1 when they ought to know that the ,sunday-school is one of the strongest1 most powerful influences in our civilization in this country today8 ,but the paper will not necessarily be weak because it is good4 ,good things are more powerful than bad4 ,the question with me is largely one of support from the ,christian people of ,raymond4 ,there are over twenty thousand church members here in this city4 ,if half of them will stand by the ,,news its life is assured4 ,what do you think1 ,maxwell1 of the probability of such support8 ,i don't know enough about it to give an intelligent answer4 ,i believe in the paper with all my heart4 ,if it lives a year1 as ,miss ,virginia said1 there is no telling what it can do4 ,the great thing will be to issue such a paper1 as near as we can judge1 as ,jesus probably would1 and put into it all the elements of ,christian brains1 strength1 intelligence and sense2 and command respect for freedom from bigotry1 fanaticism1 narrowness and anything else that is contrary to the spirit of ,jesus4 ,such a paper will call for the best that human thought and action is capable of giving4 ,the greatest minds in the world would have their powers taxed to the utmost to issue a ,christian daily4 ,yes1 ,edward ,norman spoke humbly4 ,i shall make a great many mistakes1 no doubt4 ,i need a great deal of wisdom4 ,but ,i want to do as ,jesus would4 ',what would ,he do8' ,i have asked it1 and shall continue to do so1 and abide by the results4 ,i think we are beginning to understand1 said ,virginia1 the meaning of that command1 ',grow in the grace and knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4' ,i am sure ,i do not know all that ,he would do in detail until ,i know ,him better4 ,that is very true1 said ,henry ,maxwell4 ,i am beginning to understand that ,i cannot interpret the probable action of ,jesus until ,i know better what ,his spirit is4 ,the greatest question in all of human life is summed up when we ask1 ',what would ,jesus do8' if1 as we ask it1 we also try to answer it from a growth in knowledge of ,jesus himself4 ,we must know ,jesus before we can imitate ,him4 ,when the arrangement had been made between ,virginia an ,edward ,norman1 he found himself in possession of the sum of five hundred thousand dollars to use for the establishment of a ,christian daily paper4 ,when ,virginia and ,maxwell had gone1 ,norman closed his door and1 alone with the ,divine ,presence1 asked like a child for help from his all-powerful ,father4 ,all through his prayer as he kneeled before his desk ran the promise1 ,if any man lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not1 and it shall be given him4 ,surely his prayer would be answered1 and the kingdom advanced through this instrument of ,god's power1 this mighty press1 which had become so largely degraded to the base uses of man's avarice and ambition4 ,two months went by4 ,they were full of action and of results in the city of ,raymond and especially in the ,first ,church4 ,in spite of the approaching heat of the summer season1 the after-meeting of the disciples who had made the pledge to do as ,jesus would do1 continued with enthusiasm and power4 ,gray had finished his work at the ,rectangle1 and an outward observer going through the place could not have seen any difference in the old conditions1 although there was an actual change in hundreds of lives4 ,but the saloons1 dens1 hovels1 gambling houses1 still ran1 overflowing their vileness into the lives of fresh victims to take the place of those rescued by the evangelist4 ,and the devil recruited his ranks very fast4 ,henry ,maxwell did not go abroad4 ,instead of that1 he took the money he had been saving for the trip and quietly arranged for a summer vacation for a whole family living down in the ,rectangle1 who had never gone outside of the foul district of the tenements4 ,the pastor of the ,first ,church will never forget the week he spent with this family making the arrangements4 ,he went down into the ,rectangle one hot day when something of the terrible heat in the horrible tenements was beginning to be felt1 and helped the family to the station1 and then went with them to a beautiful spot on the coast where1 in the home of a ,christian woman1 the bewildered city tenants breathed for the first time in years the cool salt air1 and felt blow about them the pine-scented fragrance of a new lease of life4 ,there was a sickly babe with the mother1 and three other children1 one a cripple4 ,the father1 who had been out of work until he had been1 as he afterwards confessed to ,maxwell1 several times on the edge of suicide1 sat with the baby in his arms during the journey1 and when ,maxwell started back to ,raymond1 after seeing the family settled1 the man held his hand at parting1 and choked with his utterance1 and finally broke down1 to ,maxwell's great confusion4 ,the mother1 a wearied1 worn-out woman who had lost three children the year before from a fever scourge in the ,rectangle1 sat by the car window all the way and drank in the delights of sea and sky and field4 ,it all seemed a miracle to her4 ,and ,maxwell1 coming back into ,raymond at the end of that week1 feeling the scorching1 sickening heat all the more because of his little taste of the ocean breezes1 thanked ,god for the joy he had witnessed1 and entered upon his discipleship with a humble heart1 knowing for almost the first time in his life this special kind of sacrifice4 ,for never before had he denied himself his regular summer trip away from the heat of ,raymond1 whether he felt in any great need of rest or not4 ,it is a fact1 he said in reply to several inquiries on the part of his church1 ,i do not feel in need of a vacation this year4 ,i am very well and prefer to stay here4 ,it was with a feeling of relief that he succeeded in concealing from every one but his wife what he had done with this other family4 ,he felt the need of doing anything of that sort without display or approval from others4 ,so the summer came on1 and ,maxwell grew into a large knowledge of his ,lord4 ,the ,first ,church was still swayed by the power of the ,spirit4 ,maxwell marveled at the continuance of ,his stay4 ,he knew very well that from the beginning nothing but the ,spirit's presence had kept the church from being torn asunder by the remarkable testing it had received of its discipleship4 ,even now there were many of the members among those who had not taken the pledge1 who regarded the whole movement as ,mrs4 ,winslow did1 in the nature of a fanatical interpretation of ,christian duty1 and looked for the return of the old normal condition4 ,meanwhile the whole body of disciples was under the influence of the ,spirit1 and the pastor went his way that summer1 doing his parish work in great joy1 keeping up his meetings with the railroad men as he had promised ,alexander ,powers1 and daily growing into a better knowledge of the ,master4 ,early one afternoon in ,august1 after a day of refreshing coolness following a long period of heat1 ,jasper ,chase walked to his window in the apartment house on the avenue and looked out4 ,on his desk lay a pile of manuscript4 ,since that evening when he had spoken to ,rachel ,winslow he had not met her4 ,his singularly sensitive nature--sensitive to the point of extreme irritability when he was thwarted--served to thrust him into an isolation that was intensified by his habits as an author4 ,all through the heat of summer he had been writing4 ,his book was nearly done now4 ,he had thrown himself into its construction with a feverish strength that threatened at any moment to desert him and leave him helpless4 ,he had not forgotten his pledge made with the other church members at the ,first ,church4 ,it had forced itself upon his notice all through his writing1 and ever since ,rachel had said no to him1 he had asked a thousand times1 ,would ,jesus do this8 ,would ,he write this story8 ,it was a social novel1 written in a style that had proved popular4 ,it had no purpose except to amuse4 ,its moral teaching was not bad1 but neither was it ,christian in any positive way4 ,jasper ,chase knew that such a story would probably sell4 ,he was conscious of powers in this way that the social world petted and admired4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,he felt that ,jesus would never write such a book4 ,the question obtruded on him at the most inopportune times4 ,he became irascible over it4 ,the standard of ,jesus for an author was too ideal4 ,of course1 ,jesus would use ,his powers to produce something useful or helpful1 or with a purpose4 ,what was he1 ,jasper ,chase1 writing this novel for8 ,why1 what nearly every writer wrote for--money1 money1 and fame as a writer4 ,there was no secret with him that he was writing this new story with that object4 ,he was not poor1 and so had no great temptation to write for money4 ,but he was urged on by his desire for fame as much as anything4 ,he must write this kind of matter4 ,but what would ,jesus do8 ,the question plagued him even more than ,rachel's refusal4 ,was he going to break his promise8 ,did the promise mean much after all8 he asked4 ,as he stood at the window1 ,rollin ,page came out of the club house just opposite4 ,jasper noted his handsome face and noble figure as he started down the street4 ,he went back to his desk and turned over some papers there4 ,then he came back to the window4 ,rollin was walking down past the block and ,rachel ,winslow was walking beside him4 ,rollin must have overtaken her as she was coming from ,virginia's that afternoon4 ,jasper watched the two figures until they disappeared in the crowd on the walk4 ,then he turned to his desk and began to write4 ,when he had finished the last page of the last chapter of his book it was nearly dark4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,he had finally answered the question by denying his ,lord4 ,it grew darker in his room4 ,he had deliberately chosen his course1 urged on by his disappointment and loss4 ,but ,jesus said unto him1 no man having put his hand to the plow1 and looking back1 is fit for the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,chapter ,eighteen ,what is that to thee8 ,follow thou me4 ,,when ,rollin started down the street the afternoon that ,jasper stood looking out of his window he was not thinking of ,rachel ,winslow and did not expect to see her anywhere4 ,he had come suddenly upon her as he turned into the avenue and his heart had leaped up at the sight of her4 ,he walked along by her now1 rejoicing after all in a little moment of this earthly love he could not drive out of his life4 ,i have just been over to see ,virginia1 said ,rachel4 ,she tells me the arrangements are nearly completed for the transfer of the ,rectangle property4 ,yes4 ,it has been a tedious case in the courts4 ,did ,virginia show you all the plans and specifications for building8 ,we looked over a good many4 ,it is astonishing to me where ,virginia has managed to get all her ideas about this work4 ,virginia knows more now about ,arnold ,toynbee and ,east ,end ,london and ,institutional ,church work in ,america than a good many professional slum workers4 ,she has been spending nearly all summer in getting information4 ,rollin was beginning to feel more at ease as they talked over this coming work of humanity4 ,it was safe1 common ground4 ,what have you been doing all summer8 ,i have not seen much of you1 ,rachel suddenly asked1 and then her face warmed with its quick flush of tropical color as if she might have implied too much interest in ,rollin or too much regret at not seeing him oftener4 ,i have been busy1 replied ,rollin briefly4 ,tell me something about it1 persisted ,rachel4 ,you say so little4 ,have ,i a right to ask8 ,she put the question very frankly1 turning toward ,rollin in real earnest4 ,yes1 certainly1 he replied1 with a graceful smile4 ,i am not so certain that ,i can tell you much4 ,i have been trying to find some way to reach the men ,i once knew and win them into more useful lives4 ,he stopped suddenly as if he were almost afraid to go on4 ,rachel did not venture to suggest anything4 ,i have been a member of the same company to which you and ,virginia belong1 continued ,rollin1 beginning again4 ,i have made the pledge to do as ,i believe ,jesus would do1 and it is in trying to answer this question that ,i have been doing my work4 ,that is what ,i do not understand4 ,virginia told me about the other4 ,it seems wonderful to think that you are trying to keep that pledge with us4 ,but what can you do with the club men8 ,you have asked me a direct question and ,i shall have to answer it now1 replied ,rollin1 smiling again4 ,you see1 ,i asked myself after that night at the tent1 you remember 7he spoke hurriedly and his voice trembled a little71 what purpose ,i could now have in my life to redeem it1 to satisfy my thought of ,christian discipleship8 ,and the more ,i thought of it1 the more ,i was driven to a place where ,i knew ,i must take up the cross4 ,did you ever think that of all the neglected beings in our social system none are quite so completely left alone as the fast young men who fill the clubs and waste their time and money as ,i used to8 ,the churches look after the poor1 miserable creatures like those in the ,rectangle2 they make some effort to reach the working man1 they have a large constituency among the average salary-earning people1 they send money and missionaries to the foreign heathen1 but the fashionable1 dissipated young men around town1 the club men1 are left out of all plans for reaching and ,christianizing4 ,and yet no class of people need it more4 ,i said to myself3 ',i know these men1 their good and their bad qualities4 ,i have been one of them4 ,i am not fitted to reach the ,rectangle people4 ,i do not know how4 ,but ,i think ,i could possibly reach some of the young men and boys who have money and time to spend4' ,so that is what ,i have been trying to do4 ,when ,i asked as you did1 ,what would ,jesus do8' that was my answer4 ,it has been also my cross4 ,rollin's voice was so low on this last sentence that ,rachel had difficulty in hearing him above the noise around them1 ,but she knew what he had said4 ,she wanted to ask what his methods were4 ,but she did not know how to ask him4 ,her interest in his plan was larger than mere curiosity4 ,rollin ,page was so different now from the fashionable young man who had asked her to be his wife that she could not help thinking of him and talking with him as if he were an entirely new acquaintance4 ,they had turned off the avenue and were going up the street to ,rachel's home4 ,it was the same street where ,rollin had asked ,rachel why she could not love him4 ,they were both stricken with a sudden shyness as they went on4 ,rachel had not forgotten that day and ,rollin could not4 ,she finally broke a long silence by asking what she had not found words for before4 ,in your work with the club men1 with your old acquaintances1 what sort of reception do they give you8 ,how do you approach them8 ,what do they say8 ,rollin was relieved when ,rachel spoke4 ,he answered quickly3 ,oh1 it depends on the man4 ,a good many of them think ,i am a crank4 ,i have kept my membership up and am in good standing in that way4 ,i try to be wise and not provoke any unnecessary criticism4 ,but you would be surprised to know how many of the men have responded to my appeal4 ,i could hardly make you believe that only a few nights ago a dozen men became honestly and earnestly engaged in a conversation over religious matters4 ,i have had the great joy of seeing some of the men give up bad habits and begin a new life4 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,i keep asking it4 ,the answer comes slowly1 for ,i am feeling my way slowly4 ,one thing ,i have found out4 ,the men are not fighting shy of me4 ,i think that is a good sign4 ,another thing3 ,i have actually interested some of them in the ,rectangle work1 and when it is started up they will give something to help make it more powerful4 ,and in addition to all the rest1 ,i have found a way to save several of the young fellows from going to the bad in gambling4 ,rollin spoke with enthusiasm4 ,his face was transformed by his interest in the subject which had now become a part of his real life4 ,rachel again noted the strong1 manly tone of his speech4 ,with it all she knew there was a deep1 underlying seriousness which felt the burden of the cross even while carrying it with joy4 ,the next time she spoke it was with a swift feeling of justice due to ,rollin and his new life4 ,do you remember ,i reproached you once for not having any purpose worth living for8 she asked1 while her beautiful face seemed to ,rollin more beautiful than ever when he had won sufficient self-control to look up4 ,i want to say1 ,i feel the need of saying1 in justice to you now1 that ,i honor you for your courage and your obedience to the promise you have made as you interpret the promise4 ,the life you are living is a noble one4 ,rollin trembled4 ,his agitation was greater than he could control4 ,rachel could not help seeing it4 ,they walked along in silence4 ,at last ,rollin said3 ,i thank you4 ,it has been worth more to me than ,i can tell you to hear you say that4 ,he looked into her face for one moment4 ,she read his love for her in that look1 but he did not speak4 ,when they separated ,rachel went into the house and1 sitting down in her room1 she put her face in her hands and said to herself3 ,i am beginning to know what it means to be loved by a noble man4 ,i shall love ,rollin ,page after all4 ,what am ,i saying6 ,rachel ,winslow1 have you forgotten-- ,she rose and walked back and forth4 ,she was deeply moved4 ,nevertheless1 it was evident to herself that her emotion was not that of regret or sorrow4 ,somehow a glad new joy had come to her4 ,she had entered another circle of experience1 and later in the day she rejoiced with a very strong and sincere gladness that her ,christian discipleship found room in this crisis for her feeling4 ,it was indeed a part of it1 for if she was beginning to love ,rollin ,page it was the ,christian man she had begun to love2 the other never would have moved her to this great change4 ,and ,rollin1 as he went back1 treasured a hope that had been a stranger to him since ,rachel had said no that day4 ,in that hope he went on with his work as the days sped on1 and at no time was he more successful in reaching and saving his old acquaintances than in the time that followed that chance meeting with ,rachel ,winslow4 ,the summer had gone and ,raymond was once more facing the rigor of her winter season4 ,virginia had been able to accomplish a part of her plan for capturing the ,rectangle1 as she called it4 ,but the building of houses in the field1 the transforming of its bleak1 bare aspect into an attractive park1 all of which was included in her plan1 was a work too large to be completed that fall after she had secured the property4 ,but a million dollars in the hands of a person who truly wants to do with it as ,jesus would1 ought to accomplish wonders for humanity in a short time1 and ,henry ,maxwell1 going over to the scene of the new work one day after a noon hour with the shop men1 was amazed to see how much had been done outwardly4 ,yet he walked home thoughtfully1 and on his way he could not avoid the question of the continual problem thrust upon his notice by the saloon4 ,how much had been done for the ,rectangle after all8 ,even counting ,virginia's and ,rachel's work and ,mr4 ,gray's1 where had it actually counted in any visible quantity8 ,of course1 he said to himself1 the redemptive work begun and carried on by the ,holy ,spirit in ,his wonderful displays of power in the ,first ,church and in the tent meetings had had its effect upon the life of ,raymond4 ,but as he walked past saloon after saloon and noted the crowds going in and coming out of them1 as he saw the wretched dens1 as many as ever apparently1 as he caught the brutality and squalor and open misery and degradation on countless faces of men and women and children1 he sickened at the sight4 ,he found himself asking how much cleansing could a million dollars poured into this cesspool accomplish8 ,was not the living source of nearly all the human misery they sought to relieve untouched as long as the saloons did their deadly but legitimate work8 ,what could even such unselfish ,christian discipleship as ,virginia's and ,rachel's do to lessen the stream of vice and crime so long as the great spring of vice and crime flowed as deep and strong as ever8 ,was it not a practical waste of beautiful lives for these young women to throw themselves into this earthly hell1 when for every soul rescued by their sacrifice the saloon made two more that needed rescue8 ,he could not escape the question4 ,it was the same that ,virginia had put to ,rachel in her statement that1 in her opinion1 nothing really permanent would ever be done until the saloon was taken out of the ,rectangle4 ,henry ,maxwell went back to his parish work that afternoon with added convictions on the license business4 ,but if the saloon was a factor in the problem of the life of ,raymond1 no less was the ,first ,church and its little company of disciples who had pledged to do as ,jesus would do4 ,henry ,maxwell1 standing at the very centre of the movement1 was not in a position to judge of its power as some one from the outside might have done4 ,but ,raymond itself felt the touch in very many ways1 not knowing all the reasons for the change4 ,the winter was gone and the year was ended1 the year which ,henry ,maxwell had fixed as the time during which the pledge should be kept to do as ,jesus would do4 ,sunday1 the anniversary of that one a year ago1 was in many ways the most remarkable day that the ,first ,church ever knew4 ,it was more important than the disciples in the ,first ,church realized4 ,the year had made history so fast and so serious that the people were not yet able to grasp its significance4 ,and the day itself which marked the completion of a whole year of such discipleship was characterized by such revelations and confessions that the immediate actors in the events themselves could not understand the value of what had been done1 or the relation of their trial to the rest of the churches and cities of the country4 ,it happened that the week before that anniversary ,sunday the ,rev4 ,calvin ,bruce1 ,d4,d41 of the ,nazareth ,avenue ,church1 ,chicago1 was in ,raymond1 where he had come on a visit to some old friends1 and incidentally to see his old seminary classmate1 ,henry ,maxwell4 ,he was present at the ,first ,church and was an exceedingly attentive and interested spectator4 ,his account of the events in ,raymond1 and especially of that ,sunday1 may throw more light on the entire situation than any description or record from other sources4 ,chapter ,nineteen ,letter from ,rev4 ,calvin ,bruce1 ,d4,d41 of the ,nazareth ,avenue ,church1 ,chicago1 to ,rev4 ,philip ,a4 ,caxton1 ,d4,d41 ,new ,york ,city4 ,my ,dear ,caxton3 ,it is late ,sunday night1 but ,i am so intensely awake and so overflowing with what ,i have seen and heard that ,i feel driven to write you now some account of the situation in ,raymond as ,i have been studying it1 and as it has apparently come to a climax today4 ,so this is my only excuse for writing so extended a letter at this time4 ,you remember ,henry ,maxwell in the ,seminary4 ,i think you said the last time ,i visited you in ,new ,york that you had not seen him since we graduated4 ,he was a refined1 scholarly fellow1 you remember1 and when he was called to the ,first ,church of ,raymond within a year after leaving the ,seminary1 ,i said to my wife1 ',raymond has made a good choice4 ,maxwell will satisfy them as a sermonizer4' ,he has been here eleven years1 and ,i understand that up to a year ago he had gone on in the regular course of the ministry1 giving good satisfaction and drawing good congregations4 ,his church was counted the largest and wealthiest church in ,raymond4 ,all the best people attended it1 and most of them belonged4 ,the quartet choir was famous for its music1 especially for its soprano1 ,miss ,winslow1 of whom ,i shall have more to say2 and1 on the whole1 as ,i understand the facts1 ,maxwell was in a comfortable berth1 with a very good salary1 pleasant surroundings1 a not very exacting parish of refined1 rich1 respectable people--such a church and parish as nearly all the young men of the seminary in our time looked forward to as very desirable4 ,but a year ago today ,maxwell came into his church on ,sunday morning1 and at the close of the service made the astounding proposition that the members of his church volunteer for a year not to do anything without first asking the question1 ',what would ,jesus do8' and1 after answering it1 to do what in their honest judgment ,he would do1 regardless of what the result might be to them4 ,the effect of this proposition1 as it has been met and obeyed by a number of members of the church1 has been so remarkable that1 as you know1 the attention of the whole country has been directed to the movement4 ,i call it a 'movement' because from the action taken today1 it seems probable that what has been tried here will reach out into the other churches and cause a revolution in methods1 but more especially in a new definition of ,christian discipleship4 ,in the first place1 ,maxwell tells me he was astonished at the response to his proposition4 ,some of the most prominent members in the church made the promise to do as ,jesus would4 ,among them were ,edward ,norman1 editor of the ,,daily ,,news1 which has made such a sensation in the newspaper world2 ,milton ,wright1 one of the leading merchants in ,raymond2 ,alexander ,powers1 whose action in the matter of the railroads against the interstate commerce laws made such a stir about a year ago2 ,miss ,page1 one of ,raymond's leading society heiresses1 who has lately dedicated her entire fortune1 as ,i understand1 to the ,christian daily paper and the work of reform in the slum district known as the ,rectangle2 and ,miss ,winslow1 whose reputation as a singer is now national1 but who in obedience to what she has decided to be ,jesus' probable action1 has devoted her talent to volunteer work among the girls and women who make up a large part of the city's worst and most abandoned population4 ,in addition to these well-known people has been a gradually increasing number of ,christians from the ,first ,church and lately from other churches of ,raymond4 ,a large proportion of these volunteers who pledged themselves to do as ,jesus would do comes from the ,endeavor societies4 ,the young people say that they have already embodied in their society pledge the same principle in the words1 ',i promise ,him that ,i will strive to do whatever ,he would have me do4' ,this is not exactly what is included in ,maxwell's proposition1 which is that the disciple shall try to do what ,jesus would probably do in the disciple's place4 ,but the result of an honest obedience to either pledge1 he claims1 will be practically the same1 and he is not surprised that the largest numbers have joined the new discipleship from the ,endeavor ,society4 ,i am sure the first question you will ask is1 ',what has been the result of this attempt8 ,what has it accomplished or how has it changed in any way the regular life of the church or the community8' ,you already know something1 from reports of ,raymond that have gone over the country1 what the events have been4 ,but one needs to come here and learn something of the changes in individual lives1 and especially the change in the church life1 to realize all that is meant by this following of ,jesus' steps so literally4 ,to tell all that would be to write a long story or series of stories4 ,i am not in a position to do that1 but ,i can give you some idea perhaps of what has been done as told me by friends here and by ,maxwell himself4 ,the result of the pledge upon the ,first ,church has been two-fold4 ,it has brought upon a spirit of ,christian fellowship which ,maxwell tells me never before existed1 and which now impresses him as being very nearly what the ,christian fellowship of the apostolic churches must have been2 and it has divided the church into two distinct groups of members4 ,those who have not taken the pledge regard the others as foolishly literal in their attempt to imitate the example of ,jesus4 ,some of them have drawn out of the church and no longer attend1 or they have removed their membership entirely to other churches4 ,some are an element of internal strife1 and ,i heard rumors of an attempt on their part to force ,maxwell's resignation4 ,i do not know that this element is very strong in the church4 ,it has been held in check by a wonderful continuance of spiritual power1 which dates from the first ,sunday the pledge was taken a year ago1 and also by the fact that so many of the most prominent members have been identified with the movement4 ,the effect on ,maxwell is very marked4 ,i heard him preach in our ,state ,association four years ago4 ,he impressed me at the time as having considerable power in dramatic delivery1 of which he himself was somewhat conscious4 ,his sermon was well written and abounded in what the ,seminary students used to call 'fine passages4' ,the effect of it was what an average congregation would call 'pleasing4' ,this morning ,i heard ,maxwell preach again1 for the first time since then4 ,i shall speak of that farther on4 ,he is not the same man4 ,he gives me the impression of one who has passed through a crisis of revolution4 ,he tells me this revolution is simply a new definition of ,christian discipleship4 ,he certainly has changed many of his old habits and many of his old views4 ,his attitude on the saloon question is radically opposite to the one he entertained a year ago4 ,and in his entire thought of the ministry1 his pulpit and parish work1 ,i find he has made a complete change4 ,so far as ,i can understand1 the idea that is moving him on now is the idea that the ,christianity of our times must represent a more literal imitation of ,jesus1 and especially in the element of suffering4 ,he quoted to me in the course of our conversation several times the verses in ,peter3 ',for even hereunto were ye called1 because ,christ also suffered for you1 leaving you an example1 that ye would follow ,his steps'2 and he seems filled with the conviction that what our churches need today more than anything else is this factor of joyful suffering for ,jesus in some form4 ,i do not know as ,i agree with him1 altogether2 but1 my dear ,caxton1 it is certainly astonishing to note the results of this idea as they have impressed themselves upon this city and this church4 ,you ask how about the results on the individuals who have made this pledge and honestly tried to be true to it4 ,those results are1 as ,i have said1 a part of individual history and cannot be told in detail4 ,some of them ,i can give you so that you may see that this form of discipleship is not merely sentiment or fine posing for effect4 ,for instance1 take the case of ,mr4 ,powers1 who was superintendent of the machine shops of the ,l4 and ,t4 ,r4 ,r4 here4 ,when he acted upon the evidence which incriminated the road he lost his position1 and more than that1 ,i learn from my friends here1 his family and social relations have become so changed that he and his family no longer appear in public4 ,they have dropped out of the social circle where once they were so prominent4 ,by the way1 ,caxton1 ,i understand in this connection that the ,commission1 for one reason or another1 postponed action on this case1 and it is now rumored that the ,l4 and ,t4 ,r4 ,r4 will pass into a receiver's hands very soon4 ,the president of the road who1 according to the evidence submitted by ,powers1 was the principal offender1 has resigned1 and complications which have risen since point to the receivership4 ,meanwhile1 the superintendent has gone back to his old work as a telegraph operator4 ,i met him at the church yesterday4 ,he impressed me as a man who had1 like ,maxwell1 gone through a crisis in character4 ,i could not help thinking of him as being good material for the church of the first century when the disciples had all things in common4 ,or take the case of ,mr4 ,norman1 editor of the ,,daily ,,news4 ,he risked his entire fortune in obedience to what he believed was ,jesus' action1 and revolutionized his entire conduct of the paper at the risk of a failure4 ,i send you a copy of yesterday's paper4 ,i want you to read it carefully4 ,to my mind it is one of the most interesting and remarkable papers ever printed in the ,united ,states4 ,it is open to criticism1 but what could any mere man attempt in this line that would be free from criticism4 ,take it all in all1 it is so far above the ordinary conception of a daily paper that ,i am amazed at the result4 ,he tells me that the paper is beginning to be read more and more by the ,christian people of the city4 ,he was very confident of its final success4 ,read his editorial on the money questions1 also the one on the coming election in ,raymond when the question of license will again be an issue4 ,both articles are of the best from his point of view4 ,he says he never begins an editorial or1 in fact1 any part of his newspaper work1 without first asking1 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,the result is certainly apparent4 ,then there is ,milton ,wright1 the merchant4 ,he has1 ,i am told1 so revolutionized his business that no man is more beloved today in ,raymond4 ,his own clerks and employees have an affection for him that is very touching4 ,during the winter1 while he was lying dangerously ill at his home1 scores of clerks volunteered to watch and help in any way possible1 and his return to his store was greeted with marked demonstrations4 ,all this has been brought about by the element of personal love introduced into the business4 ,this love is not mere words1 but the business itself is carried on under a system of co-operation that is not a patronizing recognition of inferiors1 but a real sharing in the whole business4 ,other men on the street look upon ,milton ,wright as odd4 ,it is a fact1 however1 that while he has lost heavily in some directions1 he has increased his business1 and is today respected and honored as one of the best and most successful merchants in ,raymond4 ,and there is ,miss ,winslow4 ,she has chosen to give her great talent to the poor of the city4 ,her plans include a ,musical ,institute where choruses and classes in vocal music shall be a feature4 ,she is enthusiastic over her life work4 ,in connection with her friend ,miss ,page she has planned a course in music which1 if carried out1 will certainly do much to lift up the lives of the people down there4 ,i am not too old1 dear ,caxton1 to be interested in the romantic side of much that has also been tragic here in ,raymond1 and ,i must tell you that it is well understood here that ,miss ,winslow expects to be married this spring to a brother of ,miss ,page who was once a society leader and club man1 and who was converted in a tent where his wife-that-is-to-be took an active part in the service4 ,i don't know all the details of this little romance1 but ,i imagine there is a story wrapped up in it1 and it would make interesting reading if we only knew it all4 ,these are only a few illustrations of results in individual lives owing to obedience to the pledge4 ,i meant to have spoken of ,president ,marsh of ,lincoln ,college4 ,he is a graduate of my alma mater and ,i knew him slightly when ,i was in the senior year4 ,he has taken an active part in the recent municipal campaign1 and his influence in the city is regarded as a very large factor in the coming election4 ,he impressed me1 as did all the other disciples in this movement1 as having fought out some hard questions1 and as having taken up some real burdens that have caused and still do cause that suffering of which ,henry ,maxwell speaks1 a suffering that does not eliminate1 but does appear to intensify1 a positive and practical joy4 ,chapter ,twenty ,,but ,i am prolonging this letter1 possibly to your weariness4 ,i am unable to avoid the feeling of fascination which my entire stay here has increased4 ,i want to tell you something of the meeting in the ,first ,church today4 ,as ,i said1 ,i heard ,maxwell preach4 ,at his earnest request ,i had preached for him the ,sunday before1 and this was the first time ,i had heard him since the ,association meeting four years ago4 ,his sermon this morning was as different from his sermon then as if it had been thought out and preached by some one living on another planet4 ,i was profoundly touched4 ,i believe ,i actually shed tears once4 ,others in the congregation were moved like myself4 ,his text was3 ',what is that to thee8 ,follow thou ,me4' ,it was a most unusually impressive appeal to the ,christians of ,raymond to obey ,jesus' teachings and follow in ,his steps regardless of what others might do4 ,i cannot give you even the plan of the sermon4 ,it would take too long4 ,at the close of the service there was the usual after meeting that has become a regular feature of the ,first ,church4 ,into this meeting have come all those who made the pledge to do as ,jesus would do1 and the time is spent in mutual fellowship1 confession1 question as to what ,jesus would do in special cases1 and prayer that the one great guide of every disciple's conduct may be the ,holy ,spirit4 ,maxwell asked me to come into this meeting4 ,nothing in all my ministerial life1 ,caxton1 has so moved me as that meeting4 ,i never felt the ,spirit's presence so powerfully4 ,it was a meeting of reminiscences and of the most loving fellowship4 ,i was irresistibly driven in thought back to the first years of ,christianity4 ,there was something about all this that was apostolic in its simplicity and ,christ imitation4 ,i asked questions4 ,one that seemed to arouse more interest than any other was in regard to the extent of the ,christian disciple's sacrifice of personal property4 ,maxwell tells me that so far no one has interpreted the spirit of ,jesus in such a way as to abandon his earthly possessions1 give away of his wealth1 or in any literal way imitate the ,christians of the order1 for example1 of ,st4 ,francis of ,assisi4 ,it was the unanimous consent1 however1 that if any disciple should feel that ,jesus in his own particular case would do that1 there could be only one answer to the question4 ,maxwell admitted that he was still to a certain degree uncertain as to ,jesus' probable action when it came to the details of household living1 the possession of wealth1 the holding of certain luxuries4 ,it is1 however1 very evident that many of these disciples have repeatedly carried their obedience to ,jesus to the extreme limit1 regardless of financial loss4 ,there is no lack of courage or consistency at this point4 ,it is also true that some of the business men who took the pledge have lost great sums of money in this imitation of ,jesus1 and many have1 like ,alexander ,powers1 lost valuable positions owing to the impossibility of doing what they had been accustomed to do and at the same time what they felt ,jesus would do in the same place4 ,in connection with these cases it is pleasant to record the fact that many who have suffered in this way have been at once helped financially by those who still have means4 ,in this respect ,i think it is true that these disciples have all things in common4 ,certainly such scenes as ,i witnessed at the ,first ,church at that after service this morning ,i never saw in my church or in any other4 ,i never dreamed that such ,christian fellowship could exist in this age of the world4 ,i was almost incredulous as to the witness of my own senses4 ,i still seem to be asking myself if this is the close of the nineteenth century in ,america4 ,but now1 dear friend1 ,i come to the real cause of this letter1 the real heart of the whole question as the ,first ,church of ,raymond has forced it upon me4 ,before the meeting closed today steps were taken to secure the co-operation of all other ,christian disciples in this country4 ,i think ,maxwell took this step after long deliberation4 ,he said as much to me one day when we were discussing the effect of this movement upon the church in general4 ',why1' he said1 'suppose that the church membership generally in this country made this pledge and lived up to it6 ,what a revolution it would cause in ,christendom6 ,but why not8 ,is it any more than the disciple ought to do8 ,has he followed ,jesus1 unless he is willing to do this8 ,is the test of discipleship any less today than it was in ,jesus' time8' ,i do not know all that preceded or followed his thought of what ought to be done outside of ,raymond1 but the idea crystallized today in a plan to secure the fellowship of all the ,christians in ,america4 ,the churches1 through their pastors1 will be asked to form disciple gatherings like the one in the ,first ,church4 ,volunteers will be called for in the great body of church members in the ,united ,states1 who will promise to do as ,jesus would do4 ,maxwell spoke particularly of the result of such general action on the saloon question4 ,he is terribly in earnest over this4 ,he told me that there was no question in his mind that the saloon would be beaten in ,raymond at the election now near at hand4 ,if so1 they could go on with some courage to do the redemptive work begun by the evangelist and now taken up by the disciples in his own church4 ,if the saloon triumphs again there will be a terrible and1 as he thinks1 unnecessary waste of ,christian sacrifice4 ,but1 however we differ on that point1 he convinced his church that the time had come for a fellowship with other ,christians4 ,surely1 if the ,first ,church could work such changes in society and its surroundings1 the church in general if combining such a fellowship1 not of creed but of conduct1 ought to stir the entire nation to a higher life and a new conception of ,christian following4 ,this is a grand idea1 ,caxton1 but right here is where ,i find my self hesitating4 ,i do not deny that the ,christian disciple ought to follow ,christ's steps as closely as these here in ,raymond have tried to do4 ,but ,i cannot avoid asking what the result would be if ,i ask my church in ,chicago to do it4 ,i am writing this after feeling the solemn1 profound touch of the ,spirit's presence1 and ,i confess to you1 old friend1 that ,i cannot call up in my church a dozen prominent business or professional men who would make this trial at the risk of all they hold dear4 ,can you do any better in your church8 ,what are we to say8 ,that the churches would not respond to the call3 ',come and suffer8' ,is our standard of ,christian discipleship a wrong one8 ,or are we possibly deceiving ourselves1 and would we be agreeably disappointed if we once asked our people to take such a pledge faithfully8 ,the actual results of the pledge as obeyed here in ,raymond are enough to make any pastor tremble1 and at the same time long with yearning that they might occur in his own parish4 ,certainly never have ,i seen a church so signally blessed by the ,spirit as this one4 ,but--am ,i myself ready to take this pledge8 ,i ask the question honestly1 and ,i dread to face an honest answer4 ,i know well enough that ,i should have to change very much in my life if ,i undertook to follow ,his steps so closely4 ,i have called myself a ,christian for many years4 ,for the past ten years ,i have enjoyed a life that has had comparatively little suffering in it4 ,i am1 honestly ,i say it1 living at a long distance from municipal problems and the life of the poor1 the degraded and the abandoned4 ,what would the obedience to this pledge demand of me8 ,i hesitate to answer4 ,my church is wealthy1 full of well-to-do1 satisfied people4 ,the standard of their discipleship is1 ,i am aware1 not of a nature to respond to the call of suffering or personal loss4 ,i say3 ',i am aware4' ,i may be mistaken4 ,i may have erred in not stirring their deeper life4 ,caxton1 my friend1 ,i have spoken my inmost thought to you4 ,shall ,i go back to my people next ,sunday and stand up before them in my large city church and say3 ',let us follow ,jesus closer2 let us walk in ,his steps where it will cost us something more than it is costing us now2 let us pledge not to do anything without first asking3 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,if ,i should go before them with that message1 it would be a strange and startling one to them4 ,but why8 ,are we not ready to follow ,him all the way8 ,what is it to be a follower of ,jesus8 ,what does it mean to imitate ,him8 ,what does it mean to walk in ,his steps8 ,the ,rev4 ,calvin ,bruce1 ,d4 ,d41 of the ,nazareth ,avenue ,church1 ,chicago1 let his pen fall on the table4 ,he had come to the parting of the ways1 and his question1 he felt sure1 was the question of many and many a man in the ministry and in the church4 ,he went to his window and opened it4 ,he was oppressed with the weight of his convictions and he felt almost suffocated with the air in the room4 ,he wanted to see the stars and feel the breath of the world4 ,the night was very still4 ,the clock in the ,first ,church was just striking midnight4 ,as it finished a clear1 strong voice down in the direction of the ,rectangle came floating up to him as if borne on radiant pinions4 ,it was a voice of one of ,gray's old converts1 a night watchman at the packing houses1 who sometimes solaced his lonesome hours by a verse or two of some familiar hymn3 ,must ,jesus bear the cross alone ,and all the world go free8 ,no1 there's a cross for every one1 ,and there's a cross for me4 ,the ,rev4 ,calvin ,bruce turned away from the window and1 after a little hesitation1 he kneeled4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,that was the burden of his prayer4 ,never had he yielded himself so completely to the ,spirit's searching revealing of ,jesus4 ,he was on his knees a long time4 ,he retired and slept fitfully with many awakenings4 ,he rose before it was clear dawn1 and threw open his window again4 ,as the light in the east grew stronger he repeated to himself3 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,shall ,i follow ,his steps8 ,the sun rose and flooded the city with its power4 ,when shall the dawn of a new discipleship usher in the conquering triumph of a closer walk with ,jesus8 ,when shall ,christendom tread more closely the path he made8 ,it is the way the ,master trod2 ,shall not the servant tread it still8 ,with this question throbbing through his whole being1 the ,rev4 ,calvin ,bruce1 ,d4 ,d41 went back to ,chicago1 and the great crisis in his ,christian life in the ministry suddenly broke irresistibly upon him4 ,chapter ,twenty-one ,master1 ,i will follow ,thee whithersoever ,thou goest4 ,,the ,saturday afternoon matinee at the ,auditorium in ,chicago was just over and the usual crowd was struggling to get to its carriage before any one else4 ,the ,auditorium attendant was shouting out the numbers of different carriages and the carriage doors were slamming as the horses were driven rapidly up to the curb1 held there impatiently by the drivers who had shivered long in the raw east wind1 and then let go to plunge for a few minutes into the river of vehicles that tossed under the elevated railway and finally went whirling off up the avenue4 ,now then1 #fbd1 shouted the ,auditorium attendant2 #fbd6 he repeated1 and there dashed up to the curb a splendid span of black horses attached to a carriage having the monogram1 ,c4 ,r4 ,s4 in gilt letters on the panel of the door4 ,two girls stepped out of the crowd towards the carriage4 ,the older one had entered and taken her seat and the attendant was still holding the door open for the younger1 who stood hesitating on the curb4 ,come1 ,felicia6 ,what are you waiting for6 ,i shall freeze to death6 called the voice from the carriage4 ,the girl outside of the carriage hastily unpinned a bunch of ,english violets from her dress and handed them to a small boy who was standing shivering on the edge of the sidewalk almost under the horses' feet4 ,he took them1 with a look of astonishment and a ,thank ye1 lady6 and instantly buried a very grimy face in the bunch of perfume4 ,the girl stepped into the carriage1 the door shut with the incisive bang peculiar to well-made carriages of this sort1 and in a few moments the coachman was speeding the horses rapidly up one of the boulevards4 ,you are always doing some queer thing or other1 ,felicia1 said the older girl as the carriage whirled on past the great residences already brilliantly lighted4 ,am ,i8 ,what have ,i done that is queer now1 ,rose8 asked the other1 looking up suddenly and turning her head towards her sister4 ,oh1 giving those violets to that boy6 ,he looked as if he needed a good hot supper more than a bunch of violets4 ,it's a wonder you didn't invite him home with us4 ,i shouldn't have been surprised if you had4 ,you are always doing such queer things4 ,would it be queer to invite a boy like that to come to the house and get a hot supper8 ,felicia asked the question softly and almost as if she were alone4 ',queer' isn't just the word1 of course1 replied ,rose indifferently4 ,it would be what ,madam ,blanc calls 'outre4' ,decidedly4 ,therefore you will please not invite him or others like him to hot suppers because ,i suggested it4 ,oh1 dear6 ,i'm awfully tired4 ,she yawned1 and ,felicia silently looked out of the window in the door4 ,the concert was stupid and the violinist was simply a bore4 ,i don't see how you could sit so still through it all1 ,rose exclaimed a little impatiently4 ,i liked the music1 answered ,felicia quietly4 ,you like anything4 ,i never saw a girl with so little critical taste4 ,felicia colored slightly1 but would not answer4 ,rose yawned again1 and then hummed a fragment of a popular song4 ,then she exclaimed abruptly3 ,i'm sick of 'most everything4 ,i hope the ',shadows of ,london' will be exciting tonight4 ,the ',shadows of ,chicago1' murmured ,felicia4 ,the ',shadows of ,chicago6' ,the ',shadows of ,london1' the play1 the great drama with its wonderful scenery1 the sensation of ,new ,york for two months4 ,you know we have a box with the ,delanos tonight4 ,felicia turned her face towards her sister4 ,her great brown eyes were very expressive and not altogether free from a sparkle of luminous heat4 ,and yet we never weep over the real thing on the actual stage of life4 ,what are the ',shadows of ,london' on the stage to the shadows of ,london or ,chicago as they really exist8 ,why don't we get excited over the facts as they are8 ,because the actual people are dirty and disagreeable and it's too much bother1 ,i suppose1 replied ,rose carelessly4 ,felicia1 you can never reform the world4 ,what's the use8 ,we're not to blame for the poverty and misery4 ,there have always been rich and poor2 and there always will be4 ,we ought to be thankful we're rich4 ,suppose ,christ had gone on that principle1 replied ,felicia1 with unusual persistence4 ,do you remember ,dr4 ,bruce's sermon on that verse a few ,sundays ago3 ',for ye know the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that though he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor1 that ye through his poverty might become rich'8 ,i remember it well enough1 said ,rose with some petulance1 and didn't ,dr4 ,bruce go on to say that there is no blame attached to people who have wealth if they are kind and give to the needs of the poor8 ,and ,i am sure that he himself is pretty comfortably settled4 ,he never gives up his luxuries just because some people go hungry4 ,what good would it do if he did8 ,i tell you1 ,felicia1 there will always be poor and rich in spite of all we can do4 ,ever since ,rachel ,winslow has written about those queer doings in ,raymond you have upset the whole family4 ,people can't live at that concert pitch all the time4 ,you see if ,rachel doesn't give it up soon4 ,it's a great pity she doesn't come to ,chicago and sing in the ,auditorium concerts4 ,she has received an offer4 ,i'm going to write and urge her to come4 ,i'm just dying to hear her sing4 ,felicia looked out of the window and was silent4 ,the carriage rolled on past two blocks of magnificent private residences and turned into a wide driveway under a covered passage1 and the sisters hurried into the house4 ,it was an elegant mansion of gray stone furnished like a palace1 every corner of it warm with the luxury of paintings1 sculpture1 art and modern refinement4 ,the owner of it all1 ,mr4 ,charles ,r4 ,sterling1 stood before an open grate fire smoking a cigar4 ,he had made his money in grain speculation and railroad ventures1 and was reputed to be worth something over two millions4 ,his wife was a sister of ,mrs4 ,winslow of ,raymond4 ,she had been an invalid for several years4 ,the two girls1 ,rose and ,felicia1 were the only children4 ,rose was twenty-one years old1 fair1 vivacious1 educated in a fashionable college1 just entering society and already somewhat cynical and indifferent4 ,a very hard young lady to please1 her father said1 sometimes playfully1 sometimes sternly4 ,felicia was nineteen1 with a tropical beauty somewhat like her cousin1 ,rachel ,winslow1 with warm1 generous impulses just waking into ,christian feeling1 capable of all sorts of expression1 a puzzle to her father1 a source of irritation to her mother and with a great unsurveyed territory of thought and action in herself1 of which she was more than dimly conscious4 ,there was that in ,felicia that would easily endure any condition in life if only the liberty to act fully on her conscientious convictions were granted her4 ,here's a letter for you1 ,felicia1 said ,mr4 ,sterling1 handing it to her4 ,felicia sat down and instantly opened the letter1 saying as she did so3 ,it's from ,rachel4 ,well1 what's the latest news from ,raymond8 asked ,mr4 ,sterling1 taking his cigar out of his mouth and looking at ,felicia with half-shut eyes1 as if he were studying her4 ,rachel says ,dr4 ,bruce has been staying in ,raymond for two ,sundays and has seemed very much interested in ,mr4 ,maxwell's pledge in the ,first ,church4 ,what does ,rachel say about herself8 asked ,rose1 who was lying on a couch almost buried under elegant cushions4 ,she is still singing at the ,rectangle4 ,since the tent meetings closed she sings in an old hall until the new buildings which her friend1 ,virginia ,page1 is putting up are completed4 ,i must write ,rachel to come to ,chicago and visit us4 ,she ought not to throw away her voice in that railroad town upon all those people who don't appreciate her4 ,mr4 ,sterling lighted a new cigar and ,rose exclaimed3 ,rachel is so queer4 ,she might set ,chicago wild with her voice if she sang in the ,auditorium4 ,and there she goes on throwing it away on people who don't know what they are hearing4 ,rachel won't come here unless she can do it and keep her pledge at the same time1 said ,felicia1 after a pause4 ,what pledge8 ,mr4 ,sterling asked the question and then added hastily3 ,oh1 ,i know1 yes6 ,a very peculiar thing that4 ,alexander ,powers used to be a friend of mine4 ,we learned telegraphy in the same office4 ,made a great sensation when he resigned and handed over that evidence to the ,interstate ,commerce ,commission4 ,and he's back at his telegraph again4 ,there have been queer doings in ,raymond during the past year4 ,i wonder what ,dr4 ,bruce thinks of it on the whole4 ,i must have a talk with him about it4 ,he is at home and will preach tomorrow1 said ,felicia4 ,perhaps he will tell us something about it4 ,there was silence for a minute4 ,then ,felicia said abruptly1 as if she had gone on with a spoken thought to some invisible hearer3 ,and what if he should propose the same pledge to the ,nazareth ,avenue ,church8 ,who8 ,what are you talking about8 asked her father a little sharply4 ,about ,dr4 ,bruce4 ,i say1 what if he should propose to our church what ,mr4 ,maxwell proposed to his1 and ask for volunteers who would pledge themselves to do everything after asking the question1 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,there's no danger of it1 said ,rose1 rising suddenly from the couch as the tea-bell rang4 ,it's a very impracticable movement1 to my mind1 said ,mr4 ,sterling shortly4 ,i understand from ,rachel's letter that the ,raymond church is going to make an attempt to extend the idea of the pledge to other churches4 ,if it succeeds it will certainly make great changes in the churches and in people's lives1 said ,felicia4 ,oh1 well1 let's have some tea first6 said ,rose1 walking into the dining-room4 ,her father and ,felicia followed1 and the meal proceeded in silence4 ,mrs4 ,sterling had her meals served in her room4 ,mr4 ,sterling was preoccupied4 ,he ate very little and excused himself early1 and although it was ,saturday night1 he remarked as he went out that he should be down town on some special business4 ,don't you think father looks very much disturbed lately8 asked ,felicia a little while after he had gone out4 ,oh1 ,i don't know6 ,i hadn't noticed anything unusual1 replied ,rose4 ,after a silence she said3 ,are you going to the play tonight1 ,felicia8 ,mrs4 ,delano will be here at half past seven4 ,i think you ought to go4 ,she will feel hurt if you refuse4 ,i'll go4 ,i don't care about it4 ,i can see shadows enough without going to the play4 ,that's a doleful remark for a girl nineteen years old to make1 replied ,rose4 ,but then you're queer in your ideas anyhow1 ,felicia4 ,if you are going up to see mother1 tell her ,i'll run in after the play if she is still awake4 ,felicia went up to see her mother and remained with her until the ,delano carriage came4 ,mrs4 ,sterling was worried about her husband4 ,she talked incessantly1 and was irritated by every remark ,felicia made4 ,she would not listen to ,felicia's attempts to read even a part of ,rachel's letter1 and when ,felicia offered to stay with her for the evening1 she refused the offer with a good deal of positive sharpness4 ,chapter ,twenty-two ,,felicia started off to the play not very happy1 but she was familiar with that feeling1 only sometimes she was more unhappy than at others4 ,her feeling expressed itself tonight by a withdrawal into herself4 ,when the company was seated in the box and the curtain had gone up ,felicia was back of the others and remained for the evening by herself4 ,mrs4 ,delano1 as chaperon for half a dozen young ladies1 understood ,felicia well enough to know that she was queer1 as ,rose so often said1 and she made no attempt to draw her out of her corner4 ,and so the girl really experienced that night by herself one of the feelings that added to the momentum that was increasing the coming on of her great crisis4 ,the play was an ,english melodrama1 full of startling situations1 realistic scenery and unexpected climaxes4 ,there was one scene in the third act that impressed even ,rose ,sterling4 ,it was midnight on ,blackfriars ,bridge4 ,the ,thames flowed dark and forbidden below4 ,st4 ,paul's rose through the dim light imposing1 its dome seeming to float above the buildings surrounding it4 ,the figure of a child came upon the bridge and stood there for a moment peering about as if looking for some one4 ,several persons were crossing the bridge1 but in one of the recesses about midway of the river a woman stood1 leaning out over the parapet1 with a strained agony of face and figure that told plainly of her intention4 ,just as she was stealthily mounting the parapet to throw herself into the river1 the child caught sight of her1 ran forward with a shrill cry more animal than human1 and seizing the woman's dress dragged back upon it with all her little strength4 ,then there came suddenly upon the scene two other characters who had already figured in the play1 a tall1 handsome1 athletic gentleman dressed in the fashion1 attended by a slim-figured lad who was as refined in dress and appearance as the little girl clinging to her mother1 who was mournfully hideous in her rags and repulsive poverty4 ,these two1 the gentleman and the lad1 prevented the attempted suicide1 and after a tableau on the bridge where the audience learned that the man and woman were brother and sister1 the scene was transferred to the interior of one of the slum tenements in the ,east ,side of ,london4 ,here the scene painter and carpenter had done their utmost to produce an exact copy of a famous court and alley well known to the poor creatures who make up a part of the outcast ,london humanity4 ,the rags1 the crowding1 the vileness1 the broken furniture1 the horrible animal existence forced upon creatures made in ,god's image were so skilfully shown in this scene that more than one elegant woman in the theatre1 seated like ,rose ,sterling in a sumptuous box surrounded with silk hangings and velvet covered railing1 caught herself shrinking back a little as if contamination were possible from the nearness of this piece of scenery4 ,it was almost too realistic1 and yet it had a horrible fascination for ,felicia as she sat there alone1 buried back in a cushioned seat and absorbed in thoughts that went far beyond the dialogue on the stage4 ,from the tenement scene the play shifted to the interior of a nobleman's palace1 and almost a sigh of relief went up all over the house at the sight of the accustomed luxury of the upper classes4 ,the contrast was startling4 ,it was brought about by a clever piece of staging that allowed only a few moments to elapse between the slum and the palace scene4 ,the dialogue went on1 the actors came and went in their various roles1 but upon ,felicia the play made but one distinct impression4 ,in realty the scenes on the bridge and in the slums were only incidents in the story of the play1 but ,felicia found herself living those scenes over and over4 ,she had never philosophized about the causes of human misery1 she was not old enough she had not the temperament that philosophizes4 ,but she felt intensely1 and this was not the first time she had felt the contrast thrust into her feeling between the upper and the lower conditions of human life4 ,it had been growing upon her until it had made her what ,rose called queer1 and other people in her circle of wealthy acquaintances called very unusual4 ,it was simply the human problem in its extreme of riches and poverty1 its refinement and its vileness1 that was1 in spite of her unconscious attempts to struggle against the facts1 burning into her life the impression that would in the end either transform her into a woman of rare love and self-sacrifice for the world1 or a miserable enigma to herself and all who knew her4 ,come1 ,felicia1 aren't you going home8 said ,rose4 ,the play was over1 the curtain down1 and people were going noisily out1 laughing and gossiping as if ,the ,shadows of ,london were simply good diversion1 as they were1 put on the stage so effectively4 ,felicia rose and went out with the rest quietly1 and with the absorbed feeling that had actually left her in her seat oblivious of the play's ending4 ,she was never absent-minded1 but often thought herself into a condition that left her alone in the midst of a crowd4 ,well1 what did you think of it8 asked ,rose when the sisters had reached home and were in the drawing-room4 ,rose really had considerable respect for ,felicia's judgment of a play4 ,i thought it was a pretty fair picture of real life4 ,i mean the acting1 said ,rose1 annoyed4 ,the bridge scene was well acted1 especially the woman's part4 ,i thought the man overdid the sentiment a little4 ,did you8 ,i enjoyed that4 ,and wasn't the scene between the two cousins funny when they first learned they were related8 ,but the slum scene was horrible4 ,i think they ought not to show such things in a play4 ,they are too painful4 ,they must be painful in real life1 too1 replied ,felicia4 ,yes1 but we don't have to look at the real thing4 ,it's bad enough at the theatre where we pay for it4 ,rose went into the dining-room and began to eat from a plate of fruit and cakes on the sideboard4 ,are you going up to see mother8 asked ,felicia after a while4 ,she had remained in front of the drawing-room fireplace4 ,no1 replied ,rose from the other room4 ,i won't trouble her tonight4 ,if you go in tell her ,i am too tired to be agreeable4 ,so ,felicia turned into her mother's room1 as she went up the great staircase and down the upper hall4 ,the light was burning there1 and the servant who always waited on ,mrs4 ,sterling was beckoning ,felicia to come in4 ,tell ,clara to go out1 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,sterling as ,felicia came up to the bed4 ,felicia was surprised1 but she did as her mother bade her1 and then inquired how she was feeling4 ,felicia1 said her mother1 can you pray8 ,the question was so unlike any her mother had ever asked before that she was startled4 ,but she answered3 ,why1 yes1 mother4 ,why do you ask such a question8 ,felicia1 ,i am frightened4 ,your father--,i have had such strange fears about him all day4 ,something is wrong with him4 ,i want you to pray--4 ,now1 here1 mother8 ,yes4 ,pray1 ,felicia4 ,felicia reached out her hand and took her mother's4 ,it was trembling4 ,mrs4 ,sterling had never shown such tenderness for her younger daughter1 and her strange demand now was the first real sign of any confidence in ,felicia's character4 ,the girl kneeled1 still holding her mother's trembling hand1 and prayed4 ,it is doubtful if she had ever prayed aloud before4 ,she must have said in her prayer the words that her mother needed1 for when it was silent in the room the invalid was weeping softly and her nervous tension was over4 ,felicia stayed some time4 ,when she was assured that her mother would not need her any longer she rose to go4 ,good night1 mother4 ,you must let ,clara call me if you feel badly in the night4 ,i feel better now4 ,then as ,felicia was moving away1 ,mrs4 ,sterling said3 ,won't you kiss me1 ,felicia8 ,felicia went back and bent over her mother4 ,the kiss was almost as strange to her as the prayer had been4 ,when ,felicia went out of the room her cheeks were wet with tears4 ,she had not often cried since she was a little child4 ,sunday morning at the ,sterling mansion was generally very quiet4 ,the girls usually went to church at eleven o'clock service4 ,mr4 ,sterling was not a member but a heavy contributor1 and he generally went to church in the morning4 ,this time he did not come down to breakfast1 and finally sent word by a servant that he did not feel well enough to go out4 ,so ,rose and ,felicia drove up to the door of the ,nazareth ,avenue ,church and entered the family pew alone4 ,when ,dr4 ,bruce walked out of the room at the rear of the platform and went up to the pulpit to open the ,bible as his custom was1 those who knew him best did not detect anything unusual in his manner or his expression4 ,he proceeded with the service as usual4 ,he was calm and his voice was steady and firm4 ,his prayer was the first intimation the people had of anything new or strange in the service4 ,it is safe to say that the ,nazareth ,avenue ,church had not heard ,dr4 ,bruce offer such a prayer before during the twelve years he had been pastor there4 ,how would a minister be likely to pray who had come out of a revolution in ,christian feeling that had completely changed his definition of what was meant by following ,jesus8 ,no one in ,nazareth ,avenue ,church had any idea that the ,rev4 ,calvin ,bruce1 ,d4 ,d41 the dignified1 cultured1 refined ,doctor of ,divinity1 had within a few days been crying like a little child on his knees1 asking for strength and courage and ,christlikeness to speak his ,sunday message2 and yet the prayer was an unconscious involuntary disclosure of his soul's experience such as the ,nazareth ,avenue people had seldom heard1 and never before from that pulpit4 ,in the hush that succeeded the prayer a distinct wave of spiritual power moved over the congregation4 ,the most careless persons in the church felt it4 ,felicia1 whose sensitive religious nature responded swiftly to every touch of emotion1 quivered under the passing of that supernatural pressure1 and when she lifted her head and looked up at the minister there was a look in her eyes that announced her intense1 eager anticipation of the scene that was to follow4 ,and she was not alone in her attitude4 ,there was something in the prayer and the result of it that stirred many and many a disciple in that church4 ,all over the house men and women leaned forward1 and when ,dr4 ,bruce began to speak of his visit to ,raymond1 in the opening sentence of his address which this morning preceded his sermon1 there was an answering response in the people that came back to him as he spoke1 and thrilled him with the hope of a spiritual baptism such as he had never during all his ministry experienced4 ,chapter ,twenty-three ,i ,,am just back from a visit to ,raymond1 ,dr4 ,bruce began1 and ,i want to tell you something of my impressions of the movement there4 ,he paused and his look went out over his people with yearning for them and at the same time with a great uncertainty at his heart4 ,how many of his rich1 fashionable1 refined1 luxury-loving members would understand the nature of the appeal he was soon to make to them8 ,he was altogether in the dark as to that4 ,nevertheless he had been through his desert1 and had come out of it ready to suffer4 ,he went on now after that brief pause and told them the story of his stay in ,raymond4 ,the people already knew something of that experiment in the ,first ,church4 ,the whole country had watched the progress of the pledge as it had become history in so many lives4 ,mr4 ,maxwell had at last decided that the time had come to seek the fellowship of other churches throughout the country4 ,the new discipleship in ,raymond had proved to be so valuable in its results that he wished the churches in general to share with the disciples in ,raymond4 ,already there had begun a volunteer movement in many churches throughout the country1 acting on their own desire to walk closer in the steps of ,jesus4 ,the ,christian ,endeavor ,society had1 with enthusiasm1 in many churches taken the pledge to do as ,jesus would do1 and the result was already marked in a deeper spiritual life and a power in church influence that was like a new birth for the members4 ,all this ,dr4 ,bruce told his people simply and with a personal interest that evidently led the way to the announcement which now followed4 ,felicia had listened to every word with strained attention4 ,she sat there by the side of ,rose1 in contrast like fire beside snow1 although even ,rose was alert and as excited as she could be4 ,dear friends1 he said1 and for the first time since his prayer the emotion of the occasion was revealed in his voice and gesture1 ,i am going to ask that ,nazareth ,avenue ,church take the same pledge that ,raymond ,church has taken4 ,i know what this will mean to you and me4 ,it will mean the complete change of very many habits4 ,it will mean1 possibly1 social loss4 ,it will mean very probably1 in many cases1 loss of money4 ,it will mean suffering4 ,it will mean what following ,jesus meant in the first century1 and then it meant suffering1 loss1 hardship1 separation from everything un-,christian4 ,but what does following ,jesus mean8 ,the test of discipleship is the same now as then4 ,those of us who volunteer in this church to do as ,jesus would do1 simply promise to walk in ,his steps as ,he gave us commandment4 ,again he paused1 and now the result of his announcement was plainly visible in the stir that went up over the congregation4 ,he added in a quiet voice that all who volunteered to make the pledge to do as ,jesus would do1 were asked to remain after the morning service4 ,instantly he proceeded with his sermon4 ,his text was1 ,master1 ,i will follow ,thee whithersoever ,thou goest4 ,it was a sermon that touched the deep springs of conduct2 it was a revelation to the people of the definition their pastor had been learning2 it took them back to the first century of ,christianity2 above all1 it stirred them below the conventional thought of years as to the meaning and purpose of church membership4 ,it was such a sermon as a man can preach once in a lifetime1 and with enough in it for people to live on all through the rest of their lifetime4 ,the service closed in a hush that was slowly broken4 ,people rose here and there1 a few at a time4 ,there was a reluctance in the movements of some that was very striking4 ,rose1 however1 walked straight out of the pew1 and as she reached the aisle she turned her head and beckoned to ,felicia4 ,by that time the congregation was rising all over the church4 ,i am going to stay1 she said1 and ,rose had heard her speak in the same manner on other occasions1 and knew that her resolve could not be changed4 ,nevertheless she went back into the pew two or three steps and faced her4 ,felicia1 she whispered1 and there was a flush of anger on her cheeks1 this is folly4 ,what can you do8 ,you will bring some disgrace on the family4 ,what will father say8 ,come6 ,felicia looked at her but did not answer at once4 ,her lips were moving with a petition that came from the depth of feeling that measured a new life for her4 ,she shocked her head4 ,no1 ,i am going to stay4 ,i shall take the pledge4 ,i am ready to obey it4 ,you do not know why ,i am doing this4 ,rose gave her one look and then turned and went out of the pew1 and down the aisle4 ,she did not even stop to talk with her acquaintances4 ,mrs4 ,delano was going out of the church just as ,rose stepped into the vestibule4 ,so you are not going to join ,dr4 ,bruce's volunteer company8 ,mrs4 ,delano asked1 in a queer tone that made ,rose redden4 ,no1 are you8 ,it is simply absurd4 ,i have always regarded that ,raymond movement as fanatical4 ,you know cousin ,rachel keeps us posted about it4 ,yes1 ,i understand it is resulting in a great deal of hardship in many cases4 ,for my part1 ,i believe ,dr4 ,bruce has simply provoked disturbance here4 ,it will result in splitting our church4 ,you see if it isn't so4 ,there are scores of people in the church who are so situated that they can't take such a pledge and keep it4 ,i am one of them1 added ,mrs4 ,delano as she went out with ,rose4 ,when ,rose reached home1 her father was standing in his usual attitude before the open fireplace1 smoking a cigar4 ,where is ,felicia8 he asked as ,rose came in4 ,she stayed to an after-meeting1 replied ,rose shortly4 ,she threw off her wraps and was going upstairs when ,mr4 ,sterling called after her4 ,an after-meeting8 ,what do you mean8 ,dr4 ,bruce asked the church to take the ,raymond pledge4 ,mr4 ,sterling took his cigar out of his mouth and twirled it nervously between his fingers4 ,i didn't expect that of ,dr4 ,bruce4 ,did many of the members stay8 ,i don't know4 ,i didn't1 replied ,rose1 and she went upstairs leaving her father standing in the drawing-room4 ,after a few moments he went to the window and stood there looking out at the people driving on the boulevard4 ,his cigar had gone out1 but he still fingered it nervously4 ,then he turned from the window and walked up and down the room4 ,a servant stepped across the hall and announced dinner and he told her to wait for ,felicia4 ,rose came downstairs and went into the library4 ,and still ,mr4 ,sterling paced the drawing-room restlessly4 ,he had finally wearied of the walking apparently1 and throwing himself into a chair was brooding over something deeply when ,felicia came in4 ,he rose and faced her4 ,felicia was evidently very much moved by the meeting from which she had just come4 ,at the same time she did not wish to talk too much about it4 ,just as she entered the drawing-room1 ,rose came in from the library4 ,how many stayed8 she asked4 ,rose was curious4 ,at the same time she was skeptical of the whole movement in ,raymond4 ,about a hundred1 replied ,felicia gravely4 ,mr4 ,sterling looked surprised4 ,felicia was going out of the room1 but he called to her3 ,do you really mean to keep the pledge8 he asked4 ,felicia colored4 ,over her face and neck the warm blood flowed and she answered1 ,you would not ask such a question1 father1 if you had been at the meeting4 ,she lingered a moment in the room1 then asked to be excused from dinner for a while and went up to see her mother4 ,no one but they two ever knew what that interview between ,felicia and her mother was4 ,it is certain that she must have told her mother something of the spiritual power that had awed every person present in the company of disciples who faced ,dr4 ,bruce in that meeting after the morning service4 ,it is also certain that ,felicia had never before known such an experience1 and would never have thought of sharing it with her mother if it had not been for the prayer the evening before4 ,another fact is also known of ,felicia's experience at this time4 ,when she finally joined her father and ,rose at the table she seemed unable to tell them much about the meeting4 ,there was a reluctance to speak of it as one might hesitate to attempt a description of a wonderful sunset to a person who never talked about anything but the weather4 ,when that ,sunday in the ,sterling mansion was drawing to a close and the soft1 warm lights throughout the dwelling were glowing through the great windows1 in a corner of her room1 where the light was obscure1 ,felicia kneeled1 and when she raised her face and turned it towards the light1 it was the face of a woman who had already defined for herself the greatest issues of earthly life4 ,that same evening1 after the ,sunday evening service1 ,dr4 ,bruce was talking over the events of the day with his wife4 ,they were of one heart and mind in the matter1 and faced their new future with all the faith and courage of new disciples4 ,neither was deceived as to the probable results of the pledge to themselves or to the church4 ,they had been talking but a little while when the bell rang and ,dr4 ,bruce going to the door exclaimed1 as he opened it3 ,it is you1 ,edward6 ,come in4 ,there came into the hall a commanding figure4 ,the ,bishop was of extraordinary height and breadth of shoulder1 but of such good proportions that there was no thought of ungainly or even of unusual size4 ,the impression the ,bishop made on strangers was1 first1 that of great health1 and then of great affection4 ,he came into the parlor and greeted ,mrs4 ,bruce1 who after a few moments was called out of the room1 leaving the two men together4 ,the ,bishop sat in a deep1 easy chair before the open fire4 ,there was just enough dampness in the early spring of the year to make an open fire pleasant4 ,calvin1 you have taken a very serious step today1 he finally said1 lifting his large dark eyes to his old college classmate's face4 ,i heard of it this afternoon4 ,i could not resist the desire to see you about it tonight4 ,i'm glad you came4 ,dr4 ,bruce laid a hand on the ,bishop's shoulder4 ,you understand what this means1 ,edward8 ,i think ,i do4 ,yes1 ,i am sure4 ,the ,bishop spoke very slowly and thoughtfully4 ,he sat with his hands clasped together4 ,over his face1 marked with lines of consecration and service and the love of men1 a shadow crept1 a shadow not caused by the firelight4 ,once more he lifted his eyes toward his old friend4 ,calvin1 we have always understood each other4 ,ever since our paths led us in different ways in church life we have walked together in ,christian fellowship--4 ,it is true1 replied ,dr4 ,bruce with an emotion he made no attempt to conceal or subdue4 ,thank ,god for it4 ,i prize your fellowship more than any other man's4 ,i have always known what it meant1 though it has always been more than ,i deserve4 ,the ,bishop looked affectionately at his friend4 ,but the shadow still rested on his face4 ,after a pause he spoke again3 ,the new discipleship means a crisis for you in your work4 ,if you keep this pledge to do all things as ,jesus would do--as ,i know you will--it requires no prophet to predict some remarkable changes in your parish4 ,the ,bishop looked wistfully at his friend and then continued3 ,in fact1 ,i do not see how a perfect upheaval of ,christianity1 as we now know it1 can be prevented if the ministers and churches generally take the ,raymond pledge and live it out4 ,he paused as if he were waiting for his friend to say something1 to ask some question4 ,but ,bruce did not know of the fire that was burning in the ,bishop's heart over the very question that ,maxwell and himself had fought out4 ,now1 in my church1 for instance1 continued the ,bishop1 it would be rather a difficult matter1 ,i fear1 to find very many people who would take a pledge like that and live up to it4 ,martyrdom is a lost art with us4 ,our ,christianity loves its ease and comfort too well to take up anything so rough and heavy as a cross4 ,and yet what does following ,jesus mean8 ,what is it to walk in ,his steps8 ,the ,bishop was soliloquizing now and it is doubtful if he thought1 for the moment1 of his friend's presence4 ,for the first time there flashed into ,dr4 ,bruce's mind a suspicion of the truth4 ,what if the ,bishop would throw the weight of his great influence on the side of the ,raymond movement8 ,he had the following of the most aristocratic1 wealthy1 fashionable people1 not only in ,chicago1 but in several large cities4 ,what if the ,bishop should join this new discipleship6 ,the thought was about to be followed by the word4 ,dr4 ,bruce had reached out his hand and with the familiarity of lifelong friendship had placed it on the ,bishop's shoulder and was about to ask a very important question1 when they were both startled by the violent ringing of the bell4 ,mrs4 ,bruce had gone to the door and was talking with some one in the hall4 ,there was a loud exclamation and then1 as the ,bishop rose and ,bruce was stepping toward the curtain that hung before the entrance to the parlor1 ,mrs4 ,bruce pushed it aside4 ,her face was white and she was trembling4 ,o ,calvin6 ,such terrible news6 ,mr4 ,sterling--oh1 ,i cannot tell it6 ,what a blow to those girls6 ,what is it8 ,mr4 ,bruce advanced with the ,bishop into the hall and confronted the messenger1 a servant from the ,sterlings4 ,the man was without his hat and had evidently run over with the news1 as ,dr4 ,bruce lived nearest of any intimate friends of the family4 ,mr4 ,sterling shot himself1 sir1 a few minutes ago4 ,he killed himself in his bed-room4 ,mrs4 ,sterling-- ,i will go right over1 ,edward4 ,will you go with me8 ,the ,sterlings are old friends of yours4' ,the ,bishop was very pale1 but calm as always4 ,he looked his friend in the face and answered3 ,aye1 ,calvin1 ,i will go with you not only to this house of death1 but also the whole way of human sin and sorrow1 please ,god4 ,and even in that moment of horror at the unexpected news1 ,dr4 ,bruce understood what the ,bishop had promised to do4 ,chapter ,twenty-four ,these are they which follow the ,lamb whithersoever ,he goeth4 ,,when ,dr4 ,bruce and the ,bishop entered the ,sterling mansion everything in the usually well appointed household was in the greatest confusion and terror4 ,the great rooms downstairs were empty1 but overhead were hurried footsteps and confused noises4 ,one of the servants ran down the grand staircase with a look of horror on her face just as the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce were starting to go up4 ,miss ,felicia is with ,mrs4 ,sterling1 the servant stammered in answer to a question1 and then burst into a hysterical cry and ran through the drawing-room and out of doors4 ,at the top of the staircase the two men were met by ,felicia4 ,she walked up to ,dr4 ,bruce at once and put both hands in his4 ,the ,bishop then laid his hand on her head and the three stood there a moment in perfect silence4 ,the ,bishop had known ,felicia since she was a little child4 ,he was the first to break the silence4 ,the ,god of all mercy be with you1 ,felicia1 in this dark hour4 ,your mother-- ,the ,bishop hesitated4 ,out of the buried past he had1 during his hurried passage from his friend's to this house of death1 irresistibly drawn the one tender romance of his young manhood4 ,not even ,bruce knew that4 ,but there had been a time when the ,bishop had offered the incense of a singularly undivided affection upon the altar of his youth to the beautiful ,camilla ,rolfe1 and she had chosen between him and the millionaire4 ,the ,bishop carried no bitterness with his memory2 but it was still a memory4 ,for answer to the ,bishop's unfinished query1 ,felicia turned and went back into her mother's room4 ,she had not said a word yet1 but both men were struck with her wonderful calm4 ,she returned to the hall door and beckoned to them1 and the two ministers1 with a feeling that they were about to behold something very unusual1 entered4 ,rose lay with her arms outstretched upon the bed4 ,clara1 the nurse1 sat with her head covered1 sobbing in spasms of terror4 ,and ,mrs4 ,sterling with the light that never was on sea or land luminous on her face1 lay there so still that even the ,bishop was deceived at first4 ,then1 as the great truth broke upon him and ,dr4 ,bruce1 he staggered1 and the sharp agony of the old wound shot through him4 ,it passed1 and left him standing there in that chamber of death with the eternal calmness and strength that the children of ,god have a right to possess4 ,and right well he used that calmness and strength in the days that followed4 ,the next moment the house below was in a tumult4 ,almost at the same time the doctor who had been sent for at once1 but lived some distance away1 came in1 together with police officers1 who had been summoned by frightened servants4 ,with them were four or five newspaper correspondents and several neighbors4 ,dr4 ,bruce and the ,bishop met this miscellaneous crowd at the head of the stairs and succeeded in excluding all except those whose presence was necessary4 ,with these the two friends learned all the facts ever known about the ,sterling tragedy1 as the papers in their sensational accounts next day called it4 ,mr4 ,sterling had gone into his room that evening about nine o'clock and that was the last seen of him until1 in half an hour1 a shot was heard in the room1 and a servant who was in the hall ran into the room and found him dead on the floor1 killed by his own hand4 ,felicia at the time was sitting by her mother4 ,rose was reading in the library4 ,she ran upstairs1 saw her father as he was being lifted upon the couch by the servants1 and then ran screaming into her mother's room1 where she flung herself down at the foot of the bed in a swoon4 ,mrs4 ,sterling had at first fainted at the shock1 then rallied with a wonderful swiftness and sent for ,dr4 ,bruce4 ,she had then insisted on seeing her husband4 ,in spite of ,felicia's efforts1 she had compelled ,clara to support her while she crossed the hall and entered the room where her husband lay4 ,she had looked upon him with a tearless face1 had gone back to her own room1 was laid on her bed1 and as ,dr4 ,bruce and the ,bishop entered the house she1 with a prayer of forgiveness for herself and for her husband on her quivering lips1 had died1 with ,felicia bending over her and ,rose still lying senseless at her feet4 ,so great and swift had been the entrance of grim ,death into that palace of luxury that ,sunday night6 ,but the full cause of his coming was not learned until the facts in regard to ,mr4 ,sterling's business affairs were finally disclosed4 ,then it was learned that for some time he had been facing financial ruin owing to certain speculations that had in a month's time swept his supposed wealth into complete destruction4 ,with the cunning and desperation of a man who battles for his very life when he saw his money1 which was all the life he ever valued1 slipping from him1 he had put off the evil day to the last moment4 ,sunday afternoon1 however1 he had received news that proved to him beyond a doubt the fact of his utter ruin4 ,the very house that he called his1 the chairs in which he sat1 his carriage1 the dishes from which he ate1 had all been bought with money for which he himself had never really done an honest stroke of pure labor4 ,it had all rested on a tissue of deceit and speculation that had no foundation in real values4 ,he knew that fact better than any one else1 but he had hoped1 with the hope such men always have1 that the same methods that brought him the money would also prevent the loss4 ,he had been deceived in this as many others have been4 ,as soon as the truth that he was practically a beggar had dawned upon him1 he saw no escape from suicide4 ,it was the irresistible result of such a life as he had lived4 ,he had made money his god4 ,as soon as that god was gone out of his little world there was nothing more to worship2 and when a man's object of worship is gone he has no more to live for4 ,thus died the great millionaire1 ,charles ,r4 ,sterling4 ,and1 verily1 he died as the fool dieth1 for what is the gain or the loss of money compared with the unsearchable riches of eternal life which are beyond the reach of speculation1 loss or change8 ,mrs4 ,sterling's death was the result of the shock4 ,she had not been taken into her husband's confidence for years1 but she knew that the source of his wealth was precarious4 ,her life for several years had been a death in life4 ,the ,rolfes always gave an impression that they could endure more disaster unmoved than any one else4 ,mrs4 ,sterling illustrated the old family tradition when she was carried into the room where her husband lay4 ,but the feeble tenement could not hold the spirit and it gave up the ghost1 torn and weakened by long years of suffering and disappointment4 ,the effect of this triple blow1 the death of father and mother1 and the loss of property1 was instantly apparent in the sisters4 ,the horror of events stupefied ,rose for weeks4 ,she lay unmoved by sympathy or any effort to rally4 ,she did not seem yet to realize that the money which had been so large a part of her very existence was gone4 ,even when she was told that she and ,felicia must leave the house and be dependent on relatives and friends1 she did not seem to understand what it meant4 ,felicia1 however1 was fully conscious of the facts4 ,she knew just what had happened and why4 ,she was talking over her future plans with her cousin ,rachel a few days after the funerals4 ,mrs4 ,winslow and ,rachel had left ,raymond and come to ,chicago at once as soon as the terrible news had reached them1 and with other friends of the family were planning for the future of ,rose and ,felicia4 ,felicia1 you and ,rose must come to ,raymond with us4 ,that is settled4 ,mother will not hear to any other plan at present1 ,rachel had said1 while her beautiful face glowed with love for her cousin1 a love that had deepened day by day1 and was intensified by the knowledge that they both belonged to the new discipleship4 ,unless ,i can find something to do here1 answered ,felicia4 ,she looked wistfully at ,rachel1 and ,rachel said gently3 ,what could you do1 dear8 ,nothing4 ,i was never taught to do anything except a little music1 and ,i do not know enough about it to teach it or earn my living at it4 ,i have learned to cook a little1 ,felicia added with a slight smile4 ,then you can cook for us4 ,mother is always having trouble with her kitchen1 said ,rachel1 understanding well enough she was now dependent for her very food and shelter upon the kindness of family friends4 ,it is true the girls received a little something out of the wreck of their father's fortune1 but with a speculator's mad folly he had managed to involve both his wife's and his children's portion in the common ruin4 ,can ,i8 ,can ,i8 ,felicia responded to ,rachel's proposition as if it were to be considered seriously4 ,i am ready to do anything honorable to make my living and that of ,rose4 ,poor ,rose6 ,she will never be able to get over the shock of our trouble4 ,we will arrange the details when we get to ,raymond1 ,rachel said1 smiling through her tears at ,felicia's eager willingness to care for herself4 ,so in a few weeks ,rose and ,felicia found themselves a part of the ,winslow family in ,raymond4 ,it was a bitter experience for ,rose1 but there was nothing else for her to do and she accepted the inevitable1 brooding over the great change in her life and in many ways adding to the burden of ,felicia and her cousin ,rachel4 ,felicia at once found herself in an atmosphere of discipleship that was like heaven to her in its revelation of companionship4 ,it is true that ,mrs4 ,winslow was not in sympathy with the course that ,rachel was taking1 but the remarkable events in ,raymond since the pledge was taken were too powerful in their results not to impress even such a woman as ,mrs4 ,winslow4 ,with ,rachel1 ,felicia found a perfect fellowship4 ,she at once found a part to take in the new work at the ,rectangle4 ,in the spirit of her new life she insisted upon helping in the housework at her aunt's1 and in a short time demonstrated her ability as a cook so clearly that ,virginia suggested that she take charge of the cooking at the ,rectangle4 ,felicia entered upon this work with the keenest pleasure4 ,for the first time in her life she had the delight of doing something of value for the happiness of others4 ,her resolve to do everything after asking1 ,what would ,jesus do8 touched her deepest nature4 ,she began to develop and strengthen wonderfully4 ,even ,mrs4 ,winslow was obliged to acknowledge the great usefulness and beauty of ,felicia's character4 ,the aunt looked with astonishment upon her niece1 this city-bred girl1 reared in the greatest luxury1 the daughter of a millionaire1 now walking around in her kitchen1 her arms covered with flour and occasionally a streak of it on her nose1 for ,felicia at first had a habit of rubbing her nose forgetfully when she was trying to remember some recipe1 mixing various dishes with the greatest interest in their results1 washing up pans and kettles and doing the ordinary work of a servant in the ,winslow kitchen and at the rooms at the ,rectangle ,settlement4 ,at first ,mrs4 ,winslow remonstrated4 ,felicia1 it is not your place to be out here doing this common work4 ,i cannot allow it4 ,why1 ,aunt8 ,don't you like the muffins ,i made this morning8 ,felicia would ask meekly1 but with a hidden smile1 knowing her aunt's weakness for that kind of muffin4 ,they were beautiful1 ,felicia4 ,but it does not seem right for you to be doing such work for us4 ,why not8 ,what else can ,i do8 ,her aunt looked at her thoughtfully1 noting her remarkable beauty of face and expression4 ,you do not always intend to do this kind of work1 ,felicia8 ,maybe ,i shall4 ,i have had a dream of opening an ideal cook shop in ,chicago or some large city and going around to the poor families in some slum district like the ,rectangle1 teaching the mothers how to prepare food properly4 ,i remember hearing ,dr4 ,bruce say once that he believed one of the great miseries of comparative poverty consisted in poor food4 ,he even went so far as to say that he thought some kinds of crime could be traced to soggy biscuit and tough beefsteak4 ,i'm sure ,i would be able to make a living for ,rose and myself and at the same time help others4 ,felicia brooded over this dream until it became a reality4 ,meanwhile she grew into the affections of the ,raymond people and the ,rectangle folks1 among whom she was known as the angel cook4 ,underneath the structure of the beautiful character she was growing1 always rested her promise made in ,nazareth ,avenue ,church4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,she prayed and hoped and worked and regulated her life by the answer to that question4 ,it was the inspiration of her conduct and the answer to all her ambition4 ,chapter ,twenty-five ,,three months had gone by since the ,sunday morning when ,dr4 ,bruce came into his pulpit with the message of the new discipleship4 ,they were three months of great excitement in ,nazareth ,avenue ,church4 ,never before had ,rev4 ,calvin ,bruce realized how deep the feeling of his members flowed4 ,he humbly confessed that the appeal he had made met with an unexpected response from men and women who1 like ,felicia1 were hungry for something in their lives that the conventional type of church membership and fellowship had failed to give them4 ,but ,dr4 ,bruce was not yet satisfied for himself4 ,he cannot tell what his feeling was or what led to the movement he finally made1 to the great astonishment of all who knew him1 better than by relating a conversation between him and the ,bishop at this time in the history of the pledge in ,nazareth ,avenue ,church4 ,the two friends were as before in ,dr4 ,bruce's house1 seated in his study4 ,you know what ,i have come in this evening for8 the ,bishop was saying after the friends had been talking some time about the results of the pledge with the ,nazareth ,avenue people4 ,dr4 ,bruce looked over at the ,bishop and shook his head4 ,i have come to confess that ,i have not yet kept my promise to walk in ,his steps in the way that ,i believe ,i shall be obliged to if ,i satisfy my thought of what it means to walk in ,his steps4 ,dr4 ,bruce had risen and was pacing his study4 ,the ,bishop remained in the deep easy chair with his hands clasped1 but his eye burned with the blow that belonged to him before he made some great resolve4 ,edward1 ,dr4 ,bruce spoke abruptly1 ,i have not yet been able to satisfy myself1 either1 in obeying my promise4 ,but ,i have at last decided on my course4 ,in order to follow it ,i shall be obliged to resign from ,nazareth ,avenue ,church4 ,i knew you would1 replied the ,bishop quietly4 ,and ,i came in this evening to say that ,i shall be obliged to do the same thing with my charge4 ,dr4 ,bruce turned and walked up to his friend4 ,they were both laboring under a repressed excitement4 ,is it necessary in your case8 asked ,bruce4 ,yes4 ,let me state my reasons4 ,probably they are the same as yours4 ,in fact1 ,i am sure they are4 ,the ,bishop paused a moment1 then went on with increasing feeling3 ,calvin1 you know how many years ,i have been doing the work of my position1 and you know something of the responsibility and care of it4 ,i do not mean to say that my life has been free from burden-bearing or sorrow4 ,but ,i have certainly led what the poor and desperate of this sinful city would call a very comfortable1 yes1 a very luxurious life4 ,i have had a beautiful house to live in1 the most expensive food1 clothing and physical pleasures4 ,i have been able to go abroad at least a dozen times1 and have enjoyed for years the beautiful companionship of art and letters and music and all the rest1 of the very best4 ,i have never known what it meant to be without money or its equivalent4 ,and ,i have been unable to silence the question of late3 ',what have ,i suffered for the sake of ,christ8' ,paul was told what great things he must suffer for the sake of his ,lord4 ,maxwell's position at ,raymond is well taken when he insists that to walk in the steps of ,christ means to suffer4 ,where has my suffering come in8 ,the petty trials and annoyances of my clerical life are not worth mentioning as sorrows or sufferings4 ,compared with ,paul or any of the ,christian martyrs or early disciples ,i have lived a luxurious1 sinful life1 full of ease and pleasure4 ,i cannot endure this any longer4 ,i have that within me which of late rises in overwhelming condemnation of such a following of ,jesus4 ,i have not been walking in ,his steps4 ,under the present system of church and social life ,i see no escape from this condemnation except to give the most of my life personally to the actual physical and soul needs of the wretched people in the worst part of this city4 ,the ,bishop had risen now and walked over to the window4 ,the street in front of the house was as light as day1 and he looked out at the crowds passing1 then turned and with a passionate utterance that showed how deep the volcanic fire in him burned1 he exclaimed3 ,calvin1 this is a terrible city in which we live6 ,its misery1 its sin1 its selfishness1 appall my heart4 ,and ,i have struggled for years with the sickening dread of the time when ,i should be forced to leave the pleasant luxury of my official position to put my life into contact with the modern paganism of this century4 ,the awful condition of the girls in some great business places1 the brutal selfishness of the insolent society fashion and wealth that ignores all the sorrow of the city1 the fearful curse of the drink and gambling hell1 the wail of the unemployed1 the hatred of the church by countless men who see in it only great piles of costly stone and upholstered furniture and the minister as a luxurious idler1 all the vast tumult of this vast torrent of humanity with its false and its true ideas1 its exaggeration of evils in the church and its bitterness and shame that are the result of many complex causes1 all this as a total fact in its contrast with the easy1 comfortable life ,i have lived1 fills me more and more with a sense of mingled terror and self accusation4 ,i have heard the words of ,jesus many times lately3 ',inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least ,my brethren1 ye did it not unto ,me4' ,and when have ,i personally visited the prisoner or the desperate or the sinful in any way that has actually caused me suffering8 ,rather1 ,i have followed the conventional soft habits of my position and have lived in the society of the rich1 refined1 aristocratic members of my congregations4 ,where has the suffering come in8 ,what have ,i suffered for ,jesus' sake8 ,do you know1 ,calvin1 he turned abruptly toward his friend1 ,i have been tempted of late to lash myself with a scourge4 ,if ,i had lived in ,martin ,luther's time ,i should have bared my back to a self-inflicted torture4 ,dr4 ,bruce was very pale4 ,never had he seen the ,bishop or heard him when under the influence of such a passion4 ,there was a sudden silence in the room4 ,the ,bishop sat down again and bowed his head4 ,dr4 ,bruce spoke at last3 ,edward1 ,i do not need to say that you have expressed my feelings also4 ,i have been in a similar position for years4 ,my life has been one of comparative luxury4 ,i do not1 of course1 mean to say that ,i have not had trials and discouragements and burdens in my church ministry4 ,but ,i cannot say that ,i have suffered any for ,jesus4 ,that verse in ,peter constantly haunts me3 ',christ also suffered for you1 leaving you an example that ye should follow ,his steps4' ,i have lived in luxury4 ,i do not know what it means to want4 ,i also have had my leisure for travel and beautiful companionship4 ,i have been surrounded by the soft1 easy comforts of civilization4 ,the sin and misery of this great city have beaten like waves against the stone walls of my church and of this house in which ,i live1 and ,i have hardly heeded them1 the walls have been so thick4 ,i have reached a point where ,i cannot endure this any longer4 ,i am not condemning the ,church4 ,i love her4 ,i am not forsaking the ,church4 ,i believe in her mission and have no desire to destroy4 ,least of all1 in the step ,i am about to take do ,i desire to be charged with abandoning the ,christian fellowship4 ,but ,i feel that ,i must resign my place as pastor of ,nazareth ,church in order to satisfy myself that ,i am walking as ,i ought to walk in ,his steps4 ,in this action ,i judge no other minister and pass no criticism on others' discipleship4 ,but ,i feel as you do4 ,into a close contact with the sin and shame and degradation of this great city ,i must come personally4 ,and ,i know that to do that ,i must sever my immediate connection with ,nazareth ,avenue ,church4 ,i do not see any other way for myself to suffer for ,his sake as ,i feel that ,i ought to suffer4 ,again that sudden silence fell over those two men4 ,it was no ordinary action they were deciding4 ,they had both reached the same conclusion by the same reasoning1 and they were too thoughtful1 too well accustomed to the measuring of conduct1 to underestimate the seriousness of their position4 ,what is your plan8 ,the ,bishop at last spoke gently1 looking with the smile that always beautified his face4 ,the ,bishop's face grew in glory now every day4 ,my plan1 replied ,dr4 ,bruce slowly1 is1 in brief1 the putting of myself into the centre of the greatest human need ,i can find in this city and living there4 ,my wife is fully in accord with me4 ,we have already decided to find a residence in that part of the city where we can make our personal lives count for the most4 ,let me suggest a place4 ,the ,bishop was on fire now4 ,his fine face actually glowed with the enthusiasm of the movement in which he and his friend were inevitably embarked4 ,he went on and unfolded a plan of such far-reaching power and possibility that ,dr4 ,bruce1 capable and experienced as he was1 felt amazed at the vision of a greater soul than his own4 ,they sat up late1 and were as eager and even glad as if they were planning for a trip together to some rare land of unexplored travel4 ,indeed1 the ,bishop said many times afterward that the moment his decision was reached to live the life of personal sacrifice he had chosen he suddenly felt an uplifting as if a great burden were taken from him4 ,he was exultant4 ,so was ,dr4 ,bruce from the same cause4 ,their plan as it finally grew into a workable fact was in reality nothing more than the renting of a large building formerly used as a warehouse for a brewery1 reconstructing it and living in it themselves in the very heart of a territory where the saloon ruled with power1 where the tenement was its filthiest1 where vice and ignorance and shame and poverty were congested into hideous forms4 ,it was not a new idea4 ,it was an idea started by ,jesus ,christ when ,he left ,his ,father's ,house and forsook the riches that were ,his in order to get nearer humanity and1 by becoming a part of its sin1 helping to draw humanity apart from its sin4 ,the ,university ,settlement idea is not modern4 ,it is as old as ,bethlehem and ,nazareth4 ,and in this particular case it was the nearest approach to anything that would satisfy the hunger of these two men to suffer for ,christ4 ,there had sprung up in them at the same time a longing that amounted to a passion1 to get nearer the great physical poverty and spiritual destitution of the mighty city that throbbed around them4 ,how could they do this except as they became a part of it as nearly as one man can become a part of another's misery8 ,where was the suffering to come in unless there was an actual self-denial of some sort8 ,and what was to make that self-denial apparent to themselves or any one else1 unless it took this concrete1 actual1 personal form of trying to share the deepest suffering and sin of the city8 ,so they reasoned for themselves1 not judging others4 ,they were simply keeping their own pledge to do as ,jesus would do1 as they honestly judged ,he would do4 ,that was what they had promised4 ,how could they quarrel with the result if they were irresistibly compelled to do what they were planning to do8 ,the ,bishop had money of his own4 ,every one in ,chicago knew that he had a handsome fortune4 ,dr4 ,bruce had acquired and saved by literary work carried on in connection with his parish duties more than a comfortable competence4 ,this money1 a large part of it1 the two friends agreed to put at once into the work1 most of it into the furnishing of the ,settlement ,house4 ,chapter ,twenty-six ,,meanwhile1 ,nazareth ,avenue ,church was experiencing something never known before in all its history4 ,the simple appeal on the part of its pastor to his members to do as ,jesus would do had created a sensation that still continued4 ,the result of that appeal was very much the same as in ,henry ,maxwell's church in ,raymond1 only this church was far more aristocratic1 wealthy and conventional4 ,nevertheless when1 one ,sunday morning in early summer1 ,dr4 ,bruce came into his pulpit and announced his resignation1 the sensation deepened all over the city1 although he had advised with his board of trustees1 and the movement he intended was not a matter of surprise to them4 ,but when it become publicly known that the ,bishop had also announced his resignation and retirement from the position he had held so long1 in order to go and live himself in the centre of the worst part of ,chicago1 the public astonishment reached its height4 ,but why8 the ,bishop replied to one valued friend who had almost with tears tried to dissuade him from his purpose4 ,why should what ,dr4 ,bruce and ,i propose to do seem so remarkable a thing1 as if it were unheard of that a ,doctor of ,divinity and a ,bishop should want to save lost souls in this particular manner8 ,if we were to resign our charge for the purpose of going to ,bombay or ,hong ,kong or any place in ,africa1 the churches and the people would exclaim at the heroism of missions4 ,why should it seem so great a thing if we have been led to give our lives to help rescue the heathen and the lost of our own city in the way we are going to try it8 ,is it then such a tremendous event that two ,christian ministers should be not only willing but eager to live close to the misery of the world in order to know it and realize it8 ,is it such a rare thing that love of humanity should find this particular form of expression in the rescue of souls8 ,and however the ,bishop may have satisfied himself that there ought to be nothing so remarkable about it at all1 the public continued to talk and the churches to record their astonishment that two such men1 so prominent in the ministry1 should leave their comfortable homes1 voluntarily resign their pleasant social positions and enter upon a life of hardship1 of self-denial and actual suffering4 ,christian ,america6 ,is it a reproach on the form of our discipleship that the exhibition of actual suffering for ,jesus on the part of those who walk in ,his steps always provokes astonishment as at the sight of something very unusual8 ,nazareth ,avenue ,church parted from its pastor with regret for the most part1 although the regret was modified with a feeling of relief on the part of those who had refused to take the pledge4 ,dr4 ,bruce carried with him the respect of men who1 entangled in business in such a way that obedience to the pledge would have ruined them1 still held in their deeper1 better natures a genuine admiration for courage and consistency4 ,they had known ,dr4 ,bruce many years as a kindly1 conservative1 safe man1 but the thought of him in the light of sacrifice of this sort was not familiar to them4 ,as fast as they understood it1 they gave their pastor the credit of being absolutely true to his recent convictions as to what following ,jesus meant4 ,nazareth ,avenue ,church never lost the impulse of that movement started by ,dr4 ,bruce4 ,those who went with him in making the promise breathed into the church the very breath of divine life1 and are continuing that life-giving work at this present time4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was fall again1 and the city faced another hard winter4 ,the ,bishop one afternoon came out of the ,settlement and walked around the block1 intending to go on a visit to one of his new friends in the district4 ,he had walked about four blocks when he was attracted by a shop that looked different from the others4 ,the neighborhood was still quite new to him1 and every day he discovered some strange spot or stumbled upon some unexpected humanity4 ,the place that attracted his notice was a small house close by a ,chinese laundry4 ,there were two windows in the front1 very clean1 and that was remarkable to begin with4 ,then1 inside the window1 was a tempting display of cookery1 with prices attached to the various articles that made him wonder somewhat1 for he was familiar by this time with many facts in the life of the people once unknown to him4 ,as he stood looking at the windows1 the door between them opened and ,felicia ,sterling came out4 ,felicia6 exclaimed the ,bishop4 ,when did you move into my parish without my knowledge8 ,how did you find me so soon8 inquired ,felicia4 ,why1 don't you know8 ,these are the only clean windows in the block4 ,i believe they are1 replied ,felicia with a laugh that did the ,bishop good to hear4 ,but why have you dared to come to ,chicago without telling me1 and how have you entered my diocese without my knowledge8 asked the ,bishop4 ,and ,felicia looked so like that beautiful1 clean1 educated1 refined world he once knew1 that he might be pardoned for seeing in her something of the old ,paradise4 ,although1 to speak truth for him1 he had no desire to go back to it4 ,well1 dear ,bishop1 said ,felicia1 who had always called him so1 ,i knew how overwhelmed you were with your work4 ,i did not want to burden you with my plans4 ,and besides1 ,i am going to offer you my services4 ,indeed1 ,i was just on my way to see you and ask your advice4 ,i am settled here for the present with ,mrs4 ,bascom1 a saleswoman who rents our three rooms1 and with one of ,rachel's music pupils who is being helped to a course in violin by ,virginia ,page4 ,she is from the people1 continued ,felicia1 using the words from the people so gravely and unconsciously that her hearer smiled1 and ,i am keeping house for her and at the same time beginning an experiment in pure food for the masses4 ,i am an expert and ,i have a plan ,i want you to admire and develop4 ,will you1 dear ,bishop8 ,indeed ,i will1 he replied4 ,the sight of ,felicia and her remarkable vitality1 enthusiasm and evident purpose almost bewildered him4 ,martha can help at the ,settlement with her violin and ,i will help with my messes4 ,you see1 ,i thought ,i would get settled first and work out something1 and then come with some real thing to offer4 ,i'm able to earn my own living now4 ,you are8 the ,bishop said a little incredulously4 ,how8 ,making those things8 ,those things6 said ,felicia with a show of indignation4 ,i would have you know1 sir1 that 'those things' are the best-cooked1 purest food products in this whole city4 ,i don't doubt it1 he replied hastily1 while his eyes twinkled1 ,still1 'the proof of the pudding'--you know the rest4 ,come in and try some6 she exclaimed4 ,you poor ,bishop6 ,you look as if you hadn't had a good meal for a month4 ,she insisted on his entering the little front room where ,martha1 a wide-awake girl with short1 curly hair1 and an unmistakable air of music about her1 was busy with practice4 ,go right on1 ,martha4 ,this is the ,bishop4 ,you have heard me speak of him so often4 ,sit down there and let me give you a taste of the fleshpots of ,egypt1 for ,i believe you have been actually fasting4 ,so they had an improvised lunch1 and the ,bishop who1 to tell the truth1 had not taken time for weeks to enjoy his meals1 feasted on the delight of his unexpected discovery and was able to express his astonishment and gratification at the quality of the cookery4 ,i thought you would at least say it is as good as the meals you used to get at the ,auditorium at the big banquets1 said ,felicia slyly4 ,as good as6 ,the ,auditorium banquets were simply husks compared with this one1 ,felicia4 ,but you must come to the ,settlement4 ,i want you to see what we are doing4 ,and ,i am simply astonished to find you here earning your living this way4 ,i begin to see what your plan is4 ,you can be of infinite help to us4 ,you don't really mean that you will live here and help these people to know the value of good food8 ,indeed ,i do1 she answered gravely4 ,that is my gospel4 ,shall ,i not follow it8 ,aye1 ,aye6 ,you're right4 ,bless ,god for sense like yours6 ,when ,i left the world1 the ,bishop smiled at the phrase1 they were talking a good deal about the 'new woman4' ,if you are one of them1 ,i am a convert right now and here4 ,flattery6 ,still is there no escape from it1 even in the slums of ,chicago8 ,felicia laughed again4 ,and the man's heart1 heavy though it had grown during several months of vast sin-bearing1 rejoiced to hear it6 ,it sounded good4 ,it was good4 ,it belonged to ,god4 ,felicia wanted to visit the ,settlement1 and went back with him4 ,she was amazed at the results of what considerable money an a good deal of consecrated brains had done4 ,as they walked through the building they talked incessantly4 ,she was the incarnation of vital enthusiasm1 and he wondered at the exhibition of it as it bubbled up and sparkled over4 ,they went down into the basement and the ,bishop pushed open a door from behind which came the sound of a carpenter's plane4 ,it was a small but well equipped carpenter's shop4 ,a young man with a paper cap on his head and clad in blouse and overalls was whistling and driving the plane as he whistled4 ,he looked up as the two entered1 and took off his cap4 ,as he did so1 his little finger carried a small curling shaving up to his hair and it caught there4 ,miss ,sterling1 ,mr4 ,stephen ,clyde1 said the ,bishop4 ,clyde is one of our helpers here two afternoons in the week4 ,just then the bishop was called upstairs and he excused himself a moment1 leaving ,felicia and the young carpenter together4 ,we have met before1 said ,felicia looking at ,clyde frankly4 ,yes1 'back in the world1' as the ,bishop says1 replied the young man1 and his fingers trembled a little as they lay on the board he had been planing4 ,yes4 ,felicia hesitated4 ,i am very glad to see you4 ,are you8 ,the flush of pleasure mounted to the young carpenter's forehead4 ,you have had a great deal of trouble since--since--then1 he said1 and then he was afraid he had wounded her1 or called up painful memories4 ,but she had lived over all that4 ,yes1 and you also4 ,how is it that you're working here8 ,it is a long story1 ,miss ,sterling4 ,my father lost his money and ,i was obliged to go to work4 ,a very good thing for me4 ,the ,bishop says ,i ought to be very grateful4 ,i am4 ,i am very happy now4 ,i learned the trade1 hoping some time to be of use1 ,i am night clerk at one of the hotels4 ,that ,sunday morning when you took the pledge at ,nazareth ,avenue ,church1 ,i took it with the others4 ,did you8 said ,felicia slowly4 ,i am glad4 ,just then the ,bishop came back1 and very soon he and ,felicia went away leaving the young carpenter at his work4 ,some one noticed that he whistled louder than ever as he planed4 ,felicia1 said the ,bishop1 did you know ,stephen ,clyde before8 ,yes1 'back in the world1' dear ,bishop4 ,he was one of my acquaintances in ,nazareth ,avenue ,church4 ,ah6 said the ,bishop4 ,we were very good friends1 added ,felicia4 ,but nothing more8 the ,bishop ventured to ask4 ,felicia's face glowed for an instant4 ,then she looked her companion in the eyes frankly and answered3 ,truly and truly1 nothing more4 ,it would be just the way of the world for these two people to come to like each other1 though1 thought the man to himself1 and somehow the thought made him grave4 ,it was almost like the old pang over ,camilla4 ,but it passed1 leaving him afterwards1 when ,felicia had gone back1 with tears in his eyes and a feeling that was almost hope that ,felicia and ,stephen would like each other4 ,after all1 he said1 like the sensible1 good man that he was1 is not romance a part of humanity8 ,love is older than ,i am1 and wiser4 ,the week following1 the ,bishop had an experience that belongs to this part of the ,settlement history4 ,he was coming back to the ,settlement very late from some gathering of the striking tailors1 and was walking along with his hands behind him1 when two men jumped out from behind an old fence that shut off an abandoned factory from the street1 and faced him4 ,one of the men thrust a pistol in his face1 and the other threatened him with a ragged stake that had evidently been torn from the fence4 ,hold up your hands1 and be quick about it6 said the man with the pistol4 ,the place was solitary and the ,bishop had no thought of resistance4 ,he did as he was commanded1 and the man with the stake began to go through his pockets4 ,he was calm4 ,his nerves did not quiver4 ,as he stood there with his hands uplifted1 an ignorant spectator might have thought that he was praying for the souls of these two men4 ,and he was4 ,and his prayer was singularly answered that very night4 ,chapter ,twenty-seven ,righteousness shall go before him and shall set us in the way of his steps4 ,,the ,bishop was not in the habit of carrying much money with him1 and the man with the stake who was searching him uttered an oath at the small amount of change he found4 ,as he uttered it1 the man with the pistol savagely said1 ,jerk out his watch6 ,we might as well get all we can out of the job6 ,the man with the stake was on the point of laying hold of the chain where there was a sound of footsteps coming towards him4 ,get behind the fence6 ,we haven't half searched him yet6 ,mind you keep shut now1 if you don't want-- ,the man with the pistol made a significant gesture with it and1 with his companion1 pulled and pushed the ,bishop down the alley and through a ragged1 broken opening in the fence4 ,the three stood still there in the shadow until the footsteps passed4 ,now1 then1 have you got the watch8 asked the man with the pistol4 ,no1 the chain is caught somewhere6 and the other man swore again4 ,break it then6 ,no1 don't break it1 the ,bishop said1 and it was the first time he had spoken4 ,the chain is the gift of a very dear friend4 ,i should be sorry to have it broken4 ,at the sound of the ,bishop's voice the man with the pistol started as if he had been suddenly shot by his own weapon4 ,with a quick movement of his other hand he turned the ,bishop's head toward's what little light was shining from the alleyway1 at the same time taking a step nearer4 ,then1 to the amazement of his companion1 he said roughly3 ,leave the watch alone6 ,we've got the money4 ,that's enough6 ,enough6 ,fifty cents6 ,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 towards his own4 ,leave that watch be6 ,and put back the money too4 ,this is the ,bishop we've held up--the ,bishop--do you hear8 ,and what of it6 ,the ,president of the ,united ,states wouldn't be too good to hold up1 if-- ,i say1 you put the money back1 or in five seconds ,i'll blow a hole through your head that'll let in more sense than you have to spare now6 said the other4 ,for a second the man with the stake seemed to hesitate at this strange turn in events1 as if measuring his companion's intention4 ,then he hastily dropped the money back into the rifled pocket4 ,you can take your hands down1 sir4 ,the man lowered his weapon slowly1 still keeping an eye on the other man1 and speaking with rough respect4 ,the ,bishop slowly brought his arms to his side1 and looked earnestly at the two men4 ,in the dim light it was difficult to distinguish features4 ,he was evidently free to go his way now1 but he stood there making no movement4 ,you can go on4 ,you needn't stay any longer on our account4 ,the man who had acted as spokesman turned and sat down on a stone4 ,the other man stood viciously digging his stake into the ground4 ,that's just what ,i am staying for1 replied the ,bishop4 ,he sat down on a board that projected from the broken fence4 ,you must like our company4 ,it is hard sometimes for people to tear themselves away from us1 and the man standing up laughed coarsely4 ,shut up6 exclaimed the other4 ,we're on the road to hell1 though1 that's sure enough4 ,we need better company than ourselves and the devil4 ,if you would only allow me to be of any help1 the ,bishop spoke gently1 even lovingly4 ,the man on the stone stared at the ,bishop through the darkness4 ,after a moment of silence he spoke slowly like one who had finally decided upon a course he had at first rejected4 ,do you remember ever seeing me before8 ,no1 said the ,bishop4 ,the light is not very good and ,i have really not had a good look at you4 ,do you know me now8 ,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 other4 ,the man's hair was coal black except one spot on the top of his head about as large as the palm of the hand1 which was white4 ,the minute the ,bishop saw that1 he started4 ,the memory of fifteen years ago began to stir in him4 ,the man helped him4 ,don't you remember one day back in '#ha or '#hb 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 ,york8 ,yes1 ,i begin to remember now4 ,the other man seemed to be interested4 ,he ceased digging his stake in the ground and stood still listening4 ,do you remember how you took me into your own house that night and spent all next day trying to find me a job8 ,and how when you succeeded in getting me a place in a warehouse as foreman1 ,i promised to quit drinking because you asked me to8 ,i remember it now4 ,i hope you have kept your promise4 ,the man laughed savagely4 ,then he struck his hand against the fence with such sudden passion that he drew blood4 ,kept it6 ,i was drunk inside of a week6 ,i've been drinking ever since4 ,but ,i've never forgotten you nor your prayer4 ,do you remember the morning after ,i came to your house1 after breakfast you had prayers and asked me to come in and sit with the rest8 ,that got me6 ,but my mother used to pray6 ,i can see her now kneeling down by my bed when ,i was a lad4 ,father came in one night and kicked her while she was kneeling there by me4 ,but ,i never forgot that prayer of yours that morning4 ,you prayed for me just as mother used to1 and you didn't seem to take 'count of the fact that ,i was ragged and tough-looking and more than half drunk when ,i rang your door bell4 ,oh1 what a life ,i've lived6 ,the saloon has housed me and homed me and made hell on earth for me4 ,but that prayer stuck to me all the time4 ,my promise not to drink was broken into a thousand pieces inside of two ,sundays1 and ,i lost the job you found for me and landed in a police station two days later1 but ,i never forgot you nor your prayer4 ,i don't know what good it has done me1 but ,i never forgot it4 ,and ,i won't do any harm to you nor let any one else4 ,so you're free to go4 ,that's why4 ,the ,bishop did not stir4 ,somewhere a church clock struck one4 ,the man had put on his hat and gone back to his seat on the stone4 ,the ,bishop was thinking hard4 ,how long is it since you had work8 he asked1 and the man standing up answered for the other4 ,more'n six months since either of us did anything to tell of2 unless you count 'holding up' work4 ,i call it pretty wearing kind of a job myself1 especially when we put in a night like this and don't make nothin'4 ,suppose ,i found good jobs for both of you8 ,would you quit this and begin all over8 ,what's the use8 the man on the stone spoke sullenly4 ,i've reformed a hundred times4 ,every time ,i go down deeper4 ,the devil's begun to foreclose on me already4 ,it's too late4 ,no6 said the ,bishop4 ,and never before the most entranced audience had he felt the desire for souls burn up in him so strongly4 ,all the time he sat there during the remarkable scene he prayed1 ,o ,lord ,jesus1 give me the souls of these two for ,thee6 ,i am hungry for them4 ,give them to me6 ,no6 the ,bishop repeated4 ,what does ,god want of you two men8 ,it doesn't so much matter what ,i want4 ,but ,he wants just what ,i do in this case4 ,you two men are of infinite value to ,him4 ,and then his wonderful memory came to his aid in an appeal such as no one on earth among men could make under such circumstances4 ,he had remembered the man's name in spite of the wonderfully busy years that lay between his coming to the house and the present moment4 ,burns1 he said1 and he yearned over the men with an unspeakable longing for them both1 if you and your friend here will go home with me tonight ,i will find you both places of honorable employment4 ,i will believe in you and trust you4 ,you are both comparatively young men4 ,why should ,god lose you8 ,it is a great thing to win the love of the ,great ,father4 ,it is a small thing that ,i should love you4 ,but if you need to feel again that there is love in the world1 you will believe me when ,i say1 my brothers1 that ,i love you1 and in the name of ,him who was crucified for our sins ,i cannot bear to see you miss the glory of the human life4 ,come1 be men6 ,make another try for it1 ,god helping you4 ,no one but ,god and you and myself need ever know anything of this tonight4 ,he has forgiven it the minute you ask ,him to4 ,you will find that true4 ,come6 ,we'll fight it out together1 you two and ,i4 ,it's worth fighting for1 everlasting life is4 ,it was the sinner that ,christ came to help4 ,i'll do what ,i can for you4 ,o ,god1 give me the souls of these two men6 and he broke into a prayer to ,god that was a continuation of his appeal to the men4 ,his pent-up feeling had no other outlet4 ,before he had prayed many moments ,burns was sitting with his face buried in his hands1 sobbing4 ,where were his mother's prayers now8 ,they were adding to the power of the ,bishop's4 ,and the other man1 harder1 less moved1 without a previous knowledge of the ,bishop1 leaned back against the fence1 stolid at first4 ,but as the prayer went on1 he was moved by it4 ,what force of the ,holy ,spirit swept over his dulled1 brutal1 coarsened life1 nothing but the eternal records of the recording angel can ever disclose4 ,but the same supernatural ,presence that smote ,paul on the road to ,damascus1 and poured through ,henry ,maxwell's church the morning he asked disciples to follow in ,jesus' steps1 and had again broken irresistibly over the ,nazareth ,avenue congregation1 now manifested ,himself in this foul corner of the mighty city and over the natures of these two sinful sunken men1 apparently lost to all the pleadings of conscience and memory and ,god4 ,the prayer seemed to red open the crust that for years had surrounded them and shut them off from divine communication4 ,and they themselves were thoroughly startled by it4 ,the ,bishop ceased1 and at first he himself did not realize what had happened4 ,neither did they4 ,burns still sat with his head bowed between his knees4 ,the man leaning against the fence looked at the ,bishop with a face in which new emotions of awe1 repentance1 astonishment and a broken gleam of joy struggled for expression4 ,the ,bishop rose4 ,come1 my brothers4 ,god is good4 ,you shall stay at the ,settlement tonight1 and ,i will make good my promise as to the work4 ,the two men followed him in silence4 ,when they reached the ,settlement it was after two o'clock4 ,he let them in and led them to a room4 ,at the door he paused a moment4 ,his tall1 commanding figure stood in the doorway and his pale face was illuminated with the divine glory4 ,god bless you1 my brothers6 he said1 and leaving them his benediction he went away4 ,in the morning he almost dreaded to face the men4 ,but the impression of the night had not worn away4 ,true to his promise he secured work for them4 ,the janitor at the ,settlement needed an assistant1 owing to the growth of the work there4 ,so ,burns was given the place4 ,the ,bishop succeeded in getting his companion a position as driver for a firm of warehouse dray manufacturers not far from the ,settlement4 ,and the ,holy ,spirit1 struggling in these two darkened sinful men1 began ,his marvelous work of regeneration4 ,chapter ,twenty-eight ,,it ,,was the afternoon of that morning when ,burns was installed in his new position as assistant janitor that he was cleaning off the front steps of the ,settlement1 when he paused a moment and stood up to look about him4 ,the first thing he noticed was a beer sign just across the alley4 ,he could almost touch it with his broom from where he stood4 ,over the street immediately opposite were two large saloons1 and a little farther down were three more4 ,suddenly the door of the nearest saloon opened and a man came out4 ,at the same time two more went in4 ,a strong odor of beer floated up to ,burns as he stood on the steps4 ,he clutched his broom handle tightly and began to sweep again4 ,he had one foot on the porch and another on the steps just below4 ,he took another step down1 still sweeping4 ,the sweat stood on his forehead although the day was frosty and the air chill4 ,the saloon door opened again and three or four men came out4 ,a child went in with a pail1 and came out a moment later with a quart of beer4 ,the child went by on the sidewalk just below him1 and the odor of the beer came up to him4 ,he took another step down1 still sweeping desperately4 ,his fingers were purple as he clutched the handle of the broom4 ,then suddenly he pulled himself up one step and swept over the spot he had just cleaned4 ,he then dragged himself by a tremendous effort back to the floor of the porch and went over into the corner of it farthest from the saloon and began to sweep there4 ,o ,god6 he cried1 if the ,bishop would only come back6 ,the ,bishop had gone out with ,dr4 ,bruce somewhere1 and there was no one about that he knew4 ,he swept in the corner for two or three minutes4 ,his face was drawn with the agony of his conflict4 ,gradually he edged out again towards the steps and began to go down them4 ,he looked towards the sidewalk and saw that he had left one step unswept4 ,the sight seemed to give him a reasonable excuse for going down there to finish his sweeping4 ,he was on the sidewalk now1 sweeping the last step1 with his face towards the ,settlement and his back turned partly on the saloon across the alley4 ,he swept the step a dozen times4 ,the sweat rolled over his face and dropped down at his feet4 ,by degrees he felt that he was drawn over towards that end of the step nearest the saloon4 ,he could smell the beer and rum now as the fumes rose around him4 ,it was like the infernal sulphur of the lowest hell1 and yet it dragged him as by a giant's hand nearer its source4 ,he was down in the middle of the sidewalk now1 still sweeping4 ,he cleared the space in front of the ,settlement and even went out into the gutter and swept that4 ,he took off his hat and rubbed his sleeve over his face4 ,his lips were pallid and his teeth chattered4 ,he trembled all over like a palsied man and staggered back and forth as if he was already drunk4 ,his soul shook within him4 ,he had crossed over the little piece of stone flagging that measured the width of the alley1 and now he stood in front of the saloon1 looking at the sign1 and staring into the window at the pile of whiskey and beer bottles arranged in a great pyramid inside4 ,he moistened his lips with his tongue and took a step forward1 looking around him stealthily4 ,the door suddenly opened again and someone came out4 ,again the hot1 penetrating smell of liquor swept out into the cold air1 and he took another step towards the saloon door which had shut behind the customer4 ,as he laid his fingers on the door handle1 a tall figure came around the corner4 ,it was the ,bishop4 ,he seized ,burns by the arm and dragged him back upon the sidewalk4 ,the frenzied man1 now mad for a drink1 shrieked out a curse and struck at his friend savagely4 ,it is doubtful if he really knew at first who was snatching him away from his ruin4 ,the blow fell upon the ,bishop's face and cut a gash in his cheek4 ,he never uttered a word4 ,but over his face a look of majestic sorrow swept4 ,he picked ,burns up as if he had been a child and actually carried him up the steps and into the house4 ,he put him down in the hall and then shut the door and put his back against it4 ,burns fell on his knees sobbing and praying4 ,the ,bishop stood there panting with his exertion1 although ,burns was a slightly-built man and had not been a great weight for a man of his strength to carry4 ,he was moved with unspeakable pity4 ,pray1 ,burns--pray as you never prayed before6 ,nothing else will save you6 ,o ,god6 ,pray with me4 ,save me6 ,oh1 save me from my hell6 cried ,burns4 ,and1 the ,bishop knelt by him in the hall and prayed as only he could pray4 ,after that they rose and ,burns went to his room4 ,he came out of it that evening like a humble child4 ,and the ,bishop went his way older from that experience1 bearing on his body the marks of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,truly he was learning something of what it means to walk in ,his steps4 ,but the saloon6 ,it stood there1 and all the others lined the street like so many traps set for ,burns4 ,how long would the man be able to resist the smell of the damnable stuff8 ,the ,bishop went out on the porch4 ,the air of the whole city seemed to be impregnated with the odor of beer4 ,how long1 ,o ,lord1 how long8 he prayed4 ,dr4 ,bruce came out1 and the two friends talked about ,burns and his temptation4 ,did you ever make any inquiries about the ownership of this property adjoining us8 the ,bishop asked4 ,no1 ,i haven't taken time for it4 ,i will now if you think it would be worth while4 ,but what can we do1 ,edward1 against the saloon in this great city8 ,it is as firmly established as the churches or politics4 ,what power can ever remove it8 ,god will do it in time1 as ,he has removed slavery1 was the grave reply4 ,meanwhile ,i think we have a right to know who controls this saloon so near the ,settlement4 ,i'll find out1 said ,dr4 ,bruce4 ,two days later he walked into the business office of one of the members of ,nazareth ,avenue ,church and asked to see him a few moments4 ,he was cordially received by his old parishioner1 who welcomed him into his room and urged him to take all the time he wanted4 ,i called to see you about that property next the ,settlement where the ,bishop and myself now are1 you know4 ,i am going to speak plainly1 because life is too short and too serious for us both to have any foolish hesitation about this matter4 ,clayton1 do you think it is right to rent that property for a saloon8 ,dr4 ,bruce's question was as direct and uncompromising as he had meant it to be4 ,the effect of it on his old parishioner was instantaneous4 ,the hot blood mounted to the face of the man who sat there beneath a picture of business activity in a great city4 ,then he grew pale1 dropped his head on his hands1 and when he raised it again ,dr4 ,bruce was amazed to see a tear roll over his face4 ,doctor1 did you know that ,i took the pledge that morning with the others8 ,yes1 ,i remember4 ,but you never knew how ,i have been tormented over my failure to keep it in this instance4 ,that saloon property has been the temptation of the devil to me4 ,it is the best paying investment at present that ,i have4 ,and yet it was only a minute before you came in here that ,i was in an agony of remorse to think how ,i was letting a little earthly gain tempt me into a denial of the very ,christ ,i had promised to follow4 ,i knew well enough that ,he would never rent property for such a purpose4 ,there is no need1 ,dr4 ,bruce1 for you to say a word more4 ,clayton held out his hand and ,dr4 ,bruce grasped it and shook it hard4 ,after a little he went away4 ,but it was a long time afterwards that he learned all the truth about the struggle that ,clayton had known4 ,it was only a part of the history that belonged to ,nazareth ,avenue ,church since that memorable morning when the ,holy ,spirit sanctioned the ,christ-like pledge4 ,not even the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce1 moving as they now did in the very presence itself of divine impulses1 knew yet that over the whole sinful city the ,spirit was brooding with mighty eagerness1 waiting for the disciples to arise to the call of sacrifice and suffering1 touching hearts long dull and cold1 making business men and money-makers uneasy in their absorption by the one great struggle for more wealth1 and stirring through the church as never in all the city's history the church had been moved4 ,the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce had already seen some wonderful things in their brief life at the ,settlement4 ,they were to see far greater soon1 more astonishing revelations of the divine power than they had supposed possible in this age of the world4 ,within a month the saloon next the ,settlement was closed4 ,the saloon-keeper's lease had expired1 and ,clayton not only closed the property to the whiskey men1 but offered the building to the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce to use for the ,settlement work1 which had now grown so large that the building they had first rented was not sufficient for the different industries that were planned4 ,one of the most important of these was the pure-food department suggested by ,felicia4 ,it was not a month after ,clayton turned the saloon property over to the ,settlement that ,felicia found herself installed in the very room where souls had been lost1 as head of the department not only of cooking but of a course of housekeeping for girls who wished to go out to service4 ,she was now a resident of the ,settlement1 and found a home with ,mrs4 ,bruce and the other young women from the city who were residents4 ,martha1 the violinist1 remained at the place where the ,bishop had first discovered the two girls1 and came over to the ,settlement certain evenings to give lessons in music4 ,felicia1 tell us your plan in full now1 said the ,bishop one evening when1 in a rare interval of rest from the great pressure of work1 he was with ,dr4 ,bruce1 and ,felicia had come in from the other building4 ,well1 ,i have long thought of the hired girl problem1 said ,felicia with an air of wisdom that made ,mrs4 ,bruce smile as she looked at the enthusiastic1 vital beauty of this young girl1 transformed into a new creature by the promise she had made to live the ,christ-like life4 ,and ,i have reached certain conclusions in regard to it that you men are not yet able to fathom1 but ,mrs4 ,bruce will understand me4 ,we acknowledge our infancy1 ,felicia4 ,go on1 said the ,bishop humbly4 ,then this is what ,i propose to do4 ,the old saloon building is large enough to arrange into a suite of rooms that will represent an ordinary house4 ,my plan is to have it so arranged1 and then teach housekeeping and cooking to girls who will afterwards go out to service4 ,the course will be six months' long2 in that time ,i will teach plain cooking1 neatness1 quickness1 and a love of good work4 ,hold on1 ,felicia6 the ,bishop interrupted1 this is not an age of miracles6 ,then we will make it one1 replied ,felicia4 ,i know this seems like an impossibility1 but ,i want to try it4 ,i know a score of girls already who will take the course1 and if we can once establish something like an esprit de corps among the girls themselves1 ,i am sure it will be of great value to them4 ,i know already that the pure food is working a revolution in many families4 ,felicia1 if you can accomplish half what you propose it will bless this community1 said ,mrs4 ,bruce4 ,i don't see how you can do it1 but ,i say1 ,god bless you1 as you try4 ,so say we all6 cried ,dr4 ,bruce and the ,bishop1 and ,felicia plunged into the working out of her plan with the enthusiasm of her discipleship which every day grew more and more practical and serviceable4 ,it must be said here that ,felicia's plan succeeded beyond all expectations4 ,she developed wonderful powers of persuasion1 and taught her girls with astonishing rapidity to do all sorts of housework4 ,in time1 the graduates of ,felicia's cooking school came to be prized by housekeepers all over the city4 ,but that is anticipating our story4 ,the history of the ,settlement has never yet been written4 ,when it is ,felicia's part will be found of very great importance4 ,the depth of winter found ,chicago presenting1 as every great city of the world presents to the eyes of ,christendom the marked contrast between riches and poverty1 between culture1 refinement1 luxury1 ease1 and ignorance1 depravity1 destitution and the bitter struggle for bread4 ,it was a hard winter but a gay winter4 ,never had there been such a succession of parties1 receptions1 balls1 dinners1 banquets1 fetes1 gayeties4 ,never had the opera and the theatre been so crowded with fashionable audiences4 ,never had there been such a lavish display of jewels and fine dresses and equipages4 ,and on the other hand1 never had the deep want and suffering been so cruel1 so sharp1 so murderous4 ,never had the winds blown so chilling over the lake and through the thin shells of tenements in the neighborhood of the ,settlement4 ,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 form4 ,night after night the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce with their helpers went out and helped save men and women and children from the torture of physical privation4 ,vast quantities of food and clothing and large sums of money were donated by the churches1 the charitable societies1 the civic authorities and the benevolent associations4 ,but the personal touch of the ,christian disciple was very hard to secure for personal work4 ,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 value in time to come8 ,the ,bishop found his heart sing within him as he faced this fact more than any other4 ,men would give money who would not think of giving themselves4 ,and the money they gave did not represent any real sacrifice because they did not miss it4 ,they gave what was the easiest to give1 what hurt them the least4 ,where did the sacrifice come in8 ,was this following ,jesus8 ,was this going with ,him all the way8 ,he had been to members of his own aristocratic1 splendidly wealthy congregations1 and was appalled to find how few men and women of that luxurious class in the churches would really suffer any genuine inconvenience for the sake of suffering humanity4 ,is charity the giving of worn-out garments8 ,is it a ten-dollar bill given to a paid visitor or secretary of some benevolent organization in the church8 ,shall the man never go and give his gift himself8 ,shall the woman never deny herself her reception or her party or her musicale1 and go and actually touch1 herself1 the foul1 sinful sore of diseased humanity as it festers in the great metropolis8 ,shall charity be conveniently and easily done through some organization8 ,is it possible to organize the affections so that love shall work disagreeable things by proxy8 ,all this the ,bishop asked as he plunged deeper into the sin and sorrow of that bitter winter4 ,he was bearing his cross with joy4 ,but he burned and fought within over the shifting of personal love by the many upon the hearts of the few4 ,and still1 silently1 powerfully1 resistlessly1 the ,holy ,spirit was moving through the churches1 even the aristocratic1 wealthy1 ease-loving members who shunned the terrors of the social problem as they would shun a contagious disease4 ,this fact was impressed upon the ,settlement workers in a startling way one morning4 ,perhaps no incident of that winter shows more plainly how much of a momentum had already grown out of the movement of ,nazareth ,avenue ,church and the action of ,dr4 ,bruce and the ,bishop that followed the pledge to do as ,jesus would do4 ,chapter ,twenty-nine ,,the breakfast hour at the settlement was the one hour in the day when the whole family found a little breathing space to fellowship together4 ,it was an hour of relaxation4 ,there was a great deal of good-natured repartee and much real wit and enjoyable fun at this hour4 ,the ,bishop told his best stories4 ,dr4 ,bruce was at his best in anecdote4 ,this company of disciples was healthily humorous in spite of the atmosphere of sorrow that constantly surrounded them4 ,in fact1 the ,bishop often said the faculty of humor was as ,god-given as any other and in his own case it was the only safety valve he had for the tremendous pressure put upon him4 ,this particular morning he was reading extracts from a morning paper for the benefit of the others4 ,suddenly he paused and his face instantly grew stern and sad4 ,the rest looked up and a hush fell over the table4 ,shot and killed while taking a lump of coal from a car6 ,his family was freezing and he had had no work for six months4 ,six children and a wife all packed into a cabin with three rooms1 on the ,west ,side4 ,one child wrapped in rags in a closet6 ,these were headlines that he read slowly4 ,he then went on and read the detailed account of the shooting and the visit of the reporter to the tenement where the family lived4 ,he finished1 and there was silence around the table4 ,the humor of the hour was swept out of existence by this bit of human tragedy4 ,the great city roared about the ,settlement4 ,the awful current of human life was flowing in a great stream past the ,settlement ,house1 and those who had work were hurrying to it in a vast throng4 ,but thousands were going down in the midst of that current1 clutching at last hopes1 dying literally in a land of plenty because the boon of physical toil was denied them4 ,there were various comments on the part of the residents4 ,one of the new-comers1 a young man preparing for the ministry1 said3 ,why don't the man apply to one of the charity organizations for help8 ,or to the city8 ,it certainly is not true that even at its worst this city full of ,christian people would knowingly allow any one to go without food or fuel4 ,no1 ,i don't believe it would1 replied ,dr4 ,bruce4 ,but we don't know the history of this man's case4 ,he may have asked for help so often before that1 finally1 in a moment of desperation he determined to help himself4 ,i have known such cases this winter4 ,that is not the terrible fact in this case1 said the ,bishop4 ,the awful thing about it is the fact that the man had not had any work for six months4 ,why don't such people go out into the country8 asked the divinity student4 ,some one at the table who had made a special study of the opportunities for work in the country answered the question4 ,according to the investigator the places that were possible for work in the country were exceedingly few for steady employment1 and in almost every case they were offered only to men without families4 ,suppose a man's wife or children were ill4 ,how would he move or get into the country8 ,how could he pay even the meager sum necessary to move his few goods8 ,there were a thousand reasons probably why this particular man did not go elsewhere4 ,meanwhile there are the wife and children1 said ,mrs4 ,bruce4 ,how awful6 ,where is the place1 did you say8 ,why1 it is only three blocks from here4 ,this is the ',penrose district4' ,i believe ,penrose himself owns half of the houses in that block4 ,they are among the worst houses in this part of the city4 ,and ,penrose is a church member4 ,yes1 he belongs to the ,nazareth ,avenue ,church1 replied ,dr4 ,bruce in a low voice4 ,the ,bishop rose from the table the very figure of divine wrath4 ,he had opened his lips to say what seldom came from him in the way of denunciation1 when the bell rang and one of the residents went to the door4 ,tell ,dr4 ,bruce and the ,bishop ,i want to see them4 ,penrose is the name--,clarence ,penrose4 ,dr4 ,bruce knows me4 ,the family at the breakfast table heard every word4 ,the ,bishop exchanged a significant look with ,dr4 ,bruce and the two men instantly left the table and went out into the hall4 ,come in here1 ,penrose1 said ,dr4 ,bruce1 and they ushered the visitor into the reception room1 closed the door and were alone4 ,clarence ,penrose was one of the most elegant looking men in ,chicago4 ,he came from an aristocratic family of great wealth and social distinction4 ,he was exceedingly wealthy and had large property holdings in different parts of the city4 ,he had been a member of ,dr4 ,bruce's church many years4 ,he faced the two ministers with a look of agitation on his face that showed plainly the mark of some unusual experience4 ,he was very pale and his lips trembled as he spoke4 ,when had ,clarence ,penrose ever before yielded to such a strange emotion8 ,this affair of the shooting6 ,you understand8 ,you have read it8 ,the family lived in one of my houses4 ,it is a terrible event4 ,but that is not the primary cause of my visit4 ,he stammered and looked anxiously into the faces of the two men4 ,the ,bishop still looked stern4 ,he could not help feeling that this elegant man of leisure could have done a great deal to alleviate the horrors in his tenements1 possibly have prevented this tragedy if he had sacrificed some of his personal ease and luxury to better the conditions of the people in his district4 ,penrose turned toward ,dr4 ,bruce4 ,doctor6 he exclaimed1 and there was almost a child's terror in his voice4 ,i came to say that ,i have had an experience so unusual that nothing but the supernatural can explain it4 ,you remember ,i was one of those who took the pledge to do as ,jesus would do4 ,i thought at the time1 poor fool that ,i was1 that ,i had all along been doing the ,christian thing4 ,i gave liberally out of my abundance to the church and charity4 ,i never gave myself to cost me any suffering4 ,i have been living in a perfect hell of contradictions ever since ,i took that pledge4 ,my little girl1 ,diana you remember1 also took the pledge with me4 ,she has been asking me a great many questions lately about the poor people and where they live4 ,i was obliged to answer her4 ,one of her questions last night touched my sore6 ',do you own any houses where these poor people live8 ,are they nice and warm like ours8' ,you know how a child will ask questions like these4 ,i went to bed tormented with what ,i now know to be the divine arrows of conscience4 ,i could not sleep4 ,i seemed to see the judgment day4 ,i was placed before the ,judge4 ,i was asked to give an account of my deeds done in the body4 ',how many sinful souls had ,i visited in prison8 ,what had ,i done with my stewardship8 ,how about those tenements where people froze in winter and stifled in summer8 ,did ,i give any thought to them except to receive the rentals from them8 ,where did my suffering come in8 ,would ,jesus have done as ,i had done and was doing8 ,had ,i broken my pledge8 ,how had ,i used the money and the culture and the social influence ,i possessed8 ,had ,i used it to bless humanity1 to relieve the suffering1 to bring joy to the distressed and hope to the desponding8 ,i had received much4 ,how much had ,i given8' ,all this came to me in a waking vision as distinctly as ,i see you two men and myself now4 ,i was unable to see the end of the vision4 ,i had a confused picture in my mind of the suffering ,christ pointing a condemning finger at me1 and the rest was shut out by mist and darkness4 ,i have not slept for twenty-four hours4 ,the first thing ,i saw this morning was the account of the shooting at the coal yards4 ,i read the account with a feeling of horror ,i have not been able to shake off4 ,i am a guilty creature before ,god4 ,penrose paused suddenly4 ,the two men looked at him solemnly4 ,what power of the ,holy ,spirit moved the soul of this hitherto self-satisfied1 elegant1 cultured man who belonged to the social life that was accustomed to go its way placidly1 unmindful of the great sorrows of a great city and practically ignorant of what it means to suffer for ,jesus' sake8 ,into that room came a breath such as before swept over ,henry ,maxwell's church and through ,nazareth avenue4 ,the ,bishop laid his hand on the shoulder of ,penrose and said3 ,my brother1 ,god has been very near to you4 ,let us thank ,him4 ,yes6 yes6 sobbed ,penrose4 ,he sat down on a chair and covered his face4 ,the ,bishop prayed4 ,then ,penrose quietly said3 ,will you go with me to that house8 ,for answer the two men put on their overcoats and went with him to the home of the dead man's family4 ,that was the beginning of a new and strange life for ,clarence ,penrose4 ,from the moment he stepped into that wretched hovel of a home and faced for the first time in his life a despair and suffering such as he had read of but did not know by personal contact1 he dated a new life4 ,it would be another long story to tell how1 in obedience to his pledge he began to do with his tenement property as he knew ,jesus would do4 ,what would ,jesus do with tenement property if ,he owned it in ,chicago or any other great city of the world8 ,any man who can imagine any true answers to this question can easily tell what ,clarence ,penrose began to do4 ,now before that winter reached its bitter climax many things occurred in the city which concerned the lives of all the characters in this history of the disciples who promised to walk in ,his steps4 ,it chanced by one of those coincidences that seem to occur preternaturally that one afternoon just as ,felicia came out of the ,settlement with a basket of food which she was going to leave as a sample with a baker in the ,penrose district1 ,stephen ,clyde opened the door of the carpenter shop in the basement and came out in time to meet her as she reached the sidewalk4 ,let me carry your basket1 please1 he said4 ,why do you say 'please'8 asked ,felicia1 handing over the basket while they walked along4 ,i would like to say something else1 replied ,stephen1 glancing at her shyly and yet with a boldness that frightened him1 for he had been loving ,felicia more every day since he first saw her and especially since she stepped into the shop that day with the ,bishop1 and for weeks now they had been thrown in each other's company4 ,what else8 asked ,felicia1 innocently falling into the trap4 ,why-- said ,stephen1 turning his fair1 noble face full toward her and eyeing her with the look of one who would have the best of all things in the universe1 ,i would like to say3 ',let me carry your basket1 dear ,felicia'4 ,felicia never looked so beautiful in her life4 ,she walked on a little way without even turning her face toward him4 ,it was no secret with her own heart that she had given it to ,stephen some time ago4 ,finally she turned and said shyly1 while her face grew rosy and her eyes tender3 ,why don't you say it1 then8 ,may ,i8 cried ,stephen1 and he was so careless for a minute of the way he held the basket1 that ,felicia exclaimed3 ,yes6 ,but oh1 don't drop my goodies6 ,why1 ,i wouldn't drop anything so precious for all the world1 dear ,felicia1 said ,stephen1 who now walked on air for several blocks1 and what was said during that walk is private correspondence that we have no right to read4 ,only it is a matter of history that day that the basket never reached its destination1 and that over in the other direction1 late in the afternoon1 the ,bishop1 walking along quietly from the ,penrose district1 in rather a secluded spot near the outlying part of the ,settlement district1 heard a familiar voice say3 ,but tell me1 ,felicia1 when did you begin to love me8 ,i fell in love with a little pine shaving just above your ear that day when ,i saw you in the shop6 said the other voice with a laugh so clear1 so pure1 so sweet that it did one good to hear it4 ,where are you going with that basket8 he tried to say sternly4 ,we are taking it to--where are we taking it1 ,felicia8 ,dear ,bishop1 we are taking it home to begin-- ,to begin housekeeping with1 finished ,stephen1 coming to the rescue4 ,are you8 said the ,bishop4 ,i hope you will invite me to share4 ,i know what ,felicia's cooking is4 ,bishop1 dear ,bishop6 said ,felicia1 and she did not pretend to hide her happiness2 indeed1 you shall be the most honored guest4 ,are you glad8 ,yes1 ,i am1 he replied1 interpreting ,felicia's words as she wished4 ,then he paused a moment and said gently3 ,god bless you both6 and went his way with a tear in his eye and a prayer in his heart1 and left them to their joy4 ,yes4 ,shall not the same divine power of love that belongs to earth be lived and sung by the disciples of the ,man of ,sorrows and the ,burden-bearer of sins8 ,yea1 verily6 ,and this man and woman shall walk hand in hand through this great desert of human woe in this city1 strengthening each other1 growing more loving with the experience of the world's sorrows1 walking in ,his steps even closer yet because of their love for each other1 bringing added blessing to thousands of wretched creatures because they are to have a home of their own to share with the homeless4 ,for this cause1 said our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife4 ,and ,felicia and ,stephen1 following the ,master1 love him with a deeper1 truer service and devotion because of the earthly affection which ,heaven itself sanctions with its solemn blessing4 ,but it was a little after the love story of the ,settlement became a part of its glory that ,henry ,maxwell of ,raymond came to ,chicago with ,rachel ,winslow and ,virginia ,page and ,rollin and ,alexander ,powers and ,president ,marsh1 and the occasion was a remarkable gathering at the hall of the ,settlement arranged by the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce1 who had finally persuaded ,mr4 ,maxwell and his fellow disciples in ,raymond to come on to be present at this meeting4 ,there were invited into the ,settlement ,hall1 meeting for that night men out of work1 wretched creatures who had lost faith in ,god and man1 anarchists and infidels1 free-thinkers and no-thinkers4 ,the representation of all the city's worst1 most hopeless1 most dangerous1 depraved elements faced ,henry ,maxwell and the other disciples when the meeting began4 ,and still the ,holy ,spirit moved over the great1 selfish1 pleasure-loving1 sin-stained city1 and it lay in ,god's hand1 not knowing all that awaited it4 ,every man and woman at the meeting that night had seen the ,settlement motto over the door blazing through the transparency set up by the divinity student3 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,and ,henry ,maxwell1 as for the first time he stepped under the doorway1 was touched with a deeper emotion than he had felt in a long time as he thought of the first time that question had come to him in the piteous appeal of the shabby young man who had appeared in the ,first ,church of ,raymond at the morning service4 ,was his great desire for fellowship going to be granted8 ,would the movement begun in ,raymond actually spread over the country8 ,he had come to ,chicago with his friends partly to see if the answer to that question would be found in the heart of the great city life4 ,in a few minutes he would face the people4 ,he had grown very strong and calm since he first spoke with trembling to that company of workingmen in the railroad shops1 but now as then he breathed a deeper prayer for help4 ,then he went in1 and with the rest of the disciples he experienced one of the great and important events of the earthly life4 ,somehow he felt as if this meeting would indicate something of an answer to his constant query3 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,and to-night as he looked into the faces of men and women who had for years been strangers and enemies to the ,church1 his heart cried out3 ,o1 my ,master1 teach the ,church1 ,thy ,church1 how to follow ,thy steps better6 ,is that prayer of ,henry ,maxwell's to be answered8 ,will the ,church in the city respond to the call to follow ,him8 ,will it choose to walk in ,his steps of pain and suffering8 ,and still1 over all the city broods the ,spirit4 ,grieve ,him not1 ,o city6 ,for ,he was never more ready to revolutionize this world than now6 ,chapter ,thirty ,now1 when ,jesus heard these things1 ,he said unto him1 ,yet lackest thou one thing3 sell all that thou hast1 and distribute unto the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven3 and come1 follow ,me4 ,,when ,henry ,maxwell began to speak to the souls crowded into the ,settlement ,hall that night it is doubtful if he ever faced such an audience in his life4 ,it is quite certain that the city of ,raymond did not contain such a variety of humanity4 ,not even the ,rectangle at its worst could furnish so many men and women who had fallen entirely out of the reach of the church and of all religious and even ,christian influences4 ,what did he talk about8 ,he had already decided that point4 ,he told in the simplest language he could command some of the results of obedience to the pledge as it had been taken in ,raymond4 ,every man and woman in that audience knew something about ,jesus ,christ4 ,they all had some idea of ,his character1 and however much they had grown bitter toward the forms of ,christian ecclesiasticism or the social system1 they preserved some standard of right and truth1 and what little some of them still retained was taken from the person of the ,peasant of ,galilee4 ,so they were interested in what ,maxwell said4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,he began to apply the question to the social problem in general1 after finishing the story of ,raymond4 ,the audience was respectfully attentive4 ,it was more than that4 ,it was genuinely interested4 ,as ,mr4 ,maxwell went on1 faces all over the hall leaned forward in a way seldom seen in church audiences or anywhere except among workingmen or the people of the street when once they are thoroughly aroused4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,suppose that were the motto not only of the churches but of the business men1 the politicians1 the newspapers1 the workingmen1 the society people--how long would it take under such a standard of conduct to revolutionize the world8 ,what was the trouble with the world8 ,it was suffering from selfishness4 ,no one ever lived who had succeeded in overcoming selfishness like ,jesus4 ,if men followed ,him regardless of results the world would at once begin to enjoy a new life4 ,maxwell never knew how much it meant to hold the respectful attention of that hall full of diseased and sinful humanity4 ,the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce1 sitting there1 looking on1 seeing many faces that represented scorn of creeds1 hatred of the social order1 desperate narrowness and selfishness1 marveled that even so soon under the influence of the ,settlement life1 the softening process had begun already to lessen the bitterness of hearts1 many of which had grown bitter from neglect and indifference4 ,and still1 in spite of the outward show of respect to the speaker1 no one1 not even the ,bishop1 had any true conception of the feeling pent up in that room that night4 ,among those who had heard of the meeting and had responded to the invitation were twenty or thirty men out of work who had strolled past the ,settlement that afternoon1 read the notice of the meeting1 and had come in out of curiosity and to escape the chill east wind4 ,it was a bitter night and the saloons were full4 ,but in that whole district of over thirty thousand souls1 with the exception of the saloons1 there was not a door open except the clean1 pure ,christian door of the ,settlement4 ,where would a man without a home or without work or without friends naturally go unless to the saloon8 ,it had been the custom at the ,settlement for a free discussion to follow any open meeting of this kind1 and when ,mr4 ,maxwell finished and sat down1 the ,bishop1 who presided that night1 rose and made the announcement that any man in the hall was at liberty to ask questions1 to speak out his feelings or declare his convictions1 always with the understanding that whoever took part was to observe the simple rules that governed parliamentary bodies and obey the three-minute rule which1 by common consent1 would be enforced on account of the numbers present4 ,instantly a number of voices from men who had been at previous meetings of this kind exclaimed1 ,consent6 consent6 ,the ,bishop sat down1 and immediately a man near the middle of the hall rose and began to speak4 ,i want to say that what ,mr4 ,maxwell has said tonight comes pretty close to me4 ,i knew ,jack ,manning1 the fellow he told about who died at his house4 ,i worked on the next case to his in a printer's shop in ,philadelphia for two years4 ,jack was a good fellow4 ,he loaned me five dollars once when ,i was in a hole and ,i never got a chance to pay him back4 ,he moved to ,new ,york1 owing to a change in the management of the office that threw him out1 and ,i never saw him again4 ,when the linotype machines came in ,i was one of the men to go out1 just as he did4 ,i have been out most of the time since4 ,they say inventions are a good thing4 ,i don't always see it myself2 but ,i suppose ,i'm prejudiced4 ,a man naturally is when he loses a steady job because a machine takes his place4 ,about this ,christianity he tells about1 it's all right4 ,but ,i never expect to see any such sacrifices on the part of the church people4 ,so far as my observation goes they're just as selfish and as greedy for money and worldly success as anybody4 ,i except the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce and a few others4 ,but ,i never found much difference between men of the world1 as they are called1 and church members when it came to business and money making4 ,one class is just as bad as another there4 ,cries of ,that's so6 ,you're right6 ,of course6 interrupted the speaker1 and the minute he sat down two men who were on the floor for several seconds before the first speaker was through began to talk at once4 ,the ,bishop called them to order and indicated which was entitled to the floor4 ,the man who remained standing began eagerly3 ,this is the first time ,i was ever in here1 and may be it'll be the last4 ,fact is1 ,i am about at the end of my string4 ,i've tramped this city for work till ,i'm sick4 ,i'm in plenty of company4 ,say6 ,i'd like to ask a question of the minister1 if it's fair4 ,may ,i8 ,that's for ,mr4 ,maxwell to say1 said the ,bishop4 ,by all means1 replied ,mr4 ,maxwell quickly4 ,of course1 ,i will not promise to answer it to the gentleman's satisfaction4 ,this is my question4 ,the man leaned forward and stretched out a long arm with a certain dramatic force that grew naturally enough out of his condition as a human being4 ,i want to know what ,jesus would do in my case4 ,i haven't had a stroke of work for two months4 ,i've got a wife and three children1 and ,i love them as much as if ,i was worth a million dollars4 ,i've been living off a little earnings ,i saved up during the ,world's ,fair jobs ,i got4 ,i'm a carpenter by trade1 and ,i've tried every way ,i know to get a job4 ,you say we ought to take for our motto1 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,what would ,he do if ,he was out of work like me8 ,i can't be somebody else and ask the question4 ,i want to work4 ,i'd give anything to grow tired of working ten hours a day the way ,i used to4 ,am ,i to blame because ,i can't manufacture a job for myself8 ,i've got to live1 and my wife and my children have got to live4 ,but how8 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,you say that's the question we ought to ask4 ,mr4 ,maxwell sat there staring at the great sea of faces all intent on his1 and no answer to this man's question seemed for the time being to be possible4 ,o ,god6 his heart prayed2 this is a question that brings up the entire social problem in all its perplexing entanglement of human wrongs and its present condition contrary to every desire of ,god for a human being's welfare4 ,is there any condition more awful than for a man in good health1 able and eager to work1 with no means of honest livelihood unless he does work1 actually unable to get anything to do1 and driven to one of three things3 begging or charity at the hands of friends or strangers1 suicide or starvation8 ',what would ,jesus do8' ,it was a fair question for the man to ask4 ,it was the only question he could ask1 supposing him to be a disciple of ,jesus4 ,but what a question for any man to be obliged to answer under such conditions8 ,all this and more did ,henry ,maxwell ponder4 ,all the others were thinking in the same way4 ,the ,bishop sat there with a look so stern and sad that it was not hard to tell how the question moved him4 ,dr4 ,bruce had his head bowed4 ,the human problem had never seemed to him so tragical as since he had taken the pledge and left his church to enter the ,settlement4 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,it was a terrible question4 ,and still the man stood there1 tall and gaunt and almost terrible1 with his arm stretched out in an appeal which grew every second in meaning4 ,at length ,mr4 ,maxwell spoke4 ,is there any man in the room1 who is a ,christian disciple1 who has been in this condition and has tried to do as ,jesus would do8 ,if so1 such a man can answer this question better than ,i can4 ,there was a moment's hush over the room and then a man near the front of the hall slowly rose4 ,he was an old man1 and the hand he laid on the back of the bench in front of him trembled as he spoke4 ,i think ,i can safely say that ,i have many times been in just such a condition1 and ,i have always tried to be a ,christian under all conditions4 ,i don't know as ,i have always asked this question1 ',what would ,jesus do8' when ,i have been out of work1 but ,i do know ,i have tried to be ,his disciple at all times4 ,yes1 the man went on1 with a sad smile that was more pathetic to the ,bishop and ,mr4 ,maxwell than the younger man's grim despair2 yes1 ,i have begged1 and ,i have been to charity institutions1 and ,i have done everything when out of a job except steal and lie in order to get food and fuel4 ,i don't know as ,jesus would have done some of the things ,i have been obliged to do for a living1 but ,i know ,i have never knowingly done wrong when out of work4 ,sometimes ,i think maybe ,he would have starved sooner than beg4 ,i don't know4 ,the old man's voice trembled and he looked around the room timidly4 ,a silence followed1 broken by a fierce voice from a large1 black-haired1 heavily-bearded man who sat three seats from the ,bishop4 ,the minute he spoke nearly every man in the hall leaned forward eagerly4 ,the man who had asked the question1 ,what would ,jesus do in my case8 slowly sat down and whispered to the man next to him3 ,who's that8 ,that's ,carlsen1 the ,socialist leader4 ,now you'll hear something4 ,this is all bosh1 to my mind1 began ,carlsen1 while his great bristling beard shook with the deep inward anger of the man4 ,the whole of our system is at fault4 ,what we call civilization is rotten to the core4 ,there is no use trying to hide it or cover it up4 ,we live in an age of trusts and combines and capitalistic greed that means simply death to thousands of innocent men1 women and children4 ,i thank ,god1 if there is a ,god--which ,i very much doubt--that ,i1 for one1 have never dared to marry and make a home4 ,home6 ,talk of hell6 ,is there any bigger one than this man and his three children has on his hands right this minute8 ,and he's only one out of thousands4 ,and yet this city1 and every other big city in this country1 has its thousands of professed ,christians who have all the luxuries and comforts1 and who go to church ,sundays and sing their hymns about giving all to ,jesus and bearing the cross and following ,him all the way and being saved6 ,i don't say that there aren't good men and women among them1 but let the minister who has spoken to us here tonight go into any one of a dozen aristocratic churches ,i could name and propose to the members to take any such pledge as the one he's mentioned here tonight1 and see how quick the people would laugh at him for a fool or a crank or a fanatic4 ,oh1 no6 ,that's not the remedy4 ,that can't ever amount to anything4 ,we've got to have a new start in the way of government4 ,the whole thing needs reconstructing4 ,i don't look for any reform worth anything to come out of the churches4 ,they are not with the people4 ,they are with the aristocrats1 with the men of money4 ,the trusts and monopolies have their greatest men in the churches4 ,the ministers as a class are their slaves4 ,what we need is a system that shall start from the common basis of socialism1 founded on the rights of the common people-- ,carlsen had evidently forgotten all about the three-minutes rule and was launching himself into a regular oration that meant1 in his usual surroundings before his usual audience1 an hour at least1 when the man just behind him pulled him down unceremoniously and arose4 ,carlsen was angry at first and threatened a little disturbance1 but the ,bishop reminded him of the rule1 and he subsided with several mutterings in his beard1 while the next speaker began with a very strong eulogy on the value of the single tax as a genuine remedy for all the social ills4 ,he was followed by a man who made a bitter attack on the churches and ministers1 and declared that the two great obstacles in the way of all true reform were the courts and the ecclesiastical machines4 ,when he sat down a man who bore every mark of being a street laborer sprang to his feet and poured a perfect torrent of abuse against the corporations1 especially the railroads4 ,the minute his time was up a big1 brawny fellow1 who said he was a metal worker by trade1 claimed the floor and declared that the remedy for the social wrongs was ,trades ,unionism4 ,this1 he said1 would bring on the millennium for labor more surely than anything else4 ,the next man endeavored to give some reasons why so many persons were out of employment1 and condemned inventions as works of the devil4 ,he was loudly applauded by the rest4 ,finally the ,bishop called time on the free for all1 and asked ,rachel to sing4 ,rachel ,winslow had grown into a very strong1 healthful1 humble ,christian during that wonderful year in ,raymond dating from the ,sunday when she first took the pledge to do as ,jesus would do1 and her great talent for song had been fully consecrated to the service of the ,master4 ,when she began to sing tonight at this ,settlement meeting1 she had never prayed more deeply for results to come from her voice1 the voice which she now regarded as the ,master's1 to be used for ,him4 ,certainly her prayer was being answered as she sang4 ,she had chosen the words1 ,hark6 ,the voice of ,jesus calling1 ,follow me1 follow me6 ,again ,henry ,maxwell1 sitting there1 was reminded of his first night at the ,rectangle in the tent when ,rachel sang the people into quiet4 ,the effect was the same here4 ,what wonderful power a good voice consecrated to the ,master's service always is6 ,rachel's great natural ability would have made her one of the foremost opera singers of the age4 ,surely this audience had never heard such a melody4 ,how could it8 ,the men who had drifted in from the street sat entranced by a voice which back in the world1 as the ,bishop said1 never could be heard by the common people because the owner of it would charge two or three dollars for the privilege4 ,the song poured out through the hall as free and glad as if it were a foretaste of salvation itself4 ,carlsen1 with his great1 black-bearded face uplifted1 absorbed the music with the deep love of it peculiar to his nationality1 and a tear ran over his cheek and glistened in his beard as his face softened and became almost noble in its aspect4 ,the man out of work who had wanted to know what ,jesus would do in his place sat with one grimy hand on the back of the bench in front of him1 with his mouth partly open1 his great tragedy for the moment forgotten4 ,the song1 while it lasted1 was food and work and warmth and union with his wife and babies once more4 ,the man who had spoken so fiercely against the churches and ministers sat with his head erect1 at first with a look of stolid resistance1 as if he stubbornly resisted the introduction into the exercises of anything that was even remotely connected with the church or its forms of worship4 ,but gradually he yielded to the power that was swaying the hearts of all the persons in that room1 and a look of sad thoughtfulness crept over his face4 ,the ,bishop said that night while ,rachel was singing that if the world of sinful1 diseased1 depraved1 lost humanity could only have the gospel preached to it by consecrated prima donnas and professional tenors and altos and bassos1 he believed it would hasten the coming of the ,kingdom quicker than any other one force4 ,why1 oh why1 he cried in his heart as he listened1 has the world's great treasure of song been so often held far from the poor because the personal possessor of voice or fingers1 capable of stirring divinest melody1 has so often regarded the gift as something with which to make money8 ,shall there be no martyrs among the gifted ones of the earth8 ,shall there be no giving of this great gift as well as of others8 ,and ,henry ,maxwell1 again as before1 called up that other audience at the ,rectangle with increasing longing for a larger spread of the new discipleship4 ,what he had seen and heard at the ,settlement burned into him deeper the belief that the problem of the city would be solved if the ,christians in it should once follow ,jesus as ,he gave commandment4 ,but what of this great mass of humanity1 neglected and sinful1 the very kind of humanity the ,savior came to save1 with all its mistakes and narrowness1 its wretchedness and loss of hope1 above all its unqualified bitterness towards the church8 ,that was what smote him deepest4 ,was the church then so far from the ,master that the people no longer found ,him in the church8 ,was it true that the church had lost its power over the very kind of humanity which in the early ages of ,christianity it reached in the greatest numbers8 ,how much was true in what the ,socialist leader said about the uselessness of looking to the church for reform or redemption1 because of the selfishness and seclusion and aristocracy of its members8 ,he was more and more impressed with the appalling fact that the comparatively few men in that hall1 now being held quiet for a while by ,rachel's voice1 represented thousands of others just like them1 to whom a church and a minister stood for less than a saloon or a beer garden as a source of comfort or happiness4 ,ought it to be so8 ,if the church members were all doing as ,jesus would do1 could it remain true that armies of men would walk the streets for jobs and hundreds of them curse the church and thousands of them find in the saloon their best friend8 ,how far were the ,christians responsible for this human problem that was personally illustrated right in this hall tonight8 ,was it true that the great city churches would as a rule refuse to walk in ,jesus' steps so closely as to suffer--actually suffer--for ,his sake8 ,henry ,maxwell kept asking this question even after ,rachel had finished singing and the meeting had come to an end after a social gathering which was very informal4 ,he asked it while the little company of residents with the ,raymond visitors were having a devotional service1 as the custom in the ,settlement was4 ,he asked it during a conference with the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce which lasted until one o'clock4 ,he asked it as he knelt again before sleeping and poured out his soul in a petition for spiritual baptism on the church in ,america such as it had never known4 ,he asked it the first thing in the morning and all through the day as he went over the ,settlement district and saw the life of the people so far removed from the ,life abundant4 ,would the church members1 would the ,christians1 not only in the churches of ,chicago1 but throughout the country1 refuse to walk in ,his steps if1 in order to do so1 they must actually take up a cross and follow ,him8 ,this was the one question that continually demanded answer4 ,chapter ,thirty-one ,,he had planned when he came to the city to return to ,raymond and be in his own pulpit on ,sunday4 ,but ,friday morning he had received at the ,settlement a call from the pastor of one of the largest churches in ,chicago1 and had been invited to fill the pulpit for both morning and evening service4 ,at first he hesitated1 but finally accepted1 seeing in it the hand of the ,spirit's guiding power4 ,he would test his own question4 ,he would prove the truth or falsity of the charge made against the church at the ,settlement meeting4 ,how far would it go in its self-denial for ,jesus' sake8 ,how closely would it walk in ,his steps8 ,was the church willing to suffer for its ,master8 ,saturday night he spent in prayer1 nearly the whole night4 ,there had never been so great a wrestling in his soul1 not even during his strongest experiences in ,raymond4 ,he had in fact entered upon another new experience4 ,the definition of his own discipleship was receiving an added test at this time1 and he was being led into a larger truth of the ,lord4 ,sunday morning the great church was filled to its utmost4 ,henry ,maxwell1 coming into the pulpit from that all-night vigil1 felt the pressure of a great curiosity on the part of the people4 ,they had heard of the ,raymond movement1 as all the churches had1 and the recent action of ,dr4 ,bruce had added to the general interest in the pledge4 ,with this curiosity was something deeper1 more serious4 ,mr4 ,maxwell felt that also4 ,and in the knowledge that the ,spirit's presence was his living strength1 he brought his message and gave it to that church that day4 ,he had never been what would be called a great preacher4 ,he had not the force nor the quality that makes remarkable preachers4 ,but ever since he had promised to do as ,jesus would do1 he had grown in a certain quality of persuasiveness that had all the essentials of true eloquence4 ,this morning the people felt the complete sincerity and humility of a man who had gone deep into the heart of a great truth4 ,after telling briefly of some results in his own church in ,raymond since the pledge was taken1 he went on to ask the question he had been asking since the ,settlement meeting4 ,he had taken for his theme the story of the young man who came to ,jesus asking what he must do to obtain eternal life4 ,jesus had tested him4 ,sell all that thou hast and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven2 and come follow me4 ,but the young man was not willing to suffer to that extent4 ,if following ,jesus meant suffering in that way1 he was not willing4 ,he would like to follow ,jesus1 but not if he had to give so much4 ,is it true1 continued ,henry ,maxwell1 and his fine1 thoughtful face glowed with a passion of appeal that stirred the people as they had seldom been stirred1 is it true that the church of today1 the church that is called after ,christ's own name1 would refuse to follow ,him at the expense of suffering1 of physical loss1 of temporary gain8 ,the statement was made at a large gathering in the ,settlement last week by a leader of workingmen that it was hopeless to look to the church for any reform or redemption of society4 ,on what was that statement based8 ,plainly on the assumption that the church contains for the most part men and women who think more 'of their own ease and luxury' than of the sufferings and needs and sins of humanity4 ,how far is that true8 ,are the ,christians of ,america ready to have their discipleship tested8 ,how about the men who possess large wealth8 ,are they ready to take that wealth and use it as ,jesus would8 ,how about the men and women of great talent8 ,are they ready to consecrate that talent to humanity as ,jesus undoubtedly would do8 ,is it not true that the call has come in this age for a new exhibition of ,christian discipleship8 ,you who live in this great sinful city must know that better than ,i do4 ,is it possible you can go your ways careless or thoughtless of the awful condition of men and women and children who are dying1 body and soul1 for need of ,christian help8 ,is it not a matter of concern to you personally that the saloon kills its thousands more surely than war8 ,is it not a matter of personal suffering in some form for you that thousands of able-bodied1 willing men tramp the streets of this city and all cities1 crying for work and drifting into crime and suicide because they cannot find it8 ,can you say that this is none of your business8 ,let each man look after himself8 ,would it not be true1 think you1 that if every ,christian in ,america did as ,jesus would do1 society itself1 the business world1 yes1 the very political system under which our commercial and governmental activity is carried on1 would be so changed that human suffering would be reduced to a minimum8 ,what would be the result if all the church members of this city tried to do as ,jesus would do8 ,it is not possible to say in detail what the effect would be4 ,but it is easy to say1 and it is true1 that instantly the human problem would begin to find an adequate answer4 ,what is the test of ,christian discipleship8 ,is it not the same as in ,christ's own time8 ,have our surroundings modified or changed the test8 ,if ,jesus were here today would ,he not call some of the members of this very church to do just what ,he commanded the young man1 and ask them to give up their wealth and literally follow ,him8 ,i believe ,he would do that if ,he felt certain that any church member thought more of his possessions than of the ,savior4 ,the test would be the same today as then4 ,i believe ,jesus would demand ,he does demand now--as close a following1 as much suffering1 as great self-denial as when ,he lived in person on the earth and said1 ',except a man renounce all that he hath he cannot be my disciple4' ,that is1 unless he is willing to do it for my sake1 he cannot be my disciple4 ,what would be the result if in this city every church member should begin to do as ,jesus would do8 ,it is not easy to go into details of the result4 ,but we all know that certain things would be impossible that are now practiced by church members4 ,what would ,jesus do in the matter of wealth8 ,how would ,he spend it8 ,what principle would regulate ,his use of money8 ,would ,he be likely to live in great luxury and spend ten times as much on personal adornment and entertainment as ,he spent to relieve the needs of suffering humanity8 ,how would ,jesus be governed in the making of money8 ,would ,he take rentals from saloons and other disreputable property1 or even from tenement property that was so constructed that the inmates had no such things as a home and no such possibility as privacy or cleanliness8 ,what would ,jesus do about the great army of unemployed and desperate who tramp the streets and curse the church1 or are indifferent to it1 lost in the bitter struggle for the bread that tastes bitter when it is earned on account of the desperate conflict to get it8 ,would ,jesus care nothing for them8 ,would ,he go ,his way in comparative ease and comfort8 ,would ,he say that it was none of ,his business8 ,would ,he excuse ,himself from all responsibility to remove the causes of such a condition8 ,what would ,jesus do in the center of a civilization that hurries so fast after money that the very girls employed in great business houses are not paid enough to keep soul and body together without fearful temptations so great that scores of them fall and are swept over the great boiling abyss2 where the demands of trade sacrifice hundreds of lads in a business that ignores all ,christian duties toward them in the way of education and moral training and personal affection8 ,would ,jesus1 if ,he were here today as a part of our age and commercial industry1 feel nothing1 do nothing1 say nothing1 in the face of these facts which every business man knows8 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,is not that what the disciple ought to do8 ,is he not commanded to follow in ,his steps8 ,how much is the ,christianity of the age suffering for ,him8 ,is it denying itself at the cost of ease1 comfort1 luxury1 elegance of living8 ,what does the age need more than personal sacrifice8 ,does the church do its duty in following ,jesus when it gives a little money to establish missions or relieve extreme cases of want8 ,is it any sacrifice for a man who is worth ten million dollars simply to give ten thousand dollars for some benevolent work8 ,is he not giving something that cost him practically nothing so far as any personal suffering goes8 ,is it true that the ,christian disciples today in most of our churches are living soft1 easy1 selfish lives1 very far from any sacrifice that can be called sacrifice8 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,it is the personal element that ,christian discipleship needs to emphasize4 ',the gift without the giver is bare4' ,the ,christianity that attempts to suffer by proxy is not the ,christianity of ,christ4 ,each individual ,christian business man1 citizen1 needs to follow in ,his steps along the path of personal sacrifice to ,him4 ,there is not a different path today from that of ,jesus' own times4 ,it is the same path4 ,the call of this dying century and of the new one soon to be1 is a call for a new discipleship1 a new following of ,jesus1 more like the early1 simple1 apostolic ,christianity1 when the disciples left all and literally followed the ,master4 ,nothing but a discipleship of this kind can face the destructive selfishness of the age with any hope of overcoming it4 ,there is a great quantity of nominal ,christianity today4 ,there is need of more of the real kind4 ,we need revival of the ,christianity of ,christ4 ,we have1 unconsciously1 lazily1 selfishly1 formally grown into a discipleship that ,jesus himself would not acknowledge4 ,he would say to many of us when we cry1 ',lord1 ,lord1' ',i never knew you6' ,are we ready to take up the cross8 ,is it possible for this church to sing with exact truth1 ',jesus1 ,i my cross have taken1 ,all to leave and follow ,thee8' ,if we can sing that truly1 then we may claim discipleship4 ,but if our definition of being a ,christian is simply to enjoy the privileges of worship1 be generous at no expense to ourselves1 have a good1 easy time surrounded by pleasant friends and by comfortable things1 live respectably and at the same time avoid the world's great stress of sin and trouble because it is too much pain to bear it--if this is our definition of ,christianity1 surely we are a long way from following the steps of ,him who trod the way with groans and tears and sobs of anguish for a lost humanity2 who sweat1 as it were1 great drops of blood1 who cried out on the upreared cross1 ',my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8' ,are we ready to make and live a new discipleship8 ,are we ready to reconsider our definition of a ,christian8 ,what is it to be a ,christian8 ,it is to imitate ,jesus4 ,it is to do as ,he would do4 ,it is to walk in ,his steps4 ,when ,henry ,maxwell finished his sermon1 he paused and looked at the people with a look they never forgot and1 at the moment1 did not understand4 ,crowded into that fashionable church that day were hundreds of men and women who had for years lived the easy1 satisfied life of a nominal ,christianity4 ,a great silence fell over the congregation4 ,through the silence there came to the consciousness of all the souls there present a knowledge1 stranger to them now for years1 of a ,divine ,power4 ,every one expected the preacher to call for volunteers who would do as ,jesus would do4 ,but ,maxwell had been led by the ,spirit to deliver his message this time and wait for results to come4 ,he closed the service with a tender prayer that kept the ,divine ,presence lingering very near every hearer1 and the people slowly rose to go out4 ,then followed a scene that would have been impossible if any mere man had been alone in his striving for results4 ,men and women in great numbers crowded around the platform to see ,mr4 ,maxwell and to bring him the promise of their consecration to the pledge to do as ,jesus would do4 ,it was a voluntary1 spontaneous movement that broke upon his soul with a result he could not measure4 ,but had he not been praying for is very thing8 ,it was an answer that more than met his desires4 ,there followed this movement a prayer service that in its impressions repeated the ,raymond experience4 ,in the evening1 to ,mr4 ,maxwell's joy1 the ,endeavor ,society almost to a member came forward1 as so many of the church members had done in the morning1 and seriously1 solemnly1 tenderly1 took the pledge to do as ,jesus would do4 ,a deep wave of spiritual baptism broke over the meeting near its close that was indescribable in its tender1 joyful1 sympathetic results4 ,that was a remarkable day in the history of that church1 but even more so in the history of ,henry ,maxwell4 ,he left the meeting very late4 ,he went to his room at the ,settlement where he was still stopping1 and after an hour with the ,bishop and ,dr4 ,bruce1 spent in a joyful rehearsal of the wonderful events of the day1 he sat down to think over again by himself all the experience he was having as a ,christian disciple4 ,he had kneeled to pray1 as he always did before going to sleep1 and it was while he was on his knees that he had a waking vision of what might be in the world when once the new discipleship had made its way into the conscience and conscientiousness of ,christendom4 ,he was fully conscious of being awake1 but no less certainly did it seem to him that he saw certain results with great distinctiveness1 partly as realities of the future1 partly great longings that they might be realities4 ,and this is what ,henry ,maxwell saw in this waking vision3 ,he saw himself1 first1 going back to the ,first ,church in ,raymond1 living there in a simpler1 more self-denying fashion than he had yet been willing to live1 because he saw ways in which he could help others who were really dependent on him for help4 ,he also saw1 more dimly1 that the time would come when his position as pastor of the church would cause him to suffer more on account of growing opposition to his interpretation of ,jesus and ,his conduct4 ,but this was vaguely outlined4 ,through it all he heard the words ,my grace is sufficient for thee4 ,he saw ,rachel ,winslow and ,virginia ,page going on with their work of service at the ,rectangle1 and reaching out loving hands of helpfulness far beyond the limits of ,raymond4 ,rachel he saw married to ,rollin ,page1 both fully consecrated to the ,master's use1 both following ,his steps with an eagerness intensified and purified by their love for each other4 ,and ,rachel's voice sang on1 in slums and dark places of despair and sin1 and drew lost souls back to ,god and heaven once more4 ,he saw ,president ,marsh of the college using his great learning and his great influence to purify the city1 to ennoble its patriotism1 to inspire the young men and women who loved as well as admired him to lives of ,christian service1 always teaching them that education means great responsibility for the weak and the ignorant4 ,he saw ,alexander ,powers meeting with sore trials in his family life1 with a constant sorrow in the estrangement of wife and friends1 but still going his way in all honor1 serving in all his strength the ,master whom he had obeyed1 even unto the loss of social distinction and wealth4 ,he saw ,milton ,wright1 the merchant1 meeting with great reverses4 ,thrown upon the future by a combination of circumstances1 with vast business interests involved in ruin through no fault of his own1 but coming out of his reverses with clean ,christian honor1 to begin again and work up to a position where he could again be to hundreds of young men an example of what ,jesus would do in business4 ,he saw ,edward ,norman1 editor of the ,,news1 by means of the money given by ,virginia1 creating a force in journalism that in time came to be recognized as one of the real factors of the nation to mold its principles and actually shape its policy1 a daily illustration of the might of a ,christian press1 and the first of a series of such papers begun and carried on by other disciples who had also taken the pledge4 ,he saw ,jasper ,chase1 who had denied his ,master1 growing into a cold1 cynical1 formal life1 writing novels that were social successes1 but each one with a sting in it1 the reminder of his denial1 the bitter remorse that1 do what he would1 no social success could remove4 ,he saw ,rose ,sterling1 dependent for some years upon her aunt and ,felicia1 finally married to a man far older than herself1 accepting the burden of a relation that had no love in it on her part1 because of her desire to be the wife of a rich man and enjoy the physical luxuries that were all of life to her4 ,over this life also the vision cast certain dark and awful shadows but they were not shown in detail4 ,he saw ,felicia and ,stephen ,clyde happily married1 living a beautiful life together1 enthusiastic1 joyful in suffering1 pouring out their great1 strong1 fragrant service into the dull1 dark1 terrible places of the great city1 and redeeming souls through the personal touch of their home1 dedicated to the ,human ,homesickness all about them4 ,he saw ,dr4 ,bruce and the ,bishop going on with the ,settlement work4 ,he seemed to see the great blazing motto over the door enlarged1 ,what would ,jesus do8 and by this motto every one who entered the ,settlement walked in the steps of the ,master4 ,he saw ,burns and his companion and a great company of men like them1 redeemed and giving in turn to others1 conquering their passions by the divine grace1 and proving by their daily lives the reality of the new birth even in the lowest and most abandoned4 ,and now the vision was troubled4 ,it seemed to him that as he kneeled he began to pray1 and the vision was more of a longing for a future than a reality in the future4 ,the church of ,jesus in the city and throughout the country6 ,would it follow ,jesus8 ,was the movement begun in ,raymond to spend itself in a few churches like ,nazareth ,avenue and the one where he had preached today1 and then die away as a local movement1 a stirring on the surface but not to extend deep and far8 ,he felt with agony after the vision again4 ,he thought he saw the church of ,jesus in ,america open its heart to the moving of the ,spirit and rise to the sacrifice of its ease and self-satisfaction in the name of ,jesus4 ,he thought he saw the motto1 ,what would ,jesus do8 inscribed over every church door1 and written on every church member's heart4 ,the vision vanished4 ,it came back clearer than before1 and he saw the ,endeavor ,societies all over the world carrying in their great processions at some mighty convention a banner on which was written1 ,what would ,jesus do8 ,and he thought in the faces of the young men and women he saw future joy of suffering1 loss1 self-denial1 martyrdom4 ,and when this part of the vision slowly faded1 he saw the figure of the ,son of ,god beckoning to him and to all the other actors in his life history4 ,an ,angel ,choir somewhere was singing4 ,there was a sound as of many voices and a shout as of a great victory4 ,and the figure of ,jesus grew more and more splendid4 ,he stood at the end of a long flight of steps4 ,yes6 ,yes6 ,o my ,master1 has not the time come for this dawn of the millennium of ,christian history8 ,oh1 break upon the ,christendom of this age with the light and the truth6 ,help us to follow ,thee all the way6 ,he rose at last with the awe of one who has looked at heavenly things4 ,he felt the human forces and the human sins of the world as never before4 ,and with a hope that walks hand in hand with faith and love ,henry ,maxwell1 disciple of ,jesus1 laid him down to sleep and dreamed of the regeneration of ,christendom1 and saw in his dream a church of ,jesus without spot or wrinkle or any such thing1 following him all the way1 walking obediently in ,his steps4 ,,the ,,end