In His Steps

---

Chapter 9

 

Henry Maxwell finished reading and dropped the paper.

“I must go and see Powers. This is the result of his promise.”

He rose, and as he was going out, his wife said: “Do you think, Henry, that Jesus would have done that?”

Maxwell paused a moment. Then he answered slowly, “Yes, I think He would. At any rate, Powers has decided so and each one of us who made the promise understands that he is not deciding Jesus’ conduct for any one else, only for himself.”

“How about his family? How will Mrs. Powers and Celia be likely to take it?”

“Very hard, I’ve no doubt. That will be Powers’ cross in this matter. They will not understand his motive.”

Maxwell went out and walked over to the next block where Superintendent Powers lived. To his relief, Powers himself came to the door.

The two men shook hands silently. They instantly understood each other without words. There had never before been such a bond of union between the minister and his parishioner.

“What are you going to do?” Henry Maxwell asked after they had talked over the facts in the case.

“You mean another position? I have no plans yet. I can go back to my old work as a telegraph operator. My family will not suffer, except in a social way.”

Powers spoke calmly and sadly. Henry Maxwell did not need to ask him how the wife and daughter felt. He knew well enough that the superintendent had suffered deepest at that point.

“There is one matter I wish you would see to,” said Powers after awhile, “and that is, the work begun at the shops. So far as I know, the company will not object to that going on. It is one of the contradictions of the railroad world that Y. M. C. A.’s and other Christian influences are encouraged by the roads, while all the time the most un-Christian and lawless acts may be committed in the official management of the roads themselves. Of course it is well understood that it pays a railroad to have in its employ men who are temperate, honest and Christian. So I have no doubt the master mechanic will have the same courtesy shown him in the use of the room. But what I want you to do, Mr. Maxwell, is to see that my plan is carried out. Will you? You understand what it was in general. You made a very favorable impression on the men. Go down there as often as you can. Get Milton Wright interested to provide something for the furnishing and expense of the coffee plant and reading tables. Will you do it?”

Continue reading In His Steps, Reading #20

In His Steps

---

Chapter 8

“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

 

Henry Maxwell paced his study back and forth. It was Wednesday and he had started to think out the subject of his evening service which fell upon that night. Out of one of his study windows he could see the tall chimney of the railroad shops. The top of the evangelist’s tent just showed over the buildings around the Rectangle. He looked out of his window every time he turned in his walk. After a while he sat down at his desk and drew a large piece of paper toward him. After thinking several moments he wrote in large letters the following:

 A Number of Things That Jesus Would Probably Do in This Parish

•  Making the Most of Life
• Live in a simple, plain manner, without needless luxury on the one hand or undue asceticism on the other.
• Preach fearlessly to the hypocrites in the church, no matter what their social importance or wealth.
• Show in some practical form His sympathy and love for the common people as well as for the well-to-do, educated, refined people who make up the majority of the parish.
• Identify Himself with the great causes of humanity in some personal way that would call for self-denial and suffering.
• Preach against the saloon in Raymond.
• Become known as a friend and companion of the sinful people in the Rectangle.
• Give up the summer trip to Europe this year. (I have been abroad twice and cannot claim any special need of rest. I am well, and could forego this pleasure, using the money for some one who needs a vacation more than I do. There are probably plenty of such people in the city.)

Continue reading In His Steps, Reading #18

Mrs. Winslow was a large, handsome woman, fond of much company, ambitious for distinction in society and devoted, according to her definitions of success, to the success of her children. Her youngest boy, Louis, two years younger than Rachel, was ready to graduate from a military academy in the summer. Meanwhile she and Rachel were at home together. Rachel’s father, like Virginia’s, had died while the family was abroad. Like Virginia she found herself, under her present rule of conduct, in complete antagonism with her own immediate home circle. Mrs. Winslow waited for Rachel to go on.

“You know the promise I made two weeks ago, mother?”

“Mr. Maxwell’s promise?”

“No, mine. You know what it was, do you not, mother?”

“I suppose I do. Of course all the church members mean to imitate Christ and follow Him, as far as is consistent with our present day surroundings. But what has that to do with your decision in the concert company matter?”

“It has everything to do with it. After asking, What would Jesus do?’ and going to the source of authority for wisdom, I have been obliged to say that I do not believe He would, in my case, make that use of my voice.”

“Why? Is there anything wrong about such a career ? “

“No, I don’t know that I can say there is.”

“Do you presume to sit in judgment on other people who go out to sing in this way? Do you presume to say they are doing what Christ would not do?”

Continue reading In His Steps, Reading #17

“Excuse me, ladies,” said Rollin, rising from the table. “The conversation is getting beyond my depth. I shall retire to the library for a cigar.”

He went out of the dining-room and there was silence for a moment. Madam Page waited until the servant had brought in something and then asked her to go out. She was angry and her anger was formidable, although checked I m some measure by the presence of Rachel.

“I am older by several years than you, young ladies,” she said, 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 sacrifice. “What you have promised, in a spirit of false emotion I presume, is impossible of performance.”

“Do you mean, grandmother, that we cannot possibly act as our Lord would? or do you mean that, if we try to, we shall offend the customs and prejudices of society?” asked Virginia.

“It is not required! It is not necessary! Besides how can you act with any–” Madam Page paused, broke off her sentence, and then turned to Rachel. “What will your mother say to your decision? My dear, is it not foolish? What do you expect to do with your voice anyway?”

Continue reading In His Steps, Reading #16