The Crucifixion of Philip Strong

erances on Christ and Modern Society. Some agreed with him as far as he had gone. Very many had been hurt at his plainness of speech. This was especially true of the property owners and the fas

rtheless, when he came up on the first Sunday of the next month and began to announce his subject, he found an audience that crowded the house to the doors, and among them were scattered numbers of men from the working-men's district with whom Philip had talked while down there. I

irs in Milton. To assist this description he had b

essed and comfortable looking. Mind you," continued Philip, raising his hand with a significant gesture, "I do not want to have you think that I consider good clothes and comfortable looks as unchristian or anything against the people who present such an appearance. Far from it. I simply mention this fact to make the contrast I am going to show you all the plainer. For let us leave B street now and go down into the flats by the river, where nearly all the mill people have their homes. I wish you would note first the distance from B street and the churches to this tenement district. It is nine blocks-that is, a little over a mile. To the edge of the tenement houses farthest from our own church building it is a mile and three-quarters. And within that entire district, measuring nearly two by three miles, there is not a church building. There are two feeble mission-schools, which are held in plain, unattractive halls, where every Sunday a

any different denominations which have for their members the respectable, moral people of the town? I do not mean to say that the well-to-do, respectable people do not need the influence of the church and the preaching of the gospel. But they can get these privileges without such a fearful waste of material and power. If we had only three or four churches on this street they would be enough. We are wasting our Christianity with the present arrangement. We are giving the rich and the educated and well-to-do

h-members to put their hands in their pockets and say to a few other church-members, 'We will help build a mission, if you will run it after it is up; we will attend our church up-town here, while the mission is worked for the poor people down there.' That is not what will meet the needs of the s

ion earnestly. The expectation of the people was rou

ng, but it could easily be replaced. The expense would not be more than we could readily meet. We are out of debt, and the property is free from incumbrance. What I propose, therefore, is a very simple thing-that we move our c

, and to give as much time to help make men and women better, as he is to have a good time himself. Think for a moment what this move which I propose would mean to the life of this town, and to our Christian growth. At present we go to church. We listen to a good choir, we go home again, we have a pleasant Sunday-school, we are all comfortable and well clothed here; we enjoy our services, we are not disturbed by the sight of disagreeable or uncongenial people. But is that Christianity? Where do the service and the self-denial and the working for men's souls come in? Ah, my dear brothers and sisters, what is this church really doing for the salvation of men in this place? Is it Christianity to have a comfortable church and go to it once or twice a week to enjoy nice music and listen to preaching, and then go home to a good dinner, and that is about all? What have we sacrificed? What have we denied ourselves? What have we done to show the poor or the sinful that we care anything for their souls, or that Christianity is anything but a comfortable, select religion for those who can afford the good things of the world? What has the church in Milton done to make the working-man here feel that it is an institution that throbs with the brotherhood of man? But suppose we actually move our church down there and then go there ourselves we

one path open to us. If we neglect to follow him as he beckons us, I believe we shall neglect the one opportunity of Calvary Church to put itself in the position of the Church of the crucified Lamb of God, who did not please Himself, who came to minister to others, who would certainly approve of any steps His Church on earth in t

led the members of Calvary Church more than this calm proposal to them that they move their building a mile away from its aristocratic surroundings. Nothing that he had said in his previous sermons had provoked s

Strong," said one of the deacons, a leading member and a man

ning, but felt that a crisis of some sort had been precipitated by his mes

ll not agree t

plied Philip, who had talked over the

will vote

uld not be able to go that distance to attend church, and they certainly

ould be advanced by it?" asked Philip, turning to t

t would be a test o

aintaining it there. In my opinion, it cannot be done. The expenses of the organization cannot be kept up. We should lose some of our best financial supporters. Mr. Strong's spirit and purpose spring from a good motive, no doubt, but

el that we ought to do something very positive and very large to define our attitude as saviors in this community. And moving the hous

n. Only one fully sustained Philip. During the week he succeeded in finding out that from his membership of five hundred, less than forty persons were willing to stand by him in so radical a movement. And yet the more Philip studied the problem of the town, the more he was persuaded that the only way for the church to make any impression on the tenement

call from one of the working-men who had been present and hea

u to come down to our hall some evening next week and give us

do any good in that way," repl

ke to you, and while they won't come up to chur

hen do you wa

ay. You know wh

been by it in his walk

lt

im to stay a few moments. He wanted to know at first hand what the man's representativ

trong, I don't believe very man

ld they feel the church any mo

they would. They woul

mething, to be sure," r

f my plan-how does it s

it done. I don't beli

hy

ch won't a

hey will

ded in getting your church and people to come into the tenement distr

. It was the personification of the Church confronting the laboring man, each in a certain way asking the other, "What will the Church do?" And it was a noticeable fact that the minist

epped into the dingy little hall and faced the crowd peculiar to it, had a growin

r debate and discussion of questions of the day. Gradually the crowds increased as Philip continued to come, and developed a series of talks on Christi

al." He had treated the subject from the Christian point of view entirely. He had several times roused his rude audience to enthusiasm. Moved by his theme and his surroundings, he had denounced, with even more than usual vigor, those men of ease and wealth who did n

bly have influenced his particular audience against the rich as a class. He had not intended anything of th

e came down to open the door just as Mrs. Strong came in from the other room, where

ogether, and one of the neighbors rushed in

Mr. Winter's house? You have more influenc

at

g to kill him if some

but from self-reproach to think he might have made

in great danger, and you are the only man i

y. If anything should happen to me you know my

and rushed out