Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/160

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EUSSELL H. CONWEIiL 141 said nothing to anyone. He put on his hat, slipped up to Bos- ton^ went out to Lexington and heard the young man preach. After the young man was through, the stranger took him off into a comer and told him he was needed in Philadelphia. Be- fore the deacon got through with him, the young man made up his mind that perhaps he was needed in Philadelphia. Now to pick up a wife and three children, leave all one's friends and a good living at forty, to begin all over again in a conservative old city like Philadelphia, this meant more than he could possibly realize. Fortunately, his only knowledge of Philadelphia had been gained in war times when he had been kindly ministered unto when he had been brought to Philadelphia sick and wounded. Li Hung Chang calls Phila- delphia the City of a Million Smiles. It is, but it smiles rather shyly upon strangers who come to it unknown, and looks rather askance at anything that startles it out of its usual routine. The preacher who had come to one of its up- town, unfinished Baptist churches was destined to startle it many times. After his first sermon, the deacons saw that they would have to hurry up the finishing of the upper room. It was hardly finished before they were just as badly off. The city at that time had not grown nervous about its exits from pub- lic buildings, so the ushers filled the seats, let the people stand around the walls, fill the aisles, and stand on the stairways half way down. The stream of oratory poured forth, but this alone would not have been sufficient. Young men and women were identifying themselves permanently with the church. They must be given something to do. Young men's associa- tions, young women's associations, a Young Men's Congress were formed. The church building hummed with activity every day of the week. But as the young people worked they found their limita- tions. Missions were formed. The young people were sent out to take charge of them. There were religious services within the church which they must lead, but they felt they needed to know how to do it better. All turned to the leader for direction and for help. They might have to wait a long