railroads against the interstate commerce laws made such a stir about a year ago; Miss Page, one of Raymond’s leading society heiresses, who has lately dedicated her entire fortune, as I understand, to the Christian daily paper and the work of reform in the slum district known as the Rectangle; and Miss Winslow, whose reputation as a singer is now national, but who in obedience to what she has decided to be Jesus’ probable action, 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 population.

“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 Raymond.  A large proportion of these volunteers who pledged themselves to do as Jesus would do comes from the Endeavor societies.  The young people say that they have already embodied in their society pledge the same principle in the words, ’I promise Him that I will strive to do whatever He would have me do.’  This is not exactly what is included in Maxwell’s proposition, which is that the disciple shall try to do what Jesus would probably do in the disciple’s place.  But the result of an honest obedience to either pledge, he claims, will be practically the same, and he is not surprised that the largest numbers have joined the new discipleship from the Endeavor Society.

“I am sure the first question you will ask is, ’What has been the result of this attempt?  What has it accomplished or how has it changed in any way the regular life of the church or the community?’

“You already know something, from reports of Raymond that have gone over the country, what the events have been.  But one needs to come here and learn something of the changes in individual lives, and especially the change in the church life, to realize all that is meant by this following of Jesus’ steps so literally.  To tell all that would be to write a long story or series of stories.  I am not in a position to do that, but I can give you some idea perhaps of what has been done as told me by friends here and by Maxwell himself.

“The result of the pledge upon the First Church has been two-fold.  It has brought upon a spirit of Christian fellowship which Maxwell tells me never before existed, and which now impresses him as being very nearly what the Christian fellowship of the apostolic churches must have been; and it has divided the church into two distinct groups of members.  Those who have not taken the pledge regard the others as foolishly literal in their attempt to imitate the example of Jesus.  Some of them have drawn out of the church and no longer attend, or they have removed their membership entirely to other churches.  Some are an element of internal strife, and I heard rumors of an attempt on their part to force Maxwell’s resignation.  I do not know that this element is very strong in the church.  It has been held in check by a wonderful continuance of spiritual power, which dates from the first Sunday the pledge was taken a year ago, and also by the fact that so many of the most prominent members have been identified with the movement.