in the adjoining houses were in
various ways inconvenienced by the Orphan Houses being in Wilson Street.
He left to myself the judgment of the case.

[Footnote 18: The reader will not fail to remark the striking
illustration afforded in the present chapter, of the truth stated
in Chapter XVI., that God rewards the right use of means of
benevolence by affording the means of enlarged usefulness.--ED.]

This letter I received on Thursday morning, Oct. 30, 1845. Being very
much occupied that week, I had scarcely any time to consider the matter.
On Monday morning, however, Nov. 3, I set apart some hours for the
prayerful consideration of the subject, and after I had besought the
Lord to guide me to a right decision, I wrote down the reasons which
appeared to me to make it desirable that the Orphan Houses should be
_removed_ from Wilson Street, and also the reasons _against removing_.
As far as they are suitable for being stated in print they were these:--

I. REASONS FOR REMOVING FROM WILSON STREET.

1. The neighbors feel themselves inconvenienced by the noise of the
children in the play-hours. This complaint is neither without
foundation, nor unjust; for many persons are very much inconvenienced by
the noise of children, and those living close by the Orphan Houses must
be so during the play-hours, even though the noise be only of that kind
that one could not at all find fault with the dear children on account
of it. I should myself feel it trying to my head to live next door to
the Orphan Houses on that account. I therefore ought to do to others as
I should wish to be done by. This point had never before appeared to me
in so serious a light.

2. The greatness of the number of the inmates in the houses had several
times prevented the drains from acting properly, and thus has a few
times affected the water in one or two of the neighbors' houses. With
reference to these two reasons as it regards those living near the
Orphan Houses, these words, "Let not your good be evil spoken of," Rom.
xiv. 16, and "Let your moderation (_i. e._ yieldingness) be known unto
all men," Philip. iv. 5, seemed to me two important portions of the word
of God to be acted out in this matter.

But in addition to the reasons for removing the Orphan Houses from
Wilson Street on account of the unavoidable occasional inconvenience
that comes upon the neighbors, there appeared now to me, when once I was
led to consider seriously the reasons