world. It is an age that calls for heroes, martyrs,
servants, saviors. And right here in this town, where distress walks the
streets and actual want already has its clutch on many a poor devil,
society goes on giving its expensive parties and living in its little
round of selfish pleasure just as if the volcano was a downy little bed
of roses for it to go to sleep in whenever it wearies of the pleasure
and wishes to retire to happy dreams. Oh, but the bubble will burst one
of these days, and then----"

Philip swept his hand upward with a fine gesture, and sunk back upon the
couch, groaning.

"Don't you exaggerate?" The minister's wife put the question gently.

"Not a bit! Not a bit! All true. I am not one of the French Revolution
fellows, always lugging in blood and destruction, and prophesying ruin
to the nation and the world if it doesn't gee and haw the way I tell it
to. But I tell you, Sarah, it takes no prophet to see that a man who is
hungry and out of work is a dangerous man to have around. And it takes
no extraordinary-sized heart to swell a little with righteous wrath when
in such times as these people go right on with their useless luxuries of
living, and spend as much on a single evening's entertainment as would
provide a comfortable living for a whole month to some deserving
family."

"How do you know they do?"

"Well, I'll tell you. I've figured it out. I will leave it to any one of
good judgment that any one of these projected parties mentioned here in
the evening paper," Philip smoothed the paper on the head of the
couch--"any one of them will cost in the neighborhood of one hundred to
one hundred and fifty dollars. Look here! Here's the Goldens'
party--members of Calvary Church. They will spend at least twenty-five
to thirty dollars in flowers; and refreshments will cost fifty more; and
music another twenty-five; and incidentals twenty-five extra--and so on.
Is that right, Sarah, these times, and as people ought to live now?"

"But some one gets the benefit of all this money spent. Surely that is a
help to some of the working people."

"Yes, but how many people are helped by such expenditures? Only a select
few, and they are the very ones who are least in need of it. I say that
Christian people and members of churches have no right to indulge their
selfish pleasures to this extent in these ways. I know that Christ would
not approve of it."

"You think he would not, Philip."

"No, I know he wo