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The next day she went down to the 'News' office to see Edward Norman and arrange the
details of her part in the establishment of the paper on its new foundation. Mr. Maxwell was
present at this conference, and the three agreed that, whatever Jesus would do in detail as
editor of a daily paper, He would be guided by the same general principles that directed His
conduct as the Saviour of the world.
"I have tried to put down here in concrete form some of the things that it has seemed to me
Jesus would do," said Edward Norman. He read from a paper lying on his desk, and
Maxwell was reminded again of his own effort to put into written form his own conception
of Jesus' probable action, and also of Milton Wright's same attempt in his business.
"I have headed this, 'What would Jesus do as Edward Norman, editor of a daily newspaper
in Raymond?'
"1. He would never allow a sentence or a picture in His paper that could be called bad or
coarse or impure in any way.
"2. He would probably conduct the political part of the paper from the standpoint of
non-partisan patriotism, always looking upon all political questions in the light of their
relation to the Kingdom of God, and advocating measures from the standpoint of their
relation to the welfare of the people, always on the basis of 'What is right?' never on the
basis of 'What is for the best interests of this or that party?' In other words, He would treat
all political questions as He would treat every other subject -- from the standpoint of the
advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth."
Edward Norman looked up from the reading a moment. "You understand that is my opinion
of Jesus' probable action on political matters in a daily paper. I am not passing judgment on other newspaper men who may have a different conception of Jesus' probable
action from mine. I am simply trying to answer honestly, 'What would Jesus do as Edward
Norman?' And the answer I find is what I have put down."
"3. The end and aim of a daily paper conducted by Jesus would be to do the will of God.
That is, his main purpose in carrying on a newspaper would not be to make money, or gain
political influence, but His first and ruling purpose would be to so conduct his paper that it
would be evident to all his subscribers that He was trying to seek first the Kingdom of God
by means of His paper. This purpose would be as distinct and unquestioned as the purpose
of a minister or a missionary or any unselfish martyr in Christian work anywhere.
"4. All questionable advertisements would be impossible.
"5. The relations of Jesus to the employees on the paper would be of the most loving
character."
"So far as I have gone," said Norman again looking up, "I am of opinion that Jesus would
employ practically some form of co-operation that would represent the idea of a mutual
interest in a business where all were to move together for the same great end. I am working
out such a plan, and I am confident it will be successful. At any rate, once introduce the
element of personal love into a business like this, take out the selfish principle of doing it
for personal profits to a man or company, and I do not see any way except the most loving
personal interest between editors, reporters, pressmen, and all who contribute anything to
the life of the paper. And that interest would be expressed not only in the personal love and
sympathy, but in a sharing with the profits of the business."
"6. As editor of a daily paper to-day, Jesus would give large space to the work of the
Christian world. He would devote a page possibly to the facts of Reform, of sociological
problems, of institutional church work and similar movements.
"7. He would do all in His power in His paper to fight the saloon as an enemy of the human
race and an unnecessary part of our civilization. He would do this regardless of public
sentiment in the matter, and, of course, always regardless of its effect upon His subscription
list."
Again Edward Norman looked up. "I state my honest conviction on this point. Of
course, I do not pass judgment on the Christian men who are editing other kinds of papers
today. But as I interpret Jesus, I believe He would use the influence of His paper to remove
the saloon entirely from the political and social life of the nation."
"8. Jesus would not issue a Sunday edition.
"9. He would print the news of the world that people ought to know. Among the things they
do not need to know, and which would not be published, would be accounts of brutal
prize-fights, long accounts of crimes, scandals in private families, or any other human
events which in any way would conflict with the first point mentioned in this outline.
"10. If Jesus had the amount of money to use on a paper which we have, He would
probably secure the best and strongest Christian men and women to co-operate with him in
the matter of contributions. That will be my purpose, as I shall be able to show you in a few
days.
"11. Whatever the details of the paper might demand as the paper developed along its
definite plan, the main principle that guided it would always be the establishment of the
Kingdom of God in the world. This large general principle would necessarily shape all the
details."
Edward Norman finished reading the plan. He was very thoughtful.
"I have merely sketched a faint outline. I have a hundred ideas for making the paper
powerful that I have not thought out fully as yet. This is simply suggestive. I have talked it
over with other newspaper men. Some of them say I will have a weak, namby-pamby
Sunday-school sheet. If I get out something as good as a Sunday-school it will be pretty
good. Why do men, when they want to characterize something as particularly feeble, always
use a Sunday-school as a comparison, when they ought to know that the Sunday-school is
one of the strongest, most powerful influences in our civilization in this country to-day? But the
paper will not necessarily be weak because it is good. Good things are more powerful than
bad. The question with me is largely one of support from the Christian people of Raymond.
There are over twenty thousand church members here in this city. If half of them will stand
by the 'News,' its life is assured. What do you think, Maxwell, of the probability of such
support?"
"I don't know enough about it to give an intelligent answer. I believe in the paper with all
my heart. If it lives a year, as Miss Virginia said, there is no telling what it can do. The
great thing will be to issue such a paper as near as we can judge as Jesus probably would,
and put into it all the elements of Christian brains, strength, intelligence, and sense; and
command respect for freedom from bigotry, fanaticism, narrowness, and anything else that is
contrary to the spirit of Jesus. Such a paper will call for the best that human thought and
action is capable of giving. The greatest minds in the world would have their powers taxed
to the utmost to issue a Christian daily."
"Yes," Edward Norman spoke humbly. "I shall make a great many mistakes, no doubt. I
need a great deal of wisdom. But I want to do as Jesus would. 'What would he do?' I have
asked it, and shall continue to do so, and abide by the results."
"I think we are beginning to understand," said Virginia, "the meaning of that command,
'Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' I am sure I do
not know all that He would do in detail until I know Him better."
"That is very true," said Henry Maxwell. "I am beginning to understand that I cannot
interpret the probable action of Jesus until I know better what His spirit is. The greatest
question in all of human life is summed up when we ask, 'What would Jesus do?' if, as we
ask it, we also try to answer it from a growth in knowledge of Jesus himself. We must
know Jesus before we can imitate Him."
When the arrangement had been made between Virginia and Edward Norman, he found
himself in possession of the sum of five hundred thousand dollars to use for the
establishment of a Christian daily paper. When Virginia and Maxwell had gone, Norman
closed his door, and, alone with the divine presence, asked like a child for help from his All-powerful Father. All through his prayer as he kneeled before his desk ran the promise: "If
any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth
not, and it shall be given him." Surely his prayer would be answered and the kingdom
advanced through this instrument of God's power, this mighty press which had become so
largely degraded to the base uses of man's avarice and ambition.
Two months went by. They were full of action and of results in the city of Raymond, and
especially in the First Church. In spite of the approaching heat of the summer season, the
after-meeting of the disciples who had made the pledge to do as Jesus would do continued
with enthusiasm and power. Gray had finished his work at the Rectangle, and an outward
observer going through the place could not have seen any difference in the old conditions,
although there was an actual change in hundreds of lives. But the saloons, dens, hovels,
gambling houses still ran, overflowing their vileness into the lives of fresh victims to take
the place of those rescued by the evangelist. And the devil recruited his ranks very fast.
Henry Maxwell did not go abroad. Instead of that, he took the money he had been saving
for the trip and quietly arranged for a summer vacation for a whole family living down in
the Rectangle, who had never gone outside of the foul district of the tenements. The pastor
of the First Church will never forget the week he spent with this family making the
arrangements. He went down into the Rectangle one hot day when something of the terrible
heat in the horrible tenements was beginning to be felt, and helped the family to the station,
and then went with them to a beautiful spot on the coast where, in the home of a Christian
woman, the bewildered city tenants breathed for the first time in years the cool salt air, and felt blow about them the
pine-scented fragrance of a new lease of life.
There was a sickly baby with the mother, and three other children, one a cripple. The
father, who had been out of work until he had been, as he afterwards confessed to Maxwell,
several times on the edge of suicide, sat with the baby in his arms during the journey, and
when Maxwell started back to Raymond, after seeing the family settled, the man held his
hand at parting, and choked with his utterance, and finally broke down, to Maxwell's great
confusion. The mother, a wearied, worn-out woman who had lost three children the year
before from a fever scourge in the Rectangle, sat by the car window all the way and drank
in the delights of sea and sky and field. It all seemed a miracle to her. And Maxwell,
coming back into Raymond at the end of that week, feeling the scorching, sickening heat all
the more because of his little taste of the ocean breezes, thanked God for the joy he had
witnessed, and entered upon his discipleship with a humble heart, knowing for almost the
first time in his life this special kind of sacrifice. For never before had he denied himself his
regular summer trip away from the heat of Raymond, whether he felt in any great need of
rest or not.
"It is a fact," he said in reply to several inquiries on the part of his church; "I do not feel in
need of a vacation this year. I am very well and prefer to stay here." It was with a feeling
of relief that he succeeded in concealing from every one but his wife what he had done with
this other family. He felt the need of doing anything of that sort without display or approval
from others.
So the summer came on, and Maxwell grew into a large knowledge of his Lord. The First
Church was still swayed by the power of the Spirit. Maxwell marveled at the continuance of
His stay. He knew very well that from the beginning nothing but the Spirit's presence had
kept the church from being torn asunder by the remarkable testing it had received of its discipleship. Even now there were many of the members among those who had not
taken the pledge, who regarded the whole movement as Mrs. Winslow did -- in the nature of
a fanatical interpretation of Christian duty -- and looked for the return of the old normal
condition. Meanwhile the whole body of disciples was under the influence of the Spirit, and
the pastor went his way that summer, doing his parish work in great joy, keeping up his
meetings with the railroad men as he had promised Alexander Powers, and daily growing
into a better knowledge of the Master.
Early one afternoon in August, after a day of refreshing coolness following a long period of
heat, Jasper Chase walked to his window in the apartment house on the avenue and looked
out.
On his desk lay a pile of manuscript. Since that evening when he had spoken to Rachel
Winslow he had not met her. His singularly sensitive nature, sensitive to the point of
extreme irritability when he was thwarted, seemed to thrust him into an isolation that was
intensified by his habits as an author.
All through the heat of summer he had been writing. His book was nearly done now. He
had thrown himself into its construction with a feverish strength that threatened at any
moment to desert him and leave him helpless. He had not forgotten his pledge made with
the other church members at the First Church. It had forced itself upon his notice all
through his writing, and ever since Rachel had said "No" to him, he had asked a thousand
times "Would Jesus do this?" "Would He write this story?" It was a society novel written in a
style that had proved popular. It had no purpose except to amuse. Its moral teaching was not
bad, but neither was it Christian in any positive way. Jasper Chase knew that such a story
would probably sell. He was conscious of powers in his way that the social world petted
and admired. "What would Jesus do?" He felt that Jesus would never write such a book.
The question obtruded on him at the most inopportune times. He became irascible over it. The standard of Jesus for an author was too ideal. Of course, Jesus
would use His powers to produce something useful or helpful, or with a purpose. What was
he, Jasper Chase, writing this novel for? Why, what nearly every writer wrote for -- money and fame as an author. There was no secret with him that he was writing this new
story with that object. He was not poor, and so had no great temptation to write for money.
But he was urged on by his desire for fame as much as anything. He must write this kind of
matter. But what would Jesus do? The question plagued him even more than Rachel's
refusal. Was he going to break his promise? Did the promise mean much after all? he
asked.
As he stood at the window Rollin Page came out of the club house just opposite. Jasper
noted his handsome face and noble figure as he started down the street. He went back to his
desk and turned over some papers there. Then he came back to the window. Rollin was
walking down past the block, and Rachel Winslow was walking beside him. Rollin must have
overtaken her as she was coming from Virginia's that afternoon.
Jasper watched the two figures until they disappeared in the crowd on the walk. Then he
turned to his desk and began to write. When he had finished the last page of the last chapter
of his book it was nearly dark. What would Jesus do? He had finally answered the
question by denying his Lord. It grew darker in his room. He had deliberately chosen his
course, urged on by his disappointment and loss.
"But Jesus said unto him, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit
for the Kingdom of God."
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