Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 109, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1916 — Silent Evangelism [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Silent Evangelism

By REV. HOWARD W. POPE

ct the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago

TEXT—And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.—Rev. 22:2. The indiscriminate use of tracts by those whose zeal exceeds their wis-

dom has led many good people to question their value. It is foolish, however, to allow our prejudice against poor tracts to blind us to the value of good ones, and good ones can be had. The choicest thoughts of the best writers can now be found in leaflet form, and many a soul has been awakened by one of

these silent messengers which God has put into the hand at just the right moment. A man stepped into a street car in New York, and before taking his seat gave to each passenger a little card bearing the words, “Look to Jesus when tempted, when troubled, when dying." One of the passengers carefully read the card and put it in his pocket. As he left the car he said to the giver, “Sir, when you gave me this card I was on my way to the ferry, intending to jump from the boat and drown myself. The death of my wife and son had robbed me of all desire to live, but this card has persuaded me to start life anew. Good-day, and God bless you.” There is no such thing as chance in this world, and those who seek to be led by the Spirit often find themselves messengers of mercy to some weary soul. A lady once traveled two hundred miles to tell the writer personally how a card which he had given her had led to her conversion. It lay in her bureau drawer, bearing its silent testimony from time to time as she read it, until finally it led her to Christ. Some ministers make constant use of leaflets in their personal work. They open the way for conversation, and often they are better than words, for a soul under conviction is sometimes disposed to quarrel, but one cannot quarrel with a tract. It never loses its temper, never answers back, and it sticks to what it has said. Besides, you can send a leafiet into many places where you cannot go yourself. People in sorrow or sickness love to be remembered, and boys think more of a minister who occasionally gives them a bright leaflet. A man wrote me that in a town where he had used, “Why a Boy Should Be a Christian,” forty-five people on their examination for church membership testified that they attributed their conversion mainly to that leaflet. Housekeepers can use tracts to good advantage. Lay them on the parlor table that callers may read them while waiting. Often there is time enough for one to be converted while a lady is finishing her toilet. Give them to the milkman, the grocer, the post man; inclose them in letters, library books and packages. Business men have fine opportunt ties for this kind of work. A man once said, “I cannot speak in meeting, but if you will supply me with choice reading matter, I will pay for it and inclose it in the packages which go out of my store.” Recently a customer uttered an oath in a New Yerk business house. The proprietor quietly handed him a “Little Preacher” entitled, “Why Do You Swear?” The man read it, tears came to his eyes, and he said, “I beg your pardon, sir.’ “Never mind me,” said the other, “but don’t you think you had better ask God’s pardon? It was his name that you profaned.” “I will do it, sir, ’ said the man, and he shook his hand warmly. It is not an easy matter to rebuke a swearer, but anyone can say, “Here is a leaflet which you may find helpful,” or he can mail one to every profane person whom he knows. Teachers can make good use of leaflets. Those who cannot talk with their pupils can put into their hands the wise words of others. Old-fash-ioned tracts will not *do for boys. They want something which sparkles with life, which rivets the attention, and which stops when it gets there. This is a busy age, we all know. People have not time, or think that they have not, to read books on re- ' ligion, but if you put into their hands something which is attractive, interesting, and which can be read in a few minutes, it is sure of attention. I am convinced that anyone can easily multiply his influence twentyfold by a wise use of printer’s Ink. Never give away a tract unless you know its contents. Use all the tact you have and pray Tor more. An pld man said to a train boy, “No, I ion’t want your popcorn, don’t you see I haven’t any teeth?** “Buy some gum drops then, nice fresh gum drops.” That boy knew how to adapt himself to Ills’ customers, * ana bo uuuuiu Occasionally select a good tract, and printing on it the name of your church or Sunday school with an invitation to attend the services, canvass the whole neighborhood, leaving a tract at every house