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Show 1 . -. -.-.-.-,-.-....-.-.XWJir J1t.-.--J-J-u-u-u-,-WJ-J--.-l.-.r - - - -.--.---.-- w..-.-..-. jrm IH If A PREACHER'S LABOR OF LOVE j I '-' 1 PaH tb pastorate of the Itev lldwnrd , Btlnsdhorst, of the lloman Iload Cou-Piltstlonal Cou-Piltstlonal Church, North How. Lentil, Len-til, Is without any question of doubt lot most unique and remarkable on tetord A few daya ago general attrition at-trition was sttachrd to Mr Sohnad-jHtit's Sohnad-jHtit's work by his celebration, with iPbroprtato ceremonies, of his forty-third forty-third snulverssry as pastor of the Ho-Bin Ho-Bin Rosd Church. Apart from tho ncommonly long time which Mr fchntdhortl has presided over his artsh, the most extraordinary feature Inconmctlon with bla work is the fsct tfctt, from the Inception until tho pres-int pres-int moment, this work has bten fath-Plly fath-Plly rendered without a stipend. Not on cent of compensation for nearly jN a century of trying and untiring labor has Mr Bchnadhorst ever repaired re-paired or requested from his congregation. congre-gation. Hsre Is Mr. Bchnadhors' own story, ( 'About torty-thrse yeara ago," he sld, "I was attending the ministry of Jh 1st Rev, John Davles, of Albany Chpl, which Is now perpetrated In Tolasr's Bquare Congregational Oharta, Hempstead Itoad. When Mr. Psties removed to Walthamstow some of the younger members of the congro- rtlon dselred me to succeed him, but Pould not bear It. as I did not feel qui to the tssk, and you cannot judge now M I am now that I did not yield lo tho request "I had determined to devote my llfo to the uplifting ot tho poor In the east 1 IH'.V EDWARD BCHNADHORST. end of London, and with this object In view I took a little hall In the old Ford road and gathered a congregation. congrega-tion. It waa stow work at first, I assure as-sure you, but the work gradually In-ersased, In-ersased, and a parish, that Is a fellowship fellow-ship or society of professed believers, wu formed upon the congregational mode, and a church building was erected In the Roman road. A commodious com-modious structure, where soclsl and religious work ot one kind or another Is conducted pretty well every night In the week. I commenced the work on the second Sundsy In April 185S, and have Jurt duly celebrated my forty-tblrd anniversary. As my parishioners parish-ioners were by no means wealthy, although al-though In the early days fairly well-to-do, and having means of my own, 1 have alwaya refused a salary, willingly giving my poor labors to tho Lord, who has been so good to me In many ways. "My wife and myself do all the soclsl, so-clsl, phllanthroplo and pastoral work of the parish, with the occasional assistance as-sistance of a mission woman, who 1 enrage at my own expense to visit for ma while I am In attendance on the school board. "l have Juat been elected to this board for the fourth lime, and thb records rec-ords show that I have never mlssod a nesting. I don't think I should have made such a success of my work if It bad not been for the loving assistance ot my wife. Mrs. Bchnadhorst Is really Indefatigable, mornlng.noon and night, she works' on behalf of the poor, and Ilka myself she has never rocelved or asked a penny of reward from this parish, "Apart from not asking or expecting any salary, I never mako any Individual Individ-ual appeal for funda for parish distribution, distri-bution, but trust In the Lord to provide. pro-vide. Only once did I ever appeal, nnd that was through the columns of a '' London newspaper About twelve yeara ago there was great distress. dis-tress. I wrote an appeal nt the end I July and kept It In my pocket until November, disliking to Issue It, but at "th I could resist no longer, and r six weeks I continued to havo money sent mo for the poor ss tho ro-Ju"; ro-Ju"; And If anyone now feels he has with In our work here and chooses to "M It, we will gladly distribute It to dessrvlng poor. I lay stress on hat word 'deserving,' In all our so-'I so-'I work we try to foster thrift; we try to help the peoplo who help them-1 selves. Wo havo a savings bank every Monday, and our people deposit their pence and we glto them Interest Again, It Is no use lo glvo n man half a crown when next day ho will wsnt another halt crown, tho point Is to learn the person's clrcumstancra and help him to tide over the evil day until ho can help himself. Thus 1 spent 18 once In setting a poor widow wid-ow In a little business, and now she Is flourishing I knew she would do well It she could be started, "Resides our bank varlou other ageucles common to n Congregational Church are all In operation In my parish. I attempt to keep up to date In everything In connection with church work. "As I havo stated to you, when I took charge of thla, my first and the "only pastorste, some forty odd yeara ago, the majority ot the people of my neighborhood wore pretty well-to-do, but tho east end of London has become be-come much overcrowded and the population popu-lation had gradually gone down and down, Now I nm met w.lth poverty on every hand and have now, If I desired de-sired It, by no meana as good a cbanca of obtaining a stipend for my work as In the early days. "Huch conditions as I am obliged to meet every day are very trying to those who love to help the deserving poor I might any that tho Houth African Af-rican war has very much deepened our difficulties, but I live In hopoa ot bet ter days to come before the end of my life, which I havo given to my neighborhood My existence Is a vory quiet oue and I am not well known even In London oulsldo of my parish. We have bad but ono distinguished member In our family, my younger brother, Frank 8chnadhorst, the late secretary ot the National Liberal Federation, Fed-eration, who some ten yeara ago waa presented with n check for 110,000 guineas In testimony of his rare ability abili-ty as a political organiser ot tho Lib-oral Lib-oral party In Kngland, Ills name, I believe. Is not altngether unknown In America, "In conclusion I might say that I ami frank to acknowledge that except for the lore and tendernoaa shown mo by my congregation, which I value higher than nny salary I might havo received, I could not havo continued as long as I have." |
