470
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
October 1930
“ I beg your pardon,” remarked Mr. Wu who had lis tened to this with bent head. “ I know better than to let you and your family die in heathen darkness in this Hollywood. I have come over here as a foreign mis sionary.” Lawrence gasped once again. A new thing under the sun! “ I understood,” Pansy was saying with a great effort at dignity, “ that you had come here to go to college.” “ That,” said *Mr. Wu with a little bow, “ is of minor importance beside winning souls to Christ.” The young woman whom Lawrence had first heard as she bewailed “ the Yellow Peril’s” activities to Pansy, sud denly appeared from some vantage point where she had been observing the group, and whispered something in Pansy’s ear. They both turned to look at Lawrence. Pansy spoke finally. “ Guess you’re wondering what we’re after,” she re marked. “ But seems to us you’d do well on the screen. If that is what you’re out here for, we’d like to talk with you. We’re part owners in “ Life Like Company,” you see, as well as being on the screen. What d’ you say ?” and Pansy seated herself by the mondernistic tea table. Lawrence cleared his throat and wished for the hun dredth time that his nose and chin did not, as one girl had said, make him look just like a nice collar, advertise ment. A look of embarrassment crept into his hazel brown eyes. “ Do you mean,” he began with hesitating courtesy, “ that you’d like to have me in a—a movie ?” “ One of our Life Likes might use you,” was the cau tious reply. “ I am sorry,” said Lawrence politely. “ Sorry that you thought of it, I mean, because I do not even go to the movies!” Pansy gasped now ! It was her turn; Mr. Wu stand ing back of her with his arms folded, and his head very erect, nodded approvingly. His beady black eyes sparkled. “ Good land!” from Aunt Mary. “ Haven’t you ever seen one ? Back in the old days we used to give up theatre- goin’ after a revival, but I thought those days were over.” “ The days of those who love the Lord, and keep them selves as consecrated ones for His work, are not yet over.” It was a grave reply, and a strange one, from the lips o f so handsome a young man. “ Another Daniel!” murmured Mr. Wu, with Shakes peare’s “ Shylock,” whom he had been studying for a college examination, in mind. In the midst of his per plexity it came to Lawrence that this Chinese boy was the only person he had met in Hollywood so far who seemed to possess a scrap o f the religion or the culture of the western hemisphere. “ I want to tell you,” said Pansy, “ that a lot of good is done by the movies.” Lawrence reflected upon the latest bill poster he had seen—one entitled, “ The Murderer of Men,” where an ape-like individual, was seen stealthily sliding a gory some thing under his berth. Another was more cheerful, but worse: “ Blondes— Lots o f Them!” And with this title there were subheadings, and beneath these, various enamoured gentlemen, whose attitudes with respect to the adjacent blondes were loathsome to this clean-minded young man who still fondly desired to keep woman the lovely inspiring creature God meant her to be. But he resolved to follow the principle laid down by Uncle Alan for the Thin Red Line.
“ Don’t let them draw you into an ethical discussion,” Uncle Alan had said. “ Keep to the main point—glorifying Christ and lifting Him up as the one Saviour of the world, and whatever you do, don’t let any impatience or irritabil ity spoil your testimony. No matter what they may say to you, keep sweet. Remember you may‘ have before you a convicted, even an agonized soul, so be filled with the Spirit and let the rivers of living water flow out from your' innermost being to them. Keep self out of sight. A touch of ego may spoil everything. What the world wants is Christ. Give Him to them!” It was with this in mind that Lawrence spoke. “ Do you know,” he asked gently, “ o f any young man or woman who has been won to Christ through seeing a movie and has dedicated his or her life to serving Him?” There was no answer. “ I think not,” he went on. “ I have nothing to say about any transitory good that may have been done except to tell you that it has honestly been my experience that any such reactions are largely superficial and they end in nothing, even ethically. But our work, Mr. Wu’s and mine, and those like us, is to be fishers of men. ‘Come ye after me and I will' make you to become fishers of men.’ This was what the dear Lord said to Simon Peter and Andrew'as they were casting their nets into the sea. ‘And straightway they forsook their nets and fol lowed him.’ Now suppose that after a time Peter and Andrew had become very much absorbed in the Roman life and amusements that were going on all around them, and had lent their approval to gladiatorial exhititions. Can you imagine their doing so?” Pansy murmured that she could not feature it. “ Or suppose Paul,” Lawrence continued, “ after he was on Mars Hill in Athens, had attended and enjoyed the Greek theater, and discussed its marvelous tragedies with men whom he was trying to win to Christ. Would it not have adulterated his Gospel and weakened his influence? I feel that we born again ones who are members of the body of Christ have a precious connection with Him that is our greatest treasure. Anything that disturbs this must be done away.. The loss of joy and power—spiritual power, is too great.” There was silence in the room. “ How about you?” Lawrence asked, turning his gaze full upon Pansy. “ Do you know what it is to be born again ?” “ I try to do right,” Pansy mumbled. “ But have, you had a really definite experience of tak ing Christ as your own personal Saviour? He is you sin bearer, you know, if you do this. His blood, shed on the cross, will wash away all our sins.” Pansy got up from her chair as if stung. For a moment Lawrence thought she was going to walk out of the room. But she turned to the window. “ I’d have to think it over,” she said finally in a queer, stifled tone. “ But I ’ll tell you what I’ll do for you, young man, whoever you are—you look like an awful good boy. I ’ll let the Chinaman have his way. He can make this a regular Gospel Lighthouse if he likes. Guess it won’t do Hollywood much harm and we can stand their laughing.’ ” Mr. Wu was radiant. “ Now g’bye,” Pansy went on. “ I’m due at the studio.” With this brief adieu she was gone. “ Nicer girls than those two, Pansy and her sister Mar guerite, never lived in the state of Indiana,” said Aunt Mary as the two girls drove away.
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