“’One day John said to me, “Emma,” says he, “it’s awful, the way we’re living; we’d better be dead.”  His voice was shaky-like, and it kind of made me feel bad.  “I know it, John,” said I, “but what can we do?” “Go ’way from here,” he said.  “But where?” I asked.  “Anywhere.  I’m not all played out yet;” and he held up his hand and shut it tight.  “There’s good stuff in me yet, and if you’re willing to make a new start, I am.”  I put my hand in his, and said, “God helping me, I will try, John.”  He went off that very day and got a room in a decent neighborhood, and we moved in it before night.  We had only one cart-load, and a wretched load of stuff it was.  But I can’t tell you how much better it looked when we got it into our new room, the walls of which were nicely papered, and the paint clean and white.  I fixed up everything and made it as neat as possible.  John was so pleased.  “It feels something like old times,” he said.  He had been knocking about a good while, picking up odd jobs and not half working, but he took heart now, quit drinking and went to work in good earnest, and was soon making ten dollars a week, every cent of which he brought home.  He now gets sixteen dollars.  We haven’t made a back step since.  But it wouldn’t have been any use trying if we’d stayed in Briar street.  Pride helped us a good deal in the beginning, sir.  I was ashamed not to have my children looking as clean as my neighbors, and ashamed not to keep things neat and tidy-like.  I didn’t care anything about it in Briar street.’

“I give you this instance, true in nearly every particular,” said the missionary, “in order to show you how incurable is the evil condition of the people here; unless we can get the burning brands apart, they help to consume each other.”

“But how to get them apart? that is the difficult question,” said Mr. Dinneford.

“There are two ways,” was replied—­“by forcing the human brands apart, and by interposing incombustible things between them.  As we have no authority to apply force, and no means at hand for its exercise if we had the authority, our work has been in the other direction.  We have been trying to get in among these burning brands elements that would stand the fire, and, so lessen the ardor of combustion.”

“How are you doing this?”

“By getting better houses for the people to live in.  Improve the house, make it more sightly and convenient, and in most cases you will improve the person who lives in it.  He will not kindle so easily, though he yet remain close to the burning brands.”

“And are you doing this?”