n the
esteem and the love of every lad in the school. To some of these lads he
became specially attached, and for some time after he left Manchester he
kept up with me, and with several of the lads, also with some of my
colleagues on the mission--a very interesting correspondence. Happily, I
have preserved a good number of these letters, and they show the spirit
and motive of that noble soul, more than any poor words of mine can do.

Letter.

GRAVESEND,
_June 19th_, _1869_.

"My Dear Mr. Wardle.--My long silence has not been because I had
forgot you and your kind reception of me; but because secular work has
so completely taken up my time of late. I was glad to hear of you . .
. . and of the Dark Lane (ragged school) lads. I often wish I could
go down with you and see them; I often think of them. I wish I could
help them, but it is only by prayer that I can now benefit them. I
loved them very much, and look forward to the time when our weary
march, dogged by our great foe will be ended; and we meet for ever in
our Heavenly home. I remember them all, Jones, Carr, &c., &c., and I
often think of their poor young faces which must soon get deepened
into wrinkles with sorrow and care. Thank God we go like Israel of
old, after a new home; we cannot find our rest here! Day by day we
are, little as we may think it, a day's march nearer, till someday we
shall perhaps unexpectedly reach it."

Good bye, my dear Mr. Wardle,
Yours sincerely,
C. H. GORDON.

"Kind regards to _my_ lads."

Gordon was deeply moved by the sights of poverty and distress around him;
this was shown by the dress and appearance of the factory hands. He was
especially struck by the clatter of the clogs--the Lancashire cotton
operative's foot gear.

To his Sister he wrote:--

MANCHESTER,
_September 21st_, _1867_.

"Your heart would bleed to see the poor people, though they say there
is no distress such as there was some time ago; they are indeed like
sheep having no shepherd, but, thank God, though they look forlorn,
they have a watchful and pitying eye upon them. It does so painfully
affect me, and I do trust will make me think less of self, and more of
these poor people. Little idea have the rich of other countries of
the scenes in these parts. It does so make me long for that great day
when He will come and put all things straight.

H