Forthwith  I  went  to  the  first  drug  store  I  came  to,
called  up  the  purchaser  and  asked  for  an  option  of
ten  days  on  a  specified  section,  including  at  the  same
time  an  approximate  price.  Most  of  Baltimore  is
under  a  system  of  irredeemable  ground  rents ;  besides,
all  the  ground  in  the  western  section  of  the  city  being
covered  by  blocks  of  solid  buildings,  it  would  have
been  very  difficult  to  have  found  a  satisfactory
church  site  except  at  great  cost.  So  this  appeared
to  be  an  opportunity  and  there  was  no  time  to  be
lost.  The  officers  of  the  church  were  called  together
and  their  judgment  was  favorable  to  the  move,  al-
though somewhat  timidly  so,  for  it  was  a  big  under-
taking in  the  light  of  all  the  circumstances.  It  is  al-
ways customary  to  sell  the  old  property  when  a
church  moves  to  a  new  location ;  but,  in  this  instance,
it  was  decided  to  retain  the  Third  Church  property
as  one  of  the  branch  stations  in  the  larger  programme
that  was  gradually  unfolding.  The  new  location  was
ten  blocks  away  and  up  a  hill,  making  it  further  than
if  it  were  on  a  level;  besides,  the  old  field  was  still
fruitful  and  would  be  for  years  to  come;  also  many
of  the  members  lived  in  that  neighborhood.  The  sale
of  the  old  property  would  have  given  us  some  ready
cash,  which  we  certainly  needed  for  this  move,  for  we
had  no  money,  but  we  were  looking  for  the  enlarge-
ment of  the  work  rather  than  retrenchment.  Occa-
sionally a  church  is  justified  in  selling  its  old  property
for  a  new  location,  but  in  the  majority  of  cases  it  is  a
sad  reflection  on  a  church  running  away  from  the


88  WORKING   WITH   GOD

people  whom  it  appears  the  Lord  has  sent  to  the  very
doors  of  the  church.  To  say  that  the  members  have
moved  away  from  that  locality  is  no  good  reason.
