Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/118

 talk insinuatingly. A young man there said, 'Are you not abashed? Have you no modesty? Do you not stand convicted before God? Do you not believe in Jesus?' And that was worth a hundred formal sermons for her ; that was for her both a rebuke and a promise — a rebuke that she ought to behave better, a promise that, if only she had the willingness, there was the uplifting power to redeem her. I went to see a house which a relation of mine wanted to purchase. As I stepped in, I found that the house was occupied by a number of fashionable-looking young women. I did not know at first who they were ; though I doubt not that I would have used the same respectful language even if I had known it. I addressed them as 'Amma' (mother). They saw that it was the natural language ; only, unfortunately, the world made it foreign in many cases. Afterwards I learnt they were 'dancing-girls.' And when I left, did I not leave behind the impression that there could be a man here and a man there in the world