Robert Hardy's Seven Days

This issue of the Alliance Library presents "Robert Hardy's Seven Days: A Dream and Its Consequences," written by Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, author of In His Steps. The narrative follows Robert Hardy, a wealthy railroad manager and church trustee, as his Sunday evening unfolds with mounting domestic and moral tensions. Hardy returns from church dismissive of his minister's sermon on Christian duty and social obligation. He criticizes the pastor's advocacy for Sabbath observance and Christian socialism, and refuses both a prayer meeting invitation and a request to teach Sunday school, claiming insufficient time despite his active social calendar. When informed that four workers—including Ward Scoville, who once saved his life—suffered severe injuries in a shop accident, and that his cook must leave to attend her dying sister, Hardy demonstrates callous indifference. The narrative establishes Hardy's governing philosophy as pure self-interest, illustrating the conflict between his church membership and his refusal of personal sacrifice for others' welfare.