The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 9, 1864.

The Fearful Accident at Santiago,

IMIIZOVING THE OCCASION a la CHADBAND !
(From the John Bull.)

We all remember how in " Bleak House" Mr.
Chadband undertook to " improve the subject"—
the subject in question being the moral, social, and
educational deficiencies of the poor boy Joe. We
know too how very little the process did towards
supplying these deficiencies, whatever sustenance
it may have afforded to the self-righteousness and
self-complacency of Mr. Chadband and his auditory.
There are plenty of Chadbands among us, and the
first idea—and very often the last too—which they
connect •aith the misfortunes of their neighbours is
that of " improving the occasion'' to their own glo-
rification or the indulgence of their own envy,
hatred, and uncharitableness, as the opportunity
may seem most favourable.

One could hardly have imagined that this weak-
ness of poor human nature should not have found an
exception for itself in the presence of that appalling
horror which has made Santiago a city of such sor-
row as history hardly records. The story of two thou-
sand women and girls gathered together for the pur-
pose of worshipping God, and suddenly exposed to a
rain of fire from the roof of the church—rush-
ing in their terror and agony towards the doors,
and there falling over each other in a screaming,
struggling pile of humanity, trampled and choked
and burned to death, and dragged from that con-
fused mass of human ruin blackened and disfigured
corpses—all this brings before us a picture of horrors
which might have been thought capable of causing
us, for one moment at least, to sink our religious
animosities in one common grief and sympathy.
Yet no sooner were the details of the fearful dis •
aster made known than most of the organs of public
opinion in this Protestant country eagerly jumped
at the opportunity of " improving the occasion" for
an anti-Popish demonstration, and made it their
special business to connect the accident as much as
possible with the rites and usages of the Church of
Rome. Misfortunes of the same kind have been
subjected before now to like comments. When a
certain tower in Siloam fell there were people who
sought to " improve the occasion" in the sense of a
moral Pharisaisna, and we know how they were re-
buked. We wish that the rebuke might have some
inluence on those who are so pertinacious in im-
proving the Santiago disaster under the promptings
of religious Pharisaiem. This is the more to be
desired, because such an outbreak of heartless
bigotry is calculated to draw away attention
from the real lessons taught by the accident,
and from the care which ought to be taken to
provide against similar occurrences. We are not
indeed likely to have a holocaust of church-goers in
this country in consequence of that over-dressed
religion which finds acceptance in Chili. But we
have our crowded gatherings here too, and a fire, or
the alarm of one, might at any time cause a fearful
destruction of human life at one of our theatres or
other similar assemblies. We do not make sufficient
arrangements for the sudden exit of a multitude, an d
we have not equalled the attention given to the mat-
ter in other countries—possibly from the high price
paid for space in Londcn as compared with the con-
tinental cities. We recollect the frightful peril in-
curred by a large crowd when Covent Garden
Theatre was burned down ; we have heard too of
an alarm at Mr. Spurgeon's Tabernacle. We can
quite imagine that if either of these accidents had
come near its results to the horrible sacrifice at San-
tiago, there would not have been wanting people
to " improve the occasion" after the same fashion.

In reference to the same appalling casualty, the
following sensible, and in many respects very re-
markable, letter, signed " Father Thomas," appears
in the Weekly Register of Saturday :
The terrible calamity that has withered the hearts
of millions must never be forgotten—and will not,
we heartily hope, be repeated any more by unwise,
unbefitting, and outrageous muslin draperies and
excessive illuminations.

We priests leave too much to sacristans and
volunteer decorators, and through an over sensitive-
ness of giving pain to zealous and well meaning per-
sons, we suffer our chapels and churches to be turned
into drawing rooms or dancing halls, so far as deco-
ration goes. Blue, red, or white curtains, glass
chandeliers, various coloured tinsel papers, lights
and lamps everywhere in blazing immoderation.

Let there be lamps and wax lights in tasteful
arrangement, but no muslins, red, white, and blue,
nor anything in exaggeration and unmeaning pro-
fusion. Any way, for heaven's sake, let all possibi-
lity of conflagration be removed.
What an unfair use has been made by our enemies
of this accident—an accident it was, and nothing
more and nothing less. Our hearts are riven by this
most sad and sorrowful accident, and there is not
that man, be he priest or not priest, who would not
have braved the flames to drag any one of these poor
sufferers from that dreadful fire even at the risk of
his own life. No doubt on that most frightful even-
ing every one was in a state of bewilderment. We
can now well see what might have been done, but
if we had been in that frightful scene ourselves !
The whole was all over in five and twenty minutes
—there was no time to think, no time to act. If
any of our public theatres were to take fire, what
must be the consequence ? Thousands of people,
all rushing wildly to make for the narrow doorways
and staircases, trampling over each other, and mak-
ing their destruction doubly sure.
Would the public press attribute such a catas-
trophe to the judgment of heaven ? Nothing of
the kind. Then why turn on us and say that this
conflagration was no accident but a manifest visita-
tion of God's indignation ? Indignation at what ?
Those worshippers of God and Christ His Son were
collected together for divine worship—not for the
worship of the blessed Virgin, as they understand
the term, but all congregated to worship their God
and honour His most blessed mother Mary. They
sought her prayers—that she would pray for them
and with them to her and their Lord; this was all
they asked, and. whatever they did and said, this is
all they asked and this was all they meant. Why,
then, denounce them as idolators and worthy of
God's manifest indignation ?
God's day will come when these hard-mouthed
blasphemers shall be called upon to justify them-
selves.

In the meanwhile we feel assured that most, if
not all, that died in the Church of God that even-
ing, assembled as they were to
praise God and be-
seech His mercy, are now with the blessed in the
everlasting world. The Almighty has taken them
away from the temptation and sorrows of this
wicked world, and, as was the case with the holy
innocents—whilst lamentation is on earth there is
joy among the angels.

WIFE MURDER A WORCESTER.--A sad case of
murder occurred on Sunday afternoon during the
hour of divine service, in Worcester. It appears that a man
named John Ford, atlas Hobey, 33, a labourer, had bee*
living for about 12 years with one Elizabeth Hull, 44, whose
birthday happened yesterday, and they resided in a court
leading out of St. Clements-street. From what can be
gleaned at present it seems that a man named Henry Ben-
nett went into the house where Ford and Hull lived, and
that he sat in the place some time before he saw anyone.
After a while Ford came in and asked where " Bess " was.
Bennett said he had not seen her, but in a few minutes she
came in carrying some cabbages, which she had purchased
for another man, a neighbour. Ford had some s'ords with
her, and told her she should not fetch things for other
people. From words he came to force, and felled her with
a blow that laid her senseless, fracturing her skull. An
alarm was afterwards raised, and a neighbour fetched in
Police-constable Archer. On that officer going into ths
house he found Ford and Bennett supporting the woman,
who appeared lifeless, and was bleeding profusely from a
severe wound in the forehead, which appeared to have been
caused by the fire shovel, v, bich was covered with blood.
Mr. Palmer, surgeon, was called in, but his assistance was
of no avail, as the unfortunate woman was beyond the reach
of human aid. Ford was taken into custody, and the house
having been visited by Mr. Superintendent Power, was
secured. Of course much excitement prevailed in the neigh-
bourhood all day long, great crowds assembling at times.
The prisoner will be brought before the coroner's jury at
the inquest, which will probably bo hold to-day.—. Birmin-
gham Gazette.
Tug NEW THEATRE COMPANY.—This morning
the cause of Brandon v. Rickards was called on in
the Lord Mayor's Court. It arises out of the late attempt
of Mr. Boucicault to erect a joint-stock theatre, but as Mr.
henry James, the barrister engaged by the defendant, was
unable to attend, the case was, by consent Of both parties,
directed to stand over till Saturday.