Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1832-05-10

appropriately commemorated in many of
our churches, of most, if not all, denom-
nations and in some instances discour-
ses expressly adapted to the occasion,
were pronounced, either in the morning
or evening services. The Rev. Dr.
Spring delivered very solemn and i'm
pressve sermon, in the brick chuich, in
the morning, from the text--'Boast not
thyself Of tomorrow In the evening,
the Rev. mr.. Whitehouse of the Metho-
dist church, from England, preached ell
oquently and effectively, to a crowded
auditory in the John-street church, from
the words of Job, so full ofbeauty, pathos
and sublimity :-"Man dieth and wasteth
away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and
where is he?" The occasion was such
as to arrest the attention even ofthe most
thoughtless. Admonitions from the pull
pit could not be more effectively uttered
than at such a time. The coolest heart
must feel, under circumstances like these,
and the most drowsy eloGuence kindle,
when thus summoned to exhorations upon
the awful themes Of death--Judgmen
eternity!
Sudden calamities of so totally unex-
pc cted a charac cter, produce sensations,
distinctly peculiar in their kind. The
pestilence which wasteth at MONDAY
soon makes its horrible effects familiar,
and selfshness prevails over sympathy.
The earthquake and tornado are imme-
diately recognized as the judgments of
Providence, placing all his creatures on
level, and striking with fear the most
hardened and careless. An awful acci-
dent re esuting from manifest want of hu-
man foresight, as in the structure of this
building, (Which is now a heap of frag-
ments, without adhesion or continuity,
produces its own special eflect-though
in the eyes of the Christian, it is as much
direct dispensation of Heaven, as if it
was the result of a convulsion OF nature.
The levity which characterises not only
the young and uneducated mind but
which disgraces children of larger
growth, never struck us more forcibly,
and with greater degree of disgust than
it did on Saturday, when on visiting the
ruins from which the persons employed
were extricating the yet warm and man
gled members of the sufferers, we OBJ
served the demeanor Of a portion of the
mob. Itseemed "A Jubilee for most of the
boys; and no doubt was harvest for
pickpockets. Such are the contrasts
presented by the striking events which
occur in life, and illustrate the strange
compound which constitutes human ma
lture.
On so affecting occasion as the present,
it is no desire of ours to impute censurc
to any one; and in speaking ofthe cause
of the calamity on Saturday, we did but
repeat what was in the mouths Of many
gentlemen, together with the result of
our own observation. The gentleman
who superintended the building while it
was erecting, has called to assure US that
we were in error in regard to the alleged
absence of anchors. He assures. us that
the structure was throughly anchored,
and was i'll all respects well built; but the
walls were not dry. Without the know
ledge Of mr. Phelps, ,moreover,w whose time
was last week engrossed by other impor-
tant matters, far too heavy a weight of
metallic articles were stored in the second
loft, which was never intended for the
reception Of such merchandise, much
less for such an immense weight as is
believed to have caused this catastrophe.