The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-04-01
For TIE NEWS.
ALLUSIONS TO THE RECENT CONFLA-
GRAFTON.

In sermon preached by Rev. j. d.
Bell, last Sabbath morning, at the Con-
gregational Church, on the text, "Let
us lay aside every weight and the sin
which doth so easily beset us" allu-
sions were made to the disastrous fire
which occurred in this town on Thurs
day night, March a. Speaking of the
easily-besetting sin of postpOning the
performance of unmistakable duty-a
habit which, he maintained, has ruined
many christian enterprises and institu-
tions, and has withheld many individu-
ais from all spiritual progress, depriv-
ing them of all superior merit and man
ly force of character, and converting
them into mere dreaming drones-he
said: 1--WE need not search long to find
an instance well adapted to illustrate
the unhappy consequences which are al
ways liable to spring from this sin. We
have all looked with sadness upon that
black space covered with ashes and
charred ruins, at the side of yonder
street. We beheld the flames as they
defiantly leaped above the roofs of those
burning buildings. We beheld the ag-
ony of anxious excitement which was
depicted upon the countenances of not
a few of those who were obliged to see
those structures go to ruin. We beheld
the writing and the shriveling of the
timbers of those frames as the garment
of fire swiftly enveloped them.
"And what is the explanation of that
scene of devastation? 1t may be said
that accident or incendiarism explains
it. But, though one or the other OF
these may account for its origin, neither
of them accounts for its magnitude.
The explanation of this is to be found
in the fact that the performance of an
unmistakable duty has been postponed.
The town ought long ago to have provid
ed suitable means fos the extinguishing
of sudden fires. The duty of so doing
has been perfectly evident. The town
has known its duty in the matter, but
has done it not. And surely, it is thing
to be wondered at, that town so prom
ising as this one is; a town increasing
in size and Importance so rapidly, and
receiving additions to its population al
so rare a rate town so many of whose
citizens have already accumulated
wealth, should SO long have been en-.
tirely destitute of any adequate means
of protection against fire.
81 refer particularly, to-day, to thi:
instance fprocrastinating the perform.
ance ofduty, because deem it one OF
pressing moment. Who, on that fiery
night, did not raise the question: 'What
would be the case, ifinstead of the quiet
state of the air which prevails, there
were mighty gale blowing over the
town. We all thought of the wild
scene of the previous Monday night
when the red-crested tide of fire wa:
driven over the prairie by the naughty
wind. God graciously stayed the wind
on Thursday night. But if He had not
done so, it is not too much to believe
that the destruction of property would
have been enormous and appalling.
''The town is strongly admonished by
the confiagration which has occurred
Let us hope that, while it is providing
library, it will no longer leave upper.
formed the duty of providing cistern,
along its principal streets, and securing
fire-engine with an efficient, we'll
drilled company of men to use IL"