The New York herald., 1871-10-14
PLYMOUTH LECTURE ROOM


The large lecture room at Plymouth church was
crowded last night, and nobody was surprised when
Mr.. Beecher's subject for the evening .'taik" was
announced to be the terrible fire and con.
seqnent suffering In Chicago. He saii:-Il
has become matter Of remark to those
who study the interior Of history that events
move IN cycles. In certain years there are riots
or commercial troubles, and so it would seem that
there are years OF caastrophes. and this might be
called the year OF IRE In the burning OF town after
town, or men, women and children by the scores,
there would 10 be enough to terrfy u.s. even II
1t were not for the greater disaster Of Chcago This
last disaster can De measured by the way I'm which
1t dwarfs other calamites. l am utterly unable to
take IN the calamity Of Chicago As 1t Is In case
OF mOui tains when first seen, I cannot adjust my
sight TO take 1t in. 1t was 30 during the
war. i could feel only SO much, and
then was full but the events went
on. So with this disaster. the des0aton OF q
house Is as much you can feel, but take street
OF houses, and then q ward and from that TO miles,
and tens OF thousands, and fifty thousand, ana TWO
hundred Thousand people homeless and 1t Is wholly
immeasurable. The mass and 4.t.
MAGNITUDE OF SUFFERING
cannot be estimated. Yet, though we cannot mea-
sure 1t and take II In. every individual goes suf
fering. Chicago is not destroyed like another Phoc-
nix, 1t will rise again. The strong win take OF
themselves; but 0, for the poor, the women and
children, the aged and the stranger, my heart goes
out, r< s4
Next TO the greatness Of the calamity is the ad-
miraoleness oil the sympathy the whole Northern
part OF the nation has uprsen and stretched its
arms and taken that great city to its heart. We
know no Catholic, no Protestant, no democrat,
this nation Is like Gods hand, tina. sendeth
rain upon the Just ana the unjust. 1t 10 sublime,
and when you add that across the sea the kingdom
OF Great Britain and the German nation are sending
their gifts 1t Shows how the great element OF Chris
tan sympathy has 9FsH #.rr H.F4 ~
UNIFIED THE WORLD. @
IL IS one Of the auspicous signs OF The times There
Is one danger. and that Is tnat sympathy will
be merely e1iOtlve and tnat as the weary
winter months move on we shall get tired. Suffer-
ing never gets tired have letter from Brother
Bartlett, formerly OF the Elm place church OF this
city. He "Cnicago rs far as It's business y
suggest what to do. We need money" Mr..
Beecher ADDED tnat the Rev. Mr.. Patterns church
had been spared well 81 Mr.. Bartlett's, and
both OF them are L.lng used for the hOmeless--as
good o use ~ o church was ever put 10. He con-
tlnucd-I nave been struck with the indifference OF
some men to the terr1c suffering. Some say there
can't be o devil. Ihave only TO say that II there
ISN'T devil there "a very good material 10 make one
OF. ana II God ls too good to have devil IN CHIEF
can exceed the wlckedness and innumanlty OF those
men who have taken this occason to prey upon
their fellow men. sfFET er n
A ielicT association has been formed by the Young
Peoples Associauon and the church Will be open
every day this week to receive money or clothing TO
be sent To the destitute IN Chicago Contributions
" considerable extent have already been sent In