Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-10-18
Relief for Chicago.

NOiiu % Nonuoi' oOniS thii +H'SN
Iorty years ago it was an unknown
village on tho shores of a Western
AXE But yesterday It was one of the
largest, fairest and most fourishing, .
not only Of the cities of America, but
of the world Our Chicagp friends
were not without good reason iol
speaking of their own city rs possi-
bic rival to New York To day, if wq
can judge from our latest news, not
more than one third-if indeed any
considerable portion-of the city has
been saved from tho destructive and
devastating conhagration. From tss
limc that Rome was reduced to ashes
by the fierce barbarans of the NORTH
up until the recent effort Of the Com.
muno TO destroy Raris there have bean
many disastrous fires; but unless ro.
ports have been greatly exaggerated
this Chicago fire will rank with tho
most disastrous that the world has
ever experienced 1t will be sad, in.
deed, If Chicago, which sprung up as
rapidly as Jonah's gourd, should per.
ish as quickly. In this case The
mourning Jonabs will be many.
1t is not our business, however, Ia
dwell further or the destruction of our
sister city. Our purpose rather is,
taking il for granted that there has
been enormous destruction Of property
and that thousands upon thousands
have been rendered by one fell swoop
of the destroying hand not only home
less but penniless, to appeal, on tho
broad principles Of our common ma,
tionaiiy, our common Christianity
and our common humanity, TO our
millions of readers, in proportion TO
their ability, to come to the rescue,
Now or never our charity and self.
sacrifice must be tested. We measure
this sorrow not by the fifty or sixty
or seventy millions Of property which
has been destroyed, not by the thou.
sands upon thousands who have been
left without home and without u
cent, not by the unknown number of
precious lives which have been lost.
We forget none of these, but we think
also of the total destruction of all or
almost all sources of income for some
timeto come, and particularly Of the
countless numbers of old and young
and middle aged who cry for bread
when there is no bread to give. II is
sad and sorrowful case No such
case, in fact, has appealed to the
worlds sympathy in many genera
tions. When was such sorrow SO
condensed as in the message of the
Mayor Of Chicago to the Mayor Of S.
Louis ?-"Send us food for The suffer.
ing. Our city is in ashes; our water
works are burnt" 1t is equally graft.
flying to know that from almost all
parts of the Union the reports receiv.
cd leave us n no doubt that whatever
can be done will be done for the relief
of the Chicago sufferers, and that
without delay. Cincinnati has rushed
to the rescue so has St. Louis sd
has San Francisco; so, OF course, have
Boston and Philadelphia. Even tho
great cities of the New Dominion are
stirred with sympathetic terror, and
Toronto and Quebec and Montreal are
determined to give substantial proof
that national barrier lines are no hiL.
drance 10 those feelings which arc
common to the race and which after
all snake the whole world kim" The
outburst of feeling has been so spon.
tapeous, so hearty, so noble, that in
spite of visible degeneracy and unmis-
taxable general selfsbncss we feel
proud of our common faith and our
common humanity.
We should not have been pleased if
New York city had Jagged behind,
In spite Of oil its faults our city has
won its way to II first place among the
great cities of the world either in past
or present times. Oar wealth is Sec
ond only to that of London. Our eg-
terprise is such that we have no supc.
rior, if, indeed, we have any equal.
Our libcrality Is, when occasion calls
for it, grand aud up to the high mark
of our great ability. On hundreds of
occasions our liberality has been test.
cd, and when was it found wanting !
In 1885, when New York suffered
from Il great fire, how nobly we came
to the relief of our fellow citizens
When Ireland was threatened with
destruction by dreadful famine,
which of all the great cities of the
world was most generous? 1t was
New York And what shall we say
of our city in connection with the not
yet forgotten Avondalc disaster aud
with the recent sorrows and privaliObs
of he ParisiaBsg In common effort
10 be kind was not New York the first
in the race? 1t pleases us to know
that Mayor Hall is determined that in
this case New York shall not lose the
reputation which it has so nobly wol
and which it so doscrvedly enjoys.
The Mayors proclamation is all that
it should be. 1t is timely, it is TO the
point, it is exhaustive Let things DO
done as the Mayor suggests let our
citizens meet and appoint a genera,
committee; let our corporations, our
trades, our social, political, religious
and other organizations make use Of
their existing machinery; lot every
man aud woman, according TO his or
her ability, make an effort; let every
thing be done that can be done in tlfe
direction of duty; let us all pull, and
pull altogether, aud tho world will
have no choice but admit that in New
York, spite of its faults, there are
some noble souls and some kind hearts
--in other words, some righteous per-
sons. In any case, lei US net in liber-
alily be behind 81"
200
A Coon REToRT-Some years ago,
as Scotch clergyman was walking
one summer afternoon, two young