Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-24
STRANGE CONDOLENCES.
Great Northern FIRES on the Anni.
versarfes of Sherman's and Sberf.
dams Southern Rafds-A WOmau's
View Of the Lesson.

Great Northern FIRES on the Aunf
versaries of Sherman's and Sberf
dams Southern Rafds-A Woman.
View OF the Lesson.
From the St Louis Republican.
an not surprised that calamity sucf
as swept over the city of Boston on Thurs
day night last, should have elected remarks
from The pulpit IN many quarters. In The
face OF such dread scJurges as the Chicago
and Boston fires, humanity naturally feels
ats iI'signifcance, and bows its head in hum
bic acknowledgment of q Supreme Ruler of
the universe. One would suppose
tat such visitations of Proyi-
Ccnc5 would be seized upon
b. the clergy Of our land, as an Illustration
Il mans weakness, the instability ofriches,
aadtte dangers incident to him who builds
lis moral house upon the sand. Not SO.
Iowever, with the Rev. Drs. Bellows and
j ecber; for in their discourses on the Bos-
ton fire, on Sunday morning last, they seem
20 have drawn no higher moral lesson than
ghe absuIdity of marrow Streets" and the
insecurity Of "Mansard roofs" These
icsTI ed dissertations on engineering and
architecture may have been very practical
aud valuable, but in the fitness Of things It
does seem that they would have come with
letter grace on week day, and from some
other place than the pulpit. But worse
still. We are told that MIR. Beecher took
OCCASION to ''scOrn { idea, that the Boston
conf grafton was a chastisement for its
slis s. but attributed the accident to the
purely physical causes already alluded to.
have thought much of the remarkable
Origin and course of the terrible fires that
have recently laid waste the unfortunate
towns of Michigan, and the cities of Chica-
so ard Boston. There was sometime of
The supernatural about them. We are told
10y these who witnessed the burning of the
Michigan towns, that "the very atmosphere
seemed on fire, ," that 'the flames seemed to
leap rom the sky as If by magic, overtak-
Dg and destroying people and cattle by the
roadside" SO In Chicago and Boston, the
flre-iead and the wilds of Heaven appar
emily catered into dread conspiracy, tina
laughed to scorn all the devices of man,
aided by the most approved appliances of
science and art, and hand-in-hand, as it
were, waged such havoc as presents ne
parallel in the history of modern times.
Men and women alike stood aghast and
Powelless in the face Of The awful spectacle.
surely 10 ooe can contemplate such
pctme as this without reco gnizing the hand
OF The Ami Ihty.
WI ether these Affections have come as a
IeCCmpense for evil, or to teach us the folly
Of constructing "woCden houses" "Man-
sard roofs" and "nsrrOW Streets" is mat
ter upon which, in spite of Mr.. Beecher's
declarations, / shall reserve my judgment
TIL that final day when ali these mysteries
shall b. revealed by the only Being capable
of giving an opinion.
But there Is another and more awfullvlsol-
emn feature in these fires than these al
ready spoken Of, which has Impressed nv
womau's heart so deeply that trust may
be pardoned for alludiDg to it, as | say,
"naught in justice or uncharitableness." | |
refer TO the terrible anniversaries upon
which the grand conflagrations occurred. 1t |
may not he generally known, but it is a fact |
that the burning of the Michigan towns, and |
also the city of Chicago, occurred on |
the sixth anniversary of one Of the darkest |
and most fendish acts that ever diSgraced |
the annals Of any country. Of course / |
allude to the so called "raidn of Gen. Sheri- |
dAa in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia,
when, at The head Of command consisting |
largely Of Michigan ana Illinois cavalry, be
laid waste that beautiful district With such |
remorseiess completeness, that seven 8 !
crow nylDg over IL would have TO carry his I.
rstlons with him." As far as the eye could /
reach Gown that beautiful valley, the sky
glareo with the flames Of burning dwellings
mills, earns, Stables, crops and fences. Cat
tie, SIC and poultry of every description,
were cared on, or else wantonly shot down;
even tne al, az It's mothers side, had its
innocent lnroat cut. In short, everything