The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-28

Of terror which has 10 parallel il modern
times save in the horrors which attended ire
burning Of the Church 4 santiago u chill
some years ago. DGriEg the festival 81
Corpus Christi Catholics ate il a. habit y
decorating and Illuminating their churches,
and FROM this custom the disaster
OF yesterday directly sprung. L IS
somewhat curious that people who IN
dertake to guide il not to rule the world,
should constantly prove so little skilful
in managing the very simple matters
which naturally fall within their sphere
Of action 1t is remarkable that
while greater numbers Of people assemble
in theatres and other public places, much more
exposed from their nature to destruc-
ton by fire than are churches, loss Of
life By similar accidents is comparatively
rare The cause is not far 70
seek. In the theatre there is method
and system, with constant provision Tor Just
such cases Of accident As result panic
does not spread 80 rapidly among the
people, and even should the IN
reasoning crowd become stampeded the
facility of egress permits escape without
involving those terrible scenes which almost
invariably accompany accidents in churches
The church at Holyoke belonged TO con-
greeation of French Catholics. 1t was o
wooden structure and therefore peculiarly
liable to accidents Of the nature which
befen it. 1t does not, however, ap-
pear that the slightest precautions
were taken to guard against the occurrence
OF fire, nor were any means at hand to combat
it should it break out. With characteristic
carelessness the wooden church, crowded with
worshippers, was illuminated. and this
directly led to the awful sacrifice
which followed The fire first appeared in
the altar decorations, but it spread with such
alarming rapidity that panic seized on the
people, who rushed wildly to the doors The
natural result followed. AL means Of egress
became blocked in moment, and worshippers
Of the moment before trampled each other to
death in their efforts to escape from the
flames. 1t is useless to attempt to picture the
soul-appalling horror Of such . scene; only
those who have lived through il
can adequately know its terrors
The fierce desire Of life sitting
all sense Of remorse and fear Of God from the
hearts Of those who an instant before knelt
humbly at the foot Of His throne asking for
giveness and grace to amend their lives is
picture few would like to contemplate;
still fewer would care to accept
before man OF the Creator the responsibility
Of exposing their fellow creatures to SO dread
full an ordeal Yet the frequent occurrence Of
similar scenes seems to have no effect on the
minds Of clergymen. They will have
their tapers and their Examinations, not
withstauding the terrible lessons preached
by frequent and appalling catsstrophes Of this
kind We would venture to state that enthusi-
astic clergymen will not be deferred even by
the example Of Holyok4 from exposing the
congregations over which they happen
10 preside to the risk Of fate similar
10 that which befel the French Catholics in
the quiet New England town. Within few
weeks Of the slaughter Of hundreds q people
at Santiago, in Chill, the same kind Of risk
was being run here, and the lesson seemed to
have been lost on the religious community.
ii i somewhat curious that the Catholic
bishops ID not frame some regulations that
would diminish, if not put an end to, this
danger. and not leave this system Of illumi-
mating crowded church to the caprice or en-
thusiasm Of pastors whose zeal is not
always tempered BY discretion. We select
the Catholics in this matter because they are
more given to these dangerous displays than
other sects. and because the chief disasters
Swinging from this cause have fallen
upon them. If, however, the ecclesiastical
authorities should refuse to deal promptly and
effectively with this abuse the civil authorities
should interpose. Il might be we'll to forbid
the illumination If any church unless
on the adoption Of such precautions a. would
secure the safety o. the worshippers. There
is no good reason why churches should not
be placed in this regard on eEacuy
the same footing a. other public
places where numbers Of people sre used to
assemble. II is, above al things, the