The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-08-16
DIR. TaImage on the Johnstown Flood


"a cry Of anguish has rung across tho
land" Thus Rev. T. Dewitt TaImage spoke
to five thousand people at night in his SER
mon upon the disaster at Johnstown, Penn.
The text from the 93d Psz11n was this: THE
floods o Lord, have lifted up their voice"
1.-THE rivers of America DR.. Talmage
said, 'are her pride and her wealth. The
glory of New York is its Hudson. Pennsyl-
vania has her Susquehanna, her Al
leghany, her Mononghela, and least,
yet mightiest in the history of the worlds
desolatiOn, her Conemaugh. Yes. in
these latter days the floods have lifted up
their voice.' In 1877, 100000 souls were
drowned at tho mouth of the Gauges. Oceans
wrath is uncurbed. Where is the Vile de
Havre? Where is the President? Where is
the Atlantic2 Where is the City of Boston?
Last Thursday night the dam broke above
the city Of JohnstOwn and away went
homesteads, factories, churches and
asylums of mercy. Ten thousand persisted.
Buildings were piled in debris fifty feet high,
and Of them were made a holocaust.
Woel Woel Woei In that place the
voices of peace, industry, friendship, good
neighborhOod have given way to the voices
of despair, agony and desolation. The
foods have lifted up their voice. What dos
it tell US of? Tho mercilessness of natural
forces the emptiness Of natural religion.
There are those Who tell US they want only the
religion of sunshine, art, blue sky and beau
tiful grass. The book of nature must DO
their book. Let me ask such persons what
they make out Of the floods in Pennsylvania
Those pitiless waters whelmed father,
mother, son and daughter, with as lit
tie feeling as though they had been
musl1rats. They sundered families as pitt
lessly as they would the planks of a raft.
And over all that scene ofmisery mako bold
to say there was not one tear save those of
human anguish. People tel us the rain is the
tears of nature, the wind in the branches her
sigh of sympathy. But that is poetry. The
clouds smile, but they never weep; they de
stroy, but never save. The wind in cyclone
fury sweeps to death whole cities, but it never
signs. Natural forces cut, bruise, burn, de
strOy, but never pity.
Natural religion is not enough FOR IT
the people in the valley of the Conenaugh
had prayed TO the clouds to save their chill
dren, what would have been tho answer?
Only the flash Of falling water, the roaring
Of the floods, the crash of falling Iimbers.
I know but one religion which says: If
take away a life rll give a better
one; I'll make an explanation, il not in
this world, in the one to come 1t is not an
emeritus religion. The faith that inspired the
martyrs, burned with molten lead, torn apart
by horses-that is the faith which, l undertake
to say, is tonight sustaining hundreds of
Misrepresentation souls in the valley of the
Conemaugh.
sour advantage may in the end prove to
be q disaster. The properties of men be-
come their overthrow. The greater the run
of prosperity the better, but there are men
in this land graping in their selfshness and
pride. They pray heaven and earth and hell.
'Givei GiTev They gulp down such credi-
tors as cannot pay; they swallow
the result Of market fluctuations. of
corners in wheat, Of mortgages which Door
men cannot meet. They swallow, swallow,
tai they become rivers Of damnation rolling
through the land. You red-mouthed rivers
OF Pennsylvania, go back into your channels.
You rivers Of greed, cease your impetuous
" Calamities, am persuaded, do not mean
always Gods displeasure. / have been in the
valley Of the COnemaugh. know the peo-
pie OF Johnstown. There IS none kindlier,
none more hospitable, more Christian. Men
try to hurl the judgments of God. don't
believe IN that kindof argument. This Bible
says, whom God loveth He ehasteneth. Heis
going to pour blessing through those valleys
wider and deeper than the torrent of disaster.
Mlsfortunes como in herds. In 1914 fortunes.
and sceptres were at the feet of Wal
ter Scott, but one disaster after another fell
upon him. One day he asked his daughter
l"t ms 'ei1 uill tll1J WIZARD hand which
gave to the world Guy Mannering,' Ivan
hoe Maid Of Perth KeniIworth,' could not
write his name. The multiplication of disas-
tiers means the multiplication of comforts.
III this world is all, it's the deadest failure
in the universe and life is not worth living.
Let US be practical in our sympathies-
If you cannot go to the relief meeting
to be held at the Park Theatre, then give
IS your conscience dictates. I shall be at
That meeting and hope you all viii be-
Think lovingly Of your fellownen and
women who tonight, while you Ire shell
erred in comfortable homes, are hucdling in
he bushes on the mountains of Pennsylvania.
God have mercy on theml The tim5 is fixed
or all our departures. am glad we do not
NOW it. All 1 want Is to be right with God
md right with man Then let the saa roar.
nd the fulness thereof. Let the floods clap
heir hands,