The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-06-13

"a cry of anguish has rung across tho
landn Thus Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage spoke
to five thousand people at night, in his scr
mon upon the disaster Mt Johnstown, Penn.
Thc text from the 93d Psalm was this: Tho
floods, o Lord, have lifted up their voice.
THE rivers Of America DR.. Talmage,
said, ARE her pride and her wealth. Tho
glory of New York is its Hudson. Pennsyl-
vania has her Susquehanna, her Al
lcghany, her Mononghela, and least,
yet mighticst in the history of the worlds
desolation, her Conemaugh. Yes. in
these latter days the floods have lifted up
their voice In 1877, 2i0, 900 souls were
drowned at the mouth of the Ganges. Oceans
wrath is uncurbcd. Where is the Vile de
Havre Where is the Presidents Where is
the Atlanticl ? Where is the City Of Boston,
Last Thursday night the dam broke above
| the city of JOhnstown and away went
| homestcads, factories churches and
nsylums of mercy. Ten thousand perished.
Buildings were piled in debris fifty feet high,
and Of them were made holocaust
/ Woel Woe! Woe! In that place the
voices of peace, industry, friendship, good
of despair, agony and desolation. The
floods have lifted up their voice What does
| il tell us Off The mercileSsnoSs 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
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
| muskrats They aindered families as pitt
lessly as they would the planks OF q raft
And over all that scene OF misery fmake bold
TO say there was not one tear save those OF
human anguish. People tell us the rain Is the
tears Of nature, the wind in the branches hei
sigh of sympathy But that Is poetry. TIL,
clouds smile, but they never weep; they de
stroy, but never save. The wind in cyclon,
fury sweeps 20 death whole cities, but IL nevel
sighs. Natural forces cut, bruise, burn, de
stroy, but never pity.
Natural religion is not enough for me. II
the people In the valley of the Conemaugl
had prayed 10 the clouds 10 save their chill
dren, what would have been the answer
Only the flash OF falling water, the roaring
of the floods, the crash Of falling timbers
i know but one religion which says; IF
take away life I'll give bette
one; I'll make an explanation, II not Il
this world, in the one 10 come II is not al
emeritus religion. The faith that inspired tn
martyrs, burned with molten lead, torn apar
by horses-that is the faith which, l undertalk
TO say, is tonight sustaining hundreds o
misery-stricken souls in the valley of tn
Conemaugh.
"our advantage may In tho end prove t.
come their overthrow. The greater the rur
of prosperity the better, but there are mer
in this land graping in their selfishness ant
pride. They pray heaven and earth and hell
'Givel GiveP They gulp down such credi
tors as cannot pay; they swallow
the result of market fluctuations, o
corners in wheat, of mortgages which poo
men cannot meet. They swallow, swallow
till they become rivers Of damnation rollini
, through the land You red-mouthed river
OF Pennsylvania, go back into your channels
You rivers Of greed, cease your impetuou
onrushing.
"Calamities, | am persuaded, do not mea
, always Gods displeasure. have been in th
valley of the Conemaugh. know the pee
pie Of Johnstown. There is none kindlel
none more hospitable, more Christian. Me
: try 10 hurl the judgments Of God. / don
believe in that kindof argument This Bibl