Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-06-10
LESSONS ON THE FLOOD.
Rev. G. w. Cue breaches on the
Subject of the Hour.
An Interesting Sermon mt the First
M. Il. Church Last Evening.--Pic-
ture of the situation.

His text was from James, Ala:
What is your lifes
For several days, said Mr.. Cue, the
people of this country have been almost
overwhelmed with establishment at the
awful disaster at Johnstown and else
where in Pennsylvania. Never in our
history did any calamity ever visit us that
in so short a time swept away so many
homes and destroyed so many lives.
In 1855 Lisbon, Portugal, was wrecked
by an earthquake and swept by flames.
destroying between $4,000 and 10000
lives. In China few months ago the
banks of one Of their rivers gave way and
flooded the land, sweeping from the earth
more than one hundred thousand souls.
But these are so far removed from us by
time and space that they fail to affect us
as they would if occurring in our day and
country.
The burning of Chicago in 1870 was a
terrible disaster and shocked the civilized
world, calling out their greatest sympa>
thies. That fire swept over 2,124 acres
OF solid buildings a territory four miles
in myth and from one to one and a>third
miles in width; 17.450 buildings burned,
rendering homeless 9S. $50 people. 1T
was financial loss OF 1896. 600, 600 but
the loss OF life was comparatively small
only $50 in all. Yet the sympathies of
the whole country were stirred in their
behalf. Contributions to the amount of
"a, 996. 72S were contributed to the desti>
tute. England sent to them $500 600
and Jim Fisk loaded and forwarded to
them whole train of supplies.
Two years ago we were made sick at
heart at the terrible railway disaster at
Chatsworth, ILL.,, where one hundred were
Killed. But now we are confronted with
the loss OF life and destruction of proper
ty that beggars all description. The
morning of the 31st of May, 1899, Johns
town. in Pennsylvania, and other
neighboring villages were full of hap
py. busy people, little dreaming that
before the sun went down they, with
their homes would he gone. With
out warning the floods from the lake
above broke loose and eDgulfed the VAL
ley below. The destruction of property
can not be estimated, but the loss of life
will be from eight to ten thousand in
Johnstown alone equal to the loss of some
OF the greatest battles in our late war
Hundreds of people-fragments OF hap
py families are destitute of homes, and
every comfort and necessity of life.
Amid this sorrow and suffering it is re-
freshing to read of the quick response on
the part of sympathizing people in
forwarding monev and provisions to the
sufferers. Undoubtedly the citizens of
Rock Island will cheerfully do their
part. Everyone should do something,
for in so doing they will have better
opinion of themselves
OF course there are heartless ones ev-
erywhere who will do nothing. and will
criticise and misjudge the motives of |
all others. Refusing to give, for fear |
there will be too much raised, or fearing |
that it will. be Incorporated. Such |
selhshness is akin to the vandals who |
strip and rob the desd-human ghouls, |
hyena>like feeding on human corpses. |
In presenting this subject to you l |
desire to draw from it some practical |
lessons. The dead, the wounded, the |
orphans, the widows and homeless ones
all Join with my text in demanding; |
What is Your Life?" The anatomist, |
with knife and skillful analysis, has |
sought to find its secret hiding place, but |
there is barred gateway that he can,
not enter. No satisfactory definition |
has ever been given as TO what life is.
In complete swoon, when all muscular
action of the heart has stopped, and the |
brain lies dormant life may still exist,
and rallying its scattered forces march |
on to three score years and ten. But l |
have lamp, in the light of which can |
give an intelligent answer to this ques-
ton, What is Your Life2" Our DAYS |
pass on with even pace, so that we sell |
dom estimate what we are. what we have |
been, and what we are to be. Oh, |
that this evening, this solemn |
and overwhelming calamity might come |
to our ears, and give startling emphasis |
to this question of the apostle, What is |
Your LITER
First-Our life is a test If you buy
goods you soon want to find out whether |
they are really worth what you paid for
them. Every new ship or boat must
make trial trip. If you bring man
into some important position, and there
is a crisis where his behavior will either
make or break you, you say now /
will have chance to find out what he is.
Well, every man is on his trial trip, and
men, angles and devils are finding out
what is in you, what you are worth, and
what your weaknesses are. mo man
liyeth unto himself" for every word you
speak, every action you perform has
q thousand echoes. Earth and heaven
and hell are gazing upon your behavior,
and you are passing the trial.
Second-Our life is conflict. If you
haua fr,ad 10 |
sions or appetite. if you have never tried
to subdue your temper, if you have never
tried to rouse yourself up to q better
or womanhood, you do not
know what / mean; but if you have at
tempted to live q holy life, to be better
and do better, then you sympathize with
the Apostle Paul when he represented
0 ur life on earth war with the world, q
war with the flesh, war with the devil,
but in addition to the struggle you have
within, you have thousand outside bat
ties. Sometimes it has been against
poverty, against physical distresses,
against bad social position, and an I'M
happy family name. With many of you
up to this point it has been a hand to
hand fight, and so it will be to the end.
There is no tent for peaceful encamp-
ment but the grave. Life is conflict,
30 the Bible announces. Life is con-
dict, so your experience declares.
Thirdly-Your life is preparation. If
we are going on long journey. we
want some time to get ready. God has
started us out on journey that will
have no terminus, and once started We
never come back. If you have any
amps to light, you had better light them
now, for when death once shuts the
door of the sepulchre the angel of
repentance never opens it again.
So far as can tell of your case