Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-10
SAD SERVICES.
Religious Meetings in
the Open Air, and
Sermons That
TOUCH EVERY HEART.
A Few Faithful Christians
Gather to Praise
and Pray
STILL TRUSTING IN GOD.
rrRoM OUR STAFF CORRESPONDENTS. J


JoHNsTowN, June 9.-''The groves wert
Gods first temples" and never under such
sad circumstances were religious service.
held in open air than the numerous outdoor
gatherings of to-day. Realizing the awful
calamity which has befallen this community
every degree of society communed together
to-day regardless of sect or person.
TheServices were attended by many people
whose ears had never listened to the teach.
ings of God; whose hearts had never evolved
a secret prayer, or whose thoughts had never
driited to things divine; they were there,
and realizing the vast destruction of precious
lives and property, as expatiated upon by
the preacher, with the connecting sad cir
cumstances, hearts of adamant were softened
and tears flowed from the stricken sufferers
at the thought of their lost ones who had
been chosen by the relentless hand of fate.
1t Was n Touching Sight
to study the faces of the hearers, some of
whom probably had attended the religious
services in the hope of receiving word Of
suecor and an assurance of safety of loved
ones on another shore. Upon a rude store
box in front of the temporary postofice,
Rev. D. j. Beal, of the Presbyterian Church,
addressed the remaining members of his
congregation in a most afectionate manner.
He said in substance:
NV Dear Friends and Followers:
find that words are inadequate to express
my SORROW resulting from the awful visitation
of Gods Almighty hand in our midst, but we
are only admonished to prepare for the Makers
call He has seen fit to take away thousands
of our people, and the calamity has shocked
the whole civilized world. To extend my SYM
pathy would avail nothing, but we can live in
the assurance that our loving friends who wer e
carried away are safe upon another shore where
floods cannot penetrate. Oh, this is the happy
ultimatum of the sad story.
Ireceived a cablegram from a gentleman in
Scotland inquiring for the safety of Mr.. and
Mrs Childs. Hooked upon the list of the dead
and found that they were among the missing.
Immediately answered their foreign friends,
They are lost, but both gone to heaven"
knew of a Christian man who when the flood
was creeping down on him and his family,
grasped Bible and opened it to read. His
eyes first fell on the forty-sixth pslam and at
the passage, "Put your trust in Him and you
fear God fear nothing.
Fearful Tests of Faith.
Mr.. J. Hatch followed Rev. Mr.. Beal.
He was fortunate in saving his life after a
thrilling experience, but his wife was
washed away. He said he trusted in the
heavenly father and His infinite love for
his safety. There is salvation in prayer, he
Il l., II, Ill Il
be prepared to meet the ones who bad gone
when the time came. William d. Tumble
stone also addressed the gathering and was
followed by fervent prayer by Mr.. Hatch
and the singing Of the doxology.
Another meeting was held this afternoon,
which was attended by large concourse of
people, who were touched bv the thrilling
and fearful experiences of those who were
rescued. There were instances where many
who were lost showed the virtue of Chris
tianity and with the happy hope of meet
ing again the unfortunate ones. went down
to death, to meet again in heaven.
The Rev. Father Tahaney, of the parish
of st. Mary's, whose church was destroyed
by fire Immediately after the flood, held
short service this morning, and after mass
gave his parishioners practical talk" as
ne expressed II. he SalQ.
Must EndeavOr to Forget.
A little over week has passed since the
waters of the South Fork dam. bursting
through their prison walls swept through the
valley of the Conemaugh like an avalanche,
and in a moment destroyed the work of wears
of human labor. Thousands of your dearly
loved relatives and friends perished in the
seething torrent before our very eyes; scarcely
h,r# !,
loss of father, mother, brother or sister.
Many of you are homeless and dependent
upon the charity Of friends or perhaps
strangers, and yet 1 say to you Hope" Great
as has been our affliction, heavy as our burden
seems, we must endeavor to forget. God our
Father, who in His infinite wisdom, has seen
fit to thus affiict us, knows all things and acts
for the best Although we can't appreciate it
now, perhaps the destruction Of our loved
Johnstown may be the means adopted by God
TO bestow some great lesson and consequent
benefit to the human race.
A public meeting for religious worship
was held in Morrellyille last night, at the
headquarters of the Americus Club Relief
Committee, under the auspices OF that So
ciety. Rev. E. G. Loughrey, of Leechburg,
was the officiating clergyman. The Ameri-
Gus choir, Messrs. Noble, Voigt McCord
and Reese, opened the service by singing
the very appropriate hymn, "Nearer, My
God to Thee" The text was from Psalm
xix, z. 1.-The law of the Lord is perfect
converting the soul.' The speaker advo-
Gated the theory that there is
Nothing New Under the sun.
and staredt that he considered Originality
was an impossibility;" that everything we
do or say finds its origin in the law of AL
mighty God. Mr.. Laughrey claims that
the law of God is perfect, inasmueh as where
fha xrorl-e of (1od ara NOT fon1narad with hv
human interference, there is no danger to
be apprehended. He deplored the readiness
with which people consider every accident
a visitation of Providence, and not the nat
ural result of their own folly or careless
ness Said he:
Why, to Illustrate, if men had not tampered
with Gods work by attempting to dam and
force a stream out of its natural bed there
would have been no accident, and the valley of
the Conemaugh wouldn't now be in tears.
The Services Mt the Camp
of the Fourteenth Regiment were conducted
by Rev. L. Mcguire, an old Methodist
minister, and chaplain of the regiment. The
audience sang ''Come, Thou Fount of Every
Blessing" Chaplain Mcguire announced
his text, 'sTrust in the Lord and do good,
SO shalt thou dwell in the land" Before
delivering his sermon the congregation
sang "Jesus, Lover of Ny Soul, and while
it was being sung Mr.. George W. Moses
went up to the pastor and said:
"Cora, MY wife, sang that while we were
floating down the river, and we were both
saved
DR.. Mcguire said that there were 1,074
members of the Stone Church in Johnstown
and only 81 were lost Rev. Mr.. Colliven |
then made few remarks. He was followed |
by John Fulton, General Manager of the |
Cambria Iron Works. who told tragic tale |
of the food and OF the evidence Of the power |
Of God in saving some who wept this morn /
ing instead OF being grateful.