The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-06-20
DR.. TaImage on the Johnstown Flood

DR.. Talmase on the Johnstown Flood.
"a cry of anguish has r,Ing across the
landn Thus Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage spoke
to five thousand people at night, in his SER
mon upon the disaster at Johnstown. Penn.
The text from the y3d Psalm was this: Tho
floods, 0 Lord, have lifted up their voice"
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 the mouth of the Ganges. Oceans
Havrep Where is the PRESIDENT Where is
the Atlantics 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 holocaust.
voices of peace, industry, friendship, good
neighborhood have given way to the voices
of despair, agony and desolation. The
floods have lifted up their voice. What does
it tell us of? The 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 be
their book. Let me ask such persons what
Those pitiless waters whelmed father,
mother, son and daughter, with as lit
tie feeling as though they had been
muskrats. They sundered families as pitt
lessly as they would the planks of a raft.
And over all that scene of misery Imake 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 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 me- z
had prayed to the clouds to save their chill
dren, what would have been the answerl
Only the flash of falling water, the roaring
of the floods, the crash Of falling timbers.
/ know but one religion which says: If
take away life I'll give a better
one; I'll make an explanation, if 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, I undertake
to say, is tonight sustaining hundreds OF
misery stricken souls in the valley Of the
Conemaugh.
"Our advantage may in the end prove to
be disaster. The properties of men be-
come their overthrow. The greater the run
of prosperity the better, but there are men
pride. They pray heaven and earth and he'll.
'Give Givep They gulp down such credi-
tors as cannot pay; they swallow
the result of market fluctuations, of
corners in wheat, of mortgages which poor
men cannot meet. They swallow, swallow,
till they become rivers of damnation rolling
through the land. You red-mouthed rivers
You rivers of greed, cease your impetuous
onrushing.
"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 kind of argument This Bible
s,Iys, wnom uou IoveJn Tie cnasUenern. RE Is
| going to pour blessing through those valleys
wider and deeper than the torrent of disaster
| Misfortunes come in herds In 1914 fortunes
crowns and sceptres were at the feet of Wal
| ter Scott, but one disaster after another fell
| upon him. One day he asked his daughter
for his pen, and that wizard hand which
gave 10 Une WOrlu 'Uuy ManDerluS, ivan
! hoe Maid of Perth 'Kenilworth,' could moi
write his name. The multiplication of disas
tiers means the multiplication of comforts
"If 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
as your conscience dictates. l shall be al
that meeting and hope you all will be
Think lovingly of your fellowmen ant
women who tonight, while you are shell
tered in comfortable homes, are budding ii
the bushes on the mountains of Pennsylvania
God have mercy on them! The time is fixed
for all our departures. am glad we do moi
know it. All 1 want is to be right with Goo
and right with man. Then let the sea roar.