St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-10

swas rendered: Opening prayer, by
ReV. George w. Sharpe kirkSviile, Mo-,
representing the Christian Herald. or
New York; reading Scriptures, by Rev.
Louis knutsOn !; solo by Mrs. DR.. Bar
mum; remarks by Rev. Mr. knutson.
the Hinckley pastor, who passed
through the fire; commemorative pnem
by John Talmon. read hy 5. q. l.. Rob-
erls; solo, 40 Scenes OF Peace Retir-
Ing" by Albert Berg, of Center City,
Mimi. who is possessed of remark
BaJeck, OF Rush City: Quartettr. Prof.
Hay and wife. DR.. f. +. Barnum
and wife; remarks by j. d. Mark
ham, of Rush City; remarks
10y Rev. r. IL. Feetham,
Fine City. This was followed by an
able and touching address by Bishop
Gilbert. of ST. Paul. of which the fol-
lowing is brief synopsis:
Il stand before you tonight 10 give
voice 10 the sympathy which Swels up
from responsive hearts over all the
land. This little community, before
obscure and scarcely discovered
last week, been the nerve center
for all the world. Messages of
love and sympathy have come throbbng
under leagues of ocean from all parts of
the old world. God must have had
some sublime object in bringing about
this awful disaster, did we only read
His purposes beneath the palimpsest of
suffering. Let it not be said that God
has thus spoken out of the whirlwind
and we have not heard. l know
we cannot unravel all the mys-
teries OF God. We are often like
babes. who can only cry out
a nf dor nd lNn
cause, but then, like children. we can
learn the lessons taught rs. Our eyes
I'LL with tears when we recall the awful
agony through which mahy OF you passed
when the beSom of destruction swept
over you, and the black cloud of death
was illumined only by the iurid flames,
but | would hay eyou think not of this,
but of those lost friends regaiued again
i'll the better land.
These calamities are all part of
God's plans. The great civil war of
thirty years ago is an illustration of
this. where sacrifice and suffering
wrought freedom and united land. So
1t has often been in your own lives
where there has been seeming loss
What is tie gain? First. we are taught
that God Is greater than material things.
When we have built up material
fortune and begun to worship it,
one sweep OF divine justice
takes it away. reminding us that God is
more powerful than these things;
second, our hearts are brought together.
You have heard of the great strikes
that agitated the country few weeks
ago. arraying man against man, when
we seemed to be getting apart, threat
enine anarchy and social disruption.
Like the finger of God, this calamity has
come and swept away all distinctions of
rank and class. God used this to cement
again the bonds of fraternity which
were being rent aSunder.
II stood last Monday in the Chamber
o. Commerce at st. Paul and saw tears
moisten the cheeks of the men who
rule the finances of great city as they
responded to the appeals made in be-
half of those stricken people. They did
not know these woodmen. They did
not know these men of toll, but their
hearts were touched by the sufferings
Of common humanity. God thus used
the grim surgery of fire to heal the
wound
again we must not lose the lesson of
personal heroism. When we have met
these men, as we frequently do on the
train, they did not look like heroes, but
plain men, scarcely worthy of our no
tice. When the trial came, and an
awful death threatened hundreds of
human lives, they stood up in their di-
vine heroism and taught us lesson
that beneath the humble garb is often
concealed noble manhood, ana
when we have turned to dust the
world will still honor the names of Best
and Sullivan. Root and Campbell. Such
heroism will cover 4 multitude of sins,
and doubt not God will blot out some
of their faults, for they doubtless had
faults, and remember that they nobly
did their duty in the time of trial. The
trial seems hard. but what matter, if it
makes you better. Look up. and let
the sacrifice of friends and loved ones
make you nobler aud better.
Last of all, when the grass has grown
green over their graves and your hearts
wounds are somewhat healed, let US not
forget that God came down in il chariot
of Tire one day as he did for Elijah of
old to take cur better selves up to him
SELF"
There was a large coucourse of peo-
pie present, and a deep feeling of
sOlelnnity prevailed the stricken as
sembly. Strong men who battled so
mantully and heroically with death
bowed their heads and wept. The i'm
presslve character Of the ceremonies
and the dark threating pail of the fire.
laden skies lent diSinspiring and holy
ain to the scenes seldom witnessed.
Words of comfort and miniStrations of
mercy, however, can hardly mitigate
the Sagging weight OF grief with which
this stricken people are burdened.