West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-06-05
OH. WHY SHOULD TmE SPIRIT OF
MORTAL BE PROUDi
A Well Written Article ON the Great
Disaster Ia the West Indies
Thomas Horner in The Weston lndcpen-
dent

dent
The forty thousand people OF ST Pierre
lived and loved aud laughed under the
sable wings of death itself
In sight of their humble homes was the
black side Of volcanic mountain whose
unseen and terrible forces has been gather.
ing FOR ages.
Among that vast number were all ages.
classes and conditions OF people. There
were children clambcring about their
parents knees or romping on the green
sward there were boys aud girls strolIiny
contentedly on their way to schools there
were Young men and maidcns basking in
the sunshine OF love; there were labotcrs
toiiing at the forge. OF In field. forest aud
factory; there were men. rugged. robust
aud indom,ablc, sobcred by circumstance q
aud tempered by experience. struggling
with the obdurscies of lie: there were
mothers lnliins their babes to the shadowy
isles OF sleep with :hc sacred melody OF
the cradle song; there were invalids vent.
ing their agony with pcnsive sigh; there
were beds of anguish where saddcned
faces with fearful eyes were leaning over
| the ashcn visagc of the dying loved ones
there were old men in the evening twilight
oil lille wait ng until the crimson sun sinks
to rest behind the cmpurplcd hills; there
were songs aud tears sighs aud laughter
JOY and sadness, and all the other varieties
OF human happiness. condition and ac-
tivity.
On that happy isle was found all that
could please and prosper human kind.
..i.s
to gloom when the city was murmuring
with the resuul hum OF the closing hours.
suddenly the sky blackcns. the earth
shakes. deep aud ominous roar is heard
for mixes. and hell on earth be~insi From
profound depths rush the mad dened tor.
rents of flame aud lava. worse a thousand
times than the fablcd dragons breath.
carrying strangnation. borrow aud death
with reckless indifference to rich and poor
ahkel Breaking from It's prison vault of
ultcd strata II reaches the sky in It's fury.
bringing a holocaust OF desolation. dcs.
pair and death
On the historic shores OF the Caribbean
forty thousand charrcd aud lifeless bodies
depict the silent horrors OF agony and
death Forty thousand dead tell MS i'm a
Language stropger than words OF the frailty
OF human l'fe But moment ago life To
them was glowing with all it's prismatic
radiancc-bclore them was the future, and
with thtobbing hearts they were marvel.
ing what mysteries IL would reveal To
day the paliid faces of the unco6ned dead
tell ns that the fondcst hopes conceived in
glory today may be wrapped in shroud
tomorrow. From the glory OF hcalll, to
the pale cast of death Is but one step
Ana the solemn waves that leave those
saddoncd shores chant requiem ms sad
as those tl'a, two thousand years ago
washed the tears from stricken Pompeii's
feet when from We nyius' 6ery tIroa, came
the death message TO thirty thousand
soulsl
Such IS the fraiity of human lifcl The
millions who now inhabiI the globe arc
but n handfnl 10 the countless bilions who
sleep beneath its puiscless breast over
seven billion men have been killed in war
alone aud human life Is Of such small
siguih ancc that even the death of thou.
sands cause not momeuts pause! Scien-
lists tell MS that there will he time when
the human race Itself will cease to exist
The constant cooling OF the earth viii
cause the Polar regions TO approach tho
Equator. which process will continue until
only handful Of dcgcncrttcs live in the
tropics hnaliy the last human being will
die and the eartl, will become a yolccless
cinder uselessy spinning Ia space All.
more than this. even the sun will sometime
cease TO give heat aud light and will perish
on the hedrfhstoDe OF infinite spscei
There are dead planets in existence Of
such enormous size that they would I'll the
orbit OF Nepmuci Even our sun which Is
ono million three hundred thousand times
as large as the Earth is but an insigni6
cant star among the millions IN the milky
way Astronomers say that ii is doubtful
whether the sun would be visible from the
nearest star! Then OF what small conse.
qnence arc even 'he greatest men! How
brief is his reign And all there is OF life
aud power and glory but psuscs while
Times patient pendulum doles out its
transient existence here and faen comes
death and oblivion in that nlimita bic
graveyard called the PAST
Calamity should teach us the folly Of
sacrificing the nobility Of the soul for
earthly gain. IL should admonish rs to
sympathize with the down-trodden and
afflicted. and to alleviate distress. grief
and suffering how small il be. And greatest
OF all Il should teach us humanity. Were
. man mighty enough TO grasp from pole
TO pole yea, even then his dominion would
be but shadow which the breath may
dispel
The King IN his palace. the beggar in his
hni the dnsky Bcdouin YEARLY irudging
by tbe csmcls side through the burning
sand, the Esquimanx sIivering ia the land
Of ctelnal snow, the bushmsn siupe6od by
tropic heat. the seaman triumphantly
riding the unresiing waves. the feion listen
ing to the cfeak Of bis iron door. the
soldier fighting on foreign soil Tor his
country 1ie 40 should feel and realize
how faii and feet ng is human ifel
Tis The wink of an cyc. 'ds tie drauebt
ol breath
I From the blossom Of hcalih 10 the pale.
ness Of doati
From the gfdcd saloon to thc Dicr aud
the shfoud
oh wly should the spirit Of mortal be
proud r.
V41'N-sa.t Cancer =aroa.
Startling proof 81 a vpapgsrfr a,.f.......,. IL.