The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-01-12
The essons of Calamity.

Aud surely this fearful tragedy at
Chicago can teach men enough If they
will but learn. Already it is manifest
that human failures and faults made
& he broad occasion of the disaster.
How the greedy selfishness of the
money-loving is here terrifically con-
demned, for except a small penuri-
ousuess had wreathed in and out to
save and gain dollar in the con-
struction of the theater, the build
ing would have been provided with
more and better mo6ern safeguards
against fire. Woe to the man who
values a dollar above a life. Here
too is equal condemnation cried down
upon lax enforcement of laws by
weak and hesitant officials, for If
the city authorities had one and all
dealt honestly with their duties no
places of amusement gathering such
audiences would have been thus
allowed to continue violating express
ordinances. Woe to the civil servant
who holds lightly his allegiance to
the law. A lesson of painful empha-
sis is here for us, all the duty of indi-
vidual faithfulness, for any one OF
a score or more theater employ
ees might have alone abated or pre-
vented the calamity If he had done
in his place carefully the thing he
was expected to do. 1t was a
little thirg for the man at
the fatal ght to be careless where
the sparks fell. for the stage
fireman to lack skill in attacking the
incipient flame, for the electrician
to be absent from the post where he
could have instantly lowered the
protective curtain, for the ushers &c
permit the exit doors to remain
locked: but so little fault made each
of them a modern Cain with brand
on his brow. Let none of us evei
again count his place too small or his
duty too trivial to be served in fidelity
to the uttermost item of care and
diligence.
Society has been taught genera
principles even more important. We
see anew how the sin of few des
trnys the interliuked many. The pri
NAL fraternity of the race the fra
ternity of death and tears-has beer
scored into the heart of this CIV ths'
has so much needed to learn human
brotherhood. Even the striking liv
ery drivers who by their violen
| methods have for two weeks made i
unsafe for the living TO carry th'
dead respectfully to burial, realizes
| in the lurid glare OF this disaster thi
euormitv of their heartlts ress ant
themselves declared ten day
truce in their warfare. The sense o
| eternity and It's nearness has bee
brought heavily on the hearts q
men. Death has grown a very rea
thing to the city. Great, hurrYini
hfedless, hilarious Chicagois soSeret
and thoughtful,-only for space. |
NAV he. but the space of qu'etud
NAV be long enough. let US hope. fo
some souls to hear and obey the still
small voice of divine call withii
their lives II is not today. an
Idouhtless not tomorrow. that W
Ishall see enough of excellent resul
in the deeds of the living to seem :
US to pay for the loss of the dead
hut leaving that account to G~d. le
us trust and strive that every hriEh
line of admopition in this dark recor
of grief may be written brighter b
wise and urgent prsctice on the pa1
of 7ll to whom its lessons soiemnl
: apply. Even to the bereaved tha
. would be a grateful consolation
The Interior.