New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-04
DREADFUL NEGLECT AND GUILT
So Montclair Pastor Says of Slocum Disaster
Not Due to Nature Alone.

Montclair, y j.. July CSpeciaD.-I1 the First
Congregational Church. Of which the Rev. DR.
Amory II Bradford is pastor. his assistant. the
Rev. Porter. formerly Of Brooklyn. preached
this morning on the Slocrm disaster. His text
was: God is not Knocked. for whatsoever man
soweth that shall he also reap Galatians. W. ..
IIe said in part:
The question as 70 God and evil in His world is,
I believe, the hardest question that can be asked
Of man. But when the skepuc has expressed his
disbelief and his scorn, submit thatthe last word
tho subject has by no means been spoken. I
frankly confess my belief that one; be ne edltor
word on the mystery OF evil
And hrst =, have you recalled how common are
sale slaughter ana death2 Without consulting the
trophies that have been burned into my memory.
and yours Also in a few years past
and loss Of Iife more recently. in one snort sum,
mer four years aso. the blowing gP q those build
srty; the Hohoken ire with great losses OF
sa and Mr the oo More %h Tce n{ S
canic explosion of Mont Pelee. and CITY OF forty
more recently. the New-York tunrel PARK Avenue
Hotel etc. the Chicago theatre Gre, and now
New-Yorks still more terrible calamity. on the
a. Mho rs rssp%'s i1r 'hSse terrible TaGs
Let US simplify the question Let see this
works through nature) or let Us rest the response
In the disasters mentioned there are evidently two
classes of evils Some are obviously OF nature,
The storm al Galveston. the volcano al Marti-
nique. were beyond mans control or responsibility
There Is but one conclusion for the Christian
thinker. and that IS that the responsibility rests
God. wholly and finally. We MAY say it, rev
erently: God IL responsible. What part in the di-
vine economy these disasters have is beyond our
power to know The Christian looks into the in
fnite future for Gods revealing the meaning OF the
hard mystery These evils OF nature. pure and
simple, indeed little better understood by civil
lied man than by the first savage in the form OF
man." as the New-NorlS editor has said These are
pert OF the great question OF death which sweeps
away every generation OF mankind. Yet death is
mans great teacher great !nspiIer to his nobIest
living
But there are Other disasters lust named which
are NOT OF nature pure and simpIe-d!sasters in
which mans hand ia seen. The Jamestown flood
Man buil- an INADEQUATE dam and wilfuIIy neg
lected IT, In the New-YCrk tunnel collision n was
mans mechanism and mans failure that brought
tho destruction and death. In tine Chicago theatre
nre. mans mechanism and careessness were re-
sponsible In the great explosion in New-York man
was guilty. In the General SlOcum horror the eyI-
denee seems 20 show the most dreadful human
neglect and guilt.
The tremendous lesson OF nature is OF the abso-
luteness OF law and law enforcement Break ma
law OF God In nature. and the penalty is absolute
Ihere IS no forgiveness And there Is no miracle
for escape And the absoluteness of this law Is for
mans own ulgEest good. We need more OF this
aosoluteness of law in our human enforcement OF
our legal enactments based ON the law nafuraf
and divine, as We know Il.