Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-05-19
Calnnase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaae, ID. d.

Los Angeles. Cal, May l3.-In this
sermon the preacher records his OBJ
servati0ns during tour of the wrecked
city of san Francisco after the disaster
and draws some timely lessons from
the experience. The text Is Psalm civ,
~, lie lookcth on the earth, and II
trembleth. he touchcth the hills. and
they smoke"
Yes, | have been to San Francisco.
have felt the earth hcavlng beneath
my feet. With my own eyes have
seen the blackcncd. smoking ruins.
have walked under the lettering walls.
have heard the exploding dynamite
raZlmg the ruins to the grouhd. Some
people said could not get into the city
if went there and some said might
he able 10 get into the city but II
did wouli certainly Ice put "a work
cleaning the streets ana pling up
bricks. And some people said that IL
tined and not be- allowed 10 come out
because the smallpox was raging there
Aud some people said / would get kill
cd by the falling walls If | entered the
burned district. And some said would
have 10 drink water ont of the broken
sewers ami get typhoid fever If | ever
entered the ruined city. What some
people said of course did not happen.
King Solomon understood this fact
thousands of years ago when he wrote
the proterb. lie that obscrvcth the
wind shall not SOW The man who
simply goes ahead doing his work as
Col gives il To him To- do will accom-
plish that work. And the man who Is
always looking for obstacles and dan
gers ahead will find these obstacles by
the hundreds and thousands il he Will
only turn has tmid ears and listen to
what other people may say.
Obstacles May Be overcome.
Obstacles ahead always have i'm
pressed me like the steady stream of
wagons and carriages and automobiles
and electric ears which 20 rumbling
down Broadway. in New York city
The average countryman who goes to
the great metropolis for the first time
stops at the cirhstone and looks on
that steady line of vehicles in amaze
ment. He stands on the curbStOne. ms
| have often seen him stand. waiting
for II cessation of those revolving
wheels; but like Tcnnyson's brook,
men may come and incn may 70. but
the vehicles of Broadway. New York.
seem To 20 or forever. Not thus does
the old New Yorker do. He wants to
cross broadway. lie does not hesitate
half minute II the curhstonc. He
steps out into the street nj once. He
lodges this way: he runs that way:
he grips hold of the bride of horse
here, and in II few seconds lie is over
the street. That Is the way | got into
San Francisco only few days after
II was burned. People said | could
not get in. hut | went ahead. lodged
this way: pushed that way; showed
Il little here and begged farther ON I'M
Ill not only crossed the ferry, but by
Monday night following that cutastro-
phc | had tramped over every nook
and corner OF the burned district.
From the encampments in Golden
Gate park into the burned ont district
of old Chinatown | went. Thus | am
able today To render an account of my
visit and teach few gospel lessons
from the bright side of an earth
quake"
"Thc bright Side of an Earthquake"
oh" you say. there is no need of
talking about the bright side of an
earthquake unless you are going to
Talk about the lurId flames which. with
their furnished tongues. licked up near
ly ten square miles of as fine buildings
as any city ever had. Three hundred
million dollars worth of property was
certainly destroyed. \ friend OF mine.
Oh the morning that San Francisco
burned WAS coming from Honolulu.
Away off NJ sea they saw the black
ened clouds. They could not make out
what was the matter Nearer and
nearer they came. until suddenly some
one cried out. "San Francisco is burn
Ing" Then rs they came nearer and
they saw the awful flames In their
work of death no one spoke. All was
silence except the surging of the
waters ms the PROV of the boat cut
through them. and the steady painting
and pun, pun, pun Of the machinery
oh. do not talk To mo about the bright
side OF an earthquake. Is there n
bright side 10 Dante's inferno? Is
there bright side 10 streets strewn
with corpses? Amid the ruins which
you saw there must have been hun
dreds of unknown dead. Talk about
the agonies and the tears and the
wrecked fortunes of this holocaust II
you WILL but not about Its bright side"
Yes. my friend. | am going 10 talk
sbout the bright side of this earth
quake even against your protest. For
"a, oil tnx frunnfu,rs abnuf This rtIiItaI