Milford chronicle., 1906-05-11

shall all likewise perish" Thus today,
IN lieu of Christs words when you pro-
pose to say. "This catastrophe was sent
upon San Francisco on account Of its
sins" / put my finger upon your lips
and say: "Stop. brotherl Stop, sister!
Silence! Judge not that ye be not
judged. Let Gods lightnings fash as
they will, but leave to him the right Of
Judgment. Let us first see that O-ls
own city is cleansed of sin and not
talk 50 much about other cities sins"
Wouldst thou try to pluck the mote
out of thy brothers eye and perceive
not the beam which is sticking forth
out of thine own eye?
Can we explain why certain people
in San Francisco have to suffer as they
do? Here we can see the flames. like
demons. leapng from business block to
business block. Millions upon millions
Of dollars worth of property have been
destroyed. Now the flames are head
ing toward the churches aud the resi-
Dental districts. The dynamite is eX-
ploded. The guns are trained up the
walls As the cowboy upon western
prairie fights fire with fire, so here the
brave men are lighting demolition with
demolition Still onward aud onward
move the flames. Then Paul Reveres
ride everywhere crying; Run for
your lives! Run Run. Run!" oh
but some man says. Il cannot run.
have an aged and sick mother here. |
must take her along" Who is she2 Is
she Il Christian? Yes" answers the
man. For years ana years she has
been an ardent follower of Jesus
Christ" Together we help her along
After awhile she completely gives out.
water! Waterr she cries. Give
me waterY There is no water. A
deathly pallor overspreads her features.
We get her out upon the hillsldes. but
no sooner is she laid down upon the
ground than she breathes her last.
Why is all this? Why? Why did st.
Mary's hospital 90. and st. Patrick's
church and the First Methodist church
60 and scores of institutions of mercy
all go up in flames? Why are so many
men who have always tried to follow
Jesus and have always given to God
their money now left penniless? Why
does God here seem to strike the Just
and the unjust unlike? | cannot say.
l do not know. can give no rational
reason any more than ! can tell you
why God came into your home and
took your young wife from your side
and left you with three motherless lit
tie children to rear 'WhyT is a poor
word to ask at this time. All that we
can do is to say: God is good. All
things are working together for good
to them that love Cod" Therefore it
is only the glorious word of faith"
which will bridge over us this awful
chasm of despair Faith, faith, faith!
Let us have faith in good God and
leave the explanations to him for the
light Of heaven. Earth can never eX-
plain this tragedy.
The Whole World Kin.
But there is still another lesson. This
tragedy. as no other tragedy during the
past century. has proved how much
the American people are akin and how
much they are willing to help each
other. God hath made of one blood
all nations to dwell upon the face of
the earth" But though we may all be
of one blood. yet no power on earth
will make us call each other brother
so appropriately as when the heavy
hand of trouble is laid upon brothers
heart.
l know many people may not agree
with me. They affirm that this is a
mean and contemplate world and that
human heart is not in sympathy with
human heart, but the actions of the
American people toward suffering San
Francisco give that statement the lie.
No sooner did Los Angeles and the
other cities hear what had happened
to their sister, San Francisco. than the
money began to flow in streams. Doc
tors and nurses volunteered their serv-
Ices for help, Schools were closed to
send the children home for clothing and
food to be expressed to San Francisco
at once. Churches were turned into re-
stations for goods. The rail
roads said, 1--WE will carry the refugees
free" The express companies sald, we
will carry the breadstuffs free" The
great dry goods stores said, You can
come and buy your goods at cost
price" And what Los Angeles was do
ing Boston and New York and Phila-
delphia and Pittsburg and Milwaukee,
and Denver and New Orleans and all
the other American cities are doing.
Another Lesson.
But learn from the awful catastrO-
phe another lesson. 1t is this: Men
and women seem to be blind to the
ever present signs Of danger. Because
the tragedies of the past, like the light
lings, have struck right and left and
bit everywhere, except at their own
Ives. they seem to feel that they them
selves are impervlOus to dangers and
will never be smitten down. They |
-hink, because they live in San Fran