Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-23
THEME OF D|scOORsEs
Sermons in Local Churches on
California Disaster
AS TO PROVIDENCE OF GOD
Patience and Faith Should Fill Hearts
Of Believers.
ONE OF BENEFICENT EFFECTS
International Expression of Sympathy
and Compassion in Presence Of
Impersonal Suffering.

In every pulpit in this city the recent
terrible disaster in California was either
in whole or in part the theme of discourse
yesterday. The sermons uniformly drew
lessons touching the providence of God,
and the patience and faith that should fill
the hearts and minds of the believer in the
presence of great calamity.
At the Church of the New Jerusalem.
the pastor, Rev. Frank Sewall, took for
his text the words, 1.-The earth did trem-
BILE and shake" He held that the earth
quake and confagration in San Francisco
were not sent from God as punishment for
sin. Calanities were visited upon men.
however, by reason Of their own wicked
ness and neglect. One benefcent effect OF
the disaster was the great wave of sympa-
thy which has swept over the country and
produced deep moral impression on the
whole nation.
At Gunton-Temple Memorial Presbyterian
Church Rev. John Lee Allison drew striking
lessons from the recent calamity" The
discourse was divided into four leading re-
Elections, from which lessons might be
drawn: The omnipotence of God and mans
utter dependence upon Him; the resistiess
and mysterious power of natural laws; the
wonderful International expression of SYM
impersonal suffering, and the never-to-be-
forgotten sweet uses of adversely" DR..
Allison's closing lesson was the mutability
and perishable character of all worldly
things.
Rev DR.. J. j. Muir of the Temple Bap-
list Church made the suffering of the peo-
pie of California and the universal SYM
pathy and helpfulness of their country
NEIL the theme of his DISCOURSE and Rev.
George w. King spoke feel:ngly at the
the lessons to be learned from the frightful
losses of life and property in San Francisco.
At the Union Methodist Church Rev. S.
Reese Murray. the pastor devoted his SER
mon to a discussion of the San Francisco
catastrophe from the viewpoint of the
Christian thinker. Motion, he argued is
the first condition of vitality. Man connects
things changeable with the Eternal One
Motion is a part of Gods marvellous plan
of self revelation. Nothing remains in fixed
form save God. Men, nations, species. all
go in their time All things are unstable,
but Thou, Lord rena.neeh." The speaker
gave some explanation of seismic disturb
ances from the standpoint of science an6
declared that an appreciation of these pho
nomena contributed to grander thoughts Of
God. DIR. Murray emphasized the civilizing
Influences of our great cities; the impor-
lance of moral heToism amid present day
material strife, and lastly, the splendid ex
hibition of human sympathy that was the
spontaneous outgrowth of the great west
ern disaster.
Compensation of the Calamity.
At the Memorial Church of United Breth-
rem and Christ Rev. j. William Houck will
give an illustrated lecture on "San Fran
cisco and the Califo1nia Coast Wednesday
evening next at o'clock The offering
will be rendered to the Red Cross Society
for the relief fund.
The pastor of the Peoples Church. Rev.
Alexander Kent, preached at Pythian Tenn
pie on the compensotions of the San
Francisco calamity. He pointed out the
good results that have followed the catas-
trophe, in the brotherly sympathy and help
fulness of thousands, whose feelings of
compassion are not ordinarily stirred, and
the beneficient effect upon millions who
have been made to comprehend the ties that
bind a common humanity. He spoke of the
destruction of slums and insanitary dis
tricts I'M the stricken city, and discussed
the improved possibilities of renewed and
cleaner municipality. The moral and physi-
cal health of the people of new San Fran
cisco would be upliftea. The terrible event
teaches the interdependenee of men, and
that no community is sufficient unto itself.
The loss of life and property that follow
the operation of natural law is small COM
greed and selfshness. He did not think
that the idea that the earthquake was
visitation for the sins of the people was a
ra t:oEal conception of moral government.
energy that is ever seeking the betterment
OF mankind-the uplifting of humanity.
Key. +. w. Jeffries of st. Paufs NJ e.
Church in his sermon yesterday said that
amidst all the suffering, terror and distress
among the western brethren, man should
lok forward hopeful to the future and
believe that with Gods help greater
grander and more Christian city will rise
from the ashes of San Francisco Let US
set our affections the pastor said ION
things that are above, for things that are
seen are temporal, but the things that are
not seen are eternal.
A Still, Small Voice.
Rev. w. j. Houck, pastor of sthe Me-
mortal United Brethren Church, preached
yesterday from the text, "And after the
earthquake fire; but the Lord was not In
the fire, and after the fire still, small
voice.'-I Kings 1912.
at would be fruitless,' he said, ito come
into your presence today and attempt TO
bring message that would not harmonize
with the pre-occupied condition OF your
minds We have for some time tried 10
grasp the situation as ii obtained at Mount
Vesuvius and as our hearts were going out
In sympathy for the unfortunate ones upon
whom the volcano was laundering forth It's
death and destruction In ashes and lava,
and While the smoke and death yapor was
still overhanging Vesuvfns and the sur
rounding cities, our attention was directed
to our own Mount Ranier-that this volcano
was also showing OF uATeSt-dHu we Wer"
seterested to know what the result would
be upon our western coast. When in the
midst of this contemplation the startling
Information reached us that San Francisco
was shaken from center to circumference
by an earthquake, dealing death and de-
struetion in Its wake, and that chs was not
confined to the city itself, but extended for
miles IN It's destructive force.
After further description of the catastro-
phe, Mr.. Houck said:
Wickedness of Coast Cities.
There are many who express the opinion
that God has melted out punishment because
of the extreme wickedness of the coast
cities II this view Is correct one, then
we must conclude that the work of punish
ment and destruction is yet very incom-
plete for surely the wickedness OF all cities
must he very offensive to Almighty God