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


Los Angeles. Cal. May H. In this
sermon the preacher records his OBJ
servatiOns during n tour of the wrecked
and draws some timely lessons from
the experience The text is Psalm civ,
-. lie luokcth on the earth, and IL
tremhlcth. lie touchcth the hills. and
they smoke"
Yes. have been to San Francisco.
| have felt the earth hcaving beneath
my feet With my own eyes have
seen the blackcncd. smoking ruins.
have walked undcr the tottcring walls.
| have heard the exploding dynamite
rnZing the ruins to the ground. Some
people said could not get into the city
il went there. and some said might
W able To get into the city. but II
did would certainly be put 20 work
cleaning the streets and pling up
bricks. And SOME people said that If
| got into the city | would be quaran-
tined and not he allowed to come out
because the smallpox was raging there.
And some people said would got kill
cd 10y the falling walls ii ! entered the
burned district And some said | would
have To drink water out of tile broken
sewers AMI get typhoid fever If ever
H.. h.,t
people said OF col;rsc did not happen.
King Solomo;. Understood this fact
thousands of years aga when he wrote
the pruNerb. lie that obscrvcth the
wind shall not sow The man who
simply gncs ahead doing his work as
Cod gives it 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 if he Will
only turn his tiinid ears and listen to
what other people may say.
Obstacles May lie overcome.
Obstacles ahead always have i'm
pressed me like the steady stream of
wagons and carriages and automobiles
and electric cars which 20 rumbling
down Broadway. in New York city.
The average countryman who goes To
the great metropolis for the first time
stops nj the cllrhstonc and looks ON
that steady line of vehicles in amaze
| have often seen him stand. waiting
for II cessation of those revolving
wheels; but. like Tcnnyson's brook.
men may come aud men may 20, but
the vehicles of Broadway. New York.
seem To 20 on forever. Not thus does
cross broadway. He does not hesitate
half II minute At the curbStonc lie
steps out into the street at once He
lodges this way: he runs that way
he grips hold of the bride of II horse
here, and in II few seconds lie Is over
the street. That is the way got Into
San Francisco. only a few days after
II was burned People said could
not get in. but went ahead. lodged
this way: pushed that way; showed
little here and begged farther on UNI
i'll not only crossed the ferry. but by
Monday night following that catastro-
phc | had tramped over every nook
and corner of the burned district.
From the cncampmcnts In Golden
Gate park into the burned ont district
of old Chinatown went. Thus am
able today 10 render an account of my
visit and teach few gospel lessons
from the "bright side of an earth
quake"
"The 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
~ 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 ut sea they saw the black
ened clouds. They could not make out
Whit " tfit sfaAiNA
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 as the PROV of the boat cut
through them. and the steady painting
and pun. pun. pun of the machinery
Oh. do not talk 10 me ahomt the bright
side of an earthquake, Is there a
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 aud the tears aud the
wrecked fortunes Of this holocaust II
you will. but not about its bright side"
Yes. my friend. ! am going TO talk
sbout the bright side of this earth
quake even against your protest, For
In all my tramplngs about this ruined
town. and IN my intercourse with these
noble people. found more bright
ness than sorrow. more Joy and con
gratulatlons than heart sobs ana com