Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-23
GREAT CALAMITY NOT
DUE TO PROVIDENCE
DISASTER WAS DUE TO NATURAL
CAUSES

Rev. Robert Mcintyre preached an
eloquent sermon at the First Methodist
church last evening. He took for his
text Luke 1S: 4-5, citing the tower of
Sloan as an instance of calamity in
the lifetime of the Master. He said:
LOS Angeles feels little like talking
about her wonderful growth or Of her
future. The bond with our sister city
in her dire calamity has brought tears
to our eyes and sadness to our hearts,
so that in our sleep or at our work we
are haunted by the sufferings of others.
ut is not scriptural or natural that
we should think this calamity is in
the nature of a punishment. God does
not deal with his children In any such
manner. The tower fell because it
was not properly built and the men
We're killed because they happened to
be under it. If Justice had been done
the man who built it would have been
killed. God doesn't give rewards or
penalties here. 1t takes another world
to balance this one.
Have you ever noticed how easy it
is to talk about the other people and
how hard about ourselves? When
lightning strikes theater it is judg-
ment, but when it strikes church it
is test of our faith. How easy it is
" manu- Oul TO the OLneI
fellow.
Where would tnat theory leave us ?
San Francisco was not the only suf-
ferer from the earthquake. 1 do not
believe it was any worse that many
other large cities. They all have their
vices. That damnable Chinatown was
o corruption. If it was a punishment
why, then, did God strike other cities
Relatively the loss of life was larger
at Agnews. Why did God strike those
imbeciles? Stanford was a great suf.
ferer, and there was not a purer at
rnosphere anywhere than at Stanford
That church was the finest In tht
country and now it is in ruins.
Earthquakes come from two great
forces-fire and water. Our globe
would not be habitable If we had moi
these. 1t is the internal fire of the
world that sprouts the seeds. Every
mouthful we eat is partially grown by
these internal fires. If 1t were not FOL
these ice would cover the mountain anC
moor and snow would cover the world
in shroud of death.
'It has long been known that tn,
peninsula of San Francisco has beer
volcanic. The fires were crouchinl
beneath it. With plenty of land, VIII,
should it be building out there? Three
dCStI uCllNC SdIlllqudheS III the las
| fifty years, each worse than the last
point to thsi. With nature pleadinI
and warning we will not listen, ant
insult her and build on her very work
shop.
"The world cried, Send us news from
\ San Francisco And over the one lonJ
wire came the response, There is n,
word from San Francisco. There is n,
San Francisco Above the turmoil w,
heard the shout and have sent food
clothing and brotherly love. The finge
of fire has stripped the cloak of selfish
ness from the whole world Is Their
not the manifest word of God in this p
At the morning service nearly $3.50
was raised, which was augmented b,
a large collection last evening. Th
First Methodist church will be made
station for receiving clothing and dis
tributing it. The Ladies' Aid societ,
of the church has taken charge Of tn
4 women's department and competen
men will take charge of the men
! clothing.