Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-05-12


friends. Then the reports came Ia aw-
fully mOnOtOnOus regularity: FLAMES
spreading. Buildings being dynamited
to stop onward progress OF conflagra-
ton. General Funston forbids any one
TO land in the city. Water famine
threatened. All Wholesale houses de-
stroyed. Hunger and famine staring
the people In the face People dying
In the streets from exhaustion and
starvation. Napa Insane asylum de-
stroycd. Stanford university buildings
down. San Jose wreck" Then, ms u
walling cry. came the kilograms from
Oakland from the mayor and the gov
ernor: Help! Help. Give us help.
San Francisco is starving Help!
Help"
Then the revolving wheels Of the
railroad trains come rumbling into our
dcpots and the passengers alight.
These are the first refugees from the
city of death Were the stories over
drawn" we ask mo, no" they AN
swcr. Tell us about your expert
ence." I'VE were asleep. Suddenly,
In the morning. we were flung from
the bed The earth felt Ike mouse
that rat terrier had gripped by the
neck, shaking the life out of II, and
then dropped for dead. Then the
streets were filed with men and wom-
en- and children In their night robes.
Some We're praying. some shrieking.
some muttering like madmen. The
I - Il g.. AsaN
Buildings which had not been over
thrown became blazing furnaces. At
one time the flames leaped out of ev-
cry window OF the Palace hotel. The
! top stories of the different buildings In
many instances seemed TO catch fire
I first Then men and women started
4 10 run for the ferryboats. II was not
a struggle 10 save property, but mad
race for life"
! Oh, why should we 20 on and de-
\ scribe this horror? In all the history OF
the world there never was more
! CHASTITY tragedy. The battlctelds OF
1 Gettysburg and Waterloo were tragedies
of men only and had not the pathos OF
dying women and children. as had this
pandemonum OF furies. And yet. amid
the heavy. rocking earth, amid the
kissing. leaping flames. amid the lurid
skies and the starving and the dead,
we can today find some gospel lesson
for practical use for everyday life
May God help us to say the right word
and say II In the right way!
Judge Not.
Let us beware. In the first place. lest
we attempt TO handle the lightnings of
/ Gods wrath. Let us halt before we
| pass judgment upon the past sins OF
this great city. The Bible says. Judge
not that We be not Judged" But in
| spite of this divine command TO Judge
not" there are people who are ready
/ TO affirm that the reason why this trag-
edy was permitted TO overtuke the
metropolis of the Pacific was because
| San Francisco was II city fostering and
recking with sin. Why. no sooner was
this awful tragedy reported over the
wires than one of the prominent news
papers of this city called me up and
asked whether believed that San
| Francisco was destroyed, like Sodom
and Gomorrah. ON account OF Its sins.
replied then as | reply now: Any
man who would make II statement that
| he thought San Francisco was de
stroyed on account of its sins Is unit TO
he religious teacher and UNIT To he
\ quoted In any newspaper article As
the ancient prophet found. AS he shud-
dered at the earthquake in his day,
God was not In the earthquake. And
after the earthquake Il fire. but the
Lord was not in the fire. And after
the fire still small voice. In that he
heard the voice of the Lord
10 you think John Milton became
| blind on account OF his sins? Do you
| think Abraham Lincoln and James A.
| Garfield aud William Mckinley were
assassnatcd on account of their sins
Do you believe Mrs. Mckinley lost her
two little children aud became life
long invalid on account of her sins
! DO you think Alexander ii. Stephens
lived for seventy years In pain anu
agony on account of his sinsi DO you
believe that the gentle and pure Helen
Keller, from two years of age, has been
blind and deaf ana dumb on account
OF her sins: Was your little sister
wicked whose light huffy dress caught
| fire many years ago. 50 that she was
burned 10 death before your very eyesf
| Were those missionaries who were
tortured aud killed In the Boxer upris-
Ing of China some years ago murdered
ON account of their sins? Then. II they
were. you might have right TO say
that this tragedy came 10 San Fran
cisco Oh account of It's sins; hut. II not.
you have not the slightest reason for
affirming that the earthquake came as
Judgment of God. II san Francisco,
why not New York aud Chicago and
St Louis and London oil account OF
their sins: Is there any large city In
| this land which would he Justified In
casting stone at the metropolis OF the
| Pacific coast:
No Right Co Say II.
| Has any one right to say that san
| Francisco was destroyed on account OF
its sins II he listens Alright To the