The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-23
AND AFTER THE
EARTHQUAKE FIRE
DR.. William NJ. Paden Preached
On Above Theme Oh
Sunday.
LARGE CONGREGATION
LISTENED TO DISCOURSE
The Message Elijah OF Old
Found in the Still Small
Voice.

DR.. William NJ. Paden, pastor OF the
First Presbyterian church. addressed a
largo congregation Sunday morning on
the prevailing theme of the San Fran
cisco calamity. The congregation lis
tened with profound attention to the
| Doctors able sermon.
| And after the earthquake n IRE
and after the FIRE sull small voice
Kings 19.12 The preacher said In part:
This phrase from the recorded eX-
perience OF Elijah at Sinai sounds very
| modern. First the earthquake, then the
fire and then the voice OF gentle still
ness. May we not hope that our neigh
bors across the mountains who have eN-
| perienced the terrors of the earthquake
and fire. and mayhsp like Elijah. without
| finding God In them. may. during these
| days and weeks which follow, nnd God
| speaking TO them out OF His blessed
( quiet? The editor OF the Charleston Colr-
| Ter, who has given Us most vivid record
! of his experience during and after the
Charleston earthquake OF August q, 1856
| after describing the terror and panic
| which seemed to take possession not only
of his senses, but OF his whole being.
| during the awful seconds which gave the
| shock, speaks of the blessed relief which
| came when the shock was over: Ihe
| earth was still says he, and, oh, the
| blessed relief OF that stiffness"
First the Earthquake.
Those who know, agree that an earth
quake is the most terrifying OF all ma
| tural phenomena. Unseen, unennounced,
unlocked for and instantaneous. It's
| If | mistake not, the earthquake at LIS
| bon In 1756, including the arrival OF the
| tidal wave, did not last more than nVe
| minutes, and yet within that brief period
| the city was laid in ruins and over 10000
people were destroyed. While the recent
earthquake at San Francisco was neither
| so deadly nor so destructive as that at
| Lisbon, not to speak of the repeated con-
vulsions which have shaken southern
Italy, yet like all its kind. IT. came with
| out announcement and did its part to-
| wards destroying the city within the linn
Its Of perhaps a hundred and fifty sec
| onds.
After Earthquake the Fire.
Il say. did Its part, for. as II was In
| the desert of Sinai, so In dinerent sense
and in more terrible way, 1t was In San
Francisco. After the earthquake the hre.
AT Sinai the fire was probably volcanic
1t was SO when. In the year S a., u.
followed by the eruption OF VesuVius,
which destroyed Pompeli and Hercu-
lancum. The fires which followed the
earthquake In San, Francisco. though
they were not kindled by torrents OF
lava were scarcely less destructive II
was as II the earthquake, having laid
had klndled them from their own fire.
places First the earthquake then the
fire The order seems natural. II mis-
take not the great fire In Chicago was
started by the oycrturnlng OF one lamp
in n remote quarter of the city 1t would
seem as II a thousand lamps might have
been overturned or thousand nres let
loose on that awful morning last week
when the staunchest build ngs and the
strongest men staggered to and fro or
were thrown PROSTATE.
Voice of Gentle Stiffness.
The hope for San Francisco as for us
all. In the face OF calamity; Is not that
God was Will be specially present In
the earthquake OF the fire. but that If we
listen We may hear Him speak In the
after quiet After tho earthquake and
the FIRE comes the voice OF gentle still
ness This does not mean that God does
not speak In the earthquake and the fire;
His voice is never silent. He speaks in
| the tcrrors of natural law as well as In
the peace which comes as We rest upon
| His personal love.
Moral Use Of Danger.
Fear terror. shocks which make us
| afraid, calamities which make our hearts
quake, fires which burn out our pride or
melt down our self-sufficiency have their
place in human discipline. Peril has its
place In the schooling of the soul and
the making of character Without danger
Bushnell has said To bear and dare
these two great lessons are among the
chief moral uses Of life. Danger is the
educator Of courage and pain OF It's otner
twin principle. fortitude.
Calamity Liberates Philanthropy.
man experience that such calamities as
earthquakes and fire seem TO break open
fountains OF charity as from a great deep.
The very best that is in the best OF men
is called forth and springs of human
benetlcence break forth In unexpected
places II is as II some shock were needed
to liberate our philanthropy, as if some
universal stroke of calamity were needed
to weld us together as one man.
Necessities Mark Life's Level.
Men OF all classes and conditions havo
for a few DAYS at least found the level
which Is marked by life's common neces-
stiles. The well-todo have felt tho need
OF bread and water: twice ten thousand
people have come to understand by OK
perience the meaning of the prodgars
condition when he began to be in want
Law Of Comparative Value.
Another OF tho messages spoken by
the still, small voice which comes after
the earthquake and FIRE makes emphatic
comment on the comparative value Of peo-
were thinking on Tuesday OF their houses
and stores, their new spring gowns or
their trade. by Wednesday evening were
glad If they could only be alive with those
they loved alive and safe about them We
are not. therefore, surprised TO read i'm
the papers that after the first terror OF
people seemed 10 look upon such little
things as the destruction OF their homes
and property, II not with indifference
with comparative cqunnimty.
Still Small Voice Practical.
The message Elijah found in the still
small voice which came after the earth,
quake and fire was exceedingly practical
1t virtually amounted 10 this. God still
reigns. pluck up courage; go back TO
Your work. you will find others waiting
and willing to help you. Like all scrip
tural messages. this word to Elijah was
spoken for all time. Men who have heed
cd IT have again and again pluckcd victory
out OF seeming defeat. Activity. hope
faith and courage were what he needed
This has been true In the history OF hard
hit men and cities. I do not recall INV
modern city which. having responded to
this Inspiration. has not been rebuilt, and
rebuilt better. Boston. Baltimore and Chi
CagO have oil Virtually eGfucnd H. =.