Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-05-19


street. burning clear on down TO the
Battery and sweeping away every bo
tel. cvcry palace of l'ifth avenue, ev.
Try store and factory and Office build.
Ing and leaving practically nothing
standing. you can imagine what this
fire dcsolatiOn means. OF course New
York il u larger city than San Fran
cisco. but the proportions have drawn
are about the same. Now. all through
these burned districts. all through the
parks where the homeless are encamp-
ed all through the resident regions
where The homes are still standing, !
saw not one wet eye nor one face de-
noting sorrow. Yes. ! niSSpokc my
self | did find one woman seemingly
In tears. turned Ia physician In
charge of this district and said. THAT
Is the only person | have seen crying
In all this city" He replied: Yes: but
she Is not crying for the loss of proper
ty She is recovering from an attack
Of epilepsy. and she would have had
this attack whether san Francisco
burned or did not burn"
ChcerfuIncsa Amid Ruins.
Now, what is the great practical gOs-
pei deduction of this universal cheer
fulness and thankfulncss which | saw
amid the smoldcring ruins of San Fran
cisco: II is this: Most Of the things
you and complain about are not In
the least essential 10 true happiness.
Let Il man come home from business
and find his dinner late and there Is no
end of grilmbbng. OF course, do not
allude to your home. but 10 your neigh
hor's ON account of the late dinner
the business man growlS at The cook.
and lie eroWls at his Wife and lie
growlS 1T the children and he growlS
ut everything. Let Il man lose Il few
thousand dollars Ia business deal
and he Is oa the verge If nervous col
lapse and feels that he Is heading to-
ward the poorhouSc Let man have
nm attack of Indigestion and pcssimism
will find one Of its best disciples to
preach The doctrine of total deprav-
ity" and to tell how the whole human
race is soin. Ia complete destruction.
But let man he caught in San
Francisco earthquake and tossed about
like shutticcork: then let the fire
start and make him run like hunted
rabbit: let him he compelled To sleep
out of doors. without Il blanket or a
covering. for two nights; then let his
home and store and all his Investments
burn up: then. instead of going around
h.k tx-fti
meet you with Il smile upon his lips
and say. THANK God. | am alive!
Thank God. my wife and children are
alive. Thank God. We are all we'll and
are together" The simple fact IS
some Of us are complaining today not
because We have too many troubles,
but because We have too few troubles.
In all the great city of san Francisco,
amid It's ruins aud its tents. its parks
and it's homes still standing. saw not
one sad face nor heard one complaint.
The Thank Gods rendered every
where had the most marvellous intona-
ton ever heard May God help us to
be grateful for his mercy and kindness
In our little troubles. rs san Francisco
Is grateful to him amid the ruins OF
her best streets and her finest proper
ties.
\ Glenn city.
The second great fact which heard
amid those smoldcrlug ruins was that
when the better element Of a city want
II to he morally clean that city In
stantlv becomes clean AMI the bad ele-
mcnt runs to cover rs quickly rs the
tigers and the iackals Zee To the jun
giles and as the prairie dogs tails dis
appear into their holes ~ the hunters
approach. When the buildings OF San
Francisco fell as Hat rs the walls OF
Jericho nj the blast of the rams horn
then san Francisco arose IN her moral
and spiritual strength san Francisco
was never ns free from sin as on the
first few nights following the awful
conilagration.
No sooner did those huge Office build
ings and apartment houses and man.
moth hotels trcmblc ana tottcr In the
grip OF that horrible earthquake like
an aspen leaf shaken in the winds than
Mt once the thieves and the robbers and
the llbcrtines ana the ghouls Of the
night clappcd their hands and began
to cry: AHA. Now for our harvcstl
All the wealth of san Francisco Is
lying where our hands can clutch IT,"
But these thieves and robbers con
graduated themselves too soon. No
sooner did these moral lcpcrS start to
loot than nj once the soldiers rifles
shot them down like mad dogs. No
sooner did they try to enter the tum-
bled down stores and pick up the gold
from amid those ruins than they were
halted ~ the point Of the hayonet. II
was only necessary Ia Kill half dozen
OF the miScrcants. Then these coward
~ maraudrrs for they are always
cOwardly at heart crouchrd In fear
and begged for mercy and ran away
from San Francisco by scores and hun
dreds to iind safer quarters IN other
towns where Justice was not so quick
ly dealt out.
safe city.
Thus as kept walking mp and down
those streets. where | felt Us safe as Il
H.. 4. .,