The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-08-16

.Iied. 40 nope No hope. We shall
N be lost In this impenetrahlc fog.
Now. the sail aud passengers Of
that passing Dig may have lcrn as
true hearted people as those who were
aboard the Elder iui they were not
looking for any slipwrcckcd crews
Otherwise they might have acted diff
fercntly. If that ship had known that
any one was In trouble in that sen liz
captain would probably have done as
good Captain jessen OF the Elder DID.
lie would have tarried there until the
fog lifted After he hnd picked up all
the occupants Of the boats and RATS
he would have sailed around among
the wrcckage until he was sure that
not one man. woman or child was
struggling ia those waters Then the
passengers Of that passing boat would
have done Just as our passengers did.
they would have helped the survivors
10 their own statcrOOms and placed
them In berths and given them clothes
I do not believe there was a man or
woman on the Elder who ala not divide
spare clothing with those survivors
who came 20 MS almost naked from the
seas And I DO not believe there was
A strong healthy man who dld not give
up his berth 70 some sick man or some
woman or child When slept upon
the open deck In order that a woman
might have my berth | aid Just what
scores Of other men aid and no more
than every other man Of that passing
ship would have done had De known
that his suffering fellow men were
struggling In the midst Of that sea
But the trouble was that the watch.
man Of that passing ship did not see
those little boats and RATS floating in
the fog. And the great reason why
we DO not help those who are
struggling by our side In the fox o.
life is because we do not See or hear
them
Lastly. as I look upon the floating
boats and the pleading, upturned faces
of that fatal day of July 20 am i'm
pressed with the rapidlty with which
death can strike down lis victims Like
a bolt out OF clear sky the summons
may come. II may come 10 III nj any
time. IN any place. II can come 70 US
as quickly as II hurled into a watery
grave the 1O5 men. women and chill
dren when the San Pedro crashed into
the Columbia. sending them 10 the bot
tom of the cruel and unfathomable sea.
The marine entombment which came TO
the Columbia might have come 10 us.
In an instant, In the twinkling Of an
eye. the summons may come. Death
comes suddenly 10 our neighbors, and
death may come suddenly 10 us. let
us. then. heed the warning which
Christ gave TO the rich man Of his
time. Thou fool. this night thy soul
shall be required Of thee"
On the night Of July 20 not one Of all
the passengers and crew aboard the
Elder had to be told how near death
was. We all felt his presence. We
were all saying 10 ourselves: How
would l have been prepared 70 meet
my God II my summons had come as II
did to the passengers Of the Columbia?
Am living the right life, and VIII my
dear ones beyond. by Jesus side. be-
able 20 greet me If should now hear
the call. This night. this night thy soul
shall be required o. theeY"
II is SO easy TO think Of death com
Ing 10 those a thousand miles away
But that day II came near 10 MS. Can
you not feel that death may this mo.
ment be ready for your Why not now
your heart 10 Gods work.
ms we did on that Sabbath night which
the awful catastrophe OF the
sinking Columbian