The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-16
MAN AND THE EARTH.
HeIpIessness Before Ma
lures Blind Forces.

We ask the meaning of these things
and obtain no certain answer. says the
London Telegraph, apropos of the re-
cent seismic disturbances. Science
cannot tell us why quiet crater sud-
denly boils up, without warning. into
an active volcano. or why the ground
trembles. and in trembling destroys the
habitations of man. Progress here has
left US as ignorant and as impotent
since the first observers at the dawn
of history ascribed these cataclysms to
the wrath of the offended gods. Modern
mechanical invention, indeed. seems
only to insure that the destruction
when it comes shall be complete The
complication of great buildings. the
gas and electric light, the tubes and
wires so useful in the time of security
only add TO the danger and collapse
in the time of upheavaL
We think, indeed. that We know GER
tain quarters of the earth which are
affected AMI certain quarters which
are immune But. in reality, we have
little such security. Earthquakes were
frequent in London in the middle
ages, not 500 years ago. And 500 years
in the history of the life of the earth
Is but as one day. Vesuvius had been
quiet for as long while the Romans
built their pleasure cities under her
shadow. until one day. without warn
ing, she broke into terrible life and
overwhelmed Pompeii and HeTculan-
cum in a destruction still shining ter
ribly across the historic centuries We
may say that it is unlikely that North
ern Europe and its cities should share
the fate of Valparaiso and san Francis
co. The most doematic scientist would
not affirm that it Is impossible.
In our pride of human achievement
in control of the forces of nature it is
well that we should be reminded how
powerless and futile is all mans
strength and intelligence i'm face of
these mysterious uncomfortable chan
ges. The human Prometheus, as Hulk
ley affirmed, has caused the fire of
heaven to be his servant and made
the spirits of the earth and of the airl
obey him. He can even use for his pur-
poses such forces as these of electric
ity, whose nature he cannot under
stand. But ne is still at the mercy of
the whirlwind and the storm. Things
which seem to him caprice or blind
brutal chance involve him and his fel-
lows in destruction. And the kindly
earth, whose security he has learned
to trust. will gu 1dcnly arise ard strike
him into speedy and awful death. In
former time men could explain with a
theory in part convincing the fail of
a tower or the collapse of a city. The
destruction of Sodom and GOmOrTah
served as type and warning of all SIM
liar manifestations Of judgment upon
human wickedness. That theory has
vanished with the triumph Of the con-
ception of a natural order. No one to-
day believes that the guilt of San
Francisco or Valparaiso has called TO
heaven for vengeance and received an
swer RIt the scie1tific progress which
has destroyed the ancient belief in Di-
vine anger as cause of these miseT-
les has provided no ineligible substi
tute And today we confront these
scenes of ruin and suffering in silent
wonder what the meaning of it all can
be. or whether it has any meaning at
all