Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-04-26
LESSONS OF TITANIC DISASTER.
BrattIeboro Clereymen Discussed Subject
In churches-lncldent In Mans Mas
terry Of the World.

Brattleboro CIereymen Discussed Subject
In Observation-Disclosures In Mans Mas
terry Of the World.
In the Unitarian church Sunday morn
ing the subject of Rev e. Q. S. Osgood's
sermon was They that go down to the
sea in ships" He spoke of the fact
that ships had sailed the seas since the
very earliest times and that danger al
ways had beset the mariner. Reference
was made to the mystery of the sea
and to Gods watchful care of His child
rem on the deep. The wreck of the Ii
tanic and the lessons taught by the cat
astrophe were considered.
In st. Michaels Episcopal church hymns
were sung and prayers were offered
for the victims of the wreck of the liner
and those who were affected by the
disaster In st. Mchaels Roman Cath
Ollie church special masses have been said
this week for the men and women who
were lost No mention was made of the
wreck in the Universalist church but
next Sunday Rev. d. Z. Trout will
preach sermon on the disaster
In the Congregational church Rev. r.
NJ. Houghton prefaced his sermon with
talk on the terrible loss of life, stat
ing that his faith in humanity was
strengthened by the many heroic eX-
amples of personal sacrifice of life and
the faith and trust in God which was
| manifested by those who calmly await
| ed death.
On Sunday evening in the Baptist
| church DIR. John r. Cow spoke on the
| topic, THE Titanic disaster and the
| goodness of God" Beginning with the
| statement that every great disaster to
human life challenges faith in an over
ruling and kindly Providence, he pointed
out first of all that this loss of life was
not greater than by other preventable
causes, like mine explosions, tubercu-
losis scourge, famine in China Rus
| STA, undertaking among the submerged
tenth in Europe and America, about
which we make little stir. Nor was the
question of faith settled by the fixing of
| the blame on any individual or set of
individuals or on the whole of us who
are willing to sacrifice everything to
speed and luxury. Modern faith cannot
hold to a capricious or vengefu diety
capable of sinking a ship for punishment
of any man or men. Even to deny the
existence of a God in a world where
such miseries are found is no longer
possible to men of scientific minds. Ar
absentee God, who has made a goot
world and left it to run itself and mer
to be smashed up in the running of it
is not possible to modern philosophy
however it may have agreed with tht
philosophy of former centuries Only the
Christian faith in an indwelling. pur
poseful and good God can permanently
satisfy the mind and heart of mankind
Such a faith offers some help in under
standing the disaster to the Titanic. Fo
ii relates that event to the whole plal
of the universe, every element In tn
sinking of the ship having, like the Law
of gravitation, its good uses for mel
and things
The Christian faith finds the mos
manifest presence of God in the intel
ligence that planned the ship and navi
gated it until the fatal moment, in tn
splendid will that drove the ship on it
course through all risks, In the mani
chivalry that enforced the unwritten LAY
that women and children be saved frs
and in the high faith with which S
many bravely met their end. Such
disaster is declared by the Chrstia
faith to be an incident, however hol
Iible. in mans mastery of himself an
o of the world All signs indicate that tn
S safety of the seas is to be secured g
n never before and that the brotherhood
nations will be furthered even more tina
@ If many men were to have stood as v
n T. Stead was expected to have stoc
on Monday night before great aud
Is ence is Carnegie hall to plead for un
l. versal peace. And most of all 1t mil
1t mizes the event of death and magn
lie fes the value of being near to God
lg whether one lives or dies.
re At the conclusion of the sermon q
rs organist, Miss Izetta NJ. Stewart play
t. the first and last stanzas of Near
to my God. to Thee closing with the II
D. organ, "Or II on joyful wing, upward
Is. fly"