San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-10
WHEN NATURE SEES RED

Nature does not order her phenomena
70 suit the convenience of man. They
NAV come at time to promote his IN
terests. or they may come when he Is
least prepared to meet them. And some
of them are such that their coming
at any time is a calamity which strains
the philosophy OF those who try to see
some good in everything.
In the latter category belongs the
earthquake that has rocked the tounda-
tons of Japan, taking a toll OF some
100000 lives and wreaking destruction to
property whose total value has not yet
been estimated. Does the law of COM
pensation cover this situation?
One might say that there is no land
on earth that offers for the pleasure and
profit of man advantages that are un-
allowed by Disadvantages; in short,
that there is no perfect earthly abode
for human beings. But could it be pos
sible that the soil, the climate and the
geographical location of the Flowery
Kingdom are so favorable to the inter
ests of that countrys people that they
can be counter-balanced, under the law
of compensation, only by such a great
catastrophe as that which has befallen
the japanese:
Such matters are beyond the ken Of
finite minds. Yet finite minds have
dwelt upon them since time immemorial
and doubtless will continue TO do so as
long as Nature withholds her secrets.
Possibly those who believe in the law
of compensation try to interpret it too
literally, or are too prone to localize its
application and to hold that application
within physical bounds.
If the law is effective philosophically
and in that sense is applicable to uni
vcrsal situation or condition, then one
might see in the Japanese earthquake an
antidote for state of mind with which
the world has become afflicted.
This may be scant consolation for the
suffering and mcager encouragement Tor
those who have gone to their relief. But
strange are the ways of the unseen
Power that rules the universe. Man cam
not analyze them; he can, however, OBJ
serve the effects of causes that 20 him
are inscrutable. And what, historically,
have been the effects OF great catastro-
Plies that Nature has visited upon man
One OF the effects is to be seen in
the arousing of human sympathy. Men
forget their comparatively petty differ
ences when the forces of Nature inter
vcne. The Japanese, in their present
great trouble, will come to know the
depth OF the human sympathy OF which
other peoples are capable.
Not that there were any grave differ
ences of the moment between Japan and
any other nation. To insist upon such
prerequisite to the application of any
assumed natural law to this situation
would be to attribute to Nature a tend
ency that characterizes human iudg-
ments. The rain falls upon the lust
and the unjust alike; tornadoes overturr
churches as we'll as houses OF vice; mol
ten lava flows only from volcanoes
earthquakes occur, when they do occur
wherever geologic formations are favor
able to such phenomena. Perhaps
suPerlatively ubiquitous people would b,
as safe in Texat so far as earthquake
are concerned, as would the most right
eoiis.
But whenever a great natural catastro
phe occurs, irrespective OF the site of til,