Year: 1872

others undone The voice Of God


warns m4n Lot u shear the earth of


it, fIre-ts. anr To live in uncleanly,
crosled streets The voice Of God in


the pc THENCE warns man to live


healthiy. The voice oi nature teach


rs m,n NV terrible lessons how to i'm


pr,ve hum n life and human cities -


| think my without anv fear Of
cOairtdict,nn that thi, fi!e is not an


accident; it is not an event sprung off
from the great natural law The city
| aa> violated certain great natural
! laws WIS u right tn have streets so
narrow that the flame could reach
across so es>ily? People say it has


been so 800 ye RS. and there has bean


no fire Yes. SO there are plants that
take 100 years to bloom, but they do


bloom every hundred years. There


is city rot far from here that may


learn lesson about this orc Of these
days Was it necessary that build
ings should be carried up, story upon


story, not fire. proof, vast N height
and that then cap should be set


upon them. quick to take FIRE and oul


of the reach of the fremen? Is it


wise to lay the foundation of them


solid. to carry up the first story fire


proof, the second story fire proof


the third. the fourth. the fifth story.


all fire-proof-and then put Man


said roof on the top of all, to taSe


fire and to scatter sparks around the


neighborhood? Those great buildings


which are our pride aud admiration.


admirable t0r business purposes. and


now. as it proves. although this was
not intended by the architect, admir-


able for fire. But territory is small


and land is valu1bie, and they can


not afford TO build other Than narrow


streets. Can they afford 70 burn mp


again? Do you suppose it the streets


had been broad, wide avenues, do


you suppose if there had been inter-
sected here aud there an open square


or some small park, would there have


been any such coufiagration Do you
not see what contracted lane there
was-a direct prOvOcatiOn and temp


tation to fire. with an invitation To the
fire-devil sitting on every Mansard


roof? If Boston repeats her error now
after suffer- e it will be because this


fire has been without profit. We also


learn that it is not enough in con-


structing public buildings that they
should lie made convenient for busi-
ness; there is a lesson in this that


every complete Eusines should be a
fire department as well. that there
should re such instrumentalities, such
hydraulic cOutrivances that every


house could take care of itself. We
have learned to build hollow walls


how to carry air, light, heat and wa


ter through all the house, and it is but


a step beyond this to make every house


an engine-house, aed every man
fireman, every building fire-proOf, or
with means of extinguishing fire.
Here are lessons to be learnt by this
fire. Instead of asking if God meant
to humble Boston, let us look into the
future and see what are the lessons to
be learned from such confiagration
as this. Let us hope that in ten years
hence Boston that tonight mOurns
the calamity will give thanks TO God
for the benefactiOn. Meanwhile there
are some thoughts that are proper
You should never see calamity befall
another man without Gaking home the
consideration it may befall me. When
death knocks at your neighbOr's door
it may be on its way to you. When
blight desalates another mans field
it is to teach you likewise that your
own fields may come TO csnker and
sorry. When great calamities befall
other cities it ought TO warn us that it
might befall ours. Mr.. Beecher con-
cIuded with an earnest hope that the
nation would come to the relief of the
suffering city and help to bear its bur-
den.