TUESDAY, June 4, 1901, the writer of this sketch while en route from New York to Barbados, with several fellow-travelers, enjoyed the privilege of spending several hours in the quaint, [[FIGURE]] picturesque city of St. Pierre, Martinique, which has recently become the center of observation of the entire world, owing to the terrible calamity which befell it on May 8 last. We little thought as we viewed its commodious commercial quarters, substantial public and official buildings, elegant residences, beautiful botanical gardens, and many other objects of interest, all alive and throbbing with the busy activities of life, that less than one brief year would intervene before the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, Herculaneum and Pompeii, would be visited upon it.
While there we could not but note that the unusually picturesque scene was sadly marred by the trail of the serpent, despite the imposing cathedral and many other places of worship, many of which were thronged with devout worshipers. Everywhere were seen crucifixes and images along the streets and highways, and almost as numerous as the shops were the stalls, open toward the street, containing an altar with its burning candles, and gilded paraphernalia. A few benches furnished seats for a portion of the crowds that thronged each place chanting
some monotonous form of service (utterly unintelligible to us), while the candles (purchasable for a trifling sum from the person in charge, usually a female) burned in the candlesticks placed to hold them. Most of the worshipers were females. We could not but feel that Paul's stirring message to the Athenians needed to be sounded in that place, "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you." Acts 17:16-28.
But such a message would doubtless have met with a worse reception there than it did in Athens, for we were insolently driven from one place of worship where we paused to watch the service, being recognized of course, as strangers and foreigners. But the seal of death now rests on their finished career, and their cases are in the hands of the just and merciful Judge of all the earth, who will surely do what is right. Gen. 19:25.
It behooves us who are left, to discern the cause, seek for the meaning, and profit by the lesson of such solemn events. But where shall we seek for the desired information? The ever-changing, self-devouring, contradictory, unreliable deductions of modern "science, falsely so called" (1 Tim. 6:20, 21) are no longer entitled to the least consideration or respect from intelligent minds. The latest and most convincing proof of this is seen in the part which "science" (?) played in the awful event which is the subject of this article.
For several days the ever-increasing rumbling and thundering of Mount Pelee, with one or two outbursts, productive of much loss of life and property in country districts nearer the mountain, warned the inhabitants of St. Pierre of impending danger. The people were disposed to heed the warning, and fly for safety; and many would doubtless thus have escaped destruction, had they not been prevented from so doing by the governor, who caused troops to be placed at every avenue of escape, thus permitting no one to leave the city. The inconvenience and expense that would be occasioned by thousands leaving St. Pierre and flocking into Fort de France, was the real reason underlying this fatal order.
The governor was doubtless encouraged to take this rash step by the report of a large committee of learned, geological, scientific experts, whom he had deputed to investigate into the condition of the
[[FIGURE]] grumbling giant. Their well-worded report "demonstrated" the absolute safety of St. Pierre; but almost before the ink on the paper was dry, the volcano, as if to show its contempt of man's wisdom and power, belched forth the torrent of death and destruction which involved the entire population of the city, including the governor and his wise men. O earth's inhabitants! learn from this to "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish," Ps. 146:3, 4. "Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited." Jer. 17:5, 6.
But in spite of the terrible rebuke, which this fearful calamity administered to the boasted wisdom of man, a perfect flood of scientific (?) conjecture as to the causes and consequences of the eruption has been let loose upon the world; and every one who reads the various deductions of the different scientists and geologists who have investigated the matter, must notice that no two of them agree in their conclusions. It is to be hoped, however, that one of the results of this dire disaster will be to turn some honest minds away from the "teachings of men, which so often mislead us," to Him who is the source of all truth, wisdom, and power. And the
writer is glad that his observation enables him to state that this hope is being realized in many cases. Whenever anything new, strange, startling, and difficult of solution takes place, instead of indulging in guess-work and conjecture, or consulting the wisdom of the world, which has so often proved itself to be but foolishness, the mind of faith turns to God, and receives infallible and reliable information and instruction from Him whose hand is on the controlling lever of circumstances and "who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." "There is no power but of God," for "power and strength belongeth unto God." And (as we shall presently show) the Scriptures abound with evidence that volcanoes, earthquakes, and similar disturbances are but manifestations of His omnipotent power. Therefore it is but reasonable that we should seek Him for the cause and meaning of such terrible manifestations of His power as that which blotted St. Pierre from the face of the earth.
Altho nearly two thousand years have elapsed since the canon of Scriptures closed, the Bible is an up-to-date book, speaking with authority and accuracy of current events, because its Author, who sees the end from the beginning, has declared from ancient times the things that were not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure." Isa. 46:9, 10. The Bible has much to say about volcanoes and earthquakes both historically and prophetically. "History repeats itself" and "like causes produce like effects." "The thing that hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun." Eccl. 1:9. "These things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." All this is as true of volcanoes and earthquakes as of any other subject of Scripture; so it is clear that in studying this subject in the Bible, we shall be instructed concerning the recent disaster in these islands.
It will be well at this point to guard against one mistake that is almost invariably made in the study of this subject, namely, that of confounding the cause of the disaster with the means or agencies by which it is accomplished. Scientists gravely tell us that the cause of these seismic phenomena is the internal fires of the earth, etc. But these things are only the agencies by which the phenomena are brought about. It is the mandate of the Eternal, Omnipotent One that brings the various elements of destruction in contact with each other. "He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; He toucheth the hills ["mountains," R.V.] and they smoke." Ps. 104:32. "Bow Thy heavens, O Lord, and come down, touch the mountains and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning and scatter them; shoot out Thine arrows and destroy them." Ps. 144:5, 6. "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills ["mountains," R.V.] moved9and were shaken, because He was wroth. There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before Him His thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave His voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yea, He sent out His arrows, and scattered them; and He shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at Thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils." Ps. 18:7-15.
What is Left of Custom-House and Wharf.
These words, while possibly a record of an ancient event, and surely prophetic of final last-day destruction, contain information and instruction concerning the origin and cause of similar current events. But when it is demonstrated that these cataclysms are a manifestation of Omnipotent Power, the query arises, Why does God cause or permit such an awful display of His power? W. A. SWEANY.
(Concluded next week.)
One of the victims.
The City of St. Pierre a Year before the Eruption.
